I'm looking for a simple hardware reverb unit (preferably 19" rack format). Something cheap/lo-fi with lots of character. I'm not looking for pristine. Bonus points if it has other effects built in (delay/distortion/etc). I'm not looking for generic/standard stuff. I'm mostly interested in something unusual and inspiring (quirky/lo-fi/crunchy/etc).

Hoping to stay under 400$USD but feel free to suggest things above that limit if you think it really fits the bill.

Cheers.

Midiverb 2.

Zoom 1201/RFX1000
Yamaha SPX90/REX50/GEP50
Alesis Midiverb 2 (Version 1 is good too but it's a half-rack "soap dish").
Boss RRV10, SE50/70

They all have their merits.

If you can spare 2U, then I have to recommend:



With the possible exception of "simple", this ticks all of your boxes. Fantastic character box, and I've come to LOVE the 'verbs on this thing (I have the DP/4 version).

Anything I own . I've got...

Midiverb 2
Microverb
Zoom 1204
Ensoniq DP4
Yamaha REX50/SPX90

The dp4 and midiverb 2 are the best I reckon.

Sony DPS-V55 is a good choice for character and completely oddball sound effects. The biggest reverbs are surprisingly good but the ones included in the dual processor blocks are lofi. Tons of other interesting fx too.

Quadraverb

Zoom 1202

I love mine. I was just playing with it a couple days ago and thinking, damn this sounds better than my Eclipse but in a totally different way.

Picked up a Zoom 1204 recently for $20 and I like it. Also have and like the Quadraverb and Midiverb 2. I like the murky smear reverb of the old Alesis boxes.

Ditto. The midiverb 1 is my fave. I know the bloom isn't as great as the 2 but every preset is excellent imo. And its sound is just so warm and lofi. Smeary is the best description of the alesis revebr sound. I wish i could score another zoom as well. $20 is a steal! The vocoder in the 1204 is really good too. Lots of good effects in those let alone the reverbs.

Roland DEP-5 hasn't been mentioned yet.

death by audio's reveberation machine...ok its a pedal and its mono, however it has an analog waveshaper in the circuit path and does lofi gritty in spades.Its the perfect compliment to my blue sky.Highly recomended.

The Yamaha Rex50 is a table top unit of the SPX-50D, which is essentially an SPX-90 with great/terrible digital distortion and gate... (I know the spx90 was mentioned above, just thought I would through in the spx50d as an alternative.... Quadraverb/MidiverbII definitely... if you can find one, the Zoom9030 (1/2 rack unit), but very cool...

Zoom 9030 is a classic, lots of character, I,ve been through
4 of these over the years and keep coming back.

Am I the only one that likes the Wedge?

definitely! How have you been through 4? selling /losing/ theft/ breakdown? I have the same one I bought in 1992/3? Love that thing.

Well you are luckier than me, the first one i bought in the 90s had the screen fail

the next one I bought stopped passing signal, same for the 3rd one.
I have a fourth one that so far is behaving.

great unit all the same

like to get my hands on a 9200 but they are as rare as rocking horse shit

No, i like mine too - but does it fit the OP's requirements?

It isn't really quirky or lo-fi or has some special characteristics, imo.
Just a fair sounding reverb with bit to much mid range that can be tamed with a cut of a couple of db at 1200 Hz...

Ah yeah, not a rack ...guess I thought of it because someone mentioned the REX50

I like the Zoom RFX-1000 and RFX-2000 for cheapish reverb and effects. I've also owned a Quadraverb and a DP/4 but I prefer something more straightforward where you just tweak a few knobs.

I like the Quadraverb. Booksy's "murky smear" says it best, and should be your guide as you're dialing in patches. The presets, as usual, will not impress (on the QV).
One trick I use for Lo-fi-ing any stereo reverb is to narrow the stereo spread or just pan both channels to the same position.

Ibanez SDR-1000.
My god, I used to love this thing....!
It has unbelievable '80s mojo.

Yamaha SPX900, fantastic in a late 80s synthetic way. I had it along with a DEP5, honestly I preferred the SPX900. reverbs and delays were just better for synths I found. Noisy buggers though.

Though hands down the best in this category is the Eventide H3000 though out of your budget. I've owned a lot of 80s/90s rack effect units of various qualities and this is all that and more. H3000 have this lo-fi and hi-fi kinda vide, sort of like a expensive sounding 80s tech if that makes any sense. They work fantastic with synths due mostly to their synthetic character, high-end Lexi are mostly a waste with synths tbh they lend their algos to acoustic material much better.

I would recommend the Roland SRV-2000 which offers a great 'grainy' sound on snares, click the link and have a listen. Also the Sony MU-R201 which is my go to drum reverb, not grainy like the Roland but just 'right' in my view. Again click o the link and have a listen.

You can usually pickup the Roland for around $200-250, and the Sony for around the same, but of late people are asking silly money ($450+) for the Sony for some reason...maybe everyone is catching on?

+1 good old reverbs there.
Tonight I was messing with the Lexicon MPX-1 I just bought and it can do some great character , especially since the reverb doesn't have to be at the end of the chain. Reverb into sweep filter is very nice for emulating older units.
And despite comments above this machine rocks on synths. It's like a synth itself with its complex modulators. Really powerful stuff.

i wouldn't call DP4 especially quirky and lofi, but it's not pristine either. Boss SE70, SRV330 and MPX1 are also fantastic in this btwn the extremes range.


few units i've run into, that follow OP description more to the letter:

Dynacord DRP16...dirty lofi late 70s digital reverb ... strings, pads and even step sequences sound evocative as if coming from another, prehistoric, psyhedelic era.

PCM60 one of the dirtiest lexicons. classic. tho usually not dirt cheap.

Roland SRV2000 .. dirtier,, cheaper roland version of PCM70 style machine. sort of. btwn $100 and 150. has a delay mode too.

Dynacord DRS78.. early digital reverb and delay.

I dig the Wedge

Zoom 1204 and Boss RRV-10 are great too.

Vermona VSR-3. Sprrrrrringgg.

another vote for the quadraverb, and the zoom 1204 - the yamaha rev100 is more like mid-fi, but it does have some character - (i'm trying to get a midiverb 2 right now)

there's small units like the yamaha rex50 and the r100 that can be fun and have the kind of sound you're looking for - and although it's pretty crisp and almost hi-fi, the alesis nanoverb has something - and it's small, cheap and easy to find

also cheap reverb guitar pedals

Maybe 12 bit is more character than you want but the Korg DRV 1000 is a different sounding beastie. I have a pair of them I'll never let go. Thick crunchy reverb that can make synths sound extra fat.
And the non-linear types are awesome on drums.