I got a riverside last week and plugged it into my blues jr and wasn't blown away with my strat, but with some tweaking and especially through a marshall it sounds incredible! The amount of features means everytime I use it I find a new sound.
This was such a well done video, thank you! So well thought out, practical since it helps answer the big question we're all thinking, and the tones & parts you picked to use for comparison were just right. Trying to match the tones really reveals the different flavors each one has, genius idea! You should send a link of this video to Strymon and ask them to add it to their product page for each one of these products. Liked & subscribed, thanks again!
I prefer the riverside tonally, though I'd probably always have it in low gain dialed down, the fav switch is very useful to kick in a second colour or boost immediately
My favorite pedal right now is the Strymon Deco......it was Strymons first attempt at a grainy sounding gain sound with tape saturation...its a wonderful pedal.
Wow they definitely have the ability to replicate each other - Does the Sunset have a built in noise gate like the Riverside? If not, get the Riverside! I have a Wampler Tumnus for low/mid gain Klon -type crunch stuff on my pedalboard then a Riverside for the Plexiglas to higher gain stuff. I boost them both for solos with a Boss FB-2 Feedback Booster pedal AFTER the Tumnus and Riverside. All running through a Mesa California Tweed with a Strymon Brigadier delay in the effects loop. I also run a Peterson strobe tuner and Wampler Mini Eco Compressor (mild setting always on) in the front in. Im VERY happy with the tones I get and its easy to dial in on the fly on stage. SONIC! If I didn't already have the Tumnus and Riverside I think the Sunset could duplicate both basic tones. BUT, the Riverside gives an extra "Favorite" tone - so there is one more color the Sunset wouldn't be able to give in my rig. All sound great though, this is nitpicking!
Good call I use the Boost Pedal at 3.5 DB Boost and an EV5 expression so I get 8 sounds and can blend for Toe Down High Gain and Heel up for "Malcolm Young" sorta Crunch, My Favorite is a slightly louder high gain with more mids and highs and I set the pedal near clean for heal Down on the favorites and a Keith Richards level of Gain , it's mental
Riverside seems to do everything Sunset can do, and sounds the same or even better. Surprised actually. I own both, and they're both great. Would have benefited by seeing the actual settings rather than hearing presets but great summary. Thanks.
Great video, very smart way of comparing those two machines. Amazing pedals - both :) I have a feeling that Riverside has a fuller sound, but Sunset seems mor versatile. Even though I will go with Riverside :) Thanks!
Great video thanks. Really well done. Well I was confused on which one to get, I'm even more confused now. They seem very similar. Except maybe the Riverside would be more versatile because of the EQ?
Guitar Emerge haha thanks. I think I’m settling on the sunset. I’m simply trying to go all midi on my board and looking for a drive that « does it all » from clean boost to mean distortion. It seems like both units are versatile enough to cover all gain territories, but the sunset seems maybe more fun to play with.
Interesting comparison. I've been leaning towards the Riverside but wondering if I would be forfeiting anything by not getting the Sunset. And yet your video seems to show how similar they actually are (most people don't show this!). By comparison, the Riverside seems to have a slightly greater punch, clarity, and brightness that I like more tonally.
I want both....there is enough difference to warrant buying both. With my lonestar having great clean and pretty great crunch im looking for a higher gain pedal like the sunset but the riverside has such an organic analog sound to it it makes it a tough choice on the first purchase.....
This was a SPECTACULAR demo you guys! Great job matching tones but you really do get a sense of the overall character for each. To me I think if I'm playing through a mid focused amp I might choose the Riverside then Sunset for something like a Fender or Boogie to give it some punch.
I wish someone would demo the Sunset or Riverside with something besides a Strat or Telecaster. I wanna hear some kind of shred guitar like a Musicman John Petrucci Majesty or a Washburn Solar V. I love Stevie Ray Vaughn and Hendrix, but I don’t want to sound like them.
