The SolidGoldFX Surf Rider Deluxe is a spring reverb emulation pedal from SolidGoldFX, the Canadian effects firm behind pedals like the Commodore overdrive and Imperial MK II fuzz1. Announced on 30 November 2012 as the relaunch of the company's best-selling Surf Rider spring reverb emulation pedal, it was designed, in the maker's words, "to deliver anything from mild to heavy spring reverb tones with low noise"2. Where an amp's spring tank lives inside the amp, the Deluxe puts those drippy, splashy surf tones on a pedalboard.
The pedal is a digital-style emulation rather than a mechanical spring tank: Premier Guitar's review of the Surf Rider line noted that "the device recreates the tone and response of a spring unit with remarkable accuracy"3. SolidGoldFX positioned the Deluxe as a handmade pedal, and the relaunch cut its street price to $199.00 as of the November 2012 announcement2.
Spring reverb tones from a pedal
The Deluxe's sound is rooted in vintage Fender gear. SolidGoldFX said it was "inspired by early 60's Fender Reverb Tanks," the outboard units that defined the surf rock sound of that era2. The pedal is an emulation, not a real spring tank, which is what lets it fit in a stompbox enclosure and run quietly.
The Surf Rider family's take on the spring sound drew praise from the press. Reviewing the Surf Rider for Premier Guitar, the reviewer found it captured the character players associate with surf reverb43:
"you could hear those chaotic and wild elements that make this tone so cool, a sound at which the Surf Rider excels3."
Premier Guitar, on the Surf Rider3
The same review noted the Surf Rider "isn't a true spring reverb" but recreates the tone and response of one with remarkable accuracy, and that it suits the "chaotic and wild Dick Dale-style spring reverb tone"3. The reviewer's one reservation was for players whose sound depends on modern programmable digital reverb, for whom "more contemporary and programmable digital reverb is essential to your sound"3.
The controls and jacks
The relaunched Deluxe kept the Surf Rider's basic control set and added to it. The announcement listed these features2:
- A resonance control to fine tune the reverb decay
- A reverb boost switch and internal trim pot allowing for dual reverb level settings
- An expression pedal input for on-the-fly reverb depth adjustments
- True bypass switching
The resonance control works like the Res control Premier Guitar described on the Surf Rider, which "tailors the virtual size of the reverb tank from long to short"3. In practice that means one knob takes the emulated tank from a tight, short splash to a long, drippy decay.
The reverb boost switch is the Deluxe's headline addition. A player dials in a normal reverb level, sets a second, higher level with the internal trim pot, and foot-switches between the two, so a lead part or a surf-style splash is one stomp away without touching the knobs2.
The expression pedal input lets a player control reverb depth with their foot while playing, sweeping from dry to soaked in real time2. SolidGoldFX carried this idea forward: the later Surf Rider III also let depth "be controlled externally by an expression pedal, allowing for wide sweep of sound on the fly," as Pedal of the Day's reviewer Mike B noted5.
How it differs from the Surf Rider III and IV
The Deluxe sits in the middle of the Surf Rider line's history. It was the 2012 relaunch of the original Surf Rider, with new cosmetics, added features and the reduced $199.00 street price2. The Surf Rider III followed, adding a Tone control that set the EQ of the reverberated signal, lows to the right and highs to the left, and keeping the expression pedal control of depth. Pedal of the Day's Mike B called it one of the site's favorite reverb pedals, though he wished it had stereo ins and outs: "If it had the ability to do Stereo Ins and Outs, it might just be the perfect reverb pedal"5.
The Surf Rider IV, revealed in May 2022, is a ground-up redesign rather than an update of the Deluxe's circuit. It packs three distinct spring tank emulations, a Reverb-O-Rocket mode modeled on shorter tanks, a Super Reverb mode based on a 4x10 Fender, and a fantasy tank, plus Flutter modulation of the reverb trails with adjustable Speed and Depth, and switchable Trails/Buffered bypass via an internal DIP switch6. Gearnews reported that the IV came in a more compact housing with more features but dropped the boost footswitch and expression input the Deluxe and III carried7.
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Questions
What is the SolidGoldFX Surf Rider Deluxe based on?
It is inspired by early 60s Fender Reverb Tanks. SolidGoldFX described it as the new incarnation of its best-selling Surf Rider spring reverb emulation pedal, designed to deliver anything from mild to heavy spring reverb tones with low noise.
Does the Surf Rider Deluxe have an expression pedal input?
Yes. The relaunched Deluxe added an expression pedal input for on-the-fly reverb depth adjustments, so a player can sweep the reverb depth with their foot while playing rather than bending down to turn a knob.
Is the Surf Rider Deluxe true bypass?
Yes. Premier Guitar's launch announcement listed true bypass switching among the pedal's features, meaning the signal passes around the circuit when the pedal is off.
What does the reverb boost switch do?
The reverb boost switch works with an internal trim pot to give two reverb level settings. A player sets one level with the knob and a second with the trim pot, then foot-switches between them for a bigger splash when needed.
How does the Surf Rider Deluxe differ from the Surf Rider III and IV?
The Deluxe was the 2012 relaunch of the original Surf Rider with a boost switch, expression input and true bypass. The Surf Rider III followed with a Tone control and expression control of depth, and the Surf Rider IV is a 2022 ground-up redesign with three tank emulations, flutter modulation and switchable trails, but no boost footswitch or expression input.
Sources (7)
- SolidGoldFX introduces the Beta-V, Guitar World, 2023-04-05
- SolidGoldFX Launches Surf Rider & Electroman Pedals, Premier Guitar, 2012-11-30
- SolidGoldFX Surf Rider Pedal Review, Premier Guitar, 2011-10-18
- SolidGoldFX ElectroMan Analog Delay - Pedal of the Day, Pedal of the Day, 2016-01-15
- SolidGoldFX Surf Rider III Reverb, Pedal of the Day (pedal-of-the-day.com), 2014-12-08
- SURF RIDER IV, SolidGoldFX
- SolidGoldFX Surf Rider IV: More compact, more surf?, gearnews.com, 2022-05-13
