Any one played through an Orange/Matamp or Fender reverb unit?

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zepp76zepp76 Frets: 2534
edited March 2018 in FX
As title really, has anyone played through one of the mentioned reverb units? Are they worth seeking out and worth their price tags or are there better pedals that would do the same thing? I have a HOF mini a Boss Fender FRV-1 and a Strymon Bluesky but can't help thinking there is better out there. I'm a bit of a reverb junky and can't help thinking I should stop messing around with pedals and just save for the real thing!
Tomorrow will be a good day.
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  • TeyeplayerTeyeplayer Frets: 3132
    Had a hand wired tube reverb unit and a now have an frv1, the difference is so negligible that I sold the head and kept the pedal. 
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  • Moe_ZambeekMoe_Zambeek Frets: 3419
    edited March 2018
    I had one of the Matamp Series 2000 reissue Reverb units from new and it was completely useless, unusable. In fact I’d go so far as to say it was junk, which is not the norm for Matamp. Nor was it a faithful reissue. In any case, I wouldn’t bother with those. 

    if you want a useable tube Reverb that actually works and sounds good, Steve Crow at Audio Kitchen makes a stunning standalone unit - check the vids on YouTube. Intended principally for use in studios, though it can work as a normal preamp Reverb too.
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  • zepp76zepp76 Frets: 2534
    Had a hand wired tube reverb unit and a now have an frv1, the difference is so negligible that I sold the head and kept the pedal. 
    Thanks @Teyeplayer  that's good to know.

    Moe_Zambeek said: I had one of the Matamp Series 2000 reissue Reverb units from new and it was completely useless, unusable. In fact I’d go so far as to say it was junk, which is not the norm for Matamp. Nor was it a faithful reissue. In any case, I wouldn’t bother with those. 

    if you want a useable tube Reverb that actually works and sounds good, Steve Crow at Audio Kitchen makes a stunning standalone unit - check the vids on YouTube. Intended principally for use in studios, though it can work as a normal preamp Reverb too. Thanks @Moe_Zambeek  that's a shame about the Matamp, I kind of had high hopes for that unit.

    I checked out the Audio Kitchen unit, there is only one YouTube clip that I can find which is quite short and the guitarist doesn't really do it justice. What I could hear of it was nice but according to the clip there was only five ever made!

    Is it worth buying into more pedals or am I pretty well covered with what I have? Reverb pedals are the only GAS I have these days so would be a shame to stop the merry go round lol.
    Tomorrow will be a good day.
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  • As above, I've also  owned a matamp series 2000 reissue stack and a fender reverb unit.

    I echo the entiments above, matamp reissue was awful. Very hissy, noisy and weak. Fender reverb unit is a classic for a reason and I still own one, running into an Orange OTR120 head.

    I also reccomend the Boss FRV1 pedal if you are after that specific fender reverb unit tone. Nothing comes closer imho. Fender tube unit sounds bigger and richer but at gigging volumes in a band you would be hard pressed to tell the difference between that and the Boss.
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  • zepp76zepp76 Frets: 2534
    As above, I've also  owned a matamp series 2000 reissue stack and a fender reverb unit.

    I echo the entiments above, matamp reissue was awful. Very hissy, noisy and weak. Fender reverb unit is a classic for a reason and I still own one, running into an Orange OTR120 head.

    I also reccomend the Boss FRV1 pedal if you are after that specific fender reverb unit tone. Nothing comes closer imho. Fender tube unit sounds bigger and richer but at gigging volumes in a band you would be hard pressed to tell the difference between that and the Boss.
    Thanks @jollygreengiant  I guess it's unanimous, steer clear of Matamp!

    I have the Boss FRV-1 so that's good, I still wouldn't mind trying out the Fender unit but space on top of my amp is a little crowded what with the attenuator seated there.

    Again, thank you to all for your wisdom and advice.
    Tomorrow will be a good day.
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  • I think Matamp have reworked the reverb and the new version is very different from the series 2000 unit. I’m sure @Van_Hayden will chip in soon to expand on this
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  • bbill335bbill335 Frets: 1368
    Boss frv1 for convenience, surfybear for real springy drip.
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  • kizzerkizzer Frets: 65
    bbill335 said:
    Boss frv1 for convenience, surfybear for real springy drip.
    I can wholeheartedly recommend the Surfybear, I have a build thread here.
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  • Moe_ZambeekMoe_Zambeek Frets: 3419
    edited March 2018
    The Digitech Polara is surprisingly good for not much money. I’d also look at the Alexander line up too.
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  • Van_HaydenVan_Hayden Frets: 437
    Hissy and tummy just about sums up the old reverb - but it was a reissue of the old one. 

    The trouble is they're expensive for what they are, I'm happier with our new unit but trying to get the cost sensible is proving difficult. In terms of construction time and components it's not far off an amp build!
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  • Moe_ZambeekMoe_Zambeek Frets: 3419
    edited March 2018
    Hissy and tummy just about sums up the old reverb - but it was a reissue of the old one. 
    Did the old ones have a short belkin reverb pan screwed skew-wiff onto the back panel? The ones I saw - and was told I’d be getting a recreation of - had a long pan shock-mounted with rubber banding. 

    The speaker cabs for those reissue sets were also coming with custom Alnicos, but when delivered had the usual Hot100s with some stick on labels. Oh, and there was to be a certificate in a leather folder too, and that was never to be seen either  

    The amp though - that was a corker. A beautiful sounding amp that was really nicely made too.

    Edit to add: the above sounds like a rant about Matamp but they’ve moved on a lot since then and have much better QC and are way more transparent with what you are getting. The Series 2000 situation at the time really rankled with me but to some extent it was my own fault for not being more realistic.
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  • samzadgansamzadgan Frets: 1471
    i would love one of the new matamp reverb units...as I have faith in Hayden's work since my GT1 is so much better than mates older Matamp pre-Hayden days. 

    I have played through a vintage Fender reverb unit too.

    I don't think anything really compares to a real unit...you can compare pedals, but there are certain nuances to the big unit that a pedal can't recreate...but just as someone said earlier, the louder you play and with a band the less you can tell the difference. So it depends on usage...

    so the real answer is...own both!
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