Line 6 Verbzilla

The verbzilla is another in Line 6's series of small stomp boxes meant to digitally emulate classic sounds. It has stereo 1/4" inputs and outputs, 9v dc in, 5 parameter knobs, and a switch to turn trails on or off. There are 11 reverb models including spring, plate, room, chamber, ducking, hall, cave, octo, tile, and even an echo capable of short delay repeats. All this is in an enclosure that seems to weigh as much as a brick.

UTILIZATION

Set-up and dialing in a sound are a breeze on this pedal. There are no sub menus or anything to navigate. One dial controls which model you are using and the others are self explanatory as to how they change the sound. The manual is well written and clears up any questions you might have about the parameter adjusting. Really the only thing most people might not immediately grasp is the "time" knob since it's something you would more often see in an echo unit.

SOUND QUALITY

I used the verbzilla in a pretty large pedal board set-up for guitar. The bypass on the pedal was okay and it didn't color the sound too much when on or off. In a set-up the size I was working with it's kind of difficult to figure out exactly what is changing your tone and really if you need purity you would probably be better off with an actual spring unit as this box is better suited for the wilder side of reverb.The pedal can also clip when used in a hot effects loop which may be a deal breaker for some.

I spent most of my time with the octo and cave settings as they were the deepest sounding reverbs. The octo sound is what some might refer to as a "shimmer" sound. It is a very large reverb with some pitch shifting that adds a very eerie upper octave in the background. Cave is exactly what you might imagine by the name. Just think of yelling into a huge cave and that's what this model does. Just a huge reverb that can make odd chords sound very dark. The more traditional reverbs were okay but with my limited experience with reverbs even I have found better options for spring and hall sounds.

OVERALL OPINION

If you are looking for a wide variety of sounds without breaking the bank or using up too much space on a board you should give this pedal a shot. It was perfect for me at the time as I don't use too much reverb and mainly wanted the more wild sounds anyway. If what you want is a very authentic reverb sound with a perfectly clear bypass then look else where. You would probably be happier with one of the malekko reverbs or something like an actual spring unit or top of the line lexicon. I owned the pedal for a few years and never had any real problems with it. I eventually just realized that I didn't really need a reverb with all the delays I have so I sold it. Sometimes I miss the cave and octo settings so I might get another someday just to have around.

Model Switch
This switch is used to select from 11 distinctly different types:

* '63 Spring - Based on* a Fender 1963 brown spring reverb head unit. Best known for great surf guitar tone!
* Spring - Based on a studio spring reverb.
* Plate - Based on a studio plate reverb.
* Room - Simulates the acoustic properties of a classic echo chamber that consists mainly of early reflections.
* Chamber - An elongated ambient space such as a hall, stairwell or elevator shaft creates this reverb type. Dreamy.
* Hall - Simulates the sound of a concert hall or large open space with a strong reverb tail. Imagine a gymnasium, performance hall, or cathedral.
* Ducking - Built using a 'Hall' but with a ducking effect. The volume of your reverb is "ducked" (reduced) while you're playing, and increases when you stop. This allows for clean musical passages with a touch of reverb that ramps up in volume once you stop playing.
* Octo - Creates a lush, ambient space with a harmonized decay whose harmonic denseness is controlled by the time knob. Use volume swells and prepare to float on a cloud!
* Cave - Surreal cavernous echo chamber.
* Tile - Emulates the acoustic reflections of a tiled room, such as a bathroom with bright early reflections.
* Echo - Just like it says ...echo...echo...echo.

Mix
Allows you to control the amount of reverb in your signal from dry to 100% wet.

Decay
Controls how quickly the reverb tail fades to silence.

Time
Controls the length of pre-delay. This is the amount of delay before the signal hits the reverb chamber.

Tone
Allows you to adjust the tonal character of the reverb, giving you the flexibility to go from dark and subtle to bright and splashy.

Trails Switch
When switched on, Verbzilla's processing is engaged while in bypass, so reverb smoothly trails away when you kick the effect off.



UTILIZATION

This is a very good pedal. Not too sure if it's underrated and I know it's famous not for it's reverb, though I do think the reverb is quite good the verbzilla is more famous (to me at least) for the octo setting. this is the famous sounds you hear on U2 records that the edge produces with more expensive equipment and this is also the primary reason i purchased this pedal! I'm not a HUGE reverb fan, except when it's on clean and when I use effects I generally like to use sort of the more extreme settings as an actual EFFECT. As opposed to some subtle noise to enhance a guitar's tone or whatnot.

I haven't any need for the manual since it's pretty easy to use. The trails option makes the pedal very organic sounding and transitions the effects in and out more smoothly for the song to seem more..natural.

SOUND QUALITY

As I said before, I'm not a big reverb fan so it's hard for me to tell what is GOOD reverb and what is BAD reverb. To me, it generally all sounds the same and quite good.

The octo setting, however is great! The mix knob allows me to put in as much of the octo signal as i want which is great also depending on the song. It is apparently true bypass also which is good, and again though it's not really the sound, but the trails option is great.

I have to say that I'd be using this pedal mainly for the octo setting and thus the review is based accordingly so.

OVERALL OPINION

Overall it's a good pedal for the octo setting. the reverbs are good as well and good emulations that they say they are. However I'm not a reverb fanatic so i cannot say if this is the best reverb pedal ever. But I know that most people that own this pedal use it for the octo setting 80% of the time and not the 'verb. So I'm giving it a good review because of the octo setting. It's also a reliable looking pedal, very heavy and sturdy looking. I haven't gigged with it yet but it seems to be very tough. Knock on wood.

The Verbzilla is a stereo digital reverb pedal with plenty of features. It has stereo ins and outs a 9VDC adapter and has a pretty unique build. The switch feels a bit weak, but it's taken all my abuse so far. It has 5 knobs and a trail switch to let the reverb trail off after it is disengaged, which is really nice.

UTILIZATION

This pedal is pretty amazing. Very tweakable and extremely useful. The five knobs are mix, decay, time, tone and the mode selector. It has 11 reverb modes: '63 Spring, Spring, Plate, Room, Chamber, Hall, Ducking, Octo, Cave, Tile and Echo. It's a very simple pedal to understand and you can get very wide ranges of reverb out of this pedal.

SOUND QUALITY

I used this particular reverb for my guitar only. But i'm sure it would be capable of doing vocals well too. I really like the '63 spring, cave and octo modes a lot. The shimmery octo mode is a lot of fun for creating soundscapes and tracks pretty fast. The Cave mode is really cool, with long decay and time with a pretty high mix it can seem to last forever. Really great for clean passages and ambient stuff. The '63 spring mode is super close to a real spring reverb and has fantastic response. I could go on and on. Very awesome sounding pedal.

OVERALL OPINION

For the price, it is an incredible buy. It has loads of features and sounds incredible. I tried a few different reverbs out before settling on this one. It just sounds fantastic. The cave sound is a very unique sound that is only found on Line 6's gear if I remember correctly. It's my favourite setting on the pedal. I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a cheap, very simple and great sounding reverb.

The Line 6 Verbzilla is a digital reverb pedal. It has 1/4 inch inputs and outputs and is not rackable as it is a stomp box. It has ten different types of reverbs and four parameters to control them. It has a wide variety of reverb sounds and easy to use overall.

UTILIZATION

The setup of this pedal is extremely easy, as is getting a good sound out of it. It has five knobs total - one for to choose the type of reverb, one for tone, one for time, one for decay, and one of mix. These controls are basic and manipulating it is quite easy. Some of the types of reverbs include hall, chamber, gate, spring, and plate. I don't have a manual for this pedal, but have never had a use to look into getting one.

SOUND QUALITY

The sound quality of the effects on this pedal are top notch. I have only used this with guitar - usually a Schecter Ultra III and a '76 Fender Twin Reverb. With this set up I am able to get some great reverbs from this pedal. Being that it has ten different types of reverbs, the pedal has the capability of getting a number of different types of reverb sounds. My favorite reverbs on this pedal are the plate and the chamber effects. This is a high quality pedal with a number of very usable reverb sounds.

OVERALL OPINION

I've been using the Line 6 Verbzilla for two years. I have found it to be an above average reverb pedal because of the overall sound quality and its ability to get a vast number of different types of reverbs. I would compare this pedal to a Boss RV-5, as both have a similar price and overall capabilities. It is hard for me to choose between both pedals, as I think both are great options. The Verbzilla has great tone quality and it won't break the bank. It has a sleek design and its versatility makes it a great all purpose reverb pedal.