“The CCB-1 gives you access to the boost and tone-shaping capabilities of the Copicat preamp in a modern, convenient format”: Is the WEM Copicat the $79 tone sweetener you’ve been waiting for?

Here is a pedal to heat up the relationship between your electric guitar and amp by applying some vintage tone sweetening mojo to the front end. It is called the WEM CCB-1 Copicat, and it is as preamp and boost, made by Hiwatt and sold exclusively through online gear retail giant Reverb. 

The WEM (Watkins Electric Music) Copicat has a lot going for it. It has a simple two-knob design, so no need to read the manual. It is super compact, and won’t bogart your precious pedalboard real estate. And best of all it retails for just $79.

There is a control for Level and one for Frequency. You can run it on 9V DC from a pedalboard power supply or 18V should you require more headroom and dynamics, and the sound is inspired by the British-made tape echo units that rose to prominence in the ‘60s and used extensively in studios across the world during the ‘70s.

As Reverb’s affable demo maestro Andy Martin explains, what made these Watkins units different was the capability to adjust the input signal, “to ensure the tape heads were getting the best signal-to-noise ratio”, which came in handy when you were swapping which instruments were going through it. 

WEM Copicat Boost Is Based on A Classic Tape Echo Preamp | Tone Report Demo - YouTube

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The CCB-1 simply exports the original’s transistorised preamp circuit, houses it in a pedalboard-friendly enclosure and hooks it up to a powerful EQ that allows you to boost treble or bass frequencies to taste.

“The Watkins Copicat holds an undeniable place in rock history,” reads Hiwatt’s listing on Reverb. “One of the first tape delay units that was commercially available, it shaped the sound of the ‘60s and ‘70s thanks to innovative artists like Robert Fripp, Rory Gallagher, and Phil Manzanera.”

Now, this little CCB-1 is fussing around with tape echo or anything like that. It is only interested in the transistorised magic of the preamp and using that to colour your tone and hit the front end of your amp – and whatever drive pedals you have in your signal chain – with some decibels, yielding all kinds of musical possibilities.

Naturally, you see one of these and your first instinct is to push your amp. But playing around and experimenting with where you place it in your signal path could unearth some welcome discoveries. It is ever thus when you introduce a boost/preamp to the equation.

The WEM CCB-1 Copicat is out now, available exclusively via Reverb. At $79.99, it looks like a decent investment.