How many people use the FX Loops in their amps...?

[assquatch20]

So i should prob tell you guys what my entire fx setup will be...

TC Tuner - Echoplex Preamp - Dunlop Wah - Duke of Tone overdrive - Proctavia (octave/fuzz) = all going in the front end...

Microvibe (uni-vibe) - MXR Delay - TC Reverb = Running through the FX-Loop...

How does that sound/look to you guys...?

I think the univibe could work in front as well. I find modulation type pedals can go either way. Plenty of classic records have modulation going straight into the amp. Depends what you need to sound like.

Time based effects, to me, sound more like those classic records when nearer the end of the chain. Some players would add delay and reverb as well as chorus or whatever after a mic on the dry amp's cab. There have been different ways of doing it through the years and genres. A post rock or shoegaze guitarist would probably do things quite differently than the conventional approach.

Also I'm not positive but are you running your fuzz after a buffer or two? Maybe not but if so you might prefer it up front.

 

[axe arsenal]

All the time. I even had some of my amps that didn't have a loop modded to have one.

 

[Barfly]

I do. Delay and EQ.

 

[Neil S]

The reason I might have a delay in the loop or not is this - Listen to your delay. When in front of the amp, if you set long decay times each repeated delay becomes quieter. If you are using an over driven amp this will have the effect of turning the volume down on the guitar a little for each repeat. Turning the volume down makes the amp clean up, your delay will have less overdrive or distortion on each repeat which can sound good or bad depending on what music you are playing. Delay in the loop will have each repeat sounding just as over driven as the first until they completely fade out.

 

[Vonbleak]

Wow - Thanks man - Thats prob the best explaination i have heard and it makes alot sense - Cheers bro...

 

[Sir Don]

I always do, the four cable method.

 

[guitarbilly74]

I don't really use it anymore. I used to go to the trouble of doing 4CM etc and when I was in front of the amp is sounded cool but when I listened to the playback/recording of the show, all that stuff was pretty much lost in the mix. If anything, these effects were pushing the guitar back in the mix. So these days I use a wah, phaser, boost and chorus out front just for specific parts and that is it.
In most venues the sound is already bouncing off the walls anyway. If we're playing a room that is very dry I ask the sound guy to add a bit of reverb in post mixed low. It's better that way because he can fine tune it to the room.

When I am recording it's the same thing: I add the effects in post.

That said, I do have some delays and even rack effects that I play with from time to time in the loop. It's fun. But for most "serious" use i.e. gigs and recordings I run my amp dry.

 

[Maxbrothman]

SV20h Plexi - No. FX in front sound best. Maybe reverb in loop.
SC20h JCM800 - Yes. Boss Delay in loop is king. Reverb works also.
Jubilee - Yes. Same as JCM800.
Origin - Yes. Same as JCM800.
EVH - Yes. However, this is mostly an in-your-face amp.
Orange Tiny Terror - No because no effects loop.
Orange Dark Terror - Yes, but it is more like the EVH as an in-your-face amp.

EQ in FX loop is always a great option for gigging as pointed out by others.

Bottom line is that an FX loop seems like a winner to have in amp, unless you want a Plexi, so vintage FX loopless Plexis are a fine buy. Also if you are into high-gain Rhythm playing, you might not be bothered by the absence of one.

 

[giblesp]

Hi guys,

So im not new to playing guitar or amps or anything but i've always had an amp with reverb onboard and then just used a few pedals in the front end, so i've never really used an FX-Loop in any amp...

I am going to be getting the SV20 soon and im going to be putting a TC Hall of Fame reverb pedal in the loop - all good... And this will just sit on top of the amp...

However i will also be getting a MXR Delay pedal and im wondering if its worth also putting that in the loop or just leave it last in the chain on the front end...?

So yeah how many of you guys use the FX Loops and what do you normally use it for...? Or do you just go old school and have everything in the front end...?

Thanks for your time and info...

V

I use the fx loop in my JVM. I like the delay (Vox Timemachine) in the loop, which is the way Joe Satriani uses it. Great response on the red channel especially. Have a BOSS Waza Chorus in the loop, in front of it. The tone is still altered slightly, but is fully acceptable to my fussy ears. I experimented with a few pedals, to get it just right. Every buffer sounds different, and I'd say that true bypass pedals still alter tone. So for me, the buffer in the BOSS and the true bypass of the Vox Timemachine work well.


Any more pedals and I'll probably need a true bypass looper, and then set the amp up so that the fx loop can be fully switched off from the foot controller, when pedals aren't being used.

 

[SkyMonkey]

I use 5CM on both my amps. One with a pedal board and one with a multi effect.
You just need a stereo pedal (or 3) last in the FX loop.
That way either amp can be slaved by the other through its FX Return jack.