“Our most high fidelity pedal to date”: Keeley’s new Zoma is a luxurious-sounding reverb/tremolo stompbox that serves as one of the brand’s “crowning achievements”
The spiritual successor to Keeley's Hydra reverb/tremolo debuts a new pedal design, and is said to represent a step forward in the company's sound quality
Developing the Keeley Electronics ZOMA Stereo Reverb and Tremolo with Robert Keeley - YouTube
Keeley has offered its latest take on the classic twofer reverb/tremolo pedal template by unveiling the newly engineered Zoma.
A spiritual successor to the hybrid Hydra reverb pedal and tremolo pedal, the Zoma has been billed as one of Keeley’s most notable releases in some time – and not just for the advances it represents in the firm’s modulation lineup.
Rather, Robert Keeley himself has called the Zoma “one of our crowning achievements”, saying he’s most proud of the fact the Zoma highlights the improvements Keeley has recently made to its sound quality, manufacturing abilities and UI.
“Don’t be fooled by its simplicity. It’s a wonderful-sounding machine,” Keeley says. “This is one of our crowning achievements here. This means everything we produce out of our factory is going to sound better now. This means a lot to me.”
Dubbed Keeley’s “most high-fidelity pedal to date”, the Zoma is a stereo reverb and tremolo pedal that looks to tackle the supremacy of the dominant Strymon Flint.
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(Image credit: Keeley)
(Image credit: Keeley)
(Image credit: Keeley)
In operation, there are just three (generously sized) control knobs for Rate, Depth and Level – which serve secondary functions for Reverb Decay, Reverb Tone and Tremolo Volume – and a three-way toggle for accessing its trio of modes.
Those three modes include ‘SS’, which is Spring Reverb and Sine Tremolo; PH, which is Plate Reverb and Harmonic Tremolo; and PV, which is Plate Reverb and Pitch Vibrato”.
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Thanks to some flexible switching circuitry, the alt control functions can be accessed by holding down the Reverb footswitch. Holding both the Reverb and Tremolo footswitches at the same time also lets players flip the effects order.
Top-mounted jacks offer both stereo ins and outs, as well as a standard 9VDC jack.
Notably, this form factor follows the UI precedent that was set by Keeley’s Sweetwater-exclusive California Girls pedal. Given Keeley’s affection for this new design, expect to see similarly styled pedals in the future.
The Zoma – which comes in Silver and Custom Shop Sand finishes – is available now for $229.
Matt is a Senior Staff Writer, writing for Guitar World, Guitarist and Total Guitar. He has a Masters in the guitar, a degree in history, and has spent the last 16 years playing everything from blues and jazz to indie and pop. When he’s not combining his passion for writing and music during his day job, Matt records for a number of UK-based bands and songwriters as a session musician.
