Best Reverb Pedal with Presets (our top pick)

If the primary feature you're looking for in a reverb pedal is presets, we'd have a hard time recommending anything other than the Strymon BigSky. In this context, it's because the BigSky has a ton of presets (300 onboard), but also because it's one of our top reverb pedal recommendations overall. 

Read more: Best reverb pedals

The only caveat is that the Strymon BigSky is expensive by most reverb pedal standards, which you can review with the pricing tools below.

But again, it's hard to pass up on a reverb pedal with 300 presets before you even get to a of MIDI controller.

This is our recommendation unless price gets in the way.

If budget is an issue, check our comparison table and honorable mentions section for some cheaper alternatives.

Reverb Pedal Comparison Table (all have presets)

This chart shows you four different reverb pedals, including the BigSky, all with presets. Use the compare button to examine pricing differences (prices are updated in real time) along with basic features, including the number of presets.

Pricing Tools

We've been clear that the price of the BigSky can be prohibitive in a lot of situations. These tables update the price of the BigSky in real-time from multiple vendors so you can see if there are any deals or lower cost options. Usually retail for the BigSky stays the same, but you might get lucky and spot a discount.

You can also sign up for a price alert and check price history.

Additional Vendors

Amazon Pricing

Price Alert (tracks with lowest price)

Price History (tracks with lowest price)

Honorable mentions and cheaper options

It's hard to nail down a reverb pedal with presets that's not fairly expensive. That's because the technology involved is a lot more intricate and the production costs are usually higher.

These pedals also tend to have more functionality and more algorithms with a larger-form control panel.

But we've dug up a few, in addition to the three we've cited above in the comparison table. 

List of Reverb Pedals with Presets

• Source Audio Collider
• Empress Reverb
• EarthQuaker Devices Astral Destiny
• Walrus Audio Slötva
• Walrus Audio Mako Series R1
• Keeley Hydra
• EHX Ocean's 12
• Red Panda Context 2
• Walrus Audio Descent Reverb

Are most reverb pedals with presets digital?

Adding presets to any pedal is far easier with a digital signal processor. This means that presets in a reverb pedal are almost always created without any analog circuits. This is far less of an issue today because DSPs and algorithms have gotten so good at emulating analog pedals and tube amps.

While some guitar players still prefer analog pedals, companies like Strymon are so good at what they do that it's hard to tell the difference. 

Also, reverb pedals like this are often built with multiple modes or algorithms, which give you a wide variety of reverb types, making the presets more useful. 

If presets are your goal, plan on buying digital.

Even the honorable mentions seem kind of expensive.

For a reverb pedal like this, it would be unusual for you to get one for less than $200, at least at the time of writing this article.

The other thing you can do is check a site like Reverb, which is one of the largest used gear sites in existence. 

You'll find your most significant discounts in used markets.

Browse more: Strymon BigSky on Reverb

What is the best reverb pedal brand?

The first brand we'd recommend is Strymon, primarily for the BigSky and the BlueSky, which is just a smaller version of the BigSky with fewer features. 

As a secondary option we'd go with Walrus Audio. They've got several excellent reverb pedals, some of which have presets.

If you aren't worried about presets, the TC Electronic Hall of Fame (1 and 2) would be our go-to recommendation. It's also a lot cheaper than the Walrus Audio and Strymon options.

Read more: Best TC Electronic pedals

Do I need a MIDI controller to control presets?

In most cases, no.

Reverb pedals - and other guitar pedals that support a MIDI connection - might expand their presets via MIDI. However, most of them have onboard presets with a limited amount of memory.

We've found that, in most cases, even just five or six presets is enough to work with.

It all just depends on how you want to use the pedal.

Conclusion

To wrap things up, the Strymon BigSky is your best reverb pedal option that gives you a lot of presets, and it's arguably the best one overall. If you can swing the steep price tag it's a worthwhile investment.

If you have questions about the BigSky or some of the other reverbs we've mentioned here, feel free to reach out via the comments section below.

We'll chat.

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