Delay or Reverb or both for live gig ? What do you prefer ?

I agree about the "small band" part of your post. Most of my bands were 3 piece, 4 max, and with 2 guitar players a lot of time was put into making sure the guitar parts were quite different in tone from each other. I am not a jazzer/clean country player, so I felt a little time based effect produced a fuller sound.

 

It depends on what style your playing. Both are great if used right. I like how the Topanga hits the amp like an old tank and pushes the sound.

 

Reverb for me.
All the time on, no matter.
Mostly the one in the amp (spring or digital).
Or a Holy Grail Nano, otherwise.
Combined with slap back delay for Rockab' or longer for 60s instrumentals.
One day, I'll built a Fender Reverb 6G15 standalone unit...

But it's me, OK ?

-tbln

 

The only time I use reverb is when I'm practicing quietly at home and I want to sound bigger. There's no reason for it when I'm playing loud in a big room.

I use delay very occasionally, more as a special effect than an always-on mushifier.

 

I like having both, mostly use delay live unless I need to get a surfy sound. Mild reverb doesn’t sound like much and mild delay suits me better. Reverb for practice, jams or small quite gigs seems more useful.

 

Reverb is a set and forget hall with a little mod just barely there except for one tune only where it is set to a plate with mod to blend with delay for chord swells. HOF2 gets me there. Almost always on.
Delay is a Alter Ego x4(Flashback) with an expression pedal:
1. Ep-3 tape with stereo trichorus mod set to a default 440ms delay time. Exp controls delay level. Tap tempo to taste.
2. EP-3 Doubler/Slap. Exp controls delay from about 75 ms to 15 ms and backs level off for the slap.
3. Ping Pong stereo delay set to 600ms, Vibe mod, for chord swells. Exp controls delay level.

I must have both verb and delay. I have a Source Audio Nemeses that I don’t use.

 

Reverb always. Delay rarely, and I don't think I've ever used it for more than one song.

Now you know.

 

Years ago I played a gig where we had a support band and their guitarist needed to use my amp. He said he had to have reverb and cranked the knob up on my amp about half way and said that was better. I didn't have the heart to tell him the reverb didn't actually work.

If it's a small room, particularly with cleaner tones, if your guitar is very prominent in the mix ( I remember going to see BB King and I could hear the spring reverb clearly because it was so loud) you probably need or at least can use reverb but in many circumstances live delay is either obviously audible or works as a 'thickener' whereas reverb can be lost or just mush the sound. Reverb tends to be an essential at home or even in small rehearsal rooms but in a loud band on stage...there's a rig rundown with Phil X in Bon Jovi and the interviewer asks him about reverb, Phil waves his arms pointing around the auditorium saying ' this is my reverb!'

 

I always have the reverb set about high noon when I play. Other effects come and go on top of that.

 

It completely depends on the song, and the environment in which it’s played. Sometimes one or the other, sometimes both, sometimes neither

 

Hah, then you can probably come back and tell me how I misquoted it!

I once played a gig in a medieval guildhall which had so much natural reverb as a band we struggled to play in time with each other. We needed an anti reverb pedal.
If I was going to play some Nile Rodgers grooves I'd want my sound dry as a bone but one of my favourite guitarists is Jim Campilongo who soaks his sound in reverb. But Jim is mostly playing clean in small band settings, his sound isn't going to work playing Judas Priest covers.
There's just a lot of it depends.

 

I find both together can be messy. I normally go for a slight slap back delay sound for country tones. It helps the clean setting fatten a bit and resonate in the mix.

Occasionally I use reverb on clean if it's a slow ballad that calls for that kind of mood.

 

Touch of plate reverb always on, then different delays for space and texture. If I had to choose I would keep the delay.

 

I use both all the time. Delay set to one repeat, that repeat barely audible via a low mix setting. It fattens the sound, combines beautifully the right reverb.

 

For a country tone - a little bit of Plate
For Rockabilly - a little bit of slapback
For overdrive - dry as...wait for it...dirt