As an effect, reverb seems to have undergone something of a renaissance of late. YouTube has perhaps played a part in that; you'll find as many videos of people playing synths through reverb pedals as you will guitarists. Musical styles have had an impact too. Post-rock and synthwave, among others, have brought the humble reverb back into force. Without getting super nerdy – even the tech within reverb pedals has changed. If you’re in the market for something new, this guide to the best reverb pedals is a great place to start.
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On top of the classic plate/spring/room choice, you now see features like shimmer and freeze reverbs in the mainstream offering musicians new and interesting ways of realising their creative potential.
Which are the best reverb pedals right now?
If you've ever played through a properly high quality reverb pedal, you'll know they are capable of coaxing out sounds, tones and other artefacts that have the potential to leave you speechless. For this reason, we have no qualms in recommending the as simply the finest example of a reverb pedal on the planet today. Spend some time with the manual learning all the tricks it has to offer and you'll have a pedal which will last you a lifetime, and will continue to amaze you every time you plug it in.
Special mention must go to the ; EHX already had an incredible 'verb in its line-up with the Cathedral, but the Ocean's 11 hits the perfect balance between top quality sounds and affordability. If your budget won't stretch to a Strymon, we'd happily recommend this little beauty.
How to buy the best reverb pedal for you
If there's one thing reverb pedal buyers aren't short of, it's choice. There are pedals of all different kinds, to suit all different requirements. It can be hard to know where to begin. As we often do with these guides, we'd suggest giving some thought to the type of application you'll be using the item for before you part with your cash.
For example, if you're a blues player looking to add a bit of room or colour to your playing, you will want to consider a pedal which majors in the classic reverb sounds – plate, hall and spring. Many amps come with these settings included, so there's no major surprises involved. Hall mimics the effects of playing in a large hall – obviously – while plate and spring give the effect of a sound being played into an object which then alters the tone.
In this setting, reverb is used to add character and depth to a sound, rather than change it drastically. Boss, TC Electronic and Electro-Harmonix all offer quality reverbs which fall into this bracket.
If your musical style is more adventurous, or you want to cover more tonal bases, you can start to look at some of the more advanced pedal types. Often you'll find shimmer included here; this adds a pitch-shifted copy of the signal through the reverb to offer a lush, choral effect which works great with single notes or synths.
And, our personal favourite, freeze, takes a snapshot of your sound at a granular level and replays it infinitely as if you've frozen a particular sound in time. Both are hugely inspiring and, above all, great fun to work with. As ever, the price you pay dictates the levels of functionality and audio quality. Eventide and Strymon are the kings are the top end, but there are superb sounds to be found right across the spectrum.
These are the best reverb pedals you can buy
1. Strymon BigSky
Hands-down the best reverb pedal for those seeking the highest quality tones
Price: $479/£409 | Controls: Value, Decay, Pre-Delay, Mix, Tone, Param 1, Param 2, Mod, Type, Bank Up/Down, Tap | Sockets: Stereo In/Out, Exp pedal in, MIDI in/out | Bypass: True bypass | Power requirements: 300mA 9V DC
The BigSky has fast become the weapon of choice for many pro players and, should you be in a position to stump up the considerable funds, you'll quickly discover why. It's flexibility is astounding and considering the borderline academic nature of Strymon's research, you'd be disappointed if the BigSky sounded anything less than extraordinary.
All that homework paid off: the 12 on-board reverb machines are as natural or fantastical as you want. The atmospheric settings have made it a favourite among the post-rock crowd, but this is a pedal that is capable of endless adaptation – and convincing with it, too.
The functionality is staggering, but it's the sounds that will make your jaw drop and your playing soar - and it's that which helps Strymon justify the lofty asking price. If you're looking for 'the one', this is it.
Read the full review: Strymon BigSky
2. TC Electronic Hall Of Fame 2
The infinitely versatile compact reverb pedal
Price: $149/£94 | Controls: Decay, level, tone, type | Sockets: Stereo input and output, USB | Bypass: True bypass (switchable to buffered) | Power requirements: 100mA 9V DC
The original Hall Of Fame adopted a kitchen-sink approach with multiple options and the addition of TonePrint (which enables you to download user-made profiles for other reverbs) for even greater functionality and flexibility.
The Hall Of Fame 2 picks up where it left off, bringing a new shimmer octave reverb mode to the table and adding a ‘MASH’ footswitch that functions somewhat like an expression pedal. What remains are the quality of reverb sounds, which are simply fantastic and cover all the bases you could wish for.
Read the full review: TC Electronic Hall Of Fame 2
3. Boss RV-500
Take care of your reverb and delay needs with one stompbox
Price: $349/£293 | Controls: Mode, Time/Value, Pre-Delay, E. Level, Low, High, Bank Up/Down, Tap | Sockets: Stereo In/Out, Exp pedal in, USB, MIDI In/Out | Bypass: Buffered Bypass or True Bypass | Power requirements: 225mA 9V DC
The RV-500 can be thought of as Boss' take on a BigSky-like one-stop reverb toolbox. With three footswitches, 12 reverb modes and digital delay options, not to mention a massive array of editable parameters, you won't run out of tonal options any time soon.
We get the classy reverbs of all varieties that Boss/Roland is capable of but they have also thrown in a Space Echo multi-head tape delay emulation for extra flexibility and an alternative to the delays with the reverbs.
There’s plenty to be explored in this immensely practical pedal that brings reverb and delay together. With all that memory and the various footswitching options it’s the perfect tool if you need different ambiences for different songs.
Read the full review: Boss RV-500
4. Electro-Harmonix Oceans 11 Reverb
One of the best and most versatile compact reverb pedals
Price: $147/£120 | Controls: FX level, time, type, tone, mode switch | Sockets: In, out, infinite pedal in | Bypass: Buffered | Power requirements: 9V 150mA
Given the price, you might not expect much of the Oceans 11, but don’t underestimate it. There’s a plethora of settings, from mod and shimmer, to the wild polyphonic octave, but also a rogue’s gallery of standard options like echo, plate, spring, hall and reverse.
While reverse has been out-of-vogue on compact pedals, the demand from shoegazers has remained, and the 11 is likely to be a hit based on this mode alone. It’s a brilliant effect, whether you’re playing psychedelic music or just looking to throw in a wacky solo. The core hall and plate sounds are excellent, too, so it’s not just a one-trick pony.
Read the full review: Electro-Harmonix Oceans 11 Reverb
5. Walrus Audio Slö
A compact reverb pedal with plenty of sounds on offer
Price: $199/£158 | Controls: delay, filter, mix, X, depth | Sockets: In, out | Bypass: True bypass | Power requirements: 9VDC (100mA minimum)
The compact Walrus Audio Slö features three different reverb algorithms, each designed to create an individual texture with the option of integrating modulation into the wash of reverb.
The main controls are nicely laid out and easily operated, but you have to hold a footswitch down to access some secondary functions such as choosing the modulation shape.
This pedal sits in between a compact stompbox offering simple spring emulation and a jack-of-all trades pedal offering multiple. It’s a top choice for players who crave the ability to inject some deep ambience in their signal chain without taking up loads of room on their 'board.
Read the full review: Walrus Audio Slö
6. Eventide Space
The ultimate stage and studio reverb pedal
Price: $499/£445 | Controls: Mix, Decay, Size, Delay, Low, High, Preset, Xnob, Ynob, FxMix, Contour, Bank up/down, Tap | Sockets: Stereo in/out, Exp pedal, Aux, In Lvl: Guitar/line, Out Lvl: Amp/line, USB, MIDI In/Out | Bypass: DSP Bypass, Relay Bypass or DSP+FX Bypass | Power requirements: 500mA 9V DC
What you get with Space is 12 effects from the Eventide H8000FW and Eclipse V4 rackmount processors. Some of them are pure reverb, but others are combinations where it's paired with delays, pitch-shifting, tremolo, modulation and spatial effects.
If you want a stompbox for reverb and other ambient effects, Space is the most comprehensive around and if you have a home studio, you'll get tons more out of this in stereo.
The price may be high, but rather than compare the Space to other stompboxes, think instead of how much a rackmount reverb processor or the best quality plug-ins cost, and suddenly it doesn't seem that bad a deal, especially when Space sounds so good.
Read the full review: Eventide Space
7. Meris Mercury 7
An ambient, highly adjustable reverb pedal from a Strymon founder
Price: $299/£319 | Controls: Space Decay, Modulate, Mix, Lo Frequency, Pitch Vector, Hi Frequency, Swell, Bypass | Sockets: Input, Stereo out, Exp/MIDI control | Bypass: True Bypass or Buffered | Power requirements: 150mA 9V DC
The Mercury7 is a contribution to the high-end digital reverb market from Meris, whose team includes a founder of Strymon. The pedal offers a choice of two algorithmic reverbs, Ultraplate and Cathedral, with a host of sound adjustment features including pitch and modulation parameters.
Capable of mono and stereo operation, the pedal has two sets of parameters for each of its six knobs, the second set accessed by pressing Alt. As such, it's a knob-twiddler's dream and you can dial up awesome reverb with many dimensions.
If altered ambiences are your thing, this pedal does a wide range of them incredibly well.
Read the full review: Meris Mercury 7
8. Source Audio Ventris Dual Reverb
A flexible dual reverb pedal in a modest footprint
Price: $399/£375 | Controls: Time, Type, Mix, Pre-delay, Treble, Control 1, Control 2 | Sockets: Stereo in/out, MIDI in/out, USB, Exp pedal in, Control input | Bypass: True or buffered bypass | Power requirements: 280mA 9V DC
In the Ventris, finally we have a pedal with a relatively modest footprint that contains two totally independent reverbs that can be used singly or combined in parallel, in series or Left/Right - with various modes of mono and stereo operation being available.
There are 12 distinct reverb engines available from the front panel but, like previous Source Audio pedals, there are more available via the Neuro software. The outstanding impression of hearing the Ventris in action for the first time is the quality of its reverbs, but we also really like its pedalboard-friendly footprint and easy hands-on functionality.
You can get as complex as you like with the Neuro editing app, but if you want simplicity it’s there straight out of the box.
Read the full review: Source Audio Ventris
9. Digitech Polara
Unique reverb adds a touch of the weird
Controls: Level, Liveliness, Decay, Reverb type selector, Tails | Sockets: Stereo I/O | Bypass: True bypass | Power requirements: 9V DC
Digitech has great pedigree at the lower to middle end of the pedal market, so it's good to see the brand offering something over and above a 'standard' reverb. The Digitech Polara has all the usual reverb types you'd expect, but adds in some nice modulation effects and their Halo setting hits the spot for shimmer fans.
We particularly liked the 'tails' switch, which either cuts off the reverberating audio when you hit the switch, or leaves it to run its course. A nice option to have from a decent all-round pedal.
Read the review: DigiTech Polara
10. Earthquaker Devices Dispatch Master V3
Reverb and delay working together
Price: $199 | Controls: Mix, Time, Reverb, Repeats | Sockets: I/O | Bypass: Buffered bypass | Power requirements: 9V DC
Earthquaker Devices is responsible for some truly weird and wonderful pedals, which is why the relative simplicity of the Dispatch Master came as a surprise. Combining a fairly basic - albeit high quality - reverb and delay into one pedal, the Dispatch Master won't have you fiddling for ages to find the right sound.
We liked the Flexi-Switch function. Essentially, by holding the switch down you can access the pedal's tones for short bursts, making it perfect for those minor creative flourishes. Build quality is rock solid, and despite the overall minimal approach to tweaking, the Dispatch Master is a success in our eyes.
