Anybody own the '63 Fender Reverb Unit reissue?

[heavenstreet]

Wondering how it compares to the old ones.  The price new is half of what an old one is and I can't really afford a 1000 dollars for one so this might have to do.  Read some really positive reviews.  One guy changed the tubes and played it side by side with an original and said it was hard to tell the difference.

[blacktiger]

I've never owned either, but from what I've heard, a few minor changes render the difference between the two negligible; http://acruhl.freeshell.org/mga/main/re ... t_mod.html 

[heavenstreet]

Amazing!  Thanks a ton.

[Stratelejazzuar]

I own one of the RIs - don't have it with me at the moment, though, but I don't own, nor have I ever played, a vintage unit, to compare it to. sorry 
I can say though, that the reissue is a very nice reverb, and you can get the crash out of it very easily! Great if you like that spring crash noise-type stuff
I read that mod page, sounds like it might be interesting; i'll probably try it someday down the road... 

[heavenstreet]

So it has more features and settings than just a normal Fender amp with reverb?  Like... is it WORTH paying extra money for?

[blacktiger]

Depends on how important reverb is to you.  If you play surf, it's a no-brainer.  Someone was selling one on the Weber board for $285 not that long ago.  I nearly bought it, but managed to control myself.

[RumorsOFsurF]

So it has more features and settings than just a normal Fender amp with reverb?  Like... is it WORTH paying extra money for?

You have more control over the sound of your 'verb.  There's a tone and a dwell knob, not just a generic "reverb" control.  The tone can be very "wet," too, which isn't possible with an Amp's reverb.

The only drawback is that I've heard you need do some tube swapping to get the original sound.

Pretty cool, though.  I'm happy with the built in reverb on my Twin, so I haven't bought one yet.  It's good if you don't have reverb on your amp.  I played one through a Tweed Twin RI, and it was magic. 

I'll own one eventually, they are just too cool! 

[Stratelejazzuar]

Yeah, more control over the tone, i'd say. It's *the* spring reverb sound. But I found myself not always in the mood for it, so sometimes i'd take it out of the chain. I generally like a little bit of 'verb with my sound, so I'll make do with my JCM900's onboard, or my fender super-sonic's onboard, but with my Tonemaster (no reverb), I love having the 63 unit hooked up... looks so vintage and pimpin' 

[MelWaldorf]

I've owned a few of the reissues, and currently own a real '63 model.  The reissues are great bang for the buck, and do sound a lot like the originals, especially with the tube swaps.  Replacing the 6V6 with a 6K6 is key.  There's so much variation in the sound of the old ones, mainly due to condition of the pan. Besides "mojo" I'd say there's a harshness to the treble of new ones that I haven't found in the vintage ones I've tried, but its not something that's noticeable when a whole band is playing.

Granted I play surf guitar, so I find the outboard Reverb essential, but it's got a wide range of reverb tone besides surfy drip.  The tone, dwell and mix controls let you dial in a precise reverb with much more control than the onboards can.  This is nice if you want to, say, add just a touch of reverb to an echo effect, or with fuzz.  In addition to guitar, I've used the tank for recording piano, organ, bass and vocals.

Mel

[Surfoverb]

I really need this thing. The reverb on my twin is OK but what I want to do is hook this up to a volume pedal so I can control the amount of drip while playing.

You just cant get really deep wet reverb without this like the vintage surf bands did.

[RumorsOFsurF]

Thanks, Mel!  I was hoping you'd chime in on this one.

Good to hear from you, too...