Express 5:50 1X12 Effects Loop - Leave it or use it?

[creekhed]

I have heard that using the effects loop on these (and other amps) affects the tone in a negative way...
Anyone have any thoughts on this? I use the Loop for Delay (Line6 DL4) and my Q-Tron + only while leaving my other pedals out front. Any info appreciated!
Thanks

 

[Don]

I use the loop with my H&K Rotosphere. It sounds fine with the pedal on or off.

 

[Newysurfer]

I have heard that using the effects loop on these (and other amps) affects the tone in a negative way...
Anyone have any thoughts on this? I use the Loop for Delay (Line6 DL4) and my Q-Tron + only while leaving my other pedals out front. Any info appreciated!
Thanks

Not sure what you're talking about.
Effects the tone in a negative way - the tone of what - the amp or the pedal ??
Time based effects like delay, chorus, reverb, flangers etc all sound better after the preamp so they have to go in the loop. Then it depends whether or not your amp has a Series or Parrallel loop. If it's parrallel it's usually impossible to get pedals or MFX's to sound decent. No prob if it's a Series loop like the Express amps have.

I use both pedals and a Boss GT-8 thru the Loop of the 5:50 and that's one of the most outstanding features of this amp. THe Series loop is great & the amps clean channel is superlative so it takes all pedals and MFX's brilliantly. Many other Mesa amps like the F-50 have a Parrallel loop so I'd never consider buying one. Unless you want to get the loop modd'ed to a Series one.

As for negatively affecting tone. Are you referring to the effect of many analog pedals on the amps tone when they are switched off?? This is called "tone suck" and is a common problem with most pedals that are not true bypass. Line6 pedals are infamous for it, so is Boss & Behringer. If your pedals are tone sucking your amp - join the club. Get rid of em and buy non tone sucking/true bypass pedals. This is totally unrelated to using the amps loop.

 

[BMcA]

Hello to everyone. This is my first post on the board and my first Mesa amp the Express 5:50. Could you tell me Newysurfer the best way to wire my GT-8 to the 5:50 as I have read there are so many different ways. I think from what I read it is better to go through the loop. Could you explain to me please the best way to do this. I basically want to keep the sound of my amp and just add some effects. Thanking you.

 

[creekhed]

From what I have heard you want to put the GT in the loop.

By NEGATIVELY affecting the tone I mean that I THOUGHT there was a loss of tone the MOMENT I started using the Loop...but the more I screw around with it the more I realize that was NOT the case.

Something more relative:
I have heard that regardless of Series or Parallel you want to stick Time based effects in the loop and other pedals out front of the amp. I don't know how valid this is or not, but I did notice that when I put ALL of my pedals in the loop SOME of the pedals sounded overdriven...yet when I just put the delay in the loop and everything else out front it cleaned up nicely. RACK effects on the other hand should be IN the loop...or at least that seems to be the consensus.
THOUGHTS???

 

[Newysurfer]

Hello to everyone. This is my first post on the board and my first Mesa amp the Express 5:50. Could you tell me Newysurfer the best way to wire my GT-8 to the 5:50 as I have read there are so many different ways. I think from what I read it is better to go through the loop. Could you explain to me please the best way to do this. I basically want to keep the sound of my amp and just add some effects. Thanking you.

Join this forum and all your GT-8 problems will be solved.

http://www.bossgtcentral.com/forum/

This is THE best forum you'll ever join. Has lots of free info on the 4 connection options plus patch editors, hundreds of free patches, a ton of info on everythng GT-8, plus amps, recording, pedals. I use a Harmonic Converger with my GT-8 and connect from the phones out jack direct to the FX Return on my 5:50 (= 1 cable only). Lots of people use the 4 cable method too. Depends on your amp and what your ears tell you. :lol:

 

[Newysurfer]

From what I have heard you want to put the GT in the loop.

By NEGATIVELY affecting the tone I mean that I THOUGHT there was a loss of tone the MOMENT I started using the Loop...but the more I screw around with it the more I realize that was NOT the case.

Something more relative:
I have heard that regardless of Series or Parallel you want to stick Time based effects in the loop and other pedals out front of the amp. I don't know how valid this is or not, but I did notice that when I put ALL of my pedals in the loop SOME of the pedals sounded overdriven...yet when I just put the delay in the loop and everything else out front it cleaned up nicely. RACK effects on the other hand should be IN the loop...or at least that seems to be the consensus.
THOUGHTS???

Creekhed - there's no tone suck on the loop.
Why a parrallel loop is not good for effects is because it runs the 2 tones (ie, the amps & the effect) in parrallel with a delay latency between the 2, so you hear an out of phase amp tone followed by the effect. A Series Loop blends the 2 tones seemlessly. Yes - you want time based effects in the loop regardless. They just don't sound good with a parrallel loop. Some amps have mix knobs with the parrallel loop which controls the wet/dry signals and with a lot of tweaking some people can get reasonable sounding effects thru the loop. But that's rare.

Much easier just to never get an amp with a parrallel loop, or if you have one get it modd'ed to Series. There's several Mesa amps I would never consider buying for that reason alone.

Tone shapers like wah, distortion, overdrive etc generally go up front before the amps preamp. Floor pedal or rack unit - makes no difference. These are the classical placements but not hard rules. If you like your wah or distortion after the preamp then go for it. They sound different depending on where you place them

 

[creekhed]

My Express 5:50 1X12 has a series Effects Loop...so that's a GOOD thing!
I'll put my Line 6 DL4 Delay in the loop and leave everything else in front!
THANKS!!!

I also bought a Mesa 1X12 Compact Open Cab that I am gonna run through to get a thicker (2X12) sound from...Can't wait to get it!

 

[Newysurfer]

I use a 2x12 cab too with my 5:50. You're really cookin with gas now :lol: