The Electro-Harmonix Holiest Grail is a programmable stereo reverb pedal, part of the company's Holy Grail reverb family. It stores up to eight custom presets, offers adjustable reverb decay time, and can be used as a MIDI controller with the option of adding external control for managing the sliders and loading presets. Electro-Harmonix discontinued it in 2009.1
What it does
The Holiest Grail gives a player reverb with an adjustable decay time, meaning the length of the reverb tail can be set to suit the room, the song or the effect being chased. Because it is programmable, those settings can be saved: the pedal recalls up to eight custom presets, so a player can move between, say, a short room sound and a long hall without turning knobs mid-song.1
The stereo outputs let the reverb sit across two channels of an amp rig or a mixing desk rather than collapsed to mono, which is where a stereo reverb earns its place on a board.1
Control options
Beyond the front panel, the pedal offers two ways to extend control:
- MIDI: the Holiest Grail can be used as a MIDI controller, with the option of adding external control for managing the sliders and loading presets.1
- Expression pedal: an optional expression pedal can be connected.1
Bypass and power
The pedal switches with true bypass using a mechanical relay, so the guitar signal passes through a physical contact when the effect is off.1 Power comes from the included 9LDC-500 power supply.1
The Holiest Grail was discontinued in 2009.1 Used units may not always include the original 9LDC-500 supply.
Where it sat in the Holy Grail family
The Holiest Grail was the programmable, stereo-equipped branch of a family that Electro-Harmonix has revisited many times. The company's reverb line has since included the Holy Grail, Holy Grail Plus, Holy Grail Neo, Nano Holy Grail, Holy Grail Max, the stereo Cathedral and the Oceans 11, Oceans 12 and Oceans Abyss. Players looking at the Holiest Grail secondhand may want to compare it against the Holier Grail, its closest relative in the family. For the wider picture, see the site's guide to reverb pedals1.
Electro-Harmonix's own product page sums up the pedal's intent in characteristically direct terms:
"Supreme bliss! The Holiest Grail lives up to its name by being the loftiest Grail product yet."
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Questions
Is the Electro-Harmonix Holiest Grail true bypass?
Yes. Electro-Harmonix specifies true bypass using a mechanical relay, so when the pedal is off, the guitar signal passes through a physical switch rather than an electronic buffer. That keeps the bypassed tone independent of the reverb circuit, which matters if you run a long pedalboard chain or several pedals in a row.
Does the Holiest Grail come with a power supply?
Yes. The pedal shipped with the 9LDC-500 power supply included, so no separate adapter purchase was needed. Note that the pedal is discontinued as of 2009, so a used unit may not always arrive with its original supply.
How many presets can the Holiest Grail store?
The Holiest Grail can recall up to eight custom presets. Combined with its MIDI control options, that lets a player set up several different reverb sounds and switch between them during a performance.
Does the Holiest Grail have stereo outputs?
Yes. Electro-Harmonix lists stereo outputs, so the reverb can be sent to two channels or a stereo rig rather than summed to mono.
Is the Holiest Grail still made?
No. Electro-Harmonix lists the Holiest Grail as discontinued in 2009. It remains available secondhand, and the company has since released other reverb pedals in the Holy Grail and Oceans families.
Sources (1)
- Holiest Grail, Electro-Harmonix, 2009
