Boss RV-3 vs RV-5

Jon Irsik · Post by **Jon Irsik** » 12 Sep 2009 7:06 am

Can someone give me a comparison on these two pedals? It looks like v3 has reverb with delay where v5 has the ability to add slight chorusing with reverb, but no delay?. Are the verbs similar and is the chorus effect useable for steel?

Thanks,

Jon

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 12 Sep 2009 7:51 am

The RV-3 is a combination reverb and delay pedal.
The RV-5 is strictly a reverb pedal.
Both are good sounding pedals, however with the RV-3, you are rather limited in fine tuning the effects.
You have more reverb adjustments with the RV-5 but at the sacrifice of the delay function.

There is a new pedal out now made by Digi Tech, the RV-7.
It has the Lexicon reverbs in it which are hard to beat.

Brian McGaughey · Post by **Brian McGaughey** » 15 Sep 2009 12:40 am

Erv's got it.

The RV-3 can has 4 pre-set combinations of reverb and delay. These are: Room 1, Room 2, Plate and Hall. I look at these settings and apply them to my sound as reverb w/ slap back. It is indeed reverb combined with delay but limited control.

I've assumed these weren't extremely popular over all or they'd still make a stomp-box version with both effects. I like mine.

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 15 Sep 2009 6:11 am

Brian,
I think Boss is good at marketing.
Why sell one unit with both reverb and delay when they can sell two units; one for reverb and the other for delay.
I have an RV-5 and use it together with a DD-5, delay unit.

KENNY KRUPNICK · Post by **KENNY KRUPNICK** » 15 Sep 2009 1:55 pm

Try a DD-3,or a DD-6 with a RV-5.

Larry Bressington · Post by **Larry Bressington** » 15 Sep 2009 7:49 pm

I have used both, they are both great!

Andy Sandoval · Post by **Andy Sandoval** » 15 Sep 2009 8:37 pm

Doesn't Lloyd Green still use an RV-3?

KENNY KRUPNICK · Post by **KENNY KRUPNICK** » 16 Sep 2009 8:50 am

The reverb on the RV-3 is fixed. Not adjustable like the delay on the unit.

Andrew Noecker · Post by **Andrew Noecker** » 16 Sep 2009 11:47 am

The reverb is fixed only with the delay. The reverb alone has a tone and reverb time control knob(s).

Jon Irsik · Post by **Jon Irsik** » 16 Sep 2009 11:52 am

Thanks for words everyone. I'm thinking the RV-5 and DD-3 might be what I'm looking for as far as parameter controls over reverb and delay.

Jon

Erv Niehaus · Post by **Erv Niehaus** » 16 Sep 2009 1:18 pm

I don't know about the DD-3 but the DD-5 has the tap delay feature.

Tony Smart · Post by **Tony Smart** » 16 Sep 2009 1:22 pm

Had the RV-2 since it first came out.

The delay and reverb are both good. Tried the DD-3 but the delay on the RV-2 although limited, sounds better to me.

Always got an open mind though.

Cliff Kane · Post by **Cliff Kane** » 16 Sep 2009 3:35 pm

The RV3 is a good sounding pedal. For a compact reverb and ambient effect it's good and handy. You should run it off an AC adaptor as it will consume batteries very quickly. I had one but I sold it. I've got a few delay pedals that have better sounding delay and more versatile delay, and my amps have good sounding spring reverb, so the pedal was not really needed. I enjoyed it most for extreme ambient effects. You can get a totally wet signal out of the RV3 and that's pretty cool, but not very useful for standard steel guitar playing. The RV3 would be an exceptional pedal if had these features: 1) a high-end roll-off to make it sound less digital (not that I don't like digital, but it would be nice to have a tone control on the delay; 2) a pre-delay feature to send only the delay's return signal to the reverb; and, of course, a tap tempo feature. As is it's a good sounding pedal, but there are more flexible and versatile options, but those are perhaps larger or would be combining two small pedals.

Johnny Thomasson · Post by **Johnny Thomasson** » 16 Sep 2009 5:07 pm

Dickie Overby uses an RV-3.

Tom Wolverton · Post by **Tom Wolverton** » 17 Sep 2009 6:29 am

L. Green and D. Overby. That got my attention. I have one and hardly use it. Time to dust it off. And, yes, the AC adaptor is a must.

Charley Hill · Post by **Charley Hill** » 18 Sep 2016 3:51 pm

Andy Sandoval wrote:Doesn't Lloyd Green still use an RV-3?

That was what he was playing through the other day while I was there. Incredible sound coming out of the telonics 12 amp with the pedal.

Carl Kilmer · Post by **Carl Kilmer** » 18 Sep 2016 4:50 pm

Ron Elliott has used an RV-3 for years with a N112 amp. Super nice sound.

David Nugent · Post by **David Nugent** » 19 Sep 2016 3:35 am

Jon...Before deciding on the DD3, you owe it to yourself to try the new Boss 'Wazacraft' DM2 (analog) reissue. Cost is a bit more but well worth it in my opinion. Analog delays just seem warmer to me, less sterile sounding than digital units for lack of a better term.

Bob Poole · Post by **Bob Poole** » 25 Apr 2017 2:31 am

I just picked up a Waza Craft & I love it....I had an "original" back in the day.I was playing guitar in a blues band back then & bought it from our harp player to use with my Tele/Fender Showman rig,sounded great...I went on to a harp playing gig after that for a few years & used it with great results for harp..I never tried it with my steel back then.Sold it a long time ago and every delay pedal I've tried since made me regret that decision.Very pleased with the Waza Craft.....doggone it....now Hilton has a delay....I'd like to try one of those.

Jack Hanson · Post by **Jack Hanson** » 25 Apr 2017 7:12 am

I have the Boss DD-3, DD-5, and DD-7 delays and the RV-5 reverb. All sound okay. Also have the Digitech Hardwire RV-7 reverb and DL-8 delay, which to me sound marginally better than the Bosses. All the digital pedals sound somewhat sterile and clinical to my old ears. Plus, they all somewhat disappear into the cymbal wash in a live band situation.

Best sound I've yet to achieve is the combination of a Van Amps Sole-Mate reverb pedal and a Joyo JF-33 analog delay.

The USA-built Sole-Mate is an analog unit with a short MOD spring reverb tank under the hood. It's the same model tank that FMIC installs in their Blues Junior. Somewhat spendy, but worth every penny in my book.

The imported JF-33 is so inexpensive as to be considered disposable, like a BIC lighter.

The Boss and Hardwire digital pedals are all quite versatile with multiple functions. The Sole-Mate and JF-33 are basically one-trick-ponies. But for what they can do, they both do it well in my opinion.