Reverb is a marketplace for music gear because it's a natural extension of who we are: music makers looking for a better way to buy and sell instruments, recording equipment, and other musical tools.
From our tech team to our marketing team, every department has musicians and gear enthusiasts on hand. So we surveyed our co-workers to compile their absolute must-have, go-to gear, from the perfect pickup to an affordable sequencer.
Check out these staff picks below. Then, get a head start on your holiday shopping with these items and more on our Handpicked for the Holidays shopping page.
The Chase Bliss Mood and Moog Sub Phatty offer up a variety of incredible and useful sounds for conjuring great recordings and ideas. As for the Telecaster Deluxe—while there are dozens of guitars that I could reach for, the Wide Range humbuckers in the '70s Telecaster Deluxe are responsible for my favorite guitar sounds I've ever achieved. All together, these are the pieces of gear I use the most often, apart from my tuner, whether it is in the studio or while writing songs.
Hear Evan's work: Into It. Over It., Pet Symmetry, Couplet, Their / They're / There, Storm Chasers LTD.
The Model:Samples groovebox is a newer addition to my setup, but has quickly become a staple due to how flexible and intuitive it is. I'm always looking for gear that is portable, versatile, and has an approachable workflow. Because it's sample-based, I'll go between using this as a drum machine or to create abstract ambient textures and soundscapes.
I own quite a few synths, but the Minilogue has been my go-to for most occasions. It's lightweight, portable, and has all of the essential controls that I need to shape the sound. I can easily create and save my own patches and adjust essential parameters on the fly, making it great for performance. Whether I'm playing a show or just recording at home, this has been a reliable, tried-and-true synth.
Having a portable keyboard with authentic piano, organ, and synth sections is essential for me. The Nord Electro is my must-have because it has great sounds, it's user-friendly, it's easy to transport, and it can be used with headphones or an amp. I highly recommend it for any pianist or keyboardist who plays a range of different styles.
Hear Nicole's work: Sparkle Carcass, The Joe Buckley Band.
The Nord Drum was my bridge from percussion into synthesizers. It's extremely fun, has tons of preset sounds, and is flexible in terms of new sound creation.
I first used the Zoom H4n while working in public radio, and I was immediately in love. It's extremely mobile, quick to use, and hardy. I've used mine for almost a decade now.
Hear B.'s work: brusselburg.com.
The Fender CuNife Wide Range Pickups are some of the best sounding I have ever heard. Everything you could want from a pickup: beautiful, powerful clean tones with no 60-cycle hum and well-defined attack, even with loads of distortion. Nearly impossible to get your hands on since the late '70s until they were finally recently made available again.
If you're recording from home and looking to get big tones without sacrificing essential living space, the Soyuz Launcher is an affordable home studio secret weapon. Tiny mic pre, ridiculous sound.
The MPC Live is my sampler of choice. It's got everything I need to craft a full beat and has only gotten better with firmware updates. I enjoy how Akai put the classic MPC workflow into this instrument and valuable tools for the modern era.
The Korg SQ-64 is my hardware sequencer of choice. A must-have in my studio because it is excellent for sequencing Eurorack and hardware synthesizers. I am never at a loss for musical ideas when using this sequencer, as it can add lots of variation and randomness to my grooves.
Hear Fess' work: Fess Grandiose.
The Juno 106 is just legendary—from lush pads to knocking bass patches, it can cover almost everything I need for most of my productions, and you just can't recreate the vibe and depth with any VST.
I also travel a lot, so the OP-1 has turned into my go-to when I am on the road. The fact that it has so many synth and drums sounds, a sampler, and a multi-track recorder makes it the all-in-one brain to knock out ideas on the fly. I have made full tapes using the OP-1 and also use it to develop ideas and then bring them into Ableton to fully flesh out.
Hear Doug's work: dug.
I chose the G7th Performance Capo because I consider this most essential "tool" in my rig. It brings to life new voicings from my guitar that sparks creativity through exploration.
The King Tone Blues Power in my rig acts as a Swiss Army knife by elevating my amp's clean tones and providing that "glassy" overdrive without having to crank up a loud Fender-style tube amp.
The pocket-sized PO-35 synthesizer is capable of endless musical possibilities. Not only can you create ideas using drum and synth sounds, but you can speak or sing right into an onboard mic and instantly sample your own voice into its synth and effects engine. I have given this as a gift to musicians and music lovers, and it's always a hit.
There's a reason the MicroKorg is the most ubiquitous little synth in indie music. It's overflowing with beautiful sounds, relatively simple to tweak, and just an endless source of inspiration. I've lost hours sitting in front of this ugly little box finding new things and I really think I'd be way more sonically boring without those hours I've spent. It's cheap for what it can do, sturdy, and I can't recommend it enough.
I feel like it's almost a cliche to use one of these little multitracks like the Tascam Porta02 MKII now, but they're just so much fun. I grew up exclusively recording and working in DAWs and the limitations and physicality of working with tape is such a welcome change from my normal workflows. The tape hiss and crackle is great, but the real secret weapon in these things is the grit you can get running a mic straight into the inputs whether you're working with vocals, drums, anything! Plus, I get to hear/mangle/destroy one of my favorite songs of all time thanks to this fun little workstation.
Hear Zack's work: Same Song, Different Pedal (only possible thanks to the Tascam!).
The Twin Reverb Silverface is quite simply the most versatile amp I've ever used, and is far too often underrated. Once properly checked and set up by your local technician, it will make you forget all about other versions of the Twin Reverb. With its two 12" speakers, power, built-in spring, and master volume, this is the perfect tool for the stage, the studio, and the home. And the ultra-linear output transformers on these models are simply fabulous. The only downside? The weight!
Find Antoine's work: Find me on Instagram, and on Reverb. I build fuzzes, amps, and lots of other noisy stuff with tubes.
Over the years, the Shure SM7B has become my most-used piece of gear. It's involved in all of my projects, from music recording to podcasting and voiceover work for short films. The SM7B is a master at capturing silky smooth vocals, even in non-ideal rooms. It's equally as competent articulately capturing a guitar cab, and I've even used the SM7B to surprisingly solid results mic'ing the toms of a drum kit. To me, this mic is one of the best and most versatile in its price bracket.
Moog Subharmonicon: Making music with modular synths never stuck with me until this instrument. With the ability to split two oscillators into three notes each and "throw" those pitches in the sequencer, the Subharmonicon feels like a chordal instrument. It's incredibly musical and can find a home in so many applications. It's become a go-to instrument for me, as much as my Juno and Jazzmaster.
Milkman The Amp: Like so many, I've been cooped up in my apartment making music which means I can't wind up any of my amps like I used to. The Amp has been a gamechanger in that respect. It sounds and feels like a real amp—because it is! Because I can dial in pretty much any tone going direct into my interface now, it's made me question why I need a speaker cab with a mic in front of it ever again. Am I selling my amp arsenal? No. But I'm more confident recording in my office than ever before—and I'm not turning back.