Spring reverb recommendations!?

[Lee Cardan]

I'm hoping we can get a nice list of spring reverbs going
These would be with studio use in mind

prerequisites for me are balanced in / out
that's pretty much it I guess

I'll start by saying that the spring in my SRE-555, although extremely noisy, is my favorite reverb next to my EMT 140

[tapehiss]

I plan on purchasing the Demeter RV-1 spring.

it runs around $700 with two channels, one short and one long decay.

[javahut]

There's also the option of just getting the bare spring unit. Use a tube preamp to drive the input and another to amplify the output. Works really well in my experience. I also use the Demeter Real Reverb... it's nice, too.

[narapo]

Originally Posted by tapehiss

I plan on purchasing the Demeter RV-1 spring.

it runs around $700 with two channels, one short and one long decay.

I have one on order, but there seems to be some delay from Demeter, it's still on backorder

[RoundBadge]

Akg bx series
rich sounding
works well in a mix

[Lee Cardan]

I've been seeing BX come up more and more

which would be your pick of the bunch? I see the BX20 mentioned a lot, but also what about the shorter spring rack versions like the BX5? The sound is totally different of course, but is it particularly bad?

[Crowdnoise]

Originally Posted by Lee Cardan

I've been seeing BX come up more and more

which would be your pick of the bunch? I see the BX20 mentioned a lot, but also what about the shorter spring rack versions like the BX5? The sound is totally different of course, but is it particularly bad?

Of course it's all taste, but I have BX-10 and BX-20E. I never liked the BX-5. BX-20 is simply amazing. I'm using my BX10 right now and can think of a million things it's great on as well.

Funny story about the BX-20. When I first got it, I thought it sounded like junk. It was just flat and thuddy with no decay. It basically stayed that way for a couple of years - I used it as furniture in my control room at one point. Then one day I decided to finally open it up and have a look. Turns out someone had stuffed a bunch of memory foam inside to either deaden it or protect it in shipping (it was much more foam than what's normally in these units). Duh. Now it gets used all the time.

I also had one of those Demeters at one time - it was very good.

[vernier]

I like Accutronics-4 and AKG.

[RoundBadge]

Bx 20 here
for me the kingdaddy spring

[mixerguy]

Anything zerotronics makes

[Dirty Halo]

Originally Posted by narapo

I have one on order, but there seems to be some delay from Demeter

Uh, no... it's a reverb. No delay at all

I have a Demeter and it may be THE greatest spring reverb out there.

-Andrews

[camus]

Well kept secret: Peavey Valverb.

[narapo]

Originally Posted by Dirty Halo

Uh, no... it's a reverb. No delay at all

I have a Demeter and it may be THE greatest spring reverb out there.

-Andrews

Should be delivered next week...not so much delay indeed

[relaxo]

Originally Posted by camus

Well kept secret: Peavey Valverb.

I hated mine. Bought it noisy, so noisy I sent it to Peavey repair. Came back noisy. It's noisy as hell.

[Telefunk]

BX20, forget everything else. Perfect couple for EMT 140

[baikonour]

Roland RV-800 Stereo Spring, if you can find one.

[Pelle G]

The Fairchild spring is very good. Actually, the range of sounds vary a lot. The BX-20 is way more towards a plate. Big and warm. You can't really here a .
The spring in Roland Space Echo is standard spring sound to me.

[toolstudio]

I have 2 of the CoolSprings from: --- analog reverb --- zerotronics ---

You need an micpre after it, but they are great. I have a long and a medium.

wolfgang

[Marcocet]

AKG BX20 is amazing, king of the springs. However they're also big, expensive and delicate.

the AKG BX10-15 always sounded a little doinky to me. The BX5 (which is a rack unit) is pretty great. But it's never going to do that dub spring explosion thing.

Something that hasn't been mentioned is the Sound Workshop 242 (or 242a or 242b). No balanced ins but they sound amazing.

The Zerotronics stuff is fantastic. I have one of their Mini LE models and it's the closest thing to our EMT 140.

And finally that Peavey valverb. That thing really is pretty awesome, just remember to leave a rack space above and below it. It's all chrome and hot as hell.

Vermona, Pioneer, Orban... I've never liked any of them, but everyone has their own taste.

If you get something else tell us what you think of it!

[Philreno]

I've got an old Grampian unit , the same as Pete Townsend once used in front of his Marshall. It's got Germanium Transistors in it that distort well when overloaded. I put my Rhodes through it amongst other things... crunch. Love it.

******//www.philsbook.com

[Jim Williams]

I just finished rebuilding a 1968 Fender R100 solid state reverb. It's very rare, the first I've ever seen, it was to mate with the disasterous Fender Solid State amp line that lasted about 6 months before they were pulled.

It's a bit unique as the tank return has a EQ pot, cuts highs to the left, boosts highs to the right. Darken it and it's almost plate like, briten it and it's dub city. It has an adjustable drive control to vary the sprong.

I rebuilt it with very low noise transistors and several carbon resistors were replaced with metal films. It's super low noise, no hiss. There is a bit of reverb tank background hum, but that's way down from other reverbs.

[satissounds]

Got a Statik SA20 2-Channel rackmount Spring Reverb Unit. Rare. I believe it's from the early 80's. If anyone knows anything about this unit, please tell me. Sounds great.
Keith.

[MIKEHARRIS]

I have asked my mad scientist designer (L J) to consider reverse engineering the Fairchild Reverbertron.

Anyone have one he can check out ? Used a simple compressor circuit to control decay.
Id be curious if any of you have tried using a LA2A or similar ahead of your spring

[Philip S Bova]

I love the Fostex 3180. I have an AKG bx10 and an EMT 140 too, but it always surprises how well the Fostex fits in a mix. Oh yeah and it only cost 40 bucks.

[benelli]

Furman RV-1 - it's mono, so you might want two of them. Built in input limiter, and a brutal EQ. Showed up a lot on old dub recordings. Can be super dirty, or airy as needed. Cheap as hell, too.

[Blue May]

Originally Posted by Lee Cardan

I'm hoping we can get a nice list of spring reverbs going
These would be with studio use in mind

prerequisites for me are balanced in / out
that's pretty much it I guess

I'll start by saying that the spring in my SRE-555, although extremely noisy, is my favorite reverb next to my EMT 140

Funny, I really love the reverb on my re-501 which is the non rack version.. I end up using it more for the spring then for the tape delay.. half decent chorus on it too!

[Paul EQ]

The old spacexpander is good & the Fairchild 658 too.

[NEWTON IN ORBIT]

I have a Soundworkshop 242a, that I like a lot.

I did the Walter Sear trick, and crimped the springs at random intervals with needle nose, so that it is less y. Nothing scientific.

I also put some very light lead fishing sinkers on the spring, and this helped further.

You can almost slam a snare through it, without it flapping around now.

I think it sounds definitely more plate like now.
If you want that traditional spring surfy rattle, don't do this

Vox are good, horns w/ a ribbon mic, and especially elec gtrs are cool too.

A little dark, but the unit has eq.


Love the sound though.

John

[Eganmedia]

Another vote for the peavey valveberb! I have a pair and while they are far from accurate in terms of creating any kind of believable space, they make a crazy wide image that sounds like nothing else when used together. I have a Lawson stereo plate and a few good digital boxes, but the peaveys are their own thing. Super thick and and springy without being "y". Hard to describe, but fun to mix with. I paid $75 for one and got the other for free. Hard to beat that.

Oh yeah- the tremolo is the best I've heard. Super sinusoidally smooth!


Posted via the Gearslutz iPhone app

[Steffmo]

I have the Orban 111B...it gets some love, especially for guitars.

I was also fond of the old master Room springs.

But the BX20 is the Cadillac of springs. Of course its so good you might not think its a spring.