Reverb is one of the simplest and most
natural effects of all. But reverb pedals
have evolved a lot over the last decade—often into monsters with a million controls
and presets. One incidental payoff of this
investigation into reverb’s outer limits is
that it’s possible to find a single, affordable
pedal that can cover everything from call-from-the-mountaintop ’verb to subtle room
ambiance. ModTone’s Coliseum Reverb
manages both of those feats while sounding
particularly sweet and authentic across a
wide array of reverb types.
Pillars of Control
The Coliseum, which honors its namesake
with cool Roman column graphics,
is housed in a small MXR-style brushed
aluminum chassis that will fit even the most
real estate-challenged pedalboard. Although
there are plenty of reverb pedals out there
with features like stereo ins and outs,
and 10 different parameter controls, the
Coliseum offers simplicity. There are just
two knobs—Level and Tone—plus a mini
toggle switch that selects Room, Spring,
or Grand Hall. ModTone’s designers seem
aware that most players are conditioned to
set a reverb level on their amp and leave it
there, rather than tweak it on the fly. So
it’s impressive to see how much range the
Coliseum delivers with a streamlined and
easy-to-navigate control set.
Face Off
With an Ernie Ball/Music Man Axis Sport
in hand, I tried out the Coliseum
with a variety of Fender amps. To
start, I paired the Coliseum up
with a silverface Vibro Champ, a
silverface Princeton Reverb, and
a ’63 Vibroverb reissue. With the
Coliseum set to Spring, Level
around 1 o’clock, and Tone around
10 o’clock, my vintage Vibro
Champ twitched with new life and
sounded a lot like the tiny Fender
I’ve always wanted. Comparing the
Coliseum against my Princeton
Reverb and Vibroverb reissue
offered other insights. The
Coliseum’s Spring and Hall settings
got me in the same ballpark
as the reverb-equipped Fenders,
but there were times when the
Coliseum’s reverb sounded richer
than the Princeton’s onboard
reverb. It may just be a matter of
preference in this case, but for my
money, that’s a mighty impressive
feat on the Coliseum’s part—and
fellow musicians in the room were
inclined to agree.
The Grand Hall setting is a lot
of fun, and this is where players
used to the limitations of onboard amp
reverb can spread their wings. With the
Level around 12 o’clock, I got a subtle,
almost slapback delay effect that fits well
into traditional rock ’n’ roll and classic rock
settings. But when maxed, I was treated
to an extremely lush cloud of reverb with
a long decay time that sounded great with
Eric Johnson-style open-voiced triads and
intricate, volume-swelled chords. Usually
when I play those types of atmospheric figures,
I like to add delay for ambiance, but
the Coliseum was so full sounding on its
own that delay was almost redundant.
With the Coliseum’s Tone rolled off,
I got an ultra-warm sound, and when I
turned the Tone way up, it almost sounded
like a church organ. This latter sound is
fantastic for chords and arpeggios in slower,
quieter frameworks. In both extremes, the
Coliseum was extremely musical and never
sounded artificial. The Grand Hall setting
was even useful with single-note lines that
would typically sound messy with a reverb
this cavernous.
The Verdict
The Coliseum is an excellent reverb pedal
that could be the perfect complement to a
reverb-less vintage amp or take the place of
a lackluster amp reverb. Its small size and
relative affordability make it doubly appealing.
And given its range of reverb effects, it
has to rank among the best bang-for-the-buck
reverbs available today.
Buy if...
you want an affordable reverb pedal with a wide range of ’verb types that can fit on even the smallest pedalboard.
Skip if...
your amp has your reverb needs covered.
Rating...
