Double Loop Switch

No need to tap dance! Just kick in a loop!

We've all been there, "here comes the change and I need that pedal on... and that pedal on... but at the same time... how on earth am I going to do that?!?!?". After a breif attempt at 'tap' dancing, we either look like an total idiot, trip over the Wah-wah and land on the drum kit or kick the wrong pedal on at the wrong time causing the rest of the band to look over dis-approvingly!

"There must be an easier way...", I hear you say... and there is!

What is a LOOP Switch?

The Loop switch is a basic pedal designed to switch a separate circuit in and out of your normal signal path between guitar and amp. The Double Loop Switch replaces the 'True Bypass' setting of a Single Loop switch with a second loop, so you switch from loop 1 to loop 2 and back again.

When pressed, the switch re-routes the input to another socket, (send), which you connect to the input of your pedal chain and back to another socket, (return), which is re-routed to the output. Therefore, you can switch from one set of effects to another by clicking just one switch!

(1) From Guitar to Amp
This is the typical place to use a loop switch, kicking in certain pedals to use on your dirty sound. (Effects used on both settings should be outside the loop, i.e. Wah-wah before the loop switch and reverb afterwards). Here are a few ideas...

1) You could make loop 1 your 'Dirty' sound by having Overdrive, Flanger, Noise gate and Delay and loop 2 your 'Clean' sound with a Compressor and a Chorus. When the loop 1 is switched in, any or all of the pedals in the loop will be switched into the circuit, ideal for kicking in the Overdrive with Noise gate for a rhythm sound. You can even add the Delay at the end of a solo and by turning the loop switch off, you'll turn off the Overdrive, Noise gate and Delay at the same time.

2) A lot of guitarists end up collecting several pedals over the years and it's not unusual to have several pedals that do the same effect. The Double Loop switch allows you to set up 2 identical loops with different settings. For example, loop 1 might have a retro style overdrive with a light phaser on top, while loop 2 might have a modern heavy Distortion with a thick Flanger. The loop switch allows you to switch between styles with ease.

3) Guitarists find they get a great solo sound by leaving the Wah-wah turned on, so that it boosts the mid frequencies. The only problem is that in order to turn the Wah-wah on, you have to push the pedal to the top, so you'd start and end your solo with a treble boost. By placing the Wah-wah in the loop, you can leave it on and set to the correct frequency and kick it in and out when you need it.

4) You can also use the looper as a 'Tuner' switch by plugging the 'send' into the input of the tuner, but not connecting anything to the 'return'. When the pedal is turned 'on', the signal will be directed to the tuner, but no signal will go on to the amp.

5) If you want to use the Double Loop switch to turn just one loop on, you can connect a patch lead across the sockets of loop 2 to create a bypass.

(2) Send and Return loop

If using the amp to get your overdrive sound, any Chorus, Flanger, Delay or Reverb will need to be in the amps send and return loop. Unless you have a function on the footswitch, (most don't), you won't be able to turn the amps loop on and off. If you want to turn two or more pedals off at the same time, or switch between 2 Delay pedals, place the loop switch in the amps send and return and kick it in and out as described in the section above.

What does the LED mean?

I've been asked to add LED's as an option to various pedals in the range, mainly so you can tell at a glance when the unit is on/off. I've used a 'Super Bright Ice Blue' LED so that this pedal will stand out from the others on your pedal board. These boys are bright!

Most switches I've seen in the past have one LED for one channel and another, (same colour), for the second, however across a darkened stage you can't tell which channel you're on. So, I have one LED for loop 1 and two LED's for loop 2. Simple but effective!

Testimonial

"I don't sell the Keeley Looper in the UK, the price is unreasonably high for what it is. Your best bet is to look at a store on eBay, user name little-black-box who is a good guy and makes top quality switching units at very reasonable prices, much cheaper than I would have to charge for the Keeley item."

Best regards, David
Keeley Electronics Europe

What about build quality?

Over recent years Guitarists have been going back to some more traditional methods in the search for a purer tone. That means heading away from PCB's, (Printed Circuit Boards) and back to point-to-point wiring using thicker cables. This is a trend that definitely works as the larger the area the signal has to travel on, the less it's restricted, so the purer the sound. You can see various examples of this with amps like the Cornford range, Marshall's latest 'Hand Wired' series, as well as the 'Hand Wired' Vox AC30's.

All my units are made by hand with high grade components to keep your signal as pure as possible. I have over 10 years experience as a Guitar Tech as well as several years experience in electronic assembly to medical spec.

Box - Die Cast Aluminium in a rugged Black finish
Switch - Heavy Duty Footswitch made by Carling,
(also used by several American manufacturers like
Fender, Electro Harmonix, etc).
Jacks - Sturdy 1/4 inch jack socket made by Switchcraft,
(also used by several American manufacturers like Gibson, etc).
Wire - 22 SWG Single core Vintage Style Cloth covered,
(Preferred by Guitar and Amp Tech's worldwide).
Solder - Higher Silver content to improve connectivity.
Size - L=11.9cm W=9.4cm D=5.8cm
Battery - 9v PP3 (Included)

Make sure you add the optional PSU Socket if you prefer to use a 9v power supply!

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.

This item comes with a 1 year warranty that covers parts and labour. If a fault occurs it's the owners responsibility to return the goods via a secure postage method. I will repair or replace and return the goods at my cost.

(Based on 2 Reviews)

Price: £49.99

Product Options:

LED colour

Product Code: DL-LED

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Reviews / Comments

Double Loop Switch

"I am a bass player with a number of good quality effects with true bypass, and a multi-effects pedal on my board. The multi-effects pedal has some great sounds but also adds noise to the effects chain and destroys the tone of my bass when bypassed. The answer: a Double Loop Switch! I have the good quality pedals in one loop, and the multi effects pedal on the other. That way I can move between each of the tonal options and get the best tone possible out of each of the pedals. Jon was really approachable and helped me to decide which of his little black boxes would offer me the solution I needed. He wired the Double Loop Switch up to my requirements at no extra cost, and having ordered the pedal on a Sunday afternoon I was amazed when it arrived so quickly, on the Tuesday morning. The switch, box and inputs are robust and have a good solid feel, and there is absolutely no signal leakage between the two loops when either loop is selected. I could not be happier with my Double Looper Switch and five stars doesn't do justice to the quality of the product or the excellent service! "

Jun 12 2009, 16:37 PMby Paul Robbie

Double loop switch

"After nearly 30 years trying to get to grips with the guitar (I may just get there by the time I shuffle off this mortal coil) I finally extracted digit from fundament and decided to build my ultimate pedalboard. At an early stage I decided that I wanted the pedals in two "banks" or loops, with a switch box to select between them. Trawling eBay, as one does, threw up a few loop switches, but most were either single loop, or else unnecessarily complicated double loop boxes with two or three footswitches, tuner outputs, etc. Talk about a sledgehammer to crack a nut! Nobody seemed to make a simple box with two loops, one solitary footswitch to select between them, and some sort of LED indicator. I was on the point of dusting off the soldering iron and making my own, when by chance I happened upon the Little Black Box Shop. Emails were exchanged with Jon, the helpful and friendly proprietor, who was very accommodating and happy to build a double loop box with no graphics, contrasting colour LEDs to indicate which loop is "on" and a 9v power socket (but no battery clip). The turnaround time was very acceptable, and a few days later a very well-packaged double loop switch pedal arrived in the post. Build quality cannot be faulted - the diecast enclosure, jack sockets and footswitch are reassuringly heavy-duty. The paint finish, a slightly hammer-textured black, is far better than many other "boutique" pedals I have bought. There was a tiny smear of glue on one of the LEDs, which took a second to remove with a sharp Stanley blade. To be honest I would have preferred the LEDs to have bezels instead of being glued to the case, but that is my only (very minor) gripe. As to the function - it's simple, effective, and does exactly what I wanted it to do. The contrasting-colour LEDs (pink and blue in my case) work very well, and the switching is positive and silent. What more can I say? An excellent product. Adrian Sacco July 2008"

Jul 10 2008, 10:08 AMby Adrian Sacco