Tone 102 - Reverb

Reverb is arguably the most common effect for the electric guitar, and is already built into most amplifiers. Reverb is the reverberation of sound. It’s the sound you hear in a hall or a cavern.

Reverb is typically described as “saturated” or have a wet sound. This is because the notes all have a lasting value, like the ripple in a pond after a stone is dropped. The “ripples” of sound bounce into and interact with each other, creating a wonderful sonic landscape where many liberties can be taken.

Think Pink Floyd and David Gilmour. That’s reverb at it’s best. Sure, he uses other effects, but that saturated sustain is the true voice of reverb.

And that’s the beauty of reverb: it allows for more sustain and less note specificity.

Now, reverb can be built in or come in pedal form. Some amps and pedals only have a reverb volume, while other amps and pedals have many different controls. The main three types of controls besides volume are:

1. Decay - How long does it reverberate? Is it a small hall or an endless cave?

2. Speed - This is the viscosity if the saturation if you will. How quickly does the sound reverberate through the room. For example: dropping a stone in to water or motor oil.

3. Color - Are the ripples big or small? Big ones tend to be “browner” while smaller ones tend to be “brighter.”

Reverb is a load of fun, so play around with it! It affords a lot of freedom!

So remember - practice clean. Don’t hide your mistakes. But when you are live on stage, dip into the pool if you want :)