Decibelics The Reverend is a compact overdrive, distortion and fuzz pedal from Decibelics, built around the circuit of the Bixonic Expandora. Guitar Pedal X's reviewer called it "the Perfect encapsulation of the Bixonic Expandora", and described it as the company's ZZ Top inspired single channel distortion pedal12. It packs four distinct gain modes into a mini enclosure, covering everything from crunch to full fuzz, which makes it a flexible single pedal for players who want several gain stages without a large footprint. It sits across the territory of overdrive pedals, distortion pedals and fuzz pedals.
Controls and modes
The pedal keeps its control set small, in the manner of a mini pedal, but the mode selector does much of the work1:
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Gain | Sets the amount of drive |
| Level | Sets the output volume |
| Tone | Shapes the treble response |
| Mode | Four positions: I Crunch, II Overdrive, III Distortion, IV Forbidden Fuzz1 |
The fourth position, labeled Forbidden Fuzz, is the Expandora's best-known trick: the circuit crosses into fuzz territory at its highest gain setting. Guitar Pedal X's reviewer, Stefan Karlsson, wrote of the original: "I believe this is not just the first Mini Expandora - but the first Expandora to get all 4 modes sounding just right!"1
Where it came from
The Reverend was announced as a forthcoming mini Expandora-style pedal, with its official launch estimated at roughly a month away as of April 2022, at an estimated €2251. Decibelics described it as the "perfect encapsulation of the Bixonic Expandora," a single channel distortion pedal with a ZZ Top inspired design1.
The Reverend V2 and The Reverend XX
Decibelics has since expanded the Reverend line, and the differences between versions matter if you are comparing them345:
| Version | Channels | Clipping options | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Reverend (original) | Single | Stock silicon | Four modes via rotary knob1 |
| Reverend V2 Mini | Single | Dip 1: stock silicon or LED clipping35 | Adds LED clipping option5 |
| The Reverend XX | Dual | External 3-way switch per channel: stock silicon, LED, or NOS germanium4 | Adds external bass boost3 |
The V2 keeps the single-channel mini format but adds an LED clipping option via an internal dip switch, alongside the stock silicon setting65. The Reverend XX goes further: it is a dual-channel version with an external three-way clipping switch for each channel, letting you choose silicon, LED, or NOS germanium clipping independently on each side, plus an external bass boost43. Delicious Audio covered the XX as a dual-channel take on The Reverend, based on the Bixonic Expandora, with per-channel clipping switches and a four-way rotary knob2.
Reviewers have been consistent in their enthusiasm across the line. Karlsson, reviewing the XX in December 2023, said: "I'm already a massive fan of the original Reverend Mini - and this new one is more than double the goodness"4. Of the V2, he wrote that the pedal was "even more formidable in the latest V2 edition"5. In a later follow-up on the V2, he described how "Next came the Dual Channel Reverend XX - which added external Bass Boost, and 3-way clipping - Stock Si / LED / NOS Ge."3
The Reverend line has changed shape over its life: the original single-channel mini, the V2 with an LED clipping dip switch, and the dual-channel XX each voice the clipping differently. The clipping selection is internal on the V2 (a dip switch) but external on the XX, which affects how quickly you can change it on a gig.
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Questions
What pedal is the Decibelics The Reverend based on?
Guitar Pedal X describes The Reverend as the perfect encapsulation of the Bixonic Expandora, a distortion and fuzz circuit from the late 1990s. Decibelics built it as a mini pedal, and the writer of that review believed it was not just the first mini Expandora but the first Expandora to get all four of its modes sounding just right.
What is the difference between The Reverend and The Reverend XX?
The Reverend XX is a dual-channel version of the original single-channel pedal. It adds an external bass boost and a three-way clipping switch for each channel, offering stock silicon, LED, or NOS germanium clipping, so each channel can be voiced differently.
Sources (6)
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2022-04-26
- Decibelics The Reverend XX, Delicious Audio, 2024-08-14
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2024-10-02
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2023-12-04
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2024-08-06
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2023-12-16
