Question about how to route one guitar into two separate effects chains.

G

gene12586

Member
Hey all,

So I'm playing a song. For part 1 of the song, I have an effects chain of two analog pedals (guitar goes into compressor pedal which feeds into distortion pedal which feeds into amplifier). Then for part 2 of the song I use my HX Stomp (Guitar into HX Stomp into amplifier). So obviously one thing I could do is feed the distortion pedal into the HX Stomp and then go into the amplifier, and then I could turn off the HX Stomp and turn on the two analog pedals for part 1 of the song, and then turn off the two analog pedals and turn on the HX Stomp for part 2 of the song... but then I know at least the analog pedals don't have true bypass (not sure if the HX Stomp does or not) and I don't want this screwing with my tone. So what I want to do is somehow have my guitar signal split in two direction after it comes out of the guitar: one direction goes to the two analog pedals and then into one of the amplifier channels, and the other direction goes into the hx stomp and then into another channel of the amplifier... Is this possible?
I suppose with this setup I'll have to have the volume for the channel the HX stomp goes into on the amp down to 0 for part 1, and then I'd have to lower the channel with the analog pedals to 0 for part 2 and raise the HX stomp channel for part 2.... But I guess that extra work might be worth it to compensate for any tone loss I'd get with having one signal path (as above).
So any suggestions?

Thanks.
 
Nothings gonna screw with your tone. You’ll probably have more trouble trying to split the signal than running through a buffer or two. My concern would be more can I actually step on three different pedals fast enough to hit the transition without sounding weird. They do make things like A/B/Y and fx loop pedals that can help with that. I don’t have a recommendation personally because really just some jacks and a switch in a box, and I’ve always built that kind of thing for myself. It would be a decent first project if you were looking to get into burning your fingers and inhaling solder fumes. If you’ve got the pedal* dexterity to do the tap dance without falling down, and are just worried about tone…well, don’t. Plug the things in and rock.


*Pronounced like “peedal”, as in if manual is with the hands, then pedal is with the feet. It is of course related to the word we use for our stompboxes, but different.
 
gene12586 said:
So any suggestions?
Click to expand...
Yes - get two A/B Boxes and run one before into the Pedals and HX - and then reverse the Pedals and HX to one output.

Amazon sells one that works -

71KBKKEPpEL._AC_SL1000_.jpg
 
Doesn't the HX Stomp have an FX Loop? Couldn't you put both of your Analog Pedals into the FX Loop of the HX Stomp and then create one Scene/Preset using just those 2 Pedals in the FX Loop and one Scene/Preset without them, and use only 1 Button on the HX Stomp to Switch between them?
 
Hi Gene (I bet that got old quick!) you could of course just buy a 'one to two' jack plug cable. That would load the guitar with half the 'normal' impedance but in fact is not as disastrous to "tone" as is often thought. The proper way to do it is of course with a buffer amplifier.
I am constantly amazed that some enterprising bod has not, AFAIK, come out with a basic but good unity gain buffer that you can clip onto your strap. The box need be little bigger than is needed to hold 3 jacks and PP3. The electronics is SO wee it could sit between the jack pins! That could be sold for well under 20 quid I think and still get a drinkypoo out of it?

Now, Gene mate, you seemed to imply that there is something 'special' or desirable about so called "True Bypass" pedals?
There is not, they are shit. The part of a pedal that produces whatever effect you want, distortion, EQ whatever, needs isolating from the variable source impedance of the guitar and needs to present a LOW output resistance so that the capacitance of cabling does not rob you of high frequencies, the dreaded "tone suck".

Yes, there are a few very early pedal designs that relied on the high output impedance of guitars for their operation but that was just baaaad engineering!

Dave.
 
Ujn Hunter said:
Doesn't the HX Stomp have an FX Loop? Couldn't you put both of your Analog Pedals into the FX Loop of the HX Stomp and then create one Scene/Preset using just those 2 Pedals in the FX Loop and one Scene/Preset without them, and use only 1 Button on the HX Stomp to Switch between them?
Click to expand...
Oh wow, you're right! Thank you!
 
ecc83 said:
Hi Gene (I bet that got old quick!) you could of course just buy a 'one to two' jack plug cable. That would load the guitar with half the 'normal' impedance but in fact is not as disastrous to "tone" as is often thought. The proper way to do it is of course with a buffer amplifier.
I am constantly amazed that some enterprising bod has not, AFAIK, come out with a basic but good unity gain buffer that you can clip onto your strap. The box need be little bigger than is needed to hold 3 jacks and PP3. The electronics is SO wee it could sit between the jack pins! That could be sold for well under 20 quid I think and still get a drinkypoo out of it?

Now, Gene mate, you seemed to imply that there is something 'special' or desirable about so called "True Bypass" pedals?
There is not, they are shit. The part of a pedal that produces whatever effect you want, distortion, EQ whatever, needs isolating from the variable source impedance of the guitar and needs to present a LOW output resistance so that the capacitance of cabling does not rob you of high frequencies, the dreaded "tone suck".

Yes, there are a few very early pedal designs that relied on the high output impedance of guitars for their operation but that was just baaaad engineering!

Dave.
Click to expand...
Makes sense, thank you!
 
Ujn Hunter said:
Doesn't the HX Stomp have an FX Loop? Couldn't you put both of your Analog Pedals into the FX Loop of the HX Stomp and then create one Scene/Preset using just those 2 Pedals in the FX Loop and one Scene/Preset without them, and use only 1 Button on the HX Stomp to Switch between them?
Click to expand...
I don't think that would work - because he has a third pedal - so even he put the two analog pedals into the HX Loop - he would still have to Hit the button for the two Analog pedals and then hit the button for the one Digital pedal - at least that's the way it looks to me.
 
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