The Acoustic Guitar Forum

Go Back   The Acoustic Guitar Forum > General Acoustic Guitar and Amplification Discussion > Acoustic Amplification

Reply
 
Thread Tools
  #1  
Old 05-23-2011, 01:21 PM
go49ners go49ners is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 23
Default Boss RC-3 or Jamman Solo or Regular Jamman

Hey everyone, I've been wanting to get into doing some looping and I've narrowed my choices down to the new Boss RC-3 or a Digitech Jamman solo. I like the idea of having a lot of space to store my loops and come back to them later, and I don't really plan on gigging with it. It's just going to be a tool to practice, write, and have fun with.

The RC-3 is really new, so I was just wondering if anyone has any experience with either one of these pedals? I think I've already decided on the Jamman Solo because I can pick one up on ebay for around $120-$150 compared to $200 for the RC3, but I just wanted to get some input before I buy.

I've also considered the original Jamman with 2 soft pedals because I can probably get one used for the same price as the Jamman Solo, is there a big difference between these two in features, tone, etc? Thanks in advance!
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 05-23-2011, 02:23 PM
lschwart lschwart is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Richmond, VA
Posts: 2,796
Default

If you're going to use one of these as just a practice tool, I don't think you can go wrong with any of them. OR for that matter with an RC-2, which is now available in many places as a clearance item at some very good prices.

I haven't heard any comments on whether or not Boss solved the tone problems that all of these pedals seem to have (they do affect your tone unless you put them in a bypass loop). The RC-3 has surpassed the Jamman solo in a number of other feature areas, as I'm sure you already know. But one advantage that the Digitech pedals still have over the Boss offerings is a flexible time-signature function. With the Boss pedals, when you use the rhythm functions for looping, you can only make loops in 4/4 and 3/4. The Jamman allows you to work with anything from 2 to 15 beats per measure, and it will quantize those for you just like it does with the default 4/4. But this is only a consideration if you often play in certain odd time signatures and want to use the tempo/time sig./quantizing functions. When you're creating your own loops in the regular "free-form" way (that is, you don't set a tempo or time sig. all, but just hit the pedal, play, then hit it again), you can, of course, play in whatever time sig. you want and it will loop what you play. It just won't blink or play a metronome tick or sampled percussion for you, and it won't quantize the loop.

I got a Jamman Solo in part because I wanted the odd time signature functions for practicing Balkan folk music in odd meters, and I wanted something that would help me set up some accurate loops. I got it last week, and it works beautifully.

But unless this is a serious consideration for you (or unless someone else reports that the RC-3 is better on tone), I'd say just get the one that's most cost effective for you. It might be different if you were planning to use it on stage. If I were going to do that, I'd have gotten one of the bigger, two button pedals.

Louis
Reply With Quote
Reply

  The Acoustic Guitar Forum > General Acoustic Guitar and Amplification Discussion > Acoustic Amplification

Thread Tools





All times are GMT -6. The time now is 06:10 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Copyright ©2000 - 2022, The Acoustic Guitar Forum
vB Ad Management by =RedTyger=