Charlie Watkins

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					ROCKHAPPENZ Public Collection

Charlie Watkins — Founder/Owner/Designer at WEM - inspiration behind the ubiquitous Watkins Copicat Tape Echo .....

Charlie Watkins with his very first Copicat Echo Unit circa 1958

Able Seaman Charlie Watkins and a mate in Navy days

Charlie Watkins again with his first Copicat - NAMM Interview

The Watkins Copicat is an effects unit that produces tape delay effects. One of the first commercially available tape delay units, the original Copicat model was produced by Watkins Electric Music beginning in 1958. The Copicat became one of Watkins' most successful products, and the company produced various Copicat models and versions over the following decades.

In 1960, inspired by the tape echo unit on the Marino Marini Quartet's Come Prima, Charlie Watkins, co-founder of London music shop Watkins Electric Music, had the idea for a simple, affordable, portable tape delay unit. Bill Purkis, a talented engineer had joined the Watkins operation (which was already well into manufacturing amplifiers) in 1959, and immediately he set about implementing Charlie's ideas by designing the Watkins Copicat, a compact (12-inch by 8-inch) valve-based tape echo unit with three replay heads and selector switch, and a feedback loop for a variable echo-repeat effect. The first production run was completed from the Watkins' shop at 26 Balham High Road, South London.

Charlie's shop at 26 Balham High Road, South London

Inside Watkins Electric Music - Offley Road, London SW9

Watkins Electric Music - Offley Road, London SW9

The Watkins Copicat Mk II

The Watkins Copicat Mk IV

A very nice letter from Charlie Watkins

The legendary Charlie Watkins with his then
newly designed parabolic focusable reflector .....

Charlie Watkins with his "Songbirds"

Charlie Watkins' shop sold the entire initial production run of 100 Copicats on that Saturday morning  —  with the very first Copicat being sold to Johnny Kidd of Johnny Kidd and The Pirates.  The unit appeared on their hit Shakin' All Over.  The Copicat, which preceded other major European echo units like the Binson Echorec, Meazzi Echomatic, and Vox Echo Deluxe, would become one of the company's most successful products, with Watkins releasing various different Copicat models over more than 50 years.

The Watkins Copicat revolutionised the world of music overnight.  No printed circuit boards, just a few valves, a tape loop....... and a bit of imagination.  They were sold all over the world by the hundreds of thousands and it is still regarded as the World Standard in echo units.  Accredited as a major element in the Sound of the 60's chemistry - the other contributors being the VOX AC-30 and the Fender Stratocaster.  Many thousands of these models are still in nightly use today after 40 years!

Charlie stated:

Despite popular belief that the preceding Mk I and Mk II valve Copicats were the best performers, the facts are that this first departure from valves, the CUSTOM COPICAT was by far the more successful.  This was mainly because of its early state of the art transistor design with its greater stability and greater recording bias control.  It also had, by this time, developed far superior tape transport components.  This model was sold by the 100's of 1000's all around the world, and most of them are still running nowadays.  Incredibly reliable, with its superior dynamic range (of great importance when used for voice) and vastly improved erasure circuitry.  Its only offset was the prevailing nostalgia and love of valve circuitry.  But as an echo unit it outshone everything else the world had to offer.  Although new digital technologies have made it possible for the unique and original Copicat sounds to be emulated and actually improved upon - nothing will ever be taken from the original pioneering 1958 Copicat - which climbed the mountain first!

Charlie Watkins with his accordian

Charlie Watkins with webmaster Reg Godwin

Shakin' All Over - by Johnny Kidd and The Pirates