The Veteran (Si) Reverb Special Edition is a limited-edition fuzz and boost pedal from British maker ThorpyFX, announced in November 2017. It puts two 1960s circuits in one enclosure: a silicon Fuzz Face-style fuzz and a Rangemaster-style silicon treble booster, each with its own footswitch, with the fuzz side running into the boost side so the two effects can be stacked1.
MusicRadar's Michael Astley-Brown described it at launch as a "Versatile, purple, '60s-inspired fuzzbox limited to 100 units," promising "the best of '60s Fuzz Face and Rangemaster-style units"1.
A silicon fuzz and boost with two footswitches
The pedal is a variant of ThorpyFX's Veteran fuzz/boost, built with silicon transistors rather than the germanium parts of the original run. The two effects are independent: one footswitch engages the fuzz, the other the boost, and because the fuzz feeds the boost, a player can use the fuzz alone, the boost alone, or both together for a boosted fuzz tone13.
The fuzz side carries four controls, which MusicRadar lists as Smooth, fuzz, volume and bias1. The bias control sets the operating point of the fuzz transistors, a Fuzz Face-style feature that lets a player dial the fuzz from tight to spitty and gated.
| Side | Circuit | Controls | Footswitch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fuzz | Silicon Fuzz Face-style | Smooth, fuzz, volume, bias1 | One1 |
| Boost | Silicon Rangemaster-style treble booster1 | Independent of the fuzz side1 | One1 |
Guitar Pedal X's Stefan Karlsson lists the Veteran Si's build as "2 x 2N3904 + 2N3904 (RM) Silicon," meaning two 2N3904 silicon transistors in the fuzz and another 2N3904 in the Rangemaster-style boost2. That silicon spec is the "Si" in the name, and it separates this edition from the germanium original: the first 2017 run of the Veteran was populated with AC128 germanium transistors, of which only 100 were made4.
Limited edition and the Veteran line
The Reverb Special Edition was limited to 100 units, finished in a stainless steel enclosure with a lilac powdercoat, and sold through Reverb at £224.99 apiece1. It followed the pattern of the original Veteran Germanium, which guitar.com's Richard Purvis noted was "limited to 100 units" and "sold out on pre-orders" as the second release in ThorpyFX's Reimagined Series5.
The Veteran line did not end there. Guitar Pedal X later split the germanium Veteran's two circuits into separate compact pedals, the Have Blue Germanium Rangemaster and a Germanium Fuzz Face, and reused the Silicon Veteran's RangeMaster circuit unchanged in the WOPR AtomIC Fuzz + Silicon RangeMaster6. A smaller V2 version of the Veteran Si was later sold as part of ThorpyFX's "Vintage Reimagined" series3.
The Veteran has been discontinued. Guitar Pedal X reported in March 2024 that "The Veteran has been discontinued for a while now - but is still a great buy if you can track one down!"2 Buyers today are looking at the secondhand market for both the special edition and the standard versions.
Questions
How many Veteran (Si) Reverb Special Edition pedals were made?
Exactly 100. MusicRadar reported in November 2017 that the lilac powdercoat special edition was limited to 100 units and available through Reverb at £224.99 apiece. The earlier germanium version of the Veteran was also capped at 100 units and sold out on pre-orders.
Does The Veteran (Si) use silicon or germanium transistors?
Silicon. The Reverb Special Edition is described as a silicon transistor-equipped Veteran, and Guitar Pedal X lists the Veteran Si's fuzz side as using 2N3904 silicon transistors with a further 2N3904 in the Rangemaster-style boost. The original 2017 limited run, by contrast, used AC128 germanium transistors.
Is the ThorpyFX Veteran Si still in production?
No. Guitar Pedal X reported in March 2024 that the Veteran has been discontinued for some time, though the writer considered it still a good buy secondhand. A smaller V2 version of the Veteran Si later appeared in ThorpyFX's Vintage Reimagined series.
What pedals is The Veteran (Si) based on?
It combines two 1960s circuits in one enclosure: a silicon Fuzz Face-style fuzz and a Rangemaster-style silicon treble booster. Each side has its own footswitch, and the fuzz runs into the boost so the two can be stacked.
Sources (6)
- ThorpyFX debuts The Veteran (Si) Reverb Special Edition fuzz/boost pedal, MusicRadar, 2017-11-08
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2024-03-11
- Veteran V2 Si by ThorpyFX, RockBoard PedalPedia, 2026
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2023-11-09
- ThorpyFX Chain Home Tremolo Review, guitar.com, 2017-03-29
- Guitar Pedal X, Guitar Pedal X, 2024-08-20
