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!

Basically it's a pedal designed to switch a separate circuit in and out of your normal signal path between guitar and amp. For example, you can kick several pedals on with just one main loop switch.

The 'Double Loop With Bypass' has one switch that flips the circuit from 'on' to 'Bypass' and another switch that flips from loop 1 to loop 2 and back again. On each side of the box are the send and return sockets. Loop 1 is arranged on the left of the box and loop 2 on the right. This way it's easy to remember which pedals are in which loop. 

(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 as well as back to a pure clean sound with the 'Bypass' switch.

 

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) One modification I get asked for is to have loop 2 additional to loop 1, (either at the beginning or end of the loop). For example, Loop 1 might have overdrive and chorus and Loop 2 adds, a Harmonizer and a Delay. (Rather than Overdrive and Chorus or Harmonizer and Delay).

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.

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.

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.