The Keeley Gold Star Reverb is a digital reverb pedal from Keeley Electronics, announced as shipping on December 23, 2015 at a price of $1791. It was the third in Keeley's studio themed reverb pedals, a line built to bring reverb effects that were previously only available in the studio to guitar players in a stompbox format1.
What set the Gold Star apart was its ducking reverb, a style that suits rhythmic leads or staccato playing, where the reverb sticks out at the end of notes rather than washing over them while you play2.
What the Gold Star does
The Gold Star Reverb offers three different reverb modes: Compressed, Distorted and Flanged Reverb1.
| Mode | What it does |
|---|---|
| Compressed | Simulates compression and filtering like that of the old RCA 44 mics and tube consoles1 |
| Distorted | One of the three studio themed reverb modes1 |
| Flanged Reverb | One of the three studio themed reverb modes1 |
The Compressed mode is the clearest example of the pedal's studio coloring: compression and filtering are simulated in the pedal like that of the old RCA 44 microphones and tube consoles, the kind of signal path a session would have gone through in a vintage recording studio1.
Ducking reverb, explained
Ducking reverb is the Gold Star's headline feature. Guitar Interactive Magazine described it as2:
"This pedal offers a new “ducking"2
In practice, a ducking reverb sits down while you are playing and rises at the end of each note or phrase. For a player whose style is built on short, rhythmic notes, that means the reverb decorates the gaps instead of smearing the attack of every note, which is what a conventional always-on reverb wash tends to do2.
Where it came from
The Gold Star was the third in Keeley's studio themed reverb pedals1. Robert Keeley described the line in a 2019 interview with Stompbox Book:
"our own line of reverbs that were like themed plug-in packages such as the Gold Star"3
The idea behind the line was to take reverb effects that were only available in the studio and put them into a stompbox format for guitar players1. The Gold Star's Compressed mode, with its simulated RCA 44 mic and tube console character, is that thinking applied directly: the pedal does not just add reverb, it colors the sound the way vintage studio equipment would have.
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Questions
What does ducking reverb mean?
Ducking reverb pulls the reverb back while you are playing and lets it stick out at the end of your notes. Keeley designed the Gold Star around this style, which suits rhythmic leads or staccato playing, where a normal reverb wash would blur the attack of each note.
Is the Keeley Gold Star analog or digital?
The Gold Star is a digital reverb pedal. Robert Keeley described it as part of Keeley's own line of reverbs that worked like themed plug-in packages, bringing studio reverb sounds that were previously only available in the studio to players in a stompbox format.
What modes does the Keeley Gold Star have?
The Gold Star Reverb offers three reverb modes: Compressed, Distorted and Flanged Reverb. The Compressed mode simulates compression and filtering like that of old RCA 44 microphones and tube consoles, giving the reverb a vintage studio character.
Sources (3)
- Keeley Releases Gold Star Reverb, Premier Guitar, 2015-12-29
- Keeley Releases Gold Star Reverb, Guitar Interactive Magazine, 2016-01-04
- Keeley Electronics, Stompbox Book (stompboxbook.com), 2019-01-13
