ShortScale.org

Who uses true bypass loopers?

I'd not previously considered building any of these, because frankly they're a bit boring. Useful but boring. But I realise they're not just for mistaken souls who believe true bypass is the only/best bypass option. The ability to turn a whole line of effects on/off with one stomp is pretty cool.

If I make this, it'll use 'soft touch' relay switching, which is almost silent. Does that add much value?

Is this the best layout for a box like this?

timhulio wrote:Who uses true bypass loopers?

I'd not previously considered building any of these, because frankly they're a bit boring. Useful but boring. But I realise they're not just for mistaken souls who believe true bypass is the only/best bypass option. The ability to turn a whole line of effects on/off with one stomp is pretty cool.

If I make this, it'll use 'soft touch' relay switching, which is almost silent. Does that add much value?

Is this the best layout for a box like this?

The market is flooded with wafer-thin profit margin true bypass loopers, and to be honest I think people would not pay anymore for relay switching, and in fact might fear it. Guitarists are mostly idiots.

I wouldn't get into this if you paid me.

I've been meaning to pick one up for a while but I've been turned off them a bit by the tip-ex'ed bare steel ones on eBay that consist of a switch, some jacks, an LED and a £50+ price tag.

had one. never used it
traded it to mage for a guitar body

I use them. I have 3 in total all made by Mike, but only have 2 on my board at a time. I have one with 2 loops and a bypass which I use to switch between 2 different distorted sounds and the other has all my modualation pedals in its loop (bar a delay) but I sitting close to the other looper so I can turn the modulation loop on/off while changing distortion loop. I find them extremely valuable for my purposes. I do find that the switches do often 'pop' so would be interested in hearing about any that don't. I've also thought about getting a Boss Line Selector recently too.

I also once had a Loop Master one which was very good. It had 2 double loops in it, each pair had a bypass switch too.

Problem is that smaller builders can't really drum up the interest to make a tidy profit out of these, like Mike says. I'd definitely pay more for relay switching and quality, if it looked like the example above, but that's me; I'm a bit of a snob, I guess. They're a great idea but if you're sat there soldering them together yourself then they're probably never going to feel worth the effort. It's a hard sell; they're not exactly the most glamorous of effects, less so than even a tuner or compressor.

This kind of pedal is best left to the bigger companies. Which is why it's kind of shocking that large pedal companies don't make a simple, mass-produced true bypass box. There are all those Lehle and Radial examples, but they add extraneous features and use them to inflate the price to £80 or more. For the ability to switch other pedals on and off. It seems like there will always be a hole in this end of the market.

I built one a couple years ago, only used it to bring an Alesis Nanoverb into action. Cost bugger all to make & took about 20 mins start to finish so no loss to knock a few together to test the water.

To throw a curve ball, I'd prefer a Passive one. I don't really see the point of having a LED on one of these things at all. I would never buy one though, they are too easy to make yourself.
However I would be interested in those "effect switchers" the little loop boxes that change the order of your effects in the chain. But again it would be cheaper and more fun to make yourself as it's just point to point wiring needed.


*This post has no intention to screw up Tim's demographic survey, just my own misguided opinion

rps-10 wrote:I don't really see the point of having a LED on one of these things at all. I would never buy one though, they are too easy to make yourself.

LED's are a neccesity for me when gigging so I can work out what is going on on my board by just looking at it rather than having to work it out whilst playing at the same time. Also you really need them if you have more than one loop in a looper pedal together with a bypass.

I tried to make one once too but it didn't work. That was the start and end of my pedal building adventures.

johnnyseven wrote:

rps-10 wrote:I don't really see the point of having a LED on one of these things at all. I would never buy one though, they are too easy to make yourself.

LED's are a neccesity for me when gigging so I can work out what is going on on my board by just looking at it rather than having to work it out whilst playing at the same time. Also you really need them if you have more than one loop in a looper pedal together with a bypass.

I tried to make one once too but it didn't work. That was the start and end of my pedal building adventures.

I made one and it worked. Then it stopped working. I don't know why and I lack the patience to go and resolder every connection.

I own one, plus a feedbacklooper that also functions as one and another feedbacklooper that does silly shit (OhNoHo Utter Stutter)

I generally use the bypass and one of the feedback loopers, but sometimes both.

I also sometimes use the bypass looper to use as an on/off pedal when i'm running 2 rigs.

I have one that Mike made, and when I had a big pedalboard the difference it made was like night and day. Coupled with the ability to turn a line of effects on and off made it great. Now I generally don't use enough pedals at once to warrant it.

Boring and yet practical, but like Mike says, very little money to be made, and relay switching will actually put people off, I fear.

However, the simple addition of a feedback looper makes these double fun. I plan to build another soon.

Thanks for all the feedback. I take your points about the relay switching too. The main drawback of which is that there is no 'passive mode'. No power= no switching.

There are some very crappily made bypass boxes on the market (even in some shops down Denmark St). I know I can do better than those, but yep profit margins would be in the basement. I'm gonna avoid the Total Sonic Annihilation-type feedback looper too, because that's become a bit of a cliche.

timhulio wrote:The main drawback of which is that there is no 'passive mode'. No power= no switching.

I'd say the main drawback is still that Guitarists will be like IT'S NOT TRUE BYPASS I SEE NO BIG BLUE SWITCH.

It wouldn't bother me if my loopers weren't true bypass as long as they didn't make a noticeable difference to my guitar's sound.

Relay switching is true bypass. But yep, I wouldn't fancy explaining that all the time.

If you could come up with a way to blend in an effects loop via an expression pedal that would be amazing. Also a switchable buffer would be useful. I also like the idea of relay switching.

A combination of all those things with some snazzy graphics would be awesome.

Actually that's a good idea - I often get people asking about wet/dry blends on FX loops - do it.

100% Dry to 100% Wet via a Pot so you can use it as a standard TB loop with the pot dimed will be very useful to a look of people I think.