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Let's solve an FX loop puzzle!!

Eric!

Eric!

Commercial User
Jan 22, 2009
3,895
43
37
America's High-Five
www.cusackmusic.com
Disclosures
Mojo Hand FX
#1
Everyone loves a Groove Regulator, yes? And a good handful really enjoy a fuzz (or other effect) in its FX loop. But who wants to use one of their great fuzzes (or other effect) ONLY in the FX loop?

Can we engineer a complicated bypass so that when the GR is disengaged, the bypass goes through the FX loop?

Or perhaps some crazily-wired TB box?

An additional toggle on the GR?

There're a bunch of smart cookies here. Who's got ideas?


I did ask Spencer!, and he said having to design some crazy bypass footswitch that could flip a lot at once, or I don't know.
 
#2
I know that it can be done, since some people have had their Robot Factory Meat Wads modded to do just what you are describing. However, I am unsure what the procedure to do so would be.
 
#4
TheMutt said:
I know that it can be done, since some people have had their Robot Factory Meat Wads modded to do just what you are describing. However, I am unsure what the procedure to do so would be.
Click to expand...

In the Meatwad, does he route the effects loop to a second stomp switch that works independently of the bypass? That can be done. But to make it so that the effects loop works when the pedal is bypassed, but is inserted into the circuit when the pedal is engaged, that can't be done with a 3pdt stomp switch.


Or maybe I'm thinking too hard and it's a really simple fix.
 
#5
Ebennetts said:
Everyone loves a Groove Regulator, yes? And a good handful really enjoy a fuzz (or other effect) in its FX loop. But who wants to use one of their great fuzzes (or other effect) ONLY in the FX loop?

Can we engineer a complicated bypass so that when the GR is disengaged, the bypass goes through the FX loop?

Or perhaps some crazily-wired TB box?

An additional toggle on the GR?

There're a bunch of smart cookies here. Who's got ideas?


I did ask Spencer!, and he said having to design some crazy bypass footswitch that could flip a lot at once, or I don't know.
Click to expand...


i have a similar dilemma running an assmaster in the fx loop of an old q tron+
interested to see where this thread goes..
 
#6
IF your groove regulator works like other envelope filters... it is basically 2 pedals, yes? The "envelope sensing" section, which is the section between the INPUT and SEND jacks, and the "effecting" section, which is the section between the RECEIVE and OUTPUT section.

Think of your signal chain now as:

Bass -> GR Sense -> Fuzz -> GR Effect -> Amp

What you want is the fuzz effect without the GR effect, but its ok leaving the GR sensing portion in the loop. Thus, a one channel switcher (clicky, or Boss LS-2, for example) switching out the GR Effect portion should give you the Fuzz effect without the GR effect.

In short:

Bass -> GR INPUT
GR SEND -> Fuzz INPUT
FUZZ OUT -> LOOPER INPUT
LOOPER SEND -> GR RECEIVE
GR OUT -> LOOPER RECEIVE
LOOPER OUT -> Amp

Or:

Bass -> GR Sense -> Fuzz -> Looper (w GR Effect in loop) -> Amp

You now use the looper to switch between the fuzz effect and the fuzz+GR effect. The sensing portion should have little effect on the sound, it will probably only buffer the signal. Does that make sense?

I am fairly certain this will work.
 
#7
Or, if you wanted to mod the GR itself, modding the stomp switch (which is true bypass) from connecting INPUT and OUTPUT to connecting RECEIVE and OUTPUT will give you the same effect.

If you do this mod, your GR will no longer be true bypass, as the buffer of the sensing portion will be in the signal chain at all times. Small price to pay and probably unnoticeable if the buffer is high quality.
 
#8
Or you could just have a separate little box that switches the fuzz into and out of the loop of the env filter. I drew one up a while ago just as a mental exercise and thought long and hard about whether that was something that would sell at all. It wasn't hard to wire up at all.
 
#9
bigchiefbc said:
Or you could just have a separate little box that switches the fuzz into and out of the loop of the env filter. I drew one up a while ago just as a mental exercise and thought long and hard about whether that was something that would sell at all. It wasn't hard to wire up at all.
Click to expand...

That box would require a QPDT switch, two DPDT switches switched in tandem, or a relay-actuated device.

None of them are easy solutions, imho.
 
#10
Hey all....

I have done it with flip switch + relays on a few MeatWads with the option to have the 'fx loop' available when bypassed, OR have the 'fx loop' in the effect circuit (normal fx loop operation). The fuzz (or whatever) still needs to be enabled / bypassed manually.

If you were to design a stand alone box you would need 8 I/O jacks and a bunch of switching..........

Guitar+Amp / Loop in+Loop out / Meat in+Meat out / Fuzz in+fuzz out.

And the box would realistically need power and an electronic switching array of some sort. (Relay, logic, etc).

Yuck.

While it is possible, once you consider (and I have) the cost, real estate, and cabling involved, you might do better to just buy a separate fuzz or buy an effect from someone who can wire it internally ;^)

BTW I think it took 5 DT poles to get this done internally? (one of which was just to flip the relay) I would have to put pencil to paper to be sure.

-Mario
 
#18
Robot Factory said:
That being said, I agree with ehque on all counts.
Click to expand...

Yay.

bigchiefbc said:
Yeah, I just did it with a 4PDT. But that's not difficult, you can find those switches. Heck, they sell them at Small Bear.
Click to expand...

I was more thinking of the "box with 8 jacks is not easy" kind of way. I agree with you, its a simple circuit which anyone with soldering experience can solder together, especially with a QPDT switch. It won't be cheap, though, with the $12 switch and 8 jacks, along with the enclosure. Could be nearly a hundred bucks.

Robot Factory said:
You might get away with simply routing the Return signal to the output jack? That would be a DPDT solution. Hadn't thought of it before. You would not be able use bypass in that mode, however.......not super elegant.
Click to expand...

Agreed. It's not elegant, but it would work. Bypass would be a buffered bypass.
 
#19
ehque said:
I was more thinking of the "box with 8 jacks is not easy" kind of way. I agree with you, its a simple circuit which anyone with soldering experience can solder together, especially with a QPDT switch. It won't be cheap, though, with the $12 switch and 8 jacks, along with the enclosure. Could be nearly a hundred bucks.
Click to expand...

Jacks are only a buck and change a piece, so with the enclosure, the power jack and an LED, you're looking at 35-40 bucks tops.
 

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