JHS Spring Tank Reverb – Exceptional Tones Are Just the Beginning

Missouri-based manufacturer JHS Pedals offers some of the most well-designed and versatile pedals on the market today. Their Spring Tank Reverb, designed to produce classic spring reverb sounds with ease, is no exception. While it boasts some of the best pure spring reverb tones out there, this unit offers a set of unique additional features that differentiate it from many of the other popular reverb pedals around. Let’s take a closer look at these features.

Features

Set in an attractive boutique-style unit, this compact pedal does one thing and does it exceptionally well. For spring reverb fans, the feature list here is simple but effective.

We find the boost control is a great touch. While many units can play with your overall volume when engaged, this control ensures your signal remains the same without forcing you to compensate from your amp or guitar when switching the pedal on and off. Likewise, the twin tanks are a clear upgrade over many other reverb units on the market. The ability to quickly and cleanly change mixes is invaluable for lead lines and solos, which require a bit of extra punch.

Finally, the Spring Tank also includes an effects loop designed to add different effects to just your reverb tails. With a JHS Splitter cable in the effects loop jack on the Spring Tank, you can simply plug in different effects to create different soundscapes with your reverb. Like the standard mix, you can keep the effects loop on all the time or just engage it when on the Tank 2 setting.

Controls

The Spring Tank features six knobs and two switches on its face – while it might look cluttered at first glance, the control setup is actually fairly straightforward. The pedal offers a pair of switchable mixes for your reverb. Tank 1 is designed to be your primary go-to mix, while Tank 2 (mixable via the red knob) offers a secondary option for variation at gigs or in practice. The ‘Tank 2’ button at the bottom right allows you to easily engage this secondary mix with just a click.

Beyond the twin tanks, the Spring Tank offers classic depth and length controls to tailor your sound. The depth control changes the size of the room for your reverb (ranging from a small room to an endless cave), and the length dial adjusts how long your signal reverberates. Finally, JHS have included a high filter control, which cuts out or adds high frequencies to your reverb tone, as well as a volume boost knob.

Performance

The Spring Tank can handle pretty much anything, from booming, cavernous reverbs to tighter, more compressed effects – and everything in between. Unlike some other reverb pedals, this is purely a spring reverb stompbox, meaning it’s simpler to use than pedals which include multiple types. However, that focus doesn’t mean it loses versatility. With everything set to noon, the Spring Tank adds a substantial but not overpowering reverb, which is great for enhancing texture for more washed-out accompaniments.

Increasing the depth and highs creates a deep, mellow reverb that plays great with leads and solos. Turning up the boost, highs, and Tank 1 mix, but lessening the length and depth, creates a spanky, tighter sound perfect for emulating the famous ‘slapback’ sound of 1950s Sun Records rockabilly.

With the length, depth and mix maxed out, the Spring Tank offers a sweeping, humongous ‘verb great for ambient and more modern styles. The boost knob is especially helpful here – it enhances definition and adds a tiny bit of gain to help compensate for any volume loss when the pedal is activated.

Conclusion

JHS’s Spring Tank Reverb takes a familiar effect and adds a set of new and valuable features. While the reverb sounds great here, the additional functions like the double tank setup, volume boost, and effects loop set this unit apart from other stompboxes in the same price range. Any guitarist will benefit from the sound and flexibility here, but gigging players especially should check out this unit.