Anyone who knows about the original Roland RE-201 Space Echo knows how sought-after and incredible they sound, but one of the main drawbacks for today’s musicians is the fact that they are really expensive and pretty rare. Well, look on eBay no more: the folks at Roland & Boss have an answer for you in the form of the RE-20 Twin Pedal Space Echo.
We know, RE-201 purists, it’s not the same thing…but it is REALLY close. Don’t sell this pedal short just because it doesn’t weigh 50 pounds and cost $800. You’ve got all the options of the original, plus a few modern improvements to sweeten the deal. All of the modes are the same as on the 201, and most of the other knobs are, too. There’s an EQ section, separate volume controls for Reverb, Echo and Input, a nice bright LED for your Peak Level, as well as Repeat Rate and Intensity to round things out. The Space Echo is will not give you incredible delay sounds, nor does it deviate from the echo sounds too much. The Reverb and Echo, though, are really useful, especially for reggae music, or big, open-ended jam sessions that require a little trip to the stratosphere. The built-in Tap Tempo feature is also key to this pedal’s success, allowing echo time adjustments in a moment’s notice. You can also run it in Stereo between 2 amps, taking it up a notch as far as spaced-out sonic soundscapes are concerned. Finally, an expression pedal jack tops off the options, allowing the user to control the Repeat Rate, Intensity, Echo Level and Twist, depending on which parameter you set it for. Not bad for a pedal smaller than a loaf of bread.
The Reverb by itself is not the greatest, but it will do a descent job (I use a different pedal for reverb altogether). The real treat here is the entire Echo portion, which is versatile, gooey and spacious, and can hold a candle to any other echo-type pedal out there. Sure, we’d all love to own an original RE-201, but since that probably won’t happen for the majority of us, the RE-20 from Boss and Roland is a tasty alternative.
Specs:
– Amazing simulation of the famous Roland RE-201, with the spacious, analog tone of the original Space Echo
– Faithful modeling of the RE-201’s tape flutter and magnetic head sound saturation
– Tap input pedal allows delay time to be set by foot
– Longer delay time than the original RE-201
– Control parameters such as REPEAT RATE, INTENSITY, and more via Expression pedal
– MODE SELECTOR knob with 12 placements just likes the original Space Echo
Submitted by Mike B, Website
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