Ratings
Pros:
Simple and easy to navigate. Very nice plate and spring emulations. Cool modulation textures.
Cons:
Touchy push selector switch makes tone adjustments a risky proposition.
Tones:
Ease of Use:
Build/Design:
Value:
Street:
$199
MXR Reverb
jimdunlop.com
Befitting a reverb pedal with very functional aims (and, potentially, customers who approach experimental reverb reticently), the plate and spring reverbs are very good. The spring reverb, in particular, sounds convincing enough to justify a permanent place for the MXR Reverb—even if you use the other voices sparingly. It betrays its digital origins very rarely (usually at high tone and mix settings) and sounds good on the receiving end of gnarly fuzz tones that can make a lot of digital reverbs sound like crap. It tucks in nicely behind a dry signal at the lowest levels and handles more extreme surf tones with grace—particularly when you darken the tone a touch. The plate reverb is also very good. I really enjoyed darker settings with short decay times and an aggressive mix—a nice zone for lo-fi, garage-Spector tone textures. But the tasteful, subdued neutral colors also make for an excellent set-and-forget reverb.
Of the two modulated reverbs—mod and epic—I used the former most. The extra kinetic energy adds a dreamy, drifting layer to spacious chord progressions and lazy, moody lead passages—especially when used a little lower in the mix. The colliding modulated reverbs of the epic setting are less elegant, generating high harmonic tone shards in longer decays that betray a touch of their digital origin. I did notice, however, that this texture is more effective in a band context, where ride cymbals and bass undercurrents help soften the harmonic edges.
The harder, more right-angled reverberations of the room reverb are less immediately satisfying, but provide a great blank slate for percussive delays and tremolos. Without other effects, short decay and mix settings in room mode tend to evoke the less-than-charming space of an empty apartment. More extreme settings, however, create very big spaces, with a minimum of additional color, for other effects to work within.
Enjoyment of the pad reverb depends on how you relate to the phenomenon called shimmer or octave reverb. But the cool thing about the MXR’s version is that high or low octaves can be used in equal measure or dialed to one EQ extreme or the other, enabling you to sculpt a very focused but expansive sound. I liked the effect in dark low-mix settings. But if you dig the ethereal, floating, angels-on-high sonic sensations of high-octave reverb, the MXR delivers the goods in plentitude.
The Verdict
MXR’s Reverb isn’t the wildest, spaciest, most radical, or most hyper-accurate digital reverb. But it may well share the crown for the most practical if you’re a gigging guitarist that has to cover many moods and inhabit multiple musical settings. It’s easy to navigate (if a bit twitchy), it’s intuitive, and it has real range that enables extreme subtlety with a quick twist.
Watch the Review Demo:
Hey Zach,
I have a Fender Stratocaster that I bought for my son sometime in the 1990s. He played it a few times, but moved away and told me I can do what I want with it. (Unfortunately, he never took to the guitar.) It’s candy apple red but the only information on the guitar is “Fender Stratocaster” on the front of the headstock, and the serial number MN664280 and “Made in Mexico” on the back. I’ve narrowed it down that it was made in 1996, but after looking online and at the Blue Book of Electric Guitars, I’m not sure what variation of Stratocaster this is. How can you tell?
Hey Aaron,
The Stratocaster is undoubtedly Fender’s most popular model of all time. And they’ve capitalized on this success for over 60 years by producing more than 100 variations of the timeless guitar. Unfortunately, the type of each Strat is not usually indicated anywhere on an instrument, which leaves an owner to do some research. Having the original box/case/paperwork helps, but here, we’ll figure out exactly what variation of Strat you have by using the process of elimination.
From the introduction of the Stratocaster in 1954 through the early 1980s, there was pretty much only one Stratocaster in Fender’s lineup from year to year. (This made for easy archiving!) Aside from the Mary Kaye Strat in the late 1950s, the Antigua Strats in the late 1970s, and the 25th Anniversary Strat in 1979, there really weren’t any variations.
Because the 1970s Stratocasters were not that well received, Fender was feeling the heat by the early 1980s to return to their golden era of the 1950s/early 1960s. So in 1982, the first vintage-Strat reissues were introduced (along with a few other variations) and the Elite Series followed in 1983. Fender was struggling by 1984, however, and Bill Schultz and his investment group bought the trademark from CBS in 1985.
In 1986, Fender restructured their line entirely and introduced several new model variations utilizing many countries of origin to produce them. As Fender surged through the 1990s and 2000s, they realized that continuing to tweak the line and introducing new models nearly annually would help keep up the interest in their guitars. Because there are so many variations of the Stratocaster in existence today, however, identifying a specific model can be challenging.
The good news is that Fender’s serialization is very reliable. You are likely correct that your guitar was made in 1996 (although early 1997 is possible). And the only Mexican-made Strats offered in 1996 were the Standard Series, the entry-level Traditional Series, the Tex-Mex, and a Richie Sambora signature model.
The Richie Sambora signature was only available with a humbucker pickup in the bridge position, so that’s out. The ’96 Standard Stratocaster had three single-coils and was available in black, brown sunburst, crimson-red metallic, Lake Placid blue, and Arctic white—but not candy apple red—so that’s out. The same holds true for the Traditional Series Strats: They were only available in Arctic white, black, and Torino red. The Tex-Mex Strats were available in candy apple red, and when you also consider the ’50s-style “spaghetti” Fender logo on the headstock that was unique to the Tex-Mex Stratocaster, I can confidently say that the Tex-Mex is what you have.
Although Fender doesn’t often indicate the variation of a particular Stratocaster on the actual instrument, there are other ways to determine a Strat’s background.
It’s interesting to note that Jimmie Vaughan had taken notice of Mexican-made Stratocasters in the mid-1990s and brought the idea of a signature model to Fender. After striking an endorsement deal in 1996, Vaughan collaborated with Fender in developing the Tex-Mex Stratocaster. The following year, Fender made a few minor changes to the model and it became the Jimmie Vaughan Tex-Mex Stratocaster, which is still in production today. This made the non-Jimmie Vaughan version of the guitar a very short-lived model.
What makes the Tex-Mex Strat different from a regular Strat? It’s essentially the set of Tex-Mex single-coil pickups, jumbo fretwire, and overall styling that mimics the Strats from the late 1950s/early 1960s. The bodies and necks were made at Fender’s U.S. factory in Corona, California, but were assembled and sanded in the company’s plant in Ensenada, Mexico. The Mexican-produced guitars from the mid-1990s are generally regarded as being decent instruments, but they unfortunately don’t posses the same level of collectability as their American, Korean, or Japanese counterparts.
Today, this guitar (with gig bag) is worth between $325 and $400 in excellent condition, which leaves you with a few options: Sell it for a few hundred bucks, store it properly with the hope it increases in value, or play the thing. At least someone in every family should play guitar!