Boss RC-2 Loop Station

its reasonably easy to get loops going but to learn all the litle details takes time due to the usualy confusing and badly arranged boos instruction manual

i think the loops sound preety good there is a drop in fidelity but its nore an observation than a complaint, the drums are cool

boss are pretty good in my experience

never used em

its an amazing learning, teaching and performing tool. practising those boring scales/modes?? put down a chord to play to it trains your ear and makes it all "relevant". songs like hotel california, nothing else matters, stairway come into there own coz you can lay the chords down and solo away and then improvise till your blue in the face, for song writting its a must!! got a chord progression you just stumbled on? lay it down till later when yuou got time.this is an amazing tool every player of every level should have. i believe its as important as an amp and a guitar?

Not right out of the box easy but not to bad. Tutorials on the web help. Manual ok just set the knobs and go. Auto will start recording when you make a sound on the instrument. Drum tap memo is cool. This little thing uses some power so get an approved adapter for it if necessary. I don't have a working fire detector in this house waiting for the adapter to get here.

It is not noisy at all. I use it with my Vox Valvetronix and/or My Superchamp amps and my Strat, Tele and P-Bass. The sound is great you get out what you put in, phraser,distortion, tape echo and stero chorus are in my chain.

Only had it a day but not cheaply made, looks and feels solid.

Never dealt with them.

A little Pricey once you add the power adapter and/or optional pedal. Goes through batteries like pork through a puppy. I guess somthing that powerfull would, it just looks small.

At first i had problems making heads or tails with the manual, got lost in all the warnings and do's and don't's but when i went out on a little trial and errorwalk by myself i soon enough discovered the ease of use of this little red *****

I go straight into a Vox pathfinder, or sometimes through a little delay device of mine, sounds just fine to me, what you put in you get out!

It's Boss, 'nough said

Far as i know, this little trickbag stays with me, it's the most fun anyone can have with their clothes still on. it's a tad expensive, but worth every hard-earned

My experience amounts to hours over a few days, more of a first impression. Although easy to make a loop out right of the box, understanding how to utlize the options and syncing correctly is not particularly easy. Like alot of Boss's modeling stuff, it's designed for a bedroom tweaker, I can't imagine anyone using these features live. Perhaps I have an anti-Boss bias, but the logic of this lay-out and controls is simply beyond me, unnecessarily tricky and just odd... The other looper I've used also has its challenges, so I guess it comes with the territory. But, not having a memory card to hot swap is just stupid, like so 1990's. and that's a major downgrade. I use it with a HD battery only, which I do with most of my pedals, especially the vintage stuff, so no hum.

I have to slam the pedal on this one. The combined signal of the loop and what you're playing over it is too much for any of my amps. By knocking down the trim and signal gain in my chain I can get a useable loop that I can work over, but it's sure not at all the way I'd be playing live. In other words, with your gear fully wound up for live conditions, I don't think you could use this pedal in front of the amp - like whatsoever. I haven't tried moving the pedal into the effects loop and using a prerecorded loop there, that might be the answer. But, and a big butt, your loop sounds great playing by itself, and once you start playing over it everthing gets shadowy and kinda drops out, you keep boosting the pedal output or your guitar to get each to cut through. It's a mess. Again, this is a challenge for all loopers on the pedalboard I guess, but I thought this would be more useful than just a practice toy.

I'll give Boss it's due, never seen one fail.

The manual is pretty lame, but I have seem worse. At least the grammar and organization is OK.

I'm disappointed, it's just another toy. My expectations were pretty high and maybe it's just unrealistic for a pedal device with such a small footprint to offer useable loops with hard driven amps, perhaps it needs it's own amp. I'll probably dump it on eBay in a few months.

"Harmony Central is including the following information for completeness, but *strongly* advises against any kind of do-it-yourself modifications involving power supplies due to the potential for serious hazards or injuries. Take the unit to a qualified technician for any repairs or mods. Also, be aware that some over-the-counter AC adapters have the ability to reverse polarity. Again, though, we strongly advise consulting with a qualified technician before using any kind of non-Roland-approved supply. Harmony Central assumes no responsibility for actions taken against our advice."

First off, I'll say that I made a external "pedal" to plug into the RC-2, equivalent to the "FS-6" (a two button external pedal from Boss) using simple electronics skills, for about $4, and this has made using the RC-2 *extremely* easy. It's basically a Normally Closed, momentary switch wired to the left channel of a 1/4" plug. If you want, you can wire a second switch to the right channel. With this external pedal, the left channel switch controls Stop/Tap Tempo and the right channel scrolls through the saved states.

With this pedal, the Boss RC-2 is a breeze to operate, basically making it a RC-20xl. I can set the tempo, start recording, overdub and stop with single presses of my foot.

The loop quantizer function really helps get the timing on loops perfect, and works pretty dang well. Within about a day or so of practice, I was able to get the timing right without the loop quantizer (which you have to set the tempo in order to use). My only complaint with the ease of use is scrolling through the drum tracks. For some reason, they put all of the decent, normal sounding drum beats at the end of the list, so it takes forever to scroll there.

The one thing that got me to buy the Boss Rc-2 over any other brand of loop pedal was it's sound quality. There is no loss of tone compared to the other loopers out there. I really wish it worked in stereo though, but you can't find any stereo looper pedals short of $500. The drum tracks sound pretty good though. The only issue is that when you change the speed of a saved track, the sound is a bit warbled. I don't ever use that feature, so I don't really care.

I've never had issues with it, and it came with a 5 year warranty, so I'm pretty confident about this.

never had to deal with them

Pretty expensive, but extremely worth it. I can be my own one man band with this thing, and with acoustic guitar, you can even make your own beats and whatnot. This is an EXTREMELY good practice tool, because you can loop a chord progression and solo over it for hours. Within a few days, I improved my soloing skills a ton. Compared to the Digitech Jamman, this bad boy may not have hours of storage space, but it has perfect sound quality and reliability that the Jamman doesn't. And honestly, I usually don't care to save my loops, so I don't mind not having a ton of space. Like I said earlier, once I made an external pedal for this, it pretty much became a Boss RC-20XL, without the reverse function, and for a lot less money. And from what I've heard, the RC-20xl's have some serious reliability issues. The only thing I wish it had was a better way to scroll through the drum tracks, like one button to go forward and another to go back. Honestly though, I usually just don't use the drum tracks at all so it doesn't matter. One complaint is how Boss way overcharges for their power supply, just because they made it reverse polarity. Seriously, all you have to do is take any 9V AC power supply that fits the RC-2 (which should be most of them) and switch the wires. Just cut the wires somewhere along the cord of the power supply, and attach the wires to the other one (eg. attach the red to the black, and black to red), and BAM you have a reverse polarity power supply, for way less cash. Make sure you insulate the wires from each other, because if they touch, it'll short your RC-2. Awesome, I love it.

As with any looper, your timing has to be just right. This unit has a quantize feature which helps.

There are many hidden features that requires a thorough reading of the manual.

After an hour or two, it's pretty easy to use.

I haven't heard any noise or distortion. The loops appear to be somewhat compressed.

This is a very cool device. Incredibly entertaining and fun. Turn a knob, press the pedal a couple of times, and you can build an amazing soundscape with just one instrument and some effects.

I have an 8-track recorder that is so complicated in comparison. The RC-2 does not get in the way of the creative process at all. If you make a mistake, just "undo" it and try again.

In just two or three minutes you can compose amazing musical themes! Absolutely blew my mind :)

okay here goes. yes you can get a loop quantized, but the quantize is not AS perfect as Boss claims it is. easy to store loops, a ***** to STOP loops. i have to hit the pedal once about a bar before i'm ready to end, then hit it again. AKAI HEADRUSH II needs only ONE TAP!

tap tempo is a ***** to use too!! and anyone, how can anyone (except me,that is...sorry^^) hear the tempo they WANT to change to while the current tempo is playing??

a good feature is that you can MOVE LOOPS TO STORE LOCATIONS, ie loop 10 copy over to loop 1. i've done this many times. just turn to the loop you want to move (loop 10,say), hit STORE ONCE, then turn the dial to the LOCATION you want to move to (say, loop 1). hit store again and it's copied(not moved, copied). excellent function that BOSS probably didn't know they were putting in there, and needed me to reveal it to them......okay sorry.

sound quality is very good. so good in fact that i use it SOLELY for my demos.
look everything doesn;'t have to be perfect stereo. i make my demos to send out to pubs with this setup:

guitar--effects---RC2----MP3 line in recorder (or line in of computer).

the RC2 is an EXCELLENT, though MONO, multitrack recorder.
HOWEVER......

their drum patterns SUCK!!! and NO JAZZ PATTERNS either.

won;t break. Boss stuff doesn't usually crap out on you. Japanese quality control.

i would never send my pedals in. i have friends/family members who have 10th degree black belts in electronics

My setup is boss OC3 w/ octave on the 5th and 6th strings only into the Fender/Boss 65 Deluxe pedal to the RC2. i pre record my jazz drum patterns at home into each slot, say, 16bar boss,slot 1, 32 bar bossa, slot 2, etc. i hit play at the show, get the groove in my head, then hit overdub for my guitar/bass part. hit again and i solo.

i am the expert on the Boss RC 2, as i am with most of their products.they could hire me for R&D/artist input, but i have trouble working with idiots. a little personality problem that i'm working/meditating on.

Very easy to use. I can't stand silly toys and mega-boxes that try to do everything, and I hate reading manuals. Yet I figured it out in about an hour of just goofing around. That's saying a lot.

This review is going to be half review and 80% preaching (joke in there...)

My history:
33 years playing on and off. Gigged, did the band thing, now just record.
Have owned or used everything, literally. Don't make my living playing music, so I can buy what I want. I'm one of those dicks who goes to the Musician's Friend site and sorts stuff according to price, high-to-low, because I'm old(er) and have no patience for toys. Only musical instruments and real tools that function properly and have fidelity and musicality.

Guitars:
Custom built hardtail Strat and heavily customized Gibson LP Studio Alpine White. Both guitars have EMGs, Sperzel locking tuners, brass and corian nuts, and the best woods and hardware components available.

Amps:
Marshall JVM410 w/ 1960A cab. Incidentally, I've owned Carvin, Crate, Randall, Roland, Line 6, Fender, Mesa, etc., etc., etc., and for my purposes, Marshall still delivers the beatdown when it comes to the pure, ferocious tone of my influences (Eddie, Jimi, Jimmy, Angus, Steve Morse, etc.)

Effects:
Boss TU-1 tuner, BF-3 flanger, CH-1 Chorus, DD-6 digital delay (two of those), MT-2 metal zone (never use it though, but it smokes) and the RC-2 loop station.

The reason I have all the little boxes, instead of TC Electronics, Eventide or Rocktron, is simple: I like to PLAY and not PROGRAM. If you are into all night jam sessions, you understand what I mean. That, plus 90% of the time, I play with no effects (just a tad of delay) because playing live, all those goofy sounds don't translate well, and certainly don't cut through the mix. Unless of course you solo for a living, like Vai or Gilbert (who are virtuosos in my book). Then have at it.

The merchandisers in our industry have successfully convinced 95% of us that you are only as good as how much money you spend on equipment. This is NOT the case. In fact, it's sometimes quite the opposite.

If you're a younger player, listen up: save your money and buy a well-crafted musical instrument (guitar). Compare them in the music stores, and ignore the names or who endorses what. This is where your ability as a viable player begins and ends.

Find the right guitar for YOU. If you can't find it, do what I did, and build it. Warmoth et al makes superior components that can allow you to custom fit an instrument to your taste and allow you to develop your style. Learn about woods and tone, spend money on good hardware and pickups, and then find an amp that fits your musical taste and needs. Bigger is not always better.

Incidentally - Fender was the first very good amp. Jim Marshall modded one and - tada! - he made the first Marshall. Decades later, some SoCal fellas modded a Marshall and - tada tada! - they made the first Mesa. Thus was the evolution of the loud black box.

The RC-2 is good quality digital, so it sounds just like you. If it sounds bad, guess what? You probably need to practice a bit more. Or get a better guitar or amp. Or both.

I use this little box constantly to try out song phrases, just to see if they stand up musically. When you're playing something, you may like it more than a passive listener because the fingering is comfortable and the passage seems to flow physically through your hands. But this can be deceptive to the player. You need a sounding board (or looper) to test your composition with your ears alone.

This little red looper is also excellent at layering solos and teaching yourself how to jump registers (or keys) within a song. Staying within key without being monotonous is challenging, but rewarding.

I've had Boss products for many years, and the only time they've ever gone down was when I used an adapter with the wrong voltage. Be careful of this. Also, don't take the boxes apart. Just don't... you won't improve the sound -- unless you're an EE and know what you're doing. Some guys can mod these things way out, which is great. However with these mods come reduced circuit life and susceptibility to short out (in some cases).

Never had to deal with them. However Roland/Boss is a huge company, so don't expect someone to hold your hand.

Several years ago I had thousands of bucks tied up in processing, preamps and effects. And at some point, I had a meltdown, and just unplugged everything and went straight into the amp. Stripping down to the bare minimum felt wonderful, was liberating, and reintroduced me to my own playing. I began to remember the joy of string bending, muting, palming, harmonics, tapping, and all the great things we used to do to spice things up before all the machinery took over.

Now I look at my little boxes as tools: hammer, screwdriver, pliers, wrench, wire cutters, etc. Each tool performs a specific function, or it doesn't occupy a spot on my floorboard. You can also look at them as colors on a palette. Used judiciously they add meaning and purpose, without taking over all together.

End of sermon.

One last thing: always start your practice sessions with no effects. This cleanses your audio palette and help tune up your ear for the music to follow.

Have lived with the RC-2 for a couple of weeks now, and I am BEGINNING to figure out how to make it do my bidding. Extremely difficult to use if you have not made the manual your friend for quite some time. The benefit of the small footprint is considerably offset by the fact that some buttons and knobs double for more than one function.

Lovely sound quality. The loops sound pretty much like they sounded when you put them in- which is high praise indeed. The drum tracks aren't flawless, but they are plenty good enough.

Too early to be certain but so far, so good.

No opinion on customer support. Not used them.

Been playing for 25+ years, and this unit was perfect for a small-town player with nobody to jam with. It is difficult to learn, but I would replace if lost or stolen. I wish it was a little bigger with a more intuitive set of controls. The sound, however, is stellar. Highly recommended.

It seems easy. I have other looping pedals and this one was giving me a hard time. Couldn't figure out why until...

I was using this at the end of a chain of effects, all sharing power. Boss TU-2, Timmy, Klon Centaur, BYOC Tremolo, Phase 90, MXR Carbon Copy Delay, Boss RC-2 and then into my Naylor.

I was getting a really high pitched annoying sound. Went through all the pedals, isolated everything - finally figured it was the power supply going into the RC-2 that was causing it. On batteries it was fine, kind of...

It started doing it's own thing. The drum loop would start up, it wouldn't accept a loop, it wouldn't shut off. And then...

...it died. No sound, no power. Nothing. I've never had a Boss pedal die on me before. And certainly never had a pedal die while I was still trying to learn how to use it.

Which I think could explain why I was having a hard time using it. I have a bad one. I use other looping devices, and am not a dumb guy - this one was bad and got worse.

I'll be returning it tomorrow to GC.

Going straight back to GC and swapping it out for a new one. A new report will come soon from that one.

I don't think it's entirely fair to rate this pedal on my defective one. So I will hold off on rating it until I get one that works properly.

This isn't an 'effect' pedal as such - you get out purely what you put into the loop.
After a few trial and error attempts to record loops I recorded several decent sounding backing tracks including a sequencer type bass patch and a 12 bar blues loop to solo over.
The manual is very good in the usual Boss type way which can be a little robotised at first but after a couple of reads I worked out the bottom line. Its pretty comprehensive from what I've looked at so far.
This is a fairly complex piece of excellent kit in a small box. Eveything considered its nearly a top mark.
If you're a control freak who wants every parameter with its own control knob, buy the bigger RC-20XL or RC-50.

No problems with the sounds it produces - again its the quality of what you put in.
I'm not a hi-fi sound engineer but there are no adverse buzz's, squeeks or humming.
Gibson Les Paul Studio into a Fender Super Champ XD.

I have never had a single problem with any Boss pedal I've owned. I would happily gig with the RC-2.

Never had the need to contact the Company.

This pedal kept me fascinated all afternoon and is very addictive.
I didn't have issues with timing loop start/stops. Experiment and you'll get it right - its down to a bit of intuitive feel and gauging the rythym. I'm not the worlds best musician or timing expert but I found my way through.
It really did improve my playing straight away, recorded the 12 bar blues track then solo'd over it till my fingers gave up.
Go and buy one even if you only use it as a practice tool. Sounds can be layered up like a mini recording studio.
Thought about the RC-20 but it didn't have the 'drum' sounds that I wanted and I'm glad I bought the RC-2 for those-loads to go at in the memory and they're all good passable sounds.
Would definitely replace the RC-2 if it went walkabout.
I love this thing and whole heartedly recommend it to any guitarist/bassist.

It is of coarse a little complicated to operate, considering what it is, and it's in such a small package. But with a little(very little) patience and reading the manual it's surprisingly easy to figure it out. And it's very smart at setting the tempo and looping your phrase in accurate time. It probably only took me about 6 tries to figure out the procedure to successfully record a phrase. I would say the manual is above adaquate, but not great. I give it a 9 for ease of use because it wasn't EXTREMELY easy. But if it where just an overdrive and it was this difficult, it would be a 3. But considering what it is, it's very easy to operate.

I use a MIM Strat, Epiphone VJ. It does what it says it does. Duplicates and loops your recording. It sounds pretty much exactly as I played it. I think it becomes a little bit digital sounding. If you're planning to use it for live performance, it would sound just fine for you basic rhythm track. Most people aren't really listening to the rhythm anyway. But I think it's intended purpose is for practicing/learning. In this functin it is absolutely fantastic.

It's a Boss, Nuf Said.

NO Experience.

This is absolutely the best piece of gear I have ever bought(except for my Strat, kinda useless without that..). In less than a day's use, I can already tell it's improving my skills. I've never had so much fun, nor have I ever been so inspired to create music. If it ever got stolen, I wouldn't be able to buy a new one because I'd be in jail for beating the **** out of the SOB that stole it. This is a MUST have for any musician.

Very easy to use once you figure out the right settings. I don't like the auto feature and use it only on manual. Once you get the hang of punching in and out on beat, you have a great jam track. I use it to solo over chord progressions and also sometimes use it to lay down a repeating bass track with my bass and bass amp. It is like jamming with a bass player - cool.

It is good once you figure out how to get rid of the annoying hum. A number of guys have written about the obnoxious hum. Here is the deal: If you plug the pedal into one of the cords on a pedal board with multiple power cords, it will hum and also will make crappy noises as the tempo light flashes. But, if you isolate its power supply with its own sole source (its own 9 volt transformer) then all is wonderful. You won't notice this on solid state amps, just the tube ones. Once you fix that, the sound is perfect - just like what you played with no coloring.

Just got it - will assume it to be good.

Manual is a bit confusing and tiny.

I can not wait to use this baby live with my three piece band. It should make the band more full as I will be able to solo over my own rhythm. Like I said before, it is easy to punch in and out on time, assuming your timing is good.

After an hour of fiddling I had almost all the functions figgured out. The user manual is small, however I didn't need it much because I research just about everything I buy. Boss' Canadian site has the manual online, so i had gone through the whole thing a couple times before actually touching the pedal.

The drum patterns are fun and useful at home practicing but would seem a little lame live.

My setup includes a Yamaha SGV800 or a Ibanez AM73 into a Line 6 POD XT Live into the RC-2. At home it runs into a headphone amp (and then some home theater headphones, at my church I will run (I haven't played since I got the pedal) from the RC-2 straight into the PA.

As far as duplicating the sound it does great... and that's what it's supposed to do. Running it after the XT Live is great because you can completely change your sound (effects and amp) between the orginal patch and the overdubs.

It's a Boss pedal... they just don't seem to break. OK, the possibility of it breaking is there, however the Boss metal case will take a pounding without quiting.

Never delt with them.

I enjoy all sorts of styles - rock, metal, funk, pop, etc. - and it could be useful for all of the above.

I mainly bought this to learn to solo better, which it is great for. It will also come in useful live (a) with simple loops, and (b) for sampling sound effects (which would just be fun if not "useful").

Basically compaired to other loop stations available (JamMan, RC-20XL) this one seemed to me to be the best for it's price. For a couple more dollars you can attach a non-latching pedal to make it basically the same as the RC-20XL. Granted you don't get the reverse mode, but is that worth the extra 100ish dollars?

In the end, getting a loop station for under $200 is great, and the fact that it's Boss quality... Fantastic!

The basic functions of which I use this pedal for (live looping/playback) are extremely simple to use. Read the manual for 5 minutes and its a breeze! So far I haven't recorded any patches onto it, though it was easy to delete a patch I had accidentally saved.

In response to the previous poster, I have to say, it sounds like you got a shorted pedal. The RC-2 is not a true bypass pedal. Though if you read about true bypass, you'll note that having only true bypass pedals will dramatically effect your signal. Also, if you had a bad pedal, or if your RC-2 was short, this could have been the reason for all the noise. My RC-2 is silent, I use it at the end of my signal chain, right before the amp, after a Synth Wah, Overdrive, PH-3, Bass Processor, Digital Delay, and Tremolo and its virtually silent! The playback is quite loud, i believe having the level turned all the way up might make the loop actually louder than the original signal that went in, so I set my level at about 75%.

Of course you can depend on it, its a BOSS pedal, as of now (knock on wood) Ive had a BOSS pedal for over 2 years with no problems.

Never dealt with Support, never needed to.

This pedal is awesome, I've read alot of people using it for "at home use" only, but there is no reason this can't be a tool to be utilized at gigs. I want to add the BOSS FS-5U in order to stop my loops at the push of a button (rather than the double stomp on the actual pedal) has anyone used a footswitch to do this? If so please email me about it. But this pedal is freakin sweet!!! Im in an alternative/experimental 2 piece band featuring just me on bass/vocals and a drummer/sampler so I use this to provide additional rhythm to my leads. I would definitely replace this if it were lost or stolen

Quite easy to use, as long as you read the manual

It basically reproduces the sound from the signal you put in it.

Here's the thing. Make sure to use this unit in the fx loop, or with a preamp before it.
If you plug your instrument straight into it, you will get a really ennoying digital noise inbetween the notes you play. Whenever you don't play basically you will here a digital hum.

I'm not sure how good the bypass in this product is. I've used it for livesessions and I've experienced quite loud hum both in bypass and during playback.

The reason I'm writing this review is because today the pedal suddenly crapped out on me.
It suddenly started to produce a really loud noise, while I was using it through the fx loops of my amp.The noise(hitting a high Eb) was almost as loud as the playback of the things I'd looped. Since the fx loop is about the only way to use it if you want to stay away from digital noise inbetween your playing , there wasn't much to be do. Had to return it. After 2 weeks! This is the second boss pedal to have crapped out during this past week.!

Never dealt wiith them

Good idea, not sure if it is a quality product though. Maybe I just got a really bad example of the pedal

This unit is pretty small, and with only a few knobs and one button, each has a lot of uses which takes a while to figure out and get used to. However, boss has done a pretty good job of making it as easy as possible considering the size of the pedal, and especially if you've owned other loop stations, you'll be able to pick it up quite quickly.

There are some nice features like quantising, drum machine, tap tempo, and it automatically starting to record when you start playing, but i strongly suggest for you to read the manuel because these features are hard to just work out without it.

Although it is quite complicated, i cant imagine how else it could have been done without making the pedal bigger.

This pedal isnt technically an effect, so you're just looking for it to replicate your sound - and it does it well. theres no noticable loss of tone, and , as ive said before, since you dont really want it to affect your sound, it cant really be faulted in the category, and therfore gets a 10.

tuff stuff

never dealt with them, so no opinion.

For the money, this is a good buy. Its great for creating new stuff, and especially useful if you wanna practice theory and improvisation skills.
It can be used as a phrase trainer and in live situations. its pretty incrediable how all this functionality is packed into such a compact pedal, but because of this, its more complicated use, and therefore just falls short of perfect.

The sound quality is acceptable and based on my audience comments: clean and lovely. I play Godin ACS Steel and Nylon out to a DD5 pedal >> to the RC2 and to a PA or personal monitor system. All EQ set to flat, except on the Godin where I can play tone eq. I set the guitar output of the RC2 to about 9 or 10 o"clock and the drum machine to 8 or 9 o'clock and this setting sets me nicely through any PA system I play through. Magical at times, no distortion.

I use this pedal either for practicing, developing my scaling and simply enjoying nice moments with my playing as opposed to hiring another player to play chords for you.

I also use this to record almost 5 worship songs (3 mins plus each)first setting the rhythm guide, then set the tempo and start the recording waiting for the red signal to indicate timing. I use a FS5U to set the tempo. Quite intuitive. After I play the desired sequence of the song, I stop the recording, save it then I play it. I save it first so I can do whatever after that. It will definitely play at the start point and if I wish to play by myself I just stop it. The nice thing about this in a worship session is you can concentrate on singing and then during parts where you want to just spice up, you can just add bits live. I also add some organ or strings when the song requires it. Fun, and it gets my congregation to be inspired especially when the sound is clean and un-cluttered.

I read the manual once and thought that it is hands on that makes it work magically.

No firmware upgrade yet.

Its not that I could get either Phil Keaggy or James Taylor guitar sound but that the sound is pristine, emotional and inspiring.

I have played about 2 live worship sessions with it and countless at home. I have the RC50 for bigger events as a backup. But since the RC 2 is handy, I think it can last more than me. I have Boss pedals that work since 1980.

I know the repair guy at SweeLee in Singapore, the only repair I have had in the last 27 years is on my GR33 where the outputs started to get loose (plastic end pins) we changed these to heavy duty outputs.

I play folk, pop, mild rock. Sweet toy to enhance my playing. Played for 40 years now. I have a host of guitars but Godins do provide the backbone of my sound since 1996. I bought the RC50 so I could transfer in and out to my pc sound sequences or phrases instantly. The Rc becomes my workhorse and bring it anywhere. My favorite feature is the sound, ease of use and practicality especially if you want a bigger sound and in time everytime. Do you know why CD's sound so good, its because the timing is exacting. NO guessing. I think this is a good toy for drummers and every musician.

I wished it had more memory, well the RC50 does have. Music is the language of the soul, if it doesn't create a helping tool to your sound, don't buy it. But if you tested and it did click in your heart, then by all means grab this toy. They last some lifetime!

This pedal will take some time to completely understand all its functions. I have never used a looper before so it was all new to me from the get go. Ive owned it for 4 days now and played everynight for a few hours and finally feel like I have the hang of it. It now seems fairly easy to use but im pretty sure im not using every feature offered on it. It comes with a well written manual. Quite long for a boss pedal and if you never used something like this before you will get use out of the manual.

Like I said above,,,Ive never owned a looper and I will admit Ive never even tried one before. I purchased this because of its size,,it fits well in my pedal board. So being the only looper ive tried I think the sound is excellent. Whatever phrase you save sounds exactly like what you played. I dont play in a band nor have I ever so let me tell ya,,,in the past 4 days of owning this pedal I am a bit shocked at how fun playing has become due to the drum patterns. There are 33 in all and im positive there are drum machines out there that will blow this thing away but for a small pedal its got some real nice sounding patterns. The drums sound very nice through my amps loop. Im using it in a mesa boogie rectoverb...works well with it. Im still learning how to use it but what I enjoy the most is finding a good drum pattern,,setting the tempo and playing some chord progression with the drums then play leads on top of that...awsome,,,ive never had so much fun with my guitars.
The unit is quiet,,I cant hear any added noise and I dont notice any tone loss what so ever.

Its a boss so I dont worry too much

dont know

Ive been playing for only about 6 years or so,,Im still learning and other than playing once in a great while with some friends, Im pretty much just plucking away in the basement alone so this thing has so far been a God send for me. The pedal was a little frustrating at first for me but after a few days I got the hang of it. I will make one progression when I turn it on and then will find myself still playing ontop of it hours later... pretty cool

This product can be confounding. I had to read the manual and keep referring to it. Now, I find it easy though unintuitive.

The manual is perfunctory, but adequate. I have no questions about functions.

Some functions are a bit of a hassle. You must double click it to erase recorded loops. That's a pain when you're working live. You can use extra pedals for this and other features, but I think that defeats the purpose of having a compact pedal instead of say, the RC-20xl or the Digitech Jamman.

The compromises are for the most part intelligent ones.

The sound quality is quite high. I don't use true bypass products so I'm less concerned with having a gorgeous pure, tone. The level for recorded sound and 'guide track' are independantly adjustable.

Currently, I've been plugging this straight into the P.A.s I through. I play acoustic guitar accompanying my vocals and other instruments.

I've never had a Boss product fail on me in any situation: rehearsal, practice, or gig. I don't anticipate any problems. I used it extensively at home, in lessons, and on two gigs. It's performed well.

I think in a few years, I might begin to experience problems. Digital technology can die for no reason right out of the blue.

I won't gig with a back-up as I don't rely on it that much. As long as my guitar, voice, mic, and P.A. are working I can still play. This unit add another dimention, but is not integral to my act.

My rating is based partly on past experience with Boss products.

Never had a problem with their gear so company involvement hasn't been necessary.

If I was to encouter difficulties, I'd go through the dealer I purchased it from. They are very good outlet (Acoustic Music Shop - Edmonton, AB).

I play most acoustic based repetoire. Some Canadian maritime, Irish folk, and pop. I use the pedal to creat percussion loops and backing tracks for soloing over. I also use it for practice. I have lot's of fun with it!

I play a Larivee D-03 through this unit, a Boss LS-2, a Boss TU-2, and an L.R. Baggs preamp. I played for going on 30 years, giggin about 10.

I wouldn't definitely replace this unit with the same model. I'm even thinking of getting another one. I'd use one for percussion only and the other for chodal accompaniment. I think that if I do get another looper it'll be the Digitech Jamman as I unexpectly wish that it had more storage capabilitly.

I did compared it with other units and for the compact size and price, this piece is the hands-down winner. I look forward to solo gigs way more now 'cause I get to use my new and favourite toy!

It is easy for me but for the beginers, it may be tricky.

Is this an FX pedal?
I do not think so.

In general, Boss always dependable, right?
I think this one is kind of micro computer recorder.
So I can not tell it is dependable and I bought it for domestic use only

Never received the response or answer to my questions...
But I give some point because of the site.
I also have GR-30 and lost its manual. And I could download the manual by the net.
I think 5 is fair enough.

I bought it for my improvise practice only.
Just record some chords progressions and improvise over them until my fingers bleed... :)
It fullfills my goal... so I can not complain.
If you have some trouble for improvising training, you may need one.
There are plenty loop pedal out there. (Digitech Jamman or Boss RC series...) but this is a strip down version.
Just plug, record and play!

Tricky. I found it impossible to catch the end of a prerecorded loop. The problem is the type of switch in the footpedal; it's very difficult to know at which point it's going to actually switch. The AKAI Headrush has a far more positive switch action and is much better for this type of application. Boss have simply used their stomp box type switches here.

It is also quite a bit more complex than your average Boss pedal, but there's a lot happening in a small space.

Sound quality is good, but I don't get excited about true bypass and such. The 1Meg input impedance on Boss pedals shouldn't load a guitar pickup audibly, esp. if the average guitar volume pot is 250k.

Physically it's robust, but I cannot reliably get a loop except at home in my bedroom with the quantise to the time track. I want to use it live, too.

This pedal needs a different type of switch, one that has a positive click action at the point where it toggles.

??? How easy is it to get a good sound out of it?
o You just cant get a bad sound unless you cant play!
??? How about Editing patches?
o As long as you have timing, it is easy as pie.
??? How is the manual for it (if there is one)?
o Very user friendly, might be a tad long for inpatient people.

This unit is very easy to use, just as long as you READ the manual.

??? Are the effects weak or do they always sound great?
o The drum loops are fantastic.
??? What amp are you using it with?
o Vox AC-15 or Sennheiser RC-120???s

I have not found one bad thing with the pedal.
Without a doubt, this is the BEST pedal I have ever purchased.
I also think this pedal is a MUST for beginners, or people who play alone. That???s not to say advanced to pro players won???t find it an excellent addition to their arsenal.

??? Can you depend on it?
o This pedal hasn???t been out long enough to give an accurate answer, but if it follows the high quality of ALL other Boss pedals it will be a little Tank.

??? If you've dealt with the company, how helpful/friendly were they?
o I have NEVER had to take any of my Boss pedals back.
??? Ever get an upgrade, or try and get it repaired?
o Repaired for sure, unless the new model was something special.

??? What style of music do you play? Is this a good match?
o All styles, but I tend to play more classic/instrumental or blues/rock guitar.
??? How long have you been playing? What other gear do you own?
o Been playing for the last 10 years, and I have owned everything from the old Zoom multi effects, single Boss stomp boxes, to the V-amp 2.
??? If it were stolen or lost, would you buy it again or get something else?
o If I couldn???t hunt down and disarticulate the scumbag who stole it, I would defiantly replace it.
??? what do you love about it? What do you hate? What is your favorite feature?
o There is nothing to hate, and everything to love about it!!!
??? Did you compare it to other products? Which ones? Why did you choose this one?
o I compared it to the RC-20, but at the end of the day this was just as good and more compact.
??? Anything you wish it had?
o A built in stripper that got naked to my music!!!
??? Does it help you make music, or does it get in the way?
o It is the most INCREDIBLY helpful single stomp box around.
??? Anything else you'd like to share?
o For the price and the features, I couldn???t recommend this little monster more. If you don???t have one, do yourself the favour and go get one NOW!!!

i have had the possibility to try a BOSS DD-6 (no looper was available, and i thought it might be a delay that i was searching for). that was very cool - my first looping! ok, i definitly needed a looper. the RC-2 is not that easy to operate like the DD-6, but it gets easy after a while. the manual, i think, is much too long, repetative and there are some mistakes. the RC-2??s charm is its size, so a adequate manual would have been fine.

looping: i like the AUTO-MODE mostly. no stress starting the loop, and stopping is fine, too. i sometimes did not stop at the '1', but was in rhythm, so exciting things happened. the other way: one measure is played with or without drums before recording starts. this still is a bit tricky to me though it works well and i??ll figure it out with the second battery. storing, deleting, overdubbing, undo/redo, tap tempo, loop/one shot, guide adjustments: no problems, easy. once you know how to erase temporary memory (erasing overdub: push footswitch 2 seconds with the loop running. erasing the not saved loop: first stop, then push footswitch 2 seconds) it is really easy to operate. a mic input would be fine.

just fine. i think you??ll get out of it what you have putted in. another feature is changing the tempo of a running loop without changing pitch. this maybe is just for learning - or you use it as effect: the sound will be tremoloed (or is it vibrato?)! i fiddle around with guitar, theremin, harp, congas and percussion.. no problem to use a mic with the RC-2, but you??ll need a preamp. harp and mic gives a strong signal, this worked fine with a ZOOM 505II before the RC-2. i use a mic preamp for the other stuff. looping guitar is just amazing - even with the recording being engaged for some loop-times and playing nothing the sound??s quality won??t get affected. there will be a bit loss, which i do not recognize, so i give it a 10. most of the drums i won??t use (i do like the HH) not because of the sound-quality - hey: this time i am the looper! this is what i buyed it for.

it is well build and seems to be durable. the first battery now is empty, and it still is running!

i called them (rolandmusik hamburg) in order to ask when the RC-2 would be available again - very friendly. i do like the website??s design and structure. yamaha has listed nearly every product they made, i wish BOSS would do the same.

at this point of time i am fully satisfied with the RC-2. ok, by using it i sometimes thought: the RC-50! 3 tracks individually! i wanted a small and not too complicated one and spending not too much money. i love the RC-2s idea of smallness and design. it should loop in a comfortable way and be able to store some loops. i wanted a tool for experiment and experience: it is just the right one for my needs and i of course would by it again!

the rc-2 is not <i>immediately</i> easy to use at all. i don't even know that i would say it eventually becomes easier to use. i've had it for awhile, and i still forget what some of the commands are. double click to stop. hold to set tempo. hold to delete overdub...etc. it takes some concentration when playing live.

<p>but if space on your pedalboard is at a premium (as mine is), then this is really your only choice. it IS remarkable just how much boss managed to pack into a pedal this size. it does a great deal, and offers a lot of looping options for a tiny pedal, so some amount of complicated operation has to be expected.

<p>there is one major annoyance with the rc-2 that i'm surprised no one has mentioned, considering it's kind of a big one. one that i wish someone had mentioned to me before i bought it. THERE IS A MINIMUM LOOP LENGTH. and it's not short...approx 1.5 seconds. that averages out to almost a full measure of 4. so short, quick loops for fun little textures or abrasive little redundancies are out of the question. if you try to record a short loop, it will simply continue until it fills up it's minimum length. I HATE THIS. mostly because, there's simply no reason for it. the thing can handle 16 minutes!! why can't it loop 16 milliseconds??

the rc-2 sounds as pristinely clean as you would expect any modern, digital device to sound. there is nothing inherently "warm" about this loop pedal. it reproduces exactly the signal it receives. i'm not sure, but i suspect the bit depth is 16-bit. to an audiophile that would be garbage, but to the average audience member, i'm sure it's more than adequate. i do a great deal of layering & stacking with the overdub feature, and it maintains it's quality pretty well with each additional track.

<p>the drum sounds are nothing short of awful. they are so canned, as to be completely laughable. my "guide track" volume is permanently set to ZERO. i may even pull the knob off, so as to avoid inadvertently ever hearing a peep out of those drums. i almost wish they had the option to be deleted altogether. if you play with a drummer, don't insult him/her by letting them hear these "drums"

i'm sure the casing is as tough as any boss pedal. it's the insides i wonder about. there's a great deal going on in this pedal. i wonder if the non-analog components are destined for the longevity most people expect from boss pedals. once the flash memory becomes heavily fragmented, we'll see if this pedal doesn't start getting glitchy. for now, it operates without problems. so, we'll give it the benefit of the doubt with a 10.

hope to never find out!

for the size & price, this pedal is unrivalled. it has features once only found in much larger, more costly units. the total loop time is an unbelievable 16 minutes. Probably the most invaluable aspect of purchasing this unit is realizing how endless it's possiblities are. beyond the obvious use of looping a rhythm track for soloing over, you can create nearly infinite layers to build & build upon. if you put it towards the end of your signal chain, you can layer a flanged track over a tremoloed track, over a delayed track, over a chorused track, etc, etc.

<p>it's Frippertronics in a tiny, sparkly red pedal!

<p>BOSS! please get rid of the minimum loop length!!

Very straight forward if you have a general idea of what loop recorders do, and if you read the manual. I wasn't totally new to loop recorders, having had some past experience with the Lexicon JamMan, Boomerang and the Boss RC-20. Nevertheless, the idea of having all loop recorder functions squeezed into a compact pedal scared me at first. So I downloaded the owners manual off the Boss website, and read it a few times before deciding to buy this unit. So when I actually got it, it was very straight forward to use. I suggest you also take a peek at the manual before buying it. The manual is well written. My hats off to Boss for pulling off such an excellent and compact product at this price point. I'm knocking off a point here just because there are some things such as choosing a drum pattern that are not so straight forward - you have to scroll through a list of 30+ patterns to find what you are looking for - you can't skip straight to any particular pattern and there is no LED/LCD screen to give you a visual reference. But then the pedal is compact and priced below $200 - given that, I really can't think of how Boss could have designed it any better.

I've had it for a few days now and have only been using this as a practice tool at home. Setup is Epi Sheraton -> Digitech Bad Monkey (overdrive) -> Boss RC-2 -> Guitar amp (H&K Edition Blue 60). There's no noise from the unit. Drum patterns sound very good. Recorded phrases don't reveal any distortion or loss of quality. If I want to be picky, I would say there is some loss of treble when going through the RC-2, but this is minimal and can easily be compensated by turning up the tone control on your guitar. My typical use of this unit involves choosing a drum pattern, recording a chord progression, and then just jamming with it. I've never overdubbed to more than two layers, and so can't comment if you lose any audio quality with multiple overdubs.

Seems very well built like other Boss compact pedals. I have some other Boss pedals and they've all never given me any problems. The oldest of my Boss pedals is a GE-7 equalizer which I purchased new in 1992 - that has some scuff marks but still functions like new. As of now I don't plan to use the RC-2 live, but the unit is certainly well built and gig-worthy.

I've never had to contact them. I'm glad they have owners manuals and demo videos on their website - very helpful and even necessary when buying feature-packed gadgets such as the RC-2.

Love this unit for its features, compactness and ease of use. I chose this over the RC-20XL, Digitech JamMan, Boomerang and the RC-50 for the following reasons:

The RC-2 does everything that the RC-20XL does except that - RC-20XL has an additional mic input, RC-20XL has a second pedal built-in (useful to STOP and to set tempo), and the RC-20XL can handle any time signature from 1/4, ... 3/4, 4/4, 5/4, ....etc. On the RC-2, you can add additional pedals such as FS-5U or FS-6 to match the RC-20XL. The RC-2 limits you to using either 3/4 or 4/4 time signatures. But if you think of it, 95% of pop/rock/jazz/world music uses only 4/4 or 3/4. Additionally, the RC-2 offers 30+ drum patterns while the RC-20XL doesn't have any drum patterns - just some metronome-like beat counts. I didn't want the digitech JamMan since it does not seem to have loop-quantize as far as I can tell (from reading their manuals). To me quantize is the friendliest feature on a loop recorder and I got used to it when previously using a Boss RC-20. It really makes it easy to keep your loops clean and seamless.

The Boomerang was not for me since it is just too big, expensive(for what it does) and does not have any rhythm patterns. The Boss RC-50 seems great and worth the price, but it's probably more suitable for those looking to do solo acts with extensive looping on the fly.

If the RC-2 were lost or stolen, I would certainly buy it again (or step up to the RC-50). It is simply too much fun and a great learning tool. If I could ask for more features on it, that would be - 1) a few more rhythm patterns, especially in swing-jazz, latin, afro-cuban, rhumba and Indian styles (unit already has some excellent bossa, samba, latin clave and latin-rock patterns in addition to several 8-beat, shuffle, rock, blues and heavy metal patterns); 2) I would like to be able to keep the beat pattern going even when I undo a phrase I just recorded. Currently, the guide pattern stops when you undo the recorded phrase.

My background - been playing guitar for 20 years and bass for 4 years before that. I enjoy almost all styles of music except rap, hip-hop and death metal. My guitars and gear include - Epiphone Sheraton, Taylor 414 acoustic, Taylor T5, La Patrie Concert nylon, Johnson metal-body resonator and a Yamaha Pacifica (strat-clone), Roland AC-60 acoustic amp, Hughes & Kettner Edition Blue-60DFX guitar amp, and various effects pedals and recording gear. Mostly play at home. Used to gig when I played bass, but rarely play-out these days except for accompanying a prayer group on acoustic guitar about once/twice a month.

Follow-up to my review below.

GIGO means 'garbage-in, garbage-out'. Whatever your music signal comes into the unit, it comes out the same.

I meant to say using my described method, the unit would record 8 beats of music, NOT 7 (I must be on something when I wrote that).

If you plan to use effects while playing along with the guide, and want the guide sound clean, then your amp should not be set for effects. It should be basic and clean. Any effects you want should be set before the unit. Then the guide (drum) would always sound clean when you apply effects to your music signal.

The price I paid was 16,100 Yen and at $117/$1.00, it's about $138. Not bad ... eh?

Had it for about 2 weeks now and am very happy with it... DENITELY GET THE FOOTSWITCH FS-5U!

Good sound as in GIGO.
Easy to edit.
There is a manual.
N/A

See above.

If using other Boss units as standard/ guide, it will last.

N/A

RC-2 first impression:

I have RC-2 for a week now and would like to offer my first impression of the product so that it would help you to make decision.

RC-2 is designed for the instrumentalist/ guitarist for sure because no vocal/mic input is included as in the RC-20XL or RC-50.

DEFINTELY gets the optional power adapter and footswitch FS-5U. One FS-5U is enough because the second one or side A of the FS-6 is used to switch the phrase. The footswitch can stop the operation (during play) with one tap instead of two taps if you use the pedal switch. Also it is easy to set the tempo with the FS-5U than with the pedal switch. FS-5U sits close to the ground than the pedal so it is easier to operate and it can be located closer to your foot. I only use 9V battery as back-up for power outtage.

The output sound quality is as transparent as how it is recorded into the unit. There is no background noise that I can hear.

It takes some serious practice to time the start and stop correctly so that loop quantize can work properly. I have tried all methods suggeted in the manual but I ended up forgoing the tempo setting all together and use the AUTO function. With AUTO setting, the unit will start recording when it receives input signal (strong enough signal because light strumming will not start the unit). For 4/4 time signature, what works for me is to start the recording using AUTO and press the footswith to stop at the begining of the bar when I want the loop to end. So in a way, the recording starts AT beat one of the measure and stops ON beat one. For example, if you try to record/ loop 2 bars with 4/4 signature, using the above method the unit will record the music contains within that 7 beats and loop itself perfectly in tempo once you press the stop switch. I guess others would be successful using other options but I found myself more successful using the AUTO option.

The guide (drum samples) is good for practicing only and may not be pleasant using live. And it takes time to cycle through the 33 patches if your are playing patch #1 and your next choice is near the end. I wish that they offer the fade-out option as in the RC-20XL.

The manual could be better written but I think everyone will get a hang of the entire operations after you experiment with the units for a short while.

It is a very well thought-out compact unit and as such, certain functions found in RC-20XL are sacrified. Having said that, it could be very addictive and could be used live as one's rhythm player if one masters the loop recording (should not be a problem).

Good luck!

I got mine for less than $140 brand new because I live in Japan. Too bad I am too busy to make a living out of this using E-bay. I know I can sell it for more than $170 as it is in high demand at the moment.