Do you use the effects loop or old school?

I don't go through the effects loop either, I just prefer the sound I get going oldschool....

 

I don't use a loop. It's more trouble than it's worth to me. I sit and play with my pedals until I have each one acting on or being acted on just the way I like it and plug them up all in a row.

 

I go old school because I don't really have a choice with my home amp, and have never really been bothered to try the effects loop on the amp I use with my band.

 

Effects loops
^^^

 

I am getting a new compressor pedal today, and my amp has an effects loop. I know how to use it and all, but how does it improve the sound?

 

Both the comp and the loop are just tools, like a hammer or wrench. They "improve the sound" the way the hand tools "improve the house".

 

Loops don't do a thing for me. Always in front with everything always. The only time I like loops is using loop pedals with old pedals that are tone suckers. And I like being able to defeat an amp's preamp with another, though I really don't have much of a practical purpose for that other than to test stuff out at home.

 

One of these days I want to get a bass amp with an effects loop.
My bass amps are old Kustoms with no loop but running pedals in a direct chain has presented no probs for me so far.

 

Signal level in the loop is too high. It comes after the combo head's preamp.

 

I always ran everything inline, but now that I'm using my amp for dirt, I'm really toying with the idea of running my modulation and delay through my effects loop. And since my amp has a -12/+4 switch for the effects loop, I shouldn't have any headroom issues. The only pain in the butt is going to be two more cables going from my board to my amp.

 

The mixer as well as the combo offer the ability to place the pedal(s) in a loop. However, I get the best results by switching the pedal gear between the bass and the rest of the equipment. There's one exception: a cheap wah pedal. This performs better at a higher signal level.

 

I run instrument level effects before the preamp. I run line level effects after the preamp.

Pedals in front, rack in back.

 

Thanks for the link Bongo!