“It’s one of Boss’ most eagerly anticipated pedals ever – but is this featured-packed reverb worth the wait?” Boss RV-200 Reverb review

The long-awaited twin-footswitch reverb pedal has taken the flagship RV-500 format and downsized it to pedalboard-friendly proportions, all while adding an all-new Arpverb algorithm

Boss RV-200 Reverb
(Image: © Future / Olly Curtis)

Guitar World Verdict

If you're after Halls, Plates and Shimmers, the RV-200 is a workhorse of a reverb pedal – but its spacier offerings could do with a few tweaks to entice ambient players.

Pros

  • +

    The quality of sounds is superb.

  • +

    Full MIDI control, stereo operation and expression pedal/external footswitch capabilities.

  • +

    Presets are invaluable.

  • +

    Excellent form factor and build quality.

  • +

    Handy Lock function.

Cons

  • -

    Lack of flexibility on more atmospheric settings.

  • -

    LED display a little outdated.

  • -

    Hold functions are closer to delay repeats than reverb trails.

You can trust Guitar World Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing guitar products so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.

The RV-200 has been a long time coming. When Boss’s pedalboard-friendly twin-footswitch designs made their debut in summer 2019, the 200 Series featured four pedals. 

Two of them – the DD-200 Delay and MD-200 Modulation – were downsized from Boss’s flagship 500 Series units. But one escaped Boss’s shrink ray: the RV-500 Reverb. 

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Michael Astley-Brown
Editor-in-Chief, GuitarWorld.com

Mike is Editor-in-Chief of GuitarWorld.com, in addition to being an offset fiend and recovering pedal addict. He has a master's degree in journalism from Cardiff University, and over a decade's experience writing and editing for guitar publications including MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitarist, as well as 20 years of recording and live experience in original and function bands. During his career, he has interviewed the likes of John Frusciante, Chris Cornell, Tom Morello, Matt Bellamy, Kirk Hammett, Jerry Cantrell, Joe Satriani, Tom DeLonge, Ed O'Brien, Polyphia, Tosin Abasi, Yvette Young and many more. In his free time, you'll find him making progressive instrumental rock under the nom de plume Maebe.