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SurfGuitar101 Forums » Gear »

Permalink FRV-1 vs. Flint vs. Fender Tank vs. Surfy Bear vs. G-Spring

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eddiekatcher wrote:

I used a FRV-1 once and after the first set went back to my tank.

ed

Eddie, your comment about the FRV got my attention. I am presuming, based upon a post you made recently that you may be an old fart, (like me) who was performing in 62.

Anyway, I am always worrying at a gig that some cretin will walk off with easy prey, my reverb for one, so, maybe it would be safer, as well as easier to just toss a FRV pedal in my gig bag to sub for my tank?

Because I am a marginal guitar player at best, I rely on tone to get me through a gig, so, since you appear to have been around a long time, know what a reverb should sound like, tried a FRV, any comments comparing the two will be appreciated.

My buddy has one he will give me for $80, but I don't want to have him go through the hassle of mailing it to me if it is just a POS!

Any input will be appreciated.

Joey

Last edited: Nov 24, 2017 21:31:06

SurfBeat wrote:

eddiekatcher wrote:

I used a FRV-1 once and after the first set went back to my tank.

ed

Eddie, your comment about the FRV got my attention. I am presuming, based upon a post you made recently that you may be an old fart, (like me) who was performing in 62.

Anyway, I am always worrying at a gig that some cretin will walk off with easy prey, my reverb for one, so, maybe it would be safer, as well as easier to just toss a FRV pedal in my gig bag to sub for my tank?

Because I am a marginal guitar player at best, I rely on tone to get me through a gig, so, since you appear to have been around a lone time, know what a reverb should sound like, tried a FRV, any comments comparing the two will be appreciated.

My buddy has one he will give me for $80, but I don't want to have him go through the hassle of mailing it to me if it is just a POS!

Any input will be appreciated.

Joey

I had an FRV 1 and found it a bit harsh for my tastes. For me, the Topanga has been the answer. There are a lot of choices out there and each seems to have its own charm.

YMMV, offer not valid in all 50 states, allow 4-6 weeks for shipping and handling. Smile

The artist formerly known as: Synchro

When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.

Hi! A big FRV-1 fan here. Since you guys seem to have a lot of experience with the pedal, I was wondering if you've noticed that it easily distorts notes, which is particularly noticeable when a chord is played across all six strings, such as the E minor bar chord with the middle finger lifted. I know that the original reverb tanks had tubes and also overdrove the sound at higher Dwell settings, but I wonder whether the distortion introduced by the FRV-1 could be excessive and whether other FRV-1 pedals behave the same way. P.S.: I play a guitar with humbuckers (DiMarzio Super Distortion in the bridge position and DiMarzio PAF in the neck position.) Maybe it's the high output pickups that are contributing to the distortion in the sound. What do you guys think?

Last edited: Nov 24, 2017 20:25:43

CaliforniaSurfer wrote:

Hi! A big FRV-1 fan here. Since you guys seem to have a lot of experience with the pedal, I was wondering if you've noticed that it easily distorts notes, which is particularly noticeable when a chord is played across all six strings, such as the E minor bar chord with the middle finger lifted. I know that the original reverb tanks had tubes and also overdrove the sound at higher Dwell settings, but I wonder whether the distortion introduced by the FRV-1 could be excessive and whether other FRV-1 pedals behave the same way. P.S.: I play a guitar with humbuckers (DiMarzio Super Distortion in the bridge position and DiMarzio PAF in the neck position.) Maybe it's the high output pickups that are contributing to the distortion in the sound. What do you guys think?

With such powerful pickups, especially in the bridge, I’d dial the guitar’s volume controls back and see if that cleans it up. I had an FRV-1 and it stayed fairly clean, but that was using a Gretsch Duo-Jet with Dynasonic single coils.

The artist formerly known as: Synchro

When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.

synchro wrote:

CaliforniaSurfer wrote:

Hi! A big FRV-1 fan here. Since you guys seem to have a lot of experience with the pedal, I was wondering if you've noticed that it easily distorts notes, which is particularly noticeable when a chord is played across all six strings, such as the E minor bar chord with the middle finger lifted. I know that the original reverb tanks had tubes and also overdrove the sound at higher Dwell settings, but I wonder whether the distortion introduced by the FRV-1 could be excessive and whether other FRV-1 pedals behave the same way. P.S.: I play a guitar with humbuckers (DiMarzio Super Distortion in the bridge position and DiMarzio PAF in the neck position.) Maybe it's the high output pickups that are contributing to the distortion in the sound. What do you guys think?

With such powerful pickups, especially in the bridge, I’d dial the guitar’s volume controls back and see if that cleans it up. I had an FRV-1 and it stayed fairly clean, but that was using a Gretsch Duo-Jet with Dynasonic single coils.

I got out my Classic '50s Lacquer strat, which has very low output pickups, and did some further testing. What I've found is that it is not the actual notes played that are distorted, although from what I've heard, the FRV-1 does introduce a small amount of breakup, just like a real tube reverb tank does, which I find desirable, as it adds a nice subtle metallic sparkle to each note. Rather, what I perceived as distortion/clipping were the swishing sounds of the springs that linger on the reverberated notes. This is slightly less pronounced with single coils and neck pickups, but is still present, as it is a part of the design and is probably just like a real reverb tank behaves. For those who find the swish unpleasant, it can be easily dialed out with the Tone control.

This is easily the funnest pedals I've used in my life. I'm actually a heavy rock guitarist, but the minute I plug into the FRV-1, I'm playing minor chord progressions and palm-muted rhythm parts.

Boss has truly created a masterpiece here. Every time I hear the pedal in blind tests against others, I often either end up choosing the FRV-1 as the most convincing sounding in the bunch, and even when I don't, it's only because there is really no perceivable difference to my ears and I end up simply having to guess among reverbs that all sound more or less the same.

One thing that people often criticize about the FRV-1 is that it's very bright. This may be true, but I would think that this would be a plus in the band context and that it would be beneficial at high volumes.

Given the quality of the FRV-1, it's really hard to justify having a reverb tank unit. Does anyone here have one, and, if yes, what are your thoughts on how it compares to the FRV-1?

Last edited: Nov 25, 2017 07:38:01

CaliforniaSurfer wrote:

synchro wrote:

CaliforniaSurfer wrote:

Hi! A big FRV-1 fan here. Since you guys seem to have a lot of experience with the pedal, I was wondering if you've noticed that it easily distorts notes, which is particularly noticeable when a chord is played across all six strings, such as the E minor bar chord with the middle finger lifted. I know that the original reverb tanks had tubes and also overdrove the sound at higher Dwell settings, but I wonder whether the distortion introduced by the FRV-1 could be excessive and whether other FRV-1 pedals behave the same way. P.S.: I play a guitar with humbuckers (DiMarzio Super Distortion in the bridge position and DiMarzio PAF in the neck position.) Maybe it's the high output pickups that are contributing to the distortion in the sound. What do you guys think?

With such powerful pickups, especially in the bridge, I’d dial the guitar’s volume controls back and see if that cleans it up. I had an FRV-1 and it stayed fairly clean, but that was using a Gretsch Duo-Jet with Dynasonic single coils.

I got out my Classic '50s Lacquer strat, which has very low output pickups, and did some further testing. What I've found is that it is not the actual notes played that are distorted, although from what I've heard, the FRV-1 does introduce a small amount of breakup, just like a real tube reverb tank does, which I find desirable, as it adds a nice subtle metallic sparkle to each note. Rather, what I perceived as distortion/clipping were the swishing sounds of the springs that linger on the reverberated notes. This is slightly less pronounced with single coils and neck pickups, but is still present, as it is a part of the design and is probably just like a real reverb tank behaves. For those who find the swish unpleasant, it can be easily dialed out with the Tone control.

This is easily the funnest pedals I've used in my life. I'm actually a heavy rock guitarist, but the minute I plug into the FRV-1, I'm playing minor chord progressions and palm-muted rhythm parts.

Boss has truly created a masterpiece here. Every time I hear the pedal in blind tests against others, I often either end up choosing the FRV-1 as the most convincing sounding in the bunch, and even when I don't, it's only because there is really no perceivable difference to my ears and I end up simply having to guess among reverbs that all sound more or less the same.

One thing that people often criticize about the FRV-1 is that it's very bright. This may be true, but I would think that this would be a plus in the band context and that it would be beneficial at high volumes.

Given the quality of the FRV-1, it's really hard to justify having a reverb tank unit. Does anyone here have one, and, if yes, what are your thoughts on how it compares to the FRV-1?

I have a tank and had an FRV-1. While I appreciated the control setup of the FRV as being similar to the tank, I never felt that the FRV sounded much like the tank. I tried a Catlinbread Toping and found that more to my tastes.

The artist formerly known as: Synchro

When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.

CaliforniaSurfer, you are aware that there is a blind test on the first page of this thread, comparing all the units mentioned in the title?

The Hicadoolas

SanchoPansen wrote:

CaliforniaSurfer, you are aware that there is a blind test on the first page of this thread, comparing all the units mentioned in the title?

Yes, I am. I took the quiz and thought the FRV-1 was (A), the real Fender reverb tank unit. Ha! As David Lynch would say, "That's something to think about!"

Listening to the samples now with the speakers turned up, and knowing which recording is which unit, I have to say my ears prefer the FRV-1. While the metallic swish in the trails tricks my brain into thinking I'm hearing distortion, at the same time I love the wetness of the sound in the recordings. Of the five units you tested, the FRV-1 sounds splashiest. You can almost picture sandy beaches swept by sparkling foamy waves, or the splashy sound waves as they are hitting those metallic springs.

Of the units tested, (B) sounded least authentic to me. It has way too many mids, and there was this ping following each note that I immediately picked up on. (C) sounded a bit weak and dull, and (D) sounded good, but almost a little too polite, for lack of a better word. When I first heard it, I thought that (E) could have been the FRV-1, but because I had already settled on (A), my brain filed it under "other," though I must say it did sound good to me. To quote David Lynch again, "That's something to think about!"

If my experience can teach us anything, it is that reverb pedals have come a long way. Nowadays, reverb pedals sound so good, that which pedal one decides to use is mostly a matter of taste, rather than which piece of gear is better in an objective sense. Although reverb tanks and reverb units may feel more responsive to some, sonically there is very little difference between the analog gear and their digital counterparts. In fact, although it can be argued that the digital pedals, such as the FRV-1, have what may be perceived as flaws, it is those very flaws that are simultaneously the source of their uniquely bright and swishy sound, which many players might find appealing.

At the risk of going on a tangent, I also want to add that after having listened to several surf classics, I have noticed that for every surf classic that has that famous drip, there is also one that doesn't have quite the drip that we have come to expect in our imagined idealizations. The fact that we have so many options to choose from today, where all of them sound pretty drippy by any objective standards, is proof of just how good we have it today.

Last edited: Nov 26, 2017 15:27:34

I’m just checking in with a psa: don’t overlook the hall of fame/mini. Tc has some pretty legit tone prints. I’m eventually going to sit down with their editor and make one of my own.

CaliforniaSurfer wrote:

At the risk of going on a tangent, I also want to add that after having listened to several surf classics, I have noticed that for every surf classic that has that famous drip, there is also one that doesn't have quite the drip that we have come to expect in our imagined idealizations. The fact that we have so many options to choose from today, where all of them sound pretty drippy by any objective standards, is proof of just how good we have it today.

That's a great point. First Wave Surf was not monolithic. There was plenty of reverb, but it wasn't identical from piece to piece. Dick Dale hit the reverb pretty hard on some pieces, but have a listen to Summer Surf, because it shows a different aspect of his sound. The list goes on.

The artist formerly known as: Synchro

When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.

I've been thinking of getting a 6g15 type reverb unit for a while so yesterday I purchased a Fender '63 Reissue from the 2000's (US Version) on line.

When I listen to the clips presented early on in this thread I agree that the G-Spring sounds the best with the '63 modded Reissue second. The G-Spring, at least to my ears, has a bit better bottom end and sounds fuller, more well rounded.

None of the pedals I've heard, in that video or elsewhere, even come close to the reverb in a Fender combo tube amp let alone the 6G15 Reissue or G-Spring. I have a TC Electronic HOF mini which isn't bad but is still lacking.

So has anyone done more than the typical mods to a '63 Reissue to get it closer to the original or the G-Spring? Is the G-Spring, in general, a better sounding unit because of higher quality parts or have there been duds there also?

Thanks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpTEuYlOmE8

next time I make a blind test without hearing.

Twang cheers!

Ralf Kilauea

www.kilaueas.de

https://kilaueas.bandcamp.com/album/touch-my-alien

I've got a '63 outboard tank that quit on me late last year and I've been unable to figure out just what's wrong with it. So in the weeks since, I broke-down and bought both a Surfy Bear and an FRV-1, and I'll be honest, after a superficial run throughs with both, I can't detect a boatload of difference in overall tone between the two. I really can't! I suspect what I'm missing is probably rather subtle, and I'm gonna keep both for different reasons, so it's no big deal. I also plan on continuing the evaluation of both in more detail in the days and weeks ahead, but I'm just not sure the Surfy Bear was worth TWICE as much as the FRV-1. My 2-cents on it at this point.

"Heavy is good. Heavy is reliable. If it doesn't work, you can always hit them with it." - Boris the Blade

Last edited: Mar 02, 2019 22:18:20

Ringo wrote:

I've got a '63 outboard tank that quit on me late last year and I've been unable to figure out just what's wrong with it. So in the weeks since, I broke-down and bought both a Surfy Bear and an FRV-1, and I'll be honest, after a superficial run throughs with both, I can't detect a boatload of difference in overall tone between the two. I really can't! I'm gonna keep both for different reasons, so it's no big deal, and I plan on continuing the evaluation of both in more detail in the days and weeks ahead, but I'm just not sure the Surfy Bear was worth TWICE as much as the FRV-1. My 2-cents on it at this point.

I have an RI tank, which has some mods and sounds pretty good. I also have owned an FRV-1 in the past and currently use a Catalinbread Topanga for Surf reverb. I thought that the FRV-1 sounded pretty good and had a nice drip, but I felt that they were a little metallic. At gig volume, the metallic sound melted into the mix, but I didn’t care for it at rehearsal volume, but I’m splitting hairs here. It’s an excellent tool.

The artist formerly known as: Synchro

When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar.

Ringo wrote:

I've got a '63 outboard tank that quit on me late last year and I've been unable to figure out just what's wrong with it. So in the weeks since, I broke-down and bought both a Surfy Bear and an FRV-1, and I'll be honest, after a superficial run throughs with both, I can't detect a boatload of difference in overall tone between the two. I really can't! I suspect what I'm missing is probably rather subtle, and I'm gonna keep both for different reasons, so it's no big deal. I also plan on continuing the evaluation of both in more detail in the days and weeks ahead, but I'm just not sure the Surfy Bear was worth TWICE as much as the FRV-1. My 2-cents on it at this point.

Was the Surfy + FRV cheaper than a trip to the tech for the tank?

1st rule of everything technical - multiple backups. Amps, reverb tanks, and multiple guitars in this case...

Daniel Deathtide

DeathTide wrote:

Ringo wrote:

I've got a '63 outboard tank that quit on me late last year and I've been unable to figure out just what's wrong with it. So in the weeks since, I broke-down and bought both a Surfy Bear and an FRV-1, and I'll be honest, after a superficial run throughs with both, I can't detect a boatload of difference in overall tone between the two. I really can't! I suspect what I'm missing is probably rather subtle, and I'm gonna keep both for different reasons, so it's no big deal. I also plan on continuing the evaluation of both in more detail in the days and weeks ahead, but I'm just not sure the Surfy Bear was worth TWICE as much as the FRV-1. My 2-cents on it at this point.

Was the Surfy + FRV cheaper than a trip to the tech for the tank?

1st rule of everything technical - multiple backups. Amps, reverb tanks, and multiple guitars in this case...

I know, right? But no, the cost of things wasn't really the issue for me. I've got multiple amps in different locations and wanted some alternatives to constantly moving the outboard tank around. For that reason, the smaller, cheaper FRV-1 really appealed to me, and I just think its awfully good for its compact size and price.

"Heavy is good. Heavy is reliable. If it doesn't work, you can always hit them with it." - Boris the Blade

I used to own the FRV-1. I got it for $50 and sold it when I saw I could get it $150 for it and didn't look back. I'm too lazy to figure out the best way to search this whole thread, but I feel like people looking at a Strymon Flint or FRV-1 should consider the Keeley Verb O Trem. I have the workstation version I got from Riff City. I think it would work great for Surf Rock, any kind of roots music that uses electric guitar, and of course it is the signature pedal of a Nashville musician so you know it's got to cover country.

https://youtu.be/2fcasetTR1o

https://youtu.be/MUClk6E2xdg

Ringo wrote:

I've got a '63 outboard tank that quit on me late last year and I've been unable to figure out just what's wrong with it. So in the weeks since, I broke-down and bought both a Surfy Bear and an FRV-1, and I'll be honest, after a superficial run throughs with both, I can't detect a boatload of difference in overall tone between the two. I really can't! I suspect what I'm missing is probably rather subtle, and I'm gonna keep both for different reasons, so it's no big deal. I also plan on continuing the evaluation of both in more detail in the days and weeks ahead, but I'm just not sure the Surfy Bear was worth TWICE as much as the FRV-1. My 2-cents on it at this point.

I tried a Surfy Bear Compact but returned it because I have an Oceans 11. Yes the Compact was warmer and more 3D but in a band context those small details are lost. I returned it because it wasn't $200+ better then the Ocean's 11 in a live mix. I too thought the FRV1 sounded pretty good and for a pedal was very close to a Fender Reverb Unit (the frv is brighter and a bit more sterile, but the essence is there, same goes with the Oceans 11)

Hi everyone
Just buy a Surfybear compact and want to know if it's safe to kick it sometimes or it will damage with Time. Thx

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