diamondhead27's Pedalboard

This is a very simple pedal that covers the basics well, all of the algorithms sound great and unlike a lot of simple reverbs, this can go fully wet. This reverb is not as hi-fi sounding and pristine as other reverbs like the RV-6, Polara or HoF2, but as aforementioned, I think they all sound fantastic.

This reverb is already showing its age however. For its price and size, this pedal gets outshined by more modern and versatile offerings like the RV-6, Oceans 11 and the Hall of Fame 2. The oceans 11 in particular, sounds nearly identical, it’s the same price, it’s smaller and it’s far more versatile.

All that being said, for a lot of people (including me) this pedal serves a particular niche, and that’s the fact that this does both reverse and can go fully wet. Place it before distortion and this pedal can do the mbv thing (and by extension most shoegaze) particularly well and there’s little out there, (short of the discontinued RV-7 and Polara) that sounds the same. The Oceans 11’s reverse doesn’t sound nowhere near as good to me, the swell and attack has an abrupt change of volume that the Holy grail doesn’t have.

In conclusion, unless you want an incredibly simple/no bullshit reverb and/or are a into shoegaze, I think there are better offerings out there.

This pedal checks almost all of the boxes in my wishlist if I wanted to make a better version of the Phase 90. Smaller enclosure, same simplicity (one knob), and have both 2 (45) and 4 stage (90) phasers with their script versions. I’ve always liked both the subtle effect of the Phase 45 and the iconic tone of the Phase 90 so having both in one pedal is amazing. All of this for practically the same price of a regular Phase 90.

The only negative thing I have to say about this pedal are the lights for the type of phaser (45/90 - Script/Block), they’re way too bright and always on. On a side note, the blue light (45/90) pulsates depending on what the rate knob is set at, which serves a little bit like a tap tempo in case you want to synchronize your phaser with whatever tempo you’re playing with.

Overall, a fantastic pedal from MXR that truly deserves 5 stars.

This chorus is practically a no brainer. You can get two of the most legendary choruses of all time, the CE-1 and CE-2 and you also get the vibrato mode of the CE-1 (which despite the name, it has more in common with a Leslie type rotary speaker than an actual vibrato).

Like its original counterparts, both modes are very musical and it’s hard to get them to sound weird, so if you’re looking for a very experimental sounding chorus you might have to look elsewhere like the EQD Sea Machine.

Overall, this is the perfect chorus for me and perhaps, the majority of guitarists out there. It’s simple but versatile, reliable and built like a tank.

This is a superb and compact delay workhorse. It’s very versatile and great sounding and an overall big step up from the DD-7.

All the algorithms cover all the basic and most well known types of delays such as tape and analog, and even some experimental ones such as warp and glitch. Just like the RV-6, the DD-8 stands as one of the better sounding, more intuitive and reliable offerings amongst the over saturated market of compact multi-effect delay pedals. If you’re serious about delay and would like more functionality without going timeline/DD-500 in complexity and expense consider the DD-200.

Overall, it’s one of the easiest delay pedals to recommend for the vast majority of guitarists out there. It’s reasonably priced and like most Boss pedals, it will probably outlive you.

There’s plenty of space echoes inspired pedals out there (El Capistan, Galaxy 74’, Bosses’ own RE-20/RE-202) but generally speaking they tend to be on larger enclosures. This is hands down the best sounding compact space echo I’ve had the pleasure of having.

If you’ve owned an RE-20 you’ll be glad that most of the controls are still there. Boss managed to squish them in using concentric knobs, which are still easy to see, though it might take some time getting used to. All that’s missing is a low frequency and saturation knob, which are big bummers but one can only ask so much from such a small enclosure. It is practically indistinguishable from the RE-20 as well, if anything I would say it sounds a little clearer and more pristine, perhaps a little more “digital” but I don’t think it affects in a relevant and negative way.

The RE-2 also has the preamp option, which by the way I obviously had turned on when comparing it to the RE-20 as it otherwise would’ve been unfair and inaccurate (because the RE-20’s is always on). However I think Boss fumbled by not making it stay on only when the pedal is on. The options are either always on or always off which is dumb and a little disappointing, but thankfully it’s still there.

All in all, the space echo is one of my favorite delays of all time and I’m glad Boss managed to make a compact version. Price and size considered, I think this a no brainer to me, it’s just a fantastic space echo and even though it’s not perfect, I’m still very happy with it.

Simple, great sounding and very user friendly. It’s a working man’s reverb and then some.

All the algorithms cover the basic stuff, such as plate, hall, spring and room. Compared to previous offerings (RV-5/RV-3/RV-2) it’s fuller sounding and more “studio” like, though character wise I would probably say more neutral and sterile. As with the vast majority of the RV series though, the spring algorithm is an acquired taste, as I don’t find it as drippy and rich sounding like the ones in the Oceans 11, the Topanga or the Flint (60’s reverb). Other modes such as the modulated, plate, hall and room are superb. Even though this pedal doesn’t go fully wet, it still gets wet enough for most ambient and experimental styles.

Overall, a great reverb with few weaknesses. It’s reliable, intuitive and reasonably priced. One of the easiest reverb pedals to recommend.