Kevin W. Lee

Lucky Echo
Tap-tempo digital delayJHS Lucky Cat · Pedal Zines № 08

Issue08
LUCKY CAT (n.) JHS's pink digital delay with tap tempo, two mod flavors and a vintage tape mode. Discontinued, still on my board.
§ 01 · What it isRead me first

TIME = how long, REPEATS = how many, MIX = how loud. RATIO sets the tap subdivision, DARKEN warms the echoes.

DARKEN: clockwise = stock
§ 02Where everything lives

The Map

Five silver knobs, one three-way mod toggle, two stomps. MOD, DARKEN and the side slide switch shape only the repeats; your dry signal stays put.

Stylized top view of the JHS Lucky Cat Delay (pink finish) Sparkly pink pedal with silver knobs. Top row: TIME (1), MOD toggle with MOD 2 up and MOD 1 down (2), MIX (3). Second row: RATIO with note symbols (4), REPEATS (5), DARKEN with a curved arrow (6). White line drawing of a lucky cat with jeweled eyes. Two white LEDs over two footswitches: left is bypass, right is tap tempo (7). Output and input jacks on the top edge, external tap jack on the right side, DIGITAL / CLEAN vs VINTAGE / TAPE slide switch on the left side (8). SLIDEBYPASSTAPOUTIN TIME MIX MOD 2MOD 1 RATIO♪♪♪ REPEATS DARKEN 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Drawn from the JHS product photo, Kevin's sparkle pink unit · knob pointers are decoration
  1. 1TIMEDelay length, up to 1000 ms. Left = shorter, right = longer.
  2. 2MOD toggleMod on the repeats only. Down = Mod 1 (light, subtle), middle = off, up = Mod 2 (deep, seasick).
  3. 3MIXVolume of the repeats. All the way left = fully dry, all the way right = fully wet.
  4. 4RATIOTap subdivision. Full left = quarter note (exactly what you tap); turning right picks dotted eighth, eighth, then triplets.
  5. 5REPEATSOne repeat up to endless at full right. Max it and move TIME for a digital oscillation noise (normal, and fun).
  6. 6DARKENEQ for the repeats only. Fully clockwise = stock digital tone; counterclockwise rolls off the highs.
  7. 7FootswitchesLeft = bypass, right = tap tempo, each with a white LED. Tap the right one a few times to set the time.
  8. 8Jacks + side switchInput top right, output top left, external tap jack on the right side. Slide switch on the left side: DIGITAL / CLEAN or VINTAGE / TAPE.
✓ First sessionTap each one when done · saves on this device

First Session

0 / 5 done LUCKY YOU.
§ 03Starting points, not gospel

Quick Recipes

Starting knob spots (clock positions), not factory presets. Set it, play, then nudge by ear: guitar, pickups and amp all change the answer.

Rhythm

SLAPBACK

  • TIME: 8 o'clock
  • REPEATS: min (one repeat)
  • MIX: 10 o'clock
  • Side switch: VINTAGE / TAPE

Short single echo that fattens chords on the Strat.

Tap tempo

DOTTED EIGHTH

  • RATIO: dotted eighth
  • Tap the quarter-note pulse
  • REPEATS: 10 o'clock
  • MIX: 11 o'clock
  • MOD: Mod 1

The cascading arpeggio sound. Tap on the beat, the pedal does the math.

Ambient

SEASICK WASH

  • TIME: 2 o'clock
  • REPEATS: 2 o'clock
  • MIX: 1 o'clock
  • DARKEN: 10 o'clock
  • MOD: Mod 2

Darker, wobbly repeats that sit behind the playing. Push REPEATS to max and twist TIME for oscillation.

§ 04Juice and jacks

Power & Specs

POWER
  • 9 V DC, center negative. JHS: do not use more than 9 V (voids the warranty).
  • Draw: 75 mA per the JHS manual. Give it an isolated outlet rated 100 mA or more.
  • No battery: power supply only.
THE BOX
  • TIME · MIX · RATIO · REPEATS · DARKEN, a 3-way MOD toggle, bypass and tap footswitches.
  • Digital delay, up to 1000 ms. VINTAGE / TAPE = slightly saturated, compressed repeats; DIGITAL / CLEAN = clean and crisp.
  • Discontinued. Reboot of JHS's first delay, the Pink Panther; mine is sparkle pink. "Diamond eyes" on the cat.
Heads up

Mod, DARKEN, RATIO and REPEATS all act on the echoes only. If the pedal "does nothing," check MIX first: full left is fully dry.

§ 05The swap slot

In My Rig

The Lucky Cat is my swap-slot delay: when it is in, it sits after the Phase 90, right before the IR-2. It swaps on the board with my Keeley Caverns (Pedal Zines № 05): when a song wants reverb too, the Caverns takes this slot (it is in right now).

RATPhase 90beforeLucky CathereIR-2ampMix12FXmixer
Lucky Catthis oneorswapCaverns№ 05 · swap
TIP 1

Last before the amp

Delay after the RAT and Phase 90 means the echoes repeat the dirty, phased sound instead of getting distorted again. Keep it there.

TIP 2

Tap on the board

Use the right (tap) footswitch at the start of a song. Set RATIO first; with it full left, the delay is exactly what you tap. An external tap pedal can go in the right-side jack.

TIP 3

Don't stack the wash

Through the Mix12FX or the Princeton Chorus, go easy on their own reverb or chorus when Mod 2 and long repeats are on, or it turns to mush. Strat neck pickup + VINTAGE / TAPE + DARKEN at 11 is a warm start.