True Bypass Looper

As anyone who plays live guitar knows, the pedal board at your feet plays a big role in your performance. In addition to practicing your playing skills, you also need to carefully arrange the equipment at your feet and practice using them seamlessly in a performance.  As the complexity of the pedal board increases, it becomes far more likely to make mistakes tap-dancing on the footswitches, or to get confused in the intensity of a fast-moving live performance. So anything that helps to simplify and better ergonomically arrange the pedals at your feet is going to improve the quality of your performance. And for my rig, a true bypass looper is just one of those things. Here’s why:

My VOX AC15HW1 is a two channel amp, but true to its vintage heritage, there is no channel switch. There are independent inputs for the Normal channel and the Top Boost channel.

In order to switch between the two channels, you need an ABY switch like this Morley Selector Combiner. You plug your guitar into the switch and run two cables to the amp, then the switch selects whether the guitar signal is sent to the A output, the B output, or both.

The AC15HW1 also has a foot switch to enable “hot mode” on the Top Boost channel, which enables a fantastic solo lead sound when engaged.

As I mentioned in my previous pedal board update, I also want a way to bypass my Zoom G3X modeling pedal to take it out of the signal chain when I’m not using it.  And, I need another footswitch for tap tempo on the Zoom delays.  That’s a lot of footswitches!

So I’ve been thinking about building a a custom control switcher in a nice aluminum enclosure like the Hammond 1411WU. But considering the price of all the components – a bunch of footswitches, Switchcraft jacks and LEDs, not to mention that $20+ aluminum enclosure, it’s starting to get a little pricey!

So when I saw this custom 6-function true bypass switcher, built-to-order to customer specifications on sale for only $99, it was a no-brainer. Brian, the Loop-Master himself, is great to work with and very accommodating.  I configured an A/B switch and solo “Hot mode” foot switch for the amp, three separate true bypass loops, and a tap tempo momentary toggle – all in a single aluminum enclosure. After placing the order, I received it in a couple weeks.  The build quality is excellent, and it works perfectly.

I mounted it front and center on my new pedal board and haven’t looked back. It has been a great addition to my live set up!