Wampler

MAY 2018 TOTAL GUITAR
Compact reverb pedals have come a long way from simply attempting to emulate
spring reverb tanks. Here are a few of the best for ethereal walls of sound...
105
A
nother FV1 off ering, this multi-featured
unit boasts a powerful delay with several
subdivision modes, as well as a reverb
run in series after the delay block. With the
processing power being divided between the
two eff ects; the Ethereal is best when both
circuits are blended together in a more washy
mix; although the delay can stand on its own;
the reverb can’t to the same degree. Still, the
fi ne-grained control over the delay and overall
tone means ambient, textural washes are
easily attained. The only real criticism is that
the toggle switch for selecting subdivisions
feels vulnerable to a misaimed boot.
A
comparatively tiny contender, the
Rainger FX is a fully-featured oddball.
Like the Météore, it doesn’t seek to
provide pristine, studio reverb sounds, but
instead seeks to tread darker and dirtier sonic
territory. In addition to a distortion circuit,
there’s also an input gain control, which can
be used to musically overload the input, and
drive the reverb hard into a hurricane of noise.
Unlike the Météore it can clean up if desired
for more traditional reverb sounds. With the
pressure-sensitive Igor footswitch it also
shines, delivering dynamic swells of guitar or
synthesiser with the mix fully wet.
Wampler
Ethereal
STAR SAIL
Rainger FX
Reverb-X
ANOTHER SPACE SONG
BYPASS
EQD, Caroline, Wampler:
Relay bypass
Rainger FX: True bypass
POWER
EQD, Caroline, Rainger FX: 9V
centre-negative power supply
Caroline: 9V centre-negative
power supply or battery
CONTACT
EQD, Caroline: Audio
Distribution Group
audiodistributiongroup.com
Wampler: First Line
Distribution
firstlinedistribution.com
Rainger FX: Rainger FX
raingerfx.com
AT A GLANCE
£229
£147
PEDAL ROUND-UP
FEATURES
SOUND QUALITY
VALUE FOR MONEY
BUILD QUALITY
USABILITY
OVERALL RATING
SUMMARY
FEATURES
SOUND QUALITY
VALUE FOR MONEY
BUILD QUALITY
USABILITY
OVERALL RATING
SUMMARY
BEST BUY
AWARD
TGR305.gear_pedals.indd 105 26/03/2018 17:20