FLAMMAFS21 Stereo Guitar Looper Pedal & Drum Machine 2-in-1 with160 Minutes Loop Recording Capacity 100 Drum Grooves 10 Metronome Support Software Editing

Can we all just take a minute to appreciate our friend, the over-worked and sometimes underappreciated reverb effect? Heck, at this very moment, there are thousands of guitarists feverously debating which little green box will make us sound like Stevie Ray Vaughn. All the while, the lowly reverb effect is dutifully working away without so much as a pat on the back! So, I put it to you, fellow citizens, isn’t it worth going beyond your amp’s built in reverb and getting a proper reverb pedal?I am a tone hound and any time I make changes to my rig I record before and after tracks with a portable recorder with 2 condenser microphones. Then, I compare with headphones. Yes, I’m nerdy that way. I had all but decided on the MXR Reverb or the EH Oceans 11. Then, I saw a comparison of low-cost reverbs on 60 Cycle Hum (a great resource for pedal fans) and decided it would be worth it to take a chance on a lesser-known brand like Flamma. Especially considering the Flamma costs about half of what the other reverbs I considered. Here are my impressions:1. Reverb is lush and varied2. Every parameter I would want to tweak is included3. You can save user settings4. Even in an effects loop with a daisy chain power supply, the unit operates flawlessly5. It offers stereo in and outs6. According to some surf connoisseurs, the spring reverb setting doesn’t truly “drip”. Maybe so, but to my ears, the spring setting is still well represented here and is one of my favorite settings7. Most importantly, it seems to build a beautiful reverb while retaining your guitar’s tone. It doesn’t transform your tone, it enhances it.So, I believe the Flamma offers great value for those, like me, who are price conscious but still want a quality product. If you are chasing a specific verb setting, like say, the spring setting on the Ocean’s 11, it might be worth spending more money to get that. If, however, you just want an all-around lush reverb, with a sturdy build and plenty of features, I would highly recommend the Flamma FS02.

A few disclosures:1. Amazon is currently lumping many of the Flamma brand pedals into one spot for reviews. I'm reviewing the FS03 Delay pedal.2. I'm using this pedal on synths, samplers and drum machines.3. I'm not using the looper bonus feature on this pedal (it's very bare bones).Right now, we are spoiled for choice with all the budget priced effects pedals out there. With the current holiday discounts and promotions, I've picked up a few pedals from different manufacturers featuring one of my all time favorite effects - delay!The Flamma FS03 delay pedal is a standout.Construction-wise, it's very nicely made. The housing, buttons and knobs all feel sturdy. The layout is intuitive. Stereo in and outs. Well implemented tap tempo option. Like a lot of other people have said, the lights on the foot switch are just too cool! As per usual, you need to supply your own power adapter (there's no battery option, if that's important to you).For choice, there's six different delay algorithms to work with. You can get 'bread and butter' delays out of it that sound very musical, and can be quickly 'dialed in' with the top three knobs. If you like to experiment, the "Tweak1" and "Tweak2" knobs can put you into some pretty weird territory. Again the knob layout is very helpful here, and if you check YouTube, there's some good demo/tutorials on what this pedal is capable of.Most delay effects I get are keepers as every manufacturer tosses in a unique feature or two, but the FS03 from Flamma is one of the best "budget" delay pedals I've come across. :)

I finally broke down and joined the Looper fan club, and I wish I had done it sooner. It really makes a great "sketch pad" to try new ideas, and it's a great learning tool.The cons- the instructions that came with it were a little vague, and I'm a looper newbie, so it took a little getting used to. A trip to YouTube and a little experimenting got me going pretty quickly.I still can't find the accessory footswitch control, which would be nice to have.Some of the drum patterns are, well, horrible. It would be nice to have a "fill" feature, and some editing control over the drums as well.It also might just be me, but the tap tempo is hard to use.The pros-It works, it sounds good, and with 90 drum loops and 10 metronome settings, you might not find THE perfect drum beat, but there's something in there that's pretty close.It's easy to use, and putting overdubs down is a painless affair.Being able to sync the looper and drums is definitely a nice touch.The sound quality is excellent, too.Overall, I'm happy. For the money, it has some nice features, and most importantly, it works as it should. I've had no issues in about 6 months.I would recommend this to anyone who wants a nice looper for a good price. It's a lot of looper for the price.