BOSS RE-202 & RE-2 Space Echo [Upgrade From RE-20? And Why Use A Space Echo Anyway?]

Should you upgrade from the RE-20? In fact do you even want a multi-head delay at all?

Life too short for long YouTube videos? Please see the ‘Interesting bits and go-to sections’ information below.

Welcome to the show! We’ll compare the RE-202 to the Strymon Volante and Line 6 DL4 MkII NEXT WEEK. But for now…
We finally got our hands on Boss’s exciting new RE-202 and RE-2 Space Echoes. Why all the fuss? Well, back in 1974 Roland debuted perhaps the most loved and still-cherished tape echo unit of all time, the RE-201 Space Echo. Popular with guitarists forever, they’ve nonetheless waned from common usage because of their, shall we say, ‘mechanical fallibilities’. However that mechanical, analogue uniqueness is what defines the sound of the RE-201 and explains why you’ll still find them in studios everywhere, loved and maintained by people who just can’t make the sound any other way.
Boss – offspring of Roland – introduced the RE-20 pedal all the way back in 2007, a digital emulation of the fabled RE-201 in a relatively compact pedal format. Sure, it didn’t sound exactly like the 201, but it did a great job and has remained much loved ever since.
2022 seems numerically appropriate as all these 2s and 0s 1s have reformed for the all-new RE-2 and RE-202: two new pedals that benefit from everything Roland and Boss have learned over these 48 years since the seminal machine. As you’d expect, we have them all here for subjection to schwang.

Now this is not a deep dive into all the features. For that we’d //really// recommend Pete Thorn’s demo here:    • THE BEST TAPE DELAY PEDAL EVER? BOSS ...  

And to get another listen to whether the RE-202 and RE-2 sound like an old RE-201, check out Andy Martin’s demo at reverb.com here:    • BOSS' New RE-202 Space Echo vs. a Vin...  

Meantime, we’ll be asking some TPS-shaped questions, that hopefully doesn’t repeat [geddit, repeat] too much of what’s already out there. Enjoy the video!

Our old video on the RE-201    • Tape Echo: Echo Fix EF-X2 meets Vinta...  

Pedals in this episode
• TheGigRig Three2One
https://www.thegigrig.com/three2one

• Sonic Research ST-200 Turbo Tuner
Australia: http://bit.ly/2mR1s8c

• Keeley D&M Drive
UK & Europe: https://bit.ly/3zaTX5Z
Australia: http://bit.ly/2pUDUAE

• Roland RE-201 Space Echo
No longer made, but check out SoundGas where we bought ours…
https://soundgas.com/collections/proc...

• Providence DLY-4 Chrono Delay
UK & Europe: https://bit.ly/3zaTX5Z

• Boss RE-20 Space Echo (soon to be discontinued)
UK & Europe: https://bit.ly/3zaTX5Z

• Boss RE-2 Space Echo
UK & Europe: https://bit.ly/3zaTX5Z
Australia: https://bit.ly/38vMvoS

• Boss RE-202 Space Echo
UK & Europe: https://bit.ly/3zaTX5Z
Australia: https://bit.ly/3OGUdgq

• TheGigRig G3
https://www.thegigrig.com/g3

Guitars in this episode
• 1961 Fender Stratocaster - no video yet

• Gretsch Player’s Edition G6118T Anniversary – Dan’s video here:    • That Pedal Show – Our Guitars & Gear:...  

• Fender Custom Shop ’63 Telecaster – Dan’s video here    • That Pedal Show – Our Guitars & Gear:...  

Amps in this episode
• Fender Custom Shop Bass Breaker (2003-ish) with 2 x 12-inch Celestion Vintage 30 speakers

• 1961 Vox AC30 with Celestion Alnico Blue speakers

Interesting bits and go-to sections
0:00 Intro playing
2:30 What we’re doing: today’s questions
7:36 Today’s amps
9:36 Why use a Space Echo anyway?
12:50 Demo of three delays heads
14:35 Multiple repeats?
15:40 Magic mix of multiple head repeats
16:40 Wow & flutter?
20:02 RE-201 & RE-202 compared
23:10 Manipulating intensity & delay time
29:15 Saturation control?
33:05 RE-2 or RE-202?
33:15 RE-201 spring reverb
37:50 RE-202 reverbs, five of ’em!
42:20 What about the RE-20?
45:36 RE-202 and RE-20 comparison
50:20 RE-2, 20, 201 and 202 comparison
57:30 Closing thoughts

We hope you enjoy this episode. Please subscribe to our channel.

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