Verbs & delays, What's on the market?

Howard Parker · From: Maryland

I've been gigging the RV5 & DD6 pedals for quite a while and I am not dissatisfied. I've got a hair up my butt for something boutiquey although I question my reasoning.

I'll occasionally wish for a lusher/warmer reverb, perhaps a tad less harsh. Sometimes the delay seems a tad "choppy" to my ears.

So...should I be considering something "Holy Grailish"/"Strymonish" or am I looking for an excuse to buy new toys? Is anyone besides me going to hear a difference? Is the difference "worth" it?

For the sake of discussion let's talk single function pedal only. No multi-effect or rack mount.

Thanks in advance.

Standing by...
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Howard Parker

03\' Carter D-10
70\'s Dekley D-10
52\' Fender Custom
Many guitars by Paul Beard

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

The only suggestion I would make is maybe trying a DD3 in place of the DD6.

Rick Barnhart · From: Arizona, USA

SGF member, Pat Moore is selling a Wet Reverb right now. That's the one pedal, I'll never part with.
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Chuck Blake · From: West Virginia, USA

Howard I think you're in for a bunch of answers to your post. But here is my take on the subject......

I play two different rack systems

#1 Walker Stereo Steel amp/preamp with a TC Electronics M-350

#2 Peavey ProFex II powered by a Peavey DPC 750

Having said the above, I purchased a Holy Grail Nano recently just to try it as a backup.

I found the HG Nano to be a GREAT verb pedal so much so that I sold the TC Electronics M350 and play only the Stereo Steel and the HG Nano. Also, I don't like the Peavey Rack as much now and hardly play it. The HG Nano also makes by wife's bass amp, a MB 200 sound great with my steel.

Just MTCW.....I wish you could hear the difference. My wife yelled at me from the living room and said, "keep it"...lol
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Gary Lee Gimble · From: Fredericksburg, VA.

Stand by no more Howard. For one month at home, simply plug into your amp, no verb, no delay and no volume pedal. Start from scratch, tweak and fine tune your technique. You may be pleasantly surprised after a month or two of said suggestion. I knew a fellow from Seattle, Washington, Whimpy Jenkins, who played an old Fender steel. His amp was a Sears Silvertone, of which, had no working reverb. He sounded rather spiffy good and played his arse off too.
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Greg Cutshaw · From: Corry, PA, USA

I've gone through 3 RV-5's. They seemed to be warm and lush for awhile but little by little over a multi-year period got real grainy and then started dropping out the reverb altogether. Not sure if maybe they slowoly lost some of their internal memory.

I tried a bunch of reverbs and am currently using the Hall Of Fame Reverb mostly set on "Church" for steel. Church really is a hall cathedral! I use the Mod reverb a lot for guitar. It gives the standard guitar a lot of texture without sounding like chorus. I have tried the MPX1, Verbzilla and RV-7 all. None were to my liking. I prefer the sound of hall reverb so those that like spring reverb might like other types of pedals. I do have a Blackface Fender Princeton reverb that has the most awesome spring reverb I've ever heard in an amp next to the Webb steel amp. YMMV! I tend to use a lot of reverb and no echo so that pry affects my choices as well.

Howard Parker · From: Maryland

Tom Wolverton · From: Carpinteria, CA

This is my current favorite: HoF reverb with an Analogman modified DD-3

I love the Wet reverb too, but the HoF is more versatile.

If you need it all in one pedal: Earthquaker DispatchMaster, Zcat or maybe a Zoom multistomp would work, but I prefer the separate pedals.
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Howard Parker · From: Maryland

I prefer to stay with single function pedals.

Knowing me I will agonize over this decision, possibly to the point of gridlock!

h

Gary Lee Gimble · From: Fredericksburg, VA.

Howard Parker · From: Maryland

Paddy Long · From: Christchurch, New Zealand

I have the Digitech Hardwire RV7 Stereo in my Dobro pedal board which I like a lot Very Happy

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Roger Dillingham · From: Kentucky, USA

Hey Howard, I agree with Paddy that the Digitech Hardwire RV-7 is a great reverb pedal (Lexicon algorithms in there). I used one for several years and was totally satisfied until I decided to try the Neunaber Wet Reverb (stereo version). Since then, I have passed my RV-7 to my grandson to use with his six string. I don't think I could ever go back to the RV-7 with my steel; the Wet Reverb is awesome with steel! IMHO anyone would be hard pressed to come up with a more natural sounding, studio quality reverb. I would like to try a Strymon Blue Sky someday....but for the simplicity of use I don't think you can beat the Wet Reverb!! Good luck with your decision. Roger Smile

Howard Parker · From: Maryland

Thanks for the discussion folks.

Have to research features vs. budget.

h
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Howard Parker

03\' Carter D-10
70\'s Dekley D-10
52\' Fender Custom
Many guitars by Paul Beard

Tommy Detamore · From: Floresville, Texas

I am liking the verbs in the Strymon Flint a lot, particularly the plate. The spring is great too, and it's nice to have both on tap. I bought it for my guitar amp which has no reverb or tremolo built in, but lately I have been using it with steel. I have a Blue Sky on loan from a friend so I could compare the two. The Blue Sky is nice, but I like the Flint better.
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Tim Sheinman · From: Brighton, UK

Earthquaker Dispatch Master. Delay and Reverb, check out Premier Guitar review. IMHO a no-brainer for sounds and value.

"The Dispatch Master is one of those pedals that can find you reconsidering the worth of whole swaths of your stompbox collection.

It’s also the kind of effect that you grab when you don’t have much space and when you’re trying to do the most with the least"

Brad Sarno · From: St. Louis, MO USA

Like Tommy D just said about the Flint being better than the Blue Sky. I agree. Even the design engineers at Strymon say that the Flint may be their best reverb pedal, and the tremolo side is just a bonus. I love the Flint reverbs, just killer. But also, every time I hear the WET Reverb I think it's as good as they get as well.

Lately I use the Dispatch Master out of sheer convenience and economy. There are very few delay&reverb-in-one pedals out there, and the Dispatch Master is a nice and lush sound, kind of BIG and dreamy sounding but nice.

I think the dry signal path quality is better in the Strymon and WET pedals. They do less alteration of your dry tone compared to the Dispatch Master, but that difference is not dramatic.

B

John Owen · From: Seattle, Washington, USA

I've been using Wampler "Faux Analog Echo" for delay and Wampler "Faux Spring Reverb" for, you guessed it, reverb. They both have tone controls for the effect which helped me get rid of the choppy symptom you described on the delay. They also meet your 'boutique-y' criteria (with prices to match). Take a look at them and see what you think. I've been really happy with both of them.
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Jim Sliff · From: Lawndale California, USA

I don't use reverb at all on steel - but I don't use one delay either.

I always have two analog delays (sometimes one is swapped out for an Echoplex) at the tail end of my effects, just before a noise gate.

Analog delay is FAR warmer sounding than 99% of digital delays, and you can get a very smooth, natural, full-frequency (built-in amp spring reverb usually affects only higher frequencies), warm "spaciousness".

I set one for a medium-short delay, mixed 30%/70% delay/dry signal with a fairly long repeat, and a short (slower than slapback) delay with fewer repeats. The combination comes through clearly and with great articulation; it also doesn't sound like an "effect" - you really notice it more if it's NOT there.

The ones I normally use are an old Ibanez AD9 and a Seven Sisters "Violet" (sometimes Violet is mounted on my steel; if so I tie an Echoplex to the AD9, since my pedalboard is for both guitar and steel, with 4 onboard effects on my steel for specific uses).

Even changing to a single analog delay would be an improvement over digital for no-"effect" delay IMO.

Other good ones: The SIB Mr. Echo, H&K Replex (large, but tube-driven and a nice Echoplex emulator), and the sleeper, the Ibanez EM5 Echomachine (well known in the Tele world, it's actually digital but has a "crap" factor built in with a VERY slightly overdriven sound with tiny amounts of tapelike wow & flutter).
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Tommy Detamore · From: Floresville, Texas

Man I've gotta try a Dispatch Master! I ran across some favorable comments about them in some guitar forums, and wondered how they might be with steel. Same with the Wamplers and the Wet mentioned. I have a Wampler Ego compressor on my guitar board and love it.

Lately I have been working on a new rig design that will allow me to try various pedals in a parallel loop without the usual problems of phase cancellations and the inability to mix the effects in varying degrees. Rack effects units are convenient, but you are really stuck with what you get with them. And the selection of suitable rack units as compared to pedals is comparatively small these days. Given the variety of current pedal choices and the level of sound quality and sophistication they bring to the table, this makes for some fun times for experimenting steelers Wink

This is a great thread!
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Tommy Detamore

Source Audio, Goodrich Sound, and Stringjoy Authorized Dealer

www.cherryridgestudio.com
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Tommy Mc · From: Middlesex VT

I recently bought a Holy Grail Plus. I'm very happy with it. I did a lot of research before plunking my money down, and the HG got lots of great reviews...both here, and on other sites. I'm a little surprised there hasn't been more mention of it in this thread.

Jerry Berger · From: Nampa, Idaho USA

Tommy Mc ...... I have a Holy Grail PLus that I am going to try on my new (used) Fender D-6 Stringmaster when it arrives at my house today. Very Happy

Chuck Blake · From: West Virginia, USA

Jerry and Tommy, the HG Nano sounds great, just a little more simpler than the HG Plus and a smaller footprint. That's the only effect I'm using now.
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Chuck Blake · From: West Virginia, USA

Jerry and Tommy, the HG Nano sounds great, just a little more simpler than the HG Plus and a smaller footprint. That's the only effect I'm using now.
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2010 Rains 3x5 SD10, 2006 Rains 3x5 SD10 Powered by Quilter Tone Block 202 and 15' and 12' Custom Speaker cabs

Mitch Druckman · From: Arizona, USA

Boss RE-20 for Delay.
Lexicon LXP-1 for Reverb.

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