The only downside of my Ceriatone amp is that it doesn’t have onboard reverb. After reading this up, it emerged that I needed a particular type of reverb unit to work ints its passive fx loop, and this is pretty much the only suitable product. Fuchs also make ‘D-type’ amps, though they’re not to my taste.
Its 9v centre-negative powered and consumes some current power because it contains a real tube. For that reason it can get a bit microphonic and needs to be mechanically isolated from the amp/speaker’s vibration.
It also has its own fx loop, which is useful for introducing mod fx after the preamp section. It can run fx in series or parallel and its in and out levels are adjustable, but it’s quite tricky to get the levels right. The user guide is also not good. It’s trial and error and after several years of ownership I still don’t really understand the internal blue led which flashes more a signal increases…
Anyway, it’s a compact solution to interfacing an ODS-style amp’s effects loop with effects and the built-in reverb is excellent.
One watchout regarding Fuchs – I had to contact them, as it was unclear whether they even had a dealer in the UK. Designer Andy Fuchs’ wife Annette handles the business side of things and wanted full US retail price plus a payment surcharge plus expensive shipping to supply me direct. Fortunately I found a UK dealer who ordered and supplied it to me for about £100 less. Fuchs may make expensive amps that appeal to some people, but on the basis of my experience, I couldn’t say they’re helpful.