Anasounds element

The Anasounds Element is an analog spring reverb pedal that puts its actual springs in a separate outboard tank, connected by cable, rather than inside the pedal enclosure. Anasounds describes it as taking back the very essence of analog reverb, "obtained by physically stimulating springs thanks to the guitar signal. simply. no artificials. no calculations."¹ The pedal drives the springs in the tank and returns the reverberated signal, the same principle a combo amp with a built-in spring reverb uses, but packaged for a pedalboard¹².

The pedal itself is a standard-size stompbox, the same size as Anasounds' other pedals, measuring 12.5 x 6.5 x 5.7 cm (5 x 2.4 x 2 in), with an input jack, an output jack, a 9V power jack and a mini jack on the back that connects to the tank via RCA connectors¹³. The tank is mandatory: Anasounds states plainly that it is what generates the analog reverb effect⁴⁵¹.

How it works and how it is controlled

The Element's main box gives you the front end of a Fender Twin Reverb driving an external spring tank⁶. The signal path is analog throughout: the pedal's driver circuit pushes the springs in the tank, and the returning signal is mixed back with your dry sound. Because the springs live in a separate box, the pedal stays pedalboard-sized while the tank can be mounted underneath the board using the provided screws and rubber bumpers, or even screwed inside a cab the way combo amps place their spring tanks under the speaker¹⁰.

The control set, as described in Premier Guitar's launch coverage and guitar.com's review, is straightforward:

The footswitch is a relay true bypass design⁶, and Pedal of the Day notes the soft stomp switch gives silent engage and bypass². Power is a standard 9V center-negative supply³, drawing 140mA⁹, so it needs a power brick output rather than a battery.

The three tanks: Le Bon, La Brute and Le Truand

The Element is offered with three spring tanks of different sizes, named after the characters of the French film "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly": Le Bon, La Brute and Le Truand. Guitar Pedal X lists them from the smallest, Le Bon, through the mid-size La Brute, to the largest, Le Truand¹². Pedal of the Day notes the tanks vary in size, as do their springs, creating a wide sonic reverberated palette, and that you might need a big board for Le Truand².

• Le Bon: the smallest tank¹²
• La Brute: mid-size¹²
• Le Truand: the largest, reckoned by Anasounds to be the best-sounding of all¹³

The Premium Bundle includes the Element pedal, a mini jack to RCA cable, all three tanks and six self-drilled screws for mounting¹⁴. Single-tank packages and the pedal on its own are also sold; the pedal alone is listed at €259⁸.

History and who uses it

Anasounds launched the Element in 2019 as a French-made spring reverb, and the company credits it with continued success since then, describing it as "the French-made spring reverb that got big in America"⁷¹⁵. At launch, MusicRadar reported the Element available starting at €190, with the three tank sizes already part of the lineup¹³. Gearnews, covering it at NAMM 2019, called it a unique take on the whole spring reverb system, noting that needing no amp with a spring reverb tank was a great overall concept¹⁶.

What reviewers said

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