The DigiTech HardWire RV-7 Stereo Reverb is a stereo reverb pedal. The RV-7 is discontinued: MusicRadar refers to it as "the discontinued HardWire RV-7"1, and Pedal of the Day noted in its 2019 review that the HardWire series is no longer in production1.
Lexicon lineage
The RV-7's selling point, from the start, was its connection to Lexicon, a company best known for reverb rack effects and studio software. DigiTech's own history names "the RV-7 Reverb pedal with onboard Lexicon reverbs" among the HardWire line4, and Delicious Audio's reviewer, Howard Stock, wrote in 2010 that DigiTech "regularly and enthusiastically tout Hardwire's partnership with [Lexicon]"3. Pedal of the Day describes the pedal as "using genuine Lexicon reverbs for true stereo processing and operation"2.
That lineage matters to players who remember the studio racks. In a MusicRadar piece, Mason Marangella named the RV-7 a favorite "for its Lexicon chip giving it the quality of vintage PCM rack units"5. Guitar.com's Andy Price likewise counts the RV-7 among later units with Lexicon tech incorporated, following the much beloved Lexicon reverbs6.
The seven reverb modes
The RV-7 hosts seven reverb modes, as laid out by Pedal of the Day2:
| Mode | Character |
|---|---|
| Room | Fast decay |
| Plate | Classic studio verb |
| Reverse | Backwards reverb swell |
| Modulated | Reverb with movement |
| Gated | Abrupt decay |
| Hall | Large, warm |
| Spring | Surf/rockabilly |
The pedal is digital, modeling vintage reverb types: Delicious Audio notes that it "digitally models vintage favorites plate and spring reverb"3. Pedal of the Day sums up the range as "everything from jazz room to surf rock spring to gates and modulation and more"2.
Reverse is a mode the Boss RV-5 does not have. Delicious Audio's review points out that the RV-7 "throws in what the RV-5 lacks, a reverse reverb mode", in a pedal that "directly competes" with the RV-5, "costs the same and has an extremely similar name"3.
Controls and stereo operation
Beyond the mode selector, the headline control is the tails switch. Pedal of the Day: "There's a tails switch located under the footswitch, too, and it allows you to select whether or not you'd like the reverb to continue after bypass"2. In practice, that means a lead change does not have to chop off a long hall decay; set to tails, the reverb fades out naturally after you stomp the pedal off.
The pedal is true stereo, with dual inputs and a stereo output3, so it can take a stereo feed from a delay or splitter and return a wide image, or simply run as the last pedal before a stereo rig.
What reviewers said
Delicious Audio's Howard Stock found the RV-7 "brings realistic reverb and a ton of options for players who want more control than the real thing is able to offer", comparing it favorably to a physical reverb tank3. Pedal of the Day placed it "perfectly next to its delay brother" in the HardWire line and found it covered all reverb needs across its tonal range2.
After the RV-7
DigiTech carried the Lexicon partnership forward. In November 2014 the company announced the DigiTech Polara Stereo Reverb, a seven-mode pedal whose reverbs were co-developed with Lexicon; Premier Guitar quoted DigiTech saying "the reverbs that we co-developed with Lexicon for the HardWire RV-7 wowed guitarists everywhere"7. Players looking for a current-production alternative in the same family can read about the Polara and the Supernatural Ambient Reverb, or browse the wider field in Reverb Pedals.
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Questions
Is the DigiTech HardWire RV-7 discontinued?
Yes. MusicRadar refers to the HardWire RV-7 as discontinued, and Pedal of the Day noted in its 2019 review that the HardWire series is no longer in production. The pedal still turns up secondhand, and DigiTech later offered the Polara Stereo Reverb, a seven-mode reverb pedal whose reverbs were co-developed with Lexicon in the same spirit as the RV-7's.
Does the HardWire RV-7 have a reverse reverb mode?
Yes. Reverse is one of the RV-7's seven modes. Delicious Audio's reviewer pointed out that the RV-7 throws in a reverse reverb mode that the Boss RV-5 lacks, which was one of the pedal's distinguishing points when the two were direct competitors at the same price.
What does the tails switch do on the RV-7?
There is a tails switch located under the footswitch. It lets you select whether the reverb effect continues to be heard and fades out naturally after you bypass the pedal, or cuts off when you switch it off.
Is the RV-7 true stereo?
Yes. The RV-7 uses genuine Lexicon reverbs for true stereo processing and operation, and it offers dual inputs and a stereo output, so it can sit in a stereo rig or effects loop and process a wide image.
What reverb modes does the RV-7 have?
The RV-7 hosts seven reverb modes: Room, Plate, Reverse, Modulated, Gated, Hall and Spring. Pedal of the Day describes Room as fast decay, Plate as classic studio verb, Hall as large and warm, Spring as surf/rockabilly and Gated as abrupt decay.
Does the RV-7 have a spring reverb setting?
Yes. Spring is one of the seven modes, described by Pedal of the Day as aimed at surf and rockabilly tones. Delicious Audio notes that the pedal digitally models vintage favorites plate and spring reverb.
Sources (7)
- DigiTech Polara review, MusicRadar, 2015-04-15
- DigiTech HardWire RV-7 Stereo Reverb, Pedal of the Day (pedal-of-the-day.com), 2019-01-18
- Pedal Review: Hardwire RV-7 Reverb, Delicious Audio, 2010-09-09
- History - DigiTech, DigiTech, 2022-12-15
- What does a Dumble ODS-100 Overdrive Special built to Alexander “Howard” Dumble's personal specs sound like? Pretty, pretty good..., MusicRadar, 2023-10-20
- All About… Reverb, Guitar.com, 2015-08-06
- DigiTech Unveils the Polara Stereo Reverb Pedal, Premier Guitar, 2014-11-04
