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Morning All,
Today I am one happy surf guitarist. I just got my "Reverb Master"
in the mail the other day and it is one of the coolest reverb units
I've ever used. Its just a little black tolex-covered box, like so
many other reverb units. However, its tiny and really light weight.
Its only 14" wide and ways about 2 lbs. I ordered it off ebay for
$49.99 and wasn't expecting it to be very cool at all. But, being a
bargain hunter and having completely given up on my re-issue reverb
unit after it had broken for the 3rd time, I thought "what the heck,
its a reverb unit." This unit kicks ass for surf. Its got that wet
sound that you can only get from having multiple reverb controls (its
got depth and tone, as opposed to Fender's mix, dwell, and tone). I
tried a lil' linalei a couple weeks ago, on the recommendation of
many a surf player, because it is supposedly the only affordable surf
reverb unit. I hated that thing. I plugged it into a Super Rererb
and it didn't even come close to fender amp reverb. Not at all what
I'd been looking for; way too much feedback. Anyway, just thought
I'd share this discovery with my fellow surf guitarists, so that you
all will know to keep an eye out for this box. It doesn't have a
brand name on it anywhere. All it says is "Reverb Master"
and "Japan" on the bottom. It has 2 inputs (mic and instrument), 1
output, a footswitch, a tone knob, a depth knob, and an on/off switch
w/ light. I love this unit and am interested to learn if anyone
knows anything about this Mysterious Japanese Reverb Unit.
Damon Devilsurf
Orange, CA
Is the Rever Master tube or solid state?
Marty
>
>
> Morning All,
>
> Today I am one happy surf guitarist. I just got my "Reverb Master"
> in the mail the other day and it is one of the coolest reverb units
> I've ever used. Its just a little black tolex-covered box, like so
> many other reverb units. However, its tiny and really light weight.
> Its only 14" wide and ways about 2 lbs. I ordered it off ebay for
> $49.99 and wasn't expecting it to be very cool at all. But, being a
> bargain hunter and having completely given up on my re-issue reverb
> unit after it had broken for the 3rd time, I thought "what the heck,
> its a reverb unit." This unit kicks ass for surf. Its got that wet
> sound that you can only get from having multiple reverb controls (its
> got depth and tone, as opposed to Fender's mix, dwell, and tone). I
> tried a lil' linalei a couple weeks ago, on the recommendation of
> many a surf player, because it is supposedly the only affordable surf
> reverb unit. I hated that thing. I plugged it into a Super Rererb
> and it didn't even come close to fender amp reverb. Not at all what
> I'd been looking for; way too much feedback. Anyway, just thought
> I'd share this discovery with my fellow surf guitarists, so that you
> all will know to keep an eye out for this box. It doesn't have a
> brand name on it anywhere. All it says is "Reverb Master"
> and "Japan" on the bottom. It has 2 inputs (mic and instrument), 1
> output, a footswitch, a tone knob, a depth knob, and an on/off switch
> w/ light. I love this unit and am interested to learn if anyone
> knows anything about this Mysterious Japanese Reverb Unit.
>
> Damon Devilsurf
> Orange, CA
>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Its solid state, so it doesn't add much in the way of
tone. However, combined with my class A magnatone, I
got tone.
Damon
--- wrote:
> Is the Rever Master tube or solid state?
> Marty
>
>
> >
> >
> > Morning All,
> >
> > Today I am one happy surf guitarist. I just got
> my "Reverb Master"
> > in the mail the other day and it is one of the
> coolest reverb units
> > I've ever used. Its just a little black
> tolex-covered box, like so
> > many other reverb units. However, its tiny and
> really light weight.
> > Its only 14" wide and ways about 2 lbs. I ordered
> it off ebay for
> > $49.99 and wasn't expecting it to be very cool at
> all. But, being a
> > bargain hunter and having completely given up on
> my re-issue reverb
> > unit after it had broken for the 3rd time, I
> thought "what the heck,
> > its a reverb unit." This unit kicks ass for surf.
> Its got that wet
> > sound that you can only get from having multiple
> reverb controls (its
> > got depth and tone, as opposed to Fender's mix,
> dwell, and tone). I
> > tried a lil' linalei a couple weeks ago, on the
> recommendation of
> > many a surf player, because it is supposedly the
> only affordable surf
> > reverb unit. I hated that thing. I plugged it
> into a Super Rererb
> > and it didn't even come close to fender amp
> reverb. Not at all what
> > I'd been looking for; way too much feedback.
> Anyway, just thought
> > I'd share this discovery with my fellow surf
> guitarists, so that you
> > all will know to keep an eye out for this box. It
> doesn't have a
> > brand name on it anywhere. All it says is "Reverb
> Master"
> > and "Japan" on the bottom. It has 2 inputs (mic
> and instrument), 1
> > output, a footswitch, a tone knob, a depth knob,
> and an on/off switch
> > w/ light. I love this unit and am interested to
> learn if anyone
> > knows anything about this Mysterious Japanese
> Reverb Unit.
> >
> > Damon Devilsurf
> > Orange, CA
> >
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been
> removed]
>
>
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Hi Damon
What categorie on EBAY did you find this reverb unit?
Thanks,
reverbmike
Mike Finney
13804 Castlemaine Ave.
Bakersfield, CA 93312
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Hi Mike,
I found it in Musical Instruments, Electronic (not the
category I would have expected! Probably why it was
49.99 and not 100.00). Here is the item # to the ad
for the unit: #1499382848. I don't know if that will
work for you, but I can still view the unit, but I
tend not to look at it on the net as it is now sitting
in my studio where I can see it anytime I like.
Damon Devilsurf
--- wrote:
> Hi Damon
> What categorie on EBAY did you find this
> reverb unit?
>
> Thanks,
> reverbmike
>
> Mike Finney
> 13804 Castlemaine Ave.
> Bakersfield, CA 93312
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been
> removed]
>
>
__________________________________________________
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Damon,
Could you possibly give a little comparison of the four units (Fender
outboard, Fender inboard (Super), Lanelei and Reverb Master). You're
in a fairly unique position of having tried all four...
Thanks!
--- In SurfGuitar101@y..., "dei77" <dei77@y...> wrote:
> Morning All,
>
> Today I am one happy surf guitarist. I just got my "Reverb Master"
> in the mail the other day and it is one of the coolest reverb units
> I've ever used. Its just a little black tolex-covered box, like so
> many other reverb units. However, its tiny and really light
weight.
> Its only 14" wide and ways about 2 lbs. I ordered it off ebay for
> $49.99 and wasn't expecting it to be very cool at all. But, being a
> bargain hunter and having completely given up on my re-issue reverb
> unit after it had broken for the 3rd time, I thought "what the heck,
> its a reverb unit." This unit kicks ass for surf. Its got that wet
> sound that you can only get from having multiple reverb controls
(its
> got depth and tone, as opposed to Fender's mix, dwell, and tone). I
> tried a lil' linalei a couple weeks ago, on the recommendation of
> many a surf player, because it is supposedly the only affordable
surf
> reverb unit. I hated that thing. I plugged it into a Super Rererb
> and it didn't even come close to fender amp reverb. Not at all what
> I'd been looking for; way too much feedback. Anyway, just thought
> I'd share this discovery with my fellow surf guitarists, so that you
> all will know to keep an eye out for this box. It doesn't have a
> brand name on it anywhere. All it says is "Reverb Master"
> and "Japan" on the bottom. It has 2 inputs (mic and instrument), 1
> output, a footswitch, a tone knob, a depth knob, and an on/off
switch
> w/ light. I love this unit and am interested to learn if anyone
> knows anything about this Mysterious Japanese Reverb Unit.
>
> Damon Devilsurf
> Orange, CA
Thanks Damon...I appreciate the info
Mike
Mike Finney
13804 Castlemaine Ave.
Bakersfield, CA 93312
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
I would be happy to give a comparison of the 4 units.
First, I hate the little Lanelei. I know a lot of
people love it because its a cheap real spring reverb,
but it feeds back like crazy through a fender super
reverb (I would assume it would also feedback through
my RI '59 bassman as well, thus I never bought one).
The reverb sound is pretty nice though(good for
non-surf applications), you just can't turn it up as
much as you will need to for surf music. As soon as
it starts to have that drippy wet sound it feeds back.
The super reverb has plenty of reverb. Unlike the
little lanelei it uses the full size accutronics tank.
That makes the boinginess a little wider. I'll
explain. Because the springs go back and forth when
the tank rings, their is a reverb rate (not
controlable on any reverb tanks as far as I know).
Needless to say big tanks tend to sound big and small
ones tend to sound tight (faster rate). This is not
the rule however. I notice the amp reverb on my ampeg
g115 has a pretty fast rate, despite the use of the
large tank (15" solid-state ampeg combo, from the 70's
- great amp and very affordable. I bought it a couple
months ago for $200 bucks and it takes my RI bassman
by the grill cloth and slaps it arround. The bass is
so tight. It really sets off the reverb. And as we
all know from the Dual Showman cabs, 15's are great
for surf music.) Back to the Super. The reverb on
most pre-80's tube fender amps is good enough for
surf. No feedback. Deep sound. However, to get the
attack you have to use a compressor or change the EQ,
both of which screw up your sound a little too much
for my taste(sorry to use a word that already has alot
of stuff attached to it - I use it to mean the amount
of reverb you hear right away when you pick your
guitar, not the echo that comes afterwords). Don't
get me wrong, fender amp reverb is great for surf
music by itself (A lot of surf bands I've seen, don't
use outboard units, just fender amps), but compared
with outboard units they don't have the controls that
so many of us surf guys love.
The fender reverb unit is the last word in surf as far
as I'm concerned. First, it's tube reverb. It adds
tone and warmth to your sound. Second, its a
full-size tank like the one in the super, twin,
deluxe, pro, etc. That gives it the wide rate I
mentioned above. To top it off, the three controls
give you a lot of options. I like that I can crank
the reverb to normally intolerably high levels, then
turn the mix down so my guitar cuts through (for those
who don't know fender reverb units, the mix controls
wet to dry signal. At 0 its just guitar, at 10 just
reverb and pretty muddy.). You also got your reverb
tone control on this guy. With the tone cranked up,
you get a real drippy / picky sound making it really
stand out. The downside with these units is the cost.
I had a re-issue for about 2 years and I had to have
it repaired 3 times before I sold it. Maybe I had a
bad unit. Maybe the mods weren't done properly (I had
it brought back to '63 specs about with only a couple
of exceptions). Regardless, I don't like re-issues
and would not recommend buying one. I don't have much
experience with the original units as I don't want to
fall in love with one. I'd rather buy another guitar
than an $800 piece of vintage fender history (I'll go
check that stuff out at the museum). If you can find
one, the silver face reverb units go for arround
$400-500 bucks and I'm told they're just as good as
the ones from the early sixties except they don't have
the collectablitity. Don't you hate when you get
great vintage gear that doesn't have any collector
value? I have refinished green '62 jazzmaster (it was
owned by the crocodiles, a SF surf band). Anyway, the
fender reverb units sound great, even the re-issues
(though, for me reliability was a problem).
Finally, my reverb master. This unit uses a small
tank like the little lanelei. It has 2 controls depth
and tone. Depth = reverb. Tone = tone. The reverb
rate is fast. With the depth and tone cranked to 10,
the unit is lightly feedbacky, but their is sooooooooo
much reverb that I don't like to use this setting. In
general I've got depth at 12 o'clock and the tone at 3
o'clock. This sound is boingy and has the attack that
only comes from having tone control. The unit doesn't
really sound to hot in a lot of settings, but this one
really sounds great. The tone makes the stand out.
This unit is not for those who demand the highest
quality in all their gear. So far it has been
reliable and it appears to have been constructed very
well. It does give the amp a little hum, but its not
too bad (always a problem with those Jazzmaster
soapbars in either single pickup setting). The units
gotta sit in a stable spot in the studio or it will
vibrate with certain frequencys. For example, when my
bassists plays a b and my guitar volume is at 0, you
can hear the tank move from the bass. Not too big a
deal, just gotta be creative. Overall, I'd say the
reverb is great for surf, especially if you like that
garage surf sound. Its also very cool because I've
never met anyone who's seen one before. Its much
smaller than a fender and the tank doesn't need to be
locked for travel. I think this unit may be a teisco
unit as they made many a cool surf guitar back in the
day, but I am probably wrong.
In short, forget the linalei until the next generation
comes out(I'd heard they're solving the feedback
problem). If you got a pre-80's fender tube amp or
reissue, a reverb unit would be overkill (Overkill -
not necessarily a bad thing), sounds good enough. The
fender unit is all you'll ever use if you have one
that works well (unless you think it sounds too good
or too clean or not lo-fi enough). The reverb master
is a diamond in the rough. I'd say its up there with
those Kay units or Alamo units that give us that great
garage surf sound. Its lo-fi, but fun. I'll never
sell this unit as I don't think it is worth any money
and I like it better than the fender unit (but I'm
biased against fender units as I had to send mine
flying a couple of times for failing me. Equipment
must be disciplined when it doesn't work properly.
Keep them machines in line, show 'em who's boss.)
Hope this helps all you guys on your quest for reverb.
The reverb master is my holy grail, my secret weapon,
my mysterious magic surf machine. My quest for the
perfect reverb is over and I've ended-up with my own
unique reverb sound.
Keep Surfin',
Damon Devilsurf
--- lebodde <> wrote:
> Damon,
>
> Could you possibly give a little comparison of the
> four units (Fender
> outboard, Fender inboard (Super), Lanelei and Reverb
> Master). You're
> in a fairly unique position of having tried all
> four...
>
> Thanks!
>
> --- In SurfGuitar101@y..., "dei77" <dei77@y...>
> wrote:
> > Morning All,
> >
> > Today I am one happy surf guitarist. I just got
> my "Reverb Master"
> > in the mail the other day and it is one of the
> coolest reverb units
> > I've ever used. Its just a little black
> tolex-covered box, like so
> > many other reverb units. However, its tiny and
> really light
> weight.
> > Its only 14" wide and ways about 2 lbs. I ordered
> it off ebay for
> > $49.99 and wasn't expecting it to be very cool at
> all. But, being a
> > bargain hunter and having completely given up on
> my re-issue reverb
> > unit after it had broken for the 3rd time, I
> thought "what the heck,
> > its a reverb unit." This unit kicks ass for surf.
> Its got that wet
> > sound that you can only get from having multiple
> reverb controls
> (its
> > got depth and tone, as opposed to Fender's mix,
> dwell, and tone). I
> > tried a lil' linalei a couple weeks ago, on the
> recommendation of
> > many a surf player, because it is supposedly the
> only affordable
> surf
> > reverb unit. I hated that thing. I plugged it
> into a Super Rererb
> > and it didn't even come close to fender amp
> reverb. Not at all what
> > I'd been looking for; way too much feedback.
> Anyway, just thought
> > I'd share this discovery with my fellow surf
> guitarists, so that you
> > all will know to keep an eye out for this box. It
> doesn't have a
> > brand name on it anywhere. All it says is "Reverb
> Master"
> > and "Japan" on the bottom. It has 2 inputs (mic
> and instrument), 1
> > output, a footswitch, a tone knob, a depth knob,
> and an on/off
> switch
> > w/ light. I love this unit and am interested to
> learn if anyone
> > knows anything about this Mysterious Japanese
> Reverb Unit.
> >
> > Damon Devilsurf
> > Orange, CA
>
>
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Thanks very much Damon.
This is a very informative writeup.
--- In SurfGuitar101@y..., Damon <dei77@y...> wrote:
> I would be happy to give a comparison of the 4 units.
> First, I hate the little Lanelei. I know a lot of
> people love it because its a cheap real spring reverb,
> but it feeds back like crazy through a fender super
> reverb (I would assume it would also feedback through
> my RI '59 bassman as well, thus I never bought one).
> The reverb sound is pretty nice though(good for
> non-surf applications), you just can't turn it up as
> much as you will need to for surf music. As soon as
> it starts to have that drippy wet sound it feeds back.
>
>
> The super reverb has plenty of reverb. Unlike the
> little lanelei it uses the full size accutronics tank.
> That makes the boinginess a little wider. I'll
> explain. Because the springs go back and forth when
> the tank rings, their is a reverb rate (not
> controlable on any reverb tanks as far as I know).
> Needless to say big tanks tend to sound big and small
> ones tend to sound tight (faster rate). This is not
> the rule however. I notice the amp reverb on my ampeg
> g115 has a pretty fast rate, despite the use of the
> large tank (15" solid-state ampeg combo, from the 70's
> - great amp and very affordable. I bought it a couple
> months ago for $200 bucks and it takes my RI bassman
> by the grill cloth and slaps it arround. The bass is
> so tight. It really sets off the reverb. And as we
> all know from the Dual Showman cabs, 15's are great
> for surf music.) Back to the Super. The reverb on
> most pre-80's tube fender amps is good enough for
> surf. No feedback. Deep sound. However, to get the
> attack you have to use a compressor or change the EQ,
> both of which screw up your sound a little too much
> for my taste(sorry to use a word that already has alot
> of stuff attached to it - I use it to mean the amount
> of reverb you hear right away when you pick your
> guitar, not the echo that comes afterwords). Don't
> get me wrong, fender amp reverb is great for surf
> music by itself (A lot of surf bands I've seen, don't
> use outboard units, just fender amps), but compared
> with outboard units they don't have the controls that
> so many of us surf guys love.
> The fender reverb unit is the last word in surf as far
> as I'm concerned. First, it's tube reverb. It adds
> tone and warmth to your sound. Second, its a
> full-size tank like the one in the super, twin,
> deluxe, pro, etc. That gives it the wide rate I
> mentioned above. To top it off, the three controls
> give you a lot of options. I like that I can crank
> the reverb to normally intolerably high levels, then
> turn the mix down so my guitar cuts through (for those
> who don't know fender reverb units, the mix controls
> wet to dry signal. At 0 its just guitar, at 10 just
> reverb and pretty muddy.). You also got your reverb
> tone control on this guy. With the tone cranked up,
> you get a real drippy / picky sound making it really
> stand out. The downside with these units is the cost.
> I had a re-issue for about 2 years and I had to have
> it repaired 3 times before I sold it. Maybe I had a
> bad unit. Maybe the mods weren't done properly (I had
> it brought back to '63 specs about with only a couple
> of exceptions). Regardless, I don't like re-issues
> and would not recommend buying one. I don't have much
> experience with the original units as I don't want to
> fall in love with one. I'd rather buy another guitar
> than an $800 piece of vintage fender history (I'll go
> check that stuff out at the museum). If you can find
> one, the silver face reverb units go for arround
> $400-500 bucks and I'm told they're just as good as
> the ones from the early sixties except they don't have
> the collectablitity. Don't you hate when you get
> great vintage gear that doesn't have any collector
> value? I have refinished green '62 jazzmaster (it was
> owned by the crocodiles, a SF surf band). Anyway, the
> fender reverb units sound great, even the re-issues
> (though, for me reliability was a problem).
> Finally, my reverb master. This unit uses a small
> tank like the little lanelei. It has 2 controls depth
> and tone. Depth = reverb. Tone = tone. The reverb
> rate is fast. With the depth and tone cranked to 10,
> the unit is lightly feedbacky, but their is sooooooooo
> much reverb that I don't like to use this setting. In
> general I've got depth at 12 o'clock and the tone at 3
> o'clock. This sound is boingy and has the attack that
> only comes from having tone control. The unit doesn't
> really sound to hot in a lot of settings, but this one
> really sounds great. The tone makes the stand out.
> This unit is not for those who demand the highest
> quality in all their gear. So far it has been
> reliable and it appears to have been constructed very
> well. It does give the amp a little hum, but its not
> too bad (always a problem with those Jazzmaster
> soapbars in either single pickup setting). The units
> gotta sit in a stable spot in the studio or it will
> vibrate with certain frequencys. For example, when my
> bassists plays a b and my guitar volume is at 0, you
> can hear the tank move from the bass. Not too big a
> deal, just gotta be creative. Overall, I'd say the
> reverb is great for surf, especially if you like that
> garage surf sound. Its also very cool because I've
> never met anyone who's seen one before. Its much
> smaller than a fender and the tank doesn't need to be
> locked for travel. I think this unit may be a teisco
> unit as they made many a cool surf guitar back in the
> day, but I am probably wrong.
> In short, forget the linalei until the next generation
> comes out(I'd heard they're solving the feedback
> problem). If you got a pre-80's fender tube amp or
> reissue, a reverb unit would be overkill (Overkill -
> not necessarily a bad thing), sounds good enough. The
> fender unit is all you'll ever use if you have one
> that works well (unless you think it sounds too good
> or too clean or not lo-fi enough). The reverb master
> is a diamond in the rough. I'd say its up there with
> those Kay units or Alamo units that give us that great
> garage surf sound. Its lo-fi, but fun. I'll never
> sell this unit as I don't think it is worth any money
> and I like it better than the fender unit (but I'm
> biased against fender units as I had to send mine
> flying a couple of times for failing me. Equipment
> must be disciplined when it doesn't work properly.
> Keep them machines in line, show 'em who's boss.)
> Hope this helps all you guys on your quest for reverb.
> The reverb master is my holy grail, my secret weapon,
> my mysterious magic surf machine. My quest for the
> perfect reverb is over and I've ended-up with my own
> unique reverb sound.
>
> Keep Surfin',
> Damon Devilsurf
>
> --- lebodde <bstruye@i...> wrote:
> > Damon,
> >
> > Could you possibly give a little comparison of the
> > four units (Fender
> > outboard, Fender inboard (Super), Lanelei and Reverb
> > Master). You're
> > in a fairly unique position of having tried all
> > four...
> >
> > Thanks!
> >
> > --- In SurfGuitar101@y..., "dei77" <dei77@y...>
> > wrote:
> > > Morning All,
> > >
> > > Today I am one happy surf guitarist. I just got
> > my "Reverb Master"
> > > in the mail the other day and it is one of the
> > coolest reverb units
> > > I've ever used. Its just a little black
> > tolex-covered box, like so
> > > many other reverb units. However, its tiny and
> > really light
> > weight.
> > > Its only 14" wide and ways about 2 lbs. I ordered
> > it off ebay for
> > > $49.99 and wasn't expecting it to be very cool at
> > all. But, being a
> > > bargain hunter and having completely given up on
> > my re-issue reverb
> > > unit after it had broken for the 3rd time, I
> > thought "what the heck,
> > > its a reverb unit." This unit kicks ass for surf.
> > Its got that wet
> > > sound that you can only get from having multiple
> > reverb controls
> > (its
> > > got depth and tone, as opposed to Fender's mix,
> > dwell, and tone). I
> > > tried a lil' linalei a couple weeks ago, on the
> > recommendation of
> > > many a surf player, because it is supposedly the
> > only affordable
> > surf
> > > reverb unit. I hated that thing. I plugged it
> > into a Super Rererb
> > > and it didn't even come close to fender amp
> > reverb. Not at all what
> > > I'd been looking for; way too much feedback.
> > Anyway, just thought
> > > I'd share this discovery with my fellow surf
> > guitarists, so that you
> > > all will know to keep an eye out for this box. It
> > doesn't have a
> > > brand name on it anywhere. All it says is "Reverb
> > Master"
> > > and "Japan" on the bottom. It has 2 inputs (mic
> > and instrument), 1
> > > output, a footswitch, a tone knob, a depth knob,
> > and an on/off
> > switch
> > > w/ light. I love this unit and am interested to
> > learn if anyone
> > > knows anything about this Mysterious Japanese
> > Reverb Unit.
> > >
> > > Damon Devilsurf
> > > Orange, CA
> >
> >
>
>
> __________________________________________________
> Do You Yahoo!?
> Send FREE video emails in Yahoo! Mail!
>
