Please compare Boss RV-5 and Hardwire RV-7 for basic & natural reverb

[freaksho]

don't need anything too trippy, just some nice spaciousness. which one would you say is more lush & natural? i'm more interested in plate, room & hall settings than a convincing spring sound.

i know the RV-5 wins hands down on the Modulate setting but since i don't really need that sound now, this would only be a tie breaker feature.

 

[waters]

The rv-7 plate is a lot better than the rv-5 but the hall setting is not as 'spacious/lush' as the rv-5 in my opinion but still very nice. Not needing or using the modulate setting on the rv-5 I would easily go with a rv-7.

 

[freaksho]

well i found a great deal on an open box RV-7 and it's in the mail. but i'm still a bit suspicious that it was more a flavor of the month than great pedal. we'll see. once it arrives i'll probably go to GC and get an RV-5 on their 30 day loaner policy )) so i can a/b them.

any others that i should look at in the $100 use range? reverb is not a HUGE thing for me and i'll only be using it for clean ambiance on a couple songs. that's one reason the RV-7 appealed to me: it will be off most of the time so the TB is a good thing.

 

[roquero]

For what your needs are, I would think that the Biyang Baby Boom RV-10 Reverb would serve you well for about 70 bucks or so
I have one on the way
It gets good reviews for construction quality and design [except that if you use a battery, it always drains the battery, even if you are not plugged in]
Biyang is a manufacturer in China who makes pedals and relabels them for other companies, including GFS
Here is the link from Amazon, but the seller also sells on ebay:
http://www.amazon.com/BIYANGS-BABY-BOOM-RV-10-TRI-REVERB/dp/B003OG9NH8

 

[freaksho]

hm, i don't know about that one. not the kinda thing i'd buy sight unseen or without a whole bunch of others being the guinea pigs first. but thanks for the suggestion.

 

[freaksho]

ok so i got it today and was seriously underwhelmed. just sounded kinda fake to me. and i swear i heard modulation on every reverb setting. anyone else notice that - am i crazy?

so i ran to GC and got the RV-5 to compare. i just love the look & feel of a spankin new Boss pedal! but it sounded a bit worse to me: more metallic and therefore even more fake. it made me appreciate the RV-7 more.

maybe i just don't like digital reverb emulation? or do i just have to spend twice as much to get natural rich lush smooth echo. [sigh]

anyway, i'll bring both to practice tomorrow see how each feels in the mix. i need reverb for a big show in a couple weeks so at least one will stay until then.

 

[fellsilver]

Hey Freaksho--

I'd say try dialing down the "Liveliness" knob on the RV-7. That might be where you're hearing the modulation. If that isn't the problem... well... anyway I don't hear modulation on my non-mod RV-7 settings, but I can see where the wrong Liveliness setting could sound like it. Hope that helps.

The only other suggestion I'd have is an EHX reverb. The best I've tried is, unfortunately, the Holy Stain. I say "unfortunately" 'cause you gotta have all of those other effects with it, and you can never get it to be completely free of the OD sound in the pedal. Might work for you, though. It's a very, very natural reverb and can be had for about the price of the Baby Boom above (a used 'Stain, that is). The Grails aren't bad, but none quite have the natural shimmer of the 'Stain. Completely different sounds. I haven't tried the Cathedral so I can't vouch for it, but it is definitely out of the price range you've stated!

 

[freaksho]

thanks, fells. i kept the Liveliness below 12:00 to keep it smooth, around 10:00 seemed about right to me. so i don't think that was the issue. if you're in the mood in the next few days do me a favor: set your RV-7 to one of the normal reverb settings (like Plate, Room, Hall), do a good open string strum and let it ring. see if you possibly hear what i'm hearing.

i got the thing used here in the classifieds but it's super mint with all the factory packaging goodies and was promised to be virtually unused. i just can't imagine something is wrong with it.

and thanks for the other suggestions too. i have to admit i've always had prejudice against EH stuff. i find them too big, they seem cheap, the infamous tone suck and weird power requirements. i know they're not all this way but i keep my distance anyway. i don't know, maybe it's about time i relax about them.

 

[freaksho]

you know, the real problem is that i can't get those f<cking Strymon blueSky clips out of my head.

 

[Godspeed64]

thanks, fells. i kept the Liveliness below 12:00 to keep it smooth, around 10:00 seemed about right to me. so i don't think that was the issue. if you're in the mood in the next few days do me a favor: set your RV-7 to one of the normal reverb settings (like Plate, Room, Hall), do a good open string strum and let it ring. see if you possibly hear what i'm hearing.

i got the thing used here in the classifieds but it's super mint with all the factory packaging goodies and was promised to be virtually unused. i just can't imagine something is wrong with it.

and thanks for the other suggestions too. i have to admit i've always had prejudice against EH stuff. i find them too big, they seem cheap, the infamous tone suck and weird power requirements. i know they're not all this way but i keep my distance anyway. i don't know, maybe it's about time i relax about them.

No idea why but I don't see anything wrong with the Hardwire either. Maybe you should get a big ol spring reverb, and not a pedal..

 

[freaksho]

No idea why but I don't see anything wrong with the Hardwire either. Maybe you should get a big ol spring reverb, and not a pedal..

you may be right. but i'd probably open up my price range and go for the Strymon or something before i bothered with a real spring tank.

 

[waters]

WET reverb pedal or a Hermida reverb pedal maybe?

 

[freaksho]

WET reverb pedal or a Hermida reverb pedal maybe?

yeah, maybe. you know before starting down this road i thought i didn't want one of those pedals that does only spring reverb tone. i wanted "real" reverb tone, like a room or a hall, etc. but on the pedals i've tried so far i'm finding i kinda like the spring setting best, especially on the RV-7. i'm not into any amount of bounciness or surf but when set for more subtle echo they sound more room-like to me i think.

so maybe the pedals that do the spring thing really well would be better for me? i don't know, i'm really resisting that idea. i'm lost and confused right now.

why doesn't someone just give me their bluSky already. jesus.

 

[Asylum]

I have the rv-5, rv-7, and cathedral and I got rid of the rv-7 although i love the reverse setting.
Try the cathedral if you get a chance, it takes a bit of tweaking sometimes but i love mine

 

[TheDominator273]

I don't hear the modulation on my RV7 except when its on the modulated verb setting, which happens to be my favorite reverb it has to offer.

 

[blackba]

yeah, maybe. you know before starting down this road i thought i didn't want one of those pedals that does only spring reverb tone. i wanted "real" reverb tone, like a room or a hall, etc. but on the pedals i've tried so far i'm finding i kinda like the spring setting best, especially on the RV-7. i'm not into any amount of bounciness or surf but when set for more subtle echo they sound more room-like to me i think.

so maybe the pedals that do the spring thing really well would be better for me? i don't know, i'm really resisting that idea. i'm lost and confused right now.

why doesn't someone just give me their bluSky already. jesus.

I mostly use my RV-7 on spring and it sounds great. I also have a Hermida reverb, its a great pedal too, I use it in front of my vintage amps. the RV-7 I use in the loop of my amps that have an effects loop.

 

[freaksho]

I mostly use my RV-7 on spring and it sounds great. I also have a Hermida reverb, its a great pedal too, I use it in front of my vintage amps. the RV-7 I use in the loop of my amps that have an effects loop.

oh you have both, cool. how would compare them? i'm using mine in an fx loop too, btw.

 

[blackba]

oh you have both, cool. how would compare them? i'm using mine in an fx loop too, btw.

I haven't used them in the same amp or setup, so keep that in mind.

The Hermida Reverb sounds a little more natural to me, kind of a cross between a plate and spring, more spring though. The RV-7 sounds a touch more metallic, but has a nicer shimmer, I prefer it if I am trying to get the surf sounds. I had a Verbzilla before the RV-7, the Verbzilla was better on the plate setting and had the octo, but overall I liked the RV-7 better.

I did compare the hermida Reverb to the reverb on my Fender '69 Bandmaster reverb. The decay on the hermida was a little longer, had I been able to dial that in, I could have gotten pretty close.

 

[freaksho]

I don't hear the modulation on my RV7 except when its on the modulated verb setting, which happens to be my favorite reverb it has to offer.

weird. i don't know what i'm hearing then. weird.

I haven't used them in the same amp or setup, so keep that in mind.

The Hermida Reverb sounds a little more natural to me, kind of a cross between a plate and spring, more spring though. The RV-7 sounds a touch more metallic, but has a nicer shimmer, I prefer it if I am trying to get the surf sounds. I had a Verbzilla before the RV-7, the Verbzilla was better on the plate setting and had the octo, but overall I liked the RV-7 better.

I did compare the hermida Reverb to the reverb on my Fender '69 Bandmaster reverb. The decay on the hermida was a little longer, had I been able to dial that in, I could have gotten pretty close.

ok, cool. thanks.

 

[freaksho]

after trying both at rehearsal tonight i'm getting rid of both. i really feel that simple, natural ambiance is what my ear is looking for as i tended to prefer the Room, Plate & Spring modes overall (set to as warm & round as possible).

here were my major problems with them each:

RV-7: i tell ya i really do hear that modulation and it was even more pronounced at high volumes. i also noticed it suck a little of the meaty middle out of my guitar tone. i had it in Room mode only.

RV-5: too subtle in Room mode. guitar tone was intact but it seemed to add low end of all things. worth mentioning i also noticed this effect on my DD-20 set to Boss's suggested Room Ambiance setting (Smooth mode), which was my previous reverb. so this may just be a Boss reverb thing, i don't know (i know people are gonna say i'm crazy on this point but that's what i heard).


so with all this in mind i'm taking a chance and just ordered the Hermida Reverb. it would be so great if after all this a one knob pedal works best for me. are these TB btw? i didn't see that on the website.

i also thought briefly about the WET for more versatility but i opted for the cheaper as i'm kinda floundering and flying blind here.

EDIT:
ok i just found out about the WET return policy so i ordered one the these too. i figure the worst case is the loss of shipping cost, and it's worth it to finally settle this and move on. i mean, i few weeks ago i didn't want reverb at all. jeez.