Just picked up a Boss RT-20 rotary pedal...

[eriko]

Hi gang,

 

I just picked up a Boss RT-20 pedal from my local music shop. I wanted to give a solid A-B comparison between the pedal and the Leslie sim on my Kurz K2600X.

Well, the jury is still out. I want to do some more tweaking before I decide to return the pedal or not.

Both sims sound pretty good in their own right.

I realize, of course, a simulator will never take the place of a real Leslie, but size, availability, and funds sort of limit that opportunity.

Anyone happen to give one a try?

 

Erik

[musicalaccents]

Eriko: I've been waiting on a review myself. My goal is to have my gear as versatile as possible without all the great costs involved. I am seriously thinking about the RT-20. What amp are you running your RT-20 through? A Roland? Thanks for trying out the RT-20...all the cats in this forum seem to, at one time or another, give an intelligent review on items they've purchased and that's partly what makes this forum great!

[Joe Tee]

Spend a few extra bucks and buy an H&K Tube Rotosphere....as far as pedal sims....I don't think you'll find a better one. Watch Ebay...they show up there occasionally.

 

Good Luck

[JMcS]

You might look into one of these:

http://www.polytoneamps.com/Taurus%20Elite.htm

Sounds great and comes with a built in amp.

[Phil Aiken]

The Boss unit sounds better in terms of it's rotary sim than any standalone sim I've tried. Other than the Dynacord, I've tried all the contenders.

 

The glaring problem with the Boss unit is that it can tolerate very low signal level at the input. Using an XK-3 for example, you have to have the volume WAY down. Also the distortion on the Boss sounds like dung even then. Even though there is a switch

for guitar/keys, it doesn't do much, and the unit seems designed for guitarists.

All that said, it does sound wonderful if you play within it's limitations.

[eriko]

I have tried the H&K, and I wasn't terribly satisfied with the sound.

After spending a few hours last night and this morning, this is my review so far:

I really like the chorale/slow setting on the RT-20. It sounds like it's "breathing" and alive. The fast setting sounds okay, but not quite what I was hoping for. It sounds a little better than a "warble".

The fast setting on the K2600x you can hear the "beating" a little more clearly.

The ramp up time is excellent. You can tweak it if you like, but the factory default is fine for me.

Beethree, you are right about the input level. I have to turn the volume down, otherwise the sound gets distorted.

I have not played around with the overdrive yet.

Just for fun I think I will try the chorale on the Boss, and the fast on the Kurz.

I really want to like this unit. I hope I can find some settings that will make me happy. If not, I have 30 days to return it. Plus, the lights are cool!

[ksounds]

Be sure to experiment with the KDFX parameters on your K2600. There are some killer, diverse rotary effects to be had there, far beyond what can be demonstrated in a few factory presets.