DigiTech Digiverb

not to hard to figure out. there is the mode switch and the other knobs are simply more/less... i guess the holy grail is easier...

It is a warm sounding reverb, but keep the tone knob below 12, or it will get harsh... the best reverbs are church (HUGE), gated (Cool for mbv-style smooth guitar) and reverse (with the level fully clockwise you'll get some great sounds by just doing weird stuff, not even playing...) All these settings have a digital graininess to them, but if you run them in front of a compressing (or old-school single volume amp set loud enough to distort) tube amp it warms up more and sounds pretty organic. got to have the level between 50% and 90% wet. subtle reverb is not on the menu.

the hall and plate settings sound very digital and constricted. I have a BOSS RV-2 from the late 80's that has a WAY more organic sounding plate setting, but it's really noisy, maybe that's why it sounds more "analog"

The spring setting has a nice warbly modulation to it, but is over-splashy which renders it useless for guitar. got a good sound out of it with an old russian organ-synth, though.

The room setting is good for completely removing the attack of the guitar with LEVEL to 100% wet, DECAY to shortest and EQ to taste, but not higher than 11 o'clock. this gives your guitar a nice smooth sound with no attack, but it doesn't swell in like the reverse or gated settings. it's (almost) right on the beat. with a compressor/overdrive/distortion AFTER it you can get some pretty cool organ sounds.

And there's the point of this pedal. it doesn't do what it's intended to do very well, but if you experiment with it and use it as a dominant effect rather than for ambience, you can do a lot of cool stuff with it.

Rating:
Intended - 3
Freak out mayhem - 8

It kinda looks like a BOSS, doesn't it? It's not. Remember those crappy DOD switches? Same company... the actual switch is a small piece of sh*t that is soldered on the board, and when you stomp the lid, it holds a piece of rubber that presses that little switch. not a very reliable solution. the switch on mine stopped working, so i replaced it with an industrial type with spring damper. had to drill a hole in it and can't use a battery anymore, but it's better now. And anyway, draws about 40mA, so you're batteries will last for about a half hour on or maybe two hours bypassed... get an adapter, crazy that it doesn't come with one...

the pot's don't seem as reliable as on the BOSS pedals either.

A backup would probably be a good idea. Behringer makes some cheap BOSS knock-offs that'll probably get you through the gig. the exact same crappy switching patent, though. You should probably keep a BOSS RV-3 handy, even though it won't do the same sounds (it sounds like poo) it won't break down on you.

I play in two bands, but i only use it in one. actually we're three guitarists, a keyboard (old-style) player and a violin player, and we all use it for our reverbs with the levels set between 3 o'clock and max. its pretty noisy in-yr-face pop music.

My setup changes somewhat but has for some time now included the digiverb as the FIRST pedal after the guitar and then into an EHX Mini Q-Tron. This is then completed with a fuzz/distortion which I'm still trying to find. been using a BOSS MT-2 for a while now. it sounds like turd, but cuts through... this goes through a splitter into two amps. One clean, one crunchy (no MV!!!)

Settings are:
MODE - Church
DECAY - 1 o'clock
EQ - 11 o'clock
LEVEL - 4 o'clock

what i play with the pedal engaged is mostly strings-like dynamic melodies/harmonies or even chords or pure sonic mayhem

DigiVerb is really easy and intuitive to use. The battery is very easy to change. The only thing you need to read from the manual is how to enable cabinet modeling.

Guitars: 1986 Stratocaster, 1997 Les Paul
Effects setup:
Compressor -> DS9 TubeScreamer -> Delay -> DigiVerb -> Tube amp

DigiVerb does sound as thin as other reverb pedals I have tried. It definetly changes the sound (like the good old reverbs did). I take it as a modeling pedal. Some of the models (reverb types) are not so usable for general playing, but as long as there are 2-3 decent models I am happy. 'Room' can be used to add subtle ambience to your chord playing. 'Church' gives you nice complex reverbations. It sounds very tasteful if you do not increase the output level of the reverb effect too much.

For my taste they have overdone the spring reverb model a little bit. You need to play with the controls to tame the 'splashing springs'. I think that the spring reverb model suits best to surf instrumentals.

I have been playing 20 years, mainly classic rock, blues and jazz.
The pedal improves my sound. I would buy it again, if it was lost or stolen.

For regular reverb, this pedal sounds good straight off, although i must agree with Peter C that the level control is a misnomer. "mix" would have been much more appropriate, but this is hardly a matter to quibble over, as it is the easiest control to use anyway.
the manual is less than extensive, but anyone paying this amount of money for a pedal should really know what EQ and Decay are, so patches should be easy to edit.
i just like having switchable reverb. i o.d.'ed on reverb when i was a kid, just as soon as i got a decent amp,i later avoided it for many years.
to go from a washy reverbed sound to a ripping solo (stairway, maybe) without having to kneel and twist the control on the amp is priceless, although many units are available for less. anyone can find at least one application immediately.
this said, getting some of the settings to yield good results can take time.

my set-up is odd - it has been evolving for a long time.
highly rewired strat into Jim Dunlop Crybaby 95Q into Hughes & Kettner ATS60 with effects loop = Digitech Whammy II pedal; DIGIVERB; Wasabi Forward/Reverse Delay.

(there may be a couple of others added soon, but these are unimportant for our purposes here)

i had an Ibanez delay, (DDL insert number here...) and the noise was unbearable, this is a vast improvement
i have a (switchably) noisy set up anyway!

all of the effects work for me, but i was a bit flummoxed by the Gated setting. this function is just to make the sound "bigger" without it sounding reverbed - see harmony central's effects articles for details, or phil collins drum sound for audio example. as the manufacturer says, the unit can be used as an outboard mixing effect, and perhaps this is the reason for it's inclusion.
plate sounds great for old slapbacks, Room is nice and subtle.
personally, i am completely indifferent about the Hall setting, but it is still useful to people with different requirements, and i adore most of the other modees anyway.
Church mode sounds like standing on top of a building in the pouring rain with a crow on your shoulder. i expect it also has other uses!
the reverse function may indeed be a gimmick, but i have found several applications, including some Hendrix and May - inspired sounds.

i would never run a digital pedal on batteries - it is a waste of money. invest in adaptors and a plugboard or a PSU.
i have only had this pedal for as month, but my Whammy II has lasted since the last century (although the sides fall off, but that's just glue).
on some of the budget multi's made by digitech, a few of the buttons are plastic, and the heavy-footed must take care. i have seen a few with broken / missing buttons, but i've never seen the electronics fail.
the moral of the story:
IF IT IS SMALL AND FRAGILE, DON'T KICK IT.
i'm not sure about the gigging without a backup - i have no choice in a few months, i can't afford another and i need the reverse mode. i am intending to work out a way of using the Wasabi if the Digitech goes down, but i expect it to do me proud (like my Whammy II, which has a few gigs under it's belt).
Unfairly, but due to my recent ownership vs. company history: 7

i have dealt with Digitech's UK suppliers a few times having worked in a music shop. the UK distribution changed hands a couple of years ago, but since then all has been fine, the same as most other decent distribution comnpanies.
i can't speak for the distributors in other countries, but our shop's policy was and is:
shoddy instruments or poor tech support = stop trading with that company.
Digitech, they still trade with.

digitech.com has wonderful sound samples for a few settings of most (if not all, i confess to not having checked) their pedals - which can be played with or without the effect applied.
on the strength of their reverse "example sample" i fell in love with this pedal. my fiance bought me this pedal for christmas and that is a perfect example of why i fell in love with her.

ALSO YOU CAN EXTEND YOUR WARRANTY ONLINE

overall rating 10. i love this pedal. if it were stolen i would cry, plan the murder of the thief and then buy another.
i have been playing for nearly 15 years and since 2001 have no other job (yay!).
the mixer output is a great boon, allowing the church setting to be used on recorded vocals, the gate on drums etc, without the need for plug-ins / extra rack gear.
(dear Harmony Central - how about a Features box on here? just a thought, please keep up this consistently useful site!)
for many styles of music i work with, this pedal works just as well as any other digital reverb unit.

BUT

for my absolute favourite thing, which is to sound as unlike a guitar as i can, what this does in Reverse setting is awesome.
if you check out the website you can hear a sample of this setting - i heard it and was smitten.
the sample has clean arpeggiated guitar; with the effect applied it sounds like synth string sections fading in - Brian May swells and Space Oddysey synth orchestrations are possible with judicious use of the EQ control.
with the level control fully clockwise, all of the direct sound is removed. playing before the beat can result in pure swells, useful for string sounds and reverse solos.

the plain fact is:
silly noise pedals cost a fortune and can be hard to find multiple applications for. this pedal houses many decent reverbs and at least two wonderful silly noises on the Reverse mode.

i have been through several multi-effects units and returned to single pedals as i prefer to think in terms of resultant sound rather than banks and patches (which are fine if you stick to a setlist).
the rewiring of my strat includes a passive noise circuit, and this hopefully indicates the lengths to which i will go for the ultimate (useable) daft noise.

with more and more stand alone, multi-function pedals on the market, tailoring sound has never been easier - as long as you have the money.

The controls are very simple to use. The small manual explains things a bit, but is barely necessary really.

The only thing that's a bit odd is labelling the control that mixes the dry and reverb sounds as "Level"; I initially thought this would control the overall volume. However, that only confused me for about 30 seconds, so is hardly a big issue.

I am using this with a non-jangly humbucker-equipped Rickenbacker (a 650D) and a small, quality tube amp from local manufacturers Sheldon Amps.

There's some hiss from this pedal, but not too bad.

There are seven types of reverb on this pedal: -

Room is very subtle. It is good for when you don't really want perceptible reverb, just a little something to ensure the sound isn't too sterile.

Plate is quite striking, but in a good way. I like it for rhythm guitar, set to decay quickly.

Hall is a very natural sounding simulation of a big room. Excellent for slowish melodies, arpeggio parts etc.

I haven't used Church much. The name put me off.

Gated and Reverse seem like pointless gimmicks to me. But perhaps I'm just not creative enough to see how they could be used to good effect. Anyway, they're certainly not for everyday use.

Spring isn't for me at all. I don't see the point of simulating clunky old technology like this. Others will doubtless disagree strongly! I used to have a Fender Blues Junior amp with spring reverb and I think that the Digiverb is much nicer, but not on the Spring setting!

Overall, I give it a high rating, because there are plenty of settings that get me sounds that I really like. I just ignore the other settings!

Haven't had it long, but it looks well-made.

It seems to be very picky about batteries. If the battery is not in tip-top condition, it goes haywire. Best used with AC adapter.

I try to play pop, rock, blues, folk, punk styles. No metal, no jazz, no classical. I've been going just under two years and am just beginning to sound OKish.

This pedal does exactly what I wanted. It provides a selection of nice reverbs from subtle to striking. It also provides some horrid ones, but I just ignore those.

This pedal also works with a microphone for vocals, which is a bonus. A unit specifically designed for vocal microphones would probably be better, but this unit is OK.

Never opened the manual & found what I was looking for quickly; However I'm a 13 year veteran user of a vintage '63 Fender tank, so the multiple knob reverb thing is old news. Also, I'm not looking for a variety of reverb sounds, just what I've been used to.There are 7 settings on this pedal..the only one I'm interested in is #7- 'spring'.

My rig(s): 1950 Gibson ES-5, Parts Telecaster w/ early 50's bridge PU, 50's Harmony Stratotone, '96 Robert Cray MIM Stratocaster,'91 RI ES-335 - all through a Clark 3x10 Tyger ( Tweed Bandmaster), early blonde Fender Pro Junior, or an early 50's Valco 1x12.
As far as noise, I listened and there was a barely audible high end "change" (hum would be an overstatement) that sounded like the usual tube amp-warming up sound in a higher frequency; For what I do ( trad.Blues, Jump Blues, 50's R&B), it doesn't interfere anymore ( infact, less so) than an old tank. Only a keen ear listening FOR it should pick it up...so probably a no-go for studio application.

This thing is built rock solid and I would bring it out without batting an eye. However, I've only owned it for a week!!

As a working blues musician in New England for well over 10 years, I grew tired of carrying around my old tank and have been looking for a non-tube, non-boutique alternative for awhile. I've checked out the EH Holy Grail series & the Boss RV's, and they weren't as transparent as this one. After a couple of minutes playing with the level ("mix" on an old tank), EQ("tone"), and Decay("dwell"), I found the sweet spot I needed. I am a certified pedal-hater, but this one has something...doesn't kill my tone & provides exactly what I'm looking for. I'd buy another( at the same or less $$) if this one disappeared somehow.