# Reverb - The King of Effects?



## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

Thats the one I can probably never live without. I would say it has to be the king of all effects.


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## hardasmum (Apr 23, 2008)

Reverb is an effect I never use. In fact none of the amps I have owned have even had built in reverb.


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## ACCABUTS (Nov 7, 2011)

It's taken a long time for me to appreciate reverb. I've been playing in bands for almost 20 years now and only in the last few years I have started to realize how valuable reverb is to your sound. I am using the reverb from my Mark V plus I use a Strymon Blue Sky for the really saturated reverb tones. Some reverb and my DMM is all I need!!


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## Shark (Jun 10, 2010)

I find a lack of reverb kinda weird. I have an amp right now without reverb and, though it forces me to play better, I still miss that bit of extra _something_ that reverb gives me. I'm looking around for a reverb pedal right now. I bought a BOSS RV-5, but it's wasn't what I was after. Checking out real spring pedals at the moment.


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

ACCABUTS said:


> Some reverb and my DMM is all I need!!


Yes, that's a great combo. I'm back to an amp with 'verb after not having one for a couple of years and it's like a night and day difference. It just adds that little "something" that was missing in some of the songs I play that I couldn't get with delay alone.


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

I agree, I always use reverb. I find it sounds too dry without it.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Reverb isn't so much a *guitar* effect as a *music* effect. That is, it doesn't really change the sound of the instrument as much as alter the sense of space that the instrument exists in, thereby changing the overall feel of the music.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

sulphur said:


> I agree, I always use reverb. I find it sounds too dry without it.


Same for me.

Cheers

Dave


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

I like to keep reverb around 2 - 2.5. Just a touch. Sounds just right for clean and slighlty overdriven sounds. If I push the distortion, it's like turning the reverb off - which is what I am after.


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## allthumbs56 (Jul 24, 2006)

A bit odd for me - I insist on having it ..... but seldom use it


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

Funny .. I was imitating ( ha ha hahha ) along with Peter Green this morning ... and turned the reverb off on the Deluxe .. wow a new sound ... kqoct


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## ACCABUTS (Nov 7, 2011)

Mark P said:


> I find a lack of reverb kinda weird. I have an amp right now without reverb and, though it forces me to play better, I still miss that bit of extra _something_ that reverb gives me. I'm looking around for a reverb pedal right now. I bought a BOSS RV-5, but it's wasn't what I was after. Checking out real spring pedals at the moment.


Check out the Blue Sky from Strymon... best verb pedal I have ever played. Alien Space O' Verb is a CLOSE second.



hollowbody said:


> Yes, that's a great combo. I'm back to an amp with 'verb after not having one for a couple of years and it's like a night and day difference. It just adds that little "something" that was missing in some of the songs I play that I couldn't get with delay alone.


Yeah, and amp without deplay is just a speaker! With some verb and delay you can get so many great sounds... it's mind blowing!



mhammer said:


> Reverb isn't so much a *guitar* effect as a *music* effect. That is, it doesn't really change the sound of the instrument as much as alter the sense of space that the instrument exists in, thereby changing the overall feel of the music.


Love the way you worded this!!


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## Sneaky (Feb 14, 2006)

mhammer said:


> Reverb isn't so much a *guitar* effect as a *music* effect. That is, it doesn't really change the sound of the instrument as much as alter the sense of space that the instrument exists in, thereby changing the overall feel of the music.


That's kinda my thoughts too. I've never even thought of reverb an effect. It is either there or it isn't. I learned to play on Fender amps that always had reverb, therefore I always had it on. I hardly ever play amps with reverb anymore and I don't miss it one bit. I've never even considered getting an outboard reverb pedal.


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## Petey D (Sep 8, 2011)

Everything sounds better with reverb. Playing without it just sounds wrong to me.


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## hardasmum (Apr 23, 2008)

sulphur said:


> I agree, I always use reverb. I find it sounds too dry without it.


I like my guitars dry. Even when I am mixing I seldom add any reverb to guitar unless I am trying to get a solo to sit right or going for that Arctic Monkeys / Libertines vibe.

Personally it gets all washy to me live besides you get natural reverb from the venue you're playing in.


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

New sound to no sound .... think I popped a cap in my Deluxe this afternoon ...




shoretyus said:


> Funny .. I was imitating ( ha ha hahha ) along with Peter Green this morning ... and turned the reverb off on the Deluxe .. wow a new sound ... kqoct


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## Shark (Jun 10, 2010)

hardasmum said:


> Personally it gets all washy to me live besides you get natural reverb from the venue you're playing in.


Depends on the 'verb. I think a nice spring reverb can fill out the sound well without detracting from the sound. But digital reverbs need a really deft touch sometimes.


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

I always use reverb, but very subtly. Just a touch is enough for me.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

I use less than I used to, but I do like to use it.

just adds that extra bit to my sound.

Of course in the right room, you don't really need it.


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## hummingway (Aug 4, 2011)

Reverb is essential in the studio in some form but I think it needs to be used very judiciously by the live guitarist. While it can be an effect unto itself it can bury the notes you're playing. With a sweet sounding amp it's not necessary ... but it can be fun! In a reflective room it can be death though.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

I use reverb very sparingly.

I prefer to add that at the board. That may be due to some extent to having spent a lot of time as a sound man.

The reverb you hear on stage or in your home can really make for a mushy mix in the context of a band.

When I play alone I tend to go with more reverb and effects in general.

Most of the amps I've owned have had reverb, but it never gets turned up past 2 or 3. I've never owned a reverb pedal.

I prefer a nice rack mounted digital reverb.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

I was looking for something to read on the bus this morning, and grabbed some literature on the Lexicon MPX100 I have, and haven't really used for quite a while. There are a LOT of reverb possibilities on it. beween this thread, and the reading material, I think I'll get "back into" reverb this evening.


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## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

Milkman said:


> I use reverb very sparingly.
> 
> I prefer to add that at the board. That may be due to some extent to having spent a lot of time as a sound man.
> 
> ...


I use it all the time, but like you it is very slight. Never turned up more than 1-2 on the dial. Just a little bit seems to work for me.


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

For me reverb is essential, but a little goes a long way - if you notice it, you've probably got too much. At our church there are a couple of sound techs that soak everything in reverb and when combined with the natural reverb in the room, it turns the mix into soup.


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## prodigal_son (Apr 23, 2009)

How about delay instead of reverb? I use a Memory Lane with modulation for a reverby sound in slower solos and mellow clean channel stuff. I also use a Boss DM-2 for a shorter, more in the pocket sort of reverb/echoy effect for rhythm stuff. No reverb whatsoever..


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

prodigal_son said:


> How about delay instead of reverb? I use a Memory Lane with modulation for a reverby sound in slower solos and mellow clean channel stuff. I also use a Boss DM-2 for a shorter, more in the pocket sort of reverb/echoy effect for rhythm stuff. No reverb whatsoever..


I'm of the same opinion...I don't use reverb, just a touch of delay and chorus.imo, it's subtler, yet more complex.


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## hardasmum (Apr 23, 2008)

I've been listening to the latest Arctic Monkeys' album and suddenly I have GAS for a reverb pedal! WTF?!

Pigs are likely to fly soon....


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## Roryfan (Apr 19, 2010)

Amp reverb is OK but I prefer to place my cab in the chimney of a haunted 17th century English mansion.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

The amount depends on the room, but I use reverb almost all the time, though mostly so slight it 's hardly noticable. Sometimes I crank it a bit for obvious surf-like tones or over-the-top wash, but just enough to fatten the tone a bit is all I usually want. My Traynors have gobs of reverb available so I have to be careful on the low end of the dial, but the tone pleases me.

Peace, Mooh.


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## Morkolo (Dec 9, 2010)

I love reverb and use it whenever I play.. it just makes everything sound right to my ears.


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## Guest (Jan 8, 2012)

Na, MHammer is the King of Effects...


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

Mooh said:


> The amount depends on the room, but I use reverb almost all the time, though mostly so slight it 's hardly noticable. Sometimes I crank it a bit for obvious surf-like tones or over-the-top wash, but just enough to fatten the tone a bit is all I usually want. My Traynors have gobs of reverb available so I have to be careful on the low end of the dial, but the tone pleases me.
> 
> Peace, Mooh.


Agreed Mooh... I could have had my Deluxe reverb knob welded at 3 .. but lately I have been even turning it off.. Boomy rooms the 'verb is off. I also like my Hammond with verb... which makes those enthusiasts cringe


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## hardasmum (Apr 23, 2008)

Any recommendations for my first reverb pedal in 30 years then? 

$80-$150 price range. 

The EQD Ghost Echo demos sound good, also like the discontinued Malekko Chicklet.


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## Slidewinder (Apr 7, 2006)

I don't think there is any King of effects but some do come pretty close. I have a malekko chicklet reverb but it sits in the drawer in favour of my hermida reverb. Just one knob to mix but it's very transparent and gives me just the right amount.
For a drive pedal I had to completely redo my board. The only drive pedal I use now is my ethos. It does every drive I can think of, which leaves me with a drawer full of pedals I'll probably sell sometime down the road. For a fuzz I use the mad professor fire red. between that and the ethos I've got pretty much all the bases covered, regardless of the amp I use.


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## hardasmum (Apr 23, 2008)

Slidewinder said:


> I don't think there is any King of effects but some do come pretty close. I have a malekko chicklet reverb but it sits in the drawer in favour of my hermida reverb. Just one knob to mix but it's very transparent and gives me just the right amount.
> For a drive pedal I had to completely redo my board. The only drive pedal I use now is my ethos. It does every drive I can think of, which leaves me with a drawer full of pedals I'll probably sell sometime down the road. For a fuzz I use the mad professor fire red. between that and the ethos I've got pretty much all the bases covered, regardless of the amp I use.



original message deleted
PM sent


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## hardasmum (Apr 23, 2008)

Okay so hell froze over today and I picked up a used EQD Ghost Echo off of CL. 

Don't tell anyone but I love it! I won't be leaving it on for every song, but there are some parts where a little springy slapback sounds pretty cool.


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## Twanger (Mar 21, 2008)

...


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## georgemg (Jul 17, 2011)

GuitarsCanada said:


> Thats the one I can probably never live without. I would say it has to be the king of all effects.


If you consider distortion as an effect - and I do - I would put distortion as my "can't live without." I do like reverb though. I used to use the reverb from my amps (subtly) all the time but a couple of years ago I put a footswitch on my pedalboard for it and now I set it a bit higher and turn it on about half the time. For some songs a more direct sound seems to work better, but for other songs it just sounds flat without reverb.


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## Samsquantch (Mar 5, 2009)

I like amp and/or pedal reverb (Stereo WET) on clean tones sometimes but it is in no way the king of effects. Reverb plus too much gain or distortion is gross. I'd say OD and distortion pedals are far more kingly.


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