Decibelics Reverend V2 Mini

The Decibelics Reverend V2 Mini is a mini overdrive, distortion and fuzz pedal that squeezes the complex Bixonic Expandora circuit into a tiny enclosure¹. Released in August 2024, it updates the earlier Reverend Mini Expandora with an LED clipping option, an external bass boost, a remote socket for the Forbidden Fuzz mode, and an intelligent footswitch¹². The circuit is complex enough that it is built as a double-decker, dual-layer design, and the op-amp chosen for the final version is the OP07, which the developer found sounded the best and most consistent of the op-amps tested¹.

Controls, modes and the footswitch

The pedal carries four knobs and a mode selector, plus two internal dip switches¹:

The four modes are the heart of the Expandora concept, and the V2 delivers more even and consistent output across all four than the previous edition did, according to the Guitar Pedal X reviewer¹. Forbidden Fuzz is the highest-gain setting, and it can also be triggered from an optional remote switch plugged into the pedal's remote socket, sold separately at $49⁵.

The footswitch is the pedal's most distinctive control. It is intelligent and automatically senses momentary and latching behavior: a quick press acts as a normal latching on/off switch, while a press-and-hold gives momentary operation, letting you punch the effect in briefly without changing the pedal's on/off state¹². The same auto momentary/latching behavior appears on the larger Reverend XX, whose soft-click footswitches also carry programmed memory plus a momentary option³.

The LED clipping option

The V2 Mini's Clipping Dip 1 selects between the stock silicon clipping diodes and an LED clipping option². The LED mode was the favorite on the Reverend XX and was carried over to the mini pedal¹. On the XX itself, the clipping choice is an external three-way switch per channel, offering Stock Silicon, LED or NOS Germanium³⁴, and the two dip-switch options on the V2 Mini were moved directly across from that larger pedal². If you want germanium clipping in a Reverend, the XX is the pedal that has it; the V2 Mini gives you silicon and LED.

Designer, development and editions

The Reverend line is the work of Barcelona-based circuit engineer Guillem Vilademunt of Decibelics, and the Reverend V2 Mini was a four-year project on which Vilademunt collaborated with the Guitar Pedal X reviewer to bring it to market¹. The pedals are Expandora-style circuits, voiced after the very first version of the Bixonic Expandora, the EXP 2000³, and based on Vilademunt's MIJ Bixonic Expandora EXP2000 replicas⁴.

The line developed in stages:

• The Reverend Mini Expandora: the original mini version, first shown as forthcoming in 2021⁶. When it launched, the Guitar Pedal X reviewer called it not just the first Mini Expandora but the first Expandora to get all four modes sounding right⁷.
• The Reverend XX: a dual-channel version launched in December 2023, with two gain knobs, external bass boost and three-way clipping per channel, priced at 309 or 319 euros depending on colorway⁴. Its two channels can be played independently or stacked³.
• The Reverend V2 Mini: the August 2024 update of the mini pedal, adding the LED clipping mode, external bass boost, the remote socket and the intelligent footswitch¹².

Colors and pricing

The V2 Mini comes in three colorways, with prices as of October 2024¹²:

The optional remote switch for the Forbidden Fuzz mode adds $49 (€45)¹⁵. All versions were available for pre-order on the Decibelics Webstore, with delivery around three to four weeks out².

What reviewers said

Guitar Pedal X's reviewer, who collaborated with Vilademunt on the pedal's development, was unequivocal about the result¹:

He found the V2 elevates an already magnificent pedal to even higher ground, and rated it very highly recommended overall¹. The pedal also made Guitar Pedal X's 2024 best new fuzz pedals of the year roundup, listed with the remote switch at $190 plus $49⁵.

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