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SurfGuitar101 Forums » Gear »

Permalink Tube Reverb Unit (Bypass) - work around.

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So this is what I'm doing: I Love the sound of drenched reverb from my Tube Reverb Unit but not for every song. So I'm using this One Control Loop to totally Bypass the Reverb Unit and go straight into my amp.

I'm doing this because a simple ON/OFF footswitch on the Unit would still have the signal running through the Unit (while OFF) and it sucks way too much tone from the amp that way (no true bypass or buffer on Reverb Unit).

Reverb Unit stays lit, tubes are glowing, ready for next tune.

I'm thinking this bypass loop could be integrated "into" a Reverb Unit design and it could be activated with a dedicated footswitch, totally bypassing the Reverb Unit as I am now doing with this clunkier setup that requires (4) cables and a pedal.

Any comments?

image

Only a snarky one, Who turns off their reverb? Big Grin Seriously the objective of having 2 levels of reverb is one shared by many for a long time. Some people use an A/B with true bypass to switch between onboard and stand alone units. I personally use a reverb pedal in line with my reverb tank, my pedal actually does a good drip so I only hit it for when I want extra drip. Otherwise I do what the majority of folks do, reach back or ahead adjust the reverb on the fly. Most of us keep the tanks pretty close by for that reason. Plus, they look cool!

Danny Snyder

Latest project - Now That's What I Call SURF
_
"With great reverb comes great responsibility" - Uncle Leo

I'm back playing keys and guitar with Combo Tezeta

Thanks Danny! So for live use, some guys do use a loop pedal to switch between the Unit and the Amp.

It just started me thinking about all this when I noticed my Reverb Unit didn't have a footswitch input (like the Fender), At first, I thought I could add one but then I realized I really didn't want to run my signal through the Unit when it was OFF anyway. It's a bit of a tap dance but it's worth it to Bypass it when I want to.

btw: I know Mel from the Gretsch Roundups and I live in Marin and love your music. Thank you for responding.

Last edited: Feb 26, 2017 13:14:05

birdsandbats wrote:

(no true bypass or buffer on Reverb Unit).

Any comments?

image

I think that when you turn the mix down to "0" the output of the Fender Reverb Unit acts as a buffer. I'll get that verified. Then, when you turn up the MIX, this signal gets loaded down a bit. be aware that the foot switch cable has your reverb sound, and will add to loading.

Thank you Dave W., I'll try turning down the Mix all the way and see if that brings the dynamics back up a bit.

Adding the effects loop pedal is a great way to move a pedal/effects unit out of the signal chain when not in use. I don't really find that it is all that clunky. The great thing with the loop on/off is you also get an indicator light to show that the loop is engaged or not (practical for performances).

The only thing I would be wary of is if the looped signal (going through the reverb unit) is attenuated slightly compared to the bypassed signal. If so, it might be worth considering how to deal with that volume loss - perhaps add some kind of booster in the effects loop?
There are effects loop pedals on the market that have volume controls. I know Xotic makes one as well as the Boss LS-2.

Lorne
The Surf Shakers: https://www.facebook.com/TheSurfShakers
Vancouver BC Canada

Last edited: Feb 27, 2017 10:38:02

Dave W. You are right (of course) it does sound better but I wouldn't say it is buffered, what would be cool would to be able to use an expression pedal to control the Mix! I think the true bypass loop pedal is the easiest way.

Sometimes you need to switch over on the fly and play clean, no hum, more dynamics, etc.

SlacktoneDave wrote:

birdsandbats wrote:

(no true bypass or buffer on Reverb Unit).

Any comments?

image

I think that when you turn the mix down to "0" the output of the Fender Reverb Unit acts as a buffer. I'll get that verified. Then, when you turn up the MIX, this signal gets loaded down a bit. be aware that the foot switch cable has your reverb sound, and will add to loading.

Last edited: Feb 27, 2017 15:23:50

You could integrate it into the reverb unit, but the signal would have to travel to the true-bypass switch and back, so a 2m footswitch cable would actually be worth 4m of resistance and impedance/capacitance... So if the switch is not integrated into the unit or really close by, I'd take the footswitch cable out of the equation: You could use a relay in the unit for the signal, operated by the footswitch. So the signal is by-passed directly without much cable in the way...

In my old band I needed to do just that, and compensate for the volume drop, sometimes mid-song. I had a bypass box made to do that. Then later I used a more professional loop selector and a booster after the reverb unit. Now I just focus on playing with reverb and try to use the unit that drops the volume the least (in my case a 65, but each one is different).

The Scimitars

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