REVV G4

The REVV G4 is a high-gain distortion pedal from Canadian builder REVV, built as a stompbox-sized version of the Red channel 4 on Revv's Generator 120 MKII amplifier¹. Revv describes it as an organic "amp-in-a-box" pedal based on the G120 Red channel, delivering fat, chewy high-gain tones with clarity and sustain². It can run into the front of any amplifier as a traditional high-gain distortion pedal, or into an FX loop as a preamp²³.

Revv took their high gain Generator series amps and distilled the red channel into a pedal, a move Performer Mag's Chris Devine called "some really wild results"⁴. The G4 sits at the saturated end of Revv's Generator pedal line: the G2 Crunchy Drive covers the green channel, the REVV G3 the purple channel, and the G4 the red channel, which has more gain and saturation than the purple channel the G3 offers⁵.

The red channel of the Generator amp in a pedal

The G4 is the pedal version of the red channel of Revv's 120 Generator tube amplifier, a channel with more gain and saturation than the purple channel offered by the G3⁵. Guitar.com described it at launch as "the stompbox-sized version of the red channel 4 featured on Revv's acclaimed Generator 120 MKII amplifier"¹, and MusicRadar noted it "crams its red channel tones into stompbox form"⁷. Performer Mag's review framed it as a high gain pedal aimed at players who want a pedal that acts and sounds like an amp⁴.

Revv positions it as flexible in placement: into the front of any amplifier it works as a traditional high-gain distortion pedal, and into an FX loop it works as a preamp²³. Delicious Audio summarizes the appeal as "Big distorted amp tone, organic feel, & 3 voicing options" in a small single-space enclosure with top-mounted jacks, a blue LED and laser etching⁵.

The controls

The G4 carries the same exact controls as the G3⁵: a three-band EQ, a Gain knob and a Volume (Level) knob, plus the three-position Aggression switch⁴⁸⁹.

Performer Mag found the EQ "hyper flexible, and responds a lot like an amp," noting that even in the high gain modes it doesn't get buzzy, tinny or spiky⁴. Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson made a similar point: the 3-way Aggression switch along with the 3-band EQ yields a wide range of tonal possibilities, even though both the G3 and G4 are very much high gain metal pedals⁹.

The Aggression switch: off, blue and red

The Aggression toggle is the G4's signature control, a 3-way mini toggle offering off, blue and red modes⁴. Each position changes both the voicing and the amount of saturation²¹⁰.

Performer Mag's Chris Devine characterized the three positions in his review: the off mode is "kind of a flat response, and brings a lower gain mode, very cool for classic crunch rhythms"⁴; in blue "it gets tighter, but yet not compressed"⁴; and in red "it gets super thick and the saturation really goes up a couple of notches"⁴. Delicious Audio adds that Off delivers great classic tones and dynamic blues breakup, Blue "reigns in extra frequencies a bit to tighten things up," and Red is for "all out saturation & thickness. Great for fat leads & chunky rhythms"⁵.

Pete Thorn demoed the pedal on his channel and walked through all three settings, noting that he used the red position on the solo for the song at the beginning of his video⁸:

Thorn also noted that Revv made the pedal to pair well with mid-forward boosts and drives, such as a Tube Screamer or Klon type pedal, for solos, though he found it has plenty of gain on its own⁸.

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History and versions

The G4 arrived quickly after the G3. Guitar World reported in January 2019 that "The G4 is an update to Revv's G3 pedal, and is aimed at hard rock and metal players"¹¹, with pre-orders at $229¹. Gearnews noted it was introduced at NAMM that year as a high-gain pedal aimed at metal and hard rock players¹². Delicious Audio recalls the Canadian builder surprising everybody by releasing the red G4 over the Christmas holidays following spring 2018, with the same exact controls as the G3 but a slightly different palette of sounds⁵.

The current circuit is the V2. Revv says the V2 circuit revision "adds additional versatility in lower gain ranges as well as a more clear & cutting midrange, without sacrificing the liquid sustain REVV's Red channel is known for"². The pedal is manufactured in Canada by a small, dedicated team of engineers³, and a Revv G4 V2 Canadian Edition is offered alongside the standard version².

A 2024 Anniversary Edition kept the V2 circuit and the familiar Bass, Middle, Treble, Volume, Aggression and Gain layout⁵, and a Revv G4 Red Channel Preamp/Overdrive/Distortion Pedal Anniversary Edition was listed by Premier Guitar at $229.00¹⁰. Pricing has held steady: the G4 listed at $229 / £199 at launch⁹, $229 street in the US in mid-2019⁴, and the G4 V2 Anniversary Edition was still $229 in December 2025⁶. In the UK, the Full Color Editions ran £219, with a discounted mostly black Anniversary edition at £169 in September 2025, both carrying the exact same V2 circuit¹³.

What reviewers said

Early reviews were positive. Performer Mag's Chris Devine, reviewing it in June 2019 at a $229 street price, praised the amp-like behavior and the EQ⁴. In the magazine's later G2 review, the staff wrote: "We really liked the high gain tones from the G4, but the G2 really had a nice and open quality, without any over saturation"¹⁴. Guitar World brought the G3 and G4 into the studio in February 2020, noting they "bring with them an unholy amount of gain - enough to add an extra channel to any amp"¹⁵.

Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson has followed the pedal across its versions. In 2019 he called the G4 "thick and fat and brutal - with more gain and saturation on tap and possibly more of a pedgiree towards rhythm tones"⁹, and in his 2024 roundup he wrote that the G4 is "perfect for slightly more scooped, elastic and saggy style tones," adding that he uses the G4 more often than the G3 overall, and "If you want to bring on the thunder though you need the G4"¹⁶. Delicious Audio calls it a pedal that works wonders for sludge metal players who like to drop their tuning, citing Ryan Bruce's video⁵.

His view of the V2 Anniversary Edition is more mixed. In November 2025 he wrote:

He elaborated in December 2025 that the new version "now definitely sounds inferior to its G3 sibling - and is wholly outmuscled by say the Fortin Meshuggah and Lichtalerm Gehenna"⁶, while still concluding: "I still like the G4 - just not as much as my Lichtlaerm or Fortin pedals - which get me a degree closer to my perfect sound!"¹³

G4 versus G3

The two pedals share a control layout and a maker, but they model different amp channels. The G3 is the purple channel of the Generator 120 and the G4 the red channel, which has more gain and saturation⁵. Karlsson describes the G4 as thicker, looser (more sag), rawer and more saturated than the G3, with more of a pedigree toward rhythm tones⁹. Players who want a tighter, more mid-focused high-gain pedal tend toward the Revv G3 V2; players who want maximum thickness and saturation, especially for dropped tunings, are who the G4 serves⁵¹⁶.

Videos

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Questions