The 18 Best Reverb Pedals in 2023: Expert's Top Choices

Reverb pedals are a great tool for any guitarist looking to add fullness and depth to their music. When used correctly, this effect can make the guitarist sound like a professional recording artist and give their music a little bit of ambiance. However, if it’s used incorrectly, or the guitarist uses an inferior pedal, then it can make their music sound like it’s being played in a basement.

Since there are so many of these pedals available, and not all of them deliver a high-quality sonic performance, we thought that we’d chime in with our top picks for these pedals. We’ve found what we believe are the best reverb pedals available and have placed them in the following list. Hopefully, there’s a pedal here that suits the needs of most musicians.

10. Behringer DR600 Digital Reverb

This budget-priced reverb pedal is ideal for beginners to use or for anyone who wants to try out one of these pedals but isn’t really sure if their music is going to benefit from the reverb effect. It has 24-bit stereo reverbs in 6-styles including modulating, plate, hall, spring, room, and gate. It can be powered by a 90-volt battery or by a separately purchased Behringer DC power supply. It has dials for level, tone and time, and a Blue status LED light that lets the user know the effect is on/off and also alerts the user to the status of the battery. And finally, it’s a well-constructed pedal that can hold up to constant use.

Pros:

• It’s an inexpensive budget model
• Has a surprisingly robust construction
• Has several reverb modes
• Level & tone can be controlled

Cons:

• Reverb effect sounds a bit flat
• Goes through batteries quickly

9. Donner Verb Square Digital.

This pedal gives the user a lot of different options. It’s a True Bypass pedal that provides absolutely no tone coloration, and it has seven effect knobs that allow the user to get the effect they desire. The seven modes that can be found on this box include Hall, Church, Spring, Plate, Studio, Mod, and room. It also has knobs for controlling E.Level, Tone, and decay. It has 1/4-inch mono input and output jacks, an LED light that lets the user know it’s one and is made with an extremely durable shell that’s made out of an aluminum alloy. All in all, it’s a decent pedal that produces a little bit of noise and may produce too much of a digital sound, but still manages to deliver some great reverb effects.

Pros:

• Has 7-different mode effects
• Is a well-built pedal
• Features True Bypass capability
• Has controls for rate and depth

Cons:

• Not ideal for studio recording due to a small amount of noise
• Has too much of a digital sound

8. Biyan RV-10 Tri-Reverb.

With a True Bypass design and made with quality components, this budget reverb pedal is sure to raise some eyebrows. Although it’s not a perfect pedal, it does have some features which make it pretty good to use. It a sealed pedal so dust can’t get into its potentiometer, and it has a durable outer case for durability. It also has three different effects which include Room, Hall, and Spring. It’s a stereo pedal and features true stereo inputs and outputs. Taking everything into consideration, it’s easy to say that this is a nice pedal in its price range, but falls just shy of a professional reverb because of its tone suck at higher settings.

Pros:

• It’s a budget-priced model
• Provides stereo sound
• 3-different modes

Cons:

• Has somewhat of a tone suck at higher reverb settings

7. Xvive True Bypass Max Verb

This pedal has a number of features which make it quite exciting to use. It has a very compact size, so it should fit pretty well on just about any board, and it’s made with a metal housing that definitely makes it feel like it’s very durable. Although there is somewhat of a delay when the reverb effect is used, it’s not really all that noticeable and once reverb has kicked in it sounds really nice. This unit can be used in one of three modes which include hall, plate, and spring reverb. Other features to mention include True Bypass circuitry, blend control, and time control, too.

Pros:

• Has True Bypass capabilities
• Has 3 different modes
• Has time and blend controls
• Pedal is compact and well made

Cons:

• Has a slight delay

6. Wampler Ethereal Delay and Reverb

This reverb pedal allows the user to customize their reverb blend to select their own sound. Although it’s not very intuitive to use, the user is still able to dial in the reverb they want by playing around with this unit’s dials. This pedal has feedback, delay, delay mix, reverb mix and tone dials that give the guitarist the freedom he needs to select the perfect reverb. This pedal also has buffered true bypass capability, has a maximum 1-second sound delay, and has top mounted input and output jacks. All of this makes this high-quality pedal a good one to add to any pedal board.

Pros:

• Has a good reverb effect
• Delay kicks in quickly
• Has buffered True Bypass capability

Cons:

• Selecting the right reverb mode isn’t very intuitive

5. Ammoon Mosky MP-51 Spring Reverb

This inexpensive and well-built pedal that should hold up to frequent use without any problems. It’s a True Bypass footswitch that’s good for switching back and forth between the pedal’s bypass status and its distortion effect. It allows the guitarist to alter the sound using two knobs: Mix and Dwell. The Mix is the dry amount of reverb added to the sound and Dwell is used to adjust the reduction rate. By adjusting these dials, the user can create a fairly impressive sound that’s can be unique to their playing style. Although it doesn’t have the features that higher priced pedals do, it’s a good beginning pedal for just about anyone.

Pros:

• It’s an inexpensive pedal
• Has True Bypass capability
• Pedal feels durable and well-built

Cons:

• The pedal is extremely small

4. Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail Max

This extremely durable and well-built pedal is ready for just about any action that’s thrown its way. It’s made with a die-cast chassis that just feels like it will hold up well and it has a size that’s fairly compact. The really nice thing about this pedal, however, is that it delivers a truly heavenly lush tone using its Plate reverb mode and has an exciting Reverse reverb as well. Other modes that can be found on this high-quality pedal is a Spring mode and a Hall mode. This gives the user the freedom he or she needs to create an adventurous sound. It’s a little more expensive than other pedals, but it’s good enough to get the job done.

Pros:

• Made with a die-cast shell
• Has True Bypass capability
• Has 3 reverb modes

Cons:

• The pedal is a bit expensive

3. TC Electronic HOF Mini

Although this is a mini size pedal, it still houses some of the top quality reverb effects designed by TC Electronics, but it isn’t as expensive as some of the larger TC Hall of Fame models. Inside this little pedal are Spring, Hall, Room, Plate and Cathedral reverb effects that can be used by the guitarists. It also has full Tone Print functionality, which means the musician can select tones created by some of the most famous musicians around including Steve Morse and Steve Vai. With an analog-dry-through and True Bypass capability, this pedal is ready to deliver great sound with zero latency or tone coloration.

Pros:

• This pedal has zero latency
• Has Tone Print functionality
• This pedal has True Bypass capability
• Has zero tone coloration

Cons:

• Doesn’t give the user a lot of control over their sound

2. Boss RV-6 Digital Reverb

When professional results are needed, then this reverb pedal is ready to perform. It delivers a wide range of different reverb modes which include Modulate, Plate, Hall, Room, and Spring. It also has Delay, Shimmer and Dynamic modes. All of these modes coupled with dials for E.Level, Tone and Time, give the user the control over their sound that they desire. Although it’s a higher-priced pedal than some of its competitors, it delivers a professional result that just can’t be beaten. Overall, it’s a pedal that’s sure to provide the user with the customized high-quality sound they desire each and every time.

Pros:

• Delivers a high-quality effect
• Has a wide range of reverb modes
• Has True Bypass capability
• Easy to Use

Cons:

• Priced higher than other comparable pedals

1. TC Electronic Hall of Fame

This pedal is designed to give the user everything they need to get the sound they want. This well-designed model allows the user to select all of the reverbs developed by TC Electronic including Hall, Room, Plate, Spring, and Cathedral reverb modes. It also is Tone Print enabled so the user can load custom-tuned sounds from some of the best guitarists in the world. Using this unit, the guitarist can also use its Free Tone Print editor to create their own custom Tone Print pedal. It also has True Bypass capability, and it has controls for Tone, Decay and FX Level.

Pros:

• Has a large selection of reverb modes
• The user can create custom modes
• Has True Bypass Capability
• This pedal works extremely well

Cons:

• Is a bit expensive

Before we begin, we’d like to emphasize one fact that’s often overlooked by many of the reverb pedal buying guides that seem to populate the Internet. Contrary to popular belief, there really is no reverb pedal that’s the best. Sure, we created a top ten list giving our readers what we feel are the best pedals currently available, but that doesn’t mean that we’re 100% right. For some people, we may have hit the nail squarely on its head and produced a list that reflects their style and playing preferences, but for other people, we may have missed the mark entirely. Or to put it more succinctly, reverb pedal selection is really a matter of personal preference and no guide anywhere can tell you what the best pedal for you is going to be.

However, having said that, there are a few features that a guitarist can take a look at to determine if a particular pedal is right for them or not. Some of the things which can be examined to determine whether or not a pedal is right for you is to determine the  Type of Reverb, Whether the Pedal is Mono or Stereo, and Whether the Pedal is True Bypass or not. Once you’ve selected one of these, then you can simply match those models against the value and the features found on the pedal in question.

Types Of Reverb

There are four different types of reverb that can be found on most pedals. These four types include Plate, Spring, Room and Hall effects. Although there are some pedals which allow the guitarist to select the type of reverb they need, those are usually the higher-end models. Most of the budget models only offer one type of reverb, so it’s important to determine if that effect is going to be right for your sound or not. Below are these four basic reverb types and how to identify them.

• Plate: This type of reverb replicated sound being conducted through a metal plate.
• Spring: Spring reverb has sort of a metallic sound like a metal spring shaking.
• Hall: This produces the sound reverb as a person would get in a large hall.
• Room: This seeks to emulate the reverb that’s obtained by playing in a smaller room.

The type of reverb that a person wants depends on their personal preferences, so unless the guitarists hear all of the different types of reverb, it’s going to be difficult for them to select one that fits their personal preferences. And that’s not even mentioning the fact that the four types of reverb listed above aren’t the only types available. There are numerous others that we don’t have the time or article space to talk about. In those cases, it’s probably best to either buy a reverb pedal that allows anyone of these types of reverb to be played, or choose a safe option like a room reverb pedal.

Stereo Or Mono?

This is another feature that’s based upon the personal preferences of the guitarist. If the guitarist isn’t running a stereo pedal board, or don’t intend on running one, then they probably won’t need a stereo reverb pedal. On the other hand, if the guitarist is running a stereo board, then they are going to want to get a stereo reverb pedal, especially if the reverb immediately follows a stereo delay pedal.

True Bypass

On most other pedals, having True Bypass is almost always desirable. However, it can be a little bit trickier on a reverb stompbox. That’s because when True Bypass is activated, it can cut off the natural trail produced by the reverb feature. And anyone who has heard a reverb effect suddenly gets cut off knows how jarring it can be. Of course, there are some True Bypass pedals which use a buffer to solve this problem, and this can prevent the trailing reverb from being cut off suddenly. It should also be noted that if the reverb is always active and isn’t just used at select parts of the musical composition, then True Bypass isn’t going to be a problem. Therefore, if the pedal is turned on or off regularly, then it’s important to either get a Buffered True Bypass Reverb Pedal or skip the True Bypass feature altogether.

Other Features to Consider

Once the guitarist has selected reverb type, decided on either a stereo or mono pedal, and have determined if they want True Bypass, Buffered True Bypass or no True Bypass at all, then they’re ready to select some of the other features they may want their pedal to have. Below are some of the more common features that need to be considered last.

• Status LED for On/Off Status or Effect Status
• Controls for Tone
• Controls for Time
• Controls for Decay
• Controls for Mix
• Whether the Pedal is AC, Battery-Powered or Both
• Number of Inputs & Outputs

After all of the above has been decided upon, there’s one more thing to look at before committing to a particular pedal. And that one thing is probably the most important thing to consider. This one thing is the durability of the pedal. No matter where the pedal is used, it’s important that it’s durable enough to be used frequently, which means it should be made from quality components. If the reverb pedal doesn’t look or feel durable, then it’s best to just keep on looking.

One Last Thing

As it can clearly be seen, adding reverb to your pedalboard is not something to be taken lightly. A lot of things have to be considered to achieve the right effect for your particular style of music. However, if the guitarists take the time to find that perfect pedal and learn how to use it effectively, then they will undoubtedly fall in love with its sound. After all, no other effect can create the illusion of space like a reverb pedal can. And when it’s paired with a delay or echo pedal, then the effect can really seem impressive. It’a certainly a misunderstood pedal, but it’s one that everyone should add to their board. Or at the very least, it’s a pedal that everyone should at least consider adding to their board.