Alesis Nanoverb: good reverb for under $100

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 17 Sep 2000 9:43 am

I recently acquired a totally wonderful amp, an original Standel 25L15 from 1956, that is the perfect match for my "PA Reissue" Bigsby. Unfortunately, no reverb. Since the amp will primarily reside in my home, I wanted an inexpensive reverb unit, but with "good

" sound. I also felt I didn't need or want the capabilities of most of the processors on the market, since I don't need or use 99.5% of the sounds they provide. I just wanted a sweet hint of reverb that didn't clutter up the sound of this way-cool amp.

The Fender Reissue was too expensive and hard to find, and I wanted to keep it under $200. I tried out a Boss RV-3 pedal, but it was too "digital" sounding for me, also several used rackmount units.

I finally settled on an Alesis Nanoverb, which is a quite small (1/3 rack space) digital unit with 9 reverbs, 3 choruses, 1 flange, 1 rotary sound, 1 delay, and something called "non-linear." There are input/output controls, adjustment control to access the parameters of each sound, and a mix control to adjust the dry/wet mix to the amplifier.

Individually the reverbs are the best, and the delays are pretty good. The chorus is pretty good too. The rotary sound is no Leslie, trust me.

I never use flange or chorus anyway, and delay about 10 times a year.

The list price is $149, and I bought mine at MARS Music for $95. I've seen them in most catalogs for around $99. It's a little box 5.5"x4.5"x1.5" and sits right on top of the amp. There is a wall wart power supply included.

I think its a good alternative for guys with, say, old Fenders or Standels that don't have reverb, but don't need or want all the stuff that's included in the high dollar processors. And the presence of the "mix" control is important to me.

Of course, in my rack for stage use is a Lexicon MPX100, a wonderful unit that can be purchased for around $250 retail anywhere. The main shortcoming of the Peavey ProFex units, IMHO, was the inability to control the level of effects other than reprogramming onstage, and the inclusion of too many extraneous (for my purposes) features that I never used. Which is why I went to the Lexicon for stage use.

For me, the Nanoverb is pretty cool. But I still have 3 weeks to return the product, if there's anything better out there. Opinions?

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chris ivey · Post by **chris ivey** » 17 Sep 2000 1:33 pm

of course, mork used the stereo version...the nano-nano-verb!

Dean Brown · Post by **Dean Brown** » 18 Sep 2000 5:13 am

Herb, when I purchased my NV 1000 I didn't care for the tone of the reverb, but the amp sounds great. I picked up a Nanoverb and use it on stage as part of the rig. I love the tone and its simplicity. Some folks say they're noisy, but I haven't had that experience.

Jay Ganz · Post by **Jay Ganz** » 19 Sep 2000 6:38 am

Hey Herb,

I got a used Nanoverb off the internet 2 years ago for about $75. I use it with any of my old tweed amps. I've highly recommended it in other posts. It's smoother & warmer than the RV-3.

Bobby Lee · Post by **Bobby Lee** » 19 Sep 2000 3:24 pm

I bought one and found it to be pretty noisy. After about a year it quit working. I probably just got a lemon, because other people have said good things about them.

Jay Ganz · Post by **Jay Ganz** » 19 Sep 2000 6:32 pm

Luckily the reverbs are quiet but, some of
the choruses, flange etc. are a little noisy.
Most of the big rack units have a built in
noise gate that cuts that out when you stop
playing. I use it <u>for reverb only</u>
anyhow.

Jack Stoner · Post by **Jack Stoner** » 20 Sep 2000 2:13 am

I just bought a Zoom RFX300 at the local Sam Ash for $90. It is mainly intended for recording and why I bought it but I've tried it with my steel, using the effects loop in my Nashville 400, and it doesn't sound bad. No noise and the effects are adjustable with front panel controls. This unit also has switchable mic/line input levels and is stereo. Beside the usual various reverbs, delay, chorus, flange, delay/rev combo, etc it also has a mic modeling function that is supposed to make a dynamic mic sound like a high priced condenser mic. It also has several mixdown EQ's and a compressor and limiter functions. It will run from batteries or the included wall wart.

It's typical of a lot of Zoom units - it has a plastic case - but that really isn't a problem.

JB Arnold · Post by **JB Arnold** » 21 Sep 2000 6:35 pm

Herb

I've used those nanoverbs since they started coming out, and even for studio use, they're great. I'd have a 6 pack of them if I could. My drummer loves them, and they've got all the presets you'll ever really need. I imagine if you're Sting or something you'd need all that extra stuff, but man, for the price, you just can't beat those things. I've used mine hard and put 'em away wet lots and they're still running great.

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John Borchard · Post by **John Borchard** » 22 Sep 2000 7:13 am

Thanks for the review, Herb. I've been looking around for something to keep as a backup for my old Fender reverb unit. Do you know how it compares to the old Alesis Microverb? I can pick one of those up for cheap here in Buckeye-land, but I've heard they are noisy, too. Like you, I would only be using it for 'verb and, very occasionally, delay.

JB

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Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 22 Sep 2000 8:14 am

Re: the noise of the Nanoverb.

The manual suggests that the input level of the unit be set so that the green LED's are lit the majority of the time signal is going into the unit, and the output be set at around 75%. This, I assume, reduces the signal to noise ratio.

I haven't used it for anything except reverb yet, and only on one live show. But it was certainly okay for stage use, where noise is really not that much of a problem. I still use my Lexicon for most of my reverb needs, though on stages where space is an issue (like in Austin, the Continental Club and Ginny's Longhorn) I'll just use spring reverb and forsake the rack that night.

I'm gonna do a bunch of music maintenance in my shop today and a workout with the Nano is on the schedule. More to report later, maybe.

John, nice hearing from ya again, buddy. Charlie Holman from Little Bit O' Texas is a forumite now.
ToysR'Fun

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David Pennybaker · Post by **David Pennybaker** » 22 Sep 2000 9:17 am

<SMALL>This, I assume, reduces the signal to noise ratio.</SMALL>

You, of course, meant increases the signal to noise ratio.

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Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 22 Sep 2000 9:32 am

Um, yes. Thanks for the correction DP.

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