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Electro-harmonix
“holy Grail” reverb pedal |
Australian Musician Spring 2002
Electro-Harmonix has been operating out of New York for well over two decades and has produced such classics as the Big Muff,Mu-Tron, Bass Balls and micro synthesiser pedals to name just a few. Those original pedals today are highly sought after by players and collectors. The good news for Australia is that Electro-Harmonix is back, bigger and better than before with a new local distributor and a complete range of effects to suit a wide variety of applications. The new look catalogue provides a wide cross section of products to tempt and tantalise the most discerning buyer looking for that classic sound or to step into something that is different, very usable and backed by a respectable name in the business. The pedal I got to check out for this edition was Electro-Harmonix’ digital reverb pedal, the "Holy Grail".
The Holy Grail…
The Holy Grail is part of the guitar effects range and is basically a digital reverb pedal that provides 3 types of reverb (only one reverb type at a time), and accessed via a footswitch. One thing to note about the Electro-Harmonix range is that they are built to last and the Holy Grail reverb pedal is no exception. It comes with its own power supply (no batteries here), and is just like hooking up any other pedal via the input and output.
You have three types of reverb that can be accessed by the dipswitch and includes Spring reverb, Hall reverb and what Electro-Harmonix refer to as "Flerb", which is a spacey type reverb effect. The amount of reverb can be dialled in via a control knob on the front panel and can be activated via an on/off switch on the unit.
Once you’re patched in, you’ll begin to see the versatility that this pedal can offer adding some nice textures to what would normally be a dry harsh sound, especially in the clean department. The Spring reverb setting works very well and as you increase the reverb time via the knob, you can really get things sounding very swampy indeed. Hank Marvin or Dick Dale fans will be delighted at the authenticity of the Spring reverb sound and you’ll find it hard to believe it’s a digital pedal.
Switching to the Hall setting provides a warm lush reverb that brings chords to life providing plenty of decay time at the turn of the knob. The Flerb setting is unique, very mysterious and useful to say the least. The pedal is quite versatile and has uses beyond just the guitar. Anyone looking to add some ambience to their sound can benefit from using the Holy Grail, and using this pedal on voice for example can result in some unique vocal sounds too. As a guitar tool it works well and will be beneficial to those looking to add reverb to their existing setup.
At around $299.00 rrp it’s reasonable value for a genuine American-made pedal coming from a reputable company with a great reputation among players. All I can say is that if you’re after a unit of this variety and you want it to sound great, then the Holy Grail is certainly a good option.
If you feel that three reverb sounds are not enough then the Holier Grail pedal might be a better choice. This one has 8 reverb types and looks more professional and obviously more expensive. Whatever the case, it’s good to know that you don’t need to hunt around those second-hand shops and pay an arm and a leg for an Electro-Harmonix product any more as the full range is now on offer in Australia.
You can delve further into the Holy Grail or any of the range by checking them out at your nearest dealer or simply visit the website at www.ehx.com and see and hear for yourself. Whatever the outcome, I’m sure you won’t be disappointed. Oh and by the way, they still pack them in wooden boxes! Some things never change.
As we went to print Electro-Harmonix released the updated Holier Grail which features a new ROOM reverb, It also adds a switch to select SHORT or LONG reverb decay on each of the four sounds.
What we reckon:
QUALITY
PLAYABILITY
BANG-F0R-YOUR-BUCK
OVERALL
