Understanding the Digitech Jamman models

[PDGood]

On the used market I see two versions of the Digitech Jamman looper. One has two large rubber pads for switches and the other looks very similar except instead of the rubber pads it has four switches. The two extra switches say up and down.
I think the difference is that the four switch one is stereo, but the up and down buttons make me think there is more to it than that. Does this one layer more loops simultaneously?
Are they both suitable for bass? The four switch one is called a guitar looper.

[drewfx]

The up and down buttons on the JamMan Stereo just step through the loops stored in it. Besides the stereo part, it also has a few other features (like reverse). You can learn all about them here and even download the manuals:

http://www.digitech.com/specialtypedals.php

I'm not sure where you're getting the "guitar looper" from - was it in the ad? Regardless, they aren't guitar specific - they even have mic inputs.

[PDGood]

Thanks drew. Yeah, the ad said it was a guitar looper and I knew that meant it could handle anything else in the treble frequency, just wasn't sure about bass.
I went to the link and it says that the stereo model has fade out and an external click signal which are nice features. Probably doesn't sync, but at least it sounds like they are trying to respond to the complaint that it's hard to lock in timing with other instruments on most loopers in this price range.

[drewfx]

I have the stereo unit and am very happy with it - it doesn't sync, but it has a separate volume for the "Rhythm Type", which is essentially a metronome. But you need to set the tempo of the track properly before you start looping if you want to use it. If you have the tempo set properly before you start, it also has an "auto-quantize" feature to match the loop point to the tempo automatically. But the reality is if you're off when using a looper (or the band's timing wanders relative to the looper), it's going to be off. You're going to need lots of practice if you're using it with a band.

The "fade" just fades out the loop out when you hit stop. I don't use it, so I don't even know how fast it fades.

I recommend downloading the manual and looking through it, as you may find some of the features may be hard to use (or hard to remember exactly how to use). Pressing little buttons with tiny labels (and shift-button combinations) on a unit on the floor can be awkward, so you want to make sure the functions you actually intend on using are either straightforward, easy to remember, or set-and-forget.

[PDGood]

Good advice. Thanks.

Truth is, I'm not sure which functions I will use most, since I don't have any previous experience with a looper. The goal is to mainly use it solo, not so much with a band. I envision laying down a track and then stacking one or two on top of it. Pre-recording a drum track is a possibility too.
I worked up a couple of solo bass songs - playing melody, bass, and some chord fragments at the same time and now whenever I'm around people that know I play I'm asked to perform those songs. So the idea with the looper is just to take this to another level - do something a bit more advanced. It will also open up possibilities for songs that I can't play very well using my current method.

[zxcvbs]

Hi, i want to buy a looper but im between a jamman delay. Or a jamman + a boss dd7. What would you choose and why?
Im looking for a cheap good sounding bass overdrive too.