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

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SurfGuitar101 Forums » Gear »

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

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Gilette Joined: May 04, 2014 Posts: 734	Posted on Jan 23 2016 06:45 AM Can someone give us an idea on how the Surfy Bear sounds with the shorter 8AB2D1A pan? Chech-One's post got me curious... Last edited: Jan 23, 2016 08:30:46 Top
LaFleur Joined: May 20, 2009 Posts: 525 Leipzig	Posted on Jan 23 2016 02:45 PM Shorter pans always sound more like crap. — http://www.reverbnation.com/bangmustang http://www.facebook.com/bangmustang https://soundcloud.com/bang-mustang Top
Emilien03 Joined: Jul 16, 2008 Posts: 1363 Coyoacán, Distrito Federal	Posted on Jan 23 2016 10:08 PM — When you have to shoot ... shoot! Don't talk. "Los Grainders" www.facebook.com/losgrainders "Planeta Reverb" www.facebook.com/planetareverb Top
Gilette Joined: May 04, 2014 Posts: 734	Posted on Jan 24 2016 09:57 AM Still it might be worth it to add the short pan and make a switch to choose between the two. Last edited: Jan 24, 2016 10:00:37 Top
Firetone Joined: Feb 26, 2008 Posts: 81 Copenhagen, Denmark	Posted on Apr 01 2016 11:24 AM Hi everyone. I have a Fender RI, and a G-spring reverb unit(thanks to Jon Paul Ballak and Christoph Boost) and a holy grail, I guess it´s my little fetish you know.. And now I also am the proud owner of Bjørns "Surfy Bear Jet Reverb". I can only agree with the fans! The Jet Reverb is super lightweight and looks like a million - and yes, it also sounds like a million. I like that, since it did not cost a million:-) I love the "two levels of reverb" opportunity controlled by a contact, a cool thing to use during a tune. I´ll be back with more! — El Firetone, www.elray.dk El Ray Top
KeismanPedals Joined: Mar 31, 2016 Posts: 4 North Carolina	Posted on Apr 02 2016 07:43 PM I was not very happy with the FRV-1. It was pretty tough to go from usable with open chords/heavy un-muted playing to drippy palm muted stuff. The solution would be to run the FRV-1 for drippy stuff and switch it off to amp reverb for chords and what not. I just picked up a 63 reissue tank, so we'll see how it compares. Last edited: Apr 03, 2016 02:12:53 Top
TerryR Joined: Feb 27, 2006 Posts: 13 Pennsylvania	Posted on Aug 03 2016 05:42 AM Thanks! You saved me $139. Top
otaznik Joined: Dec 27, 2013 Posts: 10	Posted on Dec 31 2016 12:40 PM Having never met the real thing this is great for me, too bad there is no clean guitar recording that I could push through my chain and hear the difference. I have built my own and always wondered how far off it is. It isa long MOD tank squeezed into 1U rack-mount enclosure (based on this http://sound.whsites.net/articles/reverb.htm but I noticed some things changed in 2.5 years). I think it sounds pretty similar to Surfy Bear. BTW do you guys use shielded RCA cables? The unshielded long cable I use seems to be picking up a lot of unnecessary noise (tank output only, input signal seems to be unaffected by anything, probably because it is pretty strong). And one more thing, it is unclear to me - was this recorded through a microphone or DI? Last edited: Dec 31, 2016 12:45:09 Top
ifallalot Joined: Mar 14, 2012 Posts: 100 Huntington Beach, CA	Posted on Jan 01 2017 05:03 AM Has anyone tried one of these? http://vanamps.com/products/sole-mate/ Top
mike_fried Joined: Aug 02, 2012 Posts: 161 Nashville, TN	Posted on Jan 01 2017 01:17 PM otaznik wrote: BTW do you guys use shielded RCA cables? The unshielded long cable I use seems to be picking up a lot of unnecessary noise (tank output only, input signal seems to be unaffected by anything, probably because it is pretty strong). A shielded cable is definitely required for the return from the tank, as it's a very low-level signal (around the strength of a guitar pickup's output). As you've noted, the signal to the tank is very strong (it can actually drive a speaker), so shielding is not required. Last edited: Jan 01, 2017 13:17:45 Top
SanchoPansen Joined: Jan 04, 2011 Posts: 1588 Berlin L-Berg	Posted on Jan 02 2017 07:36 AM otaznik wrote: And one more thing, it is unclear to me - was this recorded through a microphone or DI? IIRC I used the Jaguar into the tank into a Crate Powerblock. Used the XLR-output of the CPB, connected to a USB mixing console. Guitar->Tank->Crate->Console->Computer Hope that helps. — The Hicadoolas Top
otaznik Joined: Dec 27, 2013 Posts: 10	Posted on Jan 02 2017 12:03 PM SanchoPansen wrote: otaznik wrote: And one more thing, it is unclear to me - was this recorded through a microphone or DI? IIRC I used the Jaguar into the tank into a Crate Powerblock. Used the XLR-output of the CPB, connected to a USB mixing console. Guitar->Tank->Crate->Console->Computer Hope that helps. Thanks to you both. BTW I always put tank after any kind of distortion is already applied, I have never considered anything else. And on related note, to sound less sterile I would maybe suggest cab emulation, cause this full-frequency spectrum recording is what makes it sound too well defined (FRV-1 might benefit from it too, to tame those highs). I made a better cable but it makes no difference. I went back to the circuit and noticed another change which made it better. There's still lower frequency noise which I can't identify the source of. Funny thing is that running on external adapters makes no difference either. So I don't know the source of it and it is picked up either by output cable (can't rule it out), tank itself, circuit cables or... circuit itself (this doesn't sound like gain noise that I've been dealing with before). But I'm pretty satisfied now, it's not bad, actually better than noise from all the gain before reverb. Top
TVTheWiredTurtle Joined: Dec 03, 2009 Posts: 846 Sandy Eggo	Posted on Jan 25 2017 01:18 AM I got a Dr Scientist mini Reverburator.. this thing is so good WITH my spring reverb. ya.. plates n tanks are fun, and the boost feature works well against the wet/dry control. Dry signal stays all analog too btw. http://www.pedalgeek.com/images/product_pics/ds/dsmr_big.jpg — http://www.thenocturnebrain.com https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nocturne-Brain-Preamp-Zombies/240721872969 Top
Laservampire Joined: Jun 03, 2015 Posts: 6	Posted on Oct 30 2017 01:05 AM Gotta say, as much as I love my Surfy Bear tank (and hated the Boss FRV-1), my new Flint is my main choice because of the adjustable decay time. It's not as crazy as a real tank but it's just as fun and more versatile. Top
Surfadelphia Joined: Sep 04, 2017 Posts: 403	Posted on Oct 30 2017 08:06 AM ifallalot wrote: Has anyone tried one of these? http://vanamps.com/products/sole-mate/ From the demos I have heard, the vanamps are great as an add-on reverb for a non-reverb amp or a significant upgrade for a less than stellar in-amp reverb....they just don't seem to get very drippy (although their website claims they do) but I don't have any direct hands-on experience. It's more compact than a Surfy Bear because it has a short tank (3 spring MOD is standard)and a bit less expensive but if I had to choose, I would go Surfy Bear for the guaranteed super drippy surf tone that is on tap. Top
Vince_Ray Joined: Aug 26, 2015 Posts: 252	Posted on Oct 30 2017 01:16 PM Gigged last night with Frv-1....sometimes I like it but it pissed me off a bit last night. Didn’t work with my blues driver, the sound became a bit exaggerated even on low settings. Plus I wasn’t hitting it too hard with gain or volume. Didn’t have much time during the gig to twiddle. So, which pedal can cope ok with moderate gain? Can the surfy bear handle that? Top
Samurai Joined: Mar 14, 2006 Posts: 2145 Kiev, Ukraine	Posted on Oct 30 2017 02:03 PM Had the same experience with FRV( Ended with a Flint that is great with overdrive (and I use pretty much of it) — Waikiki Makaki surf-rock band from Ukraine New Single is out! https://waikikimakaki.bandcamp.com/album/rhino-blues-full-contact-surf-single Waikiki Makaki https://linktr.ee/waikikimakaki Lost Diver https://lostdiver.bandcamp.com https://soundcloud.com/vitaly-yakushin Top
Ariel Joined: Aug 29, 2009 Posts: 1556 Israel	Posted on Oct 30 2017 03:36 PM Vince_Ray wrote: Can the surfy bear handle that? Yes. I mean it should, like a tube tank. Mine does. Last edited: Oct 30, 2017 15:36:54 Top
Surfadelphia Joined: Sep 04, 2017 Posts: 403	Posted on Oct 30 2017 08:16 PM Vince_Ray wrote: Gigged last night with Frv-1....sometimes I like it but it pissed me off a bit last night. Didn’t work with my blues driver, the sound became a bit exaggerated even on low settings. Plus I wasn’t hitting it too hard with gain or volume. Didn’t have much time during the gig to twiddle. So, which pedal can cope ok with moderate gain? Can the surfy bear handle that? That's one of the big issues with the FRV-1....it seems to filter out OD pedals. The Catalinbread Topanga may not get quite as drippy as the FRV-1 but it works well with drive pedals and the tone control is voiced much better. Last edited: Oct 30, 2017 20:16:54 Top
eddiekatcher Joined: Mar 14, 2006 Posts: 2764 Atlanta, GA	Posted on Oct 30 2017 09:29 PM Not sure about the Surfy Bear with an over drive pedal but I am knocked out buy the clarity of the dry signal that comes through it. I've always run shielded cables for the foot pedal reverb off/on switch when I used one. For years I've just tweaked the mix control a bit to change things up. I used a FRV-1 once and after the first set went back to my tank. ed — Traditional........speak softly and play through a big blonde amp. Did I mention that I still like big blonde amps? Top

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