There's a mod that can be done to the tape delay to add an external tap tempo jack. There are three ways this can be done:

1) Get Steve Chiles at schilesjr@gmail.com to do the work for you. We've check his work, and it's good. His work won't void the warranty. Steve Chiles is in the US.

2) Get us to do it. We charge $50 USD plus shipping.

3) Do the mod yourself and void the warranty. See below!


Super caveat: this mod is not covered by warranty! (unless we do it for you, see the bonus section at the bottom of the page)


It is possible, but with some big caveats:


0) You have to read all the instructions. I know this requires super human resolve, but it really is essential. Remember how that Ikea furniture turned out when you threw caution to the wind? Oh it turned out pretty good? Well this is a lot harder than Ikea furniture. My cat can put together Ikea furniture sans instructions. She can also do this mod. Cause she's read the instructions.

1) You have to have an EP33 PROD 1 board.

2) You have to have firmware version 8.

3) You have to drill a hole in the side of your tape delay, attach a jack, solder some wires, add some insulating tape, realize you made a mistake (if you're like me), curse Empress, contact us, get mediocre customer support, figure out things for yourself, realize you have a resolve you never had before, and triumph! (or you could get us or Steve Chiles to do the mod for you, more on that later).

4) You have to have an external switch that is normally open. That means when the stompswitch is not being pressed, the circuit is open, when it is pressed the circuit closes.

5) You have to change the advanced configuration settings.

6) Prepare to be confused.

bonus) We can do the mod for you.


WARNING: there's a good chance that if you haven't done mods like this before, you'll completely destroy your tape delay. Like, if you use the wrong size drill bits, decide to not drill a pilot hole, use a file that's way too big, apply too much force, are drunk while doing mod. These things all increase risk of sobbing, cause you've just destroyed your tape delay. We can't bring your tape delay back from the dead if you destroy it. We can however sell you a new one. Cha ching!


1) What board do I have?


In one of the attached pictures, you'll see a circle drawn in MS Paint around the board version. If it says EP33 PROD 0, there's no way we can help you with this mod. Sorry! Please don't hate us!


If it says EP33 PROD1 you're in business.


2) What firmware do I have?

To make things difficult, we encode the firmware version in binary. But don't fret! You need version 8. 8 in binary is 1000. When you plug in your tape delay the bypass led should blink in a bunch of long and short pulses. A long pulse means one, a short pulse means 0. So if it pulses long short short short, that's version 8! And you're good! If it pulses long short short long, that version 9, which hasn't been written at the time I write this. So you're from the future. But version 9 will also work, unless we turn evil and start removing features from our stuff. If it pulses long long long, that's version 7, which is bad. But you're not totally up the creek. We can do the mod for you, which includes updating the firmware. More on that later!


3) How to do the mod


Check out the attached pics. You have to find/buy a mono 1/4" jack. You have to drill a hole in the enclosure. It's a really good idea to drill a pilot hole with a 1/8" bit, then drill the final hole with a 3/8" drill bit. Then you'll probably want to file out the hole with a small hobby file. Attach the jack. Then you solder a wire from the sleeve lug to pad on the board called "GND" (it's the purple wire in the pictures. And solder a wire from the tip lug to the pad on the board called "EXT_TAP" (it's the yellow wire). Then add some insulating tape over the jack if you're worried about it shorting to the lid.


4) External Tap Switch


You have to have an external switch that is normally open. That means when the stompswitch is not being pressed, the circuit is open, when it is pressed the circuit closes (or closes).


5) Changing advanced configuration settings


Now you have to tell the tape delay that you are using the external switch. Follow the manual (found here) to get into the advanced configuration. There? Good! Now that we're in there, we're going rogue. The manual doesn't say it, but the "d time|ratio" knob is used to enable external switch capability. This is top secret info that only you and the internet know about. When you move the "d time|ratio" knob all the way clockwise, the tap led should blink red. This means the external switch has been enabled. Exit the advanced config and you're good to go!


6) Prepare to be confused


So now, with the advanced config, you have so many options, which adds to the confusion. You can have presets, or no presets, you can be in tap mode, or knob mode, you can turn on blips, or turn them off.


When you enable the external switch, what the left stompswitch (labelled "tap") does changes based on whether you are in tap mode or knob mode, and whether you have presets or don't. 


In the following, "tap mode" means the delay time toggle is set to "tap", "knob mode" means it's set to "slow" or "fast". Also, "funky stomp" (can't think of anything better to name this) means either blips if you enabled blips in advanced configuration, or delay line eraser if blips are disabled. 


Okay, here goes!


External switch: if you're in tap mode, the external switch allows you to tap in a tap tempo. If you're in knob mode, it operates as the funky stomp.

Left stomp switch (that is labelled "tap"): If you have presets enabled, the left stomp changes the preset. If you don't have any presets, the left stomp operates as the funky stomp.


BONUS) Get somebody else to do the dirty work while you chill poolside


First off, make sure your board version is EP33 PROD 1!


If you're in the US and you want to save on shipping, you can contact Steve Chiles at schilesjr@gmail.com to do the mod for you. We've checked out his work, and it's good. Your warranty will not be voided by sending him your pedal to be modded.


You can also ship your tape delay into us to have us do the mod. We'll update the firmware if required and do the mod for $50 USD (plus shipping). We're also considering selling the external switch if there's interest. Please email us at suppport@empresseffects.com if you're interested in having us do the mod!


May the grace of Aldebaran be with you!


Check out this HOW TO video for some visual assistance!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEA5I9pWW1c