Boss RT-2 Rotary Ensemble

Boss attempts to take everything that made the RT-20 great and shrink it to a third of its size

- BY ALEX LYNHAM

THE ROTARY SPEAKER effect is a classic of the early rock 'n' roll era, and Boss aims to bring back the goodness it captured in its original RT-20 pedal in a more compact guise here. In typical Boss style, the RT-2 is a tank. Even the delicate-looking display is reinforced! RT-20 fans will recognize the display style from the RT-20 — a virtual rotor display with lights to indicate the treble and bass rotor speeds. It certainly looks cool, too.

The RT-2 is straightforward, with most controls accessible on the front panel except for the Rise and Fall time (a switch to select between Slow and Fast) and Drive Balance. Impressively, it manages to cram most of the features of its predecessor, the larger RT-20, into this smaller footprint. This is achieved by combining the two footswitches.