The list in this article was compiled by Ryan at 60 Cycle Hum.
“THE DRIP” IN SURF GUITAR
Surf guitarists belong to a rather small niche of musicians that cares (a lot) about “the drip,” a word that might sound foreign to their non-surfing colleagues.
This word is used to define a very specific character of the kind of reverb Surf music (apparently) absolutely requires to sound authentic, and describes a typical ping-like sound analog spring reverbs (the ones with actual springs in them) produce after a percussive note is played.
Among the YouTubers we aggregate in this pedal blog, our friend Ryan from 60 Cycle Hum has developed a reputation as the “drippy reverb expert” – since Surf is the musical genre he performs with maniacal passion.
After he posted this drippy reverb pedals video shootout, we asked him to send us a list of his favorite ones, and organized it in the interactive gallery below. The full video is embedded at the bottom of the post.
Here’s our comprehensive article about all the Spring Reverb Pedals on the market, according to Ryan at 60 Cycle Hum.
Hover or tap once on the images to read Ryan’s thoughts about each pedal and click or tap again to see the section of the video about each pedal.
The 8 Best Reverb Pedals for Surf Rock
- Surfybear Metal
“Best representation of a Fender 6g15 overall.” - Surfybear Compact
“Smaller size and more features than the metal with a slightly darker sound, good compromise.” - Electro-Harmonix Oceans 11
“Excellent Spring sound that includes the piercing highs and other quirks you find with the fender units, lots of other reverbs included for an accessible price.” - Source Audio True Spring
$229 – “High quality take on the drippy reverb concept, unique voicing that still specializes in a drippy reverb sound + lots of tweakable options via USB connection.” - Zoom MS50G MultiStomp
“BANG FOR THE BUCK! used or new these are affordable and the spring reverb setting is surprisingly good (with a few digital artifacts here and there).” - Danelectro Spring King
“A real spring in a great big pedal for a low price, it doesn’t nail the fender sound perfectly but it has its charms and might be your secret weapon.” - Catalinbread Topanga
“This pedal came out years and years ago but still holds up, decent approximation of a drip but a really nice surfy tone and a lush sounding trail that fits well in a mix.” - Milkman Sound F-Stop Trem + Reverb
“Not a true surf reverb but still has a nice little drip, a beautiful trail and a very nice built in tremolo, this is a good compromise for someone who wants a hint at a surfy sound but not a full drip.”
Here’s the full video by 60 Cycle Hum.
