Which reverb pedal?

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guitarsammy
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Which reverb pedal?

Post by guitarsammy » Wed Feb 07, 2018 1:56 am

I am looking to buy a reverb pedal, must be mid-priced (so around £100-125, or $100-125).

Two I've been looking at are the Digitech Polara and the Boss RV-6. I'm leaning towards the Boss based on what I've read online.

I'm looking for something to get some good Shoegaze-type sounds (more on the clean, dreamy Slowdive end of the spectrum than the abrasive MBV-type sound). It would also be good to have a decent 'traditional' sounding spring type reverb for when I'm playing more straightforward indie/rock.

Just wondering what people on here think might best suit my needs? Please don't suggest anything more expensive as I can't drop any more money into this.

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CorporateDisguise
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Re: Which reverb pedal?

Post by CorporateDisguise » Wed Feb 07, 2018 6:04 am

I had the Digitech hardwire RV7, which had alot of the same Lexicon algorithms as the polara. I sold it a few years back, but I remeber loving the reverse setting. The spring setting was also good. I don't remeber much else about it, or even why I sold it, but it certainly was one ofthe better reverbs I've owned.

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Re: Which reverb pedal?

Post by marqueemoon » Wed Feb 07, 2018 6:19 am

I've had my RV-6 for a while now. I think it would be a really good fit for what you're looking for. It does the traditional sounds plus some spacier ones. The modulated setting is my favorite.

One thing to keep in mind is the settings usually need to be tweaked slightly when going from one type of reverb to another. Also, there's no predelay on the plate setting, so it's not quite as realistic as it could be.

I've heard good things about the TC T2 as well. I owned a HOF Mini for a while and found it to be a little brittle sounding though.

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Re: Which reverb pedal?

Post by guitarsammy » Wed Feb 07, 2018 7:02 am

Since writing my original post, I've since been reading about the Zoom MS-70 CDR and that now seems like a real contender.

It's significantly cheaper than any of the pedals mentioned in my first post, can be USB powered, etc. But most importantly, it does a lot more (with far more reverbs and delays than those other pedals). There have been one or two posts on this very forum extolling its virtues.

So, maybe that's the one I should go for......?

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Mike S
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Re: Which reverb pedal?

Post by Mike S » Wed Feb 07, 2018 5:31 pm

The Boss FRV-1 '63 Fender Reverb sounds remarkably good and authentic.

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Futuron
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Re: Which reverb pedal?

Post by Futuron » Wed Feb 07, 2018 6:50 pm

I have 2 RV-6s, they have so many cool modes I like to be able to use more than one without changing knobs around so much. The dynamic one is very useful: play hard and it's subtle, play soft and it's more obvious - very handy. The shimmer is kinda interesting, and the delay mode is good if you want to have reverb and stacked delays in addition to your delay pedal. But the normal modes are of course very useful.

I haven't used the Digitech or Zoom

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Re: Which reverb pedal?

Post by mackerelmint » Wed Feb 07, 2018 7:59 pm

If you gig, you may find it inconvenient to use the Zoom while changing patches, though that problem can be remedied via MIDI if you're highly motivated to do so.

If you do not gig, buying any other pedal, IMO, would be a mistake. It will do exactly what you're looking for, and very very well, for less money than any other option. It's a top notch pedal.
This is an excellent rectangle

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Re: Which reverb pedal?

Post by mag323 » Wed Feb 07, 2018 8:34 pm

The Polara sounds great but has a very short decay so it not a great choice for shoegaze or ambient, unless you stack it with delays. The TC is versatile but not the best sounding reverb IMO. I think the MXR reverb is one of the best sounding delays at its price point. There are a lot other great sounding reverbs, but many are one trick ponies.

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Re: Which reverb pedal?

Post by guitarsammy » Thu Feb 08, 2018 2:18 am

I've ordered the MS 70 CDR..... quite excited.....

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Re: Which reverb pedal?

Post by guitarsammy » Fri Feb 09, 2018 3:05 am

Got the MS-70. Sounds amazing, so many reverbs and delays, plus choruses, compressors, etc. An absolutely ridiculous bargain considering the other pedals I was looking at are twice the price and only 'do one thing'.

The interface is a real pain to use, but if you're relatively tech-savvy, it's perhaps not as bad as some people online make it out to be.

It's pretty heavy and well-built, too. It looks like it's plastic in photos, but the case is actually all-metal.

I'd me interested, Mackerelmint, in how you 'use' yours, i.e. any tips you have on setting patches up on it, etc. Also any settings/patches you recommend (or even any you've put together yourself that you'd like to share?).

I've already found settings on a reddit forum for the famous Yamaha 'Softfocus' patch so beloved of Slowdive. It took me five minutes to set it up last night and it does sound as close to that patch as I'd need it to. Amazing, really, as I was only a few days ago thinking of buying an old Yamaha rackmount unit (for the same price as the MS-70) just to get access to Softfocus.

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Re: Which reverb pedal?

Post by Arthon » Fri Feb 09, 2018 6:26 am

Mike S wrote:
Wed Feb 07, 2018 5:31 pm
The Boss FRV-1 '63 Fender Reverb sounds remarkably good and authentic.
I really really like this pedal too, but it wont do what the op need.
The Blues Cartographer
(sorry for the spelling, I speak french)

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Re: Which reverb pedal?

Post by mountaindaffodil » Fri Feb 09, 2018 8:47 am

guitarsammy wrote:
Fri Feb 09, 2018 3:05 am


The interface is a real pain to use, but if you're relatively tech-savvy, it's perhaps not as bad as some people online make it out to be.

It's a very handy tool. The user interface for creating and storing patches is kind of weird at first, but it's not too bad once you get used to it.

Mine is parked in the effects loop of my super ego these days, as I have a couple other reverb pedals I prefer on their own (Context and BloodMoon).

There are a lot of good patches for this pedal here: https://www.reddit.com/r/zoommultistomp/

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