Re: New Non-BOSS Pedals
Posted: Mon Feb 20, 2023 12:11 am
NPD: Subdecay Spring Theory Reverberator
Quite the rabbit hole (ongoing for an age!) but I can't resist trying the odd reverb pedal every now and then when they pop up.
On my board is usually a stalwart RV-2 which I like very much, usually I'm simply looking for a mild plate or spring "classic" sounding amp like reverb that doesnt wash out so much with drive. That said I'm also a fan of a nice "Spring" and that is a much tougher nut to crack pedal wise. (For reference I enjoy using the old Shin Ei ER-23 Echo/VErb units, which have a great preamp and an authentic spring, alas they are quite short and bongy not a lush deep sound.
So I picked up a used Subdecay Spring Theory a few days ago, as the price was OK (ish!) and I couldn't resist that "Fender Blackface" look (matching the BBE Tremolo too). I tend to keep my expectations low with digital verbs.
PROS
- Easy-ish to dial in after getting used to balancing the controls.
- Smallish footprint, 9v-18v operation
- 18v sounded clearer perhaps so that's what I stuck too.
- Balanced tone, not too digital, not too bright, sits nicely in the mix.
- Two modes, Spring and Room are quite noticeably different (mostly decay/trail length). The Room mode is very similar to the RV-2- Infinite delay overdub wash on max settings Room setting.
CONS- Not much "drip", probably better at mimicking a "standard" Fender amp reverb rather than Dick Dale!
- Not much adjustment with the length of the reverberation, it's relatively short "spring" length, I'd like longer..
- Gets very wet/ambient quite quick, subtle settings are a bit tricky as the verb seems to tighten up/get short.
> More versatile than the Holy Grail Neo (way to wet) and Nano, depth control is a must!
> Smaller than the Tech 21 RVB, Spring setting inc. less artificial(?)
> Less "fake/cloying" than my Malekko Spring but I'd need to A/B a bit more.
In short I kept my expectations low and I can see a use for it, either as an addition to the RV-2 for a second deeper verb setting or for a mini board when jamming with verbless amps. It's fairly natural sounding. WIth both the EHX's I was pretty much reboxing them for sale on the same day!
Overall 7.5/10
Still love my RV-2, as it has a great deal of tweak control (like the EQ pre delay) and when hit with drive it doesn't wash out. I'm also still tempted to mod an RV-2 for a second footswitch to just nudge up the depth control as I'm often bending down to adjust depending on the song.
Final thought is a general gripe - there are so many wonderful verbs out there (Surfy Bear I'm looking at you!) but it bugs me that I'd be paying as much as guitar or amp for one! At 38,500yen for the SB spring, I could buy a 2nd Blues Jr or install a new reverb tank.
Actually I have a rather large SIB Varidrive also in Blackface garb which would be a cool pedalboard to put together if I wished!
Who else has gone down the very deep reverberation rabbit hole?
Quite the rabbit hole (ongoing for an age!) but I can't resist trying the odd reverb pedal every now and then when they pop up.
On my board is usually a stalwart RV-2 which I like very much, usually I'm simply looking for a mild plate or spring "classic" sounding amp like reverb that doesnt wash out so much with drive. That said I'm also a fan of a nice "Spring" and that is a much tougher nut to crack pedal wise. (For reference I enjoy using the old Shin Ei ER-23 Echo/VErb units, which have a great preamp and an authentic spring, alas they are quite short and bongy not a lush deep sound.
So I picked up a used Subdecay Spring Theory a few days ago, as the price was OK (ish!) and I couldn't resist that "Fender Blackface" look (matching the BBE Tremolo too). I tend to keep my expectations low with digital verbs.
PROS
- Easy-ish to dial in after getting used to balancing the controls.
- Smallish footprint, 9v-18v operation
- 18v sounded clearer perhaps so that's what I stuck too.
- Balanced tone, not too digital, not too bright, sits nicely in the mix.
- Two modes, Spring and Room are quite noticeably different (mostly decay/trail length). The Room mode is very similar to the RV-2- Infinite delay overdub wash on max settings Room setting.
CONS- Not much "drip", probably better at mimicking a "standard" Fender amp reverb rather than Dick Dale!
- Not much adjustment with the length of the reverberation, it's relatively short "spring" length, I'd like longer..
- Gets very wet/ambient quite quick, subtle settings are a bit tricky as the verb seems to tighten up/get short.
> More versatile than the Holy Grail Neo (way to wet) and Nano, depth control is a must!
> Smaller than the Tech 21 RVB, Spring setting inc. less artificial(?)
> Less "fake/cloying" than my Malekko Spring but I'd need to A/B a bit more.
In short I kept my expectations low and I can see a use for it, either as an addition to the RV-2 for a second deeper verb setting or for a mini board when jamming with verbless amps. It's fairly natural sounding. WIth both the EHX's I was pretty much reboxing them for sale on the same day!
Overall 7.5/10
Still love my RV-2, as it has a great deal of tweak control (like the EQ pre delay) and when hit with drive it doesn't wash out. I'm also still tempted to mod an RV-2 for a second footswitch to just nudge up the depth control as I'm often bending down to adjust depending on the song.
Final thought is a general gripe - there are so many wonderful verbs out there (Surfy Bear I'm looking at you!) but it bugs me that I'd be paying as much as guitar or amp for one! At 38,500yen for the SB spring, I could buy a 2nd Blues Jr or install a new reverb tank.
Actually I have a rather large SIB Varidrive also in Blackface garb which would be a cool pedalboard to put together if I wished!
Who else has gone down the very deep reverberation rabbit hole?