Reverb: AER 60 vs HoF2 vs Align or anything else?

[Standicz]

Hi acoustic guitar folks

do you think I would benefit from replacing the AER Compact 60 IV built in reverb with a reverb pedal? If so, which one would provide me with the most bangbangbang for my money?

Budget in mind, my favorites are TC Hall of Fame 2 (or would the mini suffice?) and the LR Baggs Align

I know there is a metric ton of acoustic reverb pedals topics on this forum and elsewhere, I've read many and yet here I am, asking whether or not I should reach for one. Here's the SITREP:

I am playing in an acoustic guitar duo, mostly folk, jazz, country..some of our own songs, some covers in pub gigs, sometimes on a local podium, street festivals... fairly usual situation, I reckon.

My buddy does most of the strumming, while I alternate the bass, solos and boom-chick

My setup:

Furch G24SF (maple body, spruce top, bright sounding guitar with that typical Furch resonance, very proud of it, being Czech myself! end of commercial)

I recently replaced the Baggs Element with LR Baggs Anthem SL

that goes into a Fishman Platinum Stage preamp (also a recent addition to my chain)

next a Boss TU3 tuner

a Mooer Yellow Comp to smoothen the piezzo (yes, I went for the cheapest option here)

finally into the AER Compact 60 IV, which also supplies the reverberation.

That's it. What do you think? Kindly thanks for any thoughts!

[jamison162]

Yes! Two best on the market IMO is the Neunebar Immerse MkII and the GFIS Skylar.

[richnrbq]

I had the HoF and it was fine, but not inspiring. The Strymon Flint has been a wonderful addition and is genuinely inspiring and very musical. And you’d be surprised at how useful subtle tremolo can be on acoustic. With the second generation just released, with minor function additions, used versions of the original are a great deal. Highly recommended.

[Standicz]

Originally Posted by jamison162

Yes! Two best on the market IMO is the Neunebar Immerse MkII and the GFIS Skylar.

Thanks, I'll definitely check them out. It's quite an investment so I guess one of these dull winter days, I will bring my guitar and board to a shop and try some. The Neunebar looks nicer on the picture 🙂

[Standicz]

Originally Posted by richnrbq

I had the HoF and it was fine, but not inspiring. The Strymon Flint has been a wonderful addition and is genuinely inspiring and very musical. And you’d be surprised at how useful subtle tremolo can be on acoustic. With the second generation just released, with minor function additions, used versions of the original are a great deal. Highly recommended.

thank you, inspiring and musical are definitely the qualities I'm after. I just sold Zoom CDR70 because it was great toy but I just couldn't get results I'd like better than at least the built in AER reverb..

The used market is a little weak here in Europe but I will keep an eye out for it.

[PANDAPANDELO]

I really think that there's one reverb that is always under the radar for us, as acoustic guitar players, but it can do an AWESOME job if adjusted subtly: Meris Mercury7.

It is the most beautiful plate reverb I've ever heard in a pedal. My music producer have one in the studio, and I preferred the sound of the pedal to any of his plugins... and there was a LOT of plugins, both for vocal and acoustic guitar.

[TedBPhx]

I have the HoF2 and prefer the built in reverb on my Mesa Rosette.

[david57strat]

Originally Posted by PANDAPANDELO

I really think that there's one reverb that is always under the radar for us, as acoustic guitar players, but it can do an AWESOME job if adjusted subtly: Meris Mercury7.

It is the most beautiful plate reverb I've ever heard in a pedal. My music producer have one in the studio, and I preferred the sound of the pedal to any of his plugins... and there was a LOT of plugins, both for vocal and acoustic guitar.

Agreed. The Mercury 7 sounds phenomenal, on guitars and keyboards. Lush. Bigger-than-life, in stereo.



Worth every penny :-).

[david57strat]

Originally Posted by jamison162

Yes! Two best on the market IMO is the Neunebar Immerse MkII and the GFIS Skylar.

I haven't yet had the pleasure of owning any of the Neunaber reverbs, but would like to get my hands on an Immerse Mk II. Better sill - the Illumine; but I feel I would need a proper MIDI switcher to take full advantage of that mode. I don't know why I keep postponing buying and implementing a MIDI switcher.

I have the Skylar and its bigger brother, the Specular Tempus - both very sweet units. Take note - the Specular Tempus is actually a combination reverb/delay unit. The Specular Tempus gives you additional functionality (MIDI, an effects loop, and three additional algorithms), but is substantially more expensive, and not quite as compact as the Skylar, for people with limited board space.


To run a stereo connection into the Skylar, you'll need to use TRS connections.


In this setup, I was experimenting with a couple of newer pedals. The Skylar packs some very beautiful sounds into a relatively compact, easy to use, unassuming-looking (simple interface) pedal.

There are alternate functions under each of the knobs (by pressing down on the knob), and the display reveals how each of those functions is currently set - a very handy option to have, in a pedal of this nature. Also, two programmable built-in presets (no need for a foot switch).

I first tested the Specular Tempus on keyboards, and it sounded glorious.

[david57strat]

Originally Posted by PANDAPANDELO

I really think that there's one reverb that is always under the radar for us, as acoustic guitar players, but it can do an AWESOME job if adjusted subtly: Meris Mercury7.

It is the most beautiful plate reverb I've ever heard in a pedal. My music producer have one in the studio, and I preferred the sound of the pedal to any of his plugins... and there was a LOT of plugins, both for vocal and acoustic guitar.

Have you had a chance to listen to Source Audio's Ventris? It's a pretty amazing pedal - actually two reverbs in one (with the two dedicated reverb engines). It looks somewhat intimidating, but is easier than you would expect, to dial in something great on it.



This pedal does double duty and functions as a go-to for keyboards, as well. The Nemesis and Ventris are a very powerful combination.

[david57strat]

Originally Posted by richnrbq

I had the HoF and it was fine, but not inspiring. The Strymon Flint has been a wonderful addition and is genuinely inspiring and very musical. And you’d be surprised at how useful subtle tremolo can be on acoustic. With the second generation just released, with minor function additions, used versions of the original are a great deal. Highly recommended.

I felt the same way about the Hall of Fame 2. It was one of the earlier reverb pedals I purchased, when I started getting back into using dedicated pedals (after having used rack stuff for years).

The HOF2 served a purpose as a utility reverb; but I later started upgrading reverbs, and once I did, it couldn't keep up; so I sold it. Feel the same way about the DigiTech Polara. Very useful unit, but paled, by comparison, with its bigger brothers (an Eventide Space and Source Audio Ventris). Wasn't a very fair comparison, because of the price points; but I wanted reverbs that would be well-suited for other instruments (not just guitar) - like keyboards - especially for recording. I'm old school, that way. I prefer using dedicated pedals, rather than VSTs. This way, I can get sound dialed in for performances, but can carry those over to recording, without having to re-invent the wheel.

Unless you're set it and forget it type of reverb user, I would not recommend the HOF Mini, as you only get one sound at a time with that pedal. In order to program another sound, you'll have to hook it up to a computer, to select that sound. Not very handy, if you're an experimental reverb user.

I don't have any of the Strymon reverbs (yet lol), but have their Timeline and DIG delays (on different boards) and they're both incredible. A pair of Zumas and an Ojai Expansion Kit are mounted under my main board. I love their products, and it's easy to get hooked!

For tremolo, I've been using, either a Wampler Latitude Deluxe v2, or a Fulltone Supa-Trem2 v2. I actually prefer the versatility of the Latitude more, but the Supa-Trem is a stereo unit, and I'm a huge fan of stereo delay, reverb, and modulation effects, because of the huge stereo field/sweep.


Extremely versatile pedal. Tom Quayle's demo video on this unit sold me straight away.

[Standicz]

2 days in and a lot to think about in this thread already, you guys are amazing.

Feel free to carry on please.

What I learned so far:

I prbly can't use anything too complicated (programming or too many settings and features..), although it seems great on screen, I'd not be patient enough to get results. I would prefer something that works out of the box.

Mono vs stereo: can't use stereo at most gigs playing solely through the amp, so I don't need it.

pre delay sounds useful

I would like at least two or three options, one very subtle, natural for strumming, fast paced songs and such, the other one more pronounced for slow stuff. That leaves out the simple cheap options like HoF mini or the Fender preverb.

I want to be able to dial in great tone with few knobs, and maybe switch between two or three options (or bend down, turning knobs, but hey, 21stcentury.?) This condition seems to contradict what I write above about the complexity...

[PANDAPANDELO]

Originally Posted by david57strat

Have you had a chance to listen to Source Audio's Ventris? It's a pretty amazing pedal - actually two reverbs in one (with the two dedicated reverb engines). It looks somewhat intimidating, but is easier than you would expect, to dial in something great on it.



This pedal does double duty and functions as a go-to for keyboards, as well. The Nemesis and Ventris are a very powerful combination.

Yes! I had the Ventris and Collider for a while, so I have experience with them. I liked a lot, but I used to feel the sound... cold, metallic... if that makes any sense.

I can't compare it directly to the Mercury7, since I don't own the Source Audio pedals anymore, but it feels warm! The way I like it! That's why I'm in love with that sound!

I think it is kind of a matter of taste, really, since both of them are great pedals!

[david57strat]

Originally Posted by PANDAPANDELO

Yes! I had the Ventris and Collider for a while, so I have experience with them. I liked a lot, but I used to feel the sound... cold, metallic... if that makes any sense.

I can't compare it directly to the Mercury7, since I don't own the Source Audio pedals anymore, but it feels warm! The way I like it! That's why I'm in love with that sound!

I think it is kind of a matter of taste, really, since both of them are great pedals!

Agreed. The Mercury 7 has a special something to it that really makes it sing. It may not have a ton of algorithms, but it can be quite versatile, once you get past the learning curve with the alternate functions on the knobs.

It's possible to really deep edit the sounds on the Ventris, but I've never felt a need to do that, and have always been able to get something I really like out of it, right out of the box.

But, it's one of many reverb pedals, and they all have their own flavor to them.


These are usually spread over four boards. I'm obviously a reverb (and delay) fanatic.

That Polara can't really keep up with some of the other reverbs, but I can't bring myself to part with it. It sees very little love, these days.

[BoneDigger]

I use, and have tried, a lot of Reverbs on my electric guitars. For my acoustic, I prefer the Align. It just simply sounds great on my acoustic guitars.