The DigiTech XP 400 Reverberator is a reverb stompbox from the company's XP Series, and it stands out for one unusual feature: a built-in expression pedal. Writing at Pedal of the Day, reviewer Maurits N called it "one of the first reverb stompboxes with a expression pedal," placing it among the early entries in the reverb pedal field1.
What it does
The XP 400's central idea is real-time control of the reverb blend. The only and main control is over the wetness of the reverb, and the expression pedal sweeps it as you play, so you can fade ambience in and out mid-phrase rather than setting a fixed mix1.
The pedal ships with fixed programs, and there is a catch: you can't change the actual programs. What you get is what DigiTech designed, with the pedal as your only performance control1.
The reviewer found the programs strong on their own terms. "The pedal has some excellent programs and I really love the Reversed settings and the Infinite Plate for textures and ambient sounds," Maurits N wrote, singling out the Reversed and Infinite Plate modes as the standouts for textural and ambient playing1.
Where it sits in DigiTech's reverb line
The XP 400 is discontinued, so it is no longer part of DigiTech's current lineup1. The company has since built its reverb reputation on other designs, including the DigiTech Polara and DigiTech Supernatural Ambient Reverb, both of which appear elsewhere on this site. Players drawn to the XP 400's ambient strengths may find those later pedals worth comparing, though neither replicates the built-in expression pedal format.
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Questions
Is the DigiTech XP 400 Reverberator still in production?
No. The XP 400 Reverberator is discontinued, so it now turns up mainly on the used market. DigiTech has since released other reverb pedals, including the Polara Stereo Reverb and the Supernatural Ambient Reverb, which carry the company's reverb line forward. Players looking for the XP 400's reversed and plate-style sounds in a current pedal may want to compare those later designs.
What does the expression pedal on the XP 400 do?
The expression pedal controls the wetness of the reverb, meaning the balance between your dry guitar signal and the reverb effect. Rocking the pedal sweeps that blend as you play, which is the pedal's main and only real-time control. That makes it useful for swelling ambience in and out without bending down to turn a knob.
Sources (1)
- Digitech XP 400 Reverberator, Pedal of the Day (www.pedal-of-the-day.com), 2014-06-05
