Review: Aspri Acero Reverb Tank for Acoustic Guitar

Power outage, foot cramp, too afraid to lick that 9-volt you found in the bottom of your cable bag?

Sometimes you just need to step away from the world of electronics altogether and express yourself with just an acoustic guitar. The Aspri Acero is a compact reverb tank that can be added to your acoustic guitar without any modifications or use of batteries.

How does it work? The Aspri has three metal claws that fit under your strings. It is best to hook the claws as close to the fretboard as possible since there is less string tension than at the bridge. Next, slide the unit out of the way back behind the bridge. The claws line up perfectly against the saddle of your bridge.

When you play, the vibrations from your saddle will trigger the springs inside the Aspri’s reverb tank, giving you completely real, live reverb.

The Aspri’s edge is padded and gripped my guitar well without leaving any marks or residue on the finish. The arm of the unit is adjustable, so it should fit just about any body style of acoustic guitar. The company also makes a model specifically for nylon-stringed guitars.

I have to stress this is an acoustic only effect; the reverb will not be picked up by your guitar’s pickup. A bit less controversial than when Bob Dylan did it, I got the notion to pull out some electrics. I was able to fit the Aspri onto Strat-style and carved-top Les Paul-style electrics, because plenty of my practicing/couch jamming happens on an unplugged electric.

Give your dank basement arena-rock-style reverb or add this to your bag or tricks for recording demos. I had a ton of fun checking this out. Although I’m not half the player Chet Atkins was, I attempted to record a clip of some slap back walking basslines and some sustained open chords to give you an idea of the Aspri in action.

Web: aspri.com
Street price: $89.95

You can't believe everything you read on the Internet, but Billy Voight is a gear reviewer, bassist and guitarist from Pennsylvania. He has Hartke bass amps and Walden acoustic guitars to thank for supplying some of the finest gear on his musical journey. Need Billy's help in creating noise for your next project? Drop him a line at thisguyonbass@gmail.com.

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