OMG ANOTHER effects loop question!!!

[Get Down And Boogie]

Sorry to do this to you all again...

I'm looking to buy a delay unit and at the moment I'm diggin' the Line6 DL4. I owned a Vetta before upgrading to the Roadster and I really like the Line6 delay models.

The only problem is if I put the pedal in the loop, I'll need about 20 feet of cable from the send to the front of the stage and another 20 feet back to the return. That's 40 feet of cable and I'm a little worried that it will have a negative effect on my tone.

If I went with a rack delay unit there would only be about 4-6 feet of cable. Are there any rack delays out there that have the versitility of the DL4? I thought about the G-major/force but they really aren't what I'm looking for in effects, I sorta like pedals...

Yeah so I guess after all that rambling my real question is: How bad would 40 feet of cable in the loop be?

 

[Russ]

That would depend upon the cable, the gear used, and you. Signal degradation plays a role but so does the gear you choose. Then ultimately you are your worst tone and performance critic. Most of the time once your band is playing and there is noise from the crowd as long as you have decent effects and decent cables I wouldn't worry about it unless you just suck. Of course, better gear yields marginally better sound. Thus a marginally better performance. This can tip the scale in your favor if it boosts your confidence and your opinion of your tone. If you like what is coming out, chances are your performance is going to be better than if you didn't. If you like pedals and are more comfortable with them then stick with pedals. Just remember that chances are you can always upgrade your pedals should you feel the need or want to mod them. A good rack unit will give you great versatility but if it fails for any reason you are going to be playing completely dry. At least with pedals you can deal with something going wrong.

 

[Brewski]

Are you able to run it into your loop with short cables, leave it on top or behind your unit and then just turn it on and off with the loop switch on your controller or are you running other effects through it? What do you currently have running into your loop, if anything?

 

[Get Down And Boogie]

What do you currently have running into your loop, if anything?

At the moment I run nothing in my loop. Actually at the moment my rig is guitar into amp.

Like I said I used to play a Line6 Vetta (for about 6 years). It was cool for messing around with in my room because it had heaps of effects and amps to play with - it just didn't cut the mustard when played live and loud - and there is no replacing tube tone, I realise that now.... Where was I going with this....?

Oh yeah; at the moment I have no effects but I've found that I don't use that many when I play live. I'm going to get a wah pedal and I want delay and reverb. That's about it for now. If I get bored (and rich) I'll get some more pedals but it's bare essentials that I want at the moment (I'm pretty cleaned out after buying the roadster).

Still, I really like delays - which is why I wanted something with a lot of options and a tap tempo

I just read the user reviews on HC about the DL4. Seems like the thing breaks down a lot. I'm now wondering if there is a good delay + reverb rack unit out there.... I'll read some old posts and maybe make a new one about this question.

Back to my original question: I sure some of you guys are running pedals in your effects loop at the end of long cables. Do you find it negatively affects your sound? Even with good cables?

 

[domct203]

IMO I find that just using the loop on my Triple affected the sound.

I wouldn't get too hung up on the cable thing. Just make sure you use some good quality cables. I ran a (Boss) Delay, Chorus, and Reverb in the loop with 20 feet of send and 20 feet of return cable (all George L's). Worked fine. Like I said, I was more hung up on how the loop affected my tone more than anything I noticed from 40 feet of George L's cable.

If your a tone purist then I suggest you not run the loop at all. If your need of delay in a live gig out-weighs the "grail" tone then just plug in and play. Save the mighty quest for the perfect tone for when you are in the Studio.

Dom

 

[Brewski]

Yeah so I guess after all that rambling my real question is: How bad would 40 feet of cable in the loop be?

It will affect your tone a little. Anytime you add something different into the chain, there are variables. Good advice above. Like stated above either...

A) Run direct from your guitar to your delay.
B) Use your amp's footswitch to switch it on and off.
C) Buy good quality cables (as you add effects and eventually have a pedalboard, this will help) Test them in a non-critical situation to make sure that your hearing what you consider to be acceptable. I have 18 ft. Mogami's going to and from my loop. I'm not saying that they are the best, but they were the best that I could find locally at the time.

In my opinion, effects sound better in the loop, but playing straight in shouldn't stop you from doing a live performance. Usually, an average adience won't hear a difference. Keep it as straightforward as you can, so you can concentrate on your execution instead of your tone in a performance situation. Studio work is different.

All the best with it.

 

[ylo]

If you like the Line 6 delay, they had a rack model that was fantastic. They discontinued it a couple of years ago. You can find them on e-Bay for cheap money.

 

[Get Down And Boogie]

If your a tone purist then I suggest you not run the loop at all. If your need of delay in a live gig out-weighs the "grail" tone then just plug in and play. Save the mighty quest for the perfect tone for when you are in the Studio.

Thanks Dom! I think I was just getting a little too hung up with tone perfection. I think I'm over that now...

Thanks also to everyone who took the time to answer this question. I'll check out the Line6 delay rack unit (as well as anything else I can get my hands on).

Cool! 8)

 

[Charlie]

Does an amplifier buffer/drive the signal coming out of the send jack of the fx loop?

I would assume that you would only need to use a power booster if you were driving a really long cable into the front of an amp with passive pickups OR you had a REALLY long set of cables in your fx loop..... ??