my fantastic new reverb unit!! (Mergili "Admiral Girth")

Walter Broes

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As I recently started leaving my Super Reverb at home because of my new-found love for tweed amps, I needed some quality reverb and tremolo, and ordered a unit from Mergili sight unseen.

It got here, and it's not a dissappointment to say the least. It's an "Admiral Girth" by Mergili Innovations of Austin, TX. (www.mergili.com)

It's a tube/spring unit that has one knob spring reverb, (blackface type, octocoupler) tremolo speed and intensity, and a tube gain stage with a volume knob.

It's wrapped in the most beautifully made lacquered tweed head cabinet I have ever seen, and I'm not exaggerating one bit.

Here's how it looks sitting on top of my Headstrong 5E7 Bandmaster clone :
MergiliAdmiralGirthontopofHeadstron.jpg


Only had a chance to try it at apartment volumes, but I'm rehearsing with it tonight, and gigging this weekend, so look for a full report after the weekend.

First impression, the reverb and tremolo are very "blackface" sounding, which I like a lot. The reverb is about the size and length of what a classic Fender blackface combo would have, and the trem is exactly the same as my Super Reverb's, only it gets slower ànd faster.

Both reverb and trem are footswitchable with separate mono jacks, footswitch included, cables aren't. (standard guitar cable works)
The Trem's depth control is also a "trem off" switch if turned fully counterclockwise. Here's how the controls look if you're standing in front of the unit :
MergiliTop.jpg


And here's how it looks from the back :
MergiliBack.jpg

I've taken a peek behind the back panel, and the thing is meticulously hand wired on a turret board, high quality parts, Kendrick power transformer and choke, two JJ 12AX7's and one JJ 12AT7, a long power cord, and nice big rubber feet on the bottom.

On the right hand side of the logo on the front of the box, there's a nifty red LED that pulsates along with the trem at the same speed.

As if all this wasn't good enough, it's $600 plus tax!!!!!! And John (Mergili) has both U.S. and European voltage power transformers, no extra charge for European. Also, he seems like a very nice guy who answers emails promptly and seems to stand behind his product. Can you tell I'm happy?
 

capnjuan

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Walter Broes said:
...I needed some quality reverb and tremolo, and ordered a unit from Mergili sight unseen. ... It's a tube/spring unit that has one knob spring reverb, (blackface type, octocoupler) tremolo speed and intensity, and a tube gain stage with a volume knob ... the Trem's depth control is also a "trem off" switch if turned fully counterclockwise. Can you tell I'm happy?
Hi Walter ... your glee is unmistakeable and, from the pics, I think I can see why ... If you get the results you're looking for, then there's no point in anyone messing with one of these Weber kits: Weber Re-Vibe Designed by a gentleman named Jeff Gehring, they have an excellent reputation.

For the price of Weber's kit, you get it all with the Mergili. The Trem 'off' is very useful in preserving the circuit. In nearly every '60s trem design, there's a capacitor that sees heavy, constant duty. When those trems are switched off, the circuit isn't dead, the output is just grounded while all the component parts are still looking at high voltage. It's that voltage that leads to the depletion of the trem effect over time; the most common cause of failure (nothing or ... thump thump thump).

Can you tell if the effects are bypassable? I guess I mean do you get the benefit of the gain stages without having to have either of the effects on? I have a dead Gibson GA4RE and a design for a reverb / mic preamp ... thought that I'd try to convert it. After concluding it might take 40 hours of bench time, I had been considering a Weber Re-Vibe but it also comes with a 20 hours on the bench 'hidden price'. But with this, not sure I want to bother. Thanks for showing it ... Rock On! CJ
 

Walter Broes

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The Weber re-vibe or Tore-vibe kits were exactly what I had in mind before I saw this one. But like you said, pay a tech to assemble one, and add the shipping and handling of the weber kit to that, and it wouldn't have been cheaper.

And when I read the "one knob reverb/blackface trem" description on John's site, saw the "almost functional art" cabinet, and saw the price, I was sold. It's also great for me that it comes with the Euro power already in there.

I've played a few amps with the three-tube "harmonic vibrato" like the Weber Revibes (and indeed the bigger brownface Fender amps) have, and while it's a nice effect, I find it a little too subtle and "mushy" on stage, and really prefer the simpler octocoupler circuit for my uses.

I have a vibrato pedal on my 'board for full pitch-bend vibrato anyway.

The gain boost is not footswitchable by the way, but yes, it does keep functioning just the same with both the 'verb and trem switched off.
I couldn't tell you about the technicalities of the signal path when the effects are "off", but I'm sure John wouldn't mind telling you, he's a very approachable and friendly guy on the phone as well as in emails.

I'm gonna go play it some more, and bury my "E-H holy grail" digital reverb in the yard! Woohoo!!!
 

capnjuan

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Walter Broes said:
I'm gonna go play it some more, and bury my "E-H holy grail" digital reverb in the yard! Woohoo!!!
If the E-H is 9V, don't forget to take the batteries out ... :wink: CJ
 

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You know, I love hearing about someone getting a piece of gear that makes him or her that happy.
thumbsup8de.gif
 

Walter Broes

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Well, I rehearsed with it last night, and it performs wonderfully in a real world setting, I love it even more.
Highly recommended so far.
 

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Hey Walter,

very classy looking, I bet it sounds great. Hey, I really need to get to one of your next shows, first to hear the new songs from your album, and second to drool over your new rig.
 

MacAoidh

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Now there's something really different. Or do I recall in the dim and distant past seeing something similar on 'The Jetsons'? :mrgreen:
 

Walter Broes

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Steelpickin' it came with the regular two-spring unit, and I'm experimenting with a three-spring one now, still had one in my parts stash.

I think I like the three-spring better, but I'll know for sure after a couple of gigs.
Both sounds are great, but my old Super (that got stolen) had a three spring tank, and I guess I'm used to that longer decay and slightly more complex 'verb.
 
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