Tele_pathic wrote:

So I finally got one the Fender Tre-Verb pedals. I’d been waiting months.

I’ve had the Topanga and the SA True Spring. To me, the Topanga was absolutely the best sounding, but I sold it when the TS dropped because I wanted the tremolo. The TS sounded good, but dang it was too hard to change the type of reverb or tremolo on the fly. The Fender TV seemed to address that problem.

So got it in and ran it through its paces. The trem was ok to meh. It was amp-like, meaning not too deep or too fast. The reverbs were terrible. Harsh and digital sounding with weird artifacts. I played it a couple days, and now it’s going back for sure.

After searching for an outboard tank sound and not having any luck, I just simply broke down and bought a reverb tank this week. I found a great deal on a Deluxe Amplification reverb tank, nearly 1/2 price. I couldn’t resist. It should be here Friday, in time for the weekend and to prep for rehearsals on Monday.

Ever try the Strymon Flint? I’ve yet to play through one, but it seems like it would have the right features. The big question, in my mind, would be whether the reverb will do the job. Will it do a decent job for Surf reverb, for in amp reverb, etc?

The best spring reverb pedal To my ear is the Topanga. It comes closest to the scintillating sound of a real tank. Obviously, for hardcore Surf, that sound comes in very handy. There is also a matter of finding a good middle of the road reverb, such as used by Los Straitjackets, Buck and the Buckaroos, and any number of other genres where reverb is important, but less prominent than in Surf.

Beyond that, the Flint has a Plate emulation and an ‘80s Rack Reverb emulation which sound promising. Plate has a much different trail than spring reverb, but it can get quite intense. I’ve used it for Surf to great effect, although it can be overwhelming if not used judiciously. The samples I’ve heard of the Flint’s Rack Reverb emulation are likewise promising. It sounds like a slightly tamer take on the Plate emulation.

The artist formerly known as: Synchro

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

Post deleted by author.

Last edited: Mar 10, 2020 15:22:35

For anything short of drip, I really like the Flint. If you need that drip, you're going to need to go with a real spring of one flavor or the next.

Delrin96mm wrote:

tresmellow wrote:

I went with the Anasounds Element. The Tre Verb is definitely a letdown, but I’ve come to realize that I just prefer a real spring to any digital.

I totally agree about real spring vs digital. I'm going to get the Anasounds Element myself, once I can get the money together. How long have you had yours? Do you gig with it or just use it in a home/studio setting? How about writing a little review of it some time? I'm sure there would be lots of interest here on the forum.

I’ve only had it a couple weeks. It has worked great in a couple practices. The first live gig test is this Saturday night, so I’ll report back.

Ain't nothin' don't taste better fried, and ain't nothin don't sound better with tremolo

Thanks for your input, Delrin. You’ve given me food for thought.

I’ve tried a lot of spring reverb pedals. At the outset, I know that it’s not the same as a tank. I have a tank, and it may even see some use for recording, but for our splash & dash gigs, I want ultimate portability, quick setup, etc. (If we were playing a Surf-only gig, I’d definitely break out the tank.) I’m satisfied with the sound of my Catalinbread Topanga, but if I could add tremolo into a single unit, and if the reverb is as good as the Topanga, it would be a decent trade.

The artist formerly known as: Synchro

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

Last edited: Mar 28, 2019 00:33:45

Delrin96mm wrote:

Synchro: I can't really comment on whether the spring reverb on the Flint is as good as the Topanga, as I've never tried the latter. What I can say is that the Flint is built to a very high quality (so could probably withstand a reasonable amount of punishment on stage and in the rehearsal room) and it's very easy to dial in sounds. Give it a try; going on what you've said above, it might very well be the all-in-one compromise for live situations that you're looking for. If someone held a gun to my head and said "You must never, ever use analogue reverb and tremolo pedals again; choose a digital solution or I will shoot you," I would definitely take the Flint, simply for maximum ease of use on both the reverb and tremolo sides.

It’s a shame, because the Fender Tre-Verb could have been so much more, had they developed it more thoroughly. Most new pedals are simply packaged DSPs. My Topanga and my Blue Nebula are both based on the Spin DSP, although both also incorporate a controllable preamp. I don’t know which DSP the Fender Tre-Verb uses.

Once the DSP is chosen, it all comes down to modeling the desired effect. I’m not a DSP programmer, but I’ve looked into it and found out that there is a limited amount of code which can be implemented for the typical effect on the typical DSP. It’s not like programming for a PC or Mac, where there’s usually plenty of processor power and memory free for the taking. These have to be tightly coded and, from what I’ve been told, reverb is challenging to program within the limitations of a DSP. That’s not to say it can’t be done, but it is to say that it can’t be done by someone like myself; it would require the skills of someone that specializes in programming DSPs. The coding for the Topanga is excellent, but apparently the coding for the Tre-Verb is not quite there.

So far, the Flint sounds like the best bet for combining reverb and tremolo into one pedal. I hope to try one soon, but I’m having both eyes overhauled in the next few weeks, so my money will be going to my ophthalmologist.

The artist formerly known as: Synchro

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

Last edited: Apr 13, 2019 20:57:51

I have been using the SA true spring quite a bit, and have been able to get in and tweak the programming so it sounds pretty darn good. I just picked up both a Surfy Bear, which is tops (!

Delrin96mm wrote:

Tresmellow: Thanks! Good luck with the gig; looking forward to your report.

I’m happy to report that the Anasounds Element was fantastic live for a real amp reverb sound and feel. I like running the reverb in front of my preamp (Effectrode Blackbird) and digital reverbs have not ever felt right in that placement. The True Spring has been the best for me, but still gets shocky going itno light overdrive.
I used the mid-size tank for moderate reverb most of the time, and the overdriven reverb for our trashy skater punk surf sounds plus some spaghetti western influenced tunes.
It’s not 6G15 surf reverb—definitely more of a Twin Reverb tone and feel, but the overdriven reverb is killer. The two-band tone control is really useful, too.
At home I have used it with the traditional 4AB3C1B tank and that brings some drip out. The small tank is actually more surfy with a quicker decay, so I might try that one next time. The big tank is super lush with long decay if that’s your thing.
So, if you’re looking for real spring traditional surf tones, get the SurfyBear, or use the Anasounds with a 4AB3C1B two spring tank.
My favorite sound is with the overdriven reverb switch on and the Out and Mix dialed back.

Ain't nothin' don't taste better fried, and ain't nothin don't sound better with tremolo

Last edited: Apr 06, 2019 14:43:47

Not sure how my prior post ended up chopped up - long story short, spring reverb is usable in a pinch, I suppose, but not a tank, obviously, and not as close an emulation as some other options, IMO. I thought the trems were good, option to switch pre - or - post ‘verb quickly is a nice feature, led’s & aesthetics are nice. I was fooling around with the SurfyBear going into the harmonic tremolo setting here, works well. Pretty close to a Strymon Flint with some adjustments.