Review Electro-Harmonix Holy Grail Nano Reverb Pedal
If that beautiful electric guitar you own is Simon, then the pedal you use to enhance your guitar’s sound is Garfunkel. Your guitar and your pedal are like two best friends who can overcome any obstacle if they are allowed to be together.
No wonder you should be very careful while choosing a guitar pedal for the ultimate guitar experience. You should get the best pedal out there that suits your taste, your guitar and most importantly, your budget. In that case, the Electro-Harmonix Nano might be a good choice for you. Read on, and you will find out why.
Benefits That Stand Out
Harmonix Nano is no ordinary pedal that promises the world but gets you nothing in reality. This technically advanced but easily accessible pedal is a great companion to any electric guitar. This astounding pedal has some extraordinary characteristics that will very likely satisfy your inner rock star’s every need. Here are some of those features that make this pedal unique:
- It offers true bypass which cannot be said for all other pedals in this range.
- Super fine “Spring” reverb and a flawless and polished “Hall” reverb are available.
- Flanging is fused with a spatial, 3-D reverb in the flerb mode; allowing you to produce a completely unique unearthly sound.
- Packed with a power supply of 96DC-200BI ensuring proper power input.
- The price is quite reasonable , especially considering the quality.
- Very sturdy for such a small thing; made in USA after all!
The Salient Features
Like most other pedals, the HG Nano boasts of having a lot of features, but not all of them are designed to be mind-blowing. But according to our test run, we found that the pedal does have some unique characteristics that will make you mull over your decision of getting this pedal over others.
To be honest, we did try out quite a lot other reverb pedals in this range, but we never quite got the satisfaction that we found with this one. Therefore, we would not shy away from admitting that The HG Nano Reverb is a lot better than others in this league. Here are some of its salient features that made it special to us:
- This pedal has a befitting design that makes it very easy to use, whether you are a professional or a newbie just starting to feel the vibe of electric guitar effects.
- It produces truly excellent ”spring” reverb, especially compared to other pedals.
- The price is relatively low. For all the great features it comes with, the price is relatively low.
- Power supply is included in the package.
- This light and small pedal is easy to carry around.
Pros and Cons
While we can very confidently claim that the Harmonix Nano is an excellent pedal, it still has its downsides. Although, they are very few – thanks to its US makers. However, there is also this possibility that the features that we are taking as downsides are just may be the ones that fall within the category where the features that work great for others may seem to be “not that great” to you.
Still, we would offer you to maintain caution before you buy it. It is always better to look a bit more into something before taking the dive, and in case of Harmonix Nano, we would suggest you to get to know the features and issues that lies with this pedal before you make your move. In other words, try to find out whether it would satisfy your needs. After all, you are the one who plays the guitar. If you don’t like your pedal, all the positive reviews in the world will be of zero help to you.
So, what better way is there to give you a list of the pros and cons of this HG Nano Reverb to help you decide? Let’s look at the pros and cons of this pedal.
The Pros:
The biggest positive side of this pedal is its ability to produce amazing spring reverb. Most of the people who used the Harmonix Nano admitted that the spring mode works superbly. Even if you only need an amazing spring mode, it is always nice to have options. If you don’t believe that the spring reverb is actually that good, then it is better to try it out for yourself. You can always return the pedal if it doesn’t click.
Along with the spring reverb, this pedal is packed with more than a decent sounding Flerb (Flange + Reverb). We were pretty impressed with this feature as well.
It has a very good emulation that produces very realistic sound.
Harmonix Nano is packed with a lot of amazing features for a very reasonable price. Even with the power supply included in the package, it costs a lot less than some of the others with similar features.
The 96DC-200BI power supply it needs comes with the package. So, there is no need to look for any other power source. There is also the thing that the power supply is enough to make it boom!
Despite being a digital pedal, Harmonix Nano Reverb is also equipped with True Bypass technology. This is a very good upside this pedal has. Plus, the quality of the tone that it produces is simply amazing. Again, thanks to the True Bypass feature.
The pedal has a befitting design, is light, and very sturdy.
The Cons:
In spite of having good spring reverb, the pedal may lack general warmth.
While it has great Flerb, in case you’re not a fan of Flange then you will probably hate this feature.
It runs on 9.6 volt, which can be a issue for some of the users.
Product Manual
Harmonix Nano is a compact digital reverb guitar pedal that is small, light and easy to carry around. The pedal’s measurement is 7.8*4.3*4.3 inches and weighs just 10.6 ounces. It operates on 9.6 volts, and has a design that maximizes its potential as it can be placed on the pedal boards without a hitch. The pedal is also very easy to use, if you just know some trick.
For example, upon trying it out, we did find out that the pedal produces this archetypal spring reverb when you are setting the knob to 9’oclock. Turning it to the point of 2’oclock is also okay, but after that you will feel the sound is giving this digital vibe, which you wouldn’t want to hear. We also did find out that if you decide that you require more reverb, then you can switch to the hall reverb mode. That also produces a good reverb with quite a massive effect as well.
Maintenance Guide
Like all reverb pedals, the Harmonix Nano requires regular maintenance as well. If you manage to do that, this pedal will last a long, long time. Here are some tips we can give you.
- First of all, do not forget to dust it on a regular basis. A clean, well maintained pedal will go a long way.
- Secondly, be a little careful while handling the pedal. Careful handling of Harmonix Nano will make sure your pedal is on good condition even after the after warranty period as well.
- Lastly, do remember to change the battery once in a while. But, do it carefully and your pedal will be okay for years.
FAQ
While we researched on Harmonix Nano, we did face many questions coming our way regarding this pedal. We also found some common questions that people ask about this pedal as well. Some of these questions are listed below:
- Q: Will the power supply be included with my purchase?
- A: Yes, the power supply is provided with every purchase. No worries there.
- Q: How long the pedal is likely to last?
- A: With proper maintenance, you will be able to forget that you ever had a warranty card. That is to say, the Nano Reverb is expected to outlast the warranty period by quite a good margin.
- Q: Is it easy to carry around?
- A: The pedal weighs only 10.6 ounces which makes it very easy to carry around.
- Q: How much electricity does the pedal need to function?
- A: The pedal operates on 9.6 volts.
- Q: Is the 9.6V adapter included in the package?
- A: Yes, it is.
So that pretty much concludes our review of Harmonix Nano Reverb pedal for today. After going through the pros and cons that the pedal comes with, we feel that it is a good buy for any guitarist – especially for the mid level guitar players.
However, considering the splendid spring reverb that it produces, we do feel that anyone with a liking to this particular effect would feel lucky to have it in their collection. Plus, there is also the issue on the price – as this sort of pedal is hard to imagine being available at this price range. Recommended!
You can read more information about Boss RV5 Digital Reverb by click here.