The Big Ear Albie is a digital multi-effects stompbox from Big Ear Pedals, built around eight modulated reverb settings. It was the Nashville maker's first multi-effects pedal, launched on September 15, 2020 at a retail price of $19912. Big Ear designed it to recreate what the company calls "the jangly, shimmering, modulated sounds associated with the New Wave & Post Punk music of the '70s & '80s"1, and it was built and curated in collaboration with Joe McCaffrey of the band Nightmare of You3.
What the Albie does
The Albie is a "less is more" take on reverb: instead of deep menus, it offers eight fixed settings, each a curated chain of effects that Guitar.com calls a stack35. The range runs from useful slap-backs to wide and deep ambient reverberations, all with modulation on board3. Delicious Audio added it to its list of Best Reverb Pedals with Modulation3.
Because the settings cannot be edited, the Blend knob is where the player's control lives. Premier Guitar describes it as mixing the chosen effect setting into the clean tone of the guitar, so it sets how much of the effect sits over your dry sound1.
Controls and the footswitch
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Blend | Mixes the chosen effect setting into the clean tone of the guitar, setting the effect amount1 |
| Footswitch (step) | Engages or bypasses the pedal, like a standard footswitch5 |
| Footswitch (held) | Activates a secondary setting for each effect15 |
The single momentary footswitch carries two functions. Stepping once engages or bypasses the pedal; holding it down brings in a secondary setting for each effect, effectively doubling the sounds available5. Big Ear names these extra settings the "Neil Modes"1.
Power
The Albie takes 9V DC power with a center negative plug and draws a minimum current of 111mA12.
At a minimum draw of 111mA1, the Albie needs a supply output rated above that figure. A low-current daisy-chain output shared with other pedals may not cover it.
Background and availability
Big Ear Pedals is based out of Music City, Nashville2. The pedal is named for and inspired by the company's close friend and collaborator Joe McCaffrey of Nightmare of You, who worked with Big Ear on curating the eight settings31. Guitar World reported the launch price as $1994, and MusicRadar noted at launch that the pedal was available direct from Big Ear2.
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Questions
Is the Big Ear Albie analog or digital?
The Albie is a digital effect. Premier Guitar describes it as Big Ear Pedals' first digital multi-effect pedal, an ambient modulator, and MusicRadar confirms it is digital. It is a stompbox rather than a rack unit, and it carries eight curated effect settings, each a chain of effects called a stack, rather than a single reverb algorithm.
Can you edit the reverb settings on the Albie?
No. The Albie gives players a selection of eight uneditable modulated reverbs. The only control over the sound is the Blend knob, which determines the effect amount, mixing the chosen effect setting into the clean tone of the guitar. The reverb parameters themselves cannot be changed, which Big Ear presents as a deliberate, curated design.
What does holding down the Albie footswitch do?
The Albie has one momentary footswitch with two functions. Stepping once engages or bypasses the pedal, as with a standard footswitch. Holding the switch down activates a secondary setting for each effect, giving two sounds per setting. Big Ear calls these extra settings the Neil Modes.
What power supply does the Big Ear Albie need?
The Albie takes 9V DC power with a center negative plug, the standard for guitar pedals. It draws a minimum current of 111mA, so a basic low-output supply or a shared daisy-chain output may not be enough on its own; a supply rated above that minimum is the safe choice.
How much does the Big Ear Albie cost?
The Albie launched on September 15, 2020 at a retail price of $199, a figure reported by Premier Guitar, MusicRadar and Guitar World. MusicRadar noted at launch that it was available direct from Big Ear.
Sources (5)
- Big Ear Pedals Announces the Albie, Premier Guitar, 2020-09-16
- Big Ear introduces Albie, an ambient modulator for new-wave and post-punk, MusicRadar, 2020-09-18
- BIG EAR Albie Modulated Reverb, Delicious Audio, 2023-11-08
- Conjure “jangly, shimmering” new-wave and post-punk tones with Big Ear's Albie pedal, Guitar World, 2020-09-16
- Big Ear launches the Albie, a stompbox dream machine, Guitar.com, 2020-09-15
