Reverb is everywhere. It’s the combination of sounds reflected off all nearby surfaces, and adds all kinds of ambience to your guitar playing from subtle tones to huge long tails. If you’re on a budget, then your amp might not have reverb, or it might only have spring reverb, which can be quite limiting, depending on your style. When I was a student, I found the cheapest reverb effects could be achieved by playing in the bathroom, but that’s not really a good option. Here we’ll help you choose the best cheap reverb pedal for you, to help get that ambience you’re looking for, wherever and whatever you’re playing.
The Top 7 Cheap Reverb Pedals We Review In This Article:
- EX Digital Reverb Pedal Mini
- Biyang RV-10 Baby Boom Tri-Reverb
- Valeton Coral 2
- Behringer DR600 Digital Reverb
- Joyo JF-317 Space Verb
- Boss RV-6 Digital Reverb Pedal
Best Reverb Pedal Under $40
Reverb Effects
The EX Digital Reverb Mini comes with 3 reverb modes onboard:
- “Well” reverb has a bouncy quality
- “Spring” mode is a classic dark, drippy reverb sound
- “Room” ‘verb provides that natural ambience
Controls
Tweaking and adjustments are simple, with just three knobs providing the control:
- Dry / Wet Knob to adjust the amount of reverb in the mix
- Time Knob to adjust the length of the decay
- Level Knob to manage the overall volume
Features
- Small, simple rugged build
- LED colour change to indicate which mode
Specs
- 1/4 Inch Input and Output Jacks
- 9v AC Adapter Input
Overall
The EX Digital Reverb Mini pedal is basically the cheapest guitar reverb effects pedal on the market. It’s built well and has a few different reverb options, and sounds pretty good considering the price. If you’re on a very tight budget but still absolutely must have a reverb pedal, then the EX Digital might a good option.
Pros
- Cheapest reverb pedal we could find
- 3 decent reverb modes
- Simple controls
- Solid build quality for the money
Cons
- Really needs to be run off a PSU for the best sound quality
- Lacks a tone control knob
Best Reverb Pedal Under $50
When we first heard about the RV-10 Tri-Reverb from chinese brand Biyang, we were a little skeptical about whether such a cheap pedal could deliver the goods. We’re pleased to say that while its not the best reverb pedal out there, its well worth the very low price. It’s a fairly simple unit, with 3 different reverb modes – Room, Hall and Spring, with a simple flip switch that lets you choose between them. Just two knobs provide control over the mix and the decay time, and to our surprise it sounds pretty good. There’s also switch that lets you to toggle between “A” and “B” modes, with the “A” setting adding a touch of fuzz or distortion, adding up to a total of six different sound settings. Build quality is very good, with the unit feeling rugged and the controls smooth. The Hall and Room sound similar in tone, but with each having different decay characteristics, and giving you a decent ambience, but many people seem to feel that the spring reverb doesn’t really match the quality and dynamics of other pedals on the market. Guitarists with very keen ears may also notice that the RV-10 affects their tone slightly. If you’re looking for a full-featured or premium reverb, then this probably isn’t for you, but if you’re on a tight budget or just want a simple pedal that won’t break the bank, then it might be a good option. There are plenty of people out there who love their RV-10s.Pros
- Very Cheap
- 3 Reverbs - Room, Hall and Spring
- Simple controls - just Mix and Time
- A/B setting adds some fuzz to your sound - making 6 effects in total
Cons
- Not very "Springy"
- Room and Hall modes sound very similar
- Can be a bit of a tone killer
Best Reverb Pedal Under $100
Reverb Effects
The Coral CRV-2 boast an impressive 11 inbuilt reverb modes:
- Room, Studio, Hall, Stage and Church all provide pretty good simulations of the acoustics of real spaces of varying sizes
- Spring and Plate modes simulate the traditional mechanical spring and plate reverb machines
- Mod: Produces lush, modulated sound
- Lofi: Produces a low-fidelity, sample-reduced effect
- Gate: Produces a reverb effect with a decay that ends quickly
- Reverse: reverses the reverb tails, building to a crescendo
Controls
The CRV-2 comes with the 3 standard control knobs you’d expect:
- Mix – controls the effect level
- Decay – adjusts the length of the reverb tails
- Tone – allows some adjustment over the high and low-end frequencies
Features
- True Bypass ensures a clean through signal
- Heavy duty metal footswitch and on/off status LED
- Easy-to-read, readily accessible knobs
- Reverb settings for every music style
- Pristine tone with low noise level
- MIX, DECAY and TONE knobs for detailed reverb control
Specs
- Aluminum-alloy die cast casing
- Current Consumption：135mA
- Dimensions：93mm (D) × 50mm (W) × 46.5mm (H)
- Weight：175g
Overall
The Valeton CRV-2 Mini is a strong contender for the best budget reverb pedal. It packs a lot of effects options and flexibility into a small, sturdy unit. As you’d expect at this price, the sound quality is a slight compromise against more costly pedals but this is one of the best budget reverb pedals for the money.
Pros
- Highly versatile, with lots of Reverb options
- Compact & Sturdy
- Low noise
Cons
- Not the best looking pedal
- Sound quality is traded off for more reverb modes
Reverb Effects
The Behringer offers 6 different reverb modes which should meet the needs of most guitarists:- Spring
- Hall
- Plate
- Gate
- Room
- Modulate
Controls
As with most of the cheap reverb pedals in this review, the CRV-2 is equipped with 3 control knobs, giving you enough flexibility without over complicating matters:- Level – controls the mix
- Tone – allows you to adjust the high and low frequencies
- Time – controls the length of the ‘verb tails
Features
- 24-Bit Stereo Reverbs Including Spring, Plate, Modulate
- Dedicated Level, Tone, Time and Mode Controls
- Dual 1/4” TS Input and Output Jacks
- Bypass Mode with Outstanding Signal Integrity
- Status LED for Effect On/Off and Battery Check
Specs
- Input A Connector:1/4” TS
- Input B Connector: 1/4” TS
- Input A Impedance:
- Stereo: 500kΩ
- Mono: 250kΩ
- Input B Impedance: 500kΩ
- Output A Connector: 1/4” TS
- Output B Connector: 1/4” TS
- Output A Impedance: 1kΩ
- Output B Impedance: 1kΩ
- Power Supply: PSU-SB 9VDC or 9V Battery
- Dimensions: 54mm x 70mm x 123mm (H x W x D)
- Weight: 0.33kg / 0.73lb
Overall
The Behringer DR600 is an excellent contender for best cheap reverb pedal. It offers enough different modes to satisfy most guitarists needs forever, and the 24-bit sound processing means the effect quality is nothing to be sniffed at. If you’re into gigging or just have a very heavy foot then it might not stand up to that kind of treatment but for bedroom players looking for the best budget reverb pedal, the DR600 could be an excellent choice.Pros
- Stereo & Mono options onboard
- 24-bit processing provides great sound quality for the money
- Decent flexibility
Cons
- Plastic casing keeps price down but means it's less durable than a metal box - don't stomp too hard!
The JF-317 Space reverb is the first reverb pedal from Joyo and by all accounts, Joyo are off to a good start. Reverb Types
- Room Reverb – a subtle, intimate reverb – great for blues
- Hall Reverb – Expansive reverb for big sounds
- Church Reverb – Big and bright with huge long reverb tails for that spacey rock sound.
- Plate Reverb – Vintage plate ‘verb for those classic Pink Floyd style effects
Controls
You get the standard three control knobs you’d expect from reverbs in the low price bracket:- Mix – adjusts the amount of effect signal
- Decay – controls the length of the ‘verb tails (and the JF-317 Space Verb has some big tails!)
- Tone – adjusts the tonal frequencies
Features
- Flip cover design to prevent accidental changing of your settings
- True Bypass
- 4 Reverb Modes: ROOM, HALL, CHURCH, PLATE
- Sturdy and solid build quality
- Standard 9V AC Adapter
- Includes 3M brand velcro to attach to your pedalboard!
Specs
- Dimensions 73(L) * 43(W)* 50(H)mm
- Weight：0.8lb (0.3Kg)
- Power consumption: 9v
- Input Impedance:1m Ohm
- Output Impedance:100 Ohm
- Running Current 35mA
- Power:DC 9V adapter (negative polarity)
- Plug in 9v DC Adapter (not included)
Pros
- Decent sound
- Sturdy build quality
- offers just about enough flexibility
- Unique "flip" cover to prevent you knocking your settings out on stage
Cons
- 9v adapter not included
Best Reverb Pedal Under $150
It has eight inbuilt modes, including the standard room, hall, plate, spring and modulate, along with three new modes:
- Dynamic – adjusts the volume and mix that responds to your playing
- Shimmer – an octave pitch shifter providing lush overtones
- Delay – for that classic reverb / delay combination
The delay isn’t as flexible as you’d expect in a standalone delay pedal but it’s more than good enough as an added bonus, especially at this price.
The mod and shimmer modes sound great, but there are mixed reviews about the spring reverb – some may say that it sounds a little “splashy”, but I know plenty of guitarists who don’t have any problems with it.
The RV-6 offers stereo and mono as well as an extra input jack that lets you control the mix with an expression pedal.
Overall, the RV-6 provides a great sound, great build quality and feels like an improvement over its predecessors in terms of sound quality, and the delay mode makes it a solid choice.
Pros
- 8 reverb modes, including delay
- Great, lush sounds
- Compact and rugged
- Stereo reverb capability
Cons
- Spring reverb mode can be slightly "splashy"
- Small controls make it fiddly to switch between modes
- Not much control over the pre-delay
- Not the prettiest
What is the best cheap reverb pedal on the market today?
That concludes our run down of the best cheap reverb pedals for the money. If we were forced to choose, then we’d probably pick the Boss RV-6 because its tried and tested build quality and excellent ‘verb effects provide excellent value for the money overall. However, we know even the $150 mark isn’t inexpensive to some. If you’re on a really tight budget, we’d recommend the Behringer DR600, simply because of its range of reverb effects and solid metal case. That said, in our view these are some best affordable reverb pedals and you can’t go wrong with any of them.
- Read our beginners’ guide to reverb to help you get the most out of your reverb pedal.
2 thoughts on “What is the Best Cheap Reverb Pedal in 2020?”
EX digital reverb – Needs to be run off a PSU is your cons on this unit I am considering. Asked 14 friends and not a sole knows what your talking about. Considering we came here to “compare” units will you please explain what that means in real people talk that id needs to be run on a PSU? What the heck is PSU? Thank you for clarity
Hey Richard, thanks for asking the question. PSU stands for “Power Supply Unit”. In the context of the review, some pedals need to be connected to mains power via a Power Supply Unit, while others can be powered using a battery. Essentially, a battery-powered pedal has the advantage of being more portable.