The Hardwire line of Guitar Effect Pedals is made with the touring musician in mind. They are solidly built and full of useful extras (see upcoming full review of the full set for details).
The promotional materials for the company’s reverb pedal RV-7 regularly and enthusiastically tout Hardwire’s partnership with Lexicon, a company that makes reverb rack effects and software. The result is a pedal crammed with seven different synthetic reverb modes, one more than Boss’s RV-5 Digital Reverb, a pedal with which the Hardwire directly competes, that costs the same and has an extremely similar name. Reverb is a tricky effect—unless you’re going for all-out surf madness, you just want it to insinuate itself into your sound by adding a godlike resonance to your noodling. The RV-7 offers plenty of options for fans of both and throws in what the RV-5 lacks, a reverse reverb mode. Hardwire’s RV-7 digitally models vintage favorites plate and spring reverb and adds room and hall modes for those looking to replicate the sound of an empty venue. The pedal also includes gated reverb, which is effectively reverb with a bit of compression, modulated reverb, which swirls a bit, and, of course, reverse reverb , which is intriguing but difficult to put to any practical use due to the effect’s odd time lag. 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, while offering dual inputs and stereo output. While there’s no replacement for a great reverb tank, Hardwire’s RV-7 brings realistic reverb and a ton of options for players who want more control than the real thing is able to offer. – Howard Stock
