Boss RV-6 Settings Guide
Eight reverb types in a compact unit. Industry standard for every context from subtle room ambience to cavernous shimmer.
Used by: David Gilmour, The Edge, John Mayer, Carlos Santana
The best Boss RV-6 settings start with: Mode at 3/10, Time at 4/10, Tone at 5/10, Level at 4/10. Adjust from there based on your amp, guitar, and room volume. For Blues: Mode 4/10, Time 3/10, Tone 5/10, Level 3/10.
⚡ Start Here — Recommended Settings
| Control | Starting Position | Range |
|---|---|---|
| Mode | 3/10 | Room → Shimmer |
| Time | 4/10 | Short → Infinite |
| Tone | 5/10 | Dark → Bright |
| Level | 4/10 | Dry → Wet |
These are universal starting points. Adjust based on your amp, guitar, and room. Scroll down for genre-specific settings and artist-documented positions.
What Each Control Does
Recommended Starting Settings
Safe starting positions for any style. Adjust from here based on your amp and room.
All values on a 0–10 scale. These are starting points — fine-tune by ear.
Settings by Genre
Spring reverb, moderate time, subtle level. The vintage spring character suits single-coil pickups perfectly — slapback + spring is the Fender clean sound.
Hall reverb, medium decay, moderate level. Adds dimension to Les Paul and humbucker tones without washing out the mid-range character.
Short spring reverb with bright tone — the traditional Fender country sound. Keep level subtle so the reverb feels like the amp breathing rather than an obvious effect.
Hall or Plate with long decay. Let chords wash into each other.
Room reverb, short decay, subtle. Jazz players often prefer minimal reverb — the room sound should be heard but never identified as "reverb".
Artist Settings
Documented settings used by professional guitarists on this unit.
Gilmour uses hall/plate reverb as a core texture — not a wash, but a dimensional presence behind leads. His reverb runs in the effects loop after delay, at moderate level so it supports the delay repeats without competing. On slow solos like Comfortably Numb, reverb time is generous (decay ~5); for faster lines it tightens up.
The Edge uses reverb as a secondary ambience layer behind heavy delay — the delay is the primary effect, reverb adds the sense of a large space. He keeps reverb level lower than the delay level so they don't compete. Hall mode at medium decay. The combination of specific delay times + light reverb creates the U2 "stadium" sound.
Mayer uses spring reverb on his Fender amps — the RV-6's spring mode captures this. Short decay, moderate level, bright tone. On slow blues the reverb time increases; on rhythm playing it stays short and dry-adjacent. The goal is a vintage Fender combo feel, not a wet effect.
Santana uses hall reverb at moderate level as a core sustain tool — the reverb tail extends his sustain artificially and creates the smooth, singing note quality. His lead tone without reverb loses much of its vocal character. Level is higher than most rock players would use.
Tips & Common Mistakes
- Spring reverb (Mode 4) suits single-coil pickups and classic rock/blues best. Plate suits any pickup type.
- Place reverb last in the signal chain (or in effects loop). Reverb before overdrive muddies the sound.
- The Dynamic mode automatically reduces reverb during playing and lets it bloom in pauses — professional technique for keeping busy passages clear while chords ring out.
- Level at 3–4 makes reverb feel like the room. Level at 6+ makes reverb an obvious effect. Most guitarists want the former.
- The +Delay mode combines reverb and delay — a useful performance shortcut but gives less precise control than running dedicated reverb and delay pedals separately.
- The Shimmer mode adds an octave-up pitch layer to the reverb tail — best used with long Time and moderate Level so it swells in gradually rather than competing with the dry signal. Pair with a volume pedal for evolving ambient textures.
- Set Tone darker (2–3) for warm vintage reverb into bright amps or single-coil guitars. Brighter Tone (7–8) suits darker humbuckers or warm amplifiers — balance the system's total character rather than judging the pedal in isolation.
- Short Time (1–2) in Room mode creates subtle acoustic room presence for a direct-injected guitar signal — it prevents a DI tone from sounding sterile without adding an obvious effect. Useful for studio recording where a natural "live in room" feel is needed.
FAQ
Boss RV-6 — Common Questions
Best starting settings for Boss RV-6: Mode at 3/10, Time at 4/10, Tone at 5/10, Level at 4/10. Adjust from there based on your guitar, room, and playing style.
For Blues: Mode 4/10, Time 3/10, Tone 5/10, Level 3/10. Spring reverb, moderate time, subtle level. The vintage spring character suits single-coil pickups perfectly — slapback + spring is the Fender clean sound.
For Classic Rock: Mode 2/10, Time 4/10, Tone 5/10, Level 4/10. Hall reverb, medium decay, moderate level. Adds dimension to Les Paul and humbucker tones without washing out the mid-range character.
Mode: Reverb type: Room, Hall, Plate, Spring, Modulate, Dynamic, Shimmer, +Delay. (Room to Shimmer). Time: Reverb decay time. Shorter = intimacy; longer = space. (Short to Infinite). Tone: Colour of the reverb tail. Darker = vintage; brighter = studio. (Dark to Bright). Level: Mix of reverb vs dry signal. (Dry to Wet)
Spring reverb (Mode 4) suits single-coil pickups and classic rock/blues best. Plate suits any pickup type. Place reverb last in the signal chain (or in effects loop). Reverb before overdrive muddies the sound. The Dynamic mode automatically reduces reverb during playing and lets it bloom in pauses — professional technique for keeping busy passages clear while chords ring out. Level at 3–4 makes reverb feel like the room. Level at 6+ makes reverb an obvious effect. Most guitarists want the former. The +Delay mode combines reverb and delay — a useful performance shortcut but gives less precise control than running dedicated reverb and delay pedals separately. The Shimmer mode adds an octave-up pitch layer to the reverb tail — best used with long Time and moderate Level so it swells in gradually rather than competing with the dry signal. Pair with a volume pedal for evolving ambient textures. Set Tone darker (2–3) for warm vintage reverb into bright amps or single-coil guitars. Brighter Tone (7–8) suits darker humbuckers or warm amplifiers — balance the system's total character rather than judging the pedal in isolation. Short Time (1–2) in Room mode creates subtle acoustic room presence for a direct-injected guitar signal — it prevents a DI tone from sounding sterile without adding an obvious effect. Useful for studio recording where a natural "live in room" feel is needed.
David Gilmour settings: Mode 3/10, Time 5/10, Tone 5/10, Level 4/10. Gilmour uses hall/plate reverb as a core texture — not a wash, but a dimensional presence behind leads. His reverb runs in the effects loop after delay, at moderate level so it supports the delay repeats without competing. On slow solos like Comfortably Numb, reverb time is generous (decay ~5); for faster lines it tightens up.
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