The Boss RV-200 Reverb pedal could be a perfect balance of features, size and price

Boss RV-200
(Image credit: Boss)

If you're serious about your reverb pedals, Boss has you covered with its RV-500. But that's a large unit that might be too much for many of us. That's where the company's 200 series fits so well – smaller, more affordable but still packing the algorithms and editing in. Say hello then to the long-awaited RV-200. 

It's even bringing a new reverb type to the part of 12 different modes; Arpverb. And with the level of sound editing available, it's good to see Boss has provided 127 memories to save your sounds, along with two footswitches for fast access to different types.

Boss RV-200

(Image credit: Boss)

The RV-200 doesn't need to lean towards classic plate, spring and hall reverbs or complex ambient sounds because it wants to do it all.  

Boss RV-200

(Image credit: Boss)

The full list of modes finds Shimmer, Arpverb, Slowverb, +Delay, Modulate, Lo-Fi, Gate and Reverse alongside Room, Hall, Plate and Spring for a comprehensive selection. 

Controls over these sumptuous sounds can go deep with reverb time, effect level, predelay, variable high and low filters, plus a density control to adjust the 'weight' of the sound.

Boss RV-200

(Image credit: Boss)

The RV-200's parameter knob also provides access to settings that are unique to each specific type of reverb. Further flexibility is provided with the footswitches that can be assigned for different functions;  bypass the effect, scroll through memories, and activate a hold function for infinite sustain (or as long as you want to hold it). You can even assign 'performance effects' to a footswitch including Warp, Twist, and Fade.

As we'd expect from a Boss pedal in 2023, many of the parameters can be assigned to an external expression pedal and MIDI is provided via mini TRS inputs. Via MIDI players can connect a number of Boss 200 series pedals together and select presets on them simultaneously to explore huge potential. 

The RV-200 is $269/£259 and available now from retailers including Sweetwater, Guitar Center, Gear4music, Andertons and Thomann and you can hear it in action below. 

Rob Laing
Guitars Editor, MusicRadar

I'm the Guitars Editor for MusicRadar, handling news, reviews, features, tuition, advice for the strings side of the site and everything in between. Before MusicRadar I worked on guitar magazines for 15 years, including Editor of Total Guitar in the UK. When I'm not rejigging pedalboards I'm usually thinking about rejigging pedalboards.