Most modern players rely on plugins to add effects such as reverb to their sound. But what if you want to use an actual reverb pedal?
Well, there are hundreds of guitar reverb pedals, making choosing much more difficult. Every one of them offers different options, settings, and sounds but how you can guess which one is the best?
That’s why I’m here to show you what is a good reverb pedal and which one is the right for you. Although all reverb pedals have their sound and use, some are better than others.
What’s The Best Reverb Pedal?
Here you will find the best reverb pedals I have ever played live, in the studio, and recorded many guitars it bass tracks. All of these are great guitar reverb pedals and can be used with bass too.
1. TC Electronic Hall Of Fame 2
Hall Of Fame 2 is a versatile guitar reverb pedal with various reverb types.
Hall Of Fame 2 reverb pedal from TC Electronic is a compact and very versatile pedal that has great sound and many features. This is a great reverb pedal for guitars and basses and can fit any pedalboard perfectly. It’s my favorite reverb pedal because of its sound and the options it offers.
First of all, it has a switch for pre-delay where you can set long or short pre-delay. And then you have four control knobs for decay, tone, level, and reverb types. It has eight different reverbs built-in such as plate reverb, hall reverb, spring reverb, etc. And there are three slots where you can create your own reverb with a TonePrint app.
2. Strymon BigSky
Big blue reverb pedal with lots of presets, various reverb types, and footswitches.
If you want to have every reverb and lots of features in one box then the Strymon BigSky reverb pedal is for you. This pedal comes with three hundred presets, twelve types of reverbs, and footswitches to fully control your sound. You can edit everything with its in-depth control knobs. BigSky is one of the best reverb pedals with awesome sound and the only complaint I have is the size. But that’s just me because I love compact-size pedals.
The reverb list includes shimmer, cloud, room, hall, spring, and swell reverb among others and it has three hundred users presets which is mindblowing. You won’t need any other reverb ever because it has everything you will ever need. Strymon’s multidimensional reverb pedal allows you in-depth editing and footswitches to easily switch between different reverbs.
3. Boss RV6
A classic reverb pedal with an affordable price tag and amazing sound quality.
Boss RV6 is a very popular and classic reverb pedal used by thousands of guitar players. The popularity comes from its sound quality, features, and perhaps simplicity. With just a couple of knobs, you can create awesome reverb sounds and give your sound depth and excitement.
It’s a digital reverb where you can choose between various reverbs such as hall, room, plate, etc. Also, it offers a reverb + delay option which is a very handy option to have. The sound is very enhanced and clean and this pedal works well with any amp. I have played RV6 with tube and solid state amps and the sound was amazing.
4. EarthQuacker Devices Afterneath
Simple yet powerful and great-sounding pedal to dial in amazing reverb tones.
EarthQuacker Devices offer excellent pedals at affordable prices and the Afterneath reverb pedal is one of my favorite pedals from this company. This is a very interesting pedal with just six knobs and one mode control and it can do many things with these simple layout and control options.
The controls the Afterneath pedal offers are length, diffuse, dampen, reflect, drag, and mix. I love how delay and reverb interact with each other and it sounds great. Also, this pedal has a mode control and you can have different drag modes such as chromatic scale, unquantized, major scale, octaves, etc. All these features allow you to create awkward and unique sounds. The Afterneath is one of the best reverb pedals for guitars.
5. Fender Marine Layer
A beautiful reverb pedal from Fender with great features and sound you will fall in love with.
I’m not a big user of Fender pedals but I can talk about Fender Marine Layer a lot because I own this pedal and it’s just amazing. I have recorded countless bass and guitar tracks with it and it works perfectly with amps too. It’s a little bit larger than the standard guitar pedal but fits well on pedalboards.
Marine Layer is a digital reverb and the sound is superb with clarity and depth. It’s powered by a 9V battery or you can use the adapter. It has three types of reverb and two variations for each one which makes it a very versatile pedal. Also, you can control reverb time, damping, filter, and pre-delay, and it has a Dry Kill switch that optimizes the pedal for the amp’s effects loop.
6. MXR M300
An amazing sounding reverb pedal in a small box with every feature you need.
MXR pedals are one of my favorites and the M300 is one of the best guitar reverb pedals I have ever played. Of course, I love the sound but also like how simple to use it is, the features it offers, and the overall quality. It fits perfectly on a pedalboard as well.
With three control knobs, you can control reverb decay, tone, and mix which blends reverb and dry signal. You can push the tone knob and it becomes the switcher between six different types of reverbs – plate, spring, epic, mod, room, and pad. So, as you can see this is a very diverse reverb pedal for any kind of music style or playing.
7. Catalinbread Topanga
Elegant and unique-looking spring reverb pedal with superb sound and versatility.
If you love spring reverb then Topanga from Catalinbread might be the best for you because it sounds amazing and is very simple to use. Also, perhaps it’s the most beautiful pedal on this list with orange and green colors. It was the design that attracted me and then the sound blew my mind.
As I said Topanga reverb pedal is very simple to use with only four control knobs. You can tweak dwell, tone, mix, and level and that’s it. You can dial in cool spring reverb tones in minutes. Works great with the guitar but it’s also a great bass guitar reverb and sounds great with amps too.
8. Behringer DR600
One of the best cheap reverb pedals you can find.
If you are searching for a cheap reverb pedal, then Behringer DR600 would be a great choice. It’s a digital reverb, very similar to the Boss reverb pedal in many ways. In my opinion, this is a great reverb pedal for beginner guitar players and can be a great gift too.
The best feature of DR600 is that it offers six types of reverb that include plate, spring, hall, gate, room, and modulate. Then you have a set of controls such as level, tone, and time to dial in the desired reverb sound. Although it’s an affordable reverb pedal, it sounds very good and can be used on stage or to record guitar solos.
Conclusion
Reverb pedals are one of the must-haves if you want to have a deep, versatile sound that breathes. But finding the good one might be challenging and that’s why I created this list of the best reverb pedals. If you want to have a good-sounding, versatile reverb on your pedalboard then you will find the one in this list.