Keeley RK2000

The Keeley RK2000 Funk Siren Delay is a delay pedal that recreates the Ibanez DM2000, a 12-bit digital rack-mounted delay unit from 1983, in a stompbox format¹. Keeley replicates the original rack's 12-bit conversion and its analog compander circuits, so the repeats carry the grainy, lo-fi-ish character of the source machine rather than a clean modern delay²¹. Delay time runs up to 1023 ms, set from 1 ms, with tape-style modulation, a Hold function for infinite repeats, tap tempo and true stereo ping-pong²¹³.

The name comes from the original unit's best-known user: Premier Guitar reports that Trey Anastasio uses the DM2000 to create an ambient loop called the Funk Siren⁴. Like every Keeley pedal, the RK2000 is designed and manufactured in Oklahoma, USA⁴.

A 12-bit digital delay with modulation and hold

The RK2000 is built around the quirks of the 1983 Ibanez/Maxon DM2000 rack unit: its 12-bit conversion and its unique analog compander circuits²¹. Guitar Pedal X describes the result as a pedal-sized Freeze-Hold/Ambient Loop Delay with tape-style modulation⁵. What that means in practice is a delay whose repeats degrade as they repeat. Delicious Audio put it this way:

The modulation is the other half of the character. Gearnews found it spans "the spectrum from subtle doubling and liquid chorus to frantic flanging and deep-diving pitch vibratos"¹. The LFO is unusually slow at its bottom end: a deep, slow LFO capable of cycles lasting up to 44 seconds².

The Hold function is a dedicated footswitch that captures audio slices for infinite sustain, letting you play over a frozen pad or warp the sound with the onboard controls¹. On the right footswitch, it freezes the delay buffer; press and hold to clear the loop and start fresh². A built-in Tap Tempo switch sets delay time on the fly⁵.

The controls

The pedal carries seven knobs: Blend, Feedback, Filter, Depth, Input, Rate and Time¹. Delicious Audio's control-by-control breakdown:

The Input knob is worth a note for players coming from modern delays: because it feeds the delay circuit itself, pushing it adds grit to the repeats rather than to the whole signal². A Mod pushbutton on the right engages the dramatic pitch modulation, transforming simple repeats into swirling, tape-slam textures².

Bypass is selectable between true and buffered, depending on whether you need delay trails¹. Switching is soft touch relay, with top-mounted jacks⁵.

MIDI, presets and expression

The RK2000 accepts standard MIDI PC and CC messages to control and automate parameter changes, recall presets, and sync with external devices such as an external MIDI clock⁷. It receives on channels 1 to 16, adjustable via a MIDI Channel Setup mode⁷.

On preset counts the published figures disagree: Keeley's manual says you can "instantly recall any of its 127 presets"⁷, and Pedal of the Day repeats the 127 figure³, while Gearnews reported 72 presets via MIDI¹. The maker's manual is the number to work from. Delicious Audio notes that $369 gets you five onboard presets².

The Exp/MIDI TRS jack also handles expression control over any parameter²³. A separate Remote TRS jack on the top panel allows external Mod/Bypass switching³, and expression and remote control inputs sit on the rear panel¹.

The pedal is stereo, with Normal and Ping-Pong modes that Gearnews found "can sound pretty massive in a stereo rig"¹. Pedal of the Day describes the modes as Parallel or Ping Pong, both sounding big in a stereo setup³.

The Ibanez/Maxon DM2000 behind it

The source machine is the 1983 Ibanez/Maxon DM2000, a digital delay rack unit. Guitar Pedal X describes the original as a 16-bit digital delay⁴, while the RK2000 replicates the original's 12-bit conversion and analog compander circuits¹. The rack acquired the moniker "Dub Siren" for its popularized use within dub and reggae music formats and its quirky capabilities⁵.

Gearnews's author believes this is the first time the Ibanez delay unit has been recreated as a stompbox, "so it is pretty unique in that regard"¹. Pedal of the Day's reviewer has owned a DM2000 for close to 15 years and says the RK2000 "takes all that is amazing" about that machine and puts it in pedal form³.

Versions and pricing

The Standard Edition comes in a dark bronze-brown colourway, priced at $369⁵. Delicious Audio lists the price at $395², so the published US prices disagree; Keeley's own page also gives $369². Two Custom Shop PGH editions in Glow White or Black, marked with a small colorful PGH fish icon, had been available for a while beforehand, at $369 solo or $420 with a two-switch remote footswitch⁵. The Remote Switch costs around $51 when bought at the same time as the pedal, or $79 later on its own⁵.

What reviewers said

Pedal of the Day called it "a modern ode to a classic, perhaps under-appreciated rack delay from decades past," adding that "this gray box is full of more options, tones and sounds than you'll know what to do with"³. The same review describes it as a studio-quality stereo delay pedal designed to bridge the gap between classic rack delay units and modern pedalboard functionality³.

Videos

Click to load

Click to load

Click to load

News

Questions