For those that don't have an FX loop you can use this pedal for $169. New Radial Engineering Tonebone Mix-Blender Buffer Mixer FX Loop DI Direct Box. It gives you the same result. Your distorted transients are preserved just like in the video.
I absolutely loved the extra-choppy video editing on this clip! An entertaining and compelling way to tell the story and propel the viewer forward. Great demo!
Real late to the party, but I need to say this video is probably one of, if not thee most easy to understand explanations and demonstrations of the often misunderstood, and misused "effects loop" feature. Love Wampler pedals too!
Yup, stuff like this never loses its value. Chock full of everything you need to know, with no unnecessary filler. It also shows what a class act he is, not making it a sales pitch just to promote his pedals. It's called scruples, and makes me want to buy his wares because I respect the man behind them :)
I use distortion, delay and reverb , and added a looper which forced me to go back to using them all on the line in because the recorded track sounded too different using the loop pedal actually sending signal thru the delay and reverb a second time during play back thru the effects loop, so im strickly using line in on clean channel
It helps to know that if you put delay in front of dirt, one shouldn't be using so many repeats. You don't need more than 2 or maybe 3 trails MAX. You can't wash it out with 8 repeats like guys now like to do. I prefer delay in front of dirt--not only because it sound more rich and dreamy, but it forces you to make music with the pedal. It's not just an effect when its pre-dirt, it's an instrument unto itself.
Just ask yourself: do I want to distort a reverbed (or chorused, or flanged, or phased, or delayed or other fx) guitar sound? Or do I want to apply the fx to the distorted guitar sound? No right or wrong answer. And sometimes when you use more subtle settings it matters less. I think it helps immensely to draw signal chain diagrams.
Yes, unless you are going for a very clean sound from the amp you can fx in the front itself but for the driven sounds use the fx loop. Always better to use the fx loop all the time.
Brian we know you are a good musician and great engineer.Make it better as to show us step by step the connection and routing of the pedals.Really slow and really simple.You don't have to play long passages.
I need an amp just to record songs with a mic on it, using the amp on Clean. (the distorsions will come from pedals before the time-based and modulation stuff) So, I won't need a fx loop, right? I mean, there won't be any Gain or crunch coming from the amp in the first place and I won't use it very loud since I'm recording with a mic
Brian, can you touch on line vs. instrument level? Majority of pedals expect an instrument level signal going into them. However most effects loops run at a line level. So the signal in the loop is much stronger than coming straight out of a guitar. Have you ever seen this as being an issue?
+kfowler8 Yes, it can be a big issue... it really depends what comes before and after the loop in those amps. If the signal is too hot it will just distort the delay badly, much the same way as putting it before distortion here.
The distortion on the hot rod deluxe is way better sounding than the distortion pedal your using, the effects loop sounds way better than straight into the input. But it was stunning how much better the over drive of the amp sound so much better than any distortion pedal I have ever heard.
If your using effects on bass you might want to run directly into your cab from your effects board because most sound men dont mic the bass amp but instead usualky run a direct line from the back of the amp which will not pick up the sound from the effects loop.
hey thats so helpful thank you but how do i connect 2 pedals together into the fx loop( send & return) that each have 2 outputs & 1 input using 2 combo amps 1 wet 1 dry really need a simple sketch or an easy explanation ps your sounds pedals amazing regards Stephen
So the guitar connects to the input of the distortion pedal with the output of the distortion connecting directly to the input of the amp, not taking into account the tuner. The effects loop only consists of the delay and the reverb where, the effects send "preamp out" on the amp connects to the input of the delay which connects to the reverb "power amp in" then the output of the reverb connects to the effects return on the amp
Thank you very much for this great video. Now I understand the importance and quality of having fx loop in the amplifier. I just bought and received the RV-6 reverb pedal and I just ran it through my signal chain of my compressor and overdrive and delay and it sounded pretty harsh. I look forward to try out putting my 2 delay pedals + my new reverb pedal through the fx loop and hear the difference.
9 People still insisting that there are no rules. Well, that's true. There are no rules but if you don't want your tone to suck, you follow some simple rules. Like, not distorting your reverb, delay and modulation effects. Effects sends. Someone invented them for a reason.
hueseph I disagree. his tone sounds dated and 80's. that's cool if that's what you are shooting for but it's not the only way to use your modulation fx.
David Gilmour doesn't use the effects loop. He goes straight to the front of the amp. If your amp is clean, or just a bit of crunch, there isn't as much of this "darkened" sound. And if your playing with no distorted, or OD pedals into a clean, amp I think the Reverb and Delay sound better.
elmer3rdec I almost typed this. Not everyone wants the Steve Vai/Eric Johnson late 80s, early 90s basically metal guitar hero, shred guy sound. When I sound like that, I can't play anything seriously. I immediately go to tapping and dive bombing, doing an impression of that style.
I watched a few videos before this but still couldn’t quite grasp the concept. Thank you for your explanation and audio examples, it was great to be able to actually hear the difference!
Why isn't the Fame Reverb and Tape Echo being run through the power amp in and out of the Hot Rod Deluxe, as this is the correct way to use EFFECT LOOPS through this amp?
Agree with many here...Preference is: Compressor --> Overdrive --> Distortion --> Wah --> EQ going into the front of the amp. Chorus --> Tremolo --> Delay --> Reverb goes through the loop.
So, mr Wampler, do you ever knock over one of those pedals on the shelves and then they all come tumbling down like it was raining expensive colourful dominoes?
I would never, ever use either of the dirt channels on my Hot Rod Deluxe. The whole pedalboard goes in front of the clean channel and it sounds marvellous.
Didn't always have amps with effects loops ... do now. I agree it is the way to go, for a variety of reasons. It's also a great place in the signal chain to place a low impedance volume pedal.
Great video & you just got me as a new subscriber. This video makes me want to shoot a video of how my sound tech set up my rig & get your opinions on it. He has ALL of my pedals (delay, phasers, sustainer, etc.) & even some of my rack units run through the front of my amps with the effects loop being used mainly to slave my heads off of a single power supply (coupled with a customized Whirlwind Multi-Selector to switch between the front and back of each amp simultaneously.) It's quite the complicated setup & I'm always looking for ways to "clean up" my sound.
Excellent video I hate to admit it but having older type amps with out the effects in jacks , I never titalky got it on the 3 amps I owned with them..I just never used them and did it the old style way..Thanks.
Mike McCourt, Kinda funny when I think of it all the tones I loved growing up as a kid in the early 70s if I remember correctly I'm recalling everyone I knew ( at home playing ) had it all in front ,it's all we knew how to do..Thanks
but if you don't use an effects loop doesn't that mean your amp needs to be running cleaner, especially if you use things like a looper and maybe some other pedals and pushing the drive up front? when you look at the old timers doing it in the 70s, i know they didn't have loopers back then, how clean were they running the amp itself?
Well if you have a multi effects processor, I think running straight into the front works best. At least if you can either change how the different effects run in what order, or if the processor designers have already done this for you. However, I agree if running individual pedals. Most distortions and overdrive pedals through the front and your modulations through the effects loop. Thx for the vid man, great content as always ! 👊
Hey Brian what mods can I do to my hot rod deluxe to fix the dirty channel? I read your blues driver article for changing the tone stack. Do have anything I can read for fixing my hot rod?
my fx loop in my digital kustom kg100fx 60 watt combo amp crapped out. it sounded great one day then I turned it off and then back on a hour later and it would not increase in volume. and it works fine with all petals plugged in and off but the moment I turn on one or all of them the sound lowers drastically and no longer has a punch . please help thanks
Wah, envelope filter, whammy/harmony, boost, overdrive, distortion/fuzz, AMP, into FX Loop: All Mod Pedals, Chorus, flanger, phaser, tremolo, delay, reverb
I've got an FX loop on my amp, and I've used it, but lately I've just been putting everything in the front of the amp. It's what I want of my sound right now. I want the dirty delay and reverb that sounds pretty messed up when pushed a lot.
Wow, great sound you ended up with. I really like the color of your Strat too. I always like a tobacco burst that goes to black, but the color of red on your Strat really looks sharp too.
Doesn't some of this depend on how your effects loop works? Don't know if this is just a bass amp thing, but aren't some loops series and some parallel? There's also obviously amps with FX return levels too which makes things more complicated
A question: how do I know if a pedal is able to accept a line level signal from the send of the amplifier ? Some "pro" effects units like the Eventide reverb, delay, mod units for example have a specific switch for it.
Something I didn't understand until watching this and reading the comments just now is that the effects loop has already been amplified to line level. For me that's a key piece to help me understand why time-based effects would work better in the effects loop.
To me, it only matters a lot if you plan to use the drive from the amp. I tend to set my amp clean and use pedals for dirt, so there is not much difference to my ears that way. Dirt before other effects into a clean(ish) amp.
Hello and thank you for your videos! You mention you modded the amp and the distortion definitely sounds much better than stock. What did you do? Please share!!!!!
can you please slow it down and show us how to actually set it up the correct way?? I am sort of new to all this pedal stuff, I have played a long time, but do not know much about gear and pedals yet..many years I could only afford guitar and amp.. so slow it down please...thanks..
Generally: any effect that you want to affect the entire signal, like for example distortion, compression, eq, wah, you want these in direct line with your amp input. Any effects that you want to have more control over the mix like, delay, reverb, chorus, phase and anything that you don't want to be distorted, you want these in the effects loop. Generally: compession-distortion-eq-amp. In the effects loop you'll have to play around and decide what sounds best to you. I prefer: mod effects(chorus/phase/flange)-delay-reverb.
so you are saying that the compression-distortion eq go into the effects loop along with the chorus/phase/flange/delay/reverb? It looks that way the way you explain it here..
Michael Craig No. Read that again. "any effect that you want to affect the entire signal like for example distortion, compression, eq, wah, you want these in direct line with your amp input." You are not reading what I wrote. Or, you are completely misunderstanding what I said.
Next I said: "Generally: compession-distortion-eq-amp." PERIOD. New sentence: "In the effects loop you'll have to play around and decide what sounds best to you. I prefer: mod effects(chorus/phase/flange)-delay-reverb.".
When someone is learning some totally new concepts, and how to do stuff, misunderstandings are very common and normal. No one knows stuff, until they know it, and do whatever it is for a while..just the way life is. It sucks, but learning is a process.
Okay, so delay and echo should go into the loop, and overdrive and distortion should go into the front of the amp, but which other pedals should go in front of the amp and into the loop?
I know, it is not explained well for the non geek. I know a computer guy that is sort of a friend of mine.. he whips through stuff, starts where he feels like starting, totally flips the fuck out if I ask him to start from where we left off. I do this, so I can relate the new stuff to what i already know, so there are no missing confusing gaps in my knowledge, then he goes ballistic and says "you are always at square 1, you never get it". So I try to take notes, he says "you dont need notes, just do it" and goes so fucking fast my notes are scribbled bullshit that I can not read next time, so we have to start over again!! I want to strangle the guy! And if I knew one patient person that knew computers real good, this egotistical tool would never step foot in my house again!! Talk about a geek that knows it all, but cant teach worth a fuck!!
would it be the correct thing to do, to use the EQ at the very end of everything, like in the effects loop in the back of the amp? To EQ all of the sound? Just wondering if that would make sense to EQ all of it, the very last pedal? I am sort of getting an understanding of it now.. is a noise gate pedal absolutely necessary? I suppose that would go just about last in the effects loop also, or where? I have an EQ, but not a noise gate pedal.
Really, ok, I was just thinking the EQ had to be at the end to EQ everything.. so much to learn with all this pedal stuff. I have played for a long time, just now learning the subtle points of the various pedals and how they work together best. People keep thinking I am a beginner, just because I dont know it all about pedals. A lot of guitarists play for years with none or few pedals. Some great players never even use any at all. Always more to learn, got to keep it interesting.
Effects loop "out" (or "send) from amp goes to input of a pedal, let's say a delay pedal. Connect the output of that delay pedal to the Effects loop "in" (or "return")
I've always 'known' this was the 'right' thing to do, but it's nice to hear it put to practice! This makes sense with everything shown, but say I have a relatively flat-response amp like a Roland Jazz Chorus and an amp modelling pedal like a Joyo American Sound. Would it make a difference if I had it in the effects loop or not, or would I just want to save the hassle if I've got a pedalboard and keep it on there?
I liv my Hot Rod Deluxe. Swapped out the 12ax7 in the V1 for a 57/51 lower gain tube to smooth out that early volume jump. Dropped in an Eminence Swamp Thang speaker and what headroom and bottom end there is now.
I always heard that guitar cables who are thicker deliver a slightly beefier sound that thinner ones. Might it be that this is total bullshit because whenever you guitar signal passes through an effects pedal it passes through much thinner cables inside the unit? Or has it to do with impedance, which is always readjusted within the pedals? Sorry for the seemingly stupid question but I'm stoned and I have no clue when it comes to electronics...
Thanks a lot for all your videos. I just have one doubt about the effects loop setup. What is recommended to do then? I know that the best thing to do is trial and error and just trying out stuff, but then again, what pedals are recommended to put through the effects loop (just delay and reverb?, or all the pedals that go right after distortions?) and which ones are better off sending them directly to the front of the amp?
Hey Wampler Pedals, can you explain what could happen if I run my Distortion and Fuzz pedals through the FX loop? My guess is that it will have a quieter signal input and will sound smoother (which I desire). I don't have a cabinet for my amp head yet. Great videos and thanks for reading.
Hey man, love your channel. Hope you give me some advice. I Have a reverb and chorus in my fx loop. I have established that a volume pedal (or an eq for that matter) being used in the fx loop to lower the volume may allow me to sculpt my tone at a lower volume. So this will give me a nicer tone at lower volumes. Would not use the volume pedal (or eq) as a boost, but push the power amp valves, but keep the volume tamed. HOWEVER the thing i cannot find out is this. I also have a clean boost and boss looper at the end of my fx loop chain. Can i use the volume pedal (or eq) to tame the amp, but keep my reverb, delay, looper and clean boost . (clean boost gives me a volume push in this position). dont want to buy another pedal if this will not work. BTW my FX loop at the moment works fine as it is. Hope yo can help. Regards Bryan
can you show how to set it up, hook it up with the chords and all that, real slow, for someone that has never used the effects loop, ever. I understand the concept, but have no clue how to set it up at all..
It's the same even if you're using the clean channel right ? Like you would still want to go thru the effects loop even if you are on the clean vs the distortion channel?
So I can leave the front of an amp not plugged in and I can hook my guitar up to a distortion pedal and into the effects input only and the amp wont pop like when u accidentally unplug a guitar into the front after u turn it on? Just making sure I can leave the front unplugged and plug into an effects loop
Technically yes, distortion and over drive u actually want to run into the front of the amp.....pedals like delay u want to run into the effects loop! So basically the front of the amp u run through the amps pre amp....the effects loop puts stuff in between.
Brian I am have a old Avid 11 Rack which I found out has a effects loop with Send and Return as i new and learning this stuff If I want to created a very clean tone but with a wavy type of Stereo effects where they both blend together at different times with two delay pedals how would I put each one of theses delay pedals in the effects loop?
Is the signal from the echo and reverb pedals enough to push the power amp properly? That's what's confused me about this setup. Doesn't the power amp want to see line level? Thanks, Brian. Great video.
+STIRK STIRKLAND The signal from the echo and reverb will not push the amp properly, in amps with really good effect loops there is additional circuitry to boost the signal back up to where it needs to be.
Hello Brian i just want to make sure what you are saying. So i could run my overdrive pedals through the effects loop if i want as well as all my effect pedals correct.
+chris kerrick No, don't run all of them, only the things that you would normally want after distortion, such as delay, reverb, chorus, pitch shifting of any sort (except octavia style)
dude that was very informative. I have 88 fender Japan Strat into hot rod deluxe and very noisy....but not after this video lol. Thank you 1000 times brother
For those that don't have an FX loop you can use this pedal for $169. New Radial Engineering Tonebone Mix-Blender Buffer Mixer FX Loop DI Direct Box. It gives you the same result. Your distorted transients are preserved just like in the video.
I absolutely loved the extra-choppy video editing on this clip! An entertaining and compelling way to tell the story and propel the viewer forward. Great demo!
Real late to the party, but I need to say this video is probably one of, if not thee most easy to understand explanations and demonstrations of the often misunderstood, and misused "effects loop" feature. Love Wampler pedals too!
Yup, stuff like this never loses its value. Chock full of everything you need to know, with no unnecessary filler. It also shows what a class act he is, not making it a sales pitch just to promote his pedals. It's called scruples, and makes me want to buy his wares because I respect the man behind them :)
I use distortion, delay and reverb , and added a looper which forced me to go back to using them all on the line in because the recorded track sounded too different using the loop pedal actually sending signal thru the delay and reverb a second time during play back thru the effects loop, so im strickly using line in on clean channel
This was EXACTLY what I was wondering about. Effects loop/Preamp and the difference as well as a decent order to put the pedals in. Thanks A LOT!!!
It helps to know that if you put delay in front of dirt, one shouldn't be using so many repeats. You don't need more than 2 or maybe 3 trails MAX. You can't wash it out with 8 repeats like guys now like to do.
I prefer delay in front of dirt--not only because it sound more rich and dreamy, but it forces you to make music with the pedal. It's not just an effect when its pre-dirt, it's an instrument unto itself.
Just ask yourself: do I want to distort a reverbed (or chorused, or flanged, or phased, or delayed or other fx) guitar sound? Or do I want to apply the fx to the distorted guitar sound? No right or wrong answer. And sometimes when you use more subtle settings it matters less. I think it helps immensely to draw signal chain diagrams.
I liked the sound of the pedals in the wrong order. It sounds dark and mysterious to me. Could be useful for certain types of songs.
The drive on the amp sounds great! What ever you did to mod that it's amazing
Easily my favourite channel right now. Straight to the point no long winded babbling. I am yet to own a Wampler but one day....
You should. I have. Tumnus Deluxe and Velvet Fuzz.
Tumnus deluxe or Pinnacle V2
Should I use my effects loop if I am getting a little bit of crunch from the clean channel of my amp?
Yes, unless you are going for a very clean sound from the amp you can fx in the front itself but for the driven sounds use the fx loop. Always better to use the fx loop all the time.
This actually did help me. I can truly hear the difference between the two ways.
Brian we know you are a good musician and great engineer.Make it better as to show us step by step the connection and routing of the pedals.Really slow and really simple.You don't have to play long passages.
Hi Pete, I'd be glad to do that
I need an amp just to record songs with a mic on it, using the amp on Clean.
(the distorsions will come from pedals before the time-based and modulation stuff)
So, I won't need a fx loop, right?
I mean, there won't be any Gain or crunch coming from the amp in the first place and I won't use it very loud since I'm recording with a mic
Brian, can you touch on line vs. instrument level? Majority of pedals expect an instrument level signal going into them. However most effects loops run at a line level. So the signal in the loop is much stronger than coming straight out of a guitar. Have you ever seen this as being an issue?
+kfowler8 Yes, it can be a big issue... it really depends what comes before and after the loop in those amps. If the signal is too hot it will just distort the delay badly, much the same way as putting it before distortion here.
+Daniel Cerqueira Was just going to write that,thanks Daniel
The distortion on the hot rod deluxe is way better sounding than the distortion pedal your using, the effects loop sounds way better than straight into the input. But it was stunning how much better the over drive of the amp sound so much better than any distortion pedal I have ever heard.
If your using effects on bass you might want to run directly into your cab from your effects board because most sound men dont mic the bass amp but instead usualky run a direct line from the back of the amp which will not pick up the sound from the effects loop.
hey thats so helpful thank you but how do i connect 2 pedals together into the fx loop( send & return) that each have 2 outputs & 1 input using 2 combo amps 1 wet 1 dry really need a simple sketch or an easy explanation ps your sounds pedals amazing regards Stephen
So the guitar connects to the input of the distortion pedal with the output of the distortion connecting directly to the input of the amp, not taking into account the tuner.
The effects loop only consists of the delay and the reverb where, the effects send "preamp out" on the amp connects to the input of the delay which connects to the reverb "power amp in" then the output of the reverb connects to the effects return on the amp
Thank you very much for this great video. Now I understand the importance and quality of having fx loop in the amplifier. I just bought and received the RV-6 reverb pedal and I just ran it through my signal chain of my compressor and overdrive and delay and it sounded pretty harsh. I look forward to try out putting my 2 delay pedals + my new reverb pedal through the fx loop and hear the difference.
if you are using all effects from you pedals including the distortion is there still a benefit of going thru the effects loop?
9 People still insisting that there are no rules. Well, that's true. There are no rules but if you don't want your tone to suck, you follow some simple rules. Like, not distorting your reverb, delay and modulation effects. Effects sends. Someone invented them for a reason.
hueseph I honestly love the way delay and verb sounds into the front of the amp. But those sounds cater well to my playing style.
hueseph I disagree. his tone sounds dated and 80's. that's cool if that's what you are shooting for but it's not the only way to use your modulation fx.
David Gilmour doesn't use the effects loop. He goes straight to the front of the amp. If your amp is clean, or just a bit of crunch, there isn't as much of this "darkened" sound. And if your playing with no distorted, or OD pedals into a clean, amp I think the Reverb and Delay sound better.
elmer3rdec I almost typed this. Not everyone wants the Steve Vai/Eric Johnson late 80s, early 90s basically metal guitar hero, shred guy sound. When I sound like that, I can't play anything seriously. I immediately go to tapping and dive bombing, doing an impression of that style.
My FX-LOOP Set-Up: TELE -->Polytune2-Crybaby-VelvetFuzz-EgoComp-Clarksdale-Paisley --> M/B TRIPLE REC. - SEND --> FauxAnalogEcho-Flashback-TR2Tremolo-HallOfFame-DittoX2 --> RETURN
I watched a few videos before this but still couldn’t quite grasp the concept. Thank you for your explanation and audio examples, it was great to be able to actually hear the difference!
Why isn't the Fame Reverb and Tape Echo being run through the power amp in and out of the Hot Rod Deluxe, as this is the correct way to use EFFECT LOOPS through this amp?
I do the same thing!!!! always have have the delay in front of the gain, but I use the tape echo after the gain but set very subtle just for ambience.
Agree with many here...Preference is: Compressor --> Overdrive --> Distortion --> Wah --> EQ going into the front of the amp. Chorus --> Tremolo --> Delay --> Reverb goes through the loop.
This means that FX loop is only for mudulation effects (except wah that should be connected in front of the amp)??
So, mr Wampler, do you ever knock over one of those pedals on the shelves and then they all come tumbling down like it was raining expensive colourful dominoes?
I would never, ever use either of the dirt channels on my Hot Rod Deluxe. The whole pedalboard goes in front of the clean channel and it sounds marvellous.
Didn't always have amps with effects loops ... do now. I agree it is the way to go, for a variety of reasons. It's also a great place in the signal chain to place a low impedance volume pedal.
Great video & you just got me as a new subscriber. This video makes me want to shoot a video of how my sound tech set up my rig & get your opinions on it. He has ALL of my pedals (delay, phasers, sustainer, etc.) & even some of my rack units run through the front of my amps with the effects loop being used mainly to slave my heads off of a single power supply (coupled with a customized Whirlwind Multi-Selector to switch between the front and back of each amp simultaneously.) It's quite the complicated setup & I'm always looking for ways to "clean up" my sound.
How would I make the pedals in my FX loop accessible, without running a bunch of long cables from the back of my amp to mypedal board?
Perfect video. I bought the hot rod 4 last week so I've just been looking up videos such as this (: thank you
Excellent video I hate to admit it but having older type amps with out the effects in jacks , I never titalky got it on the 3 amps I owned with them..I just never used them and did it the old style way..Thanks.
Aye. I went back to putting everything straight in the front end (after a year of trying out the effects loop way), and I'm way happier with my tone.
Mike McCourt, Kinda funny when I think of it all the tones I loved growing up as a kid in the early 70s if I remember correctly I'm recalling everyone I knew ( at home playing ) had it all in front ,it's all we knew how to do..Thanks
Jeff, for a long time that is all most amps, even real good ones had..inputs in the front.
Michael Craig
Exactly.
but if you don't use an effects loop doesn't that mean your amp needs to be running cleaner, especially if you use things like a looper and maybe some other pedals and pushing the drive up front? when you look at the old timers doing it in the 70s, i know they didn't have loopers back then, how clean were they running the amp itself?
Well if you have a multi effects processor, I think running straight into the front works best. At least if you can either change how the different effects run in what order, or if the processor designers have already done this for you. However, I agree if running individual pedals. Most distortions and overdrive pedals through the front and your modulations through the effects loop. Thx for the vid man, great content as always ! 👊
Any worthwhile Multi effects will allow you to wire it 4 cable, which allows you to choose which effects go to the front and which go into the loop.
Hey Brian what mods can I do to my hot rod deluxe to fix the dirty channel? I read your blues driver article for changing the tone stack. Do have anything I can read for fixing my hot rod?
You give great easy to follow demos and explanations. Much appreciated my friend :)
Thanks that helped a lot actually. I need to buy 2 more cables now for my loop
my fx loop in my digital kustom kg100fx 60 watt combo amp crapped out. it sounded great one day then I turned it off and then back on a hour later and it would not increase in volume. and it works fine with all petals plugged in and off but the moment I turn on one or all of them the sound lowers drastically and no longer has a punch . please help thanks
Wah, envelope filter, whammy/harmony, boost, overdrive, distortion/fuzz, AMP, into FX Loop: All Mod Pedals, Chorus, flanger, phaser, tremolo, delay, reverb
I've got an FX loop on my amp, and I've used it, but lately I've just been putting everything in the front of the amp. It's what I want of my sound right now. I want the dirty delay and reverb that sounds pretty messed up when pushed a lot.
Wow, great sound you ended up with. I really like the color of your Strat too. I always like a tobacco burst that goes to black, but the color of red on your Strat really looks sharp too.
I really think that you're managing it well and solo at that!
Excellent demo's Brian. Really impressed with the sound of your Faux Tape Echo too. Best sounding delay I've heard!
i got a tone suck if delay is plugged in fx loop, the distortion becomes thinner
Doesn't some of this depend on how your effects loop works? Don't know if this is just a bass amp thing, but aren't some loops series and some parallel? There's also obviously amps with FX return levels too which makes things more complicated
Extremely useful, great vid.
What FX loop Amps/Pedals would you recommend for a bluesy/psychedelic style of play?
Cheers!!
What should you do if your amp doesn't have an effects loop? I just bought a 65 reissue of a Princeton Reverb and it doesn't have the fx loop.
So what about things like a tube screamer or like a wah? Effects loop or straight in?
TheGoldenChicken both should go straight in
A question: how do I know if a pedal is able to accept a line level signal from the send of the amplifier ? Some "pro" effects units like the Eventide reverb, delay, mod units for example have a specific switch for it.
Something I didn't understand until watching this and reading the comments just now is that the effects loop has already been amplified to line level. For me that's a key piece to help me understand why time-based effects would work better in the effects loop.
Not all loops are at line level, it depends on the circuitry used for the loop
Dat montage tho ("-" means cut): So- I- am -gon-na do a tutori-al
So you run the dist 1st then your echo,then reverb through fx loop? And just run guitar in input ..
Should I put all pedals in chain loop (gain, wha-wha & tuner) of my Mesa Boogie Recto-verb or just Delay & Chorus?
To me, it only matters a lot if you plan to use the drive from the amp. I tend to set my amp clean and use pedals for dirt, so there is not much difference to my ears that way. Dirt before other effects into a clean(ish) amp.
Hello and thank you for your videos! You mention you modded the amp and the distortion definitely sounds much better than stock. What did you do? Please share!!!!!
I believe one can use the loop AND an over drive or distortion in front of the preamp at the same time right?
can you please slow it down and show us how to actually set it up the correct way?? I am sort of new to all this pedal stuff, I have played a long time, but do not know much about gear and pedals yet..many years I could only afford guitar and amp.. so slow it down please...thanks..
Generally: any effect that you want to affect the entire signal, like for example distortion, compression, eq, wah, you want these in direct line with your amp input. Any effects that you want to have more control over the mix like, delay, reverb, chorus, phase and anything that you don't want to be distorted, you want these in the effects loop. Generally: compession-distortion-eq-amp. In the effects loop you'll have to play around and decide what sounds best to you. I prefer: mod effects(chorus/phase/flange)-delay-reverb.
so you are saying that the compression-distortion eq go into the effects loop along with the chorus/phase/flange/delay/reverb? It looks that way the way you explain it here..
Michael Craig
No. Read that again. "any effect that you want to affect the entire signal like for example distortion, compression, eq, wah, you want these in direct line with your amp input."
You are not reading what I wrote. Or, you are completely misunderstanding what I said.
Next I said: "Generally: compession-distortion-eq-amp." PERIOD. New sentence: "In the effects loop you'll have to play around and decide what sounds best to you. I prefer: mod effects(chorus/phase/flange)-delay-reverb.".
When someone is learning some totally new concepts, and how to do stuff, misunderstandings are very common and normal. No one knows stuff, until they know it, and do whatever it is for a while..just the way life is. It sucks, but learning is a process.
nothing beats the Fender 40 tube amp on just clean channel and naturally overdrive it with your pedals imo
Mr Wampler in the future can you help us understand the four cable method . In regards to the Boss ES-8 via the effects loop. Thank you sir.
+miguel Nunez I don't have one of those unfortunately :(
Okay, so delay and echo should go into the loop, and overdrive and distortion should go into the front of the amp, but which other pedals should go in front of the amp and into the loop?
I know, it is not explained well for the non geek. I know a computer guy that is sort of a friend of mine.. he whips through stuff, starts where he feels like starting, totally flips the fuck out if I ask him to start from where we left off. I do this, so I can relate the new stuff to what i already know, so there are no missing confusing gaps in my knowledge, then he goes ballistic and says "you are always at square 1, you never get it". So I try to take notes, he says "you dont need notes, just do it" and goes so fucking fast my notes are scribbled bullshit that I can not read next time, so we have to start over again!! I want to strangle the guy! And if I knew one patient person that knew computers real good, this egotistical tool would never step foot in my house again!! Talk about a geek that knows it all, but cant teach worth a fuck!!
Exactly no one will explain this part, and they will not say what order either..
would it be the correct thing to do, to use the EQ at the very end of everything, like in the effects loop in the back of the amp? To EQ all of the sound? Just wondering if that would make sense to EQ all of it, the very last pedal? I am sort of getting an understanding of it now.. is a noise gate pedal absolutely necessary? I suppose that would go just about last in the effects loop also, or where? I have an EQ, but not a noise gate pedal.
Really, ok, I was just thinking the EQ had to be at the end to EQ everything.. so much to learn with all this pedal stuff. I have played for a long time, just now learning the subtle points of the various pedals and how they work together best. People keep thinking I am a beginner, just because I dont know it all about pedals. A lot of guitarists play for years with none or few pedals. Some great players never even use any at all. Always more to learn, got to keep it interesting.
Is it called "Tone Kings"?
Brian,Dumb question: I see what pedals should go into the effects loop "IN". What do you do with effects loop out???Spconn3
Effects loop "out" (or "send) from amp goes to input of a pedal, let's say a delay pedal. Connect the output of that delay pedal to the Effects loop "in" (or "return")
send and return. send out to the pedal, return in from the pedal.
I've always 'known' this was the 'right' thing to do, but it's nice to hear it put to practice! This makes sense with everything shown, but say I have a relatively flat-response amp like a Roland Jazz Chorus and an amp modelling pedal like a Joyo American Sound. Would it make a difference if I had it in the effects loop or not, or would I just want to save the hassle if I've got a pedalboard and keep it on there?
I liv my Hot Rod Deluxe. Swapped out the 12ax7 in the V1 for a 57/51 lower gain tube to smooth out that early volume jump. Dropped in an Eminence Swamp Thang speaker and what headroom and bottom end there is now.
Nice Cat!
In what instances would you want to just use the amp distortion vs. your own overdrive and distortion?
Thanks for the video. I kind of like the distorted modulation sound sometimes lol.
If we don't use distortion or use the amps distortion than is it better to use fx loop or just frot of amp?
These are great series of videos.
I always heard that guitar cables who are thicker deliver a slightly beefier sound that thinner ones.
Might it be that this is total bullshit because whenever you guitar signal passes through an effects pedal it passes through much thinner cables inside the unit?
Or has it to do with impedance, which is always readjusted within the pedals?
Sorry for the seemingly stupid question but I'm stoned and I have no clue when it comes to electronics...
This is a great example of the effects loop! Thank you for posting this!
Thanks a lot for all your videos. I just have one doubt about the effects loop setup. What is recommended to do then? I know that the best thing to do is trial and error and just trying out stuff, but then again, what pedals are recommended to put through the effects loop (just delay and reverb?, or all the pedals that go right after distortions?) and which ones are better off sending them directly to the front of the amp?
The conventional thinking is put your dirt pedals in front of the amp, then put time-based effects like phase, delay and reverb into the effects loop.
I am very appreciative of your insight. The Equator is great 👍
Hey Wampler Pedals, can you explain what could happen if I run my Distortion and Fuzz pedals through the FX loop? My guess is that it will have a quieter signal input and will sound smoother (which I desire). I don't have a cabinet for my amp head yet. Great videos and thanks for reading.
hey... what about guitar compressor? should i put in fx loop?thanks
How did you get the hod rod deluxe overdrive channel to sound that good? It sounds great.
+andrzejfenner I've been working on amps for fun for quite a while... it takes quite a bit of tweaking but it can be done ;)
Wouldn't it be the same just putting the reverb after the distortion in the chain?
Hey man, love your channel. Hope you give me some advice. I Have a reverb and chorus in my fx loop. I have established that a volume pedal (or an eq for that matter) being used in the fx loop to lower the volume may allow me to sculpt my tone at a lower volume. So this will give me a nicer tone at lower volumes. Would not use the volume pedal (or eq) as a boost, but push the power amp valves, but keep the volume tamed. HOWEVER the thing i cannot find out is this. I also have a clean boost and boss looper at the end of my fx loop chain. Can i use the volume pedal (or eq) to tame the amp, but keep my reverb, delay, looper and clean boost . (clean boost gives me a volume push in this position). dont want to buy another pedal if this will not work. BTW my FX loop at the moment works fine as it is. Hope yo can help. Regards Bryan
Thank you Sir. Finally found the explanation I have been looking for.
What does a Line Out /Line In on a Crate VFX 50 Watt mean? Is that a FX Loop??
Will it also work fine if you just put all your pedals in the effects chain?
can you show how to set it up, hook it up with the chords and all that, real slow, for someone that has never used the effects loop, ever. I understand the concept, but have no clue how to set it up at all..
7 months later no answer, I guess no one knows..
What happens when you use Amp reverb? Should you not use amp reverb when using overdrive pedals?
sure you can do that, shouldn't be any problem at all.
@@wampler_pedals thank you!
It's the same even if you're using the clean channel right ? Like you would still want to go thru the effects loop even if you are on the clean vs the distortion channel?
So I can leave the front of an amp not plugged in and I can hook my guitar up to a distortion pedal and into the effects input only and the amp wont pop like when u accidentally unplug a guitar into the front after u turn it on? Just making sure I can leave the front unplugged and plug into an effects loop
Technically yes, distortion and over drive u actually want to run into the front of the amp.....pedals like delay u want to run into the effects loop! So basically the front of the amp u run through the amps pre amp....the effects loop puts stuff in between.
i just got a digitech whammy and have a Line 6 HD147, at the moment I'm running this in front but should it/would it be better in the fx loop?
where and how do you hook up the pedals?
Brian I am have a old Avid 11 Rack which I found out has a effects loop with Send and Return as i new and learning this stuff If I want to created a very clean tone but with a wavy type of Stereo effects where they both blend together at different times with two delay pedals how would I put each one of theses delay pedals in the effects loop?
Great info and nice licks Brian!
looping the effects with a hot rod 3 is Soooo much better than going direct. Especially when integrating a plethora of pedals.
What is the brand of pickups again?
Is the signal from the echo and reverb pedals enough to push the power amp properly? That's what's confused me about this setup. Doesn't the power amp want to see line level? Thanks, Brian. Great video.
+STIRK STIRKLAND The signal from the echo and reverb will not push the amp properly, in amps with really good effect loops there is additional circuitry to boost the signal back up to where it needs to be.
Hello Brian i just want to make sure what you are saying. So i could run my overdrive pedals through the effects loop if i want as well as all my effect pedals correct.
+chris kerrick No, don't run all of them, only the things that you would normally want after distortion, such as delay, reverb, chorus, pitch shifting of any sort (except octavia style)
Does the loop on the hotrod deluxe mark 4 only work with line level fx? I find my mxr cc mini sounds weird through it,
But is the distortion pedal gone through the loop aswell?
I'm thinking about trading my current amp for one of the new Fender Bassbreaker 45's. Can you add an effects loop to an amp that isn't built with one?
What if I’m using a multi
Effects board like a line 6 or helix?
Don't worry about FX loop
Brian. Great video. Tell me what about modulation too. Thoughts of loop vs straight in?
Wow. Catapulp od > hrd !
dude that was very informative. I have 88 fender Japan Strat into hot rod deluxe and very noisy....but not after this video lol. Thank you 1000 times brother