Reverb

[HELLonWHEELS]

I'm just wondering who uses it, what you use and why.

Brandon

 

[4Mal]

Had to vote Carrots ..

Reverb when recording OK , live no way... and not a pedal anyday. Lexicon Rack unit baybay ...

 

[Taylor Livingston]

I used a Premier tube-driven spring reverb until recently, which is a clone of the Fender tank. I still have it, and it sounds awesome. The way spring reverb twangs can't be beat for me. It's the only effect that I could not do without. But, this thing was built in the 60s, so it hums and is ungrounded (ungrounded tube amps are bad!). It zapped me once when I was adjusting the volume, but I didn't die, so I decided that, for health reasons, I needed a new spring reverb.

So I got a Tube Works stereo tube driven spring reverb. This is cool for a few reasons - it won't kill me, it's rackmountable, and it keeps my stereo path intact. What I don't like is that it's much more hifi than the Premier; the spring tanks are the deluxe 6-spring ones, which has much less of the murky, twangy sound that I love. I guess I prefer the "trashier" sound of the shorter springs, or maybe just the more lofi amplifier in the Premier.

So I use both of those. I play experimental music, much of which uses the bass as the lead instrument. If I were playing a more traditional style of bass, I probably would not be using such heavy reverb, so I don't know how my experience applies to what you do, but the only effect I couldn't play without is a spring reverb.

 

[Soma666]

hey, conical johnson, how about i buy the old Premier off u, aye ?

 

[4lPh4n0m3g4]

I don't currently own one put hopefully soon will. The new Tech 21 R.V.B looks interesting.

I play Ambient / Acid Jazz / Drum & Bass / Trip-Hop / Dub-Step.

It will fit certain compositions so that's why I'd use it.

I try to play what the songs/compositions call for.

 

[bassbmx]

I just can't see when I'd ever use reverb. Still, that hasn't stopped me buying other things I didn't really need....

 

[Zeemno]

The new Tech21 Boost and Reverb looks interesting. I want to try one some time! (if they'll appear in Polish stores :/ )

 

[Akami]

You left out the "No, but I don't use it." option, so I had to go with carrots.

 

[keb]

I sometimes use reverb on bass when I'm just goofing around, though it never seems to find its way into actual tunes I work on. It does sound nice and atmospheric with fretless bass either solo or in a sparse arrangement though.

 

[Cristo]

I've always disliked the sound of reverb on bass.

To me it would have no use except for filling out a lead guitar type sound, which I don't do.

 

[Edwcdc]

I think it is fun to mess with at home but I can't seem to find a need for it in a band setting. I like to have a nice tight sound and reverb just seems to undo all of that. It's bad enough playing in a big boomy room.
Now delay is a different story. Although I don't use it I could see a need for it certain situations. I have heard guys use it before with cool results.

 

[Joe P]

...The way spring reverb twangs can't be beat for me. It's the only effect that I could not do without....

...it keeps my stereo path intact....

...I play experimental music, much of which uses the bass as the lead instrument....

Cool.

You say that it keeps the stereo; is the 'verb signal itself in stereo?

Joe

 

[Joe P]

I've always disliked the sound of reverb on bass.

What I haven't liked about it, is when it's 'verbing the low-frequency fundamentals!

In the studio I've run reverb just on the mids/high-mids portion of the bass signal. I loved how that sounded! I remember that it was on the song No Parking On The Dance Floor, on the Funk University Demo record.

Anyone know an easy way for me to get that with a single unit that doesn't cost too much? I'm thinking that maybe there's a spring unit out there that naturally exhibits this 'mostly-mids' response.

Joe

 

[KromaatiKlauun]

As some of the TBers in this thread and other threads wrote, reverb on bass is annoying. So ihad to vote......YES!!! Anything that makes a good racket and annoys the common listener is a plus for me!

 

[four2oh]

i always had fun banging on my dad's old spring reverb box back in the day, just to hear those springs rattle.. so recently, i made an impulse buy of the Danelectro Spring King, just for the kick pad feature. It's got a neat sound, but not all that useful unless you are a surf guitarist.. which i ain't.

 

[Passinwind]

As some of the TBers in this thread and other threads wrote, reverb on bass is annoying. So ihad to vote......YES!!! Anything that makes a good racket and annoys the common listener is a plus for me!

+1

I love 'verb for slide bass.

Joe P: lots of rack units have programmable low cut and high rolloff (or in many cases damping, which is good for bass IME). I'm partial to the Rocktron Intellifex, which I've seen going for very cheap used lately. Mine was pretty expensive when I bought it ten years ago though.

 

[moogboy]

i use my Roland Space Echo when i think it need it.

 

[Ibanezzer]

I run a small amount of reverb all the time, I use a boss multi-efx unit to do that, I do something like 15% reverb and 12% chorus and run that always, i like the way it shapes the tone with just a suttle hint of efx.

 

[Joe P]

...Joe P: lots of rack units have programmable low cut and high rolloff (or in many cases damping, which is good for bass IME). I'm partial to the Rocktron Intellifex, which I've seen going for very cheap used lately. Mine was pretty expensive when I bought it ten years ago though.

There ya' go!

I recently messed with my brother's Replifex. It had some of the most-killer stereo choruses! I'll look into Rocktron. Thanks.

~~~~~~~~~~~
Anyone know of a spring unit that would have an all-mids characteristic like that? Oo - the one with the 'kick plate' would be cool...

Joe

 

[Ron Now]

EHX Holy Grail, and it is never turned off. It used to be a Line 6 Verbzilla that was never turned off, but the EHX gave me the same sound I used without all the fuss. Plus I love anything EHX does.