Keith,
ok, this have not with the jaotao`s question to do, but when you mention BEL I must pop up and do a comment.
Yes I remember this time when Don Larking was distributor for the BEL equipments that was desiged and made by Mike Bernard.
It was in the 1980`s when "TL" Tony Larking work for Don Larking Audio Sales in Guildford Street, Luton Beds.
I think the first BEL product was the BF-20 Stereo Flanger that near all UK studio have in the FX-rack in this time.
In the end of 1980`s they have a lot of very nice (as you say) "cheap-and-cheerful" product as Flanger, Phaser, Delay, Noise reduction, Di-box, and also a 24 inp, 8 group, 16 monitor multitrack mixing console
(I was dealer for BEL in Sweden between 1980 to 1990)
--Bo