Just because I'm inquisitive, I checked out my friend's Microverb 4 to see if it offered anything 'Shadows like' for us guitarists.
Stan is our lead vocalist and when I used to watch his band 'Magic' back in the 70s, they always had a vocal sound to die for, much of that of course was that they were all good singers and their harmonies were second to none. But that aside, they had a fantastic PA sound and only recently did I get to know some of the secrets.
Fast forward to today and Stan maintains that great PA sound within his own act, even as a soloist. Gone are the Binson and Davoli type PA systems though from back then.
He now uses a Spirit Folio mixer with his Alesis Microverb 4 as his effects, these fed through his RCF or Wharfdale active speaker systems that he uses for different sized rooms.
The point here is, he still has that 'Magic' sound on his vocals and further investigation revealed the modestly priced Alesis Microverb 4 as a big part of this great sound.
I borrowed it to try on guitar and was pleasantly surprised at the great sounds I could use, some which were very close to our Shads sounds, leading me to believe that I could do a job with one of these machines. I found one on eBay for £50 and it works great in the guitar chain, simple to use, not spot on, but a fantastic guitar sound. I've got Apache about right and saved it, along with usable Kon Tiki, Flingel Bunt and Shadoogie patches with a slapback thrown in for the rock & roll. I can gig all night with it and nobody comes and says 'You're using the wrong echo' - utopia !
Add to that I used my Squier Classic Vibe 50s Strat too with my new Fender Tone Master amp, it's just more evidence that the playing and performance outweighs the gear - every time.