Boomerang Phrase Sampler

There's lots of news surrounding the total redesign of the Boomerang looper. You need to go to boomerangmusic dot com to get all the info. The Boomerang III software is being finalized, and you can order a preproduction unit now, or wait for the final product to come out. The delays have been many, but the design and development team is small, and they are dedicated to turning out a very solid product. Release is very near!

I have a pre-production beta, and can enthusiastically state that, even without final software and a partial feature implementation, this looper beats everything I have tried to date (all the Boss loopers, Jam Man, Electro Harmonix). I am withholding ratings for most of the review categories here, because the Rang III is not final at this time and it wouldn't be fair. But please do check out their website if you are in the market for a new looper. You won't regret it.

Totally pristine. I can't tell the difference between the looped signal and the original input

See comments above regarding witholding ratings until the unit is final.

See comments above regarding witholding ratings until the unit is final.

See comments above regarding witholding ratings until the unit is final.

This is quite honestly the easiest piece of equipment to use that I own. It is entirely intuitive. The guys who designed this actually sat down and thought it through. I hate rack systems and having to crawl inside a machine to figure out how to make it work. You don't have to do anything like that with the 'Rang. Easy footwork while you play.

Sounds pretty much exactly like what you play. What you put in as signal comes out the same way. I can't discern a difference.

Can't say yet. If it goes south on me, I will repost...

Again, can't say. These guys are from Texas (I'm in Houston) so I expect they're down home.

Love it. Just love it. Had a Boss looper, and couldn't stand it. Nothing worked the way it was supposed to. Turned me off the idea of loopers until I saw an article for the Rang. Unless you are a jerk or gear snob, you will be very pleased with this, and it will make you play better. It's like holding up a mirror to your skills. I'm giving it a nine because, for the life of me, I can't understand why they put the mute switch practically right on top of the volume roller. That little roller is a fantastic idea, but you can't use the thing with hitting the mute switch. Why?

The Rang is as easy get up and running as any looper. If you're new to looping, you can't go wrong with a Boomerang. If you've been loopy for a while then you already know that it's a breeze to use. My unit is a version 2 and the manual is necessary to get the most of the depth of features, but it's well written and easy to navigate.

Pristine is such a subjective concept isn't it? I don't know why people complain about the quality of sound. I own or have owned: an original Lexicon JamMan, a Headrush, an original Boomerang (which I traded because I wanted more floor space and more available loop time), ALL of the Boss Loop Stations, including the RC-50 and RC-2 (of which I still have the original RC-20, and the Line 6 Delay Modeler. The Boomerang + is made for live use and in that arena it's as good as anything out there, excepting maybe the Echoplex Pro. The Boss RC-2 is a pain in the ass to stop and erase loops while you're jamming. The RC-50 sounds great until you swith loops and go back to your original and get that horrible warbling sound. The RC-20 is just fine. The JamMan was old and on it's last legs so I traded it while I still could get my investment back. The Line 6 was good but not enough loop time. The Rang does need good balance of input and trim to get optimal sound and tone, but it's in there you just need to be patient. When you change pedals going into the Boomerang you'll need to adjust the trim on the unit or the output from your guitar or pedals. So what. Most of us are tweakers anyway and it only takes a few minutes at most to get it adjusted properly. I play Takamine acoustic-electrics into Damage Control pedals or Boss pedals and what comes out of the Rang is what I put into it. Just like my Boss Looop Station does and like my JamMan used to. What more can you ask?

It is solidly built. The buttons are plastic so that would be my only minor concern, but Mike Nelson seems like any problems will be taken care of quickly. I'm not worried though.

Okay, so I called their number on Friday afternoon and left a message. On Monday around dinner time in Ohio I got a call from Mike Nelson answering my question. We had a great conversation for the next half hour about music, life, culture, favorite songs, concerts we'd been to, and ways we use looping to make cool music. I have never talked to a manufacturer before. I'm confident with that kind of customer supprt. What more do you need to know? Thanks Mike. Peace to ya'll.

I play acoustic folkadelic, jam-based (that's why I use a looper), classic rock and traditional-type music and loopers are essential to what I do. I've been playing for 30 years and looping for the last 10 years. I'd most definitely buy the Boomerang again if I lost????? it(you know, if I lost a $400 piece of gear I'd probably have alzheimers or something which means it's time to hang it up) or if it got ripped off. It's made to be used live and in that regard it's a great investment. It is a little large but the trade off is worth it: easy to use, sounds great, durable, and real people who care about the product they make. Peace to ya'll and keep making music, the world needs it now more than ever.

v 2.0...set levels and go-manual is short and easy reading. good design,the modes/programming are pretty easy to get the hang of.

cool pedal! i have used a few different Boss loopers as well as some software types...the Rang is great for being able to control everything by foot without bending over. also has a nice warmish delay(80's style, a bit low res) and the multi speed playback/reverse is very fun to mess with...

unit is solid as is the ext power supply-don't stomp all over it and things should be fine.

i use loopers for more pad-ish backgrounds than rhythmic stuff...not a lot of worked out things,just like to have it there for when the mood strikes. the new Rang 3 coming out will probably smoke this version but this one is good enough for my needs-i would try to get another if lost,etc.

My wife got me this pedal as a birthday present. (What a great wife I've got!). I've been interested in getting one of these pedals for a long since another guitar player friend mentioned how much he liked his.

Within in 10 minutes I was able to get this puppy up and running. As an sofware engineer by profession, I can atest that, yes even engineers don't like reading directions. No worry, though there are special features that this pedal has that requires reading the manual, you can still get up and running quickly, with little more than a passing glance at the cover the cover of the manual.

I have a few other pedals, that as of yet I have not used in line with the the Boomerang. Stand-alone the pedal is alittle noisey, however, once you start recording and stacking you really can't hear the background noise.

My Boomerang is new, so at this point I can't comment on reliability.

As of yet I haven't had the occasion to deal with the customer support.

It would be nice if their web-site published information about future planned features for their product, and a forum for submitting suggestions, (I assume that this customer feedback forum is the closest thing to a suggestions box.)

So far I love this product. I have been playing the guitar for 20+ years. When I was younger I use to jam with friends all the time.

These days, with a job, wife and kids, it is very difficult to find a bunch of guys who play, much less get then together for even a Saturday afternoon to jam. I have really missed that.

This product allows me to be able to have a "virtual" jam session, by allowing me to be those other players.

There are definitely two features, right off the bat, that I wish this product had.

First, I would wish the pedal had the ability to "Unstack" layered parts. There are times that I the last part I just added didn't sound the way I thought it would. It would be great to "pop" it off the stack (like a true software stack, where you can "push", and "pop" things on and off the stack).

Second, it would be very useful to be able to save loops. I have seen this feature mentioned in other posts, on this as well as other reveiw sites.

As much as I like this product this product, I do think these added features would take the "rang" to the next level. The reverse feature is "cool", but frankly not quite as functionally useful as being able save loops, as well as providing a greater ablility to manipulate existing loops using a simple push/pop stack capabiltiy

My wife got me this pedal as a birthday present. (What a great wife I've got!). I've been interested in getting one of these pedals for a long since another guitar player friend mentioned how much he liked his.

Within in 10 minutes I was able to get this puppy up and running. As an sofware engineer by profession, I can atest that, yes even engineers don't like reading directions. No worry, though there are special features that this pedal has that requires reading the manual, you can still get up and running quickly, with little more than a passing glance at the cover the cover of the manual.

I have a few other pedals, that as of yet I have not used in line with the the Boomerang. Stand-alone the pedal is alittle noisey, however, once you start recording and stacking you really can't hear the background noise.

My Boomerang is new, so at this point I can't comment on reliability.

As of yet I haven't had the occasion to deal with the customer support.

It would be nice if their web-site published information about future planned features for their product, and a forum for submitting suggestions, (I assume that this customer feedback forum is the closest thing to a suggestions box.)

So far I love this product. I have been playing the guitar for 20+ years. When I was younger I use to jam with friends all the time.

These days, with a job, wife and kids, it is very difficult to find a bunch of guys who play, much less get then together for even a Saturday afternoon to jam. I have really missed that.

This product allows me to be able to have a "virtual" jam session, by allowing me to be those other players.

There are definitely two features, right off the bat, that I wish this product had.

First, I would wish the pedal had the ability to "Unstack" layered parts. There are times that I the last part I just added didn't sound the way I thought it would. It would be great to "pop" it off the stack (like a true software stack, where you can "push", and "pop" things on and off the stack).

Second, it would be very useful to be able to save loops. I have seen this feature mentioned in other posts, on this as well as other reveiw sites.

As much as I like this product this product, I do think these added features would take the "rang" to the next level. The reverse feature is "cool", but frankly not quite as functionally useful as being able save loops, as well as providing a greater ablility to manipulate existing loops using a simple push/pop stack capabiltiy

My boomerang version 2 is very easy to use. I have read the manual in its entirety and found it clear and complete. My only question is concerning the behavior of decay rates while over dubbing on a recorded loop. I'll need to experiment more to have a complete understanding of relative volume of previously recorded parts as new ones are added.

So far I have plugged my 1963 Fender Stratocaster into the Boomerang and then into a Fender Hor Rod Deluxe amp. I have also used a Boss delay pedal before the Boomerang.
When the input switch is in the correct position and the trim control is properly adjusted there is a perfectly acceptable signal to noise ration.

I couldn't imagine lugging 2 phrase samplers to a gig. The Boomerang seems sturdy and reliable.

I bought my unit from the company. Mike Nelson was a pleasant and efficient interlocutor.

I play jazz, rock and improvised music which more and more is loop-oriented. I have been playing the guitar for almost 40 years. (I started young!) I already own these loopers; the Line 6 loop sampler and delay, a new JamMan, a Roland Loop Station, an Electro-Harmonix 16 Second Delay, and a newly acquired Digitech Echo Plus. It seems to me these devices fall roughly into 2 categories; loopers which allow you to sculpt the sound and create beautiful music using reverse, pitch and tempo changes, and loopers which allow you to store the loops you've made, to be triggered later for live playing or recording. The EH 16-sec delay is a bit of a hybrid because it's a sound sculptor AND it can save one loop.
So where does the Boomerang fit into the picture? It is definitely one of the sound-sculpting devices, because it allows you to record and overdub forwards and backwards and to slow down (and lower) your loop or to speed it up and raise it's pitch.
All this can be done with the Line 6 device. So what are the pluses (or minuses) of the 'Rang?
One very nice feature is the A/B option. Simply put, you can create two separate loops and trigger them as you wish. This helps a lot in "composing" with the looper because obviously no matter how nice Loop A is, it's great to be able to create a B. Previously, I would create loops separately and glue them together on the computer. The 'Rang allows a more spontaneous approach, although it always seems that one loop is inevitably musically better than the other. (That's my fault, not the machine's!)
All in all I know that I'm going to spend many happy hours with the Boomerang and that I'll certainly use it live in an improvisational context. My only regret is that the delay feature (which is very nice; I love using a nicely-dosed reverse delay after the original signal) can't be part of the guitar sound that one records in a loop. This feature exists in the Line 6 machine. But that's just a quibble. Mike Nelson and his partner deserve congratulations and our thanks for creating this fine instrument.

It just doesn't get any easier...

I've noticed for years all the complaining about the hiss that comes from the boomerang; well, please pay attention and I'll lay some ideas on you that will help.
1. make sure you're using the proper level setting (ie-instrument, line level or mic) for what your connecting to.
2. realize that if your connecting noisy effects and or other noisy products prior to the 'rang it's only going to magnify the problem.
3. use balanced cables running from the effects send/return of your amp if possible.
4. a cool little device called the 'Hum Eliminator' made by Ebtech, if patched between the amp's effects send/return and the 'rang, works wonders with noise!

I've learned these things from years of use of the 'rang and from discusions with the company owner. The 'rang is intended for live use and in that capacity it is excellent.

it's tough as a tank.

If you contact Boomerang there is a good probability that you will get an opportunity to talk to the company owner. I did and have. He will do what ever he can to help you with the 'rang.

I've used my Boomerang for years now in a 'one-man-band' capacity at my gigs. With pratice, I've become very proficent in it's use. I also make extensive use of it in practice and as a teaching aid. I also use it to help play examples of ideas to a combo I play with. Would I go into a studio with it? No, but that isn't what it was designed for either so I'm not busting on it for that. I'm a very satisfied user of the Boomerang and I would indeed replace it with another if I ever needed to. For what it was designed for, I couldn't ask for much more.

using the boomerang phrase sampler + ver2.0

manual is ok

if you are familiar with loopers its a no-brainer though, it can be difficult to find the correct volume to noise rasio

92 takamine acoustic-analogman bicomp-fishman pro eq plat-ernie ball vol-xotics robotalk-boss dd5- analogman bichorus-boss rv5-mackie 1202vlz pro-aux send-boomerang-various synth modules

i have only been able to obtain reasonable noise levels with the boomerang when using it through the aux sends on a mixing board (use line level signals)

once setup correctly it is verry reliable and consistant

i use a mackie smr450 (just one) and the sound quality is great for small bars (in bigger bars i use whatever is in the house)

had mine for 3 years and have never had a problem

haven't had a need to contact them

i am writing to express my opinion of the rang so i will forgo explaining about my own personal style and prefrences

i am looking forward to owning a gibson exchoplex but will allways keep the rang around just in case

the boomerang is a great tool of music and it would the choice looper for a beginer to loopers.......

please excuse my poor spelling

There is no easier looping pedal on the market

Well... It's great for live applications, but the hiss that it produces is unacceptable in the studio. Trust me..

Well.. Right now i've got 2 boomerangs at my disposal... and the biggest problem that both of them have had is the Plastic control buttons.. One rang has a broken "Once" button.. the other rang ONLY has ONE WORKING BUTTON... They're easily replaced... it's just a pain to have to order the replacement parts... In fact, I guess I'll go ahead and do that today..

With that said... the rang (besides the buttons) has never failed me on a gig... NEVER. And i have probably used it on 300+ gigs.

I actually contacted the company about 2 years ago about replacing the buttons... they were really helpful, and told me when I upgraded to version 2... to include the original email and they'd ship me the buttons free of charge... I've yet to upgrade though... so it's not thier fault the rang's still broken..

I love the Boomerang.. I play Solo Dinner Jazz.. and the Boomerang is my partner... I don't know what i'd do without it..

It's a shame that it isn't good for recording though.. (at least my versions aren't... I've got 2 of the Original Boomerang units)

Yes it is easy to use

I have an older rang upgraded to the newest version.
If I use it during day time it sounds oke, but if I use it in the evening a high pitch tone appears in my loop.
I think it has to do with radio signals.
Other musicians I have talked to who uses the boomerang as well, have the same problem as I.

yes

I own now a Echoplex digital pro plus.
Because I was seaching for looping device that could loop in sync with a sequencer.
And I think that the Boomerang is a simple version of the Echoplex digital pro.
If you want a good looping device, buy the Echoplex!(it's expensive but it's working well)(without high pitch sounds)

First of all let me ask this: NO ONE ELSE HAS REVIEWED THIS PRODUCT? I can't understand this, how can this be?

OK, forward.....

Very easy to use, however, the timing is important to set the loop point. Once you have this figured out you are in for a great practice tool or live tool. But there is more to it than just simple looping. For example, you can stack other parts onto the original loop, or 1/2 speed (drop an octave) the entire loop. At any rate, once you master the loop start point issue, you have mastered the pedal. .....Well, of course if you perform with it, there are so many things to use it for. This may take some time and effort to make it a smooth performance tool - but it is do-able.

It has a bypass switch on it, and a very neat 'foot-rolling' volume control, easily mastered both, BTW. The volume knob is needed to control the output level of the Boomerang. At first you will think this isn't needed, just keep it at a constant 0db gain level. But as you actually use the pedal it all becomes clear why this is necessary. And very smart, you will use this feature often.

Lastly, there is an input level switch and a volume pot control - with a clip LED. This will help you record a cleaner signal, and works very well.

I run two different pedal boards. The 'looper' pedal board had to be built in such a manner as to get the Boomerang about two inches above the pedalboard surface. YMMV, but this was the solution to shortening up the length of the entire board. ...So, I go into a Diaz Texas Ranger> a Roland BeeBaa> the Boomerang> EB volume pedal> amp. I use true bypass switches by Pedalracks.com to bypass the Boomerang and the TRanger. Yes, the Boomerang is not true bypass and it is a tone sucker in this pedal combination. I needed the switch for the TRanger - which IS true bypass - again, for space saving reasons - because it is hidden beneath the Boomerang and I cannot get to it's switch. BTW, I rigged a piano hinge on the back edge of the Boomerang so I can easily lift up it's front edge to plug in my cables and adjust the TRanger when needed. A pic would show this but it is very sano, trust me. The front edge of the Boomerang, which is 2" above the board surface, rests on the back top edge of the BeeBaa, which is flat on the board surface. Understood?

(I hate to waste time talking about the pedalboard setup, but someone may benefit from my solution. Frankly, the footprint of the pedalboard is very important to me - and - the Boomerang is BIG!)

Anyway, with this rig, I can lay down a clean loop and come back with a fuzzy solo tone if I like. Or not. The TRanger is very cool in front of the BeeBaa, bringing another edge or tone to it. It can be a lot of fun and creative, ...or not, depending on my abilities that day. :}

I can also run a bass gtr into the looper and have a great practice tool - something to consider if you can't scare up a jamming buddy. When I do this, I record the loop, put the bass gtr in a stand, and walk over to my gtr rig that it ready to go. Oh, also when I run it for bass, I just plug into a bass amp rig. It performs incredibly well in this capacity, and is, again, a great tool.

As to the sound quality, let me add that there is an option from the factory to upgrade the 'chip'. This is supposed to improve the bit level from 8 bit to 16 bit - I think. This would be identified as the newer Boomerang, labeled the 'Boomerang+'. By all means, I suppose, get the newer one for the bit rate increase. However, as I was about to do this - get the upgrade - I considered instead replacing every electrolytic cap on the circuit board with polyester instead. Trust me, there are maybe 10 1uf caps onboard the PCB that can be replaced with amazing sonic results! After replacing these I plugged the Boomerang in and realized that this was a very smart thing to do. The sound quality improved greatly - to the point that I honestly couldn't imagine things getting any better. Yeah, I know, seems unlikely, but that's my story - I'm sticking to it. I figure if I ever do get the newer chip set things will only improve.

IMPORTANT: I am rating the current sound of the pedal a 9, but that is with the poly caps. To compare this with the original sound, I would have to say that it was a 6 or a 7. There was a surface 'glaze' to the original pedal, a noticable 'blanket/hiss' tossed over the mix with the stock electrolytics. I realize this may not be the right thing to do - rate it this way, since I have modded mine - but I think this is a manufacturing limit, not a design limit. The design totally rocks, this is a great pedal.

I have had this thing apart more than once, checking it out for what chip set was installed, replacing the caps I mentioned above, etc., stomping on it often. It performs flawlessly. I bought this used with very low miles about three years ago, use it weekly if not more.

I have gigged with it only a few times It's real home is the practice room where it shines. Honestly, it has never let me down.

I did check out the website a few times, as I considered doing the upgrade. I emailed three times, eventually received 1 email back, the person seemed unclear what I was inquiring about. ?? Yeah, odd. I am just not sure about what is up with this company. My impression at the time was that it is a second business for somebody but I can't be sure. I am sure that the Boomerang Co. is NOT like the Line6 Co. - but there's a lot of room in there for improvement.

I will rate them low here because of my past experience, but I will contact them afterward, just to see if anything has changed. I suggest you try your own contact methods to see what you think. If I have misreprented them here I will be back with an update.

I have covered this above I think. As a practice tool it is incredible. Were I in a different band situation, I might be bold enough to incorporate it into a live use thing. It is up to the task, I may not be. :}

Pretty much all its functions are well designed and easy to use. Manual is cool and was easy to grab off their website. Its built for live use and achieves that easily. Very well thought out.

On occasion it can be a little noisy. Dont quite understand why it peaks so easy and why when turning the trim knob down it raises the hiss. However it does depend on your setup and with tweaking can be minimised.

I cant see this thing breaking. Its pretty rock solid. Had to get one of the buttons replaced cos it was playing up. However I did get is second hand on ebay and I reckon it might have been given some rough treatment before I got my hands on it

N/A

Im into bluesy folky original type stuff. Had it about two years. If it were stolen I would get another....however no one seems to sell them in Australia?? I love its simple design and no hands all foot features. I wish there was a feature to fade out loops smoothly. Doing it with my foot on the roller is a little hard to control esp if standing. Dont think much else really compares to it.

The rig is designed for live use and it caters for that exceptionally. The delays sounds you can get from it get the big thumbs up especially the reverse delay. You can get this awesome sound from setting the delay at the tempo you play at and have it reversed. I have also had alot of fun stacking sound on sound. It can deliver fine ambient sounds too.

You can come up with memorable loops. I sometimes hook it up to my pc if its a real good one and capture it. Once powered down what was disappears. I mostly use it for guitar but also plugging a mic into brings another element into it. You can build wonderful voice melodies with it too.......there really is hours and hours of fun on this thing. Sometimes you get these stacked/layered loops happening that come about partly through fluke and you know you will never be able to achieve it again. Once again you gotta record them or just let it play all night till your girlfriend starts going crazy and chases you out for the house with it!

Perhaps it would be nice to have a function where you could save loops on it without compromising the design layout.

It's easy... manual tells you all you need to know, but you've gotta read it to figure out the secondary functions like sample rate, slow speed, etc.. - these aren't intuitive.

First off... TO THOSE WHO ARE EXPERIENCING NOISE, CLICKS, HISSING, ETC, you do not have the unit dialed in correctly. The Boomerang clips very easily. It needs a low input signal to avoid clipping and light trim work to function properly. I almost sent mine back as defective until I started to really tweak it - I now enjoy great s/n ratio!

I run (1) a Martin DC16-GTE >Yamaha AG Stomp, (2) a modified Fender Mustang >Dunlop Wah >TS-9 >Guyatone Compressor >Digitech RP-5 (for delay, reverb, chorus) >Ernie Ball Volume. The guitars have one lead running directly to their amps - a Crate CA60D and a Roland JC-120 respectively - and a lead running into a Yamaha MG10/2 Mixer. Then I run what amounts to an effects loop out of the mixer to the Boomerang - this way I can maximize my Rang and loop both of my guitars and my vocals without swapping the input. (I also run a line out to active PA speaks, so my loops are running through the PA and my JC-120.)

Once I got it dialed in it wasn't noisy. It does clip very easily.

I am very happy with the 24kHz sample rate. I do lose some brightness and presence with my Martin, but this is negligible when stacked as a rhythm track. With my electric, there is minor noticeable degradation.

I love the reverse function. The delays are nice. I don't use the SLOW function much. The foot controlled volume is great - though I'm not sure why it doesn't cut the sound completely. The mute button comes in handy quite often. And the adjustable decay rate is awesome.

I get great sounds out of it - it doesn't enhance your sound/tone but show me a looper that does.

I love setting up a loop with percussive beats from muted strings and stacking rhythms and wah licks onto it. This can get muddy if you're not careful. Timing is key. The Boomerang also works well for looping vocals. Every seen Keller Williams live? (<= This guy is AMAZING!) He uses a Lexicon Jamman, but same principles.

Uh... yeah.

Gave them a phone call when I first started having the noise issues. They never called me back. I did some reading and worked it out myself. Some folks here have had great support - maybe they had just finished their 5,000 unit run and were on hiatus...

I play solo jam/funk/rock, and the Boomerang is essential and a great match for this. I also play in a jazz-fusion-rock band where it gets used alot. It's perfect for this type of music, particularly the solo gig stuff. I also play in an alternative Christian band where it's mainly used for delay. (Nice for pure delay too;)

I've been playing for 10 yrs - this is my first looper. I did alot of research before I bought it. Compared it to the Boss RC20XL, the Line 6 DL-4, and the Gibson Echoplex. I had to go with the Rang for several reasons 1) it's entirely foot-controlled + foot-roller volume (a must for live applic.) 2) it has a high sample rate (24kHz) and 3) it has looooong recording times (1:30 @ 24kHz.) If I was rich I'd have the Echoplex... oh and about 2 or 3 more Boomerangs.

If it were stolen or lost I would piss on myself, tear my clothes, bury the gig bag, then buy a new one. I love my Boomerang!

I love the quality, the durability, the A/B independent loops, the reverse, and all the delay elements.

I wish it had a "C" loop. I wish you could remove the last stack you put on the loop (if you mess up a stack, you've goofed your entire loop.) It would be nice to have the option of saving a loop. And ideally, I would like to see multiple inputs and stereo outs. It's also really big - which is great because the buttons are easy to hit, but not so good when you have 10 other pedals. OH YEAH - put it last in your rig ;)

THE BEST PART ABOUT THE BOOMERANG: I know it's been said before, but I think it needs to be said again - the Boomerang really does make you a better player/performer. It's alot like looking into a mirror, you get to see how good (or bad) you really are. It is an impeccable teaching/practice tool; and I guarantee it will make you practice more often with a higher regard for timing and quality playing. It also pushes creativity - it seems so simple when you first play with one but there is so much you can do with this big honkin' awesome looper.

Very simple...not much else to say...it's great

I run a PRS Custom 22 through a Boss V-wah, DOD Gonkulator, Boss Super Phaser, Digitech Whammy, Marshall JCM 2000 DSL50, effects loop, Boss ME-30, then finally, the Boomerang.

The Boomerang is great, you should be sure to put it last in your rig if you want things to turn out right. I notice there is some hiss when the unit volume is turned up, but that can be easily fixed with some fine tuning.

I have never experienced clicks or anything like that with the boomerang. Everything is pretty much seamless.

Fun trick, if you have a whammy or a pitch shifter, you can bring yourself down an octave and bingo! You can put those funky bass parts onto your loops.

I've never had any sort of trouble. I would completely trust this without backup. (BTW, I am using the Boomerang +)

Never ever dealt with them. I mean, come one, they mass produce like 5,000 then they go out of business untill they have enough money to make more.

I have recently taken this OUT of my loop because, the thing is huge, only drawback. Other than that, this unit is ASTOUNDING and makes for long hours of fun. If I lost this or it got stolen, I would cry for hours and then buy a new one. I WISH it had a third loop (it would be nice to be able to make a bridge section of a song.

Very easy to use!! Love the fact that hands are not needed what so ever. Perfect for live performance. The manual describes the functions very well. I wouldn't change that. I bought the 2nd version so I didn't need to upgrade.

I usually use a Les Paul Raw Power through a Fender 4X10 Hot Rod Deville. My rig is starting to surround me now. I use two different delays, a crybaby, a rotovibe, a digitech whammy, a volume pedal and finally the rang. The unit is only noisy if you don't set the s/n ratio properly. The unit sounds great!! Two of my favorite artists are John Scofield and Trey Anestasio. I am totally able to copy what each of these players has been using this unit for. Scofield sometimes plays a like and when he finishes, right in time, the same lick plays back in reverse. I was always blown away by this, but it's very simple to do with the rang. Tre always does those dive bombs that show up spiratically in the music. Now those ambient additions are all within my reach!!!

So far I would say that I can definitely rely on it. I haven't had it for too long though, so that could change.

I bought one and found that it was a lemon. The company fedex'd me a new one several days later at no additional charge. I would say that the service is good, but I haven't really needed it yet.

I play highly improvisational music that spans many genres. The rang comes in handy when setting up ambient background loops or building certain sections of songs up for breaks, etc. It's also great for writing. I always get great multi-layered ideas while I'm chillin and previously was unable to get them out of my head. Last night I recorded a version of The Almond Brothers' "In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed". I added several harmony parts and it sounds GREAT!! The ability to record loops in reverse so that each will play backward when the rest is playing forward is another killer function.
If it were stolen or lost, I'd probably buy a used one if I could afford it. If I had to, I'd get a new one. I think that now the rang has become part of my sound and I will definitely need it for a long time... or until version 3 comes out, he he he.
There are two things that I wish this unit offered. One is a way to save a loop when the unit is turned off. That is the only thing that the boss unit has on the rang. The second thing would be to have loops A and B separate so B wouldn't be deleted with each new A recording. It would also be nice to have a setting for BA1 and not just AB1. I'm sure that all of these things have been discussed.
All in all, it's a great piece of gear and within a year or so, you'll probably find me touring the US using mine!!!

If you've ever used the Jamman, Loop Station, Line 6 Delay Modeler, Headrush, etc. then the Boomerang is a breeze. I'm reviewing a new Boomerang + (made probably in 2004) with the 4 MBs and 2 independent loops (which, by the way, is the best feature). Setting the unit to NOT clip requires some patience but is do-able and the size is both a plus and a hindrance: the pedals are a good distance apart so you aren't likely to inadvertantly step on the wrong one but it does take up quite a bit of floor space.

I really wanted this to be better than my Loop Station (it's nowhere close the Jamman), but alas 'tis not to be. Even on the highest quality, there is more high end loss and the biggest hassle is: after I have a loop playing or stored, the unit makes a fairly loud electronic popping sound when the play(stop) button is engaged. It is is bad enough to show up in a recording and I have yet to play it in a gig where the volume is louder to hear how distracting it would be (I'm sure I'd be bummed out of my trance) and I don't plan on using it live either because of this. By the way, this is the second unit I've had (fortunately my dealer had a second one in stock when I brought my first one back) and BOTH units have done this. I've moved my other gear in and out of my signal chain and even played direct to the Boomerang and out to my amp and PA and the unit (both) does this annoying pop all the time. I've used it with my Takamine acoustic-electric and my Parker Nitefly with the same annoying result. I also have an old Jamman and there is no comparison sound-wise. One of the reasons I decided to get a Boomerang + was because I'm not sure how long my trusty Jamman will hang on (the longer loop time didn't hurt either). I'm planning on returning it ASAP as I don't feel very confident in the Boomerang +.

Depend on it? Not really. I used to have the 1 MB version about 4 years ago (which I traded ) and it didn't display this problem. I'm sure it's durable, but I'm not convinced the electronics are of the same quality. Physically this seems to of good quality. Electronically ... ? I'm not satisfied.

I've sent two e-mails with NO response. How would you feel?

Given the popping sound, I think a 5 is generous. I don't want to blow this out of the water 'cause it does cool things and has great features (the reverse is the best of all the looper/delay pedals that do this), but I expect a new piece of gear to be flawless and this isn't. I play mainly acoustic jam-based, folkadelic stuff and if there wasn't this problem I would be a happy camper. It would be perfect for me. As it is, I'll go back to my trusty Loop Station for playing around (and keep my Jamman safely at home thank you very much to ensure it's longevity). Sorry. I wanted this to be able to replace the Loop Station. Unfortunately, it won't.

Pretty basic. The manual is only a few, large print pages for a reason. Hell, it's made in Texas!.

Sounds fine. It advertises infinite loops, but we all know that each loop takes up more random memory. If you really know how to dial in loops, layer polyrhyms and tonal textures it's great. The only issue I have a problem with is that sometimes it just doesn't seem to sync up. Maybe I'm just not used to the switches, but I swear I hit it right on tempo and it is still just a hair of a beat off tempo. Not a problem when using it as a delay (which I do most of the time), but when trying to layer sequences it can be quite annoying. This brings me to the point of this whole review ; I can't find the actual Boomerang website! I've had this unit for a few years and thought that I read the newer versions being midi implementable. That option would be great because then I could quantisize the tempo through the TC Electronic delay unit I'm going to be using. Does anyone have any updated info about this? I bought my Boomerang in 2000, but have recently upgraded my FX rig in a serious manner. Much appreciation to any replies.

trubador@mac.com

Hasn't screwed me yet. Many gigs under this unit's belt! (200-2004!)

Haven't had to deal with them. If they're based out of Texas, I would imagine they're fairly easy to deal with; smaller, companies like retaining customer loyalty.

I play Jam based music. Grew up on Floyd, Hendrix, Clapton and Zeppelin and fell in love with Trey in 1996. He was my inspiration for grabbing the Boomerang. I've had other units recommended (to get away from the the floor based control), but like the boomerang's up-front control features. Simple and to the point is what I like. Midi programming only comes into play when I know exactly what I want at any given moment (which is rare in the improv world). But, there are time when it is very useful. The Boomerang is very easy to use on-the-fly. I use it as a delay and as a sampler, and works great for both applications. Very controllable (on its own) and very nice sound reproduction.

the sound quality ids ok however the unit tends to clip... and the only way to get rid of it is to trad the cliping with an undesirable hiss from the trim nob

well if you sudenly lose power on stage your loops are all gone

well I think that the product is good however I am a bit discontent with the size of the unit. I found it to be big and bulky, also the jacks in the back are not placed in the same universal configuration found on traditional floor units (line in on right, line out on left)
this makes it dificult to place in a florr board in a convenient formation withought the use of abnormal length cords making it imposible for the unit to be and look uniform on stage also, I think that the unit is a bit costly for what you are getting.
the unit tends to clip an awful lot, and although there is a trim nob conviniently placed in the rear of the unit (as not to disturb anything in the ajusting of it) the unit tends to give an undisirable hissing sound the more u adjust it...
I think the unit is a great idea but would love to see it use a tap deley worked in to it aswell

Very easy to use, at least for the basic operations. I didn't even refer to the manual yet, but I'll need to for the more advanced features. I love the fact that everything can be operated with your feet, leaving hands free to keep playing.

As other reviewers said, be sure to fine tune your input level with the dial on the back of the unit. The 24K sampling rate is one reason why I went with the 'rang over the Boss RC-20, which I believe is 16K, not sure though. I haven't had a chance to compare the rang with an older JamMan or the new Gibson Echoplex, but the stats on those units are definitely better for sampling rate. The Gibson is also double the price, so you get what you pay for.

As stated before, this thing is built like a tank. I've only had it a few days, but it seems very solid through and through.

Haven't dealt with them, no need to yet. I do like their website and have read nothing but positive comments from others.

Comparing this to the Boss RC-20 Loop Station consumed a lot of online reading time for me. In the end I went with the 'rang despite it costing and extra $100.00 The reasons were: ease of use, I can operate the unit entirely with my feet, especially the volume level of the looped part - no need to stop playing and bend down to adjust a dial as on the Boss. Also, I believe that the 'rang has a higher sampling rate than the Boss, which helps my acoustic parts sound better (more high end). Now the Boss does save loops even with the power off, but I didn't really need that feature.

The other reason I didn't mind paying for the 'rang is the amount of use it's getting already, and I've only had it a few days. I teach guitar to 10 students a week and the 'rang is an incredible teaching tool. Students can learn to solo by playing over my looped rhythm parts - parts that can be any chord, tempo, or volume level I choose. That is HUGE for their learning because they can practice IN TIME to the backing loop. This frees me up to teach them licks in context as the loop carries the rhythm. Of course, I'm benefiting as well because my practice time just got a whole lot more interesting and productive. It's also a great tool for writing, as you can solo and/or layer parts without having to drag out a digital recorder and play the whole part for 2 minutes. Looping is an amazing tool and the 'rang gets the job done for me. Now if I was into it seriously, or had the extra $$, I'm sure I'd go with the Gibson Echoplex for superior sound quality and more features. Really, though, once you "clone" yourself and are able to play over your own rhythm parts, the reaction is - "Where have you been all my life!!" - at least for me. I'll never be without it, it's a bit pricy, but the best effect - if you can call it that - that I've ever used!

Very, very easy to use. That's one of the main reasons I chose this over similar products. Great layout, great interface. Operating this becomes second nature in less than a day, even with all the advanced features. Can be completely operated with your feet. This is one of the few digital devices I can honestly say is as straightforward and easy to grasp as analog. It doesn't get in the way of creation at all.

Setting the trim knob is a bit fiddly. Using a Fender Mustang with passive pickups, I had a hard time completely eliminating hiss while avoiding clipping. Get that figured out and the sound quality is good.

Build quality is top notch. No corners have been cut. The unit is expensive, but you do get what you pay for in this case.

I've been using it about 6 months and it's been reliable so far. The company that makes these seems small, run by genuine enthusiasts rather than bean counters that are out to make a fast buck. I get the feeling these guys will stand behind their product if I run into any problems (not that I'm expecting to).

I'm a bit disappointed with the "instantaneous backwards" mode (where everything you feed into the unit automatically gets spit out backwards). I've found this mode almost impossible to use with predictable results (maybe I just haven't nailed the technique). Other than that, the unit works exactly as advertised. It's great for experimental, improvisational music. If you've ever owned an analog tape deck and enjoyed doing sound-on-sound, flipping the tape backwards, messing with the playback speed, etc., you'll have fun with the Boomerang. It also makes an excellent digital delay unit. Better, in fact, than many "dedicated" delay units.

Some folks will also like this as a tool for practicing their instrument. Personally, I find this gets boring, it's a bit monotonous and mechanical to play to. I don't really like it as a songwriting tool either, for much the same reason (it's hard to get the "feeling" or dynamics of a song across when it's exactly the same thing over and over again). I think of this more as a creative tool in its own right, than as a substitute for another musician or a multitrack recorder.

The only thing missing is being able to change the playback speed while a loop is playing. Since this would've been an obvious feature, I figure they must've left it out due to limitations in the hardware.

If you're looking for a quality real-time looper and you don't give a damn about MIDI and all that crap, it doesn't get much better than this.

After reading all of these I just had to post. HAD TO. This is the esaiest looper to use (aside from the line 6 that is). The buttons are self explanitory, and if you just sit with it long enough and play it all becomes quite clear. I do have to agree with most of the flock here about the programming and the manual. Programming takes a bachelors in Comp Sci, and the manual, several languages at your fingertips. Dual funtcions are cool. but not being able to program easily, or on the fly, limits the live applications. Not being a rack piece, it was designed to be a live tool, so this is a dichotomy that cannot be overlooked

SOund quality is alright. Like the fifthe review, those who have noise issues just need to play with the trim pot, and the level selector switch in the rear panel where the jacks are. I will say, what promted the research and posting as of late was my recent exposire to the Gibson Echoplex. which has pristine sound quality, and is far superior to teh Rang in many ways (also double in price, and needs the foot controller to be of any real live use). I bought this one for it's extremely long record time, but htat is at 8khz, that is just too low. So I am littel disapionted (especially since it was following the line 6 whic is also pristine)

Yup, ther rest of teh sheep are right, this fucker's a tank. i dropped it by accident the week I got it, moving to brooklyn, dropped on the cement, not even a scratch. what did they about timex...takes a lickin and keeps on tickin.

These guys (Mike) is a mench beyond all others. Not only timely replies, and good advice, ther is no attitude nor feeling like they suckered you into buying it and then abandoning you.

This is a great looper, and good pedal, thought the instruciton ar not clear and to get the proepr functions you need to learn to prgoram it, it works, is realiable, and offers great features as a practice tool. If you are looking for a live piece or studio recording piece, then for quality of signal to noise, and quality of ad/da converters I would recomend getting the Gibosn Echoplex, it is pircey, but a good studio tool. probably my next purchase.

If it were lost or stolen I would certainly buy one again, but then again I am in the process of getting them all. they all have their pluses and minuses.

After a few sessions,you start learning to get your timming down. That was the real challenge for live use. Other than that, the record and stack features are easy money.

I had a few issues with sound, clicks, hiss at forst, now I have it dialed in, get the clip setting right and it works fine.

I have had mine about three years, not a glitch, even have loaned it out to friends and no one has figured out a way to break it yet.

called them when I first had noise problems, and haven't needed them since.

I play acoustic worship music live with a Behringer pod like thing into the boomerang. I have also connected a Digitech GNX-3 in tandem with the Rang. That is a kick. A whole new world opens up using the two together. I have played the Rang along with cakwalk Drumtrax ( on my laptop) live and timing can be difficult, I have had to stop and restart the Rang after a few measures if it gets out of sync. Thats where the Digitech beats it with it's built in Drumloops. The Effects on the Digitech are cool especially the bass effects with my acoustic. But with the boomerang you can beat/tap a tempo on your acoustic and then start stacking.
It is a great solo jam and prctice tool as well and it will make a better guitar player out of you. You know best what your creations should sound like and it helps when you know all the parts (bass, rhythm, lead) I have even done vocals sung into an acoustic guitar mic/pickup) then stacked a three part harmony into the Rang and sang the fourth directly into the PA mic. Pretty cool, lots of possibilities.
I would like to see the engineers add a third track ( loop "C") (verse, chorus, bridge)and the capability to strip away stacked loops, so you can go back to the begining loop. If I lost it I'd get another, but I really am looking for the next generation!!

The Boomerang does simple things easily, and provides ways of doing many more complicated things. Looping and stacking recordings is simple. It takes me a few pedal steps to change recording from mixing new sounds with old to replacing old sounds with new, but I do it live on stage while playing without a problem. Its versatile and designed for live performance.

I use this most often with my Roland GR-33 synth, which lets me stack a wide combination of sounds live. People love this live, as do I...playing it can put me in a trance. Sometimes use it with my Taylor steel-string acoustic, which provides a whole different sonic environment to play in/with. The sound quality is fine for live performance. If you want better quality for a recording, you can always trade the live playing for looping software. But it's a different aesthetic, and will lead to different music.

I've been using it for 3-4 years, and it has always worked. The switches work as cleanly as the first day I bought it. I don't have a backup, but having one never hurts of course. I find that it is sensitive to input levels if you try to premix several sources. This is just a matter of setting it up correctly though.

I upgraded the pedal to 2.0, and it works fine. I asked for a way to switch live from mixing to replacing sounds, and had an answer (that worked) within a couple of days, from the designer. That's 2 for 2.

I play many styles of music. This is optimized for live performance. It works great. I record long (30 seconds +) loops, and multitrack. I vary from laying down standard pieces (bass, chords, melody) to creating non-standard sonic environments...or I start with one, mutate to the other, and then back, all live. It's simple enough so I can focus on the music, and not the pedal. Wish list: That I could address each instrument I lay down as a separate track, for recording and live erasing/replacing. Would love to have 10 synchronized tracks, all separately addressable live. Until then, this provides a lot of capability.

Depending on what you want to do with this product it's pretty much a no brain. There are several functions that you wouldn't have a clue how to set up if you lost the manual(i.e. changing the settings for the 'delay' in 'program mode') but as far as ease of use goes after you reading the manual this thing is a piece of cake especially when compared to the BOSS.

As long as you know how to set the trim and input setting the sound quality is excellent. Especially if your using it as a deley pedal. I'm convinced those that gave this category an unfarvorable review just didn't how set those levels properly. I play an Ibanez solid body through a Fender Vibrolux and it sounds great.

I've had the Rang just over a year now adn generally speaking the thing is built like a tank. I did have to sent back to get repaired 3 weeks ago but considering I use it EVERDAY in my practice sesssions and on gigs it's been very reliable

These guys are unbelievably awesome when it comes to customer support. When I emailed them about a problem I was having Mike wrote THAT DAY with a list of possible sollutions. When those didn't work I very relluctantly sent it in to get repaired expecting it to take at least a month like everything else does to get repaired. Mike emailed me the day it arrived telling me that they had assessed the problem, would fix it the following day and send it back to me the day after that. Sure enough, just 2 WEEKS! including the time it took get there and back. Mike Nelson is awesome

I play mostly jazz and use the rang mostly as a practice tool for looping chord changes to the tunes I'm working on. It's if there's a difficult 8 bar section to tune, I can isolate them and loop them indefinately for practicing over. It's a phenominal practice tool. In a live setting I use the Rang mostly as a delay pedal which works great along with a Boss OD-3, a BOSS chorus, and a Cry Baby wah. If this product were ever lost or stolen I'd go out and buy a new one the next day