Mooer Shimverb Pro
ELECTRIC LOOG £169
Shimmer and sway with this space-ready reverb
Meet the guitar with the shortest scale of all
IF
you’ve yet to experience the
majesty of shimmer reverb,
let us explain: the ’verb trail is
pitch-shifted – usually up an
octave – to create an ethereal haze
behind your guitar, a little like
a synth pad. A variety of reverb
pedals can do this, but Mooer’s
ShimVerb is one of the most
affordable – and the Pro takes it to
another level.
Where the original ShimVerb
featured only an unusual 5th-up
shimmer, the Pro offers a choice of
fi ve intervals, which can be
combined with octave-up shifting
using a small button. The shimmer
function is assignable to all fi ve of
the pedal’s reverb types, activated
using a separate footswitch, while
holding both footswitches allows
you to save a preset, too.
Heading straight for the church
’verb, there are the requisite
WE’VE
seen some
small guitars,
but the Electric Loog takes the
biscuit: it’s an electric incarnation
of a Kickstarter-funded three-
string guitar, aimed at aspiring
learners and children, although it
offers diddly bow-style thrills for
seasoned players, too. With a ‘My
First Danelectro’ vibe – enforced by
a lipstick-style single coil straight
from Dano itself – it certainly looks
the part. The three strings are
tuned to B G D – the idea is that by
doing away with the extra strings,
you learn faster; after all, three
notes are all you need for a chord.
When you open the box, you’ll
fi nd the Loog in pieces. Not only
does this keep costs down, but the
designers reckon it helps to
develop a bond with the
instrument. It took us around 25
minutes to put together –
mammoth refl ections, which are
highly customisable thanks to the
ShimVerb’s handy low cut and hi
cut controls. It’s the shimmer we’re
here for, though, and while we
weren’t expecting Eventide levels
of tracking, we didn’t think it quite
stacked up to shimmers from
DigiTech or Zoom, either – to our
ears, lower notes sounded a little
out of tune. That said, the
adjustable intervals are
inspirational, while dropping the
wet signal and cutting the highs
keeps things from getting cheesy.
With its wide array of controls,
the ShimVerb Pro covers all the
reverb bases. If your guitar sound
is based on shimmer, it’s worth
comparing it with the competition,
but for anyone looking to dabble in
regular and pitch-shifted
ambience, this Shim’s a win.
Michael Brown
attaching the tuners, and affi xing
the neck, bridge and strap pins to
the body – and string up, using the
straightforward instructions.
Once assembled, the Loog had
us exploring ukulele and
mandolin-inspired playing; while
adding a dose of crunch and a slide
instantly conjures dirty Jack White
blues. For existing guitarists,
adapting chords to just three
strings is a bit of a mind-bender,
but the handy included chord
charts are a big help. Aside from
a few build-quality niggles on our
review model (a loose-fi tting neck
pocket and slightly off intonation),
the Electric Loog has us convinced.
It’s not the cheapest starter guitar,
but if you’re seeking inspiration for
a younger player or yourself, this
could be the most effi cient way
to get it.
Michael Brown
FEATURES
SOUND QUALITY
VALUE FOR MONEY
BUILD QUALITY
USABILITY
OVERALL RATING
SUMMARY
FEATURES
SOUND QUALITY
VALUE FOR MONEY
BUILD QUALITY
PLAYABILITY
OVERALL RATING
SUMMARY
96 FEBRUARY 2015
REVIEW
MOOER/LOOG
BODY: Alder
NECK: Maple
SCALE: 540mm (21.26”)
FINGERBOARD: Rosewood
FRETS: 18
PICKUPS: 1x Danelectro
lipstick-style single coil
CONTROLS: 1x volume
HARDWARE: Rosewood bridge,
bone saddle, bone nut
LEFT-HANDED: No
FINISH: Blue, Pink, White,
Yellow, Green (shown)
CONTACT: Loog Guitars
www.letthekidsrock.com
TYPE: Digital reverb/pitch-shift pedal
CONTROLS: Shimmer interval, reverb type,
dry, low cut, hi cut, pre delay, decay, wet,
octave button, trail switch
SOCKETS: 2x input, 2x output, power
BYPASS: True or buffered bypass
POWER: 9V power supply only
CONTACT: Strings And Things
01273 440442 www.mooeraudio.com
MOOER SHIMVERB PRO £109
TGR263.gear_halves.indd 96 12/22/14 4:13 PM