Effects loop or no effects loop

RobbieZ

What do you prefer, a amp with a effects loop or one without and why?

AlanRatcliffe

With. So I can have effects before and after the preamp.

Some amps are just right the way they are though ...which is why my Twin doesn't have a loop...

aja

No effects loop. I like power amp drive so an effects loop doesn't give me anything interesting.

ezietsman

Ja I'm not fussy about this either. For the styles I'm interested in playing, having pristine delay/reverb isn't important. To me it sounds perfectly fine if those things get overdriven a bit on the way to the speakers.

Psean

ez wrote: Ja I'm not fussy about this either. For the styles I'm interested in playing, having pristine delay/reverb isn't important. To me it sounds perfectly fine if those things get overdriven a bit on the way to the speakers.

Same here

Edit: my amp has an effects loop but I never use it. I put my delay through it once but then realised for the tiny bit of delay I use, it's just not worth the extra cables. I wasn't completely sold on how it sounded in the loop anyway.

Wildaker

No effects loop, for two reasons:

I don't really use effects, and when I occasionally do, I really don't use the sort that benefit from being in a loop.
The amps I like were designed before effects loops were used by guitarists, so it's pretty moot anyway

One of the things I like about those amps, of course, is the power amp drive mentioned by Alan Ratcliffe. And that's something that I like so much, I don't even want a master volume control...

Gearhead

Me likes da loop for a number of reasons
- modulation and time based effects sound better to me after the preamp;
- I can use stereo effects, which my preamp cannot do on the input but it can do on the effects return;
- I can blend synth sounds into the effects loop and bypass the preamp.

If I were a better player I'd want to just play with a wah pedal and maybe a midboost into an amp with reverb, that's it. But I'm no good ?

Psean

Gearhead wrote: If I were a better player I'd want to just play with a wah pedal and maybe a midboost into an amp with reverb, that's it. But I'm no good ?

I go the other way. I'm no good, so I keep my effects count low so there's less to confuse me ?

Gearhead

Psean wrote:
Gearhead wrote: If I were a better player I'd want to just play with a wah pedal and maybe a midboost into an amp with reverb, that's it. But I'm no good ?
I go the other way. I'm no good, so I keep my effects count low so there's less to confuse me ?

Oh I only have one effects unit :?

Psean

Gearhead wrote: Oh I only have one effects unit :?

Jayhell

My one amp has an effects loop and I haven't used it in 12 years. :? I'd rather just stick everything in front of the amp and when the situation arises that I'm not using my own amp, at least I'll have a pretty good idea what it sounds like. and ja, the less cables I have the better.

Beeg

All very good points to consider, however I found a effects loop invaluable when using a looper. Nothing more annoying than having a distorted loop track when you adjust the gain on your preamp.

One thing that I hate about the effects-loop on my amp, is that I cant use any regular instrument level pedals in it without frying them. ☹

AlanRatcliffe

One advantage of the modelling/DI route is that I can have effects post amp/speaker (which I often want for compression, room 'verbs and EQ). Amp FX sends are a bit of a compromise - better than in front of the preamp for some FX, but not as good for others.