Boss RE-2 Space Echo review

The long-rumoured and much-anticipated compact Space Echo arrives, but is it worth the wait?

Boss RE-2
(Image: © Phil Barker / Future)

Guitar World Verdict

On almost every front, the RE-2 has knocked it out of the park. It sounds good, it looks good, and it’s fun to use.

Pros

  • +

    Super simple controls make it easy to find great echo tones.

  • +

    Plays nicely with distortion.

  • +

    It’s a compact Space Echo!

Cons

  • -

    Number labelling for modes is not very helpful.

  • -

    Reverb is hard to dial-in.

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There’s been speculation about a compact Space Echo emulation for years, ever since a photoshop mockup went viral on pedal forums. Boss, with their ear to the ground, couldn’t have failed to notice. 

A couple of years later and here we are with the RE-2 in hand. So how does it stack up?

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Alex Lynham

Alex Lynham is a gear obsessive who's been collecting and building modern and vintage equipment since he got his first Saturday job. Besides reviewing countless pedals for Total Guitar, he's written guides on how to build your first pedal, how to build a tube amp from a kit, and briefly went viral when he released a glitch delay pedal, the Atom Smasher.