EHX Cathedral Stereo Reverb Settings Guide
The EHX Cathedral is a comprehensive stereo reverb pedal with 8 reverb types (Room, Hall, Spring, Plate, Reverse, Echo, Grail, and Grail+Flerb), a dedicated pre-delay control, and stereo I/O. It provides more versatility than the Holy Grail Nano at a mid-range price, with the Reverse mode (reverb runs backwards) being its most distinctive feature. A popular choice for players who need a full reverb toolkit without moving to Strymon-level pricing.
The best EHX Cathedral Stereo Reverb settings start with: Reverb at 5/10, Room Size at 5/10, Treble at 5/10, Bass at 5/10, Blend at 4/10. Adjust from there based on your amp, guitar, and room volume. For Blues (Spring): Reverb 5/10, Room Size 4/10, Treble 6/10, Bass 5/10, Blend 4/10.
⚡ Start Here — Recommended Settings
| Control | Starting Position | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Reverb | 5/10 | None → Full |
| Room Size | 5/10 | Small → Large |
| Treble | 5/10 | Dark → Bright |
| Bass | 5/10 | Thin → Thick |
| Blend | 4/10 | Dry → Wet |
These are universal starting points. Adjust based on your amp, guitar, and room. Scroll down for genre-specific settings and artist-documented positions.
What Each Control Does
Recommended Starting Settings
Safe starting positions for any style. Adjust from here based on your amp and room.
All values on a 0–10 scale. These are starting points — fine-tune by ear.
Settings by Genre
Spring mode at moderate settings — the Cathedral's spring reverb is generally considered closer to the EHX Holy Grail's spring quality: present and convincing. Treble at 6 preserves the bright, drippy character of spring reverb.
Hall mode with long Room Size for expansive ambience. High Blend means the wet signal is prominent — the guitar signal becomes more of an input to the reverb than the primary sound. Used in post-rock and ambient contexts where the reverb is as important as the dry signal.
Reverse mode — the reverb tail plays backwards, creating a "swelling in" effect before the note rather than decaying after. Playing slowly and deliberately allows the reverse reverb to build before each note, producing the backward-tape effect popular in psychedelic and experimental music.
Plate mode for studio-style reverb on classic rock leads. Plate reverb has a bright, slightly metallic character that studio engineers used on lead guitar. Blend kept low so the reverb adds space without washing the dry signal.
Tips & Common Mistakes
- The Cathedral's Grail mode is a direct equivalent to the EHX Holy Grail algorithm — players who own a Holy Grail Nano but want more reverb types can use the Cathedral as the upgrade path with identical spring quality plus 7 additional types.
- Stereo output significantly enhances the Cathedral's room-filling capability in a live context — running into two amps or a stereo PA system spreads the reverb across a wider soundstage. In mono the effect is more focused.
FAQ
EHX Cathedral Stereo Reverb — Common Questions
Best starting settings for EHX Cathedral Stereo Reverb: Reverb at 5/10, Room Size at 5/10, Treble at 5/10, Bass at 5/10, Blend at 4/10. Adjust from there based on your guitar, room, and playing style.
For Blues (Spring): Reverb 5/10, Room Size 4/10, Treble 6/10, Bass 5/10, Blend 4/10. Spring mode at moderate settings — the Cathedral's spring reverb is generally considered closer to the EHX Holy Grail's spring quality: present and convincing. Treble at 6 preserves the bright, drippy character of spring reverb.
For Ambient (Hall): Reverb 7/10, Room Size 8/10, Treble 5/10, Bass 5/10, Blend 6/10. Hall mode with long Room Size for expansive ambience. High Blend means the wet signal is prominent — the guitar signal becomes more of an input to the reverb than the primary sound. Used in post-rock and ambient contexts where the reverb is as important as the dry signal.
Reverb: Wet reverb level (None to Full). Room Size: Reverb tail length / decay (Small to Large). Treble: Reverb tail treble content (Dark to Bright). Bass: Reverb tail bass content (Thin to Thick). Blend: Wet/dry blend (Dry to Wet)
The Cathedral's Grail mode is a direct equivalent to the EHX Holy Grail algorithm — players who own a Holy Grail Nano but want more reverb types can use the Cathedral as the upgrade path with identical spring quality plus 7 additional types. Stereo output significantly enhances the Cathedral's room-filling capability in a live context — running into two amps or a stereo PA system spreads the reverb across a wider soundstage. In mono the effect is more focused.
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