Originally used to add life to flat guitar tones, the reverb pedal was one of the first effects for guitar players. A reverb is known to add a new dimension to the sounds by adding depth and ambiance to your vocals, instruments, and the entire track. Adding the best reverb pedal to your music collection is one of the best moves.
What exactly does a reverb pedal do? A reverb pedal is used to create drama and give the guitar sound a great ambiance. It can imitate different settings from spring to studio plates as well as halls and cathedrals. Although there are the best reverb pedals in the market today, the best one for you might be different from what's best for other people.
Now there are more options in the market thanks to the improvements made in the chips used in reverb pedals and the granular synthesis. Finding the best reverb pedal might be a bit overwhelming. This is why we have rounded up a list of the best reverb pedals below. Moreover, we have a buying guide to help you choose one that works best for you.
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5 Best Reverb Pedals
1. BOSS Reverb Guitar Pedal (RV-6)
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One of the outstanding features of the Boss RV-6 is that it is a Boss stompbox which means quality construction and reliability. This reverb pedal is a successor to the Boss RV-5, which means it has newer features like new reverb modes. It is a digital reverb pedal and also one of the highly rated ones from Boss.
The controls include an E-level or Effects Level for the volume of the reverb sound, the Tone button, which is the sound coloration, the Time button to adjust the time of the reverb sound, and the Mode knob where you can the effect type you want. There are eight reverb types: Spring, Room, Hall, Plate, Dynamic, Modulate, Shimmer, and Delay.
All eight types of reverbs work great and have their different places. The Modulate and shimmer reverb are great for atmospheric, ambient, or spacey applications. The delay mode combines the delay and reverb pedal. This reverb pedal has great features and versatility for professional musicians and experienced players and an intuitive interface that even beginners can use.
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2. TC Electronic Hall of Fame 2 Pedal
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The Hall of Fame 2, also known as HoF2, is an upgrade to the original Hall of Fame reverb. Originally, the TC Electronic Hall of Fame Reverb Pedal used a kitchen sink approach with several options. It also featured a Toneprint that allows one to download user-made profiles for reverbs, ensuring greater flexibility and functionality.
The Hall of Fame reverb 2 has shown some improvements by bringing in a shimmer octave reverb mode and also adding a 'Mash' footswitch which will sometimes function as an expression pedal. The Mash button is by default assigned to specific parameters, but it can be customized using the app in order to be able to have control of more parameters at once.
It features solid construction and a true bypass to ensure the pedal doesn't mess up your guitar's tone when switched off. Moreover, it gives the stereo ins and outs, which is a great option for people who run a stereo rig. The operation is simple with a small toggle switch and four knobs that include decay, tone, FX level, and also an 11 point knob to select the reverb style.
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3. Electro Harmonix Oceans 11 Reverb Pedal
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With the affordable price of Electro Harmonix Oceans 11 Reverb Pedal, many people tend to underestimate it. It holds way more features than its small form factor would otherwise suggest. There are many great features that come with it, from the wild polyphonic octave to a number of options and the mod and shimmer. Due to this, it ranks as one of the best reverb pedals in the market today.
Just from its name Ocean 11, it features 11 different types of reverb that anyone can access through a rotary reverb type knob. The different reverb types include spring reverb, plate, hall, echo, modulated, reverse, auto-infinite, polyphonic, shimmer, and dynamic reverb effects. Five of the reverb types(modulated, echo, dynamic, polyphonic, and tremolo) have more than one mode.
The other great controls include the Time knob, a Mode button, Fx LVL or output knob, as well as a tone knob. It also features the reverb tails mode switch, which can be accessed when you remove the backplate. There is also an infinite jack in addition to the standard input and output jacks. Another great reverb pedal is the Electro Harmonix holy grail nano.
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4. MXR M300 Reverb Pedals
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With the MXR M300 Reverb, you get sic different styles of reverb, for example, plate, spring, room, etc. Although this model is not powered by a battery option, it includes 9-volt power requirements to keep up with the 240MA power draw. The number of reverbs included in this pedal makes them sound warm and organic.
Furthermore, these reverbs are of good quality and sound rich, with not a single one of them sound terrible. Although the dry path is analog, this M300 reverb has a wet mode that allows it to run a wet signal to your amp. It also features a trail bypass mode to allow the effect to ring out after the pedal is turned off. The trail bypass also switches the pedal from its true bypass to the buffered.
It comes with three simple controls that include decay, tone, and mix. This reverb pedal also has three LEDs that will light up either red or green to indicate the mode selected. These indicators usually remain on even when the pedal is not engaged and in bypass mode. If you're looking for a versatile pedal with warm tones and also sounds great, then you should consider the M300.
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5. Eventide Space Reverb Pedal
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The Eventide Space Reverb Pedal is known to put its best effects into the reverb stompboxes. It features 12 different types of reverb that one can easily configure to match your exact specifications. These reverb types include Spring reverb, Plate, Hall, Room, Shimmer, Blackhole, ModEchoVerb, TremoloVerb, Reverse Reverb, DynaVerb, and MangledVerb.
When you combine all these effects with the delay reverb effect, reverse decays, etc., you can make infinite combinations of possible tones. Using the H9 control available in iOS, Mac, Android, and PC, one can manage the presets, settings, and parameters with an easy-to-use interface. You can use it with a midi-in controller for controlling the selections or use an expressional pedal to blend in the multiple reverb and delay effects.
The Eventide Space Reverb Pedals feels durable enough and works well on your production desk, especially if you're planning to use it with synths. There are line-level inputs and outputs and mono or stereo operation. If you like the minimalist look, the Eventide reverb pedals could be your best pick.
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Features To Consider Before Buying a Reverb Pedal
1. Types of Reverb
There are a few different types when it comes to reverb and effects. The main types include Spring, Plate, Hall, and Room.
a). Spring Reverb
The spring reverb pedal happens where a long metal spring vibrates, and the pickup captures the vibration. If you shake the spring reverbs device, you can hear the metal spring shaking with a very distinctive sound.
Nowadays, the spring reverb pedals are emulated digitally because it not practical to have them in pedalboards. However, some amps, for example, the vintage amps, have a built-in spring reverb tank.
b). Plate Reverb
This is quite similar to the spring reverb; however, instead of a spring, the plate reverb uses a sheet of metal. When the sheet vibrates from the transducer, the pickup captures the vibration.
c). Room and Hall Reverb
These reverbs emulate what you hear in halls or large empty rooms. Most spring reverb pedals that offer the hall or room reverb will allow you to control the room size so as to achieve something from a small, subtle effect to a massive church-like reverb.
2. Stereo Pedal
This is another crucial feature that one shouldn't ignore because not all the best reverb pedals are stereo. The reverb pedal is one of the last effects for a guitarist's chain of effects. So, whether it is a stereo or not, the reverb pedals will impact the entire signal chain.
If you're hoping not to run a stereo spring, then you shouldn't have to worry about this. However, if you want to run a stereo rig or might want to do so in the future. Then you will need a stereo reverb pedal.
To decide whether to get a stereo reverb pedal, you need to check the current pedals to see how many are stereo. If all the pedals you have are mono, this will not impact you, but for a case where one has a stereo delay pedal, a stereo chorus, or any other in your signal chain, you should get a stereo reverb pedal.
3. True Bypass vs. Buffered
It is important to note that reverb will create the sounds that trail off after you stop playing. For a reverb pedal that uses a true bypass and hits the bypass footswitch as it trails, then it cuts the effects before it fades away.
It can be very jarring to hear a reverb cut all of a sudden. While True Bypass is recommended, it may create a problem with the reverb. This problem won't apply if you alternatively see a buffered bypass. With a buffered bypass, the reverb will continue to trail off even after you hit the footswitch.
However, if you're planning to have a reverb active all day, then it shouldn't be an issue. On the other hand, if you're to use the best reverb pedals at specific times and you will need to turn it on and off constantly, then you should have the issue with the true bypass in mind.
4. Parameter Controls
A reverb pedal that has more control knobs means better personalization and deeper editing; however, it might have a more complex interface and setup. If you're looking for a subtle reverb that will always be on to enhance the sounds, then you should try the classic reverb pedals with a few controls. However, if you're looking for more controls or customization, then the best reverb pedal would be one with more configuration controls.
5. Budget
The best reverb pedal is one that's within your budget, and this is one of the easiest ways to narrow down your choices. However, it is crucial to note that you may be required to spend a bit more if it is the primary part of the sound, especially for experimental and ambient guitar styles.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Reverb Pedals
1. Which is the best reverb pedal?
The best reverb pedal is the BOSS Reverb Guitar Pedal (RV-6), an upgrade of RV-5. This is because it is great at a lot of things and has shown consistent results. Moreover, it comes with a reasonable price that is affordable to many.
2. What pedals should every guitarist have?
Every beginner player or professional guitarist should have a distortion pedal, overdrive pedal, fuzz pedal, delay pedal, reverb pedal, a chorus pedal, a phaser pedal, wah pedal, among many other types of pedals.
3. Which is better, reverb or delay?
Choosing either a reverb or a delay depends on what you're hoping to achieve; there is no one that is better than the other. The best delay may allow mixing of the reverb effect, but they are separate effects that anyone can add to your effects loop.
