Print this page

What's the most incredible reggae pedal?

Tweet

It certainly would make life a lot easier if there was such a thing as a reggae pedal. Fortunately most if not all guitar pedals can be used to play reggae. You certainly can get by with just your amp and guitar and many amps are being shipped these days with on board effects but, most can't give the versatility of an effects pedal.

When looking for a reggae pedal make sure it has decent delay, reverb, distortion, overdrive, chorus an envelope filter and possibly a phaser.  If you are having trouble finding a unit read on, as I will look at some muliti-effects processors, stomboxes and rackmount effects you can use for reggae.

Multi-effects Processors

Boss GT

The Boss GT pedals are probably the most used multi-effects pedal in reggae. All the sounds you will ever need can be found in these pedals. I would not recommend going lower than the GT-6. I have actually tried the GT-6 and the GT-10, I find the 10 is better than the 6 although it is some what more complex than the 6. The GT 100 is game and very easy to use. Some say it sounds the best a all the GT's and if you have the money get it. These pedals sound really good with an amp that gives a flat and natural response like the JC-120.  For amps that works well with reggae pedal see reggae guitar.

The GT series are not my favorite reggae pedals – I have found them to be some what thin and noisy on some of the presets. I know it can be tweaked but for me if the factory presets are not decent enough I don’t bother with the pedal. Still, many reggae guitarists use them so there must be something in them.

If you do not have the money to buy one of the GT series you could get by with the ME-50, ME-70 (for more see my review of the Boss Me 70 Reggae Pedal) or ME 80. In fact I like the ME series better than the GT series. They are easier to use, they have enough effects for reggae and they are cheap. The only draw back in my opinion is that they have no equalizer, but they are still good value for money. The one to get is the ME 80.  It has a preamp and an EQ section which makes it very versatile.

Digitech RP Series

Digitech is catching up with Boss very quickly if they haven’t overtaken them already when it comes on to multi-effect pedals. If I were to choose between the Digitech RP series or the Boss GT series, I would go with Digitech all the time for reggae.

Some body at Digitech knows what they are doing. The RP 500 and 1000 are extremely powerful and yet unbelievably easy to use. I own the RP 1000 and I can't fault it. There was no learning curve, it was very easy to use from the get go. The factory presets are very good and can easily be tweaked. This thing has all the reggae sound you will ever need and more. It's the best reggae pedal by far!

The amp models and cabinet models are very good. Not the same as the original amps and cabinets they are modeling but they do actually sound very good. The sounds are not thin and flat but dynamic. The thing that sold me on these units was the fact that you can use it and still maintain the original sound of your amp, pure genius. Why can’t the other companies do the same!

All the new RP pedals are good and they all use the Audio DNA2 chip. Nevertheless I would not go lower than the RP 355 or maybe the 350. The 500 and 355 are good value for money.

I have started using the RP360XP and its holding up very nicely indeed. Sounds are easy to create, love it! Sorry for shouting. I will review it soon. The video shows some dub style reggae with the RP360 XP being used for reggae reverb.

Line 6 Pods

The Line 6 multi-effects pedals are stacked with features too numerous to name here. If you don’t like any of the ones I've mentioned you could look at their old Pod XT or Pod X3 Live. The newer Pod HD500X are ok as well. The Helix is very good but expensive, if you have the money its worth a try. Its very flexible. I have not used them but many guitarists do. Some say they are good, others say they are rubbish. The major complain I hear is that they are unreliable, because of some software issue, the sounds are way too digital and it takes a bit of effort to tweak.  

Having said that Line 6 is always improving and I would imagine that these issues will be sorted out in future updates.  They can be used as a reggae pedal and that’s what matters.

Vox ToneLab LE

One of the sweetest sounding pedals out there is the Vox ToneLab LE. The electronics in this pedal were copied from Vox’s extremely popular Valvetronix amps. With a good solid state amp or through a PA this pedal really shines. It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of the other models I‘ve mentioned but, it certainly can hold its own on any stage.

It is ruggedly built and it has a valve inside which seems to improve the quality of the sound. In some ways it reminds me of the ME-50 because of its simplicity and ease of use. They are not terrible expensive and can be had second had for cheap. This pedal is very good value for money and can add some spice to your reggae sound especially if you use a solid state amp. The newer ToneLab EX is simple and easy to use as well.

Zoom G3X and G3Xn

I tried the Zoom G3X after reading some reviews on the net and I have to say musically this little baby can shine.  I obsolutely love it. Its so small and easy to use and it fits in my guitar bag, amazing!  The G3Xn is good too and for reggae, I would be more than happy to gig with it. Just like the RP360XP the price is right.

Stomboxes

A very good alternative to multi-effects processors are stomboxes and they substitute very well as reggae pedals. In fact many people argue that stomboxes are your best option for authentic effects sound. While I tend to agree, one has to bare in mind that multi-effects processor are very good, extremely affordable and versatile when compared to stomboxes. Having said that, if you like stomboxes then by all means go for them.  

I think Boss is the market leader when it comes to stomboxes so you could consider checking their stuff out first.  There is really no point in me naming individual stomdoxes here since any one of their reverbs, choruses, delays, envelop filters (auto wah/yah), overdrives or distortion pedals will do just fine.  Go to a music shop and try them all to see which ones you like.

Digitech also make very good stomboxes especially their Hardwire range. Many of the reviews that I have seen on the Hardwire pedals have been extremely positive. They are a bit more expensive, so if you are on a budget you could try their other pedals. I have only tried the Bad Monkey and if that is the standard of their pedals then I am sold.

There are other makes of course like, Line 6, Electro-Harmonics, Ibanez, Tech 21 etc; so shop around to see what suits your needs. Just remember that stomboxes can get very expensive especially the boutique ones and there are loads to choose from which can be quite disconcerting. All in all, they do make good reggae pedals.

Rackmount Effects

If you are not troubled by a lack of flexibility then you could try a rackmount effects unit. Some people claim they are built better and are more authentic sounding. I think they are ok sounding and they are more for studio use.

If you are into rackmount effects you could look at the Boss GT-Pro, Digitech GSP1101, Fractal Audio Axe-Fx or Axe-Fx Ultra (many people seem to be happy with this one, they claim it’s the best replica of a valve sound), TC Electronic G-Major, G-Sharp or G-Force, Rocktron Prophey 11 or the Tech 21 SanAmp PSA-1.1.  The line 6 rackmount Pod HD Pro or the Eleven Rack form Avid if are good too.

These are just a few of the rackmount effects processors out there so again remember to shop around to see what best suits your needs.  If you plan to use these units live, bare in mind that you may need an additional pedal to change from preset to preset.

With so many options out there for reggae pedal, your reggae sound and playing should never be the same.Now go have some fun trying the different effects units out there. Later! 

 

Bookmark this page

Delicious Twitter Technorati Stumbleupon Facebook Digg