The RevivalDrive Compact is a solid low to mid-gain drive pedal, but its real strength is when it's used as an amp modeler. 100% pleased with the results.

The only downside: I have its full-sized bigger brother and the compact doesn't have the lows, and is a bit more mid-heavy. To regain the low end you need to turn up the Post Gain Adj up, but then you lose the openness.

The positives: This pedal has great low-mid gain sounds and can be used direct to PA with the use of a cab sim. Very versatile. I'd prefer this over most other low-mid gain options due to the tone shaping and overall veraatility.

After a little time, and a little tweaking, I think I have dialed in the sound in my head. The Revival Drive is a great little pedal that lets my amp shine through. I'm not much of a word smith and I find it difficult to describe how it adds goodness, sparkle and a nasty bit of overdrive to my '57 Custom Deluxe. This is my third Origin pedal and I'm never disappointed. Good job in helping an old man in his quest for tone.

Excellent sounding analog "modeler". The blend knob is especially useful to get a unique clarity that other pedals do not achieve. The fact that you can get an authentic tweed sound, all the way to a pushed Twin sound for $ is pretty great. I run mine in front of a really basic neutral clean tone (nothing special) and it's the best tone of I've ever had. It also takes other pedals really well, especially any Tubescreamer-type pedal. It's all you'll need for everything rock n roll.

Note: there is a slight signal delay when clicking the pedal off and on, which might be a deal breaker for some people. But since it's an amp modeler, it's best used as an "always on" pedal anyway. It cleans up perfectly when you roll back your volume knob

Origin Effects just build the highest quality pedals. This Revival drive compact is on board #2. I am so pleased and happy with the tones I get from this pedal... I don't think you could possibly be disappointed with this pedal. I'd happily buy it again

First of all, the pedal is absolutely incredible quality. From the sound quality to the build quality, it is indeed deserving of 5 stars. However, I will admit that I was slightly disappointed that I couldn't really get a nice distortion out of it by itself. It is really just a boost pedal/glorified tube screamer/overdrive. It sounds great when using as a clean boost, or dime'ing it out, if your amp has the ability to add some gain to the clean channel then you can get away with using it alone. But let me tell you this, if you turn the Gain all the way up, and the Blend all the way up, and the output high enough before it clips, it STILL will not sound like a distortion channel on an amp. At best, with everything turned all the way up, it starts to break up and give some crunch. This is exactly why they made the Hot Rod version of this pedal, which I wish I would have bought instead. I ended up returning this pedal and keeping the Strymon Riverside as I needed an all in one distortion solution for my clean channel. But that's my fault that I wasn't using it as intended, otherwise it's a perfect pedal for overdrive.

I cannot say enough about how musical and versatile this pedal is. I love it with my Dr Z Z Wreck combo but I suspect it fits great with any amp. Yes the price is steep but I don't see myself playing without it.

I have been watching this pedal for a long time. I've seen Sweetwater's inventory of this pedal go from in stock to back ordered to in stock to back ordered several times and yet only 10 reviews? My guess is that the owners of this pedal are far too busy making music with it to write reviews and I now understand why. I have a BluGuitar Amp1, a Strymon Iridium, and the Origin Effects RevivalDrive Compact. They all sound excellent but the RevivalDrive is my favorite. It is creamy and very 3 dimensional sounding. It feels like playing through an amp. And the biggest thing I noticed was after playing for 2-3 hours straight it was only the RevivalDrive that did not leave me with ear fatigue. I never hear anyone talk about that aspect of pedals before but maybe people don't jam for 2-3 hours straight like I do? Or maybe it's not something people think to notice but it has become apparent to me. This pedal does not give me ear fatigue. At the price point it is rather expensive but this is not a pedal you buy and flip. It's one that will probably never leave your board. I know it won't be leaving mine. Once I got used to the controls I found it easy to achieve AC30, Bassman, Plexi, Twin, and Deluxe Reverb tones quite easily but the thing I like the most is I can dial in some wonderful tones I have not heard before. There is no singular sweet spot to the pedal either. Everything I have dialed up sounded good. If you are considering this pedal and can adford the price tag then I would suggest getting one. If you don't like it you can return it. Sweetwater is so good about that. But my guess is that you wouldn't think about returning it. It's that good! Adding the TC Electronic IR loader behind it makes it even better!

I've been really happy with this pedal since I picked it up a few months ago. Since Covid, I haven't played in a live setting, but at home and during practices with the band, this has been great. I dialed in a tone that is pretty transparent, and used the gain, blend and negative feedback to find a warm just-breaking-up tone on front of my '69 50-watt Bassman at a usable practice volume. Stacking this with a JHS double barrel gives me a lot of possibilities. I've also been happy throwing an EP boost in front of the chain. I have found that I do need to tweak a bit when switching guitars (jazzmaster vs tele with TV Jones PUs, notably), but once you find your sweet spot, it's an easy tweak. I'm still experimenting, but regardless, this is the best pedal purchase I've made in years.

Well built, sounds great, incredibly versatile. This is a Vox/Marshall/Fender NMV tube amp factory in a box. It took me a few months to get the concept behind its design and start using it effectively. It's not like other pedals, where you use the EQ itself to (try to) get the pedal to sound good with the rest of your rig. On this pedal, that function has a dedicated post-drive EQ circuit that is brilliantly designed, incredibly versatile yet also very simple to use. It's just one 3-way switch (two settings for brighter or more mid-heavy amps and a bypass) and a mini pot to fine-tune to your rig.

So, what does the EQ section do then? Well, there's three interesting knobs. Two of them are confusing labeled "highs" and "lows" but they aren't like your normal tone(treble)/bass EQ controls on a drive pedal. They are rather voicing knobs that affect the highs and lows. Then there's another knob: More/Pres which impacts on the voicing of the negative feedback circuit. Each one of these knobs runs continuously through voicing modes of Vox, Marshall and Fender amps, or at least the concepts behind them, while also letting you dial in more or less of the respective element (negative feedback, highs and lows). So when you turn it all Vox, you get something very Vox-like (AC30). When you turn it all Marshall, you get something very Marshall-like. And when you turn it all Fender, you get something very Fender-like in both sound and feel. And then you can mix and match each of these settings to create more "custom" sounds. If you pair these with their respective cabs (or IRs based on those cabs -- I use a Digitech CabDryVR which covers all the bases), it sounds very authentic to my ear.

Also, the "gain" isn't a normal gain control. It is, in effect, the non-master-volume control of a NMV amp, replicating both the distortion and feel of an amp cranked "that much." Then you can control the pedals output with another master volume. Lastly, it has a parallel wet/dry (clean) signal blend if you want more attack and clarity from a base clean signal that you really like.

You can use it in front of just about ANY amp, and get that cranked amp sound and feel at any volume. Or you can throw a cab sim (and maybe DI) after it and use it in an ampless setup into a mixer or PA, etc. Also sounds good with a dirty or clean boost in front, but will sag and collapse if you already have the gain cranked on it and hit it even harder. Just like a real NMV tube amp, but at any volume you wish...

Everything feels incredibly solid, like military spec in both components and fit and finish. It screams quality in feel, weight, construction, components, appearance, and of course, sound.

I won't ever touch the bigger units. This small one has so much to explore it will keep me busy for a lifetime. And I created a workflow cheat sheet for its various Vox/Fender/Marshall and post drive EQ settings so I can work with and explore it a bit easier.

My thoughts going in after watching all the videos on these pedals was better be that good . Man I'm blown away how nice this pedal is. First when you put this in your hand the build is absolutely one of the best I've seen. Then plug it in and you got tone heaven.
I've absolutely found the drive I've been looking for you want ripping vintage tones you got em. Once you wrap your head around these controls it's endless the amount of tones you can get out this pedal.
I've stacked it with my BB overdrive killer clean boost
My crybaby screams with this line up on my board.
I've invested in the Origin Sliderig also now. I'm sold on
Origin effects they got it going really impressed

Got this one on a whim - half expecting it to be a little overhyped. However, the first moment I plugged it in, I knew I severely underestimated its power. It had - nay, *owned* the high ground. This is a fully atmospheric Overdive that can completely revoice an amp's tone and has the response to make that puny little Pro Jr bass sound like you put it in a 4x12 cabinet and added a tube rest for those delicious bloom notes. The best example to how exactly the tone controls work would be the VoodooLabs Giggity's Body and Air controls. Yes, you still have full control of treble and bass, but you're not limited to just certain EQ bands. I've cycled through hundreds of amp in a box and OD pedals but not one comes close to this. The best part, it can sound how it does through *any* amplifier. I got the same ripping JTM 45 style tone, response, and bloom from my 68' Super and Pro Junior IV as I did in my near-the-verge-of-death Silvertone Twin Twelve. There is a learning curve, give yourself 5 minutes alone with this to dial it into your amp. You're not gonna be disappointed (unless you want A LOT of gain - get the Hot Rod Version then)

I bought this from Sweetwater with skepticism (price) but after 5 minutes it is for real! For me, I typically know what I'm listening for instantly and there is not one tone that sounds lousy. The EQ and the adjust knob truly lets the most discerning tone chaser dial in a great organic overdrive tone. Also, the blend knob is another thing to point out. This is a first as far as I know (except a chorus or delay), and it is an amazing tool to get the best distorted tones out of your rig. The price is fueled by oversea taxes.

I have only spent a little over an hour with my new RevivalDrive Compact, and it is every bit as good as all of the reviews have indicated. It is very amp like with a level of touch sensitivity that I have not encountered with pedals previous to this. It stacks well with other overdrives and never loses any of its feel. So far, I have only had the time to run my Thorpy Peacekeeper and RYRA Klone into it. Such lovely tones, I found myself getting locked into them and playing on without realizing how much time had passed.

I like this pedal so much I want another one for my #2 pedalboard. This thing is built like a tank, very solid and heave!

Worth every penny, in my humble opinion.

I used to have the full size RevivalDrive Custom. I recently downsized my board and sold the revivaldrive. Regrettably, I bought another small Marshall in a box pedal that was close to working for me, but honestly nothing compares to the revivaldrive. Then it dawned on me..did some measurements and realized the compact version would fit on my new "mini" board. I've had the compact for 2 weeks, and I think I love it more than the full size version. This device is unbelievable for what it does. I can't recommend it highly enough! I'm running a Tumnus into it as a clean boost, and it really makes this thing sizzle!

If you're the kind of person who doesn't read the manual first, be careful! You'll have a hard time getting good sounds out of the RevivalDrive. As a relative newbie, I've always been used to taking a pedal out of the box, setting everything at 12 o'clock and having it sound pretty good. That was not the case with the RevivalDrive, so initially I was worried I had chosen my latest overdrive poorly. Luckily, with a little reading, I was able to dial in the tones I was looking for. It's absolutely crucial to set the tiny Post-Drive EQ Controls switch to the right setting based on your amp (or lack thereof if you're going straight to the mixing board or DAW). Also, in my opinion, you have to dial back the Lows to at least 9 o'clock, unless you like a really muddy sound. Do you play a Fender or a Vox or some amp that doesn't have a presence setting? Take a little time to learn about presence. Once I figured these things out, I had exactly what I was looking for in an overdrive: versatile, responsive, natural, not too noisy.

Last year, I went on a crusade to try and replicate the classic rock sounds of a thoroughly pushed Plexi amp. I tried about 8 or so pedals, and my purchase of this pedal was the result of that search.

For what it's worth, I'm running a Les Paul into it... and I've tried it with a Marshall Origin 50 (combo), a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, and a Fender Twin Reverb.

You can read much better reviews & write-ups for the technical specs, as well as all the configurations available. But from a 30,000ft view, this pedal is one of my favorite all-time pedals.

This might be the most amp like pedal I've owned. I'm playing the revival drive through a Friedman Buxom Betty it's a high head room 50 watt non master volume amp. The revival drive can make the buxom sound like a super reverb cranked and hit with a boost or a dimed non master Marshall. Very impressive. That being said it doesn't get a ton of gain, hit it with the right overdrive or boost and you can get some saturation. The big downside it's super expensive for a single channel dirt box. If you have the money splurge and grab one.