The HardWire RV-7 Stereo Reverb is a reverb pedal from DigiTech's HardWire line, a stereo unit built around seven reverb modes and reverb algorithms co-developed with Lexicon, the company long known for reverb rack effects and software. It 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 was no longer in production1.
Seven reverb modes in a stereo pedal
The RV-7 carries seven reverb modes. Delicious Audio called it "a pedal crammed with seven different synthetic reverb modes"4, and Pedal of the Day lists them as Room, Plate, Reverse, Modulated, Gated, Hall and Spring2. DigiTech's own history of the line describes the Hardwire pedals as including "the RV-7 Reverb pedal with onboard Lexicon reverbs"3.
Pedal of the Day characterizes the modes this way2:
| Mode | Character |
|---|---|
| Room | Fast decay |
| Plate | Classic studio verb |
| Hall | Large, warm |
| Spring | Surf/rockabilly |
| Reverse, Modulated, Gated | Textural and studio-style effects |
The pedal is stereo throughout. Delicious Audio's review notes dual inputs and a stereo output4, and Pedal of the Day describes "true stereo processing and operation"2. For a player, that means the RV-7 can sit at the end of a stereo board and feed two amps or a stereo rig, rather than summing to mono the way many compact reverbs do.
Lexicon lineage
The RV-7's selling point, then and now, is its Lexicon connection. DigiTech and its reviewers "regularly and enthusiastically tout Hardwire's partnership with [Lexicon], a company that makes reverb rack effects and software"4. Pedal of the Day puts it plainly: the RV-7 uses "genuine Lexicon reverbs for true stereo processing and operation"2. When DigiTech later introduced the Polara, Premier Guitar's press coverage quoted the company on that heritage: "The reverbs that we co-developed with Lexicon for the HardWire RV-7 wowed guitarists everywhere"5. The RV-7 is where that co-development first appeared in a pedal.
RV-7 versus the Boss RV-5
When the RV-7 launched, its closest rival was the Boss RV-5 Digital Reverb. Delicious Audio described the RV-5 as "a pedal with which the Hardwire directly competes, that costs the same and has an extremely similar name"4. Both are stereo pedals: the RV-5 offers two inputs and two outputs and can be run as a stereo pedal6. The difference Delicious Audio flagged is reverse reverb: the RV-7 "throws in what the RV-5 lacks, a reverse reverb mode"4. Both pedals have since been discontinued, the RV-5 having been described as such in Pedal of the Day's 2016 review6.
What reviewers said
Delicious Audio's verdict, from Howard Stock's 2010 review, covers both ends of the pedal's range4:
"The RV-7 does jacked-up ghostly sustains very well without sounding inorganic, but politely takes a back seat when it's set to more subtle levels and familiar modes."
Pedal of the Day, reviewing it in 2019, framed the pedal as covering the whole spread of reverb duties, "offering up reverberated tones featuring everything from jazz room to surf rock spring to gates and modulation and more"2. Between the two reviews, the picture is consistent: a mode set that runs from subtle room and plate work to obvious, textural effects, with the reverse and gated modes doing the heavy lifting at the extreme end.
For players looking at the HardWire family, the RV-7 sat alongside other Lexicon-based designs in the line, later followed by the HardWire Supernatural Ambient Reverb and, at DigiTech, the Polara5. More generally, it belongs to the broader field of reverb pedals built around digital modeling of studio and mechanical reverb types.
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Questions
Is the Hardwire RV-7 discontinued?
Yes. MusicRadar refers to the RV-7 as the discontinued HardWire RV-7, and Pedal of the Day noted in its 2019 review that the HardWire series was no longer in production. The pedal has since been succeeded in DigiTech's range by later reverb designs such as the Polara, which Premier Guitar reported drew on the reverbs co-developed with Lexicon for the HardWire RV-7.
What is the difference between the Hardwire RV-7 and the Boss RV-5?
The two pedals competed directly when both were current. Delicious Audio's review notes that the RV-5 cost the same and had an extremely similar name, but that the RV-7 threw in what the RV-5 lacked: a reverse reverb mode. Both are stereo pedals with two inputs and two outputs, and both are now discontinued.
Is the Hardwire RV-7 a stereo pedal?
Yes. Delicious Audio's review describes dual inputs and a stereo output, and Pedal of the Day describes true stereo processing and operation using genuine Lexicon reverbs. That makes it usable at the end of a stereo rig, with reverberated signals feeding two amps or a stereo playback setup.
Does the Hardwire RV-7 have a spring reverb mode?
Yes. Spring is one of the RV-7's seven reverb modes, and Pedal of the Day describes it as aimed at surf and rockabilly playing. Delicious Audio notes that the pedal digitally models vintage favorites plate and spring reverb.
Does the Hardwire RV-7 have reverse reverb?
Yes. Reverse is one of the seven modes on the RV-7, and Delicious Audio's review singles it out as the feature the competing Boss RV-5 lacked. Reverse reverb swells in before the note rather than decaying after it, which is the sound behind jacked-up, ghostly sustained textures.
Sources (6)
- 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
- History - DigiTech, DigiTech, 2022-12-15
- Pedal Review: Hardwire RV-7 Reverb, Delicious Audio, 2010-09-09
- DigiTech Unveils the Polara Stereo Reverb Pedal, Premier Guitar, 2014-11-04
- Boss RV-5 Digital Reverb, Pedal of the Day (www.pedal-of-the-day.com), 2016-04-04
