Skiltrip wrote:

The other thing I disliked about the RV-7, was there was a little too much separation between the dry tone and the reverb. Hard to describe, it just didn't sound cohesive. The FRV-1 was the opposite, where I felt the dry signal got buried, and I lost some of my attack and definition. The Topanga seems to fall right in the middle in regards to this cohesiveness, and it is an ideal balance.

This separation is what I liked about the RV-7 compared to other reverb pedals. The others overdid it with the tone-coloring while the RV-7 was very transparent, you could hear your original guitar tone. But as you say, now that I think of it, maybe it was too transparent. Part of the tank tone is the coloring.

Now I'm even more excited to try the Topanga, I'll need it as a backup and for when I have to travel light.

https://zakandthekrakens.bandcamp.com/
https://www.dirtyfuse.com

Last edited: Mar 24, 2014 12:57:50

you guys need to stop talking about this thing because you are going to make me want to buy it

http://dinosaurghost.bandcamp.com/
http://sixtycyclehum.podbean.com

RaistMagus wrote:

Skiltrip wrote:

The other thing I disliked about the RV-7, was there was a little too much separation between the dry tone and the reverb. Hard to describe, it just didn't sound cohesive. The FRV-1 was the opposite, where I felt the dry signal got buried, and I lost some of my attack and definition. The Topanga seems to fall right in the middle in regards to this cohesiveness, and it is an ideal balance.

This separation is what I liked about the RV-7 compared to other reverb pedals. The others overdid it with the tone-coloring while the RV-7 was very transparent, you could hear your original guitar tone. But as you say, now that I think of it, maybe it was too transparent. Part of the tank tone is the coloring.

Now I'm even more excited to try the Topanga, I'll need it as a backup and for when I have to travel light.

I definitely saw it as an asset as compared to the FRV-1. The FRV-1 definitely colored it, and it's intention was correct, it just overdid it. Whereas the RV-7 made a valiant attempt to NOT do this, but took it a little too far in the opposite direction. Everyone's ears/tastes are different though. When ordering the Topanga, I was hoping it would be the happy medium, and it surprisingly was. I dare say the clean/dry signal is every bit as intact as it is on the RV-7, yet the cohesion between the dry and reverb is there in a way it is not on the RV-7. The Volume knob on the Topanga also kind of gives everything a little more in-your-face character, but only if you want it. It's very easy to set it at unity.

Guitarist for Northern Tides from Hudson Valley, NY.
Northern Tides on FB

i did it! im in the club now

http://dinosaurghost.bandcamp.com/
http://sixtycyclehum.podbean.com

Thanks a lot guys.. I succumbed to peer pressure and ordered from rouge (thanks for the discount tip).
I grew up in SoCal in the 60s-70s and really dig everything surfy even though I've lived in Missouri since 92. Just found this site a few days ago and it feels like home
Looking forward to more sound clips/videos of the topanga and can't wait for mine to get here.

Can anybody compare it to the spring theory?
I am thinking about replacing it with the topanga if I manage to sell the first and I wanna know if it is worth. Thanks.

Surf Rock from the Northern Greece seas
http://meanwhileinmexico.gr/

Glad to hear you're diggin it. Try it with some tremolo , it's a thing of beauty.

I am curious, has anyone compared it to the Strymon Flint?

TarantinosNYC
TarantinosNYC FB page
The WrayCyclers FB page
Rockaway Beach Surf Music Festival

Big_Ryan wrote:

got mine today, i dont know how i feel about it yet, i really like my FRV-1, i like the drip and i like how my DOD 250 pushes it

the topanga is much more transparent and really lets drives come through the reverb, the drip on it is very different, feels kind of like a slap back delay instead of a DRIP

im not really going to know how i feel about it until i get it in a band setting, it might jump out alot better than the FRV-1, who knows

Make sure you take the time to play around with it, and the full sweep of the knobs. I'm a hard sell on reverbs, and my ears definitely go right to the tail. I'm always listening for that "slapbacky" thing that so many digital reverbs are guilty of.

It just goes to prove that we all hear these things differently. What you're describing about the Topanga, is what I heard when I tried the much-praised Subdecay Spring Theory. But I find the Topanga to be very nice and don't get that slapback feel from it at all. Topanga is also more responsive to playing and pick attack than any other digital reverb pedal I've tried. I tried the FRV-1, and loved a lot of things about it, but ultimately I felt it killed too much of my dry signal/pick attack, and I didn't feel I could push the tone knob anywhere higher than 10 o'clock without it getting really harsh. In contrast I frequently have Topanga's Tone knob dialed up past noon, sometimes as high as 3 o'clock. I'm actual able to enjoy some really trebly splashy reverb for a change!

It could be Topanga just doesn't speak to you, but make sure you have a handful of sittings with it before you decide. I actually considered returning mine too after the first couple (very brief) trials. But the more I got to know it, the more I knew it was staying.

Guitarist for Northern Tides from Hudson Valley, NY.
Northern Tides on FB

Last edited: Mar 27, 2014 14:24:08

Skiltrip wrote:

Things I noticed between the RV-7 and Topanga...

One, is the tails I found so pleasing on the RV-7 have a metallic nature compared to the tails on the Topanga. The RV-7 is really good, and you may not notice until you A/B it. And maybe it's just my ears, but it stood out to me.

The other thing I disliked about the RV-7, was there was a little too much separation between the dry tone and the reverb. Hard to describe, it just didn't sound cohesive. The FRV-1 was the opposite, where I felt the dry signal got buried, and I lost some of my attack and definition. The Topanga seems to fall right in the middle in regards to this cohesiveness, and it is an ideal balance.

There's a lot of nuances like this that ultimately made me decide to stick with Topanga. I also had to admit to myself I really had no use for the other modes on the RV-7, though the Plate is pretty nice. I'm really only interested in Spring.

Agree 100% I could have written all these comments. While the amount of pre-delay/separation on the RV-7 might not be for spring tank purists, I'd happily use one again if I had to, and it's easily the best spring reverb for the price (especially buying used)

And since it seems like the Topanga arrived in the UK a few days/weeks ago and has sold out already when I wasn't looking, but luckily I just ordered from Rogue in the USA, who apparently mark down the value on the package so it won't get VAT. I have to wait a week or two but if all goes to plan the cost will be just over £100, which is less than the majority of reverb pedals, and I'm saving quite a lot on what I would have paid over here. Can't wait to try it out.