The Best Reverb Pedal Review (And Other Things You Need To Know About Reverb Pedals) 2022

By Monica | Gear

Apr 02
Best Reverb Pedal

Reverb pedals can almost be the bread and butter of guitar players. This particular stomp box can create unique effects that would enhance the quality of your performance. In this article, we will showcase the best reverb pedals out there. So what are you waiting for? Read on!

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Reverb Pedal Buying Guide

Best Reverb Pedal Review

What Is The Reverb Effect

In layman's definition, the reverb is the phenomenon in which the sound persists after its initial occurrence. There are several causes for this. One of them is when the sound hits or reflects a surface. The reverb continues until it is not audible anymore. In short, it is close to being an echo. Or we could say it as the natural occurring spatial sounds.

Do You Need A Reverb Pedal

As it is defined, the reverb pedal could be the particular game changer that you need. Specifically, this stompbox is crucial in generating an "area" where your guitar can stand out in the mix. You can even use it during live performances and recording applications.

Of course, we have to note that stereo panning is different from the reverb effect. The former will shift the placement of your guitar horizontally to create an emphasis. On the flip side, reverb can give your instrument further depth by shifting your guitar away or closer to the mix.

The average guitar sound will always be static and close. Therefore, adding a reverb effect will produce a spatial atmosphere. It is like you are immersing your guitar thoroughly in the mix.

Reverb Pedal vs. Delay Pedal

Although these two has some similar nuances, they are still different. However, they have similar applications. In fact, you can use them simultaneously.

Specifically, a delay pedal will create repetitions to the sound that is coming out from your guitar. The process involves a particular segment in the tone and plays it back in a specified period. Meanwhile, the reverb pedal just produces background reflections to your instrument.

Both of these effects can work together. The reason is that these effects are commonly present at signal chain's ends. You can also use these effects in a looping effect. If you do so, you will create a layered sound that is noticeable and audibly engaging.

Types of Reverb Pedal

You should know that there are various kinds of reverb pedals. Each of these varieties has unique applications. Therefore, it is essential to pick which one can work best for you. But if you want all these reverbs on your pedalboard, then there is nothing wrong with that, too. The most important thing here is that you know how to use them.

Here are the types of reverb pedals:

  • Spring - The spring reverb pedal can create natural ambient reflections. Specifically, it uses a mechanical scheme that includes a pickup and transducer. These components try to capture any occurring vibrations in the spring. Most of the guitar amps today comes with spring reverb. One fine example is the Fender Twin Reverb.This particular pedal works best for rock and surf tones. If you want to produce vintage reverb sounds, then the spring is your best choice.
  • Room - The room reverb is excellent in simulating the sounds that are coming from an acoustic enclosure. The reverb this stompbox creates is popular for being short and quick fading. However, a room reverb is a good alternative for any "slapback echoes."
  • Hall - Meanwhile, the hall reverb is the direct opposite of a room reverb. The sounds it creates is similar to those you can hear in spacious concert halls. They have louder and longer decay duration compared to room reverb pedals.
  • Plate Reverb - Plate reverbs are not pedals anymore as these things are humongous in size already. They are large machines that can produce same effects as a hall reverb, but louder and more focused. This particular reverb is a standard equipment for sound engineers and studio corporations.
  • Pitch-Shift - The pitch-shift reverb, commonly known as shimmer, is a popular type of guitar pedal. It is one of your best choices if you are aiming to imbibe otherworldly effects to your instrument. Specifically, is uses intervals to produce various kinds of harmonies. For example, the octave-up intervals are ideal for creating a divine and ethereal effects in high reverb frequencies.

With all of these things covered, let us go to some of the best reverb pedals on the market today. We will highlight each of their key features so that you will know if you need them or not. The capabilities of these guitar pedals are different from one another. But we guarantee that there is something here that will work for you. Let's get started!

Best Reverb Pedal

The Hall of Fame of TC Electronic is a reverb pedal recommended by everyone else. Any music gear reviews include this pedal on their list, simply because it is an excellent choice. Specifically, this pedal possesses all the things that you need from an effects pedal such as price, durability, and versatility.

When it comes to performance, the Hall of Fame is a working horse. It won't stop until you can get the desired tone that you want. It has a solid build as well that can withstand punishment! It is also good to note that this pedal uses a true bypass circuitry. Therefore, it won't really mess up with your tone!

The versatility of Hall of Fame is quite convincing. It got several knobs for you to configure the overall reverb effects that you want to hear. Specifically, it got the Decay, Tone, Pre-Delay, and FX Level settings. Furthermore, its TonePrint feature allows you to load a customized reverb sound from the TC Electronic mobile app!

Pros:

  • Excellent construction and interface
  • True bypass circuitry
  • ​The price complements its quality and value
  • ​Comes with TonePrint technology
  • Ideal for experimenting new reverb sounds

Cons:

  • Does not work well with single reverb sounds
  • Its reverb emulation is just mediocre

The HOEREV Guitar Ocean Verb may not be a popular choice for reverb pedals. But we have to remind you that this one can compete with the rest of the crowd. Ocean Verb is an excellent sounding pedal. Choosing it would not be a waste of money and time. Instead, it might be the ideal reverb pedal that you are looking for.

We can say that Ocean Verb classic reverbs. Specifically, it can generate rich tones and ambient acoustics with extreme details. Since it is using a true bypass circuit, you don't have to worry about tone flavoring. The sounds it produces will remain authentic and smooth!

Meanwhile, the build of Ocean Verb is quite decent too. It is among the most compact pedals that we ever tested. It won't eat a lot of space to your pedalboard. Moreover, you can carry it anywhere else with confidence, thanks to its durability.

Pros:

  • True bypass circuitry
  • Classic reverb sounds
  • ​Three reverb effects (Decay, Mix, and Tone)
  • ​Can perform Room, Shimmer, and Spring reverb effects
  • Compact and rugged design

Cons:

  • It doesn't come with a power source
  • Sounding is not that strong as compared to its competitors


Any music gear review will not be complete without the brand Boss included. Even in products like reverb pedals, we can say that Boss is a domineering brand. From the build quality down to the overall sound performance, the Boss RV-6 is a good as DigiTech Polara. Moreover, its versatility is not that inhibited also. And you can get all of these features at a down-to-earth price!

The sound that Boss RV-6 can create is truly stellar. It has a true bypass circuitry that comes with three configuration modes (effects level, tone, and time). Also, it got a mode selector in which allows you to switch this pedal into eight different effects (delay, shimmer, hall, room, plate, spring, dynamic, and modulate). Of course, we know that you will never ignore such capabilities.

The Boss RV-6 is slightly bigger than the rest of the pedals here. But it doesn't mean that this one is not compact already. Instead, it has the perfect fit for any pedal board. It also exhibits durability, which is necessary for enthusiastic guitar artists!

Pros:

  • Extremely versatile guitar pedal
  • There are no sound degradation
  • ​True bypass circuitry
  • ​Each of the reverb modes works perfectly
  • Sturdy hardware and construction

Cons:

  • Contains too much bass
  • Not as organic sounding as we thought it should

Digitech Polara is a heaven-sent reverb pedal. It holds a legendary status, considering that Digitech and Lexicon worked together to make this pedal. Therefore, their technical knowledge was mashed up to create an excellent reverb pedal, which is the Polara.

Among the reverb pedals here, Polara has the most appealing design. Its aesthetics will create a spark to your pedalboard. However, it is not only on the layout where Polara excels. Of course, it has extremely efficient and heart-stopping performance. It possesses all the ergonomic controls that you need from a reverb pedal.

Moreover, you can also convert it into seven types of reverbs!Operating Polara is fairly simple, too. It doesn't have any complex layout or controls that would leave anyone baffled. As soon as you unboxed this pedal, you can use it already! And it is something that you don't see every day!

Pros:

  • Bullet Point 1
  • Bullet Point 2

Well-built hardware and constructionTrue bypass circuitryLayout and interface are intuitiveVersatile reverb pedalComes with Stereo output and input

Cons:

  • Its Modulate reverb has limitations
  • This pedal is quite heavy


Electro Harmonix or EHX is among the scions of the effects pedal industry. They are the current luminaries of some of the best effects pedals on the market today. And we believe that it will continue in the years to come. In the category of reverb pedals, their Holy Grail Nano symbolizes the epitome of excellence and qualities.

It is true that the features of Holy Grail Nano are fewer compared to its competitors. But when it comes to single reverb performance, nothing can beat it. Specifically, it is the spring reverb of Holy Grail Nano that would leave you on the edge of your seats. In fact, it is hard to describe the sound it produces. It is both thick and bright and the same time. It has a lot of nuances that you cannot surmise.

The Holy Grail Nano has excellent build and layout, too. It has a simple industrial interface, but everything else is intuitive. It is durable and compact. Therefore, you can bring it to live performances without having to worry anything.

Pros:

  • Excellent spring reverb
  • Extremely durable hardware and construction
  • ​True bypass circuitry
  • Sound quality surpasses other reverb pedals
  • Simple and intuitive interface

Cons:

  • Slightly pricey
  • It is not a versatile reverb pedal

MXR M300 is an excellent choice if you are looking for a versatile reverb pedal. This particular stompbox is designed to do that. It comes with six reverb styles that give you access to multiple ambient sounds. Moreover, you can also partner it with an expression pedal so that you can produce exhilarating effects.

The MXR M300 is using a true bypass circuitry. But aside from that, it comes with a selectable trail bypass mode, too. Specifically, this mode will allow the sound to ring out even if you shut down the pedal already. Apparently, this feature is unique to MXR M300 only.

We can't say anything bad about the build of this reverb pedal. It is extremely durable and highly compact, too. Operating this reverb pedal won't bother you either. It is perfect for practicing guitarists who are new to the world of effects pedals! Moreover, it is a wallet-friendly option, if you are tight on budget.

Pros:

  • True bypass circuitry
  • Uses an alternative trail bypass circuitry
  • ​Reverb effects are pretty limitless
  • ​Can operate in either Stereo or Mono mode
  • Durable and compact

Cons:

  • Tone quality is not as convincing and impactful as other top brands
  • Quite pricey

The Mugig Reverburg is among the most decent reverb pedals we have ever tested. It has great build and quality, and it can produce decent reverbs at various frequencies. It can help your guitar to get a better limelight in the entire mix, regardless if it is a live performance or a studio recording.

The controls for the Mugig Reverburg is pretty simple. It got all the ideal effects (such Mix, Decay, and Tone) to make sure that you can be versatile at all time. The Reverburg is also a 3-in-1 guitar pedal. Specifically, you can switch between Shimmer, Room, and Spring modes.

Of course, it uses a true bypass technology. As a result, it has a smooth operation and can produce rich reverbs at all times. Moreover, it is compact and lightweight. Therefore, it is a great addition to your pedalboard.

Pros:

  • Does not color the tone of the guitar
  • Highly versatile reverb pedal
  • ​Simple layout and interface
  • ​Extremely affordableIdeal for multiple applications

Cons:

  • The hardware is not that great
  • The sound it produce is not as impactful as other reverb pedals

Final Verdict

As you can see, all of these pedals we listed here can serve you one way or another. They have their respective strengths that made them famous to many guitar players. Of course, they have weaknesses also. But they are not the "deal breakers" that would make you shut them down. Those are just minor issues that these manufacturers can change or improve in their next releases.

But for the meantime, they are the best options that you have. Among these candidates, we deem the EHX Holy Grail Nano as the best reverb pedal. From the build down to the quality of reverb, the Holy Grail Nano truly excels.

However, we still recommend that you try all the pedals that we included here. Who knows? One of them might benefit your play style and musical preferences.

What are your thoughts about this list? Did we miss something? Just write your comments in the box below!

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About the Author

Hi everyone! Im Monica and I am an avid lover of guitars and everything in-between. My current profession is not really music-related. It is quite discouraging but I just don't want to drop my zeal--especially not to guitars! I created GuitarTrance.Com so that I can keep up with my hobby. Of course, I want to engage with the community as well! Hope we can all get along!