Black Mountain rolls out super controllable dynamic performance Roto Echo PT2399 delay pedal for Jack White

So this is essentially a further spin out of Black Mountain’s ’Freewheel’ technology / construction / Mechanism - which first appeared on its Rotary Expression Volume Pedal - which was announced at this year’s NAMM event (January 2025).

Black Mountain’s Freewheel rotary assembly is extremely robust - a really solid piece of industrial engineering that looks like its been made to withstand a lifetime of use - where this is essentially a further evolution of the Expression Wheel mechanism which innovation first appeared on pedals by Classic Audio Effects [2015] (long since defunct), and Chase Bliss’s Expression Roller [2021]. 

Black Mountain’s ’Freewheel’ looks and feels like a weapons-grade take on that technology / mechanism - and is a little larger than Classic Audio’s and Chase Bliss’s pedals - while still an incredibly compact format compared to the regular treadle-style devices that are normal for those kinds of pedals.

The Roto Echo essentially embeds a rolling expression wheel component into the core pedal - meaning that you can then manipulate any of its 3 parameters with your feet - via said expression roller controller, and a 3-way toggle that flips between Time, Feedback and Blend parameters.

Controls - KNOBS } Blend, Feedback, Time; 3-WAY switch } Time / Feedback / Blend.

This means you can manipulate each of those control parameters on the fly - depending of course where you’ve position the 3-way switch. It for instance saves you from bending down to max out the Feedback for that cool oscillation effect - which is probably how I will use this pedal the most overall.

2nd most useful function for me is the ability to vary the Delay Time with the roller, while so far I’ve not used it too much to control the Blend - while I can of course see uses for that too.

This has been created in collaboration with Jack White’s Third Man Hardware - and of course there is also a slightly dearer yellow edition of the pedal (@ $299 vs $279 for standardd) available exclusively from the Third Man Hardware store.

Jack White has long favoured PT2399 delays, in fact being a big advocate of the Donner Yellow Fall mini - which also appears on his Donner Triple Thread Mult-FX Pedal. The PT2399 has long been loved for its analog style of delay delivery - which is featured also on the legendary Mad Professor Deep Blue Delay pedal, and myriad Lo-Fi delays too - that seem to be the main use of the PT2399 for delay effects - either Analog-style or Lo-Fi. And for the Roto Echo it sound incredibly lush and musical.

This is such a smart pedal - I’m surprised it hasn’t been done before - it really elevates that simplest format of delay - into a proper live and dynamic performance device.

I of course mostly favour expanded stereo delay workstation pedals - while there is something pretty special about this expressive mono variant - it feels and sounds so good. And the Black Mountain engineering here is really top-notch - with an incredibly controlled damping function on the ’Freewheel’ which gives you such extraordinarily precise control. I wasn’t sure how quickly I was going to gel with the roller - but it’s so well calibrated that it’s pretty instant.

I can very easily and precisely roll up to around 7 and a half - which delivers the maximum repeats before it notches into self-oscillation. It really is an effortless delight and joy to deploy!

I would like to see the development of a deluxe version eventually - which includes a 4th combination Modulation Depth and Rate control knob, Stereo TRS sockets in and out, and a second footswitch that allows you to step / stomp through the different expression modes - so you can do even more on the fly!

As is - the Roto Echo is already nigh perfect - it’s footprint is essentially the same as a 1590-BB enclosure - so mid-size really - where the only slight niggle is the side-sockets for in, out and power. I can see with the top-mounted knobs why there isn’t space for top-mounted jacks - so essentially a limitation for this execution of effect. I really don’t mind it though - this is such a worthy addition to the delay cannon - and it means you don’t need to connect an extra expression controller - as it is already embedded within the pedal. The construction is reassuringly solid and weighty - and you feel confident that this will withstand the rigours of a touring board.

Overall I am entirely delighted with this pedal - where for its level and quality of construction $279 seems about right. Jack White is so smart with some of his signature pedals - and I have had the CopperSound Triplegraph Octaver on the board since it was available to overseas buyers - the first batch was restricted within the US!

The Roto Echo is yours for $279 as mentioned - direct from the Black Mountain Webstore - and also at leading international dealers.

This is such a killer evolution of the simple 3-knob delay - which opens it up to all manner of dynamic performance capabilities - I feel most of you will be as delighted as I with one of these - and particularly those who favour Mono boards!