RV-3 Reverb/Delay

Let me first say that this pedal is first a reverb pedal with delay as an added bonus. I have a DL4 which is perfect for delay but I still love the RV-3 for its reverb. It's not noisy as all from what I have experienced. Though it may diminish your tone SLIGHTLY, it's nothing terribly noticable. My Rig: '93 Strat Plus -> Ernie Ball VP Jr. -> Boss CS-3 Compression/Sustain -> Boss PH-3 Phase Shifter -> Boss TR-2 Tremolo -> Boss RV-3 Digital Reverb/Delay -> Line 6 DL4 -> Mesa Boogie V-Twin w/ 2X12 VOX Celestion Blue speakers. I would argue that the sound quality for this pedal is certainly not for someone who is going for an 'organic' sound. I use it mostly for very big, long, and space-esque reverb, which I wouldn't consider organic. Though this pedal is easy to use, I find that you need to get used to the behavior of the different reverb settings, or it will sound too over the top or too 'digital' as some have been known to hate. For instance, the tone has a very large say in how the reverb sounds. My 'signature sound' (if there is such a thing) is having the direct/effect knob all the way to the effect side, the tone knob at 1-2 'o clock, the reverb time at 3-4 'o clock, all on mode 10(out of 11). This gives me a great big hall effect with some colorful overtones that I like with a volume swell. If I crank the tone all the way up, the overtones will overpower the rest of the sound, which I don't like much. The delay is decent but it's really nothing compared to any other Boss DD-?. Don't buy this pedal if all you need is delay and not reverb. The delay+reverb mode is interesting and can be very convenient if you want a one-hit solution to a part in a song with reverb and delay. So I could ellaborate more but basically, like most pedals, there is a break-in period that one has to be aware of. I give it a 7 for the reverb being great, delay+reverb being good, but the delay being sub-par.

I have never had a malfunction with this pedal and would not need to have a backup handy. Boss makes great pedals that are intended to withstand anything.

I bought my RV-3 about 4-5 months ago and I have loved it ever since. This pedal is easy to use, while it also offers a very wide variety of capabilities. I must say, however, since this was also my first pedal of many, I have lost the need for some of the things it is able to do. For example, I used to use it for delay and/or reverb, but I have added a Line 6 DL4 to my setup and no longer have use for the delay. This pedal is the most valueable to someone who has maybe 5 or less pedals in their setup because it covers several bases as far as sound versitility goes. Though I must say that even as I have crossed that bridge into a 5+ pedal situation, I still LOVE having that pedal.

I have not dealt with Boss directly.

For myself, I would have said 10 because of it's reverb capability being EXACTLY what I need out of a reverb pedal. I have been playing for 5 years and just recently started getting into efects, but I knew what my style was and I found the RV-3 which fits me perfectly. If this pedals were lost or stolen, I might get another one but because they are not made anymore they are a little more expensive. I would be at a TREMENDOUS loss if I had a play without the RV-3 for any legth of time. I give it an 8 to others because it has some flaws that one has to consider before purchasing, but for a compact pedal with this amount of capability it's definately workable. My favorite part about this pedal is that it's a great reverb pedal with a bonus delay feature if you need it. Having the reverb+delay feature can be a handy feature at times, though depending on the setup it may not be necessary. The downside is that the delay w/o reverb is not anything impressive. I wouldn't use this pedal for delay if i had the option. I have not used many different reverbs in my time, but I have an Electro-Harmonix Cathedral Reverb coming in the mail this week so I am anxious to check that out. I would reccommend this pedal to just about anyone, I couldn't do without it.

The overall sound it awesome except some of the reverb can be too digital sometimes. So I can see how some people talk sh*t about it being cold and digital. I mean wtf? It does say DIGITAL REVERB/DELAY right on the pedal...! So this is great if you want a digital-type sound. Anyways, part of what makes this pedal so sought after by guitarists is the versatility of the unit. The three delay modes range from a short(32ms-125ms), medium (my personal favorite), and long delay ( up to 2 seconds.) The four reverb/delay modes act just like delays except with blends of room, hall, and plate reverbs. My choice out of these is mode seven. The last four modes are digital reverbs with Room, hall and Plate. Again I use mode 11 (plate reverb) the most. In my opinion, its a lot of bang for your buck and goes well with other effects and overdrives while adding some unique tones.   Currently my pedal board is a Ehx Little Big MUff-->Digitech Hothead--> EHX small stone--> DOD Fx-25b--> EHX stereo Pulsar--> Boss RV-3. Plugged into a mim telecaster and  90's fender chorus 2x12.

Well I just got this used a week ago and bought it with a damaged nut (that holds boss battery cover). The previous owner ( a young kid)tried to fix this by drilling a bigger hole and rigging it with super glue, washer, and a new screw. I have temporarily remedied this by wrapping this part with tight electrical tape. It actually sounds great, switches perfect, and doesn't add any noise at all. However, I would replace the cover with another boss pedal before playing a show.

First off it is a really easy to find a good sound out it. If you are familiar with delay pedals, you can figure this baby out quick. Also since it has 11 modes (ranging from delay, delays with reverb, and digital reverb), even the most brain dead can dial in a sweet sound.

Again the RV3 covers a lot of ground for one pedal. I almost ordered one from evilbay, but instead one came up for sale cheap in the local cl. Despite a needed repair of the cover, the pedal sounds amazing and it is easily my best tool. i would highly recommend it to any who likes delays.