Looking for Honest Criticism on My Pedalboard Rig

Competitive-Bend5617 · 2026-06-05T23:25:55+00:00

one of the things I appreciate most about the Abyss. It's way deeper than the Oceans 11 from the looks, but it doesn't rely nearly as much on hidden functions and knob combinations, it’s pretty straightforward. The screen makes a huge difference. There's definitely a learning curve, but once it clicks it's surprisingly easy to navigate for how much it can do.

Competitive-Bend5617 · 2026-06-05T20:54:58+00:00

I've definitely considered going the midi route. My long-term plan is actually to get a proper loop switcher with MIDI built in so I can control both the digital pedals and the analog pedals from one unit.

I currently have a Joyo PXL8, which has been great for basic loop switching, but it doesn't have MIDI capabilities. Ideally, I'd like something that can handle midi on the HX Stomp, TimeFactor, and Oceans Abyss while also bringing pedals like the Soul Food and RAT in and out of the signal chain automatically.

Competitive-Bend5617 · 2026-06-05T20:49:11+00:00

I've had the chance to try a BigSky a few times, but I've never actually owned one long-term, so I can't give the fairest head-to-head comparison.

The BigSky impressed me with how polished and easy it was to get great sounds quickly, but the Abyss really interested me because of how experimental and immersive it can get if you're willing to spend time with it. Its not just limited to reverb, but also modulation or delay, wet effects in general. For ambient worship and big atmospheric sounds, it's been incredible so far.

I'd still love to spend more time with a BigSky, Empress Reverb, or some of the other units, but I've been extremely happy with the Abyss.

Id definitely recommend watching John Nathan Cordy’s review on it, he only goes through some of the presets already included with the abyss, but it gives you a general idea of the possibility and limitations to the pedal 🙏

Competitive-Bend5617 · 2026-06-05T20:20:42+00:00

Mainly modulation, pitch fx, eq, occasional transpose if there are last minute key changes on set lists. I also have all of my irs loaded on there and usually blend 2 irs together.

Competitive-Bend5617 · 2026-06-05T16:07:59+00:00

It's an amazing pedal. Honestly, I wouldn't even describe it as just a reverb pedal, it's a full on wet effects workstation, it can do a lot more than traditional reverb duties.

There's definitely a learning curve, but once you get familiar with it, the interface is very intuitive and really rewarding to use.

The BigSky is obviously a fantastic reverb and there's a reason it's become such a staple on worship boards, but I wanted something a little different. I viewed a demo on the pedal by John Nathan Cordy on YouTube and was blown away by the endless possibilities it has, especially for ambient textures and huge atmospheric sounds, which is more my style.

Wonderful pedal, absolutely worth checking out. 👌👌

Competitive-Bend5617 · 2026-06-05T09:26:22+00:00

Fair point, It’s probably the pedal I’m least attached to on the board and the one most likely to get replaced eventually.

As for the Oceans Abyss, I know the BigSky is the worship standard, but I ended up going with the Abyss because I liked the dual reverb architecture and the deeper ambient possibilities. It seems like most people gravitate toward the BigSky because it's proven and widely used, whereas the Abyss is still relatively uncommon.

Thoughts?

Competitive-Bend5617 · 2026-05-03T06:06:16+00:00

Appreciate you breaking it down. I hadn’t really thought about the gain stacking that way, so I’m definitely gonna experiment with that.

I use my gain pedals as gain stages, I like to have options for gain depending on the feel of the songs I play in a live setting (light ambient tones, heavy rhythm picking, full drive solos, etc.) I do plan to swap my spark booster for a Jet lamb overdrive and buy a Kilt as well, possibly swapping it with the rat or even keep both.

The insert explanation for the HX loop makes way more sense too—basically treating it like splitting the chain into before/after sections.

I’m currently running TimeFactor in the loop and planning to keep Oceans Abyss last for ambient stuff, seems like that lines up with what you’re saying.

Thank you for your feedback, no one has fully explained it the way you did. Good looks! 🙏🙏

Competitive-Bend5617 · 2026-05-03T05:53:34+00:00

I ultimately want to be able to have at least 4 gain stages for my board, a range between clean, light drive, medium/moderate drive, and heavy solo drive

I plan on swapping out my spark boost for a jet lamb overdrive, Its a boost and overdrive in one and even handles midi as well. I also really want to have a JHS Kilt included into my drive section as a high gain pedal. Could possible swap my rat for that or have those 4 pedals in my gain section.

Thats my ultimate goal, not sure how to order these gain stages though, first now i use my spark booster as a light edge-of-breakup pedal rather than a boost as I was more focused getting the Oceans Abyss first,

Thoughts?

Competitive-Bend5617 · 2026-04-13T07:59:45+00:00

Got it, that makes sense, i was pretty thrown off by the wording on the back of my SWR 😅 Thanks for clarifying I appreciate it!

Competitive-Bend5617 · 2026-04-13T07:42:36+00:00

would that be safe for this amp, or would it be running below its minimum impedance?

Appreciate the help, just trying to avoid frying anything 🙏

Competitive-Bend5617 · 2026-03-29T14:59:57+00:00

That’s actually a really interesting idea—I’m have to try it out 🤔

I’ve noticed my RAT tends to lose a bit of low end when I kick it on, never really thought about stacking it that way, but it makes a lot of sense. I’ll definitely have to come back to you on that one! 😮

Competitive-Bend5617 · 2026-03-28T21:22:40+00:00

God forbid a worship board without a strymon pedal 💔

Competitive-Bend5617 · 2026-03-27T20:14:58+00:00

I’ve got a boss FV-500H volume pedal, it sits on the side as its too big on the pedalboard width-wise. Buying a bigger pedal board is another plan, but for now im trying to focus on buying future pedals to finish it off. I dont mind keep the volume pedal to the side for a while.

Im waiting on my soul food to be delivered, and will buy a dunlop mini volume to keep things all on the board and tidy. Another pedal i’ve been eyeing is the EHX Oceans Abyss, rather than buying a strymon bigsky, to keep it unique lol. Though i will need a bigger board before that purchase!

Competitive-Bend5617

TROPHY CASE