What is a Reverb Pedal? Ultimate Guide for Guitarists: Types, Settings, and Top Tips

Have you ever wondered why your favorite guitar riffs sound so immersive, like they’re filling a massive room or echoing through a canyon? That’s the magic of reverb, and it all starts with a simple pedal.

But what is a reverb pedal, really, and why should you care?

Think of it as the tool that transforms dry, flat guitar tones into lush, expansive soundscapes. Whether you’re looking for the haunting depth of a cathedral or the surfy shimmer of a spring tank, a reverb pedal opens the door to a load of atmospheric sounds.

In this guide, we’ll unpack the different types of reverb, show you how to use them in your rig and arm you with some essential tips to dial in a great tone.

Key Takeaways

• Reverb adds depth and atmosphere to your guitar sound.
• There are various types of reverb: spring, plate, hall, room, and shimmer.
• Reverb pedals let you shape emotion into your guitar tone, from subtle warmth to expansive soundscapes.
• Choosing the right reverb type depends on your genre and playing style.
• Fine-tuning controls like decay, mix, and tone is essential for achieving the best reverb sound.

What is a Reverb Pedal?

A reverb pedal is an important tool for guitarists to add dimension and texture to their sound. Essentially, a reverb pedal simulates the way sound naturally reflects off surfaces in an environment, building, or room. It creates a sense of space and depth that adds to the fullness of your guitar tone.

But, reverb pedals don’t just mimic natural environments like rooms or concert halls—they can also replicate artificial reverb types, such as spring or plate reverb, which originated from vintage recording techniques.

Most reverb pedals allow you to control parameters like the length (decay) and intensity (mix) of the reverb, as well as other settings like pre-delay (how long before the effect kicks in) and tone (adjusting the brightness of the reverb).

The versatility of reverb lets guitarists create anything from subtle ambient backgrounds to huge, atmospheric sounds.

Understanding Reverb

Acoustic reverb is a natural phenomenon that adds depth and spaciousness to sound. It happens when sound waves reflect off surfaces like walls, ceilings, and floors, gradually decaying over time.

But unlike echoes and delay pedals, which create sound repetitions, reverb results from many reflections blending together to create a smooth, continuous decay. The characteristics of reverb vary greatly depending on the size, shape, and materials of the environment. For example, a small room might produce a short, subtle reverb, while a large hall generates long, lush reverberations.

Why Guitarists Use Reverb

Reverb is a powerful tool that allows guitarists to shape the atmosphere and character of their tone. More than just adding depth, reverb can alter the emotional tone of a performance, making it feel larger, more immersive, or even more intimate, depending on how it’s used.

Whether you’re playing solo, in a sparse arrangement, or trying to stand out in a dense mix, reverb can enhance your guitar’s presence and give it a place in the mix.

For guitarists, reverb can smooth out the transitions between notes to create a cohesive, flowing sound that feels polished. It also helps soften harsher frequencies, making the guitar sit more naturally.

But it goes beyond these practical benefits. Reverb is also a lot of fun and can be a playground for creative expression. From subtle, room-like warmth to vast, cavernous echoes, reverb’s versatility opens up endless possibilities for experimentation.

Different Types of Reverb

Reverb pedals offer a wide range of effects, each bringing its own character to your guitar’s sound. From vintage spring and plate reverbs to the huge simulations of halls and rooms, understanding these types can help you to create the perfect guitar sound.

Spring Reverb

Spring reverb is a classic reverb effect that produces a bright, metallic, and slightly “boingy” sound. It was originally found in some vintage guitar amplifiers and uses coiled metal springs to produce its reverb effect.

When sound waves pass through these springs, the vibrations create a lively, percussive reverb. This type of spring reverb has become popular in surf rock, blues music, and much more.

While spring reverb is often associated with retro sounds, its sharp and responsive character is loved by a lot of modern guitar players, too. It’s great for adding a layer of texture and energy to clean and slightly overdriven guitar tones.

Plate Reverb

Plate reverb is another studio classic. It creates a smooth, lush reverb by using a large, suspended metal plate. The sound produced by a plate reverb is dense and warm, with a longer decay than spring reverb. This makes it ideal for adding depth and richness without overpowering the original sound.

Plate reverb was originally used in early recording studios due to its ability to create a wide, even sound. Nowadays, for guitarists, plate reverb provides a full, spacious sound that’s perfect for more atmospheric playing or adding richness to lead parts.

Hall Reverb

Hall reverb simulates the natural acoustics of large concert halls. It offers a grand, spacious sound that adds scale and depth to your guitar tone.

This type of reverb creates long, rich reflections, making it ideal for genres and styles that benefit from a big, expansive sound. Whether you’re creating sweeping ballads, atmospheric soundscapes, or even dramatic rock compositions, hall reverb can make your guitar sound larger than life.

Its ability to add a majestic ambiance works especially well for slow, soaring leads or lush chord progressions that need a touch of grandeur.

Room Reverb

Room reverb, in contrast, mimics the more intimate acoustics of smaller spaces, such as studios or living rooms.

It delivers a tighter, shorter reverb that adds subtle warmth and presence to your guitar sound without overwhelming the original tone.

Room reverb is ideal for genres that require a natural ambiance, from rock and jazz to country and folk. It provides just enough depth to make your guitar sit comfortably in the mix, enhancing its sound without drawing too much attention to the effect itself.

Shimmer Reverb

Shimmer reverb is an effect that adds a layer of otherworldly ambiance to your guitar sound. It uses pitch-shifting elements, often an octave above the original note, to produce a lush, sparkling layer on top of the traditional reverb.

The result is a dreamy, choir-like sound that can transform simple chords into celestial, expansive soundscapes.

Shimmer reverb is widely used in ambient, post-rock, and experimental music, helping to build atmospheric textures that feel both immersive and transcendent.

While it can be tempting to use shimmer reverb in abundance, subtlety is often more effective, ensuring balance in the mix. By carefully integrating this effect, you can add a magical, emotional depth to your music that resonates long after the final note fades.

How to Choose the Right Reverb Pedal for Your Music Style

Choosing the right reverb for your genre can help to improve the tone and mood of your music. Here’s a breakdown of how different reverb types might fit into various music styles:

• Rock and Blues
  Spring reverb brings a bright, percussive quality to your sound, perfect for adding a vintage flair to rock and blues. Its iconic splash is essential for surf rock and gritty blues tones, giving your guitar a classic, retro vibe.
• Jazz, Ballads, and Intimate Genres
  Room and plate reverb offer a warm, natural ambiance that suits the subtle dynamics of jazz or ballads. These reverb types add depth without overwhelming the intricacies of detailed playing, creating a sense of space that enhances rather than overpowers.
• Ambient and Post-Rock
  For expansive soundscapes, hall and shimmer reverb are the perfect choice. Hall reverb can simulate large, cathedral-like spaces, while shimmer adds an ethereal layer, often an octave up, to your sound. These reverbs are ideal for creating atmospheric, dreamy textures and are popular in ambient and post-rock music by artists like Sigur Rós.
• Electronic and Experimental
  For more modern or experimental tones, modulated and reverse reverb offer rhythmic interest and spatial effects. These reverbs can transform simple chord progressions into intricate, evolving textures, perfect for pushing creative boundaries in electronic or avant-garde genres.

Choosing the Right Reverb Pedal

When looking for a reverb pedal, you should consider several key features to ensure it fits your playing style. Let’s break them down with questions that can guide your decision:

What Types of Reverb Do You Need?

A versatile pedal should offer a variety of reverb types such as spring, hall, plate, and shimmer, giving you the flexibility to explore different tonal landscapes. Think about the types of music you play and which reverb types you need.

Do You Want Digital Menus or Simple Knobs?

Would you rather have in-depth control through a digital menu or quick, hands-on adjustments with traditional knobs? Personally, I’m still undecided and keep changing my mind. But pedals with digital interfaces, like the Strymon BigSky, provide extensive customization. But they can also take more time to learn and find your way around.

On the other hand, knob-based pedals offer fast, intuitive control, making them ideal for live performances or for those who prefer simplicity.

What Control Options Are Available?

Look for controls for key parameters such as decay, mix, and tone, which allow you to shape the reverb’s character.

Do you need extra features like pre-delay, modulation, or built-in presets for more creative freedom?

Pedals with these additional options can help you fine-tune your sound in live or studio settings.

Do You Need Stereo or Mono Output?

Are you working with a stereo setup? If so, a stereo reverb pedal may be essential. You’ll find that mono output is sufficient for most simple single-amp setups. Learn more about stereo in our article How to Use Stereo Guitar Pedals.

Is True Bypass or Buffered Bypass Important?

Do you want to preserve your pure dry tone when the pedal is off, or do you need to maintain signal strength over long cable runs? True bypass pedals keep your dry signal untouched, while buffered bypass can prevent signal degradation, especially with larger pedalboards or longer cables.

What Are the Size and Power Requirements?

Do you need a compact pedal for a cramped pedalboard or easy portability? Smaller pedals are convenient for small gigs and travel, while larger pedals often offer more advanced features, but they usually take up more space and use more power.

Best Reverb Pedal Models

Let’s look at some of the most popular reverb pedals on the market to help you find one that aligns with your musical needs.

Strymon BigSky

The Strymon BigSky is renowned for its versatility and high-quality sound. With 12 distinct reverb machines—from lush hall and room reverbs to ethereal shimmer and cloud effects—the BigSky is a go-to pedal for both professional and creative settings. Its simple, intuitive controls make it easy to dial in inspiring reverb tones for any musical context.

Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail

The Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail is celebrated for its simplicity and classic tones. It has three reverb modes: spring, hall, and the unique flerb setting, which blends reverb with flanging for an ethereal, experimental sound.

Known for its affordability, the Holy Grail delivers timeless reverb tones in a compact package, making it a go-to choice for guitarists seeking quality without complexity.

Boss RV-6

The Boss RV-6 combines durability, as is expected from Boss, with eight reverb modes, including room, plate, shimmer, and modulate. Its straightforward design makes it user-friendly for both beginners and experienced players.

Despite being simple, the RV-6 offers advanced tonal shaping with parameters that adjust dynamically, giving you rich and immersive reverb effects suited for any playing style.

TC Electronic Hall of Fame 2

The TC Electronic Hall of Fame 2 has a range of classic reverb types like room, hall, and plate, and it also features TonePrint technology, which allows you to download custom presets from a vast library of artist-designed sounds.

Its MASH footswitch acts as a pressure-sensitive expression pedal, allowing you real-time control for expressive, dynamic reverbs. There’s also a Shimmer effect, which sounds absolutely beautiful and further expands its creative potential, making it one of the most versatile reverb pedals on the market.

I use this pedal on my smaller pedalboard because it offers a balance of creativity and convenience. The only reason it doesn’t make it to my main pedalboard is that I can’t use MIDI to change its presets.

Where Should Reverb Go in Pedal Chain

End Of The Chain

I’ll get straight to the point here. Typically, reverb is placed at the end of your pedal chain. That’s after your other effects like distortion, overdrive, modulation, and delay.

This last-in-chain position lets the reverb wash over the entire signal to create a cohesive and spacious sound. If you place your reverb pedal earlier in the chain, you might find other effects interfere with the reverb, causing it to lose clarity or become muddled.

The Effects Loop

You could also place it in your amp’s effects loop between the preamp and the power amp. This ensures that the reverb interacts with a cleaner signal—this is especially useful for amps set with natural distortion or overdrive. It keeps the reverb effect clear and balanced, even when using high-gain tones.

Before Delay

If you place reverb before delay, it can create unique, layered sounds. The delay will repeat the reverb’s tail, producing an atmospheric effect that works well in ambient or experimental music. However, I personally found this very hard to work with and not suitable for my sound.

Before Distortion

In the past, I’ve also tried placing reverb before distortion. Let’s just say it’s not for me. When the reverb gets distorted, the sound becomes overwhelming and unclear, as the distortion amplifies the reverb’s trails. While it might work for someone, I struggled to find a good use for it.

In my experience, for the clearest, most balanced reverb, keep it toward the end of the chain.

It’s Up To You

But don’t take my word for it. Make sure you experiment and try out as many positions as you can. Here’s what I’ve discovered with other less common positions.

Reverb Settings for Guitar

To get the most out of your reverb pedal, understanding its key controls will help you fine-tune your sound without overwhelming it. Let’s break down the most common parameters you’ll encounter and how they shape your tone.

Decay

The decay control adjusts how long the reverb lasts after you play a note. For a subtle reverb, keep the decay short to add just a touch of space around your sound. If you’re going for a big atmospheric tone, like post-rock or ambient, try extending the decay time for longer, more drawn-out reverb tails.

Mix or Level

The mix (this is sometimes called level) controls the balance between your dry signal (your unaffected guitar tone) and the wet signal (the reverb effect).

A lower mix setting keeps the reverb in the background, adding just a hint of space, while a higher mix brings the reverb front and center, making it a dominant part of your sound.

For most usecases, a moderate mix keeps your playing clear while enhancing it with just the right amount of reverb.

Tone or EQ

The tone or EQ control lets you shape the brightness or warmth of the reverb. Bright reverbs, with higher tone settings, can add sparkle and definition, making the effect more noticeable.

Warmer settings, with lower tone values, mellow the reverb, blending it more naturally with your guitar’s tone.

Use your reverbs tone or EQ to ensure the reverb complements your guitar’s natural character without clashing or becoming too harsh.

Type

The type control appears on reverb pedals that offer multiple reverb options. Use it to select the specific reverb you want to apply, such as hall, plate, shimmer, and others. This lets you quickly switch between different reverb styles to match your desired sound or genre.

Additional Controls

There are also a few additional controls you might find. I’ve listed some of them below.

Pre-Delay

One often overlooked control is pre-delay. This sets the time between the original note and the start of the reverb.

A short pre-delay will make the reverb kick in immediately. This is great for fast-paced playing or more subtle effects.

A longer pre-delay can add space between your note and the reverb. It keeps your playing clear and defined while allowing the reverb to fill out the background.

Modulation, Shimmer, and Other Reverb Extras

Some reverb pedals also offer modulation or shimmer controls, which can add extra textures to your sound.

Modulation introduces tiny pitch variations to the reverb tail, creating a more lush, evolving sound. Shimmer adds an octave-up effect for a more singing, shiny quality.

These extras are especially useful if you’re looking to experiment with more creative or ambient effects.

How to Set Your Reverb Pedal

Once you understand the key controls of your reverb pedal, fine-tuning the settings can make all the difference in how your guitar sits in the mix. Here are some tips for setting your reverb for the best results in different situations:

Avoid Muddy Reverb

Start with a low mix and moderate decay to stop your reverb from sounding muddy or overwhelming.

If the reverb is too prominent, it can mask the details of your playing. In live or dense mixes, clarity is super important. So, keeping the decay short and reducing the mix helps to maintain definition while adding just enough space to your sound.

Bring Reverb to the Forefront

For more ambient or atmospheric styles, where the reverb is meant to be front and center, you’ll want to push the mix higher and boost the decay time.

You might also want to experiment with the pre-delay to create a gap between your dry signal and the reverb. This can add depth without losing the clarity.

Get a Natural Sounding Reverb

If you want a natural, room-like reverb, start with a short decay time and a balanced tone or EQ.

Bright reverb settings can sound artificial in more organic music, so using the tone control to add warmth ensures the reverb fits in well with your guitar tone.

For genres like jazz, folk, or acoustic performances, a subtle room or plate reverb with a lower mix level will improve the sound without overshadowing it.

Use Reverb with Overdrive or Distortion

If you try to use reverb with distorted or high-gain tones, it can quickly lead to muddiness. The best way to deal with this is to keep the mix low and consider shortening the decay to prevent the reverb from clashing with the gain.

You might also find that adding pre-delay can be effective here, as it keeps the reverb from blending too closely with the distorted signal, giving the sound more clarity and separation.

Improve Leads and Solos

A bit of extra reverb is a great way to add character, presence, and depth to your lead guitar parts or solos.

Set up a moderate amount of decay with a slightly higher mix to give your leads a large, stand-out, polished sound.

If you want the reverb to shine without overpowering your playing, try using a plate or hall setting and adjust the tone control to brighten or warm the effect as needed.

How to Use a Reverb Pedal Live

Using a reverb pedal effectively during live performances can be a totally different experience from at home. To get it right, make sure you experiment and plan for all situations.

Here are some tips to help you get the most out of your reverb pedal during a live performance.

Adjust for Venue Acoustics

Before anything else, assess the venue’s natural acoustics. Too much reverb can muddy your sound in larger, echoey spaces, so dial back the mix and decay to avoid excessive ambiance.

In smaller or drier venues where the room lacks natural reverb, you can afford to increase both settings to fill out your sound and add warmth.

Pre-Set Your Reverb

To ensure smooth transitions between songs and maintain a consistent tone throughout your set, pre-set your reverb pedal before going on stage. This removes the need to tweak controls mid-performance.

If you’re switching between different reverb types or settings during your set, consider using a pedal with presets to quickly switch between them with minimal disruption.

Make On-the-Fly Adjustments

Even with pre-set configurations, you might need to adjust your reverb during a performance depending on feedback from the sound engineer or unexpected venue acoustics.

Focus on your mix and decay controls to make quick adjustments that keep your sound clear and balanced.

Tap Tempo or MIDI (if Available)

If your reverb pedal includes a tap tempo feature or accepts MIDI clock messages, you can use it to sync your reverb’s delay time with the tempo of the song.

This can be effective for creating rhythmic patterns that blend with the music, ensuring your reverb complements the performance rather than clashing with the timing.

Rehearse with Your Pedal

Practice using your reverb pedal during rehearsals to understand how it interacts with your guitar tone, the rest of your effects chain, and the band.

Gaining this level of familiarity helps you make any necessary adjustments ahead of the performance and avoid any unwanted surprises during the live set.

It’s simple, really: the more comfortable you are with the pedal, the more confidently you can control your sound on stage.

Where Will Reverb Take You?

The world of reverb is massive and full of possibilities. It’s a lot more than just a tool. It’s an extension of your artistic expression as a guitar player. It shapes how your guitar sounds and the entire space it lives in.

As you dig deeper into exploring reverb, think about how it can alter not just the tone but your music’s emotional impact and feel.

So, where will reverb take you?

Start experimenting, get creative, and let the echoes of your imagination reverberate through your playing.

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