Nothing really…! In all honesty, this is the worst tape echo I’ve ever held in my hands! It’s got absolutely no features, the speed control isn’t continuous (although maybe, maybe, this could be useful when you want to dial in the same speed on different occasions… assuming the voltage is steady enough to give you the same speed!), there’s no VU meter, no direct out for the wet signal, no tone controls, and it doesn’t sounds very good… The only redeeming points of this machine are its small size and light weight. For psychedelic sound effects, sound wave destruction or noise music, maybe…
Technical Info / Service Notes
My unit’s extremely noisy. First I thought it was the motor, but as it turns out its the fly-wheel rubbing against the metal plate that holds it. It seems whatever “lubricant” material that was there has been eaten up long ago by the tip of the flywheel spinning on top of it. When I turn it on, it sounds like two grinding stones rubbing… I haven’t bothered to fix this, because the SS-100 isn’t worth the trouble really… Plus if I put it on its side, the noise disappears.
Specifications
| Manufacturer | Kastam Electronics Co. Ltd. (Yokohama, Japan) |
| Date | 70s |
| List price | |
| Transport type | 8-track cartridge |
| Motor speed | Variable, 6-speed selector |
| Playback heads | 1 |
| Head selection | n/a |
| Delay time | short |
| Inputs | 2 |
| Outputs | 1 |
| Wet output only | None |
| Pinch roller | n/a |
| Tone control | None |
| Remote Control | Echo on/off footswitch jack |
| Operating Voltage | |
| Related models | This is most probably the first tape delay made by Kastam. Other models are: SS-101, SS-102, SS-301. It was branded under many names, such as: Hi-Max, Bruno, Aria EM-35. |
Gallery
Does any one have the schematics for CONCERT SS-100
seems its same as the NE100 I have
I found the Hi-Max version on a dumpster. The unit powers up and yes, it sounds like two grinding stones rubbing 🙂 Should be an easy problem to fix.
My unit didn´t have a tape cartridge. Can I use any kind of 8 track or do I need a special kind?