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Pros:
- Thick and clear reverb
- Very easy to use
- Beautiful and unique tone
Cons:
- It cannot be operated with battery
- Does not have a tap tempo
At the beginning of the process of putting together your pedalboard, things are quite easy. You do not care about the space and shove everything you like in there. But as you explore more and more and purchase additional effects, it gets harder to find a spot for your newly-bought stompbox. That is definitely something I have experienced in the past. I was unwilling to say goodbye to any of the pedals I already had, but could not resist the temptation to incorporate reverb in my rig.
That is when I started exploring the market of multi-effects units, two-in-one deals in particular. After trying out various devices in different price ranges, I was approaching the point where I was about to give up. Then my beloved social media with its scary algorithm popped up Ethereal – Delay & Reverb from Wampler. I did some research and the information I found was quite intriguing. I decided to take a risk and invest in this dreamy pedal. And boy, that was the smartest decision I have made. This baby will save you a lot of space while delivering the performance that equals to that of separate pedals. If you are interested, then keep me company!
Features
Have you had the moments where you look at something and you cannot believe it is actually real because it is absolutely amazing? Ethereal – Delay & Reverb is something of that ilk and I am not even exaggerating. Though two-in-one pedals are not usually the best thing in the world, considering the reputation of the brand, it is not surprising that they managed to produce a decent unit. This bad boy is built in the USA with high-quality material, meaning that it will stay with you till the end of your career.
It is comprised with True Bypass circuitry that utilizes relay switching. This way the essence of your beautiful sound will not be lost as the signal passes through this pedal. However, it can also be employed in Trail mode, which will cause the effect to fade away slowly after turning off the unit. More importantly, Ethereal – Delay & Reverb gives you the ability to create reverb and delay and employ them simultaneously. It is also equipped with two different delay circuits, allowing you to layer one type over the other and produce multifaceted sounds.
The secondary delay can be altered with three patterns, adding a ton of possibilities to this massive package. The design of this pedal is simply gorgeous and displays all the best qualities through appealing patterns and color palettes. The fact that this fella has top-mounted jacks is basically a cherry on top. The downside to Ethereal – Delay & Reverb is that it cannot be powered with batteries, so you will have to stick with good ol’ adapter (and I guess that will not be a problem in most cases). Other than that, this amazing stompbox does not have any major cons in the feature section. When you consider the number of usable properties, you will quickly understand that this beast is worth your coin.
Controls
If we take into account the size of Ethereal – Delay & Reverb, the control section might seem a bit overcrowded. But when you remember all of its features, it becomes clear that such replete panel is, in fact, essential for tweaking this fella. Do not get intimidated, though. There is nothing to be afraid of. This baby is like a mastiff that scares the hell out of you at first, but then turns out to be a kind boy who just wants to play. This pedal is begging for creativity and performance and of course, tonal quests through its all-encompassing knobs.
The control panel starts with Feedback, which modifies the amount of repeats in the delayed signal and changes the length of decay in case of reverb. Tone acts as a single knob equalizer and alters the presence of higher and lower frequencies in your affected sound. Delay Mix blends your original sound with its delayed variation, while Reverb Mix does the same thing with reverb. This way you can modify the amount of the effect and intensify the character of your instrument if needed. Delay adjusts delay time and ranges from 20ms to 1000ms. That’s it for the knobs. We have one more control left: Delay Mode enables you to utilize the second delay in 1/8, triplet or ¼ + 1/8 note. Let’s not forget the side button for Trail mode and the main footswitch.
Wampler Ethereal Sound
As I have mentioned above, Ethereal – Delay & Reverb is an adroit tool that fulfills both duties with responsibility, dedication and unworldly quality. Both effects are equal as far as their sonic character goes. They are versatile and offer an all-encompassing tonal range. Delays can be slow and dimensional, or fast and psychedelic, while Reverbs can easily go from subtle swirls to mind-blowing self-oscillation and spaciousness. But the pedal truly shines when these two babies are used in conjunction.
They complete one another and create multi-layered sounds that are not only beautiful but also rather interesting for any musician. The ability to mix two different types of delays gives you interminable options to experiment with. And this pedal is definitely for those who love exploring all the shades and undertones. I could say a lot more about the sound of this one, but I will keep it short and complete this section by saying that this stompbox is truly Ethereal.
Conclusion
I know how hard it can be to risk paying a couple hundred bucks for an effects pedal, but sometimes it is the best decision you could ever make. Wampler Ethereal – Delay & Reverb is actually a unit that saves you a lot of money, since it combines two different effects. Each of them is just as good as they would be in separate pedals, so huge thumbs up to that! This baby knows how to make you sound better, more spacious and dimensional. After all, it will echo and reverberate simultaneously. Do not let even a single possibility of this stompbox slip through your fingers. Good luck!
Click here to view more from 10 Best Reverb Pedals.
