Why Strymon Is one of the Best Pedal Brands
Narrow focus, comprehensive single-effect pedals, and a smaller roster of products are all helping Strymon lead the digital renaissance.
I almost always prefer to build vertical instead of horizontal.
This can apply in business, health, family, and being a musician, including how I approach guitar gear. This means I tend to use the same stuff and the same guitars for years on end.
This is part of the reason I think Strymon is one of the best guitar pedal builders in the game right now, and perhaps the best overall in the digital pedal space.
They're underrated and deserve more credit.
I'll back up my claim with four main points.
Read more: Best Strymon pedals overall
All Strymon pedals here. Image via HomeRigShare
A look at the Strymon BigSky with one of our stickers.
1. Narrow pedal scope
I opened with the idea of building vertical and not horizontal. Strymon has done this with a limited catalog and few pedal releases. Considering they've been around since 2004, it's impressive they've been able to do so much with such a limited roster of products. I suppose less is more.
2. Functionality and detail
Strymon releases fewer pedals, but the ones that do make it to market are some of the most complete and comprehensive we've seen. In particular, the Strymon BlueSky and TimeLine are perhaps the most complete digital reverb and delay pedals currently available. Strymon does not tend to separate functionality between multiple pedals, instead giving you a wide range of control within one pedal/one purchase.
3. Effects category focus (ambience)
They've also focused heavily on ambient effects - a single effects category that includes delay, echo, and reverb - and have gone lighter in other categories. While they have released modulation and gain-based effects, ambience is their bread and butter.
4. Digital quality
Digital effects have taken awhile to get their footing in the guitar pedal market, but Strymon has been a huge part of helping that process along. And while tone/effects quality is heavily subjective, I find little to complain about when comparing digital Strymon pedals to analog counterparts. For one, digital pedals are generally more flexible and functional, where functionality happens to be one of Strymon's specialties. But I've never found any tone quality issues to complain about.
Narrower focus and better results. Image via The Gear Collective
Concluding
I was never the type of player to shun digital gear. In fact, I played through one of the old Line 6 Spider III amps for a long time - loved it.
But Strymon has made the digital vs analog debate a lot less relevant. Frankly, I can't think of a single delay or reverb pedal I'd rather have than the TimeLine and BigSky. Sure, they're expensive, but Strymon gives you every bit of what you pay for.
They're winning the digital guitar pedal arms race, even with the Helix and Quad Cortex hanging around.
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Written by Bobby Kittleberger on Effects & Roundups
Written by Bobby Kittleberger on Effects & Reviews
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