Since 1978, Boss has been one of the most widely recognized and respected stomp box manufacturers in the industry.
In fact, some of the company’s most popular pedals, like the DS-1 Distortion, still sound remarkably fresh and perform flawlessly, more than 30 years after their introduction. So when Boss releases a new pedal, you can count on it being groundbreaking for its particular effect.
The new Boss RV-6 Reverb is one of those pedals, geared for performance with four traditional reverb sounds and four reverb modes that add additional ambience and special effects.
FEATURES
The RV-6 comes in the distinctive Boss compact pedal housing and is powered by 9-volt battery or AC adaptor. The pedal is incredibly intuitive and easy to use with controls for level, tone and time, and a selector knob with eight reverb modes (Modulate, Spring, Plate, Hall, Room, Dynamic, Shimmer and +Delay). The pedal also features dual 1/4-inch jacks for mono or stereo operation, along with an expression pedal jack.
PERFORMANCE
It’s hard to believe the RV-6 produces the kind of studio-quality reverb mostly found in high-end rack units in a compact pedal. Whether you select plate, room, hall or spring, each reverb parameter is finely tuned for immersive and rich reverberation. Reverb is generally a set-and-forget effect, but the RV-6 offers incredible versatility, especially with special effect modes like +Delay or shimmer. +Delay combines reverb and delay to add dimension for soloing, and the time control allows for long or short delays. For otherworldly sounds perfect for background layering, shimmer creates a high-frequency overtone that oscillates in spacious reverb. My favorite mode is Dynamic, which produces a warm, lush reverb that wraps around chords and single notes with hypnotic expanse, which reminds me of the reverb used in Jeff Buckley’s “Hallelujah.”
THE BOTTOM LINE The Boss RV-6 Reverb offers high-definition reverb in a compact pedal, with four popular studio-quality reverbs and four custom special effect reverb modes for even more versatility.
Paul Riario has been the tech/gear editor and online video presence for Guitar World for over 25 years. Paul is one of the few gear editors who has actually played and owned nearly all the original gear that most guitarists wax poetically about, and has survived this long by knowing every useless musical tidbit of classic rock, new wave, hair metal, grunge, and alternative genres. When Paul is not riding his road bike at any given moment, he remains a working musician, playing in two bands called SuperTrans Am and Radio Nashville.
![[L-R] A composite image of Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal, Joel Hoekstra, Marty Friedman all taking a solo live: Bumblefoot plays his double-neck. Hoekstra has his white Les Paul Custom. Friedman wears a plaid shirt and plays his PRS signature model.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/VPKUYFpK9bsjnQdzekheeb-1280-80.jpg.webp)