When Strymon decided to develop an effects pedal that delivers the sound and feel of their favorite tape echo machines, they knew they must relentlessly study and faithfully recreate every last nuance. Months were spent in the Strymon sound design labs with an intense focus on capturing the warm, saturated, distinctive qualities of tape echo machines. The result is the hand crafted dTape technology. Utilizing a ridiculously powerful SHARC DSP, every drop of processing power is harnessed. The Strymon El Capistan provides three different tape machine types in one, each with three unique modes. With ten parameters to tweak, you get extensive control over tape quality, machine health and tone shaping. Go from the sound of a pristine, studio-quality tape machine to the heavily fluctuating sound of a machine in need of service. Get the full bodied sound of fresh tape all the way to the gnarled qualities of worn out tape. Because it's DSP driven, you get a range of tape experiences unattainable with a traditional tape machine. All of this without the headaches of tape machine maintenance and repair!
When Strymon decided to develop an effects pedal that delivers the sound and feel of their favorite tape echo machines, they knew they must relentlessly study and faithfully recreate every last nuance. Months were spent in the Strymon sound design labs with an intense focus on capturing the warm, saturated, distinctive qualities of tape echo machines. The result is the hand crafted dTape technology. Utilizing a ridiculously powerful SHARC DSP, every drop of processing power is harnessed. The Strymon El Capistan provides three different tape machine types in one, each with three unique modes. With ten parameters to tweak, you get extensive control over tape quality, machine health and tone shaping. Go from the sound of a pristine, studio-quality tape machine to the heavily fluctuating sound of a machine in need of service. Get the full bodied sound of fresh tape all the way to the gnarled qualities of worn out tape. Because it's DSP driven, you get a range of tape experiences unattainable with a traditional tape machine. All of this without the headaches of tape machine maintenance and repair!
When Strymon decided to develop an effects pedal that delivers the sound and feel of their favorite tape echo machines, they knew they must relentlessly study and faithfully recreate every last nuance. Months were spent in the Strymon sound design labs with an intense focus on capturing the warm, saturated, distinctive qualities of tape echo machines. The result is the hand crafted dTape technology. Utilizing a ridiculously powerful SHARC DSP, every drop of processing power is harnessed. The Strymon El Capistan provides three different tape machine types in one, each with three unique modes. With ten parameters to tweak, you get extensive control over tape quality, machine health and tone shaping. Go from the sound of a pristine, studio-quality tape machine to the heavily fluctuating sound of a machine in need of service. Get the full bodied sound of fresh tape all the way to the gnarled qualities of worn out tape. Because it's DSP driven, you get a range of tape experiences unattainable with a traditional tape machine. All of this without the headaches of tape machine maintenance and repair!
When Strymon decided to develop an effects pedal that delivers the sound and feel of their favorite tape echo machines, they knew they must relentlessly study and faithfully recreate every last nuance. Months were spent in the Strymon sound design labs with an intense focus on capturing the warm, saturated, distinctive qualities of tape echo machines. The result is the hand crafted dTape technology. Utilizing a ridiculously powerful SHARC DSP, every drop of processing power is harnessed. The Strymon El Capistan provides three different tape machine types in one, each with three unique modes. With ten parameters to tweak, you get extensive control over tape quality, machine health and tone shaping. Go from the sound of a pristine, studio-quality tape machine to the heavily fluctuating sound of a machine in need of service. Get the full bodied sound of fresh tape all the way to the gnarled qualities of worn out tape. Because it's DSP driven, you get a range of tape experiences unattainable with a traditional tape machine. All of this without the headaches of tape machine maintenance and repair!
Last updated at 06/23/2026 05:17:05
Strymon El Capistan Tape Echo Effect Pedal
Free delivery between 26 June – 3 July
Strymon El Capistan 2 Tape Echo Delay Pedal
Delivery $55
Strymon El Capistan V2 Tape Echo Pedal
Free delivery
Strymon El Capistan 2 - dTape Echo - Tape Echo Delay Pedal
Free delivery between 26 June – 2 July
originally posted on Sam Ash
I've tried just about every tap delay pedal on the market and I always come back to this one. It's compact and does everything a tape delay should and sounds very rich and true! The amazing people at Sam Ash Nashville, especially Toddzilla are the best!
originally posted on Sam Ash
This pedal is a must have. The dynamics are so distinct and the features are very custom. The secondary features are also great if you don't have a reverb pedal. The pedal also gave me the ability to produce the sound that I have been hearing in my head. Strymon is made in the USA which is awesome and the craftsmanship is bar none.
originally posted on pedalgenie.com
Excellent range of options on this first version of the pedal. Strymon does tape recreation so well, its hard to say anyone else could be better, however preferences will vary. The secondary features sold me in the end. It does everything, but the addition to modulate the sound of the tape in a manner of ways is what separates it from the others in my opinion.
| Analog / Digital | Digital |
| Effect Type | Delay |
| MIDI | No |
| Stereo | Yes |
| True Bypass | No |
Strymon El Capistan Tape Echo Effect Pedal
Free delivery between 26 June – 3 July
Strymon El Capistan 2 Tape Echo Delay Pedal
Delivery $55
Strymon El Capistan V2 Tape Echo Pedal
Free delivery
Strymon El Capistan 2 - dTape Echo - Tape Echo Delay Pedal
Free delivery between 26 June – 2 July
I've tried just about every tap delay pedal on the market and I always come back to this one. It's compact and does everything a tape delay should and sounds very rich and true! The amazing people at Sam Ash Nashville, especially Toddzilla are the best!
This pedal is a must have. The dynamics are so distinct and the features are very custom. The secondary features are also great if you don't have a reverb pedal. The pedal also gave me the ability to produce the sound that I have been hearing in my head. Strymon is made in the USA which is awesome and the craftsmanship is bar none.
Excellent range of options on this first version of the pedal. Strymon does tape recreation so well, its hard to say anyone else could be better, however preferences will vary. The secondary features sold me in the end. It does everything, but the addition to modulate the sound of the tape in a manner of ways is what separates it from the others in my opinion.
Strymon never disappoints. Very quality tape echo with a very wide range of sounds and tone. Paired with the Strymon favorite switch is a go to to use a more reverb sound while still being able to use the delay/echo.
Easy to use. Super flexible. Authentic analog Echo sounds. Can be utilized in many ways. Could I use a 2nd unit simultaneously? I'm thinking about it.
Strymon stuff can seem a little expensive, but you certainly get what you pay for. The build, design and sounds are all incredible. You still get great flexibility and versatility despite the pedal focusing on a single type of delay, from tight slapback to long and dreamy. The bonus spring reverb is fantastic too, it’s the icing on the cake.
The main goal of this pedal is to have a solid base for "always on" delay on the pedal board and it does the trick perfectly. It's a tape based delay but Strymon surely know how to make their pedal customizable. Wide range of settings, easy to understand (knowing how tape delay works helps), solid construction, nice switches and knobs, stereo. This pedal will probably remain on my pedal board for decades. Really nice package for the money. I just encourage you to watch some videos about the loop mode, the only part of the pedal which is not so intuitive.
Totally, the Strymon El Capistan is fantastic. It’s really a great tape echo delay that has a wide variety of options. ITs got a good bit of clarity and note definition as well. It shines with melodies for sure. It’s important to look up the manual b/c there are secondary features for each knob….including a hidden spring reverb that is set to off as a default setting. I’m not particularly a fan of spring reverb, but its cool that its in there. What I was interested in was all fo the setting on tape age, tape bias, tone etc. Those settings provided some variation to hone in on one’s preferences. If I’m being honest, I was hoping for more range in the tape age, bias, & wow/flutter knobs, nonetheless what is there is highly usable. Be sure to go into the secondary ... MoreTotally, the Strymon El Capistan is fantastic. It’s really a great tape echo delay that has a wide variety of options. ITs got a good bit of clarity and note definition as well. It shines with melodies for sure. It’s important to look up the manual b/c there are secondary features for each knob….including a hidden spring reverb that is set to off as a default setting. I’m not particularly a fan of spring reverb, but its cool that its in there. What I was interested in was all fo the setting on tape age, tape bias, tone etc. Those settings provided some variation to hone in on one’s preferences. If I’m being honest, I was hoping for more range in the tape age, bias, & wow/flutter knobs, nonetheless what is there is highly usable. Be sure to go into the secondary settings and set the boost/cut to unity……When I received the unit it was slightly boosted which was not really usable for my application, so I was happy when I found the setting to move it to unity. The Tape head and mode switches really give this thing a lot of range. You want slapback….got it. You want long drawn out delay (yes please), its got that too! I can see why this ends up on many pedal boards, I could see this becoming the only delay I would need …..especially if I needed a gigging pedalboard. As it were, I own a handful of other delays and was able to recreate all of the tones I was interested in from this pedal fairly faithfully using others. Of course, that is across several delay pedals as opposed to one El Capistan. This thing may eventually find its way to my pedal board, but for now, its not necessary given that I have the tones that I need. Bottom line: A wide range of very usable and musical delay. If you are looking for a go-to delay…..this may be it.
Strymon means quality and this unit is no exception. It has options to select multiple tape heads, wow/flutter adjustment, tape head age adjustment, along with repeat and time. Super clean or make it dirty without additional noise. It is the closest piece of gear that I have heard that comes closest to an actual old-school tape machine. What is there not to like? If you want that sound, this will deliver. Have fun.
| Analog / Digital | Digital |
| Effect Type | Delay |
| MIDI | No |
| Stereo | Yes |
| True Bypass | No |
