If you were stranded on a desert island and only had two pedals to keep with you, what would they be?
Most people would probably pick a Delay and Reverb pedal.
They are pretty much the bread and butter of effects pedals, allowing you to create incredible spatial effects and add dimension to your tone.
When you look at professional pedalboards, it’s unusual that you’ll find only one or the other. Many alternative, shoegaze, and experimental guitarists base their entire sound off of these types of effects.
So the question is, if you’re going to have both on your pedalboard anyway, why not kill two birds with one stone? The beauty of it is, many manufacturers have been coming out with these two-in-one reverb delay pedals for those guitarists who want a simple solution for getting those killer sounds.
Obviously, sounds will be a bit limited in relativity to having a designated pedal for each effect, though if you’re looking to save space, money, and pedal power, we recommend checking out some of the best reverb delay pedals on the market!
For a true all-in-one delay-reverb pedal that allows you to explore the ethers of time and space, the RV-500 is easily one of the most versatile hybrid pedals in the Boss lineup, if not one of the most powerful hybrid pedals ever.
This futuristic pedal features high-quality, 32-bit AD/DA and an unimaginable amount of programmable features that allow you to create just about any combination of reverb and delay that you could think of.
There are twelve different modes available on the pedal, as well as a wide array of adjustable algorithms, that allow you to create tones from the subtle and ambient to the massive and heavenly.
You can even run multiple patches back to back so that you can use both reverb and delay at once. That’s all thanks to the top-of-the-line DSP that the Boss RV-500 utilizes.
Just like many other Boss pedals, you get MIDI I/O and outboard expression pedal control IF you’re looking for more patches, simply connect to your computer via USB and load up the RV-500 librarian software.
Bottom Line: Some might call the RV-500 the most advanced reverb-delay hybrid on the market. For the amount that it’s capable of, we have to agree.
For all the shoegazers out there, the Earthquaker Devices Avalanche Run is a dreamy reverb delay pedal that you should know about.
With the pedal, you can create up to 2 seconds of delay time, utilize tap tempo alongside subdivision control, and experiment with reverse delay. All of this can be done in either true bypass or buffered bypass depending on how you want your cutoffs to be.
There are five different tail length times, assignable expression control, and a delay that gives you the ability to work with different styles ranging from classic tape delays to long, feedback-heavy dub delays.
One of the best sounding tones on this pedal is the massive plate-delay. If you enjoy funky, modulatory sounds, you’ll really dig the lush, metallic sound that this adds to your signal.
The Earthquaker Devices gives you such a wide range of control with sounds that will absolutely blow your mind.
Bottom Line: If you’re a sucker for the otherworldly, you’ll love the Avalanche Run! You get an endless amount of high-quality tones to work with, making for never-ending experimentation.
The Keeley Delay Workstation is another incredibly powerful reverb delay hybrid with an onboard dual DSP processor.
Unique to Keeley, you get some outta-sight reverb and delay patches stuffed into a durable and portable metal chassis. With the insane amount of controls, it’s built for those who want to get creative.
You can combine and adjust a variety of sounds from vintage slapbacks, to long plates, to tape echoes, and beyond. For verses, you can send your signal through short analog delays and for choruses you can send your signal through massive hall reverbs to open up into infinity.
One of the coolest features in this pedal is the ducking delay that allows the sound to clear out of the way briefly when you play your guitar. Essentially, this creates a way for your guitar to continue to cut through, even when your effects have reached their peak in lushness.
There are two banks of eight effects, each high-fidelity and ready to play. You can even make use of the onboard tap tempo or utilize an external expression pedal to dig in further.
Bottom Line: The Keeley Delay Workstation is an incredibly easy-to-use hybrid tool with a practical layout and an array of high-quality sounds. It’s another great pedal for those who are looking to get creative with their effects.
The Wampler Ethereal deserves a place on the royal throne for ambient effects.
It’s easily one of the most user-friendly hybrid pedals out there too, though it still gives you the ability to combine and manipulate effects to create textures that are out-of-this-world.
You can create up to one second of delay, as well as layer up multiple delays for mix-and-match experimentation. Thanks to the ‘Trails’ switch, you can cut off your effects while still leaving space for them to decay naturally.
The Ethereal, like many other Wampler effects, is made with high-grade materials to help preserve your dry signal while adding to it.
We love the fact that, unlike many pedals of its size, they’ve built on top-mounted input and output jacks to help you save a bit more real estate on your board. We were surprised that they were even able to pack a high-quality variety of sounds into such a small package.
Bottom Line: Wampler created the Ethereal to allow you to quickly load up usable effects at a moment’s notice. With a magical mix of delays and reverbs onboard, as well as its ease of use, it is no doubt one of our favorite portable hybrid pedals out there.
The Analog Alien Rumble Seat is three effects in one. Not only do you have reverb and delay built in, but also a quirky little overdrive that is perfect for rockabilly and surf music.
You can easily replace multiple pedals with this all-in-one device, helping you to save some real estate on your board.
The overall pedal is supposed to simulate a Marshall 69 Plexi Amp and it does a great job at it. There are a few controls onboard.
The Output knob controls the output level to the amp, the Tone knob adjusts the treble and bass, and the Gain knob adjusts the amount of gain that you are sending to the actual circuits.
The great thing about the drive onboard is that it isn’t too harsh. You can easily turn it up all the way and get a nice, sweet overdrive with warm-sounding harmonics.
The delay time runs from about 25ms to 650ms for everything from those short slapbacks to those long, trailed delays. Lastly, the reverb is based off the Fender Black Face for that classic spring reverb sound.
Bottom Line: For a fun and quirky delay and reverb pedal that is great for rockabilly and surf music, we highly recommend the Rumble Seat. While it’s not the most versatile pedal out there, it does what it does very well.
The Nux Atlantic has some of the best delay and reverb algorithms around for those who are looking for a classic sound.
There are three delays, and three reverbs on hand, as well as a cool shimmer effect that allows you to create waterfall-like textures, perfect for experimental music.
Nux utilizes Core Image Technology in their pedal, giving you rich and lush textured sounds that emulate reverbs and delays that you know and love.
Some of the delay effects include retro BBD-effected repeats that give you the sounds of the 70s, a warm tape-machine delay that is saturated for the dustier sounds of the 60s, and crystalline repeats for the bright and crispy sounds of the 80s.
There is also a handy tap tempo feature to help synch up the delays to your tunes. As for reverbs, you have a gorgeous spring reverb, a plate reverb with shimmer, and a massive hall reverb for those out-of-this-world sounds.
You can easily mix delays and reverbs too for a bit of deep-routing experimentation.
Bottom Line: The Nux Atlantic comes with play-ready sounds that captures the tones of some of music’s best decades. Easy to use and exciting to manipulate, you’ll have a great time implementing these authentic sounds.
The Keeley Caverns dual-effect pedal is a solid reverb delay pedal for just about any mid-range pedalboard. It comes with a wide array of modulation capabilities including Keeley’s one-of-a-kind analog-style tape delay.
You get everything on this pedal from the classic spring reverb to the new age shimmer effects. The Caverns pedal even gives you the ability to toggle between true-bypass and trails for more natural decays.
One of the best things about the Keeley Caverns is that they seem to have packed a ton of features into a pedal that is compact enough to fit on most any board.
The Delay side of the pedal is easily the best part thanks to their magnetic echo circuit. This circuit is designed to reflect analog tape delays for warmer, more vintage tones. You can even mess with modulation to give you that classic wow and flutter. You can essentially create space around your guitar while not drowning it out.
Bottom Line: With the compact features like the size and top-mounted jacks, as well as the classic sounds like the analog tape delays and modulation effects, the Keeley Caverns is one of the best mid-range reverb delay pedals around for those who don’t have much room on their pedalboard.
The Alexander Sky Fi is the perfect reverb delay pedal for any guitarist that is looking to achieve the crystal clear, digital sounds of the 80s and 90s.
The pedal comes with two different delay types, as well as a reverb engine to help you build a bit more space around your signal.
One of the unique things about the delays on this pedal is that they grow in intensity over time. That’s one of the things that makes them so special when compared to other types of delays units that fade as the signal decays.
Alexander has included those delay types, as well as the ability to freeze and oscillate the signal with a simple hold of the bypass switch.
The unique hold function allows you to either add new notes to the signal as it sits there or route a dry single over the notes so that you can play new things without changing the harmonic content.
Bottom Line: While it may not look like much, the Alexander Sky-Fi has quite a lineup of features packed into it. It’s the perfect pedal for those who enjoy the clear sounds of digital, or just want a reverb delay pedal that fits nicely on their board.
The Boss RV-6 may not be the prettiest pedal on the list, but when you consider the versatility you get in such a compact and inexpensive pedal, it is undoubtedly one of the best for your dollar.
The RV-6 is the sixth iteration of Boss’ famous pedal, reaching far beyond the capabilities of those in the past.
From long, trailing reverb, to short, shimmering delays, you can create lush and iconic tones with ease. The controls are simple and self-explanatory, each allowing you to quickly dial in usable tones without any fuss. In all, you get eight different sound modes with a wide array of effects.
Like many other Boss pedals, there is also a separate input that allows you to plug in an expression pedal for further control. You can also go beyond your guitar thanks to the fact that it is compatible with stereo instruments.
Bottom Line: The Boss RV-6 is one of the most robust reverb delay pedals around. It’s packed full of options at an incredible price, making it perfect for beginners or intermediate players.
Looking to save some money or real estate on your pedalboard, though still want to utilize the strength of a hybrid reverb delay pedal? This is why the Mooer Audio Micro Echoverb is so great.
It is a micro offshoot of Mooer’s popular Echoverb pedal, and while it doesn’t come with as many onboard controls or functions, it does provide the same sound for a fraction of the cost. The cool thing about the Mooer is that you can use multiple effects simultaneously to create some out-of-this-world tones, or you can use it for subtle enhancement to create space around your signal.
The delay comes complete with a tap tempo that is operated through the footswitch, allowing you to easily sync up to the tempo of your song. As for the sound, you get crystal clear effects that are very reminiscent of those found in the 80s and 90s.
Bottom Line: The Mooer Audio Micro Echoverb is the perfect budget solution for players who can’t afford to sacrifice money or space on their pedalboards. Don’t underestimate the size of this bad boy though, as it certainly packs quite a bit of space into the small frame.
Spread Your Sound
No matter the size of your rig or the size of your room, a solid reverb delay pedal can help to create space and ambience that will turn your guitar into something angelic. From building massive, heaven-like sounds to crafting tiny slapbacks, reverb delay combo pedals can do it all, all while saving you space and money.
If you’re shooting for the utmost versatility, we recommend checking out the Boss RV-500 We hope our article was helpful in your search for the holy grail pedal. Have fun spacing out!
The combination of the Keeley Caverns and Walrus’s Slo pedal is a sonically pleasurable interesting combination.
PS: enjoyed your write up of these pedals, thanks.