RE-501 Orange Roller Service Kit with Tension Spring for RE-501 & SRE-555

This service kit for the Roland Space Echo has all the parts you need to carry out a service on your Space Echo RE-501 & SRE-555.

SEE REVIEWS BELOW

The Kit has the following:

2 x New Tape Loops in shock resistant case (Made with superior quality tape)

1 x Tape Tension Spring

1 x Felt Set (Tape path & Tension Felts)

2 x Tape Feed Bearings 1 x ORANGE Pinch Roller - Looks great and same high quality as black type.

DOWNLOAD - Service Kit Installation Guide

FREE WORLDWIDE SHIPPING

 

Note: Our tape is NOT BASF LGR-50 or Mastering tape which is not suitable for these units. 

Incorrect tape can cause low echo output, tape jamming, distorted echo output, little or no self oscillation, incorrect tone and excessive head wear.

Over 90% of the repairs that come in to our workshop are due to faulty tape loops that were made with incorrect tape.

 

Reviews

 

I bought an RE-201 Space Echo second hand around ten years ago. It had not been well cared for by the previous owner and had excessive pitch variation in the echo. Not just a slight movement - at points it would vary by more than a semitone or sometimes even lock up completely.

I tried everything to get it fixed, and spent a lot of money. Cleaned everything, bought new tapes - tried several tape varieties to no avail. I had it serviced by a space echo expert in the UK, who rebuilt the motor with new bearings, fitted new felts, adjusted and calibrated everything. He gave me very specific advice about which tapes to use and where to source them. After that, the machine worked just enough to be useable, but still with a fair bit of wow, especially at slower settings. I would put a new tape in, it would run OK for a couple of hours, but then soon start sticking and making sudden big pitch swings. I tried rubber restore on the pinch roller, and applying silicon lubricant to the heads to help the tape slip past. This made it useable for short delays where the pitch issues were less obvious. But as a result of these limitations, and the unpredictability of the thing, I stopped using it much.

I recently decided to have one last try at fixing it. I searched online, found Echofix, and emailed for advice. Shane suggested the RE-201 full service kit. It arrived a few days later, and I cleaned everything and fitted all the new parts: leaf spring and tape feed bearing, new green pinch roller with sealed bearing in it, new felts and a new tape.

After ten years of this thing not really working to varying degrees, I was sceptical, and beginning to think the unit was beyond saving. But to my astonishment and delight, the new parts have completely revitalised the unit. It will now do delay with good pitch stability even on the slowest settings. In fact it has been a revelation hearing this classic unit properly for the first time, with all its warm, organic qualities. Its status as a classic is well deserved. It is a week since the new parts were installed, and the Space Echo been in use almost daily, and no sign of the previous issues at all. I've been putting everything through it and it sounds fantastic.

I am enormously grateful to Echofix for helping me to fix my RE-201, and for such a reasonable amount of money/time/effort as well.

 

Michael G (UK)

 

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Shane at Echo Fix saved me so much time and money by suggesting that I order the parts vs shipping unit. He walked me through the entire process of properly cleaning the RE-201 and installing the correct tape. My Space Echo, which I've had for over 10 years and use on everything, now runs perfectly. 

 

Thanks Echo Fix!

 

Sean L

Michigan / USA

 

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Finally somebody is offering replacement parts for the Space Echo. Shane at Echo fix was friendly and shipped my order quickly. The parts were easy to install and most importantly they made my RE-201 sound better than ever with less "warble" and noise. At the very least, do your 30 year old machine a favor and see what a brand new pinch roller can do. Shane and Echo Fix are highly recommended.

 

Dave 

Owner/Composer at Art Test Music, NYC

 

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I’ve had an RE-201 for several years now, but it began to develop excess wow and flutter, and the tape would jam on occasion. I found EchoFix’s website and purchased the RE-201 service kit, which comes with a new pinch roller, bearings, felts and two new tapes. The RE-201 used different sized bearings and felts in different revisions, but all sizes are provided to make sure you get the correct size for your machine.

 

The install instructions were very easily to follow and the whole process didn’t take long, and my machine now sounds better than ever. The quality of the tape supplied with the kit is far superior to what I had been using – the tape really makes a difference. The machine’s original pinch roller was worn and uneven (as can be expected with many years of use), which was causing a lot of the problems. The new roller feeds the tape smoothly, keeping a consistent speed over the tape heads. Finally, the new bearing and felts keep everything running smoothly and cleanly. Everything is now running perfectly.

For those who have an RE-201, I highly recommend purchasing this kit to restore your machine – it really is worth it.

Eddie A (USA)

 

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I would recommend EchoFix unreservedly as perhaps the only company in the world now selling high quality replacement parts for the Roland series of Space Echo tape delay units.

I had sourced various tapes and pinch rollers from EBAY sellers more conveniently located to the UK, only to waste my money.

Any web search will show EchoFix as presenting the most professional looking web site with the most comprehensive selection of parts, most of which are not NOS but new parts manufactured to the exact requirements of the old Roland machines.

After a frustrating experience of fitting odd parts from other sellers, only to have the performance of the machines I was working on get worse, I contacted Shane at EchoFix. He was extremely helpful and gave me solid advice on what was needed to get these machines working again. I ordered and fitted two EchoFix maintenance kits for the two machines I was working on and soon had them working perfectly.

My experience is that the Space Echo mechanisms do seem to be very sensitive to the type of tape being used and other tape loops, which may look similar, simply don’t perform as well as the loops from EchoFix.

Terry Relph-Knight

 

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I have a Roland RE 201 Space Echo unit that I bought from the original owner, the guy took really good care of the unit as it’s like NOS perfect!  

I used it for a couple of years and then I noticed the tape sound had lots of worlble and hiss. So I purchased a replacement tape from a guy here in the Los Angeles area.

I replaced the tape with the new one and it sounded way better but not perfect like it did when I bought the unit. I cleaned the heads and pinch roller and even demagnetized it but really didn’t do that much?  

I went online and found Echo Fix “Bingo” this guy has everything to fix or rebuild your Roland Space Echo. I ordered the 6 pack of his Tape for the Roland Space Echo and I noticed right away the the fidelity and clarity came back to my unit. The Tape that Shane uses is the real deal!! I’m still on the first tape and it been six months and the unit still sounds like the day I installed it.

Thanks Shane, you're the guy that I will aways go to for my Roland Space Echo needs!  

Cheers mate,    

Robby F. - Santa Barbara California.