effects to amp vs. effects loop?

[tayloralf]

hi all

just wondering if someone can tell me the difference between hooking my guitar to my effects box then to the amp, versus hooking my guitar straight to the amp, and then using the effects send & return to hook up my effects box (effects loop)?

thank you!

[franchelB]

if you're talking about your Boss AD3, I'd suggest plugging it "in line", meaning between the guitar and amp/p.a.

[sdelsolray]

Originally Posted by tayloralf

hi all

just wondering if someone can tell me the difference between hooking my guitar to my effects box then to the amp, versus hooking my guitar straight to the amp, and then using the effects send & return to hook up my effects box (effects loop)?

thank you!

It often depends on the gear used. The signal sent by the guitar to an amp if usually not very strong. The effects unit you use may be able to handle that, or it may not. Usually, floor pedals can handle those weak signals. Studio grade rack gear can't. For example, my effects unit runs at +4 dBU. There's no way it would handle the signals coming out of my guitar. I patch it in throught the stereo send return loop in my preamp, which is after the guitar signal has been boosted by the preamp gain. It would sound like crap if I put the effects unit inline (i.e., between the guitar and the preamp).

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by tayloralf

...just wondering if someone can tell me the difference between hooking my guitar to my effects box then to the amp, versus hooking my guitar straight to the amp

Hi Taylor Alf...
The real question is ''Can you tell a difference?'' Hooking your rig up both ways to compare is an easy experiment to conduct on your own.

Some choices concerning effects boil down to practicality versus technicality.

[makikogi]

well if your amp has a mix knob for your effects loop, you can dicate how much effect you get...also some effects maybe louder than others if you go through the effects loop it should eliminate that problem and keep the effects the same volume.