Seasick sailors and tape echo simulators

I am convinced that people programming the
dedicated digital replications of the Echoplex and other
tape echoes have never actually owned one for any
length of time.  If the tape warble was half as
bad as the simulators make it out to be, the tape
would be crushed and the roller jammed up and a
giant mess and swearing would have ensued. 
Tape echo had character, not a seasick sailor
vomiting at half-mast every note.   The only time I really noticed the warble or meaningful degredation was on some very short tape loops or if I let the loop really circulate for too long without cleaning.

These things were echo units, not one of the nigh-useless Eventide harmonizer factory presets.

I will say I don't miss having to clean the damn heads on my old RE-301 Chorus Echo between every set.

Don't miss that all.