Boss RV-6 Digital Reverb

Where to begin?……Soooo like many other pedal fanatics (yes, you….the one reading this), I have tried a TON of pedals, searching for the perfect sound that I hear in my head. One of a handful of effect sounds that I haven’t ever been fully pleased with is my Reverb. I’ve tried various Reverbs that are included with amps that I’ve tried. I’ve tried $300-$400 boutique Reverb pedals, as well as $30-$40 bargain basement Reverb pedals, and a LOT of stuff in between….and I just couldn’t ever get the sound that I was hearing in my head no matter how much knob fiddling I did with all those pedals. I ended up selling my most recent Reverb pedal (Walrus Audio Slötvå) before the BOSS RV-6 because as versatile as the Slötvå was, and as many cool sounds as I could get out of it, I just couldn’t seem to get the sound out of it, where I could just leave it on for everything, unless I needed absolutely ZERO Reverb. I went a week or so without any Reverb at all as I wallowed in my Reverb(less) sorrow. I started my search YET AGAIN for YET ANOTHER Reverb with high hopes as always. I repeated the same old cycle: check Facebook groups, check Reddit, check YouTube, find something that sounds promising, and watch every YouTube review, or any video that mentions said pedal, or just has it on the wall in the background (JHS YouTube channel I’m looking at you 👀). After considering a handful of other high end ($250+) Reverbs, I decided to look into the BOSS RV-6. I had recently done this same song and dance with compressor pedals, and when I needed a noise suppressor I got BOSS’s newer (at the time) CP-1X and NS-1X (both PHENOMENAL pedals as well, and the technology they have in that series of pedals is CRAZY GOOD!), and I was so impressed with both of those, that I figured why not give BOSS a shot at the spot for a Reverb pedal on my board, and one again they did NOT disappoint. They are 3/3 for me so far, and I’m probably going to go with BOSS for a new Delay pedal after getting rid of my Walrus Audio ARP-87 Multi-Function Delay, because again, I couldn’t get the sound I was hearing in my head. This BOSS RV-6 Reverb has FINALLY given me the Reverb that just sounds…..right. I love the simplicity of the RV-6….there are only four knobs, but don’t let that fool you….there are still a TON of options and versatility, still even more than I need to be honest. While I was CONSTANTLY fiddling with the settings and knobs on my Slötvå looking for THE sound, I was able to dial in what I was looking for almost IMMEDIATELY on the RV-6. Just like any BOSS pedal for the last several decades they are ALL built like absolute TANKS that could survive the apocalypse, and the bang for your buck is just about the best on the market. I cannot recommend the RV-6 enough…it provides all the functionality you are looking for in a Reverb pedal. Yes, there are the Strymon options, and pedals specifically targeted at creating shoe gaze type soundscapes, and the RV-6 can still give you some of that, but if you are just needing an almost always on Reverb pedal for filling out your sound…this is it. Jump off that fence you are straddling and buy this…you won’t be disappointed!

I actually never owned or even tried out the BOSS RV-5, which was the predecessor to the RV-6, and a popular industry standard. But I had some interest in trying another compact reverb to use with my amps that don't have on-board reverb, and having an option in a BOSS enclosure is instantly appealing because they're so compact and durable. Seriously, BOSS gear may not have the "cool" factor of boutique gear, but that form factor is tried and tested, and you'll never hear anyone rip BOSS gear for being unreliable or flimsy.The BOSS RV-6 has 8 modes, so I'll go through each briefly and give my impressions. There are also 3 knobs for effect level, tone, and time. Compared to the RV-5, most of the same reverb styles are available - including the popular modulated reverb mode which helped give the RV-5 such lasting appeal - but they removed the gated reverb and added "Dynamic", "Shimmer", and "Reverb + Delay". My primary basis for comparison is my DigiTech Hardwire RV-7 Stereo Reverb, which incorporates Lexicon algorithms and is excellent. It is a bit bulkier and heavier than the RV-6, to the extent that matters to you.----------SPRING - This is a classic style of reverb found on many vintage amps (notably Fender, but many others), and while it's often associated with surf, it's broadly featured in countless subgenres within pop and rock. That being said, it isn't always easy to capture the metallic response of the spring as you hit strings more aggressively with a digital spring reverb, but I thoguht the RV-6 did a great job with it.PLATE - Another vintage style of reverb, particularly popular in the 60's and 70's and noted for its pairing with higher gain rock sounds. Features a moderate amount of decay with a brighter tone than spring. I've actually started to appreciate it more and more, and it's done well on the RV-6.HALL - Digital reverbs generally have no trouble simulating large hall reverberations, and the same applies to this pedal. Again, 5 of these modes were borrowed from the RV-5, but with some minor revisions/updating.ROOM - It's great that the RV-6 features room reverb because it's an excellent alternative to the washed out sounds you get from so many other digital reverbs. It features a very short decay that sounds more like you're playing in small-to-medium-sized room, as opposed to an effect applied afterwards. My Hardwire RV-7 excels at this, but I thought the RV-6 did a great job as well.MODULATE - This is the reverb mode perhaps most associated with BOSS reverb pedals, as it's somewhat unique from most vintage-inspired reverbs. It has a longer, dreamy decay with chorus-like modulation that swells and warbles subtly and extends the life of your notes and chords. It's really a beautiful effect, and a nice addition to the options found on this and other reverb pedals I've tried.DYNAMIC - The Dynamic reverb on the RV-6 was an interesting concept, but one that didn't gel with me. Perhaps it's something you need to continue to tweak and get used to. The idea is that the amount of reverb increases when you play fewer notes, but decreases when you play a bunch of notes in succession. I think the goal is to dial back reverb at times when it would cause your tone to wash out, but I felt like it made chords and certain notes jump out in an artificial way.SHIMMER - Shimmer is sort of the newer popular feature that so many reverb and delay pedals are scrambling to add (TC Electronic just added it to their Hall of Fame Reverb 2). It's difficult to describe, except that it sort of generates a polyphonic, harmonized accompaniment to your notes - almost like having a backing orchestra.+ DELAY - This "reverb plus delay" mode is a cool feature that harkens back to the BOSS RV-3 Digital Reverb/Delay pedal. I wasn't sure what to expect out of it because BOSS was a little vague in describing how it works, but it's actually a very straightforward reverb pedal that gives you control over the "feedback" (number of repeats) using the "TONE" knob, while the effect level increases the volume/intensity of the repeated notes. This is then layered on top of a reverb effect (which I believe is a "hall" reverb). The result is sort of an analog style delay, as the echoed notes themselves are subject to additional reverberation. I found it surprisingy easy to dial in, and quite convenient to be able to grab a single BOSS pedal, throw it in front of an amp or a mixer and have delay and reverb mixed in one pedal. Obviously, you'd get much greater depth throwing the delay pedal of your choice in front of the RV-6, and using the latter strictly for reverb.----------CONCLUSION:The BOSS RV-6 is just a solid unit considering that it retails for $150.00. It certainly has the depth of features and quality of reverb to be considered a professional piece of gear, but if you're a semi-pro or even just a novice player looking for a solid reverb pedal that will last you for a long time, it's hard to find any fault with the RV-6. Especially considering that super-cheaper reverb pedals of any quality are usually pretty bad, or still around $100, so the RV-6 might be worth a look for just a bit more money. I should also mention that the current draw on a 9V power supply is only 65mA, which (I think) is surprisingly low for a digital reverb pedal. They actually claim 5 hours of battery life, which may be just enough to bother with it. All in all, this is an excellent reverb pedal, and just like any other BOSS pedal, it's hard to imagine not having use for it 10, 20, or even 30 years down the road.

El pedal es de muy buena calidad, la línea de boss tiene pedales robustos y muy duraderos como este

The sound is obvious and wonderful. It also has many different settings to choose from. It might be slightly more expensive than the average Boss pedal, but that might be because they know what they have here. Without a doubt the best pedal I've ever owned. If you're on the fence, I hope this review inspires you to jump over it. Thank me later.

Bought as a Christmas present for my guitar loving son.It definitely has a lot of options but there’s so much it’s a little confusing to him.

This pedal is great. It takes reverb to a whole never level. Just what you'd expect from Boss.