Boss RV-5

Very easy.

I too bought this to use in conjunction with the DD-6, and they make a very nice couple. Playing clean, you can get some goregous and crystal clear sounds out of this. Playing with distortion is trickier, and you really have to turn the knobs down low if you run this in front of the distortion. Put your distortion in front of this and you will be more happy. It can make your sound absolutely huge, like Beck on "blue wind". The SPRING mode is kinda lame, as it is very accurate in that you get that loud "boing" that sounds like you just dropped your amp on the floor with the reverb unit on. I was hoping it wouldn't have that, as that is the reason I don't use my amp's reverb.

Hell yes-it's a Boss.

Very good-it's a bit pricey, but it is brand new and super reliable. I would definitely have gone with something else were it not for the stereo ins and outs, which is the only reverb I have seen that features this. I need them to place the unit after my DD-6. So if you absolutely need a stereo in and out reverb now, get it; otherwise, wait till they are cheaper new or until they saturate the ebay listings for a lot less.

I bought this and a DD6 to replace my RV-3 and I'm very happy. They made it as easy to use as possible.

With the exception of the warp function, which I find pointless, I think the sounds are all usable and distinct. I actually like the gated reverb for some applications, particularly with other delay based effects, since you don't get the tail of the reverb getting mushed up with all of the other stuff. Its supposedly 24 bit but as I said about the DD6 if you don't dial in excessive amounts of reverb it probably doesn't matter. All I know is that I'm happy with the sound, both on its own and with other effects. Oh yes and I don't hear any hiss.

No problems.

It does what it sets out to do and like the DD6 in a small package - which is important for me as I like to switch things around and don't like massive pedals.

I would easy put a 10 here. But compared with other BOSS boxes it is not as straight forward so I give it a 7.

I picked up my RV-5 two days ago at the post office. I bought it used (mint in its box without manual) for 500 SEK (+ 70 SEK mailing cost) which is $67 (+ $9) My first impression connecting it between the guitar and amp was that the "spring" reverb made a strange attack sound. This went away completly when I put it in the amps effect loop instead. My conclusion is that the spring reverb can't be used without a loop
on the amp. (Same for both channel A and B so it cannot be broken.) However, the rest of the effects (plate, hall, room, gate, modulation) seemed uneffected, so I will not hold this against the RV-5.

The reverb gets a "7" for "sound" from me. I like it, but I havn't compared it with anything else really. "7" means that it is really good and I am satisfied. All effects are different. The modulation reverb adds a little chorus.

I tested the leakage between right (R) and left (L) channel of the RV-5 by connecting a digital delay (Ibanez DL10) as a splitter from "send" of the amp loop. The DL10 have like many other delays(e.g. BOSS DD-2, DD-3, DD-5, DM-3) one "direct out" and one "effect" output. With the DL10 "OFF" the same direct signal is then fed into R and L of the RV-5.

The direct signal is not leaked between the two channels of the RV-5, but by turning the "Effect level"-knob clockwise from "min" to increase the effect level, reverb sound (only) started to leak between the channels as expected.



!!!!!!!!!! NOW TO THE BIG BIG BIG "DONT MISS OUT ON THIS" INFORMATION PART !!!!!!!!!!

It hit me that maybe the delay could with the help of RV-5 be both "high-cut fitered" AND smoooothen out to get a more "muddy" sound. I never really liked the exact regeneration of digital delays(and I havn't tested any analog delays either).

When turning the delay (DL10) "ON", the "direct" sound is fed into RV-5 input-A and the "effect" (delay sound without direct sound) is fed into RV-5 input B. The amp use RV-5 output-A in the "return" of the loop. The result is that the direct sound (with reverb) processed in channel A is mixed with the reverb sound (only) of the delay from channel "B".

Connections looks like this ("nothing" means no cable attached):

nothing <= [OutputB(RV-5)InputB] <= [Effect(DL10) ]
Return: <= [OutputA(RV-5)InputA] <= [Direct(DL10)Input] <= [Send]



To give an example of the resulting sound:
A "TICK" would become "TINGGggg" with ONLY the RV-5.
With normal usage of a delay in front (or after) it would then sound "TINGGggTInggggtingggg.

With my setup is will sound TINGGggWHINGgggwHINGgggwhing.

The sharpness of the delay is gone. Only the reverb part of the delay is used. The sharpness of the delay sound can be further controlled by the "tone"-control.

The operation of the effects with this setup is as simple as this:
-Delay can be turned on and off as long as the reverb is on.
-When the reverb is turned off both reverb and delay are switched off.


The bad part might be that you miss out of stereo reverb (I run in mono anyway). I guess that you can connect a stereo chorus after the reverb to regain some stereo effect.

With my setup I would give this possibility a 10 as I am thrilled about this. But I guess that I can't put this rating on "Sound quality" as it is not RV-5 making the delay part so I put 10 on "Overall rating". It also needs some tweeking of the effects to sound nice and I found "room" to work best with the delay for both clean and dirty channel (E.level=max, Tone=min, Time= "10 o'clock").


Does this mean that the days of searching for an analog delay, digital delay with or "high-cut mods", are gone? This setup does more to the echo than only cutting the high frequencies. You can control

All BOSS pedals seems to eat batteries if they are left in the box. Other than that it would be a "10".

10 as they were really friendly when I asked for more avanced blueprints of the cirquit boards of other effects.

A friend of mine was however refused to by a 220-9V (?) adapter for a Roland porta studio he bought new for half the price in the US compared with here in Sweden 15 years ago. They didn't like to support imported items.

I give them an 8 for traveling reliability (but I dont know really).

Due to the reverb-delay possibility above I have to give it a 10. It would have been good if there also was a possibility to totally separate the effect-leakage between channel A and B so that two instruments could be feed through it more independently (guitar+microphone), but I can't hold this against it.


I have a Gallien Krueger 250ML feeding a gray 4*12 Marshall cabinet in mono. I always thought that the on-board echo (analog?) was a bit weak (but good). Especially when feeding the "send" signal into the "aux in" instead of the "return" to get more low-end in the sound. Sounds really heavy. I play an 1989 PRS.

The level control is overly sensitive to changes, but besides that it's strait forward and the effects parameters are easily controled. The battery runs out WAY too fast though. It should come with a power adapter.

The RV-5 sounds good, plain and simple. Not great, but better than I expected even after trying it in the store. I use it mainly with my THD BiValve and an assortment of Strats. It sucks a small amount of tone and body in the effects loop, and a little more if in direct line with the guitar. It's not too bad at all, and I've not used a pedal that doesn't. It's certainly not noisey, and the Hall setting is excellent. I think it sounds better than the real spring 'verb in many of my other amps.

Boss, built like a rock.

I play blues, and use this pedal to add a small amount of livelyness to my THD. It seems to be the one of the best available, and does exactly what I want it to without being intrusive on my tone.

As with every Boss pedal in existence, it should only take about 20 minutes to master this pedal.

When using a pedal for the first time, I simply run my Gibson ES-325 straight through the stompbox and into my amp. Simply put: the settings that sound good on this pedal were the one's that sounded good on the RV-3. Plus the RV-3 had delay settings. All additions that Boss has made (Reverse; Gated) are absolutely inapplicable to almost any type of music. Otherwise there is not a difference in sound between the RV-5 and RV-3.

I have never had a Boss pedal break, or even get scuffed for that matter! Super-reliable.

Never dealt with them. See above.

If I were to state it broadly I would say that I play jazz. I needed something add a bit of sustain and life to my guitar, and this does it. But so does the RV-3. I liken it to the DD-6 in comparison to the DD-3. The only settings that sound good on the DD-6 are the only settings that the DD-3 has! Same goes for the RV-5 vs. RV-3. The RV-3 has all the good settings from the RV-5 and nothing more (plus delays). Boss simply added alot of crappy extras to an already excellent box. If you can find a RV-3 (although it is almost impossible to find one new) get that instead. But as I stated in another review, I am almost certain that once Boss stops production of the RV-5, all the disenting voices will then praise it as the best Boss Reverb. The popularity of a pedal is often times directly related to it's scarcity.

Simple. Just use common sense and tweak away, being careful not to go over the top with the level and time settings. I tweak the tone just this side of 12 O'clock to make the reverb sound warmer. Easy to wind time and level up up when you do want to go over the top for some Jeff Beck "Guitar Shop" type emotional sustaining solo moments. Hmmmm nice....

American series strat, Ibanez JS100, BOSS V Wah > Tubescreamer > Pete COrnish SS/P2 Duplex > BOSS Equaliser > BOSS Flanger > BOSS CE20 Chorus > BOSS Giga Delay > RV5. Not forgetting BOSS noise suppressor (excluding delay and reverb) and Tuner. All into an Orange AD15 class A 15 watt combo. All pedals mains powered.
Sounds great. Really long if you like it that way. Forget the spring reverb though artificial sounding - no where near as good as the real thing (I remember my Yamaha G100 B212 combo had a fab accutronics spring reverb). Hall and Plate float my boat.

No problems yet.

Never had cause to contact them

If you want quality, easy to use reverb in a tin, go and get one now. The last pedal I bought to complete my ensemble after ditching my GT5 some while back in search of sonic nervana which I've now found. An important piece in the tone jigsaw which works well with my set up. (no reverb on my amp). Individual pedals, though more expensive in combination, sound so much better than one box wonders and they're easier to use too.

a simple layout to tell you what each knob does... too easy!!!

reverbs are lush, but watch that tone knob!!!
otherwise you be getting that metallic, sterile sound all the negative reviewers are getting.

boss pedals are an investment... enough said.

no problems

I play lots of spacerock/shoegazer type stuff. Delays and Reverbs are a must.
I've been playing for 16yrs. I play a mim standard tele>tu2>oc-3>gt-5[ds-1>ge-7 in the loop]>dd-20>rv-5>alesis ra-100>alesis monitor ones or peavey 120W 1x12 combo.
I would replace it if it were stolen or lost.
I wish the modulate mode had a rate setting.
this reverb is very inspiring.

Quite easy to get a good sound, easy to figure out without a manual. The effect level and time controls provide enough flexibility to get a good reverb patch set up. The stereo ins and outs can be a tad confusing for mono operation at first, if you don't notice the little 'MONO' signs on the 'A' jacks. But that's easy to learn.

One point of usability over the RV-3, for me at least, is the LACK of delay programs; that means there are more knobs to control the reverb sound. To me, the RV-3's combined reverb/delay settings were somewhat compromised; you could control the delay time but not the reverb settings, and so on. If I had liked any of the RV-3's combined programs, I would probably still have an RV-3. So to me, the RV-5 is more usable because it provides greater control over the primary effect - reverb. I'll use my DD-3 or DM-2 for the delay chores.

The sounds are all good to my ears. The modulated chorus is not something I'd use much but it's pretty cool for ambient aounds.

I'm primarily using a Les Paul or Strat into the RV-5, set on spring reverb, then into a tweed 5E3 Deluxe kit amp or a brown Fender Princeton. It's not quite a Fender combo style reverb, but when I play I get that reverb sound that I was missing with just the amp alone. And when the effect is off, the buffered bypass is good enough so that I don't feel like there's a tone suck.

The effect is not noisy in terms of hiss, but the spring reverb sim is somewhat of sensitive to the input level. I guess the `boing' is intentionally put there so you know it's a spring reverb simulator! I'd like a dwell control or input/output level controls to avoid the splatter when I don't want to go surfing.

It's a Boss, I bought it used without hesitation and expect it to work without flaws for as long as I have it. There's always a first time, but I think I've owned over 20 Boss pedals at this point and I have never had reason to worry about their dependability.

I have had no reason to contact Boss customer support directly. I will say that I find the Roland/Boss 'groovy' visually overstated Web sites hard to navigate. And I'd really like to see ALL the varied pedal manuals on line in PDF format, which I have not found yet.

I play blues and some rock and some country and some all mixed together. This pedal provides a good variety of reverbs to match just about any situation. I've been playing for over 25 years, not that it shows, and I've owned an RV-3, various analog and digital delays, and a Kendrick tube reverb unit, among other things. For compactness, flexibility, stereo capability and overall sound, the RV-5 is a great package. If it were lost or stolen, I'd try to find another one used.

As stated above, I wish it had either a dwell or input/output controls so I could control the spring reverb `splatter', but when I use it front of my reverb-less amps I don't really think at all about how it's a digital pedal.

Very easy to use and sounds great straight out of the box.
Four control knobs - effect level, tone, time and effect type. Can't get much easier than this.
The manual is very straightforward but the pedal is very self-explanatory.
Software? I don't think so!

I use this pedal with guitars, keyboards, pretty much anything and it sounds really cool. My favourite effect is probably the modulated hall. This sounds really good on clean, arpeggio passages on the guitar. My guitar set up is a Yamaha PAC 112 into a Marshall MG10CD (I'm a newbie to guitars!) but I've had great results from passing a Yamaha DX7 synthesizer through this into a Peavey KB-100 combo.
The room, hall, plate and modulated hall effects are probably the best - the modulated reverb certainly yielding the most interesting effect for synths without reverb. The spring reverb, as someone else mentioned does have a habit of popping a little too often so I don't use it too much. I find that the gated reverb sounds very artificial and too metallic for most things.
The tone control can introduce noise and create very harsh sounds so the best setting is usually somewhere between 10 o clock and 2 o clock

In a word you can make things sound really 80s with this pedal and there'scertainly nothing bad about that!

This is Boss - built like a rock and would survive a nuclear bomb blast. I've noticed with some of my other Boss pedals that the paint can get chipped quite easily but electronically this will last forever. The battery wire is prone to breakage after many years of use but nothing a soldering iron can't put to rights.

Never contacted Boss / Roland so I can't comment I'm afraid

This is a great pedal for the money. I didn't compare it to anything else and just thought it was a compact, low cost way of getting a reverb effect for my older synths which don't have built-in effects. Expecting it simply to be just a reverb, the addition of six different programs was certainly a bonus.

I produce electronic music which, at the moment is totally electronic from synthesizers. I am new to guitar and so have yet to record with the guitar.

If it was lost or stolen, yes I would replace it.
This certainly does bring an entirely new life to my older synths and sounds great on my Yamaha PAC 112 and Ibanez GSR 200 guitars.

I thought that the RV-5 was a step down from the RV-3. The Reverbs sound good but the reverse and spring settings sound like gimmick settings. Roland loaded this pedal with stuff that you wouldn't really use. For the money you could buy an Alesis Rack unit with a remote foot pedal and have a real reverb. The reverse setting is silly. Why did they add useless patches. The RV-3 has 11 usable REVERBS and DELAYS; things that you can apply.

See above, perhaps I said too much in the intro.
I have a Les Paul Special, A plain American Strat and a Mexi Tele.
I use a Marshal 50 watt combo anfd a Carvin SX-200 combo amp.
The few reverbs sound great, the other modes are useless unless you want to make goofy sounds to amuse yourself.

I'm sure it's as reliable as any Boss Unit

I've never used Boss support but I've NEVER heard a complaint from a musician buddy.

I play fusion, classic rock and Jazz. I may sell this unit on E-bay and just bail on it. I may look for a back-up RV-3 to my aging RV-3.
Thw RV-3 is loaded with traditional quality reverbs and delays, (things a player can use.) I would rather have a serious reverb delay unit than a souped up gimmick box.