I am from Nature, a skeptic. When something creates a lot of hype, I often reflexively have doubts about it. Few effects pedals have attracted more attention recently than the Mercury X from audio experts Meris, which has made a name for itself as a manufacturer of high-quality guitar pedals. But after using it, I can’t even pretend that the Mercury X doesn’t live up to the hype. At $599, it’s pretty pricey, but it’s the best reverb pedal on the market, period.
That could honestly be the end of the review, but I know I can’t make such a bold statement without backing it up. The Mercury
On the floor
First, let’s talk about the construction: It’s rock solid. The four foot switches, four potentiometers and three push encoders are robust and have good resistance. The screen is bright and easy to see from any angle, and the Mercury X has basically all the connectivity options you could want. It has stereo ins and outs, 5-pin MIDI ins and outs, an expression pedal jack and USB-C, the latter of which is currently exclusively for firmware updates.
Obviously the hardware is secondary. It is the variety and incredible quality of the reverb algorithms (“structures” in Meris’ terminology) included in the pedal that make it the best on the market. There are eight in total, ranging from the standard spring and reverb reverbs to more exotic options like Ultraplate and Gravity. Whether they’re more understated or true ambient washes, they sound incredible.
Photo: Terrence O’Brien
Known favorites
I’m picky about my spring reverbs. I often find that emulations are thin and obviously artificial compared to the sound of a traditional Fender amp. Even the real deal can sound cheap and like a toy if not implemented properly. But Meris tops it all with a spring algorithm that’s confident and lush at subtler settings, and when you crank it feels like the guitar is running through an incredibly large spring tank without feeling unnatural.
The 78 Room, 78 Plate and 78 Hall algorithms come from Meris’ collaboration with Chase Bliss (another tirelessly innovative guitar pedal manufacturer), the CXM 1978. This pedal is in turn modeled after the Lexicon 224, an iconic digital reverb device from the late ’70s , used by the likes of Vangelis, Brian Eno, Kate Bush and Talking Heads. The difference is that the CXM has three different versions of each of these algorithms, while the Mercury X only has the “Hifi” version. These all sound incredible, but not particularly realistic. Instead, they mimic the unique character of early digital rackmount devices. With the peripheral effects Meris includes, you can really empathize with the lofi and imperfection of her inspiration.
Ultraplate and Cathedral come from Meris’ modern classic reverb pedal, the Mercury 7. These are epic in the truest sense of the word. Sure, you can reduce the volume and thereby create large, but not uncontrollable, reverb tails. But they only really come into their own when you deal with the huge gaps in their extremes. The Ultraplate in particular lasts almost forever, even with half the decay time.
The last two algorithms, Prism and Gravity, are unique to the Mercury X. They are the two most common options. Prism is a “double tank that lets you build your own geometric spaces.” This description doesn’t really give you an idea of what it sounds like. I would describe it as full of reflections and somehow claustrophobic and massive at the same time. Gravity is almost granular in nature, taking small bits of your sound and spreading them out over an infinity. If you want to play big ambient emo melody lines, these two will probably be your best friends (along with Ultraplate).