Probably the stand alone unit IMO.. seems like you have much more control over the true sound of the reverb. Killer video as usual man. I could listen to you play all day.
I really liked the amp tone, I thought it sounded great. I was saving for a twin reverb but maybe now I should consider the vibrolux. What would you reccomend?
206 likes zero dislikes. I see that kind of stat on your channel regularly. That's a testament to your playing and the quality of your videos. Very cool.
This is one of the best demo’s of the difference between stand alone reverb and internal. It would have been really cool to do a similar demo but include like the solid state Mustang or other non-tube non-spring compared to spring. There is to me a huge difference and why I want a stand alone to go with my 74 Champ. Thank you for the demo!!
RJ, I skipped this video a gew days because it didn't seem interesting to me, but I did watch it now and was actually really surprised at how much more versatile the standalone reverb unit is. Thanks for another great video!
I never realized how awesome the old tanks were till I saw Kid Ramos play with the Tbirds live...if I can ever stop buying guitars I’ll have one. Lol! Great demo brother!!
Dam ! I love the stand alone unit for sound and versatility. But I'm pretty happy with the reverb in my Deluxe. Great playing in the demo! Awesome presentation highlighting the differences between the two types.
"re-VERB"! Ok ... here's what you do with that in-board re-VERB unit in your combo amp! Unplug the input at the amp, that leads from the tank (the tank output wire). Buy a female-to-male RCA cable to be used as an extension. ALSO, buy a 1/4" male jack that has a FEMALE RCA jack on its butt. Plug that extension into the RCA-female-to-1/4-male jack, and plug that into the FRONT of the amp, channel one. Roll off all the bass, but maybe ONE or TWO. Increase the treble to your liking, maybe even push up the "BRIGHT" switch. Channel ONE essentially becomes your re-VERB control, so set the volume where you like it in relation to your DRY volume, in channel TWO. You will love the sound!! SO much better than the normal re-VERB sound! Try it, you'll like it!
This is great, I have been using my Fender reverb tank with my Fender Bassman for many years. I didn't realize how much better it sounds compared to one in a combo. I think I'll stick to the tank for a few more years. Great comparison review.
Just found a Bassman SF head and considering which reverb get, pedal ( kind of Electro Harmonix "grails") or tank ( specially the Surfy Bear kit with fet instead tubes ) but I'm starting to think the tanks are focused for surf music. Can be more subtle and still giving the best reverb tone? Hendrix would be an example of perfect clean to dirtiest tone.
Barely use reverb but whenever I hear this kind of thing reminds me of Fleetwood Macs best album, Then Play On. I love using a reverb tank or even a pedal with patch leads on 4 input amps, usually a bassman reissue
Great tutorial.. Sort of rare, but I have a 1976 Silverface Stand Alone Reverb Tank, love it! I also recommend folks looking at the Premier Tube Reverb Units, they have a cool sort of dark tone.
To my ears it seems the standalone has the holy grail surfy drip that no other tank or pedal can touch. Edit update: The Surfybear could be a contender.
Definitely hear a difference between the two units (subjectively one is preferred over the other). I think a reverb pedal thrown into the mix would basically have the same
I only recently discovered reverb tanks, a nice job explaining and contrasting them. For me, hands down the stand alone tank is the one. I shudder at what they go for.
I have been looking into surf guitar and this nice video helps me conclude there is nothing like the standalone Fender Reverb. Still, I won’t give up on achieving an acceptably similar sound without having to buy one for just a song or two. Nice video, thanks!!
@@RJRonquillo If you’re only interested in a spring reverb, I’ll second the Source Audio True Spring. If there’s a better digital recreation of an actual spring reverb, I haven’t heard it. It easily beat out a Strymon Flint for a place on my board.
No question, the tank rocks! The West Coast Blues really sparkled. Being able to dial in the amount and character is also a huge plus. The sound of the guitar is just better. Have another tube preamp pushing the amp also sounds nice. Out board seems like the way to go? The only question I’m left with is outboard going direct in, or in the effects loop?
I feel like the real difference is that the stand alone is running into the front end of the amp and through all the gain and eq. If the tank was in the fx loop, it would probably sound similar.
Well done as always. Personally, my Strymon Flint works for me, either in front or in the effects loop, still experimenting. The price of a tank is pretty steep on for one effect.
The Reverb Spring Tank Units were probably built by (or licensed by) Hammond as the Non-Necklace style units first appeared in 1960 in Hammond A-100, L-100 and-100 Organs, they were predated by the Necklace Reverb units that appeared in Early A-100s and PR-20&PR-40 Tone Cabinets (the problem with the Necklace Units is that they Rattled too much). These were predated by the Hammond Oil Reverb tanks that appeared in Hammond Tone Cabinets from the late 1930s to 1958 and could be found in HR-40 Tone Cabinets until 1963. These Oil Reverb tanks were partially filled with Automotive Brake Fluid and had a sort of "Slap Back" Sound. So without seeing the inside of a Stand-Alone Fender Reveb, I would assume it had a Hammond Tank. I have a Late 1960s Conn Organ that has a Hammond Reverb Tank. Baldwin (for their home organs) had a Reverb Unit called a "Panoramic Tone" that somehow got around Hammond's Patent, it also used a Spring, but it was a suspended spring (similar to the Hammond Necklace, but it was a larger Coil spring resembling a Slinky but only half of the Slinky's diameter. I pulled the Reverb Tank out of a later Panoramic Tone that had a different off shaped spring in a small metal box. There were also Tape Reverb Units (Schober Organs and the Echoplex) and Plate Reverbs used in the Recording Industry.
I got the Boss Clone of the Fender Stand-Alone Unit for one of my Hammond Organs, hoping it would be able to respond like the Electrotone Organ Mate Aftermarket Reverb kits for a B-3, but it could too easily be overdriven by the organ (it would work on a very minimal setting only, that was a bit too soft for my tastes), so I put it in my Guitar stomp box kit where it sounds at least close to the original.
I just happened to get a reissue from the 90s at a garage sale for like $150 😂 I just have to say I am so glad that today we don’t have to carry reverb units around with us. Jeez I see how small my HX Stomp really is now!
What a great demo showing the difference. The herds will now stampede to Reverb. You should have arranged a backend deal......? I now know what the next gear adventure looks like. Thank you R.J
Remember also that the stand-alone tank hits the front of your amp. Amp reverb comes after the preamp. Stand-alone’s create a whole different feel than just plugging straight into the amp’s inputs.
@@Mikhail72051 It's made to be a preamp. Why would you want to remove it's best feature by plugging it into an effects loop? Also, the amp he's using for the demo doesn't have an effects loop.
@@tinyb69 I built my own tube spring reverb. It sounds great through the front end, and that is how the old surf rockers used to do it. I prefer mine in the fx loop because it turns to mud if you put it through heavier distortion. I also prefer to have it after delay. Personal choice if you are playing more than one style of music, not just a set of surf rock.
For me the separate tank is so much nicer. The definition of the guitar remains and the separate tank is so dynamic and makes you play off it. I'm desperate for the Dr Z Z-Verb tank to go with my Z-Wreck
My amp, a Fender Vibro-King, has three knobs for reverb; dwell, mix, and tone, just like the reverb tank. It may be a little different from both of the ones in the video since it uses a different tube to drive it. I'd be curious if R.J. has tried out one of these.
As a side note: my amp is the earlier version with an EL-84 reverb driver which Fender later changed to the more robust 6V6. It may make a slight difference in the sound.
bills48321 Vibroking has the 6g15 circuit inside the amp.(the same as the standalone) And the og 6g15 uses a 6k6 (8watt 6v6) so the el84 ,6v6,6k6 sound very very similar in those circuits.
Do they make the stand alone reverb tanks now? If so, how much are they? If the amp itself has reverb, like say, a Twin, would you still need this tank? Does it have tremolo or vibrato with the tank?
I don't think Fender makes the stand alone tanks anymore, there used to be a company called Texotica that made a version, but i don't know if they are around anymore. Best bet is Ebay or Reverb.com
What is a decent price for one in good or decent condition that at least works well? Man, I want it to sound like a heavy rain blooping and dripping off the roof, or dripping waterfall. I only heard ONE guy do it that well ONE time and forgot who it was and what song..Teach us the ultimate wetness..
There's 2 songs I'm searching for the setup for. The first is the lead in Inna Godda Dovita (Iron Butterfly), and the second is The Pusher (Steppenwolf). I'm pretty sure they are both using a Maestro Fuzz Tone and stand alone reverb- any thoughts?
Both spind great! Since the amp reverb control is basically just a mix knob, how would you set up the standalone unit to sound more like the amp reverb? Controls halfway, higher, or lower?
Hello R.J. , If you had a choice between the amp reverb, the stand alone reverb and the Surfy Bear reverb which is not on this video , what would you choose? thanks for the video........
You know pedals actually were created and manufactured even when i was a preteen to replicate the hall like reverb of. Say a grand piano in chamber.lastly.i joyed greatly to work as others at a new music stor Midi modules Roland keyboards..and..oh..those..interconnected effects.i did get blessed with a great price on a Digitech Double Chorus.now im. Very much shopping for .something.multireverb.thru Sweetwater Fort Wayne Indiana.but these Videos are tops thanks men
love your videos man, do they still make these reverb tanks, do they still make them? if so, how much are they? Al's, I am looking at getting a fender hot rod 40 watt amp, any thoughts on that amp?
Decent amp. The reverb units will make any amp sound surfy and in this ballpark. The choice of clean amp makes a slight difference and tone connoisseurs may or may not be able to pick up the difference by sound alone.
I prefer a more clear reverb as it has less blur and more note articulation in its response......a less wooly reverb drive. So in the stand alone unit as you demonstrated the dwell knob.....it comes up fast to really drive the tank hard, so that part of the circuit needs adjusted to have a better and more useable sweep......it basically has way too much gain plus its a 12at7 tube which actually should sound a lot cleaner.In a reverb combo amp, the dwell is set by a fixed resistor connected to the grid of the 12at7 reverb driver tube, and that's a 1 meg resistor. To tame down the reverb would be to swap a 470k in for that 1meg dwell resistor so to not overdrive the tank input and cut the saturation. You might have to drop it to less than a 470k.....but that's a good starting point. On the other side of the tank is the reverb recovery tube which is a 12ax7. /on the reverb recovery tube, you'd change the cathode resistor from the 1.5K to a 3.3K to tame down that tubes gain via its bias and substitute either a 12ay7 or a 12at7 and preferably a JJ12at7 tube for this reverb recovery tube. The reverb driver tube is well suited to be a EH 12at7......and you could also swap the 500pf reverb input cap with a 1000pf cap or translated to a .001 polyester mylar type cap as to let more low mids and lower end pass thru the tank and warm it up richer in dynamics and have way more clarity in the reverb. Another good point is ti swap the fender accutronics 2 spring long decay tank with a MODtype 2 spring long delay tank as these tanks have a richer tonal response vs the accutronics. The actual reverb knob control is a mix type control for the combo amps, but you are dialing in the wet reverb signal on top of a fixed level dry signal and the circuitry has a fixed ratio between overall dry & wet signal. So the adjustments let you come up higher on the dial with the reverb knob which means more signal is going to be driving the phase inverter and power tubes. I find that a lot of my client just use a touch of reverb where they set it at like 2 or 3 on the dial. I like to play off the reverbs so I set mine higher to maybe 5 or 6 on the dial......as any higher gets too overdriven and saturated. With the adjustment to the reverb circuit, you'll get a better sweep of the effect on the reverb dial....with more useable range with the reverb......but yet when maxed out on the reverb knob..... gives the saturation of reverb effect. I occasionally use a 12ay7 in the reverb recovery position to subdue it more and get more clarity. And I'm also known for occasionally changing the fixed ratio resistors to add more reverb but also makes both signals of dry and wet more stronger in hitting the phase inverter and power tubes for a more aggressive amp response.
I've recently gone to tweaking the solid state reverb circuits in the blues deluxe and deville amps.....which I find to actually be a more versatile reverb once I adjust it. I add a dwell pot to adjust the dwell plus a switch that has 2 profiles for the reverb response.....if you think of the reverb as a room.....you can switch it to be a bigger room with a more bigger deeper response and more saturation like the 63 outboard style unit. I'll be tweaking it further to add tone controls. I find that the typical TL072 chip in the solid state reverbs to be too sterile clean, so I swap it out with another IC chip in the family that is more juicy and musical in response and having a richer tone
@@mikecamps7226 see, i thought the same thing. the reverb on that amp just sounds....bad. my solid state pa-200 peavey with a built in reverb sounds very close to that stand alone unit, even with the amount of drip. i think it just varies from amp to amp. maybe the tube circuit overdrives the springs to hard.
@@frigglebiscuit7484 The tube reverb doesn't respond to tweaking like I can get with the IC based solid state reverb. I have found an additional point with the tube reverb that I'll be playing with......and then see if it will translate to the solid state reverbs. I look at it from a signal strength perspective. The tube circuit uses a really padded down dry signal to mix with the wet signal. AND the solid state has the same situation...... You have to have the right ratio with the wet and dry with the circuitry as is. When there is just a single reverb control......it adds on to the dry signal at the preset ratio level and the reverb control is basically a volume control pot to add the reverb signal on top of the dry.......its a parallel effect situation. SO to get the reverb signal boosted up high to compete better with the dry since the dry has to be padded down drastically......you'd need an extra tube for the tube type reverbs so that means chassis space. In a solid state reverb....it means another IC. BUT you also have to pay attention to the phase of the signal which is easier in solid state since its less chassis space and real estate. I'm looking at it in the end result not for just the effect.....but the signal strength coming out of the merger of the wet & dry signal and how it hits and drives tube stages down stream. In the present system of the circuitry......its a soft signal due to padding down the dry so much. The merge resistor for the dry in a tube reverb circuit in a reverb combo amp is a 3.3 MEG usually......so thats alot of resistance to pad down the signal....thus weakening it.......and translated on the wet side....the reverb signal is that weak so where you have to pad the dry down that much. You can't jack up the gain on the reverb recovery tube as then it will start to compress and go over driven and distorted and you want clean.....as the signal then goes to another gain stage as the mixer amp for the wet/dry signal before it hits the phase inverter and power tubes...... The 12ax7 reverb recovery tube has a hot operating point as its set up, so going to a lesser tube will take the wool off.....so a 12at7 or a 12ay7 is a lesser gain but has more signal push as those 2 tubes put out more current than a 12ax7
Hey RJ - I have that amp! (can you believe I traded a '69 Princeton Reverb for it?) and I found/find that the onboard verb is hard sounding. not like any of the previous bf/sf fenders I've had. I also traded the speakers with a pair of eminence 1028K (same speaker as the blue frame alnicos) but anyway...... the stand alone unit has always been THE sound to me. It's got me considering a Vibroking, which has one built in, plus that trem!
Should one use speaker cable to connect the reverb unit to amp? I have a Hoffman reverb unit that route into my amp. Currently using an instrument cable.
Stick with the instrument patch cable. Speaker cables are not shielded and could allow additional external noise and other issues into your signal chain.
I’m sure this is probably a wild question… since your signal goes through the reverb unit before going into the front of the amp, is there a good setting for getting a good lush reverb when overdriving your amp? Maybe even with fuzz. I’ve tried using it and it seems that these reverb units are really only good with clean guitars. Putting an overdrive or fuzz pedal in front of a reverb seems like a bad time. I would really like for it to not be so.
Try gain pedals after reverb. Maybe impedance converter between reverb and fuzz, because fuzz needs high impedance input and reverb unit buffers signal
Does anyone use the stand alone in the effects loop, or usually always in front? I'm wondering how my bludotone bludo drive with the loop a later , d-style ods amp would sound with the stand alone. I usually run all my delay and reverb through the loop a later effects loop. I have a 64 super reverb but have always wanted a stand alone!
Only just getting into reverb, grew up a little grunge kid and was convinced it was pure evil 😂 a few Tarantino movies down the line and I finally got a strymon flint because my amps reverb didn’t quite do the trick. Now looking at carls custom reverb units based on the old fenders hand built ,tube but without all the issues of maintaining a 50+ year old machine, but can’t wrap my head around buying a reverb unit that costs more than I paid for my amp 😂
I have the same stand alone as in the video, and I personally don't think they pair well with overdrive pedals or even high amp gain. Ideal however for crunch and near break up tones.
Reverb Unit has limited output of wet signal, because it originates from tank. Dry singal goes just throught buffer, otherwise unaffected. So hotter the input signal, less audible reverb, because that dry signal overpowers wet signal
The reverb in my '65 Deluxe reissue is bonkers. On 3, it is WAAAAAAYYY over the top, and it not a pleasing sound. I use Boss' 63 Fender reverb pedal... it goes head and shoulders above the useless amp 'verb. I'm also trying the JHS octave reverb, where you can control the trail tones to be an octave high, or low... I'm still new with this pedal. I'm wondering if Fender goofed, and put the wrong taper pot in... it comes on way too much, way too soon.
The tank effects your sound dramatically . It has high end roll off. I know because I own this same tank. The tube spring reverb on my Princeton (hardwired like the original) is so much better and does not lose high sparkle...more dynamic.
No digital effects processor can match an analog amp and reverb tank..... Analog is the best....😍😍😍😍😍 I have a line 6 pod go, and I have installed a surf rock patch in it downloading from customtone, but it doesn't even go near to this analog setup..... 😅😅😅
Hi guys I hope you enjoy this comparison video! Of the 2, which reverb sound do you prefer?
Probably the stand alone unit IMO.. seems like you have much more control over the true sound of the reverb. Killer video as usual man. I could listen to you play all day.
UA-cam's audio conversion kills any tone difference.
Yeah, this needs to be 720p HD to get decent audio quality, which at the time I'm watching this isn't available.
Gotta have that drip.
I really liked the amp tone, I thought it sounded great. I was saving for a twin reverb but maybe now I should consider the vibrolux. What would you reccomend?
When you get that dripping sound from a vintage reverb it’s just so fantastic!!!
God, I'm so glad I'm more into the on-board reverb than I am into stand alone tank reverb, I was worried I was going to have to spend money.
206 likes zero dislikes. I see that kind of stat on your channel regularly. That's a testament to your playing and the quality of your videos. Very cool.
You jinxed it!
This is one of the best demo’s of the difference between stand alone reverb and internal. It would have been really cool to do a similar demo but include like the solid state Mustang or other non-tube non-spring compared to spring. There is to me a huge difference and why I want a stand alone to go with my 74 Champ. Thank you for the demo!!
RJ, I skipped this video a gew days because it didn't seem interesting to me, but I did watch it now and was actually really surprised at how much more versatile the standalone reverb unit is. Thanks for another great video!
I never realized how awesome the old tanks were till I saw Kid Ramos play with the Tbirds live...if I can ever stop buying guitars I’ll have one. Lol! Great demo brother!!
DAMN! I needed a towel after that demo. So much lush, wet, drippy reverb goodness!
That was awesome. The more I listen to the telecaster, the more I fall in love with it.
This is the best demo video I have ever seen. You did a great job.
RJ, I could listen to you play a West Coast Blues all day long! You sound great on a Telecaster!
Dam ! I love the stand alone unit for sound and versatility. But I'm pretty happy with the reverb in my Deluxe.
Great playing in the demo! Awesome presentation highlighting the differences between the two types.
The best demo I've ever seen on anything. Thank you!
I love reverb. Also, all manner of surf music. Nice video.
"re-VERB"! Ok ... here's what you do with that in-board re-VERB unit in your combo amp! Unplug the input at the amp, that leads from the tank (the tank output wire). Buy a female-to-male RCA cable to be used as an extension. ALSO, buy a 1/4" male jack that has a FEMALE RCA jack on its butt. Plug that extension into the RCA-female-to-1/4-male jack, and plug that into the FRONT of the amp, channel one. Roll off all the bass, but maybe ONE or TWO. Increase the treble to your liking, maybe even push up the "BRIGHT" switch. Channel ONE essentially becomes your re-VERB control, so set the volume where you like it in relation to your DRY volume, in channel TWO. You will love the sound!! SO much better than the normal re-VERB sound! Try it, you'll like it!
This sounds cool, gotta try it!
@@DaveElke Yessir. Makes a BIG difference in my opinion!
This is great, I have been using my Fender reverb tank with my Fender Bassman for many years. I didn't realize how much better it sounds compared to one in a combo. I think I'll stick to the tank for a few more years. Great comparison review.
Just found a Bassman SF head and considering which reverb get, pedal ( kind of Electro Harmonix "grails") or tank ( specially the Surfy Bear kit with fet instead tubes ) but I'm starting to think the tanks are focused for surf music. Can be more subtle and still giving the best reverb tone? Hendrix would be an example of perfect clean to dirtiest tone.
I just ordered the Surfybear Classic. I'm glad I found this video.
Barely use reverb but whenever I hear this kind of thing reminds me of Fleetwood Macs best album, Then Play On. I love using a reverb tank or even a pedal with patch leads on 4 input amps, usually a bassman reissue
Absolutely love the video. Has me seeing reverb in a whole new light tbh. From both the combo amp and the standalone unit.
Great tutorial.. Sort of rare, but I have a 1976 Silverface Stand Alone Reverb Tank, love it! I also recommend folks looking at the Premier Tube Reverb Units, they have a cool sort of dark tone.
Stand alone no question. That percussion makes all the difference.
Plus the extra tube characteristics
Nice comparison. Reminds me to not sell my Fender reverb tank.
Biggest takeaway: "Damn, RJ plays the shit out of some west coast blues."
To my ears it seems the standalone has the holy grail surfy drip that no other tank or pedal can touch.
Edit update: The Surfybear could be a contender.
I have a reverb pedal made by a company called Fuzzrocious that's as close as I can get. It's not the same, but it has a great drip.
But, is the Surfybear able to have the 'stomp shatter' effect done, as can be done on the FenderReverbUnit?
@@bonsummers2657 It could do. It’s still a spring tank, just with no tubes. 🤞🏼
Definitely hear a difference between the two units (subjectively one is preferred over the other). I think a reverb pedal thrown into the mix would basically have the same
Effect
I only recently discovered reverb tanks, a nice job explaining and contrasting them. For me, hands down the stand alone tank is the one. I shudder at what they go for.
build your own from Stew Mac at about $800.. pretty easy build
Get a surfybear tank
I have been looking into surf guitar and this nice video helps me conclude there is nothing like the standalone Fender Reverb. Still, I won’t give up on achieving an acceptably similar sound without having to buy one for just a song or two. Nice video, thanks!!
Check out the Boss FRV1 pedal, EHX Oceans 11, or Source Audio True Spring .
@@RJRonquillo If you’re only interested in a spring reverb, I’ll second the Source Audio True Spring. If there’s a better digital recreation of an actual spring reverb, I haven’t heard it. It easily beat out a Strymon Flint for a place on my board.
nice vid and nice '63.
I am very happy with my Boss '63, nice budget reverb and pretty close to the original '63.
Cool stuff. I prefer the tank. Putting it in front a the amp or in the effects loop is also quite a difference.
That percusive surf tone...great.
Just discovered this channel. Great work RJ.
That was some REALLY nice playing at the end. Mahalo for sharing. Now i REALLY want a stand alone reverb!
kuya, you make me want to go out and build a tank from a kit. i love super drippy reverb
Yup,think imma definitely build a stand alone unit. You’re a helluva player,man! I dig listening.
Here ya go: ua-cam.com/video/PmUtegJcERc/v-deo.html
Didn't even know about this! Great video man. I always dig in-amp spring, love it so much.
I like the stand alone better but I'm not a fan of reverb Can only take it in small doses and prefer natural room verb if possible Very cool demo Ronq
No question, the tank rocks! The West Coast Blues really sparkled. Being able to dial in the amount and character is also a huge plus. The sound of the guitar is just better. Have another tube preamp pushing the amp also sounds nice. Out board seems like the way to go?
The only question I’m left with is outboard going direct in, or in the effects loop?
Direct in the front of the amp.
Another awesome video my friend! Keep up the good work RJ!
I really like the difference between how the stand alone and integral respond to your pick attack!
I feel like the real difference is that the stand alone is running into the front end of the amp and through all the gain and eq. If the tank was in the fx loop, it would probably sound similar.
Well done as always. Personally, my Strymon Flint works for me, either in front or in the effects loop, still experimenting. The price of a tank is pretty steep on for one effect.
The Flint is awesome but I'm more into the tremolo on it but the verb is top shelf
Can you do the stomp shatter sound effect with the Strymon?
@@bonsummers2657 You can't no, i returned my Flint and got a surybear compact
The Reverb Spring Tank Units were probably built by (or licensed by) Hammond as the Non-Necklace style units first appeared in 1960 in Hammond A-100, L-100 and-100 Organs, they were predated by the Necklace Reverb units that appeared in Early A-100s and PR-20&PR-40 Tone Cabinets (the problem with the Necklace Units is that they Rattled too much). These were predated by the Hammond Oil Reverb tanks that appeared in Hammond Tone Cabinets from the late 1930s to 1958 and could be found in HR-40 Tone Cabinets until 1963. These Oil Reverb tanks were partially filled with Automotive Brake Fluid and had a sort of "Slap Back" Sound.
So without seeing the inside of a Stand-Alone Fender Reveb, I would assume it had a Hammond Tank. I have a Late 1960s Conn Organ that has a Hammond Reverb Tank.
Baldwin (for their home organs) had a Reverb Unit called a "Panoramic Tone" that somehow got around Hammond's Patent, it also used a Spring, but it was a suspended spring (similar to the Hammond Necklace, but it was a larger Coil spring resembling a Slinky but only half of the Slinky's diameter. I pulled the Reverb Tank out of a later Panoramic Tone that had a different off shaped spring in a small metal box.
There were also Tape Reverb Units (Schober Organs and the Echoplex) and Plate Reverbs used in the Recording Industry.
I got the Boss Clone of the Fender Stand-Alone Unit for one of my Hammond Organs, hoping it would be able to respond like the Electrotone Organ Mate Aftermarket Reverb kits for a B-3, but it could too easily be overdriven by the organ (it would work on a very minimal setting only, that was a bit too soft for my tastes), so I put it in my Guitar stomp box kit where it sounds at least close to the original.
This video made me want an external reverb. In general, awesome video. I enjoyed it, and I learned a Li’l somethang
holy shit that surf drip... iNSANEEEE
I just happened to get a reissue from the 90s at a garage sale for like $150 😂 I just have to say I am so glad that today we don’t have to carry reverb units around with us. Jeez I see how small my HX Stomp really is now!
Doesn't sound the same though
Looks like i need to build a reverb amp!! Thank you R.J.!!!
I believe the Ampeg Reverberocket was the first amp with on-board reverb and the Vibroverb was the second, but that's not widely known
What a great demo showing the difference. The herds will now stampede to Reverb. You should have arranged a backend deal......? I now know what the next gear adventure looks like. Thank you R.J
Informative as always and just awesome playing! Love your work RJ.
Remember also that the stand-alone tank hits the front of your amp. Amp reverb comes after the preamp. Stand-alone’s create a whole different feel than just plugging straight into the amp’s inputs.
Great video Thanks !! Really shows the difference between the two. Can't wait to get a stand alone unit !!
MAN that sounds so cool, I love a super wet reverb sound! Sadly, these tiny computer speakers dont truly show what all this stuff sounds like..
I love the three knob reverb on my VibroKing ..!!
too bad they quit making them
Wish I had a Vibroking but I do have a Tonemaster that I run into 4/10s usually Both killer amps Would love to run both in a wet/dry rig
My goodness. Standalone by a mile. It's THE DRIP! thanks for doing this.
It's only more apparent because he runs it into the front end of the amp. It would probably sound similar if it was in the fx loop.
@@Mikhail72051 It's made to be a preamp. Why would you want to remove it's best feature by plugging it into an effects loop? Also, the amp he's using for the demo doesn't have an effects loop.
@@tinyb69 I built my own tube spring reverb. It sounds great through the front end, and that is how the old surf rockers used to do it. I prefer mine in the fx loop because it turns to mud if you put it through heavier distortion. I also prefer to have it after delay. Personal choice if you are playing more than one style of music, not just a set of surf rock.
Nice.. An honest look
I totally enjoyed this video great guitar playing my choice of reverb would be the stand alone it sounds great
Tasty playing brother!!
I just purchased a 63 reissue and it rocks. I am getting back to playing surf rock again. Loved your video:)
What was your 2nd setting on the tank “west coast blues” ??
That was perfection
Tank is far superior
Thanks R.J., great demo!!
For me the separate tank is so much nicer. The definition of the guitar remains and the separate tank is so dynamic and makes you play off it. I'm desperate for the Dr Z Z-Verb tank to go with my Z-Wreck
Great tutorial and nice guitar play!
Love surf music.very well done
If you play that chord a few more times a complimentary Aston Martin will pull into your driveway. :)
i got that same amp, awesome video!
Great video! Somewhat related, what pickups are in your Tele? They sound fantastic.
+Tad Overbaugh They are stock Fender custom shop pickups.
My amp, a Fender Vibro-King, has three knobs for reverb; dwell, mix, and tone, just like the reverb tank. It may be a little different from both of the ones in the video since it uses a different tube to drive it. I'd be curious if R.J. has tried out one of these.
Yes, great point - I will see if I can get my hands on a Vibro King to demo
As a side note: my amp is the earlier version with an EL-84 reverb driver which Fender later changed to the more robust 6V6. It may make a slight difference in the sound.
bills48321
Vibroking has the 6g15 circuit inside the amp.(the same as the standalone)
And the og 6g15 uses a 6k6 (8watt 6v6) so the el84 ,6v6,6k6 sound very very similar in those circuits.
Killer amp
@@RJRonquillo You won't want to give it back 😁
Some nice blues playing 👍😎
Funny that Ryan 60 cycles hum , says the Reverb units are brighter sounding?
Correction*** The Ampeg Reverberocket was the first amp with reverb.
Do they make the stand alone reverb tanks now? If so, how much are they? If the amp itself has reverb, like say, a Twin, would you still need this tank? Does it have tremolo or vibrato with the tank?
I don't think Fender makes the stand alone tanks anymore, there used to be a company called Texotica that made a version, but i don't know if they are around anymore. Best bet is Ebay or Reverb.com
What is a decent price for one in good or decent condition that at least works well? Man, I want it to sound like a heavy rain blooping and dripping off the roof, or dripping waterfall. I only heard ONE guy do it that well ONE time and forgot who it was and what song..Teach us the ultimate wetness..
Whoa... is there any pedal that even approaches the drip on the tank??
Both sound great
There's 2 songs I'm searching for the setup for. The first is the lead in Inna Godda Dovita (Iron Butterfly), and the second is The Pusher (Steppenwolf). I'm pretty sure they are both using a Maestro Fuzz Tone and stand alone reverb- any thoughts?
Both spind great! Since the amp reverb control is basically just a mix knob, how would you set up the standalone unit to sound more like the amp reverb? Controls halfway, higher, or lower?
Hello R.J. , If you had a choice between the amp reverb, the stand alone reverb and the Surfy Bear reverb which is not on this video , what would you choose? thanks for the video........
Hi Jim, my favorite would be stand alone reverb tank.
No on off footswitch for the reverb effect I take it right ?
Matt Kenyon actually you can use a foot switch for both types of reverb
You know pedals actually were created and manufactured even when i was a preteen to replicate the hall like reverb of. Say a grand piano in chamber.lastly.i joyed greatly to work as others at a new music stor Midi modules Roland keyboards..and..oh..those..interconnected effects.i did get blessed with a great price on a Digitech Double Chorus.now im. Very much shopping for .something.multireverb.thru Sweetwater Fort Wayne Indiana.but these Videos are tops thanks men
love your videos man, do they still make these reverb tanks, do they still make them? if so, how much are they? Al's, I am looking at getting a fender hot rod 40 watt amp, any thoughts on that amp?
Decent amp. The reverb units will make any amp sound surfy and in this ballpark. The choice of clean amp makes a slight difference and tone connoisseurs may or may not be able to pick up the difference by sound alone.
Any idea? I have a similar amp and sometimes you hear like the springs are hitting and that sounds mix with the guitar sound D:
I prefer a more clear reverb as it has less blur and more note articulation in its response......a less wooly reverb drive. So in the stand alone unit as you demonstrated the dwell knob.....it comes up fast to really drive the tank hard, so that part of the circuit needs adjusted to have a better and more useable sweep......it basically has way too much gain plus its a 12at7 tube which actually should sound a lot cleaner.In a reverb combo amp, the dwell is set by a fixed resistor connected to the grid of the 12at7 reverb driver tube, and that's a 1 meg resistor. To tame down the reverb would be to swap a 470k in for that 1meg dwell resistor so to not overdrive the tank input and cut the saturation. You might have to drop it to less than a 470k.....but that's a good starting point. On the other side of the tank is the reverb recovery tube which is a 12ax7. /on the reverb recovery tube, you'd change the cathode resistor from the 1.5K to a 3.3K to tame down that tubes gain via its bias and substitute either a 12ay7 or a 12at7 and preferably a JJ12at7 tube for this reverb recovery tube. The reverb driver tube is well suited to be a EH 12at7......and you could also swap the 500pf reverb input cap with a 1000pf cap or translated to a .001 polyester mylar type cap as to let more low mids and lower end pass thru the tank and warm it up richer in dynamics and have way more clarity in the reverb. Another good point is ti swap the fender accutronics 2 spring long decay tank with a MODtype 2 spring long delay tank as these tanks have a richer tonal response vs the accutronics. The actual reverb knob control is a mix type control for the combo amps, but you are dialing in the wet reverb signal on top of a fixed level dry signal and the circuitry has a fixed ratio between overall dry & wet signal. So the adjustments let you come up higher on the dial with the reverb knob which means more signal is going to be driving the phase inverter and power tubes. I find that a lot of my client just use a touch of reverb where they set it at like 2 or 3 on the dial. I like to play off the reverbs so I set mine higher to maybe 5 or 6 on the dial......as any higher gets too overdriven and saturated. With the adjustment to the reverb circuit, you'll get a better sweep of the effect on the reverb dial....with more useable range with the reverb......but yet when maxed out on the reverb knob..... gives the saturation of reverb effect. I occasionally use a 12ay7 in the reverb recovery position to subdue it more and get more clarity. And I'm also known for occasionally changing the fixed ratio resistors to add more reverb but also makes both signals of dry and wet more stronger in hitting the phase inverter and power tubes for a more aggressive amp response.
I've recently gone to tweaking the solid state reverb circuits in the blues deluxe and deville amps.....which I find to actually be a more versatile reverb once I adjust it. I add a dwell pot to adjust the dwell plus a switch that has 2 profiles for the reverb response.....if you think of the reverb as a room.....you can switch it to be a bigger room with a more bigger deeper response and more saturation like the 63 outboard style unit. I'll be tweaking it further to add tone controls. I find that the typical TL072 chip in the solid state reverbs to be too sterile clean, so I swap it out with another IC chip in the family that is more juicy and musical in response and having a richer tone
@@mikecamps7226 see, i thought the same thing. the reverb on that amp just sounds....bad. my solid state pa-200 peavey with a built in reverb sounds very close to that stand alone unit, even with the amount of drip. i think it just varies from amp to amp. maybe the tube circuit overdrives the springs to hard.
@@frigglebiscuit7484 The tube reverb doesn't respond to tweaking like I can get with the IC based solid state reverb. I have found an additional point with the tube reverb that I'll be playing with......and then see if it will translate to the solid state reverbs. I look at it from a signal strength perspective. The tube circuit uses a really padded down dry signal to mix with the wet signal. AND the solid state has the same situation...... You have to have the right ratio with the wet and dry with the circuitry as is. When there is just a single reverb control......it adds on to the dry signal at the preset ratio level and the reverb control is basically a volume control pot to add the reverb signal on top of the dry.......its a parallel effect situation. SO to get the reverb signal boosted up high to compete better with the dry since the dry has to be padded down drastically......you'd need an extra tube for the tube type reverbs so that means chassis space. In a solid state reverb....it means another IC. BUT you also have to pay attention to the phase of the signal which is easier in solid state since its less chassis space and real estate. I'm looking at it in the end result not for just the effect.....but the signal strength coming out of the merger of the wet & dry signal and how it hits and drives tube stages down stream. In the present system of the circuitry......its a soft signal due to padding down the dry so much. The merge resistor for the dry in a tube reverb circuit in a reverb combo amp is a 3.3 MEG usually......so thats alot of resistance to pad down the signal....thus weakening it.......and translated on the wet side....the reverb signal is that weak so where you have to pad the dry down that much. You can't jack up the gain on the reverb recovery tube as then it will start to compress and go over driven and distorted and you want clean.....as the signal then goes to another gain stage as the mixer amp for the wet/dry signal before it hits the phase inverter and power tubes...... The 12ax7 reverb recovery tube has a hot operating point as its set up, so going to a lesser tube will take the wool off.....so a 12at7 or a 12ay7 is a lesser gain but has more signal push as those 2 tubes put out more current than a 12ax7
the 666 setting sound delightfully heaven like 🤘
Hey RJ - I have that amp! (can you believe I traded a '69 Princeton Reverb for it?) and I found/find that the onboard verb is hard sounding. not like any of the previous bf/sf fenders I've had. I also traded the speakers with a pair of eminence 1028K (same speaker as the blue frame alnicos) but anyway...... the stand alone unit has always been THE sound to me. It's got me considering a Vibroking, which has one built in, plus that trem!
Judd Austin
Traded a real 69 for a reissue?
I bet they were both nice!
Vibroking is the shizzle as well as the Tonemaster
was always a vox amp guy, think you might made me fender guy now, that sounded great, where do you set your EQ on your vibrolux?
good stuff, thanks for the comparison
Great stuff!!
fantastic video!
Should one use speaker cable to connect the reverb unit to amp? I have a Hoffman reverb unit that route into my amp. Currently using an instrument cable.
Nope, instrument cable does just fine. It is not speaker level signal coming out from 6G15, actually it is probably little bit lower than unity gain
@@TheHumppaidiootti Thanks!
Stick with the instrument patch cable.
Speaker cables are not shielded and could allow additional external noise and other issues into your signal chain.
I’m sure this is probably a wild question… since your signal goes through the reverb unit before going into the front of the amp, is there a good setting for getting a good lush reverb when overdriving your amp? Maybe even with fuzz. I’ve tried using it and it seems that these reverb units are really only good with clean guitars. Putting an overdrive or fuzz pedal in front of a reverb seems like a bad time. I would really like for it to not be so.
Try gain pedals after reverb. Maybe impedance converter between reverb and fuzz, because fuzz needs high impedance input and reverb unit buffers signal
Does anyone use the stand alone in the effects loop, or usually always in front? I'm wondering how my bludotone bludo drive with the loop a later , d-style ods amp would sound with the stand alone. I usually run all my delay and reverb through the loop a later effects loop. I have a 64 super reverb but have always wanted a stand alone!
Brett Vanderhoof I have a d style amp I’ll put my unit in the loop and let ya know!
Update. It’s great.
The reverb tank needs to go before the amp imo. I’ve used one for years and am amazed at how cool they sound with little or no overdrive.
Joe Jabon the cleans are very good
This has been a while ,i was wondering what pups are in ur tele ? I like em thx
Stock Fender custom shop ones. I don't know the specific model.
Awesome
Only just getting into reverb, grew up a little grunge kid and was convinced it was pure evil 😂 a few Tarantino movies down the line and I finally got a strymon flint because my amps reverb didn’t quite do the trick.
Now looking at carls custom reverb units based on the old fenders hand built ,tube but without all the issues of maintaining a 50+ year old machine, but can’t wrap my head around buying a reverb unit that costs more than I paid for my amp 😂
How would it react with overdrive?
I have the same stand alone as in the video, and I personally don't think they pair well with overdrive pedals or even high amp gain. Ideal however for crunch and near break up tones.
Reverb Unit has limited output of wet signal, because it originates from tank. Dry singal goes just throught buffer, otherwise unaffected. So hotter the input signal, less audible reverb, because that dry signal overpowers wet signal
I would imagine the standalone would probably sound even better through the effects loop of an amp
The reverb in my '65 Deluxe reissue is bonkers. On 3, it is WAAAAAAYYY over the top, and it not a pleasing sound. I use Boss' 63 Fender reverb pedal... it goes head and shoulders above the useless amp 'verb.
I'm also trying the JHS octave reverb, where you can control the trail tones to be an octave high, or low... I'm still new with this pedal.
I'm wondering if Fender goofed, and put the wrong taper pot in... it comes on way too much, way too soon.
Why not just roll it back a little? Can you explain that?
The tank effects your sound dramatically . It has high end roll off. I know because I own this same tank. The tube spring reverb on my Princeton (hardwired like the original) is so much better and does not lose high sparkle...more dynamic.
No digital effects processor can match an analog amp and reverb tank..... Analog is the best....😍😍😍😍😍 I have a line 6 pod go, and I have installed a surf rock patch in it downloading from customtone, but it doesn't even go near to this analog setup..... 😅😅😅
Welcome to flavour country
This guy is great at guitar 😎 oh wait, you play Eastwood guitars don't you 🤣