Running a Distortion Pedal in the Effects Loop?

In this video I'll demonstrate a question I hear quite a bit:
"Should I run the distortion into the effects loop?"
"Should I use the pedal as the preamp and run it into the return, or use it like a regular pedal in the loop, using the amp's preamp?"
Tl;dw version is that it's two different sounds, but both can sound good. I actually preferred using it as the preamp with the Orange personally.
Impulse Responses used were from Celestion, amp sound taken with a Two Notes Captor into the DAW.

[@MesaNez]

Timestamps 1:18 guitar -> wampler -> amp input 3:21 guitar -> wampler -> amp fx return 7:33 guitar -> amp input -> fx send to wampler -> fx return

[@antoniobanderas3870]

I just tried this on my 6505+ tube combo with a 30 dollar behringer metal pedal. It got rid of all the murky sound, I had tried a noisegate yesterday but the feedback was unbearable. Absolutely try this, take any metal pedal and play through the return hole if you have one. Today was the first time in my life I was ever happy with my guitar tone

[@nathanrichard4357]

I feel like all the 6505 needs is an EQ pedal. You can take out some of the fuzz from the game channel by scooping the med slightly, and then that’s my perfect guitar tone.

[@matthewjenkins4473]

I have been doing this with my mxr full bore metal pedal I feel that it takes the "overly compressed" tone out of it and makes it sound huge! That's played regularly on my cheap orange crush por 120 for almost 2 years. No problem with the amp. Thanks for the great video!

[@gootyobt2032]

Which setup?

[@jimgraczyk6991]

I like that you take the time to explain exactly how the cables are connected, and into what input and what output

[@powerseostrategy]

I'm so glad I was fortunate enough to get an ADA MP-1 back in 2008. Thanks for the video!

[@finnancahill2644]

As unlikely as it sounds the boss metal zone sounds pretty good in the effects loop. If you don't believe Ola Englund made a video on it

[@jakejones4164]

Kirk Windstein of crowbar uses it as a clean boost. Not a bad pedal it can just be used wrong.

[@ragnaroksangel]

LOL I saw that earlier

[@ccandrew111]

Ds2 also works really well there

[@seisette]

@@ccandrew111 uh how do you set the ds2 up in the FX loop? If I put it there sounds like the classic "can of bees" even with the tone dialed way down.

[@ccandrew111]

ilcuggino I used in my Jim root terror’s loop, sounded good there. Remember to only plug into fx return as that is how you bypass the preamp tubes

[@scotts8985]

I started running my ts9 direct into my effects return and it sounds fantastic. Thanks for posting this. I have been looking for others showing the same with other “preamps”. Thanks so much

[@TheDistortionist]

Love the Greg Marra shirt! He was my guitar teacher. Thanks for the sacrilegious demonstration! Enjoy seeing gear used “incorrectly”.

[@TheBoondoggler]

Hello ADA MP-1. Nice seeing my classic, crispy friends once in a while.

[@crimsun7186]

Finally. I kept seeing everywhere people telling you shouldn't do it, but no proof as to why over the years.

[@wallacebell3035]

I don't write much for public display, but I find this guy has some helpful hints and not just doing a video because he can. I miss my loop on my Fender. My Orange (will eat all the gain thrown at it) I just wish mine had an FX loop , but things change. I need my Fender rebuilt, and that ,being unemployed makes it impossible to fix ,now. Better times will come. The Fender is for all round FX. Where the Orange was bought for straight shredding(and it does)But, at this time it is holding it's own with in line pedals and a noise gate.This is not a commercial for Orange or Fender. I am 60 years old. The Orange is the first non Fender I have ever owned , and it is killer.Has limitations, but it will melt your face.

[@tyleraho2485]

Indeed. Thankyou for the gift of monday morning tone.

[@josephsmith8673]

You can put whatever you want into whatever you want. I believe the United States Supreme Court was clear on this. But seriously, Prefer overdrive, distortion, fuzz, octave, and wah effects directly into the amp input.

[@Snavels]

Unless you're using a metalzone, which is like a preamp pedal, use that in the effects loop

[@lethalancaster8022]

Besides a geriatric that poops him self on national television… sorry here in Texas we don’t play by them laws time and modulation in the fix loop only… real men hit the front end of their amp like Islamic men and their wives

[@GiacomoRavioli]

Supreme courts ruling on this was groundbreaking and has made a huge impact on case law.

[@deranged-games]

i quite like the honestly in these videos. We see the best way of using stuff and also things that dont really work and dont sound as good! its refreshing because im always messing with my set up and tryng things that dont sound as good! The ideal pedalboard set up takes so much experimentation to find!

[@jasfiona]

Thanks Brian. I've use my Black '65 in the FX loop and it's so good as a tone shaper

[@xanataph]

The pedal fully in the FX loop had a somewhat "squashed" tone. I suspect that's because it's well isolated from any kind of interaction with the guitar's pickups. And also being fed from a comparatively low impedance source (which it wouldn't be especially designed for). Going into the FX return is a more useful setup at times, getting the tone of the pedal without the colouring of the built in preamp. When I used to do local shows and "lend" my amp to other bands on the bill if the gat player was using a pedal (most often a Metal Zone!) I would encourage them to go into the the FX return on my 5150. That way they wouldn't need to mess up my settings! lol And they were usually happy with this too.

[@christianfriisjensen2055]

The Metal Zone is really quite the dark horse when used as a Preamp, as opposed to standard stompbox. There's a whole mess of videos exploring this, and I must say I was taken somewhat aback of how well it worked when I tried it myself.

[@ryanern18]

A friend of mine used to take lessons from Greg Howe. He'd use one of those old Johnson modeling amps in his home rig (this was 15 years or so ago) and would apparently always have a tube screamer on the FX loop.

[@luckylicks3497]

Star of the show: Cat

[@univibekitty3352]

A human with good taste. Refreshing.

[@moronsmorons8913]

@@univibekitty3352 These have run out of production unfortunately.

[@rangerdoc1029]

This helps a lot. I've been considering building a very small el84 amp with just a single 12ax7 gain stage (basically just the power amp section) as a pedal platform. I think it will work.

[@mortachaiepstein3584]

I run my EQD Acapulco Gold in the FX loop. Not running direct to the FX return mind you, but in the FX loop. I tried it because when I read "power amp distortion" I thought that's what they mean, run the sucker in your FX loop. It sounds MASSIVE. I tried running it in the front of the amp, and it sounds kinda Rat-esq fuzzstortion-y. In the FX loop, it's huge. The clean preamp of my amp is shaping the tone and the pedal is distorting that sound, so I'm pushing more dynamics, articulation and whatnot through it. I don't think it will ever leave my board, and I don't think I'll ever run it into the front of my amp.

[@brettmarlar4154]

Just because it's an effect pedal doesn't mean it belongs in the effects loop. I had to explain that to the bass player in a band for which I used to play who insisted on putting his wah pedal into his effects loop and constantly wondered why it never deally cut through or why the sweep wasn't every pronounced when activated. Yes they will function in the loop, but not to the level to which they were designed.

[@peepinyowindow4517]

Brett Marlar true but alot of these distortion pedals are setup more to be used as a preamp like as if was slaving another head into that amps power section

[@Psyfonify]

Tom Morello uses his wah in the FX loop in both RATM and Audioslave. In addition to every single one of his other pedals, even the whammy. Dirt was a cranked marshall

[@anthonysmithjr.7388]

@@Psyfonify the real answer is always in the comments

[@BarcaPatrick9]

* insert bass player joke here*

[@nsc217]

Nice sounding distortion!

[@stevesalazar9658]

I know this post is old, but I've found tube overdrive pedals (such as Kingsley, tube driver, etc) work well placed in the loop post the preamp & pre your dly/rev. It's that cascading type thing like Boogie or Dumble. They have the clean preamp cascading into the OD. Most ODs are not meant to be post the preamp by design. I feel like the tube ODs take the higher gain stage push of the preamp better by compressing smoother when hit. I even had my Dumble amp back in the day push my Groove Tubes Trio in the loop for more gain that my Dumble ODS didn't have. Sounded great.

[@smoothcannibal5371]

I lose the reverb on the amp doing this. I add a dd3 at the the front. the direct out (dry signal) on the delay pedal and run it to the input on the distortion pedal then into the effects loop. Then run the other output from the delay into the front of the amp. Using a metal zone to do this actually gave it a lot more transparency at lower gain. A lot more useable.

[@felippecezar9117]

Here's my 2 cents: I've had a Marshall VS100 since '97 and I was never able to use distortion straight into the input: ALL pedals sounded really shrill, noisy and downright unplayable. A Tube Screamer sounds fantastic, but distortion pedals sound abysmal. Last night, I tried the effcts loop with this Mesa-like distortion and boom: it sounded great. Bottom line is: some amps don't take pedals as well as others so do yourself a favor and experiment.

[@louaguado995]

I had the same problem with my 100 watt valvestate head. Every gain pedal sounded awful into it. And that amp only has one preamp tube! 🤣

[@kellrazor4369]

Distortion straight into an Orange sounds bad in my opinion. The Fx loop handles them much better, but with time effects it’s not so great…

[@davemoskot1776]

Thx! Brian, I still play your “triple-wreck” dist. pedal--absolutely love that beast!

[@kickbaktube]

I can't take my eyes off the ADA PreAmp sitting in the background. Mine's broken and would love to hear the sound of one again ;)

[@mikedegrazia]

Probably never happen he never answers comments...boo on you Brian

[@artisanconcrete1212]

Love the wear on the fret board! About a million miles worth if use lol

[@shawnjoe9187]

I just tried this today with a JCM2000 & a Blackstar Distx pedal. Its my first amp with an effects loop and I figured why not try it. I got horrible results. A huge amount of noise. I plugged the guitar into the amps input and then ran the send to the pedal input and return to the pedals output. The noise was unreal. I got curious as to why I was getting negative results with it and finally came across your video. I never thought to try using the pedal as a preamp though. Im going thru some pedals debating on selling a few off since my amps have changed over the years and this Distx doesnt get much use anymore. Thanks for doing this video. Subbed!!!

[@mesarecto6903]

I use distortion pedals all the time straight into the preamp. I do notice a loss in the treble frequencies, but I compensate with a 10 band eq to bring the highs back in instead of having to dime the highs on the pedals.

[@cpk313]

Thanks! You just turned my single channel amp into a 2 channel. Sort of. I'll explain, had no idea that I could run, guitar->pedal->FX loop return=sound (please excuse the repurposing of the greater then sign) but tried for S&G and WOW. I am not sure how it sounds in your situation because through youtube everything is garbledgooked but when I run the amp like that it is much, MUCH more touch sensitive and the tone/sound is, the best way I can describe it is more pure. Immediate perhaps is more relatable. Anyhow I am going to run guitar->AB box->pedal group A/pedal group B-> A into the amp input/B into the FX return. Viola'! 2 channels! Pedal group B includes a TC Elec. Spark mini which will basically serve as a preamp. Interestingly wah has to go into amp input, would not fly in the FX loop, I'm guessing either the wah's output Z is high and/or the FX loop input Z is low, or a combination. Either way I think this will be very awesome, waiting on the AB box, normally I'd just make it but I picked up a mint DOD 270 that was less then me buying the parts. UPDATE: This DID NOT work, bummer, glad I didn't spend too much to figure it out but when you are plugged into the FX loop in the amp input is muted. So it is one or the other, not both. In hindsight it would seem if something that cool would have worked probably someone brighter then I am would have figured it out already.

[@companionofowls5438]

single coils ahhhh!!!!! me want humbucky sounds. still I learn many much from you Wampy man.

[@jagtone]

Hey, Brian. I used to do pretty much exactly this, but with a little more flexibility. I have a Fender Champ25SE, which is an early 90s hybrid amp--with an IC version of a classic Fender preamp, and a tube power amp starting with a 12ax7 phase inverter. To my ears, the clean channel is super clear (good), but maybe a tiny bit too clean, while the dirty channel is way too loud and incurably muddy--pretty much useless as is. So I basically used a Boss LS-2 to switch between the clean preamp in one loop (LS-2 Send A> Fender input, Fender FX loop send> LS-2 Return A) and a Sansamp GT2 preamp pedal (in LS-2 loop B), then running back through my delay into the FX loop return. Sometimes I added the recovery half of a Vox 947 Valve Effects Buffer (a kind of poor man's Dumbleator) to warm everything up just a tad before going into the return. The negative is all the cables running back and forth between pedals and the amp, but it sounded good. If I were doing something like this today, I'd probably use something like an Alembic FB-2 clone pedal as the clean preamp, and a Tube Driver as the dirty.

[@slax1313]

Thank you....very informative...I've been having issues trying to figure out how to go into the effect loop...

[@elliotbradley]

I like to run an MXR Micro Amp (clean boost) turned about 1/4 - 1/2 of the way up in my effects loop just to push the power tubes into some distortion (sounds really good) without having to have the amp cranked way up... I have tried using some other dirt/drive/boost pedals like this, but most of them really don't sound very good at all in the loop.

[@zepp3lin]

The 1st thing that caught my eye was the Awesome Legendary ADA MP1. Still, have 1 alive and kicking since 1992 when I 1st got it but it's a 3 Tube Mod now circuit ordered from the awesome guy MarshallJMP.

[@standupstraight9691]

I've recently started doing this. Probably depends on the pedal, but I use a master vol amp. Master and volume on equal output, and it definitely sounds the best OD I've used. Bit like that bitey early 70s rock sound.

[@joseph-ow1hf]

Ok, let's back up a bit for some newb questions. Power amp distortion sounds different than just pre amp distortion......right? I assume guys like EVH were diming their amps to get power tube distortion. (ie: the brown sound) Running boost into front, overdrives the pre, causing it to compress and distort and then having that sound amplified by power tubes, which are not necessarily adding own distortion. A true distortion pedal into front, sends an already clipped, distorted signal to pre, which may or may not drive that section to distortion, and then onto clean power amp. So, if you add clean boost into fx loop in front of power tubes, and you push them into distortion, and does the pedal add to the signal form amp pre.......or bypass and become the pre? The vid seems to imply the latter. I would think if you could kick the power tube into clipping at low volume, that could be very cool. Or is the only solution to overdriven power tubes at sane volumes a power soak like an OX Box? Please forgive me for being an idiot, but it just seems like a lot of moving parts here.

[@QuikdethDeviantart]

joseph humphrey think of your amp as two “boxes”... a preamp and power amp. The loop acts like an insert between them. So what comes out of the preamp is then affected by the loop, which then sends it all to the power amp section. So the reason people put time based effects in the loop is so they won’t then be saturated by the preamp section. Your not bypassing the preamp at all, by using the loop, just adding another stage in the signal flow, between the preamp and power section. The time based effects don’t get distorted by the preamp, but they do include the entire signal that was handed off to them from the preamp via the loop, then the loop sends the whole signal (guitar->od/dist/wah etc->preamp->loop w/delay/reverb etc->power section->speaker cab) to the power amp and finally out your speakers...Does that help? A great way to learn about amp construction and signal flow without risking electric shocks is the free to download app Bias Amp (and grab it’s brother JamUp Pro while your at it for using the bias amps with virtual pedals/performance etc). Bias Amp allows you to tweak each stage of a virtual amp, giving you incredible insight into what does what... you can hear your changes to the amp in real time and analyzing your favorite amp builds also helps you figure out what things are important and what may not be so important. Check it out! Good luck!

[@benjaminbaldwin1118]

AND you're a cat Man! I liked you already, Brian, but you raised the bar with the kitty footage. Have two of your pedals and more to come. Love the vids and the gear and your way of doing things. Cheers

[@univibekitty3352]

Well if ignoring my advice makes him a cat man, then I am sad for humanity.

[@univibekitty3352]

But I do appreciate your comment. You are obviously a man of good taste.

[@robcerasuolo9207]

My cat always wants me to turn stuff down, but I just pretend like I can't hear him. If he had his way, we'd only ever listen to Muzak and Yanni. JK--he likes big bass and female singers.

[@wampler_pedals]

@Univibe Kitty How about less time on youtube, and more time practicing on hitting the litterbox!

[@shredb4dead]

If Univibe Kitty starts posting videos I guess I'll have to subscribe. Lol

[@jacobbockover1628]

I have an amp with a very full crunch channel and a thin lead channel. I've thought of using something like a bogner extasy blue and ignoring the lead channel or a high cut for when im using the lead or even going from a 4 ohm to an 8 ohm speaker to just compress it down a bit. Thanks to this vid I probly won't run a pedal as a pre amp

[@AdamRainStopper]

I actually sometimes like to use, for recording, a compression pedal in the loop, as in guitar to the front of the amp, then the effects send to the pedal, then the output of the pedal to the return. This allows me to set the amp's gain where I can go from almost totally clean to almost high-gain with only pick attack, not touching the guitar's volume, but then it compresses later in the chain. I can pick hard and get dirty, pick softly and clean up, but the volume stays consistent, as if I hit a dirty guitar tone with compression in post, except that I can "play to the compressor" because I can hear it in real-time. I get all the touch-sensitivity of the amp, but a "final product" that basically mixes itself. It's not great for very distorted rhythm stuff, and a rack compressor with line level ins and outs is more suitable to this application, but for a liquid lead tone, give it a try!

[@elboloalimenticio]

Adam Rainstopper interestinh idea I’ll try it with my vintage dynacomp cheers!

[@AdamRainStopper]

Yeah, go for it. Just bear in mind that a compression pedal will even stuff out by increasing the overall gain first, so when you turn it on, very quiet signals give the appearance of being "boosted." The result of this is that it will "boost" any noise from the preamp. Just set the amp up for minimal noise, and don't run a bunch of pedals into the front. Good luck, enjoy!

[@jagtone]

That's a good idea, but if you an find a compressor with a separate buffered sidechain input, you will be able to greatly reduce the noise that this kind of technique can engender. The way this works is this: Every compressor has a sidechain, which is where the compressor adjusts how much boost is adds to compensate for the dynamics in the signal, just most pedal compressors simplify by feeding the sidechain a buffered version of the same signal that is being effected. But if you can feed the sidechain the cleanest, most noiseless, least compressed signal you can (i.e. pretty much straight from the guitar), then you can set the compressor for more compression, and with a lower threshold, without the compressor trying to amplify the noise created by your effects and amp--even if the that noise is part of the signal that the compressor is working on. (This may not work with single coils if you are picking up a lot of hum, but then again, a compressor anywhere is going to have trouble in that kind of environment.)

[@drpacs85]

I'm a Bass player, and I love distortion. Have a 2 channel amp with independent fx loops for each channel. Used to plug the bass into the front end and run my OCD into the FX loop of channel 2 (used the "send" as input and output to "return") and left channel 1 completely clean and then blended the signals so I could get distortion without losing low end. It sounded good, definitely had to tweak the tone controls and I still lost low mids in the overall mix so ... Now I've got better bass distortion pedals so no need of going into the loops.

[@aj81ds]

Thanks for making this video. I want to try this with my Plexi Drive Deluxe.

[@3264headtrip]

Great demo Brian, thanks for taking the time to run dirt thru all of the options - I liked the Pinnacle thru FOA but I also enjoyed the 2nd option, guitar into pedal input and output to "effects return" - it seemed to give a very rich sound with some reduced highs that might work for some bright guitars/pickups or heavier music styles.

[@homer7000]

I do use a Pinnacle in effects return and I do prefer it this way.

[@louaguado995]

Way back in the 90's, I ran a zoom 505 through my Marshall Valvestate effects loop and it sounded awful! I was so clueless that I thought every pedal would sound as bad as that cheap plastic one,lol. So I never used an effects loop again.

[@JamesDittrich]

Kudos Brian, thanks for mythbusting!

[@jaredmclaughlin5256]

OMG!! Please drop the volume of the random music tracks in the video. Nearly blew my eardrums out. (concerned headphone user here)

[@devilsdoorbell]

Same. Hell of a volume jump I didn't expect.

[@wampler_pedals]

Hey Jared. Bob the video guy here. My apologies, concentrated on our guitar audio and overlooked that music hit. Will be more mindful of that in the future.

[@jaredmclaughlin5256]

Thank You!! Appreciate the response. Love the videos otherwise!

[@Coolguy8623]

consider getting a nice speaker maybe ... i never have this problem, just a suggestion

[@jaredmclaughlin5256]

U4RIA - Coolguy8623 Not always in a position to watch using speakers. There's a high percentage of people watching with headphones. I'm looking out for those people.

[@alguitarchristie]

PLEASE watch your levels with the transition music, it was twice as loud as your guitar and voice! Nearly jumped out of my seat! :) Thanks for the Vid :)

[@nickolaynaydenov3292]

OMG KITTEN😍and... fx return for me, I'm always using that method when playing with a distortion pedal.

[@davidhendrox]

I have solved that oscillation with putting a boss pedal bypassed in front of pinnacle. Using it with an IR loader direct to headphones as a bedroom practice solution. haven't tried the triple wreck and sovereign yet

[@foreverapathetic8228]

Aww I love that cat.

[@misterguitargeek]

If the pedal is basically a big, fat sounding preamp (like a Pinnacle) - the loop is a great spot. If it's a RAT - then watch out!

[@cjleongson]

The Guitar Geek i saw a vid that used a rat and it sounded fine. not bad indeed

[@delriodheryck687]

I'm using the rat in the FX loop, Very good sounding. Just a little bit more responsive the Filter knob than in front of the amp.

[@nathanrobinson5234]

Honest, I like that. From Blighty

[@AndyNyle]

put one in front one in the back. huge sound!

[@thedddemon]

ADA Mp-1 in the background. That would've been been perfect straight into the power amp :)

[@JRP3music]

I miss my ADA MP-1 pre-amps. I have 2 of them that need to have caps or whatever else needs to be overhauled.

[@bwgti]

If it was 1990. I was actually curious about it too. Wonder what Brian would do with such a thing.

[@wampler_pedals]

yeah, it works great into the power amp!

[@AdamRainStopper]

Glenn Danzig watches Wampler videos?

[@lfdvidinc]

ADA pre amp. Great sound in the late 80’s

[@edgararias6601]

I use amp-in-a-box style pedals in my loop, right before my delay, with the gain low-ish on the pedal and just-before-breakup on the amp channel. I find the pedal works as eq coloring effect well, but the dirt characteristics change a little bit, enough that I can live with it. If I also run another dirt pedal in front of the amp with a bit higher gain, then too much gain/distortion stacking makes the tone mushy in the lows, drowned/non-defined in the mids and overall compressed badly like the speaker was crapping out. In the end I like each dirt flavor separate, and just don't play them stacked.

[@williamolsen20]

Also I own a Tumnus pedal, and I love it.

[@leftyfusion88]

I did this on a Carvin X100b with a cheapo DOD YJM pedal and got the sickest Randy Rhoads-ish mayhem distortion. I really didnt think it would work but it did.

[@hariadiodi8274]

I prefer you to install the pedal to return amps. It sounds good to me

[@davedehetre]

yeah, I enjoy the 'just try it' method. more of these kind of videos.

[@paulcowart3174]

Hey Brian I hope you get this question/comment Bringing it up with "loop" in the equation on U-tube totally gets nowhere OK I want to separate two partial signal chains Fuzz and overdrive in two separate chains but the same vibe and echo after the two different fuzz and ODs Both the fuzz's are germanium so putting them in line does not work in my set up I'm sure there are ways to do this so basically isolating the two fuzz's from each other Thanks Brian hope you see this comment Plus I will look up your latest demo Maybe catch you easier that way Thanks again 👍 and stay safe Tone Man

[@paulcowart3174]

I haven't tried a dist pedal in a loop but use pedals like the EP boost quite often Don't be skeerd lol 😁 Never know till you try Thanks Brian

[@jamesstonehouse3448]

I finished building an amp a few months ago, and I added an effects loop. I found I had to attenuate the signal a lot before pedals in the loop stopped clipping. The end result though is that I have a slightly less distorted OR120 clone, but it sounds great with fuzz and other dirt pedals, and also does a nice clean

[@prod291]

Did you attenuate by installing some resistors? In an already built amp, can I atteanuate by using an volume drop pedal as the first one in the loop and then using another for last to bring the volume back up?

[@zekzen8063]

I want to try it later... Thanks 🙂

[@fransvanhelvoort1083]

To me the sound of the pedal direct into the power amp. sounds more open and with more "oompff" in it. The pedal into the preamp sounds muffled and also the preamp=pedal=poweramp sounds dull to me. I think the reason of this is that in this way you overdrive the phase shifter by the pedal . And that gives the open heavy sound. It is an interesting experiment to turn the pedal gain a bit down and the pedal volume open. In that way the Phase divider will see an enormous signal and will distort.

[@jayteesgear]

Just tried this with a BE pedal into Return of my Origins 50 and nothing 😵. Blah. This demo youve done sounds Great! Which Tele bridge pup are you using?

[@LinusKnight]

you've got yourself a new fan and subscriber! much respect. I'm picking up an *Orange CR120H* today to play thru my *_Marshall MG4x12 120W Cabinet_* - I never wanted any pedal accept Electro Harmonix (they seemed more vintage and analog-- Billy Corgan preceded them so I was going to stick with them (keep in mind i've never been able to afford any pedals accept a piece of shit _Boss DS-1_ back when i was in a high school jam band -- but now i want NICE *Delay & Reverb* with different room/space options to choose from as well as delay options (reverse/ping pong/triplet/warped etc)- distortion pedals drove me nuts because i had NO CLUE how to pick the one that's right for me since i cannot test them before buying (Guitar Center doesn't exactly carry many options in-store)- but this Pinnacle is now my goal- I WAS going to Invest in the Revv G4 distortion/overdrive since it's like 150-250 in price and sounds great but you may have changed my mind. *CAN YOU PLZ review the Revv G4?? with the Orange head? that will be the set up i'll have (and marshall cab) if i buy the -Revv G4 (it's a red pedal, for reference:)* Revv Amplification G4 Distortion & Overdrive Pedal www.amazon.com/dp/B07MVRLPFW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_GHJdDbKFR2CQ1

[@nsc217]

Definitely easier than having 4 different cables all over the place

[@ilovemurder8983]

Will a procorat 2 and big muff op amp sound good plugged into the effects return with a cab/amp sim?

[@chrisradzion2148]

This raises a question for me- how would an “amp in a box” pedal sound in an effects loop? I gather it would be similar to running a dirt pedal into the loop. I have a small, extremely clean tube amp based on a Fender Blues Jr, and wondered what running a pedal like the WIIO (a Hiwatt style pedal) or a SansAmp English Muffy would sound like.

[@WilmerLebron]

Awesome Bro!! Keep the Info Coming!! Gues Gary Vee has put you on the right track!! 🎸🎶🔥🤘🏻

[@cjleongson]

i think drive and distortion pedals are good preamps because of all these vids

[@ilovemurder8983]

Pedal to effects return vs loop (amp send to pedal to amp return) What's the difference

[@cybrunel1016]

Was that an ADA MP-1 I spied behind you sitting atop that Orange head at the beginning of the video ? I still have mine collecting dust somewhere, every metal head had one in the 80's, shed a nostalgic tear.

[@alastairtilley3585]

THAT's an ADA MP-1 on top of your Rockerverb and I'd like to know your thoughts and see if you have any mods done to it - essentially all the Wampler-ness on my favourite preamp of all time. Please Mr. Wampler.

[@artreemusic2646]

Great idea !

[@cmartinrel]

Kitty!!

[@univibekitty3352]

Human!!

[@Dahippness]

Thanks for the small heart attack 2:14

[@Myself6M]

Great video! Would I be able to split the signal of the guitar and half of it going through the pedal to the effects return and half of it through the amp's preamp? If yes would I need a clean boost to much the volumes?

[@alanredversangel]

I reckon a maxxed out Super Hard-On in the loop of a solid state practice amp would hurt something.

[@wampler_pedals]

How so?

[@alanredversangel]

Wampler Pedals Don't know, I'd be too afraid to try! Ears would definitely hurt.

[@davedehetre]

ha! yeah, ears could definitely hurt.

[@wampler_pedals]

gotcha... Mosfet boosters are pretty loud, but as far as I know I don't think they have the headroom of most solid state amps, though that really depends on the circuitry. I think most often it would just clip the following gain stage though.

[@alanredversangel]

Wampler Pedals I usually hit a wall with FX loops. Can't turn up my Peavey classic 30 without the clip light coming on an eventide time factor in the loop. And any eq boost in there usually just makes the power tubes fart.

[@flashg5454]

Hello, A question that has made me hesitant regardless of whether good or bad sounding can I damage the amp by plugging in a gain pedal,overdrive or distortion in the loop.

[@scottyd2262]

I can't have a cat (I've got 2 Rottweilers) but I love seeing yours make an appearance ! I it makes me wish that mine was still alive.... Don't get me wrong... My cat was here before my dogs were born ! HaHa !

[@Healcraft]

need a way to swap this but I think I would need 2x LS-2s instead of 1 while still keeping a reverb pedal after it

[@robcerasuolo9207]

I'd actually like to try this with different fuzz pedals. I have an Effectrode Helios that might be fun to do this with! }:D

[@hoosierdaddy2308]

Great video as usual. Do you have any videos of overdrive or distortion into ss amps such as the quilter?? Where does one write to ask you a question about your overdrive and distortion products??

[@wampler_pedals]

[e-mail]

[@hoosierdaddy2308]

Wampler Pedals Thanks my friend.

[@mwc6849]

Thanks for not cruising around in the chair! 😁

[@flingar]

Thank you so much for your great vids AND pedals! I’d like to ask you : is the any point in running an overdrive pedal in front of a transistor amp? I’ve heard that that was a common practice during the end of the 80s and the trend of transistor guitar amps...

[@robcerasuolo9207]

Ioannis Tziallas I'm no expert, but I can offer a couple of possibilities. If the SS pre-amp sounds like crap (and apparently, many of the ones on 80s amps did), and you could bypass it with an awesome-sounding pedal, then you'd sound that much better. Also, some SS amps sound good when clean, but not when distorted (separate problem from above); so you could just use the pedals for distortion. However, this second possibility is obviously different from what the video was intended to demonstrate.

[@Piplodocus]

If you’re using the pedal for distortion in front it’ll be fine. If you’re using the pedal to drive a hot level into the amp to use it to try overdrive that it’ll get solid state clipping and may sound horrible. If it’s designed to soft clip though it’ll just sound like the SS amp overdriven though. So it might sound cool, might sound horrible, depending how you use it and what amp it is. But if you keep the output level not too hot and are using pedal crunch then there’s no reason it should sound inherently bad.

[@spiceyweasel]

Why didn’t you put it in the effects loop and plug your guitar into the amp input?

[@Piplodocus]

Biggest thing I found was my FX loop level was far too hot. Fine for most pedals but when it comes to drives it made them stupidly overdriven with the high level going in the front of the pedal being a lot bigger than a guitar, then the whole thing had a volume drop as the pedal couldn’t make the gain back up to the normal FX loop level. I could turn all my channel volumes down a *lot* and the master up, but then I might get more tonal losses if I’m not driving the FX loop cable run as hard, so I gave up the drives in the loop idea v quickly. 😕

[@briangrover873]

weird electronic dilemma that I'm curious about: I have a two channel tube amp (Jet City JCA50) with an FX loop. Most pedals work fine in the FX loop; however if I put a high gain pedal in the FX loop it works fine on the clean channel, but when I kick into the dirty channel it gets a massive volume drop. If i turn the drive pedal off the dirty channel behaves normally. So far it has only occurred if I put a high gain fuzz or overdrive pedal in the FX loop. Not looking for a solution (it all works fine if I run drive pedals through the input), just curious as to what may cause it to happen. Any educated guesses or theories?

[@christopherbrewer7304]

I'm using the effects loop on my Marshall to run a chorus and delay, using the send and return and also want to use the return only to run a Boss DS-1, without having 2 returns can I split the return using a 2 into 1 cable and if not is there any other solutions you could advise me on? Thank you!

[@bkozguitar7911]

There was a bit of volume levels issue in a few parts had to really crank up the volume to hear you and then BLAMMO (Batman sound FX) louder guitar, normally I'd not care but unfortunately I live in an apartment and the neighbors have Bionic hearing. LOL I usually run the EQ flat on the amp with very slight adjustments for the room etc. ( a DV Mark S.S. Guitar Amp) using the boost from the pre-amp. Question how would a buffered output into the FX return behave ? I have a Chameleo MK2 Loop switcher with buffered out. Next time you in Indy I'll buy the 1st round at the Pub. : )

[@codyb9205]

Theres tons of viids out there telling me its wrong to use my mt2 pedal as a preamp... I have no effects loop on my blonde blackstar amp. Any solution for this?

[@paulkielt9301]

I think the Effects Return is better for clean tones without flourish. I tried to add a relay to switch between the Input and the Effects Return of my Mesa Boogie .50 Caliber+, but I got buzzing issues on my distortion channel. Do you know how to make that kind of switching properly?

[@negativentry]

Hi Sorry I am quite new to this. I have the following question: “My amp has preamp section with EQ followed by Reverb knob, FX knob and delay knob ... if i use a pedal into FX loop will it bypass the just the preamp with EQ or the whole thing including Reverb, FX and Delay stages?” 2nd Question: “Is FX loop send and return high Z or low Z input / output? I own low Z Audio DSP processor that I can use to play with FX loop but I need to know if I need to go via DI box before I mess things up ?” Thank you

[@speedhead]

uhhh, why would you use the actual fx loop send and return and plug ur guitar into the main amp input?

[@speedhead]

@Michael Spence I grabbed a ts9 and it sounds way better in front of the amp input. With the rest of my fx in the fx loop verb,delay chrous. Yes it is one more cable. But the sound was night and day with the ts9

[@ryanwilson5936]

Please make a mini distortion pedal for metal that sounds good. I like the appeal of the small form factor pedals but all of the metal distortion ones that are available more or less sound like crap. I’d love to see a high-end mini distortion pedal that actually sounds good and will fit on my nano board. Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeease

[@pauloscabeni5277]

Amazing video! Any plans for making this with other pedals or connecting them straight into the audio card? (Like Johan Segeborn did in a video with Plexidrive)