Canadian effects brand SolidGoldFX has lifted the lid on the Surfrider IV, the latest iteration of its spring reverb emulation pedal.
At the heart of the Surfrider are three core tank sounds: Reverb-O-Rocket, Super Reverb and Fantasy Reverb, all of which are selected by a central toggle switch.
Reverb-O-Rocket is based on small tank reverb units found on old low-wattage combo amps; Super Reverb – as the name suggests – bottles the '60s Fender sound that powered the surf movement; while Fantasy Reverb lets its freak flag fly, with super long trails and “floppier” springs.
Check out the demo below to hear R.J. Ronquillo put it through its paces with a nice selection of retro surf-inspired licks.
Beyond the basic tank selection and Decay, Level, Dwell and Body controls (the latter two handling speed and depth), the Surf Rider IV offers some interesting options for tweaking the behaviour of the trail sounds from the unit.
First is a flutter-style modulation that is engaged when the footswitch is held down. An internal DIP switch also allows the user to select between momentary or latching effect.
A further tweak can also be found under the hood via another internal DIP, which offers a choice of buffered bypass or switchable trails, enabling you to hear the decay of the pedal after it’s disengaged.
The Surf Rider IV is handmade in Montreal, Canada and retails for $209/£189. Head to SolidGoldFX for more information.
