Stryman big sky

[Kevin Quick]

At that price like $500. Is it really that much better?

[Brett Lanier]

At the time that it came out there weren't that many high end stompbox style reverb pedals that could do midi program changes, presets, assignable expression control... It's a good pedal, but I think a big part of why a lot of people payed 500 bucks for it was to be able to hook it into a pedalboard rig that sends midi control messages.

Since the Big Sky came out, companies like Meris, Empress, Chase Bliss, Neunaber, have figured out how to send and receive midi through a TRS jack. So even though the Big Sky is still a great sounding pedal, it's close to being outdated because it takes up a lot of space on your board.

[David Nugent]

The Strymon pedals also need more power to function properly than most, therefore, if placed on a pedal board each one may require a separate power supply (included with the purchase) or an adequate block style supply. If the units are "starved" for power they will produce a rather loud whistle like hum and the lights will blink repeatedly. As mentioned, they are great sounding though. I use the 'Blue Sky' reverb coupled with the "Brigadier' delay and the combination is hard to match IMO.

[Stephen Rethmeier]

For what it's worth (see what I did there?), I recently got one used off of Reverb for about $380. I held off getting one for a long time because of the cost new. Then a friend lent me one and I liked really liked it. For me the presets are helpful because I don't really want to figure it out myself--just want to play. If I get tired of it I figure I can sell it back on Reverb for near the same price.

[Michael Butler]

i have the big sky and it is a wonderful machine. as with a lot of these, there is a learning curve but once you get it figured out, you can save your own creations as a preset. they are located about 8 miles from me and i've seen that they use high quality parts which may be why they charge quite a bit.

look for one on your local craigslist or ebay or reverb.

play music!

[Jay Coover]

My personal opinion, and I own one (Big Sky), is that at the price it is viable when you want to control your reverb with MIDI and live switch between many patches, or if you want to quickly switch between 3 patches with the on-board foot switches. All the algorithms sound great.

If all you want is a solid reverb and not fancy switching between patches, get something like an EHX Ocean's 11, or one of many others for much less.

[Chris Walke]

If all you want is a solid reverb and not fancy switching between patches, get something like an EHX Ocean's 11, or one of many others for much less.

A friend of mine gave me his BigSky to help him figure out how to use it. He is solidly in the "just needs a solid reverb" camp, and I advised him that this box does WAY-WAY-WAY more than he'll ever use.

I've been intrigued by the Oceans 11 pedal. Looks like a much simpler pedal, and still probably more than most would use. And yes, a much more manageable price point.

[Chris Willingham]

All the Strymon gear is killer IMO. I've got a Blue Sky and a El Cap on my steel board and they're really nice together.

If you're shopping verbs, the new Chase Bliss Dark World is well worth checking out. I've got it on my fiddle board and it's capable of SO much in a small footprint. Really beautiful plate, spring and hall and you can combine it with different mods, a shimmer, freeze, etc and then mix and match those all day. Midi over TRS too, which is really nice. A little cheaper than Big Sky too.

[Jay Coover]

I've been intrigued by the Oceans 11 pedal. Looks like a much simpler pedal, and still probably more than most would use. And yes, a much more manageable price point.

The Ocean's 11 is my favorite simple reverb pedal. The spring has the drip you want (THAT is tough to find), the plate is warm and lush, all the algorithms are great. Find the one you want and stick with it. I have a TC Hall of Fame v1 as well. Great reverb with some editing features, but the spring is not springy at all.

I think though, that for PSG, usually a plate or smooth hall verb is most often used, so your options are many.

[Chris Walke]

The Ocean's 11 is my favorite simple reverb pedal. The spring has the drip you want (THAT is tough to find), the plate is warm and lush, all the algorithms are great. Find the one you want and stick with it. I have a TC Hall of Fame v1 as well. Great reverb with some editing features, but the spring is not springy at all.

I think though, that for PSG, usually a plate or smooth hall verb is most often used, so your options are many.

I agree on the HoF spring. Not quite there. I tend to use one of the TonePrints (don't remember the name. very lush).

[Charley Paul]

The Bigsky is magical with pedal steel.

Here’s the catch....if you just want a simple reverb, it’s overkill. If you want to build a soundscape, it’s just right.

[Charley Paul]

The Bigsky is magical with pedal steel.

Here’s the catch....if you just want a simple reverb, it’s overkill. If you want to build a soundscape, it’s just right.