The Wampler Catacombs is the Martinsville, Indiana company’s take on the multi-algorithm stereo Delay+Reverb combo, popular among ambient and shoegaze guitarists – something also evident by the name chosen for this device.
As is often the case with this brand, the pedal’s user interface is rather straightforward, and the emphasis is placed on the quality of the sounds rather than unusual features.
You can pick from 6 delay and 5 reverb algorithms, which can be run in series of parallel, featuring most of the usual suspects:
DELAYS
- Analog,
- Bucket Brigade,
- Faux Tape,
- Echo-Space,
- Multi-head,
- Digital
We asked Brian to highlight the differences between the Analog and Bucket Brigade algorithms and this is what he replied:
“The “analog” setting is based around a Boss DM-2 delay while the BBD is based around a Memory Man (EHX).”
REVERB
- Shimmer,
- Plate,
- Spring,
- Room,
- Hall
While the 6 knobs normally control the delay settings, holding down the left footswitch will give access to Alt function for each knob, controlling the reverb’s parameters. Holding it down for a few more seconds will lock it so that you can tweak the reverb knobs until you decide to revert to the non-Alt function.
Being an advanced digital pedal, the Catacombs also features Tap Tempo, onboard presets (up to 8, expandable to 127 via Midi) and Midi compatibility.
When using presets, an intriguing feature involving the four LED between the footswitches will let you know whether any knob, when moved, is before or after the preset’s saved setting.
We added the Wampler Catacombs to our article about the Best Delay + Reverb Combo pedals.
[Wanna get this baby and be supportive? Buy it through our Sweetwater or zZounds affiliate programs – at no extra cost.]
