Ray Butts and Echosonic

[KT66]

I was doing some research on a custom build and I came across this article that I thought some might find interesting :

http://www.scottymoore.net/Ray_Butts_interview.html

[Cliff Schecht]

Very cool read, thanks!

[Andy Le Blanc]

Nice..... tape delay? not a copycat?

[Echosonic27]

I have one of these amps, anyone know where I can get information or parts for it?

[KT66]

That's a rare bird you have there. If it is in unmolested condition then I think what you need to find is not a schematic, but a competent tech that you can trust to repair it for you. I do not know what the value of the amp is, but there are 2 factors which basically determine the value of anything - supply and demand. It looks like you have the supply side of the equation wrapped up, only 68 of these were ever made and how many still exist is unknown. What the demand is for them is unknown, but it is definitely a sought after collector amp due to the Scotty Moore / Elvis connection, among others. I don't mean any offense by this at all, but I don't think it would be in your best interest to have an amateur mess with it at all, get a pro who specializes in restorations to do it right.

That being said, I'm sure you already know that the Rickenbacker Ek-O-Sound was a licensed version of the amp, you can find a schem of that here : http://www.rickresource.com/forum/viewt ... 1&start=30 , though I don't know how similar it is to the real deal.

Of course, if you wanted to draw the circuit from examining the amp, or have someone do it, and post it , I am sure it would be appreciated

Here's a page with contact info for Mr. Butts' son Randy who may be able to help you with info or parts : http://www.echosonicamp.com/

[Echosonic27]

Sadly, Mr. Randy Butts passed on during the summer of 2010.

[Echosonic27]

Very interesting ..........

http://173.203.78.138/forum/other-amps/ ... 017/page1/



Here's the post:


I was the guy who bought this 1961 Rickenbacker Ek-O-Sound model M-30. The amp never sold on eBay due to the reserve, but I held the highest bid. Anyone wanting to see the Complete Restoration of this amp and its echo tape board in detail are welcome to visit one of the many forums to which I posted the entire process:

http://www.rickresource.com/forum/viewt ... 1&start=30


At the time, Dave Kyle had given up on the Ray Butts book because of arguments with Katha Butts-House, and at a time when everyone wanted the stuff left in Randy Butts's basement, I asked if I could take on the book project, and Dave was very receptive and gave the entire rights to the book including the whole manuscript to me. I waited a long time for his accompanying photos, and I also made quite a bit of progress on the book. Then one day, he changed his mind and said he's writing the book with someone else and would not tell me who (but I knew it was Tim..). I granted his wish without a fight because it is the right thing to do. He said that Katha heard that I was writing the book and said I didn't know Ray so she was against me from that point on. What she didn't know is that Randy and I were friends, usually chatting about hunting, fishing, and vintage TV repair. Katha made every effort to make sure that I did not, and it all went to Tim Masters of course. Dave told me not to share any information about these amps with anyone, including people on the internet. This really insulted me and my efforts to try and help others in their Quest For Tone, since this is, after all, the Holy Grail.

Tim emailed me once, saying that he will do everything to keep this amp a secret, in respect to Ray Butts who was known for his amp's secrecy. He claimed that this was a way to Keep Ray's Memory and Music Alive. I can surely tell you that to keep something alive, you need to let it free and let everyone enjoy it. Ray Butts invented it, and needed the money from the amps for his family. Tim didn't invent it and his family isn’t' relying on the amp sales to survive. He bought a used one from eBay, copied it, and is trying to sell his clones to the tune of $6000 but you have to pass his interview. I don't even know of a single sale of his clones, but clearly his respect for Ray's secrecy has a price...... That being said, Tim has many friends that are also my friends, and we obviously share many same obsessions. I am confident that, in his heart, mind and soul, he has the ability to change for the better, and hopefully he will. After all, he got all of Ray's schematics, parts, tools, etc, so only he has the very historical items. It is my opinion that the schematics, etc should be shared with the entire world - now THAT would be Keeping The Music Alive. Despite all his secrecy, and the ensuing friction between us, I do respect you, Tim.....

Interestingly enough, at the time when I was trying to buy this amp, I thought I was going to be ripped off, because the seller was emailing me, claming to be on the telephone with "Someone Representing The Estate Of Deke Dickerson". At first, I didn’t believe this, because I knew that, at the same time, Deke D had this Standel 50L15 Shop Test Amp #2 SN(has # 1096 written inside the cabinet) for sale on Ebay for $5000, saying that he already had another Standel amp (his Emerald Green SN 1032 from Don Snow), and that having 2 Standels 'qualified him for an episode of Hoarders". Well, after reading this post, and seeing that indeed Deke (DDfonic) was looking to buy this amp, I think that there is some truth to this. I also found out recently that Deke bought Scotty Moore's spare Echosonic amp, so now he has 2 of those amps as well. Let's face it Deke - gear collecting isn't hoarding, but it surely made a good excuse to get rid of the test amp.

I do not know which serial # it is. Chet Atkins and other sources claim that Scotty bought Echosonic #03, but the tube chart on his original Echosonic (with the wide front panels) is Serial #08. Deke - If you're reading this, perhaps you remember me emailing you asking for photos of the insides of your Echosonic amp. To that, you said "not much interesting in there", but I'm sure you realize that it is extremely interesting to many many people, and surely as a collector and Echo fan you know this. I didn't push the issue with you out of respect, because I understood you wanted to retain privacy - No Problem!! It would be great to know the serial #s of both your Echosonics. I know that you have the one Ray gave to Rickenbacker and that may have been the last one, so perhaps that one is #68. But without a Ray Butts cabinet, I am not certain that a tube chart with a serial # even exists in that one.

[FALCONDVR]

Much of this story is false. James Roy has
Katha Butts House