Pedals through effects loop?

[Gas Hed]

So what are the pros and cons of running my pedal board through the effects loop? Manual says it was meant for processors.

 

[Newysurfer]

So what are the pros and cons of running my pedal board through the effects loop? Manual says it was meant for processors.

I suggest you get on here and learn all about pedal use.

http://www.thegearpage.net/board/forumdisplay.php?f=4

Quick guide - the classic method is -
Wahs/ distortions / ODs & Fuzz tone producers up front plugged into the input jack.
All time based effects like reverbs, delays, chorus, flangers, phasers, plus noise suppressors & EQ pedals in the loop.
Tuners - doesn't matter where they go except if its a TU-2 - it'll tone suck in different locations.
All wahs sound crap anywhere but up front imo.
Delays & chorus sound muddy if not in loop.

Pedals sound best to me using the classic method, and to most other people too, but you may prefer different so experiment.
There's no absolute right or wrong - only what u prefer.
I've never put a whole pedal board thru a loop and never would.
Series loops are great to have and I use them on every amp that has one.

Not sure what you mean by "processors" but if you mean cheap MFX's then I don't like them with Mesa amps or any good tube amp - it's literally mixing coke into Bollinger imo. :mrgreen:

 

[Gas Hed]

Good stuff - thanks for the tips!

 

[Selsaral]

I've run a few pedals through the loop of my express with no problems at all. A deltalab chorus, the line6 hd500, and a barber tone press. There's no technical problems at all. But you'll want to pick the right order of your pedals as mentioned.

 

[mtodd6]

Pretty much settled on a compressor & delay in the loop as the only effects I need. May get a passive volume pedal up front since I like volume effects. Both pedals are boss & I don't notice any loss of tone. Some people hate the compressor in the loop, but to me it's no different than recording through my preamp & then post compression on the track. I find the OD pedals all sound muddy compared to 5W burn no matter where they are.

Played live with a multi-effects Boss ME-70 in the loop & it does fine although I don't think it preserves the tone as well as the individual BOSS pedals, but I needed the volume pedal for dynamics.

I find that the 5:50 is just easier to use with effects than my Fenders, which seem more temperamental with effects in front or in the loop.

 

[hotraman]

I just tried putting my Diamond Tremolo, MXR carbon copy delay and Hall of Fame reverb through the effects loop. I like what I'm hearing. I noticed that those three pedal do affect my tone of my Gretsch.
My OD ( Wampler Paisley and Fulldrive II ) are the only pedals that go through the front of the amp.

 

[EtherealWidow]

Pretty much settled on a compressor & delay in the loop as the only effects I need. May get a passive volume pedal up front since I like volume effects. Both pedals are boss & I don't notice any loss of tone. Some people hate the compressor in the loop, but to me it's no different than recording through my preamp & then post compression on the track. I find the OD pedals all sound muddy compared to 5W burn no matter where they are.

Played live with a multi-effects Boss ME-70 in the loop & it does fine although I don't think it preserves the tone as well as the individual BOSS pedals, but I needed the volume pedal for dynamics.

I find that the 5:50 is just easier to use with effects than my Fenders, which seem more temperamental with effects in front or in the loop.

Have you actually used the compressor in the loop or are you talking from experience with different amps? The master on the Express amps controls how much signal goes to the loop, therefore the amount of compression you get varies greatly dependent on your volume. Tried a comp in the loop. Sucked ***. Go figure.

 

[mtodd6]

Have you actually used the compressor in the loop or are you talking from experience with different amps? The master on the Express amps controls how much signal goes to the loop, therefore the amount of compression you get varies greatly dependent on your volume. Tried a comp in the loop. Sucked ***. Go figure.

Yes, I've tried the Boss compressor in the 5:50 loop. I like the sound a lot more than putting he compressor before the input. I really don't like anything in front of the input & I'm working on a A/B setup to bypass everything if needed. For now, I just throw a compressor & delay in the loop & use the OD from the preamp.

 

[EtherealWidow]

Have you tried it at a loud volume with the compressor though?

 

[BostonRedSox]

Time-based effects sound better through loops because of their effect on the audio frequency before reaching the preamp (which adds the most tonal shaping to your sound, and in Mesa's, distortion). Putting a Phaser before the preamp for example, makes the frequency change before being properly shaped by the preamp section itself. Some people like this, but for others who use amps were the distortion is mainly shaped by the preamp section (as opposed to the power amp section -- ie, Marshalls) this is not desirable. This is the technical reasoning to putting these types of effects in the the effects loop.

Through trial and error of course, your ears may tell you otherwise. It's all about your amp settings, tonal likes, playing styles, effects choices, etc. EVH primarily put his effects before the loop early on when he used customized Marshalls, but now with his 5150s he puts many of his effects in the loop. There really is no right or wrong way to approach this.

Personally, I like to keep my delays in the loop always, and choruses and flangers are inside/outside the loop depending on my preferences, tonal needs, number of pedal options, etc. I have two MXR-117 Flangers, one inside the loop acting as a chorus, and one out front, acting as a true flanger. The one out front gives me more of that EVH flange sound, and more control over copping interesting sounds while palm scraping muted strings.

 

[sax4blues]

My understanding is the effects loop is AFTER the preamp and BEFORE the power amp.

 

[BostonRedSox]

Yes, you are correct, the effects loop is in between the preamp and poweramp. The poweramp is what amplifies the sound, volumewise. On Mesas, there is to be little need for poweramp distortion. You can get it, but they are mostly designed to get their gain from the preamp, with the poweramp serving to just amplify the sound from the preamp. Poweramp tubes do impart their own final color to your tone, hence the reasoning that people prefer different power tubes.

 

[EtherealWidow]

My understanding is the effects loop is AFTER the preamp and BEFORE the power amp.

Yes, but the master volume controls how much signal is sent through the effects loop. Hence, more master=more compression if you have a compressor pedal in the loop.

 

[kahawe]

And I am not sure if you would experience tone degrading and/or treble-rollof when running long cables from effects-send to your pedalboard and long cable back to effects-return since typically amp and pedalboard are not right next to each other, are they? And the express loop is not buffered and has no send or return level adjustments.