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I have to weigh in on this outboard Fender reverb discussion with a most
unpopular, but empirically verified minority opinion. When I bought my Fender
reissue unit two years ago, I was able to do a blindfold A/B comparison with
two orginal units, and to my ears, I could hear no difference. I will say
that the tone knob of the newer unit did give more treble when set to full
gallop but it was easy to match the tone of the original units by backing off
the tone. I could percieve no greater depth of reverb with the older vs newer
unit. I realize that many more folks on this and other lists are claiming
significant differences between the units. I suspect that such opinions are
sementally or nostalgically motivated as we all have a tendency to say that
the original model of any audio or musical toy has a "warmer sound".
Off the topic, I have to say congratulations to Dano and the Nebulas for the
great reviews they have been getting. I'm very anxious to hear that CD!
Marty
> Jerry,
>
> Fender pretty much owns the monopoly on outboard reverb units, but IMHO,
> why would you want to own any other kind? A new one ('63 Reissue) goes for
> about 400 bucks, and getting an original vintage one off of Ebay or whatnot
>
> could run you from 600 for a JUNKY one to a grand for a mint one, and
> anywhere in between. If you want to get into traditional sounding surf, you
>
> HAVE to get an outboard reverb tank. Period. Unless you're just a Ventures
> cover band.
>
> Theres definitely a noticeable difference in sound between a reissue and
>
> an original unit, but there is a modification that involves soldering that
> can really dial-in a reissue reverb tank very very close to its original
> counterpart. I've done the mod and it takes about 20 minutes, however it
> completely voids your warranty.
>
> In a nutshell, expect to spend 400 bones for a Fender outboard unit.
> You
> could get a pedal I guess, but thats just so....nasty.
>
> -Dano
> -=The Nebulas=-
>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
I respect what you are saying Marty. I personally have 0 experience with
vintage reverb units. I played my reissue unit stock for several weeks, but
didn't like how harsh it got when I turned up the controls to get an over
the top reverb splashy sound. Replacing the tubes with NOS ones fixed this.
I suspect the major factor here was changing the 6V6 with a 6K6. I think I
have about the same amount of reverb, but I have much more headroom now
before the harshness comes back in. I am usually suspicious of nostalgia
too. In fact I just read a quote on the FDP attributed to Babe Ruth: "They
don't make 'em like they used to, and they never did".
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [mailto:]
>
> I have to weigh in on this outboard Fender reverb discussion with a most
> unpopular, but empirically verified minority opinion. When I
> bought my Fender
> reissue unit two years ago, I was able to do a blindfold A/B
> comparison with
> two orginal units, and to my ears, I could hear no difference. I will say
> that the tone knob of the newer unit did give more treble when
> set to full
> gallop but it was easy to match the tone of the original units by
> backing off
> the tone. I could percieve no greater depth of reverb with the
> older vs newer
> unit. I realize that many more folks on this and other lists are claiming
> significant differences between the units. I suspect that such
> opinions are
> sementally or nostalgically motivated as we all have a tendency
> to say that
> the original model of any audio or musical toy has a "warmer sound".
