ThorpyFX Peacekeeper | The overdrive that plays nice with everyone

ThorpyFX Peacekeeper | The overdrive that plays nice with everyone

by | Oct 28, 2020 | Effects, Review

ThorpyFX Peacekeeper | The overdrive that plays nice with everyone

[The Backstory]

To be clear, I was not on a search for a new overdrive; I wasn’t even in the market for a new pedal. Pause … Who am I kidding?, my eyes are always scanning the horizon for fun new toys (I mean gear) to play with. That said and per my usual engagement on the GearPage.net forums, while actively participating in a few discussions about compressors, I started to notice the ThorpyFX Fat General kept getting mentioned. As my journey with compressors has been like a long and winding road, my curiosity got the best of me even though, at the time, I was not familiar with the ThorpyFX brand or story. As I was quite content with my Effectrode PC-2A compressor and, while the Thorpy’s Fat General looked interesting, it was the Peacekeeper that ultimately peaked my interest. For whatever reason, I had come to neglect my curatorial responsibilities pertaining to to my small collection of gain pedals, giving much more care and attention to other things like delays and modulation. It didn’t take long before I decided to take the plunge into the world of Thorpy and, happy to report, I’ve truly enjoyed the waters ever since!

[The Peacekeeper plays nice and gets the job done]

My days of shredding through chordal progressions and riding waves of distortion are definitely farther and fewer between, having now settled in comfortably on that cusp-of-breakup, a dash of crunch, with the occasional sprinkle of Muff sound. To these characteristics, having an overdrive that finds its home within low gain levels is a nice tool for one to have. Enter the Peacekeeper.

Important to note: at the time of posting this review, I’ve spent several months with the Peacekeeper in use and on my board.

Absolutely top quality build (like a miniature tank), a design aesthetic that is both clean and fun, there are several control mechanics that make the Peacekeeper stand out in the crowded field while, most importantly, providing great adaptability in working with most any other piece of gear ( pedal, amp, and/or guitar) one chooses to use. Some key points to these controls include:

  • The [Gain] covers a very nice range, starting with a simple clean boost and, ending with a thick healthy crunch; this, while providing a nice smooth taper on the control pot, making it rather quick and easy to dial in that cusp-of-breakup touch-sensitive tone and response.
  • The EQ controls, specifically the [PRES] dial, speaks very much to the idea of how this pedal can work in most any situation and gear combination. The [PRES] control works very much like a combination of both MID & PRESENCE settings, venturing from a mid-scooped [think: Fenderish] voicing to that of providing a mid-focused hump with that bright switch turned on [Think: Voxish], all before the signal is processed by the gain stage. After the gain stage, the active [TREB] and [BASS] controls kick in, allowing a great plethora of adjustments thereof. All three EQ settings are very interactive, providing a variety of possible voices and, flexibility of use.As for a setting I settled into (pictured just below), while I tend to keep the [BASS] around 12pm on the dial, the [PRES] Control anywhere between 10pm ~ 2pm depending on the desired flavor, I then would adjust the [Treb] to taste and/or, to compensate for the initial tone of the guitar (bright vs dark).

[Some additional and final thoughts]

As I would generally use the Peacekeeper for light gain settings, I think it is helpful to share that it stacked well with other drives — often using it in combination with the Buffalo TD-X and/or the Mojo Hand Iron Bell. (Pictured below, although the order has changed over time)

In conclusion, the Peacekeeper is a great overdrive pedal that covers a wide spectrum of gain levels, provides robust EQ controls, is adaptable in general and stacks well with other pedals, all delivered within a high-quality package. The price can be a bit steep compared to other options on the market BUT, when one considers that this could very well cover the ground of a few gain pedals, the end value is that much more appreciated. I was so impressed with the Peacekeeper that I soon thereafter acquired the Fat General (now my main compressor) and, a month or so later, the ThorpyFX Camoflange — all fantastic pedals.

The REVV D20 | An uber-light Tube Lunchbox Amp with powerful utility features

The REVV D20 | An uber-light Tube Lunchbox Amp with powerful utility features

by | Oct 22, 2020 | Amps, Review

The REVV D20 | An uber-light Tube Lunchbox Amp with powerful utility features

[NAD | The thoughts behind and, first impressions in getting the REVV D20]

Recently took advantage of a great deal and acquired the REVV D20. I scoured the web for weeks in exploring all similar options with respects to price point and features — No YouTube Video was left unwatched. The choice was narrowed down between the Laney L5 Studio & the REVV D20 and, in the end, the smaller form factor, extra wattage, and built-in two notes pushed me to the REVV D20.

My thought process on the acquisition: I currently have a nice SS Quilter Combo amp w/ 12″ Extension Cab — this offering me a great range of voices. In wanting to add a simple tube amp for exploration and diversity of tone, I thought I could run something like this into the extension Cab (offering me a second amp) while also taking advantage of the headphone support and direct recording. A main component of my rig being the pedalboard — yes, I do love pedals — the notion that the REVV D20 could serve as a great platform (much like the Quilter) really peaked my interest. From this perspective, the REVV D20 checked off so many boxes.

Initial Feedback: Very happy so far with the purchase, still really getting to know the amp. I am open to suggestions and helpful information. In the normal gain channel (4watt setting), I have found that the greatest, most open tone, comes when the volume is almost fully turned up and gain control then sitting around 9pm. As I turn down the volume or turn up the gain, the tone starts to darken. With the Gain Knob pulled out but kept lower, it adds fullness without very much breakup at first but then I can roll back the Volume control some. I have ordered better headphones AKG 240s, as the gain tones were a bit tinny (I have adjusted the EQ to compensate.) It does seem to take and work with all of my pedals quite well.

[NAD | The first few days with the REVV D20 -> Some more feedback & thoughts]

I’ve spent the last few days playing around with all sort of settings and configurations, mostly focusing on use through a 12″ Quilter Cab loaded with a BN12-300s Celestion but, also to include some time running through the headphones and cab sims. I do not pretend to be an expert/connoisseur of every classic amp sound but, with enough years of playing guitar through various amps, I would offer (and as others have described) that the REVV D20 has a very base/neutral sound, providing a robust pedalboard platform to then sculpt one’s desired tone. This should not be viewed a negative mark against the amp — the flexibility this voicing provides should be considered a positive — just don’t expect to turn on the D20 and have is scream out “I’m a Blues Jr or a VOX AC15”. This being said, with both the onboard EQ and, the virtual EQ options within the Two Notes Virtualization, there is a lot of tone tweaking one could do with just the amp and thus, getting closer to some of those more iconic amp voices.

So what about that Pedalboard interaction? The REVV D20 takes all of the pedals I have thrown at it like a champ. At first, I ran the entire board into the front of the amp before switching last night to a split configuration with drives into the front and EQ, Delay, and Verbs in the effects loop. At this point, I am quite sure that, with the right AIAB (Amp in a Box)/Pre-amp/EQ pedal … one could very easily get the REVV D20 to sound like a vintage amp of lore (if it is something one desires).

I should have taken pause when mentioning this little tidbit of information earlier … I am not using a typical guitar speaker that would lend itself in helping to achieve certain voice characteristics. I would suspect that if one’s cab has a Creamback, Alnico Blue, or other classic speaker — this might go a long way in helping to establish a more vintage tone.

The controls, as straightforward as they are, are very interactive. Little adjustments between Volume and Gain, 4-Watt or 20-Watt, Normal Gain vs the Gain Boost can often may dynamic changes to the resulting voice and how the EQ adjust from there. As an example (and mentioned in my previous post): on 4 Watt Mode, with Volume around 12pm on the dial, as I turn up the [Gain] dial, the amp gets a bit darker and more compressed. If I crank the Volume to around 4/5pm on the Dial, the AMP opens up a great deal (treble shines through) and I can roll back the Gain control. While still on 4-Watt mode, if I turn on the Gain Boost, the resulting tone is more open/full and I can lower the Volume back down to around 12pm. On 20-Watt mode, the amp is just more full/open sounding and, unless I want to blow my ear drums, I need to keep the Volume around 12pm. I have certainly found settings where the amp has some nice chime and a touch of breakup — and other settings that are more mellow jazz feeling (all in just playing around with the front-facing controls).

[ … as to the Two Notes System & Headphones]

Last night I spent some time with my laptop connected to the REVV D20 to start, with purpose, exploration of the Two Notes system — I walked away with a pretty big smile on my face.

While I have played around with various multi-effects units that provide amp/cab simulation (think: Line 6 Pod HD, Yamaha THR, and the like), I haven’t invested the time, nor the desire, to be a ‘go to’ expert on the subject but, certainly have racked up enough hours to know what sounds solid and, what just sounds ‘Meh’. The Two Notes system sounds great, is easy to navigate, and has both depth of settings and options. Through the virtual EQ, I was able to dial in some rich & organic, cusp of breakup blues tones – or – with a quick swap of the cab and virtual tubes, dial in a bit of British chime. While it is not going to be 100% authentic, I don’t believe that many of us have the physical room or budgets to have all the amps/tones that the REVV D20 & TWO NOTES system come very close to delivering on. I had a great time playing around with the various cabs, mics, spaces, and tube choices provided by default and certainly can see/feel a wealth of possibilities. My exploration was rather limited when one pauses to consider all of the various cabs and other options that can be unlocked/purchased from Two Notes much less, loading your own IRs of choice.

To note: While covered in the manual, I had sort of jumbled the logic/working of the Pre/Post button on the front of REVV D20. For starters, the button only applies to the Two Notes system and thus, the difference thereof can only be heard via the headphones or the XLR port. Users should understand that the terms ‘Pre’ & ‘Post’ are specifically in reference to the position of the Two Notes integration specific to the physical Power Tube section of the D20. If the switch is pushed in, the Two Notes system will kick in just after the Pre-Amp, bypassing the 6v6 Power Tubes of the amp [ Guitar In -> Preamp -> Two Notes Simulated Power Tubes and Cab]. If the switch is set on ‘Post’, the Two Notes system kicks in after the power section of the REVV D20 [ Guitar In -> Preamp -> 6v6 Power Tubes -> Two Notes w/ Simulated Cabs etc.] Important to understand, one will need to access the Two Notes Systems via a computer to engage/disengage the virtual power tubes depending on how you want to set that switch — at least to get the best tones/response out of that experience. Of course, once you make your choices, it can be saved to one of the selected presets on the switch so one doesn’t have to use the computer again.