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Vermona

5 pedals on Tonebox

Vermona is the brand of the Elektroakustische Manufaktur, a German company that hand-builds synthesizers, drum machines, modules and effects in Erlbach, in the region known as the Vogtland12. The first Vermona-branded products were made in the 1970s, and the company's range today spans five categories: Racks & Equipment, Modules, Drums & Percussion, Effects, and Synthesizer23.

The range

Vermona Action Filter 4
Vermona · Filter
VERMONA DSR-3
Vermona · Reverb
Vermona Filter Lancet
Vermona · Filter
VERMONA ReTubeVerb
Vermona · Reverb
Vermona VSR 3.2
Vermona · Reverb

For guitar and bass players, the name Vermona is mostly tied to one thing: spring reverb. The company offers what its own DSR-3 manual calls an impressive collection of spring reverberation systems, ranging from the valve-based ReTubeVerb to the classic VSR 3.2, the dual-spring DSR-3, and the more experimental Retroverb Lancet4.

The story: from East German organs to a Vogtland manufactory

The Vermona name goes back to the 1970s, but the people behind it were building instruments even earlier. Before the first Vermona products appeared, there were many organs and amplifiers made by the same people and branded Weltmeister or Böhm Electronic3. That heritage places Vermona in a long East German instrument-making tradition centered on the Vogtland, a region the company calls "traditionsreich", rich in tradition1.

Today the brand is run by the Elektroakustische Manufaktur, part of HDB electronic GmbH in Markneukirchen56. Products such as the Mono Lancet '15 synthesizer are described by the maker as lovingly handcrafted instruments, made in Germany in the company's own manufactory in the Vogtland1. The DSR-3 spring reverb is likewise assembled in the electroacoustic manufactory in Erlbach2.

Known for spring reverbs and Lancet desktop units

Vermona's effects line is built around spring reverb, a technology the company traces back to its roots. As the DSR-3 manual puts it57:

"In the beginning of the 60's, spring reverb was discovered by Leo Fender to be used in his now world famous guitar amplifiers."
Vermona DSR-3 manual5

The four spring reverb units each take a different approach:

UnitTypeWhat makes it distinct
ReTubeVerbTube spring reverbValve technology combined with mechanical spring reverberation8
VSR 3.2Vintage spring reverbType 9 AccuBell spring (formerly Accutronics) in a 1U 19-inch housing9
DSR-3Dual spring reverbTwo-spring design, assembled in Erlbach2
Retroverb LancetAnalog multi-effects processorThree-spring tank with overdrive, filtering, VCA, envelope generator and LFO7

The VSR 3.2's AccuBell spring, in the maker's words, "creates that magic 60's reverb which is slightly metallic and dense at the same time"9. The ReTubeVerb is described as "an uncompromising unification of valve-technology and mechanical reverberation", preserving the input signal's character while adding soft tube-style compression810.

The Retroverb Lancet is the most unusual of the four. Its manual describes it as an analog multi-effects processor whose spring tank can be manipulated with overdrive, filtering, VCA, an envelope generator and an LFO to create effects like Auto-Wah, Tremolo, Distortion, Delay, Gater and Reverb7. Its three springs give a reverb duration of 2.75 to 4 seconds11, and it ships with wooden side panels12. Vermona lists the Filter Lancet and ReTubeVerb among its related products12.

The "Lancet" name also marks Vermona's desktop line: the Mono Lancet '15 synthesizer, the Filter Lancet and the Kick Lancet all carry it, built in the same manufactory1.

What Vermona makes beyond effects

Effects are only one of Vermona's five product categories6. The company's product list includes:

  • Drums and percussion: DRM1 MKIV and DRM1 MKIII analog drum machines, drumDING, BASS|DRUM, twinCussion, Kick Lancet
  • Synthesizers: '14 Analogsynthesizer, PERfourMER MKII, Mono Lancet '15, meloDICER
  • Modules: twinVCFilter, fourMulator, randomRHYTHM, quadroPOL, twinVCAmp, VCDrive, fourMative CONTOURS, and the Modular Case 104 Bundle
  • Racks and equipment: VSR 3.2, DSR-3, ReTubeVerb, Retroverb Lancet, Action Filter 4, qMI 2, TAI-4, twinOUT, AMPLINUATOR 3, TRANSfourMER, PatchMate13

For players, the most relevant crossover items are the filter units, the VCDrive overdrive module, and the spring reverbs, which sit comfortably in a guitar or bass signal chain alongside reverb pedals and filter pedals135.

Support and repairs

Vermona is direct about one limit on its support:

Vermona offers no repair or spare parts service for Vermona products made before 1990314.

The company's support database is under construction and not yet filled with all contents15, so owners of newer gear are best served by contacting the maker directly at +49 (0) 37422 4027-0 or info@vermona.com5.

The range (5)

TypePedals
FilterVermona Action Filter 4, Vermona Filter Lancet
ReverbVERMONA DSR-3, VERMONA ReTubeVerb, Vermona VSR 3.2

Questions

Where is Vermona made?

Vermona gear is built in the maker's own Elektroakustische Manufaktur in Erlbach, Germany, in the region known as the Vogtland. The company describes its products, such as the Mono Lancet '15, as lovingly handcrafted instruments made in Germany rather than mass-produced elsewhere.

Does Vermona make guitar pedals?

Vermona's effects are mostly rack and desktop units rather than stompboxes. Its effects range includes the VSR 3.2, DSR-3 and ReTubeVerb spring reverbs, the Retroverb Lancet multi-effects processor, and filter units like the Filter Lancet and Action Filter 4, alongside the VCDrive.

What was Vermona called before?

The first Vermona-branded products appeared in the 1970s. Before that, the same people built organs and amplifiers sold under the Weltmeister and Böhm Electronic brands, so the Vermona name sits on a longer East German instrument-making tradition.

Who owns the Vermona brand?

Vermona is made by the Elektroakustische Manufaktur, part of HDB electronic GmbH, based at Badesteig 20, 08258 Markneukirchen, Germany. The company can be reached by phone at +49 (0) 37422 4027-0 or by email at info@vermona.com.

Can I get my old Vermona repaired?

Vermona states plainly that it offers no repair or spare parts service for Vermona products made before 1990. For newer products, the company's support database is still under construction and not yet filled with all contents, so contacting the maker directly is the way to ask.

What is the Vermona ReTubeVerb?

The ReTubeVerb is Vermona's tube spring reverb, which the maker describes as an uncompromising unification of valve technology and mechanical spring reverberation. It preserves the input signal's character while adding soft, tube-style compression, and sits alongside the VSR 3.2, DSR-3 and Retroverb Lancet in the spring reverb line.

What spring reverb units does Vermona make?

Vermona makes four spring reverb systems: the valve-based ReTubeVerb, the classic VSR 3.2 (built around a type 9 AccuBell spring, formerly Accutronics), the dual-spring DSR-3, and the more experimental Retroverb Lancet, an analog multi-effects processor with a three-spring tank.

Sources (15)
  1. VERMONA - Mono Lancet ’15, vermona.com
  2. VERMONA - DSR-3, VERMONA (Elektroakustische Manufaktur)
  3. VERMONA - twinVCFilter, VERMONA (Elektroakustische Manufaktur)
  4. VERMONA - Retroverb Lancet, Vermona (Elektroakustische Manufaktur)
  5. dsr3-manual-en.pdf, Vermona (HDB electronic GmbH), 2017
  6. VERMONA - TRANSfourMER, VERMONA
  7. rl_manual_en.pdf, Vermona, 2016
  8. VERMONA - ReTubeVerb, VERMONA - Elektroakustische Manufaktur
  9. VERMONA - VSR 3.2, Vermona (Elektroakustische Manufaktur)
  10. VERMONA - ReTubeVerb, Vermona (Elektroakustische Manufaktur)
  11. rl_manual_de.pdf, VERMONA (HDB electronic GmbH), 2016
  12. VERMONA - Retroverb Lancet, Vermona (Elektroakustische Manufaktur)
  13. VERMONA - twinOUT, VERMONA (vermona.com)
  14. VERMONA - qMI 2, VERMONA (vermona.com)
  15. VERMONA - VSR 3.2, VERMONA / Elektroakustische Manufaktur