RC-20XL Loop Station Review

Whether for use onstage or at home, the new RC-20XL will add depth and excitement to your performances by allowing you to layer phrases in real time - as many stacks as you like until you fill up the 16 minutes of ample recording space on the RC-20XL. Explore the expressive options of sound-on-sound performance by layering your own phrases to create a massive 'one-person band' experience. Build the ultimate solo, and do it all live in real time.

Ease of Use:	8.2
Sound:	8.8
Reliability:	9.4
Impression:	9
Overall rating:	8.9
Users rating:	6.5
Comments:	8

overall: 10

Featured review by: Nikeman, on february 01, 2006

Price paid: $ 350

Ease of Use: This twin pedal is amazing. It doesn't alter the sound at all. It sounds crystal clear. You can even hook it up to the computer and get perfect recordings. The manual explaned everything. It looks very confusing at first. // 10

Sound: I usually record rythms onto it and then solo over it. I use it for RHCP, Rage Against The Machine, and anything else that pops into my head. I also use two RG series Ibanezes on it with a Crate amp. It has an input vol, Phrase selector (the loops that were recorded), drum macine volume, mic volume, and final out put volume. You can put drum beats on your loops as long as the song is in 4/4, and there are plenty of beats to choose from, and if you forget to record something you can overdub. It has about 11 minutes of recording time/memory. // 10

Reliability & Durability: Of corse it is dependable because it is a pedal, but even if it wasn't, I'm not buying another. // 10

Impression: My skills in soloing were pretty much absent before I got this. It plays back your loops backwards, you can hook a cd player to it and slow songs down so you can learn them faster, and you can record chord progressions and just jam for hours. It is the best pedal to to buy for guitarist's who have no friends. // 10

overall: 7.5

Reviewed by: UniverseZero, on august 18, 2007

Purchased from: ZZounds.com

Ease of Use: This is a very hard pedal to use right, you can easily set tempo by tapping on the right pedal and record over the guide metronome but it's very difficult to stop the recording on the right place even with the pedal's function of cutting right with the tempo. The manual is very clear but that doesn't help you to get the right spot to stop recording. // 6

Sound: This pedal doesn't add any kind of noise or color to the sound, very clear, transparent maybe. It comes with some loops you can play over wich are very good. The Overdubbing function is slightly weird, you can only overdub one compass at a time and then it will play it while you still overdub, IMO it should start replaying what you overdubbed when you press the stop recording button but whatever. // 8

Reliability & Durability: It comes in a very sturdy box, it's a pretty heavy pedal too, but it eats your batteries like crazy. I would use it without backup, but you must take extra batteries all the time! The buttons, knobs and both switches seem to be strong enough to take abuse, but I wouldn't jump on them or anything, I like to take very good care of my stuff. // 9

Impression: I play everything from blues to metal, this works for everything obviously. I have been playing for a couple of years and this is one of my first pedals, I like it a lot even though it's difficult to use. If it was stolen most probably I would buy another because it's useful to write new songs and their riffs/solos. I love how this pedal gives you such an easy way to practice but I don't like the fact that I can't overdub really well with it. // 7

overall: 8.5

Reviewed by: unregistered, on march 22, 2006

Ease of Use: What the manual doesn't say. The base recorded loop defines the loop so you must stop and start it on the beat (it has 'auto' feature but personally I've gone off using them). But the overdubs can begin and end anytime and will be added to the loop as it goes around. So start it after you're synced in to the beat and stop when you hear the start sounding. Or keep it going, record silence a while and add another riff, then stop. Sorry if this is obvious to everyone else but I struggled at first trying to press pedal at 'right' time when it's not necessary. Also pressing both pedals erases all. // 7

Sound: I use it with acoustic guitar. Recorded sound is clean, even with several overdubs. It does what it's supposed to very well and keeps everything 'live'. The built in percussion is OK but has some odd naff sounds. I find to use it well needs forethought and orchestration because only last overdub can be erased on the fly and results can get too cluttered, but they can be exciting. // 9

Reliability & Durability: Rugged so long as you don't tread on the knobs. // 9

Impression: This is a great match for solo acoustic playing. You can tap a rhythm, add a base line and chords, motifs and riff on top. It's got a mic input so can even add harmony but I haven't tried it yet. Now there's units with longer time on memory cards so it's price has dropped to £150. Not confident to gig with it yet but can see it being an indespencible part of set. Started playing in 1956. You work it out. // 9

overall: 9.3

Reviewed by: Raulness, on may 19, 2008

Price paid: $ 180

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Ease of Use: I bought this used from Guitar Center so it came with no box or manual and I managed to figure out how to use in about 5 minutes on my own so as long as the actual functions go, it just requires common sense. Now, the actual looping is tricky when it comes to the timing but that holds true for most loop pedals. All I can say is practice, practice, practice. Some complain about the timing being too hard to master or that it takes too long to get the hang of but then again, guitar wasn't very easy to master either. For the most part it's a very easy loop pedal to use; just don't get frustrated if you can't get a loop on time your first few times using it. Deleting layers and the actual loop itself are very easy. It's as simple as holding down a pedal for about 3 seconds. // 8

Sound: I've run this pedal through a multiple amount of amps, from the crappy to the great and your sound doesn't change other than for the amp itself. This pedal is as if running clean through to an amp. The pedal sounds good at around the halfway volume for the instrument input and about a quarter of a half way for the mic input. The mix doesn't really get bad unless you put the input volumes all the way up (anyone Who knows about quality knows louder isn't better). The mix will rarely get to messy; that all the depends to the player. You can also use this more to create ambiance and weird noises like The Mars Volta by using the reverse option. Even other effects that are looped through the mix sound just as good. This pedal's sound really just depends on how well you tweak the output volumes. // 9

Reliability & Durability: It's about as durable as every other Boss pedal out there. Anyone Who has played with Boss for a good amount of time knows they probably haven't died out on you just yet. I bought this used at Guitar Center. They said it was 2 years old and it looked in mint condition and worked just as well. I can still say the same about it about a year later. I wouldn't need a backup at gig for it. This thing can take care of itself. // 10

Impression: This thing is as versatile as you need it to be. Need to practice your timing? Turn up the tempo Machine output. Want to just improve your soloing skills? Make a rhythm part and solo away for hours. Need a second guitarist but can't really trust anyone else? Make your own second guitar parts and call them out when you need them. Looking to write a more interesting piece of music? Use this thing to your advantage. Want to create your own vocal harmonies? Use the mic input. Want all sorts of psychedelic effects? Use the reverse option. The possibilities are endless and I think every guitarist should own for one reason or another. If lost I'd definitely buy another one. There are tons of other loopers out there and this one just feels like the standard. 16 minutes of loop is more than enough than you'll ever really need. I definitely recommend this to everyone. // 10

overall: 9

Reviewed by: BMXfreak000, on may 16, 2008

Price paid: $ 215

Purchased from: eBay

Ease of Use: My RC-20XL was made in 2004, but is still in mint condition. The manual is very easy to read - it even has a Quick Start page, allowing you to get killer loops right out of the box! It's great to have one pedal for creating phrases, and another to stop and tap tempo. Definately a welcome addition to both a beginner and a virtuoso's pedalboard. // 10

Sound: My signal runs from a BC Rich Bronze-Series Beast to the RC-20XL, then on to a Line 6 Flextone III Plus. There is no extra noise added by this pedal, but there is a loss of tone when connected after distortion. The instrument, microphone and auxiliary inputs all sound great. The built-in guide tones are pretty weak, but I use them as a tempo marker. // 8

Reliability & Durability: Like all Boss pedals, this thing is built like a tank. I would definately use this in a gig without a backup. It's also best to use this unit with a power supply, as it eats batteries like there's no tomorrow. I have dropped this pedal on the ground from about 6 inches (by accident! ) and there is absolutely no visible damage, and the unit still functions perfectly. // 9

Impression: I play mostly metal and shred. This pedal works great because the instrument volume does not compete with the loop's volume. I have been playing for about 4 years, and I don't know why I hadn't gotten this pedal earlier. It is great for forming a one-man band experience as well as practicing your soloing and improvisation. If it was lost or stolen, I would definately buy it again, after beating the person that took it! I compared this with the DigiTech JamMan, and I found that both pedals sound exactly the same, but I chose the Boss RC-20XL because it was cheaper. It would be nice if it included a Boss FS-5U footswitch to cycle through the loops or play a phrase in reverse, but it's not a necessity. Do yourself a favor and check out this amazing pedal. // 9

Comments

[BobChicken]

looks good... i think im gonna get this pedal unless anyone can recommend a better one? and how much is this in £UK?

[justin_fraser]

The RC-2 is just fine really. Its only a single pedal, but basically does what this thing does in a more compact way. Its less than half the price as well.

[TabooTapeworm]

they mentioned that you can slow down a CD player on this thing. Is it possible to slow down an MP3 also?

[travd92]

BobChicken wrote:

looks good... i think im gonna get this pedal unless anyone can recommend a better one? and how much is this in £UK?

i like this, but i would rather get a digitech jamman. its the exact same thing except the jamman has 24 minutes instead of only 11. and if you want to go out, you can upgrade the jamman to 6 1/2 hours.

[DeanMarkleysDad]

if your looking for a looper to use for jamming or over dubbing without tap dancing id grab a line 6 dl4, its a looper with 4 buttons and its a great delay pedal.

[Multiplayerjon]

I think i Should Get this... But i need The Money... And a Better Amp First...

[dfresh91]

i saw it at guitar center for 250

[Geeeeezer]

Mine was about £150. But I find that if you have two guitars going into the inputs (and yes I know you aren't meant to but it works) then the pedal chooses one of them to play louder than the other. Which is annoying when you wants the two guitars to be the same volume