So, I am not a gigging player and just play mainly for myself. Despite that, I am looking at pedal loop switch just because they are faster and more efficient for combining sounds quickly. I see several on the market and was looking for suggestions. I see the Boss es-8, but not sure I want to spend that much or need too. I like it can handle 8 pedals. The Boss es-3 is at that right price point, but looks like mainly a boss multi-pedal with 3 slots for others. I want one with 8 loops if possible, so that kinda narrows it to the Voodoo, the Octoswitcher, and the Electro Harmonics super switcher. Leaning towards the super switch, but wanted opinions.
Pedal switchers, suggestions?
- Thread starter rpoce24
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CandidPicker
Tone Matters. Use It Well.
One Control Iguana Tail LoopSwitcher2. Or their next step-up model the Crocodile Tail. Iguana Tail has 5 loops; not an extensive amount of footswitches, but comes with tuner out.
This: Same price as the Boss.
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/OC10Switcher--one-control-crocodile-tail-loop-switcher
I used one on my effects board for several years, worked flawlessly. Only caveat is knowing what connections go where and not connecting your input signal to your tuner. Had that happen a couple times, much to my chagrin...
This: Same price as the Boss.
https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/OC10Switcher--one-control-crocodile-tail-loop-switcher
I used one on my effects board for several years, worked flawlessly. Only caveat is knowing what connections go where and not connecting your input signal to your tuner. Had that happen a couple times, much to my chagrin...
Looking at the back panel of the one control and trying to figure 1 thing out. How many amps can this send to?
CandidPicker
Tone Matters. Use It Well.
The Iguana Tail has one output. The Crocodile should theoretically provide 2, being the reptiles' older sibling. Will take a look in a minute....
EDIT: The Crocodile Tail indeed has 2 dedicated outputs to amp, labelled Out-1 & Out-2, visible on Sweetwater's website when you hover over and can enlarge the image with your mouse. IIRC,the C-T also sports 10 loops, not like Boss' 8.
The 2 amp outputs are a distance apart on either end of the send/returns for the effects loops.
Caveat is that both I-T and C-T require 9VDC CTN power. If perhaps you're planning on an isolated power source, you're golden.
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BlackhawksCRNA
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I went all in and did the es-8 a few years ago. Number 1, it needs custom cables to get everything to fit. Number 2, it is great and works really good with midi options to control pedals like eventide and strymon. However, my experience was that it was too much. I don’t like spending time programming, and I will admit it was pretty easy to program, but I thought it added another layer of complexity that I didn’t care for. If I had a guitar tech, I would have thought it was the greatest thing ever.
Outlier22
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I’m considering the boss es8. Mostly because 1) it has 6 footswitch patches without having to switch banks. 2) you can change pedal order from one patch to the next. 3)you can move pedals out of the main path to set up a wet / dry. 4) you can turn off and on buffers per patch if needed.
I’m currently using a Cheap JOYO loop switcher which has actually been surprising good. It’s got 8 loops that are split into an a and b loops so you can run drive pedals in a and output to you amp input and then send the signal back to the joyo from your effect loop and run through delays / modulations and then back out through the loop switchers loop b to the amps effects loop return. (Although I use loop a to go through an aby switch to a dry amp and the split back into the joyo to go through wet effects and out to amp 2.). Anyway, it works pretty good and has a tuner out which keeps that out of the signal chain. But I don’t like switching banks during a song to try to find a different sound so I find myself using just one bank and programming the joyo to switch between gain sounds (1- clean 2- light OD 3- stacked ODs 4- fuzz) and I keep reverb, delay, chorus, and univibe full time in the loop and switch them on and off manually to taste. But if I had 6-8 Buttons for patches in the loop switcher, I might actually program the modulation type effects into patches. ...or maybe I’ll suck it up and start switching banks?
I’m currently using a Cheap JOYO loop switcher which has actually been surprising good. It’s got 8 loops that are split into an a and b loops so you can run drive pedals in a and output to you amp input and then send the signal back to the joyo from your effect loop and run through delays / modulations and then back out through the loop switchers loop b to the amps effects loop return. (Although I use loop a to go through an aby switch to a dry amp and the split back into the joyo to go through wet effects and out to amp 2.). Anyway, it works pretty good and has a tuner out which keeps that out of the signal chain. But I don’t like switching banks during a song to try to find a different sound so I find myself using just one bank and programming the joyo to switch between gain sounds (1- clean 2- light OD 3- stacked ODs 4- fuzz) and I keep reverb, delay, chorus, and univibe full time in the loop and switch them on and off manually to taste. But if I had 6-8 Buttons for patches in the loop switcher, I might actually program the modulation type effects into patches. ...or maybe I’ll suck it up and start switching banks?
Black Plaid
Other Alan!
I got an EH Super Switcher, but it's quality was quite lacking and came with a broken switch, I exchanged it for the Boss ES-8 which I haven't regretted.
If you don't need something configurable you look at the Quartermaster from GigRig https://www.thegigrig.com/quartermaster
If you don't need something configurable you look at the Quartermaster from GigRig https://www.thegigrig.com/quartermaster
