Neat comparison, thanks for taking the time to do this !!! To my ears the RI reverb tank and FRV1 sounded similar bright and with presence and the Gomez and Flint sounded similar darker with lower mids (warmer maybe to some).

I'll edit the wiki here after Brian shows me what's broke. Fixing a zillion things like he does, it's always something else. I'm sure that's why he has the avatar he does. Wouldn't be surprised if that video went semi-viral

Wes
SoCal ex-pat with a snow shovel

DISCLAIMER: The above is opinion/suggestion only & should not be used for mission planning/navigation, tweaking of instruments, beverage selection, or wardrobe choices.

Last edited: Jan 19, 2015 17:06:06

SanchoPansen wrote:

Thanks a lot to everyone! It really was a pleasure to make this demo for all the reverb junkies out there. Never thought this would get so much positive response or even become a sticky! I wish I could have demoed more units, as there are more serious competitors out there like the Topanga or Guyatone. Or a real vintage unit, silverface unit, Texotica, etc., but atm I don't see a point in buying more reverbs, when I have 5 useful units.
Tavo, I checked your page and IIRC there is a Nocturne 6G15, but I couldn't find it anywhere for sale?

the Nocturne F-bomb is pure corksniffer stuff though! A Topanga reverb pedal is a super deal for someone that can afford too much and it doesnt eff with your dry signal like the Boss pedal.

If you scroll down to the bottom of the page my F-Bomb 'verb tank is there. I didnt cut any corners in its construction and it wasnt intended to be an economic choice. Rather I wanted its preamp to be very hi fi and work well with Gretsch guitars and bigsby pickups.

http://www.thenocturnebrain.com
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nocturne-Brain-Preamp-Zombies/240721872969

Sancho, that was a great comparison, and perfect playing to demonstrate the differences. I liked what LaFleur said right at the start A,C,D are real tanks (which was proven to be true).
Interesting factoid, yesterday Jonpaul was at my place and I switched between different pans on ONE reverb unit (Texotica).
MOD, 3 different Gibbs, 90s Accutronics, MIK Accutronics.
The differences were very very clear. We also compared a G-Spring, Texotica and modded RI. All had MOD pans, but not using the same pan. Of course, they all sounded different.

The caveat about sterile/recording vs live band situation is true. Not for "you won't hear the difference", but the other way around. For example. Gibbs pans could work very well in the studio. Or in a trio. Or in a band that has very clear "one guitar rhythm, one lead" distinction. Try them with 2 guitars that switch roles...you might not hear reverb in the mix.

The Scimitars

@matt: why not line up all the reverbs and use them AT ONCE! Just kidding, of course Nice idea to do this in a live situation, maybe as a workshop. Not a real shootout, but just a presentation of all the different units. Maybe even in a blind test. Visual Sound has a couple of these live blind tests on their youtube channel. It is very interesting to watch, unfortunately they did not do it for reverb.
@Tavo: Ah, the F-Bomb, sweet! Really dig it!
@Ariel: Please don't see this post as a test, because that's not what I wanted to do. The intention to do it in a blind comparison first, was to get away from prejudice. Everyone knows the G-Spring is superb and most people don't like the FRV-1 that much. But it isn't about brands, it is about you and your personal taste, so there is no right or wrong I tried to dial in the best possible sound of each unit. See my previous post, it will explain why they all sound 'close' but not the same. I also was really tired of seeing spring reverb demos on youtube and all they demo is blues scales noodling.
@Ran: Oh yes, the pans are like the heart of the reverbs.
@Blueruins: don't forget that the Flint also comes with an outstanding tremolo side! So you get 2 pedals in 1 and both sides are useful. Like I said before, the Flint sounds good in a band situation and I keep it on my board as a) backup and b) I use the Flint's brownface/harmonic tremolo and I love it!

The Hicadoolas

Last edited: Jan 20, 2015 03:28:56

SanchoPansen wrote:

• Fender RI tank (6K6, C10 mod, good 70s pan I pulled out of a Bandmaster Reverb TFL5005D)

This is autopsy-stuff, but do you recall the value of cap you substituted in C10? 390, 500 ?

Wes
SoCal ex-pat with a snow shovel

DISCLAIMER: The above is opinion/suggestion only & should not be used for mission planning/navigation, tweaking of instruments, beverage selection, or wardrobe choices.

SanchoPansen wrote:

Badger wrote:

SanchoPansen wrote:

• Fender RI tank (6K6, C10 mod, good 70s pan I pulled out of a Bandmaster Reverb TFL5005D)

This is autopsy-stuff, but do you recall the value of cap you substituted in C10? 390, 500 ?

1000!

That must've been an expensive forklift operator.

Thanks.

Wes
SoCal ex-pat with a snow shovel

DISCLAIMER: The above is opinion/suggestion only & should not be used for mission planning/navigation, tweaking of instruments, beverage selection, or wardrobe choices.

Thank you for the Surfy Bear!

The Hicadoolas

SanchoPansen wrote:

Thank you for the Surfy Bear!

Yes indeed! I think this kit is a far better solution than originally thought and will change the game for some. Obviously, as said above, the pans matter BIGTIME! (Comprehensive test between pans on a video as good as you did would be interesting.)

Now that I finally bought a decent soldering station - this might be my first project. Having a quality tool around has opened up some possibilities. I just need to find something really sinister to enclose it in.

Wes
SoCal ex-pat with a snow shovel

DISCLAIMER: The above is opinion/suggestion only & should not be used for mission planning/navigation, tweaking of instruments, beverage selection, or wardrobe choices.

Samurai wrote:

Great job!!! As a never tried reverb tank - decided not to guess although..

Is Surfy Bear available only as a DIY kit? I want one of them badly after this comparison)

The R4 version includes the loaded PCB, so if doing surface-mount work is an issue, this is a pretty great alternative. Seems that it only leaves some connections, construction, and bringing some imagination to the table in terms of pan, enclosure etc. For the outstanding price of an already-loaded board, that's what I'd do in a heartbeat.

Wes
SoCal ex-pat with a snow shovel

DISCLAIMER: The above is opinion/suggestion only & should not be used for mission planning/navigation, tweaking of instruments, beverage selection, or wardrobe choices.