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That scary effects loop and why would I want to use it?


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Effects loop is post-preamp. So most of your OD/distortion will occur prior to that. It's good for things like reverbs and delays - generally reverbs don't sound good going through distortion. Things like chorus will have a different sound up front vs the effects loop. Also, you can blend in the effect with the direct signal, rather than being in series.

Dan

 

Acoustic/Electric stringed instruments ranging from 4 to 230 strings, hammered, picked, fingered, slapped, and plucked. Analog and Digital Electronic instruments, reeds, and throat/mouth.

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Certain effects work best in front of the amp, some work best in the loop. Some don"t care. A general rule of thumb I"ve seen is that tuners, compression and dirt pedals- Fuzz, OD, & Distortion- should go in your main signal chain, while stuff like reverbs, delays, and the rest should reside in the loop.

 

But it"s not a hard & fast rule. The almost universally hated Boss Metal Zone has its fans, an a certain sizeable fraction of them say it works best in an effects loop, even though it"s a dirt pedal.

Sturgeon's 2nd Law, a.k.a. Sturgeon's Revelation: âNinety percent of everything is crapâ

 

My FLMS- Murphy's Music in Irving, Tx

 

http://murphysmusictx.com/

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I suffer from effects loop phobia. Sometimes I just want to cover it up with a piece of Gorilla tape. Should I use, how do I use it and do I need to use. :idk

 

First up, no, you don't have to use it. I rarely do, and I'm running a lot of FX. However . . .

 

As J. Dan and Dannyalcatraz said, Dirt boxes, Compressors, Wah-wah pedals all tend to go right into your Amp input, while Modulation, Delay and Reverb tend to go in the FX Loop.

 

It's mainly an issue if you're using your Amp for Distortion. EVH got some great sounds running his Phaser and Flanger pedals into a cranked Amp: Chorus & Reverb, OTOH, probably wouldn't sound as good.

 

Effects Loops became really popular during the "Rackscraper" craze in the late 80's/early 90's, where every Guitar rig seemed to come with a pedalboard and a rack full of Pre-Amps, Sonic Maximizers, Digital Delays & Reverbs, and such. Players would run their pedals, generally OD pedals, into the Amp, and run the rack gear in the FX Loop.

 

Feel free to message me with any other questions.

"Monsters are real, and Ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win." Stephen King

 

http://www.novparolo.com

 

https://thewinstonpsmithproject.bandcamp.com

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If you use the effects loop and go with large amount of effects consider two smaller seperate boards. My big board got so heavy I wished I had split it between loop and nose effects. The disadvantage is if you want to use an integrated effects switcher.

"It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne

 

"A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!!

So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt

 

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I'm at the point where I've assembled different 'boards for different Grab-&-Go rigs, among other things. Makes it easy to know what to bring, and to test out my rig beforehand.

"Monsters are real, and Ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win." Stephen King

 

http://www.novparolo.com

 

https://thewinstonpsmithproject.bandcamp.com

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I"m headed down that path myself...and I don"t go nowhar!

 

Been toying with discrete boards for Surf, Pop, Metal, Jazz, Latin, and 'Sci-Fi', maybe others.

Sturgeon's 2nd Law, a.k.a. Sturgeon's Revelation: âNinety percent of everything is crapâ

 

My FLMS- Murphy's Music in Irving, Tx

 

http://murphysmusictx.com/

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surfergirl- I recommend that you at least try your echo and tremolo pedals in your amp's effects-loop, at gig volume levels, to find if you like their sounds better there, or in front of the amps input. It's very likely that they will both sound better in the loop, especially the echo.

 

I really dig placing my many various pedals both in front of my tube-amps, and in their effects-loops.

 

Fill us in on what pedals you have and use, so we can kick the ball around about their order and placement between the guitar and the amp, or in the effects-loop.

Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do?

 

~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~

_ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _

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That's what I'm going to do. My smaller board is out of room and it's to cramped to operate accurately. Next size up it too big. I have a mini board I use for pedal steel. I'm not playing a Steel gig right now. I'm going to put my Trem, Chorus, A Delay, D Delay and Verb on the mini board and running through the loop. Take the Trem, Chorus and A Delay off the other board and add a 2nd EQ and loose up the layout and run it into the nose.

 

I guess a Carbon Copy works in the loop??? I've always been a digital delay guy. Just started using the CC this year.

"It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne

 

"A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!!

So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt

 

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I guess a Carbon Copy works in the loop??? I've always been a digital delay guy. Just started using the CC this year.

The MXR Carbon Copy analog echo pedals work wonderfully well in the effects-loop OR in front of the amp's input; probably even more betterer in the 'loop. Though, if your amp is overdriven, when the CC is in front at the input, the initial echo will be more overdriven, then each successive echo-repeat will be less and less overdriven. In the loop, they'll each be a bit 'cleaner'.

 

lightbulb.gif Put your tremolo after the CC (and after your reverb, for THE Classic sound) and adjust the echo-repeats to coincide with, say, every fourth or second pulse of the tremolo to conjure hypnotic vibes- or, to be slightly out-of-sync with the tremolo for a delicious rub...

Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do?

 

~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~

_ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _

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surfergirl- I recommend that you at least try your echo and tremolo pedals in your amp's effects-loop, at gig volume levels, to find if you like their sounds better there, or in front of the amps input. It's very likely that they will both sound better in the loop, especially the echo.

 

I really dig placing my many various pedals both in front of my tube-amps, and in their effects-loops.

 

Fill us in on what pedals you have and use, so we can kick the ball around about their order and placement between the guitar and the amp, or in the effects-loop.

 

I'm going to be using a Micro amp, Keeley compressor, EHX Satisfaction Fuzz, Fulltone 2B, JHS Tidewater Tremolo, and a Carbon Copy Delay. The compressor and Fulltone 2B are on the way.

Jenny S.
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like everyone said, try to Carbon Copy and the Tremolo in the efx loop. You may be very pleased with the results...

 

I've used efx loops, but also wet/dry set-ups with different amps, usually a Fender Twin clean with chorus and a Vox or Sovtek with more overdrive... and I tried out the Komet Ambikab, which is great.

 

[video:youtube]

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p90jr- I would SO0O0O0O0 L0O0O0O0OVE either a Komet Ambikab or a Komet Ambikab Jr... !!

 

I'm going to be using a Micro amp, Keeley compressor, EHX Satisfaction Fuzz, Fulltone 2B, JHS Tidewater Tremolo, and a Carbon Copy Delay. The compressor and Fulltone 2B are on the way.

 

Aaahh. Keep the Micro Amp, Keeley Compressor, EHX Satisfaction Fuzz, and Fulltone 2B between the guitar and amp; try them in the following order, but let your own ears and fingers be the final judge, and experiment!

 

Guitar > EHX Satisfaction Fuzz > Keeley Compressor > Fulltone 2B > Micro Amp

 

This way, the Fuzz will be 'happiest' being first in line from the guitar and its pickups and controls, while the Compressor will pick up the least amount of added noise from other pedals. You may find the 2B to be ( ;):D ) a very nice alternative to the Compressor- and it's particularly excellent when run on 18vdc.

 

Personally, I'd find that the 2B would do the work of the Compressor and the Micro Amp; having the 2B, I wouldn't use the Compressor as much, and the Micro Amp not at all. Also, the 2B's excellent buffer is ALWAYS on, whether the pedal is on or off, as long as it's connected in line and powered by either a battery or external power-supply. For me, it'd be: Guitar > Fuzz > Compressor > Fulltone 2B, or maybe even Guitar > Fuzz > Fulltone 2B. "Your Mileage May Vary".

 

Then try the Carbon Copy echo and the JHS Tidewater Tremolo in the effects-loop, in that order. (If your reverb comes before the Tremolo, going into that and getting 'chopped-up', it'll have THAT CLASSIC SOUND from the majority of classic recordings! Similarly if the CC Echo goes into the Tremolo.)

 

lightbulb.gif As I suggested to CEB above, put your tremolo after the echo and adjust the echo-repeats to coincide with, say, every fourth or second pulse of the tremolo to conjure hypnotic vibes- or, to be slightly out-of-sync with the tremolo for a delicious rub... :crazy::rawk:

 

If you place those two in front of the amp's input, instead of its 'loop, place them last after those other pedals. That is,

 

Guitar > EHX Satisfaction Fuzz > Keeley Compressor > Fulltone 2B > Micro Amp > Carbon Copy Echo > JHS Tidewater Tremolo

 

But, of course, again, experiment and let your own ears and fingers be the final judge :2thu::rawk:

 

 

Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do?

 

~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~

_ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _

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I've inadvertently started a debate in my Wampler group. ð They are currently debating whether Carbon Copies work well in effects loops. Most say yes.... Some say it depends on the loop. I haven't brought up that one Boogie has a series loop, the other Boogie has a parallel loop with a mix knob and the VHT has a loop switchable between series and parallel with no mix control. I hesitate to ask about that. That might start a flame war. Facebook does that sometimes.

"It doesn't have to be difficult to be cool" - Mitch Towne

 

"A great musician can bring tears to your eyes!!!

So can a auto Mechanic." - Stokes Hunt

 

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Ok...if I understand the Ambikab, it essentially lets you do with a single amp and single cab (2x10 + 2x12) what would usually take splitting your signal into two separate amps to achieve. Correct?

Sturgeon's 2nd Law, a.k.a. Sturgeon's Revelation: âNinety percent of everything is crapâ

 

My FLMS- Murphy's Music in Irving, Tx

 

http://murphysmusictx.com/

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In one hand, you have the red pill. The other hand, the blue pill. Purple is your friend.

Dan

 

Acoustic/Electric stringed instruments ranging from 4 to 230 strings, hammered, picked, fingered, slapped, and plucked. Analog and Digital Electronic instruments, reeds, and throat/mouth.

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Ok...if I understand the Ambikab, it essentially lets you do with a single amp and single cab (2x10 + 2x12) what would usually take splitting your signal into two separate amps to achieve. Correct?

 

Correct. And the Ambikab Jr lets you use your own combo-amp or head and speaker-cab, with the effects routed through the Ambikab Jr next to that.

 

Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do?

 

~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~

_ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _

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Gotta watch out for those dogfish...

Just another day at the beach.

 

I think that may be Sea Dog on a Hawaiian vacation... (Really, I just love that photo above, the pure joy and love and awesomeness of it just shines...)

 

BUT I digress...

 

Sea Dog Wild Blueberry.jpg

 

 

 

159.jpg.11e68def81da49f73ecaf75dd0148f27.jpg

Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do?

 

~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~

_ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _

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So, waddya think, surfergirl? Tried any experiments in pedal placement, order, in the effects-loop, in front?

 

I like the tremolo and delay in the loop. I haven't got the new compressor and 2B yet, maybe tomorrow, most likely Tue. I'll wait till then to work on the order.

Jenny S.
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So, waddya think, surfergirl? Tried any experiments in pedal placement, order, in the effects-loop, in front?

 

I like the tremolo and delay in the loop. I haven't got the new compressor and 2B yet, maybe tomorrow, most likely Tue. I'll wait till then to work on the order.

 

Awersome. :rawk: Enjoy! :cool:

Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do?

 

~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~

_ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _

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