Decibelics The Reverend XX

The Reverend XX is a dual-channel distortion pedal from Spanish builder Decibelics, a dual version of the company's ZZ Top inspired single channel distortion pedal¹. Its circuit is based on the vintage Bixonic Expandora, and it is voiced after the very first version of that pedal, the EXP 2000¹. The two channels can be played independently or stacked on top of each other, and Decibelics credits the pedal with improved dynamics thanks to a proprietary expander circuit¹.

The pedal went on sale through the Decibelics Webstore in December 2023². It is handmade in Spain, and Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson, reviewing it at launch, located the builder in Barcelona².

From the Bixonic Expandora to the Reverend XX

The original Expandora was released in the mid-'90s by Japanese builder Bixonic³, and Vintage Guitar's 1996 review called it "a distortion box par excellence," noting that "the neat insides of the box have preset dip-switches that allow you to basically go for as much (or as little) distortion" as the player wanted⁴. Those internal dip-switches are a central part of the design that later builders have reworked. Aion FX counts four major versions during the original Bixonic production run⁵, and the Expandora II arrived in '01 with more tone control and better low-end response than the original⁶. The Expandora was a favorite of Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top⁵, which is the connection Decibelics draws on when describing its own Reverend line as ZZ Top inspired¹.

The Reverend XX sits at the end of a line of Expandora interpretations. Designer Guillem Vilademunt's work began with replicas of the MIJ Bixonic Expandora EXP 2000², and the Reverend V1 Mini Expandora squeezed the complex Bixonic Expandora into a mini enclosure⁷. The dual-channel Reverend XX then added external Bass Boost and 3-way clipping⁷. Guitar Pedal X reports that its tone was "modeled after Guillem's 5 original Expandoras (All versions)"². Bixonic itself later returned to the design with the Expandora Squared⁸, and other builders have offered their own takes, such as a Drunk Beaver Expandora clone with an additional clipping option⁹.

Controls and clipping options

The Reverend XX carries the Expandora's hidden dip-switch concept out onto the enclosure. Where the original required opening the box, the XX replaces the internal switches with a 4-way rotary knob that delivers different types of drive and distortion, including the explosive "Forbidden Setting" found on later versions of the original pedal¹. That Forbidden Setting was the highest-gain configuration players discovered by flipping the original's internal switches.

The three clipping types give each channel three characters. Guitar Pedal X's reviewer found the Germanium option has a distinct personality, though it comes with a trade-off¹¹⁰⁷:

The pedal uses a N.O.S. RN2206 transistor and a N.O.S. JRC4558DD op-amp, the same parts as the single-channel Reverend¹. Switching is true bypass, with soft-click footswitches that carry programmed memory plus a latching and momentary option².

Versions and pricing

The Reverend XX is priced at €309, with some colourways at €319; the Black Standard Edition is €10 less expensive than the other colourways².

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