The joys of spring: Buyers guide and reviews of the Best spring reverb pedals for Guitar in 2020
A big part of many of the classic sounds of 60’s surf and pop / rock guitar bands was a splashy spring ‘verb.
Originally developed for Hammond Organs, these once giant mechanical analog reverb units have reduced in size over the years since first being added to guitar amps, and can now be found in both analog and digital reverb pedals.
Here’s our run down of the best spring reverb pedals available today.
The Top 8 Spring Reverb Pedals We Review In This Article
Digital Spring Reverb Pedals
- Catalinbread Topanga
- Subdecay Super Spring Theory
- Mojo Hand FX Dewdrop Reverb
- J Rockett Audio Designs Boing Spring Reverb
- JHS Pedals Spring Tank Reverb
Mini Spring Reverb Pedals
Real / Analog Spring Reverb Pedals
The best digital spring reverb pedals
Editor’s Choice: 5 Stars
Most digital spring pedals become less believable at higher decay settings, but thanks to the high-quality SPV-1 chip, this is not a problem in the Topanga, which delivers an awesome drippy spring for that vintage sound.
It’s a very well-built unit and includes the familiar tone, mix and dwell knobs found on the real unit, with the volume knob adding a touch of that “valve” tone. With a “hidden” mod mode that adds a subtle modulation / chorus-type sound and a cool retro surf-style paint finish, the Topanga hits the sweet spot of quality, flexibility, simplicity, portability and value.
Pros
- Very close emulation of the original Fender sound
- Excellent range of spring reverb effects
- Great build quality
- Cool retro surf styling
Cons
- Hidden "mod" mode is tricky to access on the fly
- Not designed to be placed within an amp’s effects loop, which can limit how you configure your signal chain
- Mono only, no stereo output
Runner-up: 4.5 stars
It offers more options (including a room reverb) and a little more control than the Topanga, with separate controls for the wet and dry signals and a trails option similar to a buffered bypass.
It’s this extra complexity that means we prefer the Topanga, but if you want great sounding spring reverb with more room to shape the sound, this pedal might just edge it for you. 4.5 stars.
Pros
- Great vintage wet, surfy sounds
- Bonus "Room" mode
- True Bypass with trails buffer for retaining trails while switching
- Analog clean signal path
Cons
- More complex to operate than other pedals
3rd-Choice: 4 Stars
The Dewdrop is a very good spring reverb pedal, balancing versatility and usability, and comprising just the three standard knobs you’d expect.
It provides a range of reverb from subtle ambience right through to a drenched out splashy wetness.
However, while it does sound pretty awesome, many people report an unwanted mod-style effect present in the reverb tails that you just can’t dial out so if you’re looking for true surf and rockabilly tones then the Dewdrop probably isn’t for you.
Pros
- Outstanding 50's surf and rockabilly sounds
- Simple 3-knob operation
- Good range of reverb tones from subtle, to surf and beyond
- Analog direct signal preserves your clean dry tones
- Well-built
Cons
- Modulated sound doesn’t quite give a true recreation of the classic fender ‘verb
- Slightly limited in the dwell and tone knobs
- A little bigger than other units
- PSU not supplied
4th Choice: 3.5 stars
Designed as a simple, one-knob recreation of classic fender deluxe reverb, the Boing from J Rockett Audio is as simple as you can get. Its reverb sounds are high-quality, and it’s simplicity is ideal if you don’t want to be dialling in different reverb sounds very often, but it just lacks the flexibility of the Topanga. Some people also note that it can be little noisy, which might not make it a good option for playing live despite the ease of use.
Pros
- Well-tuned, offering reasonable flexibility in a single knob
- Excellent sound quality
- Well balanced wet and dry signals
- Nice and compact
Cons
- Perhaps a little too simple and lacking any real control
- Slightly noisy
5th Choice: 3.5 stars
The Spring Tank Reverb from JHS Pedals is a versatile spring reverb pedal with a few cool additions that make it stand out from the others.
It features two controllable channels so you can easily switch between two different ‘verb tones at the flick of a switch, and also features an FX loop-in jack which allows you to add additional effects to the wet signal only, leaving the dry signal untouched.
Its reverb quality just wasn’t quite up to the same standard as the Super Spring Theory, but if you need two channels, or like to experiment then maybe this will scratch your itch.
Pros
- Lots of knobs for tweaking your tone
- Two channels - easily switchable between them
- Effect loop jack for adding extra effects to the reverb tails only
Cons
- Lack's that classic "drip" quality
The Best Spring Reverb Mini Pedals
Best Mini Spring Reverb: 4.5 stars
Brian Wampler has a reputation for building top-quality pedals and the Mini Faux Spring is no exception, doing a great job of emulating the classic fender sound that so many guitarists are looking for.
When he decided to reboot his Faux Spring pedal, he kept all of the good stuff from the original but listened to his customers, adding the extra drippiness they begged for along with several other suggestions to improve the pedal.
He also shrunk it down into the mini faux spring pedal.
Pros
- Analog dry signal
- Small form factor
Cons
- Doesn't sound quite as good as the other full-sized pedals
The Best Analog Spring Reverb Pedals
Best Real Spring Reverb: 3.5 stars
For those that crave a real spring sound but can’t get their hands on a real Fender unit, the Carl Martin Headroom reverb pedal could be a great compromise.
As it contains a real 3-spring Accutronics tank, it’s much bigger than the digital pedals we’ve reviewed so it may be a little less pedalboard-friendly.
We also found it still lacking in the classic “drip” sound as the springs are still smaller than those found in most amps.
That said its simple, well built, sounds good and offers two channels that you can dial in separately.
Unless you absolutely must have a reverb pedal with real springs, most people tend to favour a good digital reverb pedal like the Topanga or Super Spring Theory.
Pros
- Real Accutronics spring tank
- Well built to dampen any crashing sounds from the springs when kicking the pedal
- Simple to use
- Two independently-controlled channels
Cons
- Lacks the real "drip" quality
- Not the prettiest design
- Large footprint
Best Value Real Spring Reverb: 3 stars
Similar to the Headroom, the DSR-1 from Danelectro has a real spring tank inside, making it quite a large unit. Aside from its cool, retro styling and kickplate (for that “thunderstorm” effect), we prefer the Carl Martin in a straight shootout between the two real analogue options, even though the DSR-1 is basically the cheapest real spring pedal on the market.
Pros
- Simple to operate
- Decent-enough sound
- Unique kick plate for that "thunderstorm" effect
- Cheapest real spring reverb pedal on the market
Cons
- Little acoustic insulation so its prone to feedback from nearby amps and equipment
- Only one channel
- Just not up to the same build quality as the other pedals in this review
Things To Consider Before You Buy A Spring Reverb Pedal
Basically, all spring reverb pedals are trying to recreate or emulate the classic 60’s fender reverb amp sound. Of course, the best way to achieve that sound is to actually buy the amp, but they are expensive, selling for upwards of $1000 if you’re lucky enough to find one for sale in the first place.
Naturally, purists will insist that nothing less than a high-quality amp with an analogue spring reverb tank will do, as it’s been difficult to replicate mechanical spring reverb in a digital pedal. However, technology is improving all the time and many guitarists are perfectly happy to take advantage of the practicality and affordability of a pedal.
1. What Reverb Sound You’re Looking For
As this is a run down of the best spring reverb pedals in our opinion, we’re going to assume you’re looking for the classic squishy surf sound of the 60’s. All of the pedals in this review offer excellent spring effects. They may or may not have other onboard modes, but we’re less concerned with those here.
2. Real Springs Or Digital?
If you’re not going to shell out $1000 for an amp, then your first choice boils down to the type of pedal you want:
- An analogue pedal with a real spring reverb mechanism
- A digital reverb pedal
At this point, it’s useful to note that there are some “analogue” spring reverb pedals without real springs. This normally refers to the fact that the dry (direct) signal itself is not affected by the Digital Signal Processor (DSP), retaining a more natural tone, while the reverb effect is purely digital. To avoid confusion, we’ll refer to pedals with real springs as “analogue” and all others as “digital”.
Generally speaking, an analogue spring effects unit will be smaller than the reverb tank in an amp, but still larger than most compact digital pedals. To most people’s ears, there’s very little difference in sound quality between the two and so the real benefits of analogue over a good digital spring ‘verb are difficult to appreciate.
3. Quality
There are two main factors to consider when it comes to the quality of an effects pedal:
- Sound quality – how good does the reverb effect sound, and whether the dry signal is affected
- Build quality – as you’ll likely be stepping on it a lot and dialling in those knobs to find the right tone for the song, you want a pedal that’s rugged in construction and built to last for years.
All of the pedals in this review are of the highest quality.
4. Simplicity Vs Flexibility
The more knobs a pedal has, the more control it provides over the shape of the effect, but this can make it more difficult to switch between sounds if you can even remember the settings. Many reverb pedals come with multiple reverb types, adding to the complexity.
5. Size And Portability
More knobs and switches usually also means a bigger, heavier unit. So too does having real springs. Your needs here will depend on amount of space you have on your pedalboard (assuming you use one), and whether you want to be transporting your pedal around to gigs and rehearsals.
6. Price
We’ve covered pedals in a range of prices in this review, so you’ll surely find the best spring reverb pedal for your budget.
That’s the basics covered, but for a more in-depth guide on what to look out for, see our buyers guide to the best reverb pedals.
So, What Is The Best Spring Reverb Pedal?
In our opinion, the best spring reverb pedal is the Catalinbread Topanga thanks to its excellent spring sounds that faithfully recreate the classic fender drippiness and simplicity in operation that make it a breeze to dial in. It’s small enough to fit on all but the most overcrowded of pedalboards, yet is built like a tank and will stand up to years of stomping. On top of that, we love its retro styling.
If you want a little more flexibility, the Super Spring Theory comes a very close second and is a very capable spring pedal with high-quality sound.
If size and / or budget is an issue, then we’d go for the Wampler Mini Faux Spring as its tiny form factor and low price make it a real bargain.
And if you absolutely must have a real spring unit, then we favor the Carl Martin Headroom over the Danelectro DSR-1 as its Accutronics tank gets you closer to the classic sound of a Fender.
- See our complete series where we compare the best reverb pedals for the money.
- Read our beginners’ guide to reverb to help you get the most out of your reverb pedal.
