Digitech introduces the Polara Stereo Reverb, featuring seven Lexicon reverbs built into a regular sized pedal. Related Feature:DigiTech Drop – Instant Drop Tune Pedal This pedal is said to be an improved version of the HardWire RV-7, carrying the same technology that they co-developed with Lexicon, plus some added features. for something compact, the Polara has an expansive set of reverb, seven to be precise. It will let you choose between traditional reverb types like Room, Hall, Spring and Plate, and it also comes with modern reverb types that include Reverse, Modulated and Halo. Digitech Market Manager Tom Cram said, “The reverbs that we co-developed with Lexicon for the HardWire RV-7 wowed guitarists everywhere. With the Polara we retain that studio quality legacy, as well as add some cool new spacey sounds.” If you are mostly playing conventional music, then you will be using traditional reverbs majority of the time. Since most songs will normally require just a pinch of reverb, you’d probably be sticking with the Room setting, which will give you subtle and natural sounding reverbs. If you want to emulate large spaces, setting the pedal to “Hall” will increases the travel time of the echoes to make

Keeley Electronics introduces their latest time-based delay and reverb ambience effect pedal, the Caverns Delay Reverb. Related Feature:Keeley DynaTrem This new reverb/delay pedal features the company’s dual DSP platform, which allows this compact pedal to house multiple reverb modes and a 24-bit 1-second digital delay channel. This pedal literally packs full-featured digital delay and reverb circuits into one compact unit, you can use them individually with their dedicated knobs and footswitches or you can use them simultaneously for more ambience control. More than merely physically conjoining the circuits, Keeley Electronics tweaked the two ambient effects to complement each other and not fight over frequencies, which usually is the case when utilizing both reverb and delay. This reduces the time needed to tweak parameters when combining the two effects, and makes it easier to implement on your existing guitar rig. The pedal’s reverb section strays far from conventional, employing subtle changes to make the reverb effect more musical and useful for creating unique or subtle ambiences. The Reverb channel features 3 unique modes: Modulation Mode – Introduces pulsing modulation to the reverb to add musical inspiration and provide a different take on normal reverb effects Neutral Studio Plate Mode – Delivers

Keeley Electronics introduces the new Gold Star Reverb effect pedal, featuring three distinct reverb modes inspired by studio reverb units. Related Feature:Keeley Caverns Delay Reverb The three reverb modes included in this stompbox are Flanged, Compressed and Distorted Reverb. They are inspired by how reverb is mixed with other effects via send/return systems in studios, and allow for a convenient way to utilize non-conventional variations of the reverb effect in pedal form. The Gold Star is said to be the third in Keeley’s studio themed reverb pedals, with this one allowing for unique sonic textures that would normally be unavailable on other reverb stompboxes. The most familiar of the three reverb types is the Compressed mode, which simulates the crowded main studio floor at Gold Star Records during the famous “Wall of Sound” session. According to the company: “The Wall of Sound was a formula used in the production of music for playing on radios and jukeboxes in the ’60s. Parts were doubled and played in unison to create a huge, lush soundscape.” The new Gold Star will let you achieve the same effect with a simple step on the footswitch and some parameter adjustments. Note that the Gold Star

Jim Dunlop introduces the MXR Reverb, featuring selectable six distinct reverb types, packed in a compact form factor. Related Feature:Best Reverb Pedals This reverb pedal follows the portable and straightforward design of the company’s other small pedals, having a simple three-knob setup and compact profile while retaining high headroom and flexibility. According to the official description, the new MXR Reverb is designed to reproduce the sound of high end rack units and plug-ins in pedal format. And to achieve this, they utilized what they call as “Constant Headroom Technology”, which allows a compact pedal to have 20 volts of headroom. With this, the company was able to ensure that each of the six reverb types are as detailed as expensive reverb racks and plug-ins. Speaking of reverb types, the pedal lets you switch between classics like Spring, Plate and Room, along with three other types that include Mod, Pad and Epic. And you can switch between them without having to go beyond the three knob limitation, because MXR equipped with it with a tone knob that can be pushed to cycle through the six reverb types. The Six Reverb Types as Described by MXR: The PLATE setting provides a shimmering

Electro-Harmonix introduces the Holy Grail Neo, another addition to their popular “Nano” compact sized pedals. Related Feature:EHX Holy Grail Max This reverb pedal is the fourth “Holy Grail” from EHX and stripped down to essentials. It features a straightforward set of controls that include a single knob, a mode selector and a footswitch. According to Electro-Harmonix, this pedal is their response to requests by guitarists who are looking for a compact reverb pedal that has plate mode. Because of the ever growing demand for smaller pedals, the company decided to house the miniature Holy Grail Neo into their small “Nano” chassis. Instead of merely giving the pedal just the plate reverb effect, the company added 2 other reverb modes, spring and hall. The ability to switch between the three modes expands the usability of the pedal, which is quite special for a compact reverb pedal that has a single knob. The switching is done via a 3-way switch beside the knob. According to EHX, the Spring reverb mode is a re-creation of the classic spring reverbs that are found in guitar amplifiers, accomplished within the confines of the small stompbox. Switching to Hall mode will give apply the reverberations heard

The Electro-Harmonix Tone Tattoo is a multi-effects pedal that combines three of EHX’s popular effects – Metal Muff, Neo Clone and Memory Toy. [Click to Enlarge] Tone Tattoo will feature three analog sections, chorus is taken from Neo Clone, delay is from Memory Toy, and the distortion section is based on the Metal Muff. Tone Tattoo is an analog multi-effects pedal with each of independent sections. It is basically the same as stitching together the three mentioned pedals, and combining them in one rugged casing. Each effect can be engaged independently with their own foot switches. To avoid having to go through unwanted menus, all the effect parameters have their own dedicated knobs. This also gives you a good visual on what the settings are currently set to. First in the chain is the Metal Muff and it features Treble and Bass knobs that add tonal flexibility on top of the usual Drive and Volume controls. It also features a three-position Scoop mini-toggle switch with lets you select between low or high frequency attenuation (-7.5dB and -11dB), and no attenuation. To help reduce hum at higher drive levels, the pedal comes with a Gate Button and a Threshold button. This

The Electro-Harmonix Talking Pedal brings the talkbox filter effect into a unique zero moving parts, rocking wah design. This pedal follows the release of the Crying Tone Wah, and is part of the Electro-Harmonix “Next Step Effects” series of unique pedals. The obvious benefit of this smooth rocking chassis design is longevity, there are simply no potentiometers and switches to wear out and to replace. This benefit however comes at the cost of requiring a flat surface and being difficult to integrate into pedalboards. Still this new form is a welcome alternative to the old expression pedal design. Although it looks very much like its wah sibling, the Talking Pedal offers a unique tone that mimics vocal expression. It is a vocal formant wah based on the classic talkbox effect where you place a tube into your mouth to produce various vowel-like sounds. Only this time, Electro-Harmonix made it easier by allowing you to control expression via your foot. To recreate the talkbox effect, this pedal employs two bandpass filters that crisscross your guitar signal, giving it a male vocal quality and produces a variety of vowel like filters. Aside from the talkbox features, you can also slowly rock the

After almost half a century, Electro-Harmonix re-designs the Crying Tone Wah Pedal, now with zero moving parts. The claim of having absolutely no moving parts is intriguing to say the least, made possible by the pedal’s unconventional shape and design. Electro-Harmonix applied a surprisingly simple solution to the old problem of moving wah parts – give the wah pedal a contoured bottom plate so it can rock back and forth on the floor with your foot. The pedal works by sensing the angle that it is in, relative to a calibrated rest position. It can then apply the appropriate frequencies to your signal based on the angle, behaving just like a traditional wah. Its innovative design lets you have a working and expressive Wah that is virtually maintenance free. Mike Matthews, Electro-Harmonix founder and president, was quoted saying: “The wah wah pedal has been around since the 1960s and guitarists love them. But they also complain to me that the moving parts wear out, break and need to be replaced. Now, almost half a century later, technology has advanced to where we’re able to create a wah wah with absolutely no moving parts. The pedal sounds incredible, is more responsive

EHX releases the new Wailer Wah, a lightweight, affordable and traditional version of the Crying Tone Wah. Related Feature:EHX Crying Tone Wah The Crying Tone Wah received quite the acclaim when it was first released, due to its good and sound innovative zero-moving parts design. But it seems that not all guitarists are not ready to leave behind the old rack and pinion style wah design, so EHX was compelled to make a more conventional version. While the Crying Tone Wah was indeed innovative and maintenance free, it was not without drawbacks, the most notable of which is the need for an extra product just to attach the unit to a pedalboard. It will also requires awkward poses to get the pedal into cocked wah sounds. Now EHX has taken the circuit and sound of the Crying Tone Wah and have stuffed it into the Wailer Wah, which features familiar rack and pinion operation. But it’s not just a mere old school wah version, because Mike Matthews and hist team decided to spice things up by lowering the weight to just over 1.5 lbs, and they achieved this by utilizing a lightweight but sturdy polymer exterior. Since it’s lighter than

Electro-Harmonix expands Next Step Effects line with the new Crying Bass, a wah pedal with fuzz effect for bassists. Related Feature:EHX Next Step Pedalboard Cradle This pedal features EHX’s unique expression pedal design, having a contoured bottom plate that lets it rock back and forth without the need for any moving parts. The Crying Bass lets bassists enjoy the advantages of Next Step’s low maintenance design, providing a special tool for expanding bass note expression. Instead of just being a straightforward wah, EHX added a twist to make it more suitable for the lower frequencies produced by bass guitars. They added a specially tuned fuzz circuit into the pedal that adds extra harmonics for the wah filter to work with. According to EHX, the result is a pedal that provides a smooth wah sound that “goes all the way from smooth funk to rude growl without losing any bottom.” Thanks to its contoured design, the pedal operates smoothly and allows for dynamic and expressive use. Like the other Next Step Effects, the effect is designed to accurately respond to how fast or slow you rock the pedal, allowing for a heightened sense of control over the expression of your wah.