Expensive Reverb Guitar Pedal Shootout!

[@JKM395]

At this price point, everything is good. You just need to decide which company and feature set you want. Good stuff all round.

[@brymills]

My favourite colour is blue. Therefore the best pedal here is the Strymon.

[@daughtersofdivorce6803]

Absolutely. Not a bad choice in the bunch.

[@JKM395]

@@brymills That’s as good a way to choose as any.

[@jamesnichols5998]

I still think the Ventris is the best reverb out there for most players. Dual reverbs in series or parallel, 12 algorithms, midi, small footprint, and you can get one on Reverb for under $300. Oh and it sounds spectacular

[@50trtr]

Lee and Pete it doesn't get anymore entertaining than this. Bravo mates

[@brandongullion6353]

Now THIS is my kind of video. I already know which ones I like best but I just love hearing copious amounts of reverb 😂

[@orcristwielder]

I might be biased, cos its the one I own...but to me the Ventris is the most realistic, warm and "grown up" of them all. The others seem to go all in on the bells and whistles that take over from your guitar tone. Some may want that sound. For me, I want something that supports and enhances my tone and the Ventris does that amazingly

[@brymills]

Hope you’re doing a ‘playing only’ version of this. Stick it on loop all day while I’m working!

[@hymnsake]

The Meris MercuryX had the best Shimmer. The Strymon BigSky MX had the biggest sounds. The SA Ventris had the most natural sounding Hall and Plate. Good vibes, Awesome playing. You guys are Ace!

[@RyanMcQuen]

Loved the Strymon and Source Audio the most.

[@onenotesolo256]

Lots of Ariel “Mile End” vibes with that baritone

[@ToddTheJoker]

The Strymon sounded great of course but I really liked the Solis Ventis too....thanks guys..that was fun!

[@josephowens9053]

I LOVE that Pete chose a baritone for this! Sounds absolutely stunning, beautiful playing too 😍

[@JELIFISH19]

They need to bring out the baritones more.

[@lloydmeeks]

Could listen to Pete playing like this all day… Having never owned a reverb pedal this complex / extensive, I wonder if you just end up refining 1/2 presets and just use those all the time, or if you genuinely endlessly tweak and experiment?

[@anthonywhite676]

Well that video started to send me to sleep…..and in a lovely way. Wow those reverbs are hoooooooge ❤

[@hotmilkcrewberlin4475]

Reverbs all sound good, but the real star here is that red guitar! Stunning

[@rob28781]

I recently bought the UAFX Golden Reverberator after moving away from SolidGoldFX Surf Rider IV for more versatility. Reverb has always been my favourite effect and there's so many great pedals out there at all price points. These are just amazing and no loser here!

[@hughesp]

Not a bad one in the bunch. I just got an Empress Reverb in a bit of a "buy Canadian" spree this past week (as I live in Canada). It is pretty amazing. As you were kind of wondering - the SD card is for firmware updates. Also, the Empress reverb can run their echo-system firmware, so if you get tired of it as a reverb pedal, you can turn it into a delay!

[@damianclarkson]

Jesus, what a guitar. Even without reverb that tone is awesome

[@andybungert]

Yes, the simplicity of the Source Audio pedals compared to all the menu diving is incredible! I think the only (unrealistic) thing that would make it perfect would be the knobs turning for each preset like the Chase Bliss / Meris one with the sliders. But I love my SA Colliders and Nemesis! Phenomenal!

[@jutukka]

In my case, the most important thing is not only that the sound quality is good, but that the product is as expensive as possible so that my friends are jealous. 😎

[@Leo_XVII]

I'd love for them to do a series where they cover the opposite extreme(cheapest) as well.

[@CorNigrum]

That is an absolutely lovely guitar. All great reverbs I'm sure, but that guitar shines through everywhere.

[@simonhall2682]

Yours for just six and a half grand- on sale!

[@CorNigrum]

@@simonhall2682 It's a steal!... No, really, I'd have to steal it.

[@tompoynton]

If you’re not aware, the MercuryX contains the exact same 3 reverb engines as the Chase Bliss CXM1978 has, plus others, and infinite tweakability, and for not far off half the price !

[@michael_caz_nyc]

I'm set-for-life with my Big Sky - I love that thing. Phenomenal sounding unit. Great stuff presented here (as always) guys. oNe LovE from NYC

[@adriantomo5688]

i started my reverb journey with TC Electronic's sky surfer reverb, a decent budget reverb. Which after a year or two, i replaced with the hefty yet quirky Chase Bliss Dark World reverb. It's just so unique and full of possibilities, I might've only used less than 20% of what it offers. still need to study and explore it more. but for the time being, I'm happy with it! 🌌

[@Mdougherty8054]

Unless you need a bunch of presets or midi, save yourself $250 and buy the neunaber immerse mk 2, $250 brand new, goes toe to toe with anything out there, stereo ins and outs, and can cover everything from standard stuff to much longer ambient stuff. Of note, it does a great spring, killer hall, and fantastic plate, and oh yeah can do 100% wet.

[@thesandman775]

I feel like Neunaber gets lost in the market a bit but their pedals were ahead of their time. Still rocking an expanse with the extension pedal. More options than I'd ever need

[@dannymartinez2165]

I can say the same about GFI Skylar - and it’s full midi. Extremely affordable.. just love it.

[@patrickmckay6621]

the neunaber immerse mk2 is exactly what i am using for the space stuff.....but also a UAFX golden for the classics.😅,

[@patrickmckay6621]

​@@thesandman775right, the Neunaber stuff is awesome and WAS ahead of time.

[@silentguitarplayer6430]

Expanse series (or any Stereo V2 pedal by Neunaber - the one that can load various effects and takes the EXP controller in, is still by far the most bang for your buck. Killer Neunaber algos even with just the pedal itself, plus all the bells and whistles you get by adding the EXP controller, or (if you're lucky and/or persistent and/or both) even MIDI control with Disaster Area NNB - this is a killer set for the price abd space it takes. As far as the video and reverbs in it: 1) They are all top notch, you probably can't go wrong with any of these. Maybe the Empress is a little bit behind the pack in terms of features and controls - feels a bit previous century these days, but it has some incredible sounds 2) I would've done the blind test part differently. Instead of going through some first factory presets, I would have spent just a bit more time preparing for this episode, snd would've created 3 quick presets for each pedal with three most characterful algos: a spring(or a plate), a hall/any other large space reverb and a shimmer/ensemble or any other similar pitch shifting/voice adding reverb. And then have Pete compare apples to apples so to speak ) But overall - thank you Andertons for yet another fun and interesting episode,!)

[@marinvedris1155]

Unbelievable, the variety and depth of these pedals are amazing! Wish I could have one of those on my board one day :)

[@seanmatthews5279]

I was all set to hit the button on the Big Sky this week, but that Solis Ventus just hit me in all the right places. Of course, the money I've saved is now a deposit on a baritone guitar... Serious GAS 😂

[@InvaderZimmer92]

"Plectrum Divination" Sounds like a good band name

[@jesperjacobsen3050]

Yeeeees! Wonderful! It's wild how many great options are out there now.

[@asterhogan1]

I hope you guys do a vox pedal shoot out one day! Really want to see how good the victory copper sounds like against the rest

[@matthewmcclure3181]

They were all pretty good but I think I preferred the Source Audio Ventris. My other takeaway is I need to wipe the dust off my Strymon Big Sky and incorporate it on my board a bit more often. I swapped the Stymon out a few years ago with a DigiTech Hardwire RV-7 Stereo Reverb, which I use in conjunction with the spring reverb tank in my Fender amp. Still love the RV-7, wish my Big Sky was smaller to make it easier to swap these 2 pedals on my board. If I didn't have these 2 reverbs I would seriously consider buying the Source Audio Ventris. Everything Source Audio makes is fantastic, their EQ2 is permanently on my board.

[@andyboyd]

Casually playing a baritone blindfolded is just showing off Pete!

[@thekramer1097]

I had the ventris, it had some good features but it wasnt that fun tbh. I sold it, then went for the helix reverbs for a while until walrus revamped their mako line. Now I use an R1 and I couldnt be happier

[@wizardz7938]

connect them all together and make the ultimate of all 5 brands to the power of one.

[@Ash-om3yg]

Out of these five, I was originally going with the Big Sky on my board, but the one that exists on my board is the Empress Reverb. Also have two other delay/verb pedals I can choose.

[@MusicFed]

Ventris rules. Always has

[@ArtyShat]

I'm surprised how both Strymon and Meris still didn't made a multi-effect alternative to Quad Cortex. They have some of the most insane pedals on the market.

[@reginaldperiwinkle]

This was interesting. You mentioned what I was thinking -- I would have liked to have had the Poly Effects Verbs Pedal in there. I see why it didn't fit with the theme of the five most expensive pedals, but it would have still been worth including.

[@agalvin1313]

i got the solis ventus at launch and it absolutely awesome. While it is $500 it is essentially a reverb and a delay and a looper so can replace 2-3 pedals on your board and therefore is a straight up bargain compared to the others.

[@faridzayish]

Not much of on which reverb best, but Pete's playing is 😚

[@dasninjastix]

The Castedosas are easily the best sounding guitars you guys feature.

[@CG-rf6nu]

For anyone looking for a reverb/delay that does it all and gets no recognition, check out the Fender Reflecting Pool. It's an incredible pedal, and even though it's usually listed for $350, you can usually find them brand new for $225.

[@Mdougherty8054]

I always liked the reflecting pool, but I never pulled the trigger and bought one. That whole line was/is pretty good.

[@chadwickerman]

Some of these pedals make me feel like I'm floating on heavenly clouds of angel farts.

[@TimmySuperstar]

Source audio is really the best at reverbs and delays, pretty much no one comes close. I use the true spring reverb and it is incredible, I have several vintage fenders, three super reverbs and a pro reverb, all drip edges, I actually prefer the true spring to the fender tanks, it sounds just as good and gives you far more control at volume. There’s a video Johnny highland did about the true spring out there - I think anyone that plays it recognizes it’s basically the best spring reverb you can get.

[@michaelsnydermusic]

Love the Sigur Ros song inclusion Pete.

[@GFISystem-v2f]

Stunning baritone guitar.

[@SpiritDK]

Just bought a joyo atmosphere 2 hours ago and you drop this video, best and worst timing, but also these are so out of what i would spend on a reverb edit: for my needs as a bass player I could never justify spending that kinda money they do sounds good thou

[@jimduyck]

I recently picked up the Walrus Audio R1 (first version) new, but on closeout for around $160...with the updated v2 algorithms, that should be enough bang for the buck for me for a good while! Anyhoo, reverb is fun!

[@wick67]

OK, really cool pedals and all, but damn, that guitar & that outro. Sweet. Thanks Pete.

[@yoshowa]

I love the the ventris by source audio, was clearly his favorite, is also nearly 250$ cheaper than the strymon and the meris mercury, is probably more capable than all of them except the mercury x, and is barely ever spoken of. Source audio makes great stuff, and really needs some love.

[@JESSE-uw7np]

how could i pick just one ? they all sound wonderful !

[@eternalforce116]

Spectrum Shift on the Meris was enough to make me buy one there and then 😅😍

[@Christocalese]

UA Golden is the reverb pedal for me

[@jotaaaa6900]

I got too cozy in bed and fell asleep to the first reverb 🗿

[@teknomanning]

I came for my Peter!🤣🕺🏿👍🏿❤

[@Eddyvnhln5150]

I’m a huge Surfy Bear pedal fan it’s the best splash ever

[@possessedmusicbox3637]

Blackbird in Space at the top. 🎉

[@andybungert]

all amazing. I wish the Neunaber Illumine was on here too. Maybe you've already got a demo of it .

[@Fiasco3]

I think you're doing alright if you own any of those pedals. The Big Sky day one was a standout.

[@freezeframeplease]

that castedosa sounds amazing. not 7k amazing but still

[@TheSpaceGuitar]

You miss the Neunaber Illumine, to me the best (ambient) reverb in the market. I have also the Bigsky MX

[@Thatbobguy8]

Pete, “ I like it dry first, then wet.” Don’t we all……..

[@tompoynton]

Love my MercuryX (but I do miss my old Empress Reverb too)

[@brianw7502]

Captain and Pete, please compare the Fender Pano verrb with the Magnatone twilighter.

[@Ch4roon]

Thanks for all your videos i love them, very usefull. I'm surprised you're nbot talking about the poly verbs, not available anymore or something ? for me it's one of the bests ever.

[@DarrenPrice333]

Strymon 🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻🤘🏻

[@6stringsandapick]

Next time have Pete wear some VR goggles while he plays!

[@LandoC2723]

Been waiting days! 😂

[@acousticglue]

I want them all but cant lol. I do have the 2 Meris pedals and sound great.

[@heymrguitarman7637]

For my money (literally because i bought it), the chase bliss CXM 1978 is the best sounding reverb out there. If you want to enter the world of weird and wonderful then I'd buy the Meris Mercury X. Strymon and GFi just are not on the same level. I also have an Eventide H90 which is another great choice but reverbs alone and on par with Strymon and GFI but not quite the level of the CXM1978 (and I've spent significant time A/B testing them)

[@ogmakefirefiregood]

I have the Eventide H90 and the Mercury X. I felt guilty using the H90 just for reverb. 😆 now the H90 is my favorite Delay pedal.

[@cody3078]

How do you feel the cxm1978 and meris X compare across the same algos?

[@gunfighter1514]

@@cody3078biggest difference is the CXM has the different clock modes which changes the tonality/granularity or resolution of the sampling (not sure if that’s exactly what its doing) of the reverb, best way I could describe it. Where the Meris has all three algos always set on the hifi clock setting basically but it has all the crazy effects, modifiers, filters, pitch, etc. I stuck with the meris because I preferred the hifi setting on CXM and you get so much more with the MercuryX like other algos and all the other goods listed earlier. Also meris is true stereo with analog dry through, idk if the CXM has analog dry through but it’s not true stereo, it sums the input to mono then splits stereo at the output.

[@cody3078]

@@gunfighter1514 I’ve heard people say they function with different internal voltages as well or something like that and I’ve seen one person claim the cxm1978 algos were a little better in his experience for perhaps that reason.

[@gunfighter1514]

@@cody3078 maybe, personally didn’t think they were really all that different. Different clock settings definitely changed it up noticeably, but if you leverage the tools in the Mercury X like the filters, preamps, compressor, and modulation I think it sounds bigger and better, but the base algos really didn’t sound all that different to my ear.

[@barnacio366]

Blindfolded pete plays better than I can in my better days!!

[@chrisbenson673]

OK, just know that I love you guys but come on. Lee, there was a setting called Beer on the Empress Reverb and you didn’t try it. What in the world is going on here?

[@mattc1176]

Much as this is a really interesting video/test…. As an owner of a large number of pedals in this price range I think the type of user you are - and the user interface of the pedal - is how I would advise someone to approach a decision. That’s where the biggest difference in these pedals lies and where different people will match well with different things. I have the Meris LVX (not the Mercury - yet) - and it provides you with editing and modular options to produce sounds that the others simply won’t do. But it’s also (IMO) clearly worse if what you need is to dial in high quality meat and potatoes sounds quickly. Not that it can’t do that - but you need presets to do that quickly. And ofc there is a learning curve to the pedal. The Ventris and Empress are the other end of the spectrum - they excel in giving you quick access to lots of different high quality sounds quickly on the face of the pedal. The Eventide H90 wasn’t featured - and again is more at the complex end of the spectrum, really benefits from an iPad/laptop to edit (IMO). But this pedal contains truly some iconic reverb algos.

[@Larsless]

Like the Ventris and the Big Sky MX but as they latter is almost double the price where I live, its deffo the Ventris for me. Anyhow, Dansken spelade som vanligt fantastiskt! (The dane played as per usual great)

[@Jazzmaverick182]

Pete is hearing things in 3d with those goggles on

[@rowbags3017]

I'll just pop to the bank - I want all of them, and the Castedosa. 😉😎

[@pedroalmeida9596]

Strymon is so good.

[@stiffmata]

10:40 new high score!

[@martiboucat]

Donald Pete is fantastic. Just a beautiful man playing beautiful guitars and making beautiful noises.

[@Eman-e9u9e]

That guitar 🎸 ❤

[@marks4553]

MERCURY for me

[@bilalbirer9649]

When will we see HOTONE VERBERA ?

[@davidyoung1962]

for me the empress was the best

[@SenfSenferson]

and now the cheap reverb shootout

[@matthewbertram3304]

Could hear a bit of The Beatles' "Blackbird" in that intro

[@mathewcourt4496]

I have absolutely no idea how Lee is using the plectrums to decide the pedal. I'm so confused!

[@neilfordan]

oh my God. i really need to save up for that big sky.

[@larrydj549]

At what point do milliseconds become hours?

[@kierenmoore3236]

Pete channeling 20 Fingers from 1995 in his reverbs review feedback …

[@gd1294]

I will stick to non ethereal tube reverb out of a delux reverb amp thank you very much lol

[@FLOSSDOGG]

Love the pedal shootout videos, but does John Mayer have to be plugged in every video?

[@stevekirkby6570]

I am biased... but Strymon for the win.

[@Gibson1976uk]

Try the Old Blood noise Dark Star V3

[@tiptop8218]

did anyone heard once this reverb on a release which is playing in the beginning? no! edge edge case

[@lobster4501]

Anybody have a Midi Verb back in the 😊 early 90s?

[@JONNIE_ROCKER]

Just bought a surfy bear metal,

[@odyssey6684]

The guitar did nothing for me. Sounded fine, but I'm stuck on Strats. Great sounding pedals.

[@Sonnytimesalways-lx7je]

I would really like a full fat 'Big Sky ' pedal , I own a GT 1000 which has some beautiful reverbs you can fully control so could I justify it ?....,....yeah

[@Carson_Berry]

Having owned one, I still don't understand how the got the bigsky MX so wrong. Bought one brand new the week before release (I'm friends with a dealer), and not only did it sound worse than the og, but it was constantly glitching out and breaking. There was also this weird artificial tracking/artifacting thing that never went away and once you noticed it you couldn't stop hearing it or more so feeling it. The OG was stupid proof, you couldn't pull a bad sound out of it, but even spending hours and hours with the MX it was so fidgety that me or my friends couldn't dial anything in. They traded quality for features and it bit them in the butt with the final product. The demo's sound good, and it's pretty and shiny, but there isn's a single sound or feature in it that another verb didn't do better. I'm an avid strymon lover, but it's sad to say that I think the Volante is going to prove to be their last great pedal. All their engineers left to go start Meris and they took the innovative soul with them.

[@brianrollins7275]

Great video and even though none of these are for me, I enjoyed watching. They all sound good which is to be expected for that kind of money. But my god $679 for the Strymon is more than I paid for my amp. lol My playing does not warrant that kind of expense. Great video nonetheless 👍🏻

[@Chestor2]

7:04 Can someone tell me which song this reminds me of?