Post by grayn on Mar 23, 2019 17:03:22 GMT
I went out today, to try out the Electro-Harmonix Oceans 11, reverb pedal.
I'd been reading some good comments on it's spring reverb sound and have been listening to it on youtube.
I've been using a Wampler Faux Spring reverb, for some time now.
It does a great vintage, drippy spring reverb but has one annoyance, to my ears.
It's reverb tails are modulated, which gives them a mild chorus/detune effect.
Which I really don't like.
I didn't really notice it at first but once noticed you can't un-notice it.
So I was on the hunt for a replacement.
The shop gave me a Fender Strat, into an Orange Crush combo, to try it out with.
The Oceans 11 has a choice of 11 reverbs: Hall, Spring, Plate, Reverse, with Echo, with Tremolo, Modulated, Dynamic, Auto-Infinite, Shimmer and Polyphonic.
I didn't have the time or the inclination to try them all out in the shop, so concentrated on Spring and Shimmer.
My thinking being even if the Spring was only half decent and the Shimmer was good, I'd probably still get it.
So I dialled in the Spring Reverb straight off.
This pedal has 3 controls, to adjust your chosen reverb.
FX LVL, which lets you adjust the balance between the dry sound and the effect.
TIME, which adjusts decay, or dwell on the Spring.
TONE, fairly obvious this one, although it does effect some reverbs slightly differently.
The first thing you notice is it goes for the that really wet, drippy tank sound, even on medium settings.
And is pretty impressive, especially if you have any love for intro surf music.
The tails are good and no chorus/detune on them.
I owned the Boss FRV-1, a few years back, which again aimed (rather successfully) to emulate the old Fender Reverb tanks.
I sold it because I thought it was a bit of a tone killer.
And in some ways the EHX Spring reminds me a little of the old Boss.
The EHX being a little more extremme and not such a tone killer.
However, if you're not careful, it can give a harsh, toppy quality to that lovely, watery spring reverb.
It took me a while and I may still need to twiddle a little more to get that balance between the FX LVL and the TONE, that is essential to getting that sufy tank sound.
Overall though, very useable.
So it was onto the Shimmer reverb, which for those who don't know, adds a heavenly, synthetic string sound behind the guitar's natural reverbed tone.
I've listened to a number different pedals with Shimmer and I think the the Oceans 11's sounds better than most.
Very consistent and lush and it takes no time at all for you to create some gorgeous, ambient music.
So, on the strength of those 2 reverbs, the EHX came home with me.
I've had a quick go on the other 9 reverbs and they mostly sound good quality and quite useable.
I even used the Shimmer with some delay and Sub N Up octaves, creating some awesome sounds.
Lots of fun to be had here.
The Oceans 11 is not like most EHX pedals, with their brushed aluminium box and stuck on, front artwork.
It's more like a slender MXR pedal in design.
All to the good, in my opinion, as the simple artwork on here, with the white knobs on black pedal are very pleasing on the eye, as well as practical.
There are a lot of other extras on this pedal, that I'll probably never use.
There's a mode button to extend even more, what each reverb can do and how control knobs function.
You can use an external footswitch, turn the tails off, etc etc.
Overall then, despite that it does a ton of stuff I'll probably never use, it does things that I will use, rather well.
Nice one EHX.
I'd been reading some good comments on it's spring reverb sound and have been listening to it on youtube.
I've been using a Wampler Faux Spring reverb, for some time now.
It does a great vintage, drippy spring reverb but has one annoyance, to my ears.
It's reverb tails are modulated, which gives them a mild chorus/detune effect.
Which I really don't like.
I didn't really notice it at first but once noticed you can't un-notice it.
So I was on the hunt for a replacement.
The shop gave me a Fender Strat, into an Orange Crush combo, to try it out with.
The Oceans 11 has a choice of 11 reverbs: Hall, Spring, Plate, Reverse, with Echo, with Tremolo, Modulated, Dynamic, Auto-Infinite, Shimmer and Polyphonic.
I didn't have the time or the inclination to try them all out in the shop, so concentrated on Spring and Shimmer.
My thinking being even if the Spring was only half decent and the Shimmer was good, I'd probably still get it.
So I dialled in the Spring Reverb straight off.
This pedal has 3 controls, to adjust your chosen reverb.
FX LVL, which lets you adjust the balance between the dry sound and the effect.
TIME, which adjusts decay, or dwell on the Spring.
TONE, fairly obvious this one, although it does effect some reverbs slightly differently.
The first thing you notice is it goes for the that really wet, drippy tank sound, even on medium settings.
And is pretty impressive, especially if you have any love for intro surf music.
The tails are good and no chorus/detune on them.
I owned the Boss FRV-1, a few years back, which again aimed (rather successfully) to emulate the old Fender Reverb tanks.
I sold it because I thought it was a bit of a tone killer.
And in some ways the EHX Spring reminds me a little of the old Boss.
The EHX being a little more extremme and not such a tone killer.
However, if you're not careful, it can give a harsh, toppy quality to that lovely, watery spring reverb.
It took me a while and I may still need to twiddle a little more to get that balance between the FX LVL and the TONE, that is essential to getting that sufy tank sound.
Overall though, very useable.
So it was onto the Shimmer reverb, which for those who don't know, adds a heavenly, synthetic string sound behind the guitar's natural reverbed tone.
I've listened to a number different pedals with Shimmer and I think the the Oceans 11's sounds better than most.
Very consistent and lush and it takes no time at all for you to create some gorgeous, ambient music.
So, on the strength of those 2 reverbs, the EHX came home with me.
I've had a quick go on the other 9 reverbs and they mostly sound good quality and quite useable.
I even used the Shimmer with some delay and Sub N Up octaves, creating some awesome sounds.
Lots of fun to be had here.
The Oceans 11 is not like most EHX pedals, with their brushed aluminium box and stuck on, front artwork.
It's more like a slender MXR pedal in design.
All to the good, in my opinion, as the simple artwork on here, with the white knobs on black pedal are very pleasing on the eye, as well as practical.
There are a lot of other extras on this pedal, that I'll probably never use.
There's a mode button to extend even more, what each reverb can do and how control knobs function.
You can use an external footswitch, turn the tails off, etc etc.
Overall then, despite that it does a ton of stuff I'll probably never use, it does things that I will use, rather well.
Nice one EHX.