The Two Notes ReVolt Guitar is a three-channel all-analog guitar amp simulator in a stompbox format, made by the French company Two Notes. Two Notes describes the ReVolt series as "forward-thinking all-analog 3-channel preamps"1, and the Guitar covers the classic amp territory: a clean channel modeled on a Fender Bassman 100, a crunch channel built around plexi and hot-rodded Marshall tones, and a lead channel inspired by the Soldano SLO-10012.
What sets it apart from most preamp pedals is that the analog signal path runs through a real 12AX7/ECC83 preamp tube in triode mode at 200 volts, working as an output-stage cathode follower3. Around that tube sit an onboard analog cab sim, an effects loop, MIDI In and Out, and a balanced XLR output, which makes it usable as a complete amp replacement on a pedalboard, not just a front-end overdrive. It launched at $399, shipping from September 20224.
A three-channel analog amp simulator
Two Notes calls the unit a "three-channel all-analog guitar amp simulator with an analog cab sim, FX loop and MIDI"5. Each of the three channels is voiced after a well-known amp:
| Channel | Inspired by | Character |
|---|---|---|
| American Clean | Fender Bassman 10038 | Classic Fender clean; MusicRadar found it an excellent, warm platform for boost pedals2 |
| British Crunch | Marshall JMP Super Lead3 | Old-school plexi below 11 o'clock on the gain, hot-rodded Marshall beyond3 |
| Modern Lead | Soldano SLO-10038 | Serious classic rock grunt and girth2 |
MusicRadar's reviewer Rob Laing found the gain tones lean toward vintage classic rock and heavy rock rather than modern metal territory, and noted that the Modern Lead channel "helps the ReVolt cover an impressively wide tonal landscape that responded well to our guitars' volume controls"2.
The onboard analog cab sim is based on a signature Marshall Slash 4x122. A mini-switch on the front panel enables it, and it routes through the balanced XLR output and the headphone output3. Both ReVolt pedals also ship with a lifetime license to the Wall of Sound plugin-based tone shaper plus 10 downloadable cab sims from the Two Notes DynIR Cabinet Collection4.
A bass version, the Two Notes ReVolt Bass, follows the same concept with amps inspired by the Ampeg SVT '76, the Marshall '92 JMP Super Bass Mark II, and a custom high-gain model designed specifically for the pedal4.
The controls
Each channel has a dedicated footswitch, and each of the three channels has independent gain and volume controls3. The American Clean channel adds Bass and Treble knobs, while the crunch and lead channels share a single three-band EQ with crossovers at 100 Hz, 750 Hz and 1.5 kHz38.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| American Clean footswitch, Bass, Treble, Gain, Volume | Selects the clean channel and shapes it2 |
| British Crunch footswitch, Gain, Volume | Selects the crunch channel2 |
| Modern Lead footswitch, Gain, Volume | Selects the lead channel2 |
| Shared 3-band EQ (crunch and lead) | Crossovers at 100 Hz, 750 Hz and 1.5 kHz3 |
| Cab-sim mini-switch | Enables the internal cabinet simulation, routed via the balanced XLR and headphone outputs3 |
| 4-cable method mini-switch | Optimizes the pedal for use with an effects loop amp, creating four discrete channels by sending signal to the amp's effects return and bypassing its preamp3 |
| Ground lift switch | Lifts ground on the balanced output2 |
The shared EQ for channels two and three was the main compromise MusicRadar flagged: "Some compromise is therefore required when it comes to dialling in EQ to switch between channels two and three"2.
Power and connections
The ReVolt Guitar runs on 12V DC with a 600mA draw2, so it needs a power supply that can deliver that voltage and current rather than a typical low-current pedal supply.
Connectivity is extensive for a preamp pedal2:
- 1/4" input and output
- Balanced XLR output
- Effects loop send and return
- Aux in
- Headphone out
- MIDI In and Out
The MIDI In/Out allows remote control, and MusicRadar noted it can control other MIDI pedals and be controlled by them2. Firmware updates also connect through the MIDI In jack6. The effects loop is flexible: Two Notes confirms you can go straight to an amp's input from the send without returning to the pedal6.
The 4-cable method, enabled by a front-panel mini-switch, lets you use the ReVolt with an effects loop amp to create four discrete channels, sending your signal to the amplifier's effects return and bypassing its preamp3. MusicRadar also described a designated switch that optimizes the pedal for use with a modeling amp's power amp2.
What reviewers said
Reviews were broadly positive, with the onboard cab sim the most common criticism2.
"Impressively good sounds"
Dave Hunter, Guitar Player5
MusicRadar's Rob Laing called it an impressive preamp option in the growing world of floor-based solutions, concluding that you can "expand your amp's potential or pair with a cab modeller and build your pedalboard around it"2. He listed the MIDI connectivity, which works both ways, as a reason to buy, and praised the three channels and boosts for their "impressive scope for a wide tonal territory"2. On the cab sim, though, he found the analog simulation "felt more compressed with less of the valve vibrancy we enjoyed in the other scenarios," and concluded that IRs get the best from the pedal2.
Premier Guitar's reviewer noted the solid, compact stompbox build and the practical touches like the 4-cable method switch and the two-footswitch bypass3. Guitar.com's Richard Purvis reviewed it at £349 in the UK, describing a three-channel valve-driven analog amp simulator made in China8.
Two Notes also cites a player using it as a full amp replacement: "I'm using the revolt guitar in replacement of an Amp and I'm very happy with the result!"6.
Videos
Andertons Music Co
Pete Thorn
Sweetwater
Questions
Does the Two Notes ReVolt Guitar have a real tube in it?
Yes. The ReVolt Guitar uses a 12AX7/ECC83 preamp tube in triode mode running at 200 volts, placed as an output-stage cathode follower. Guitar.com's reviewer described the pedal as powered by a real 12AX7 valve, so the tube is a working part of the analog signal path rather than decoration.
Does the Two Notes ReVolt Guitar have MIDI?
Yes. It has MIDI In and Out for remote control, and MusicRadar's reviewer noted it can be used to control other MIDI pedals and be controlled by them. Firmware updates also connect through the MIDI In jack, according to Two Notes.
Can I use the ReVolt Guitar straight into an audio interface or PA?
Yes. It has a balanced XLR output and a headphone output, and the cab-sim mini-switch routes an internal analog cabinet simulation through those outputs. Two Notes also cites a player, Bernard Baron, using the ReVolt Guitar in place of an amp. MusicRadar found third-party IRs sounded better than the onboard cab sim.
How do you bypass the ReVolt Guitar?
Press the clean and crunch channel footswitches simultaneously, as Premier Guitar's reviewer described. Each of the three channels has its own footswitch, so bypassing is a two-button move rather than a dedicated switch.
Sources (8)
- ReVolt - Pick Your Instrument - Two notes, Two notes, 2022-12-27
- Two Notes ReVolt Guitar Analog Amp Sim pedal review, MusicRadar, 2023-02-20
- Two Notes ReVolt Guitar Pedal Review, Premier Guitar, 2023-04-03
- Two Notes ReVolt Guitar and Bass 12AX7 tube driven amp sim pedals, gearnews.com, 2022-05-25
- Two Notes ReVolt Analog Amp Sim Review, GuitarPlayer, 2023-02-01
- ReVolt Series, Two notes, 2023-02-16
- The essential new stompboxes of 2022, MusicRadar, 2022-06-07
- Two Notes ReVolt Guitar Review, Guitar.com, 2022-12-27
