The Decibelics Rivus Overdrive is a BluesBreaker-style mini overdrive from Decibelics, a compact take on the low-to-mid gain transparent drive format. It is listed at €180 / $190 (EUR and USD)1.
What it does
Where a stock BluesBreaker-style pedal gives you one voicing, the Rivus spreads the circuit across several. A Clip switch selects Hard, None or Soft clipping, the Mode switch moves between a Pre '95 voicing with more bass and less gain and a Post '95 voicing with more gain and less bass, and inside the pedal a dual dip-switch sets the gain structure in three steps: I (stock), II (More Gain) and III (Most Gain)2. The front-panel controls stay familiar: Gain, Level and Tone2.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Gain | Drive amount |
| Level | Output volume |
| Tone | Treble cut |
| Clip | Hard / None / Soft clipping selection |
| Mode | Pre '95 (more bass, less gain) or Post '95 (more gain, less bass) |
| Internal dip-switch | Gain structure: I stock, II more gain, III most gain |
Guitar Pedal X, listing the Rivus among its best new boost and overdrive pedals of 2024, called it "Another superior mini pedal which challenges every size of BluesBreaker with smart controls superb dynamics and of cours[e]... superior sounds overall"2.
"Another superior mini pedal which challenges every size of BluesBreaker with smart controls superb dynamics and of course superior sounds!"2
Background
Decibelics offers the Rivus as its BluesBreaker-style mini overdrive, listed at €180 / $190 (EUR and USD)1. It sits in the wider family of overdrive pedals.
The Rivus is listed at €180 / $190, with the price quoted in both EUR and USD1.
Videos
Joe Perkins
Anand Mahangoe
Kevin Harvey Guitar and Decibelics
Questions
What is the Decibelics Rivus based on?
The Rivus is a mini take on the Marshall BluesBreaker overdrive circuit. Decibelics extends the concept with a Clip switch (Hard, None or Soft), a Mode switch that moves between Pre '95 voicing with more bass and less gain and Post '95 voicing with more gain and less bass, and an internal dual dip-switch that raises the gain structure in three steps from stock to most gain.
How much does the Decibelics Rivus cost?
The Rivus went on sale on November 25, 2024 at €180 / $190 / £150 plus shipping, according to Guitar Pedal X. Second batch preorders were scheduled to go live on December 2nd, 2024.
Sources (2)
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2024-12-16
