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Pros:
- Extremely wide range of tones
- Addictive (once you get hooked up, there is no way back!)
- Flexible and easy to use
Cons:
- Would be better if reverb styles were labelled (instead of being numbered)
When I meet new musicians and guitar players, the question I always ask is as follows: What would be your dream pedal? The reason why I do this is that I love hearing different ideas from people who have spent so much time playing with existing devices. Their interpretations are always so distinctive and interesting and the priorities change throughout the years. I remember vividly that once I met this guitarist who was a true pedal aficionado. I asked him what would he add if he could engineer the perfect pedal and he said: ‘I would make it compatible with an online editor for enhancing the possibilities of musicians’. Back then it seemed impossible, but the brand we all love and admire a.k.a. TC Electronic made it feasible.
Their innovative TonePrint can now work with the majority of their effects pedals, which makes them extremely useful for any player. Our star of the show today is T2 Reverb, which is the newer variation of the renowned Trinity. It has some added features that turn this fella into a capable tool. If you have not encountered the units from TC Electronic before, then pay closer attention so that you do not miss out on anything. Let’s begin!
Features
TC Electronic is a brand that always follows its best patterns. What I mean is that they have certain tendencies that are usually consistent from a unit to unit. One of those is definitely the footprint and build quality. T2 Reverb is not an exception either, as it shares the same size as its siblings and is made out of high-quality material. Both inside and outside look quite amazing, which always gives me hope that I will not have to say farewell to my beloved stompboxes.
This bad boy has an all-analog dry path, which means your signal does not become digital at any stage and, thus, maintains its original warm qualities. What is more, T2 Reverb has true bypass circuitry, which means it retains the tonal clarity even when the unit is bypassed. You do also have the option to switch to Buffered bypass, which will keep the reverb tail and create a more natural sound. It has the Kill-Dry feature, which eliminates the dry-through in the signal path and allows you to utilize parallel loops. This fella has double inputs and outputs, meaning that it can be employed in stereo mode.
T2 Reverb has TonePrint technology, which enables you to download pre-recorded effects and riffs and experiment with them. But the unit itself comes with 10 types of reverb that diversify your possibilities even more. It does also have a USB port that makes it possible to connect it with your computer or other devices. This pedal can be powered either with a single 9V battery or an adapter. Lastly, it has an elegant design with matte black surface and Celtic rune around a smooth footswitch.
Controls
The first look at T2 Reverb from TC Electronic will make you think that control panel is a typical deal you get with reverb pedals. This assumption is mostly true, but there are some exceptions as well. Before getting specific and discussing everything in depth, I would like to point out that this baby is extremely easy to tweak. Once you understand what the functionalities of each knob are, the rest of the process will be a piece of cake for you. Let’s move on to the technical and boring, yet important part of this article.
The first encoder you will see is Decay. It modifies how quickly your reverb will fade away. The maximum setting of this knob will change depending on the mode you choose (this is true for all the controls). Tone alters the tonal character of the pedal, allowing you to get shimmery and bright or toned down and dark. Then we have Mix, which changes the level of the effected signal in the mix.
The volume of your guitar remains consistent, but you have the ability to alter the level of reverb. Last knob we have here is a Reverb Mode Selector. It utilizes Roman numbers to indicate on the settings and enables you to scroll through different modes (it would be better if it had actual names instead). And finally, we have a Pre-Delay switch that allows you to lengthen the time between your original signal and reverb. By setting it to a lower position, you will be able to achieve a longer pre-delay time.
TC Electronic T2 Sound
Now it is time to discuss all the juicy and interesting stuff. TC Electronic T2 Reverb produces an amazing tone, no matter what settings you choose. But the real beast comes into play once you start messing around with the Mode knob and explore everything each of the sounds offers. Though you will have to refer to the manual to understand what each of them is supposed to, after a while you will get used to the numbers and this process will get easier. As for their sonic capabilities, II offers wavy reverb that has very interesting undertones.
E1 and E2 change the tonal color of your sound and mess around with your EQ. The former remains in the background and basically reverberates higher harmonics, while the latter has more intense attack. IV is a cathedral reverb that fills you up with a spatial feel. Some of the options available are also plated reverb, flanger reverb and hall reverb. As you can see, you have countless options to explore and once you add TonePrint presets on top, you start wondering if this pedal is real or not.
Conclusion
To summarize everything said above, TC Electronic T2 Reverb is one of the most versatile options for the price. It would be hard to think of the sound that this thing cannot emit. It opens up so many sonic doors that you might accidentally enter the maze and get lost. But you will not even care since you will be surrounded by lush swirls of different reverbs. Good luck!
Click here to view more from 10 Best Reverb Pedals.
It’s always blows my mind that almost no one knows about this pedal! It’s literally a STAPLE of my sound! My band plays a mix of Grind, Hardcore, and Black-Metal and this pedal lends itself perfectly to creating haunting Interludes kept on my LoopStation to use during live shows!
When it comes to actual songs, however, I basically never use to soak riffs in the modulation. My favorite way to use the T2 is by stomping in on and off for ONE second at a time strategically during our sets to let the dark, wavy trails make evil riffs THAT much more gruesome!