Boss LS-2 Line Selector

Fairly easy to use. Two level controls for A & B signals and a mode selector that is very intuitive to use. Everything is clearly labeled making it simple to operate. I like the fact that the level controls have a center detent where the input signal is the same level as the output signal and that when the level control is set fully counter-clockwise, the signal is basically cut-out.
The manual is excellent and shows sample setups.

This thing is absolutely stellar. Very flexible and excellent tonal quality, which for this pedal, means no coloring of the tone.

I use this pedal as a clean boost and it does an excellent job at it. I've tried many different pedals when my old LS-2 died but none of them were as good. I ended up wasting a lot of time and money on boutique and non-boutique pedals, only to end up back with the LS-2.

The FET buffering is non-loading, contrary to what other reviewers have stated below. A FET acts much like a tube, presenting a high impedance load to the guitar signal. I cannot notice any kind of signal degradation with the unit engaged or switched off (bypassed). While some non-true bypass pedals degrade the sound when the effect is turned off (like the Dunlop Wahs), this BOSS pedal is definitely transparent.

While it may not impress your friends like a boutique pedal, this thing does exactly what its supposed to do and does it very well.

My old BOSS LS-2 died on me after 10 years of use. Very hard to repair. It went gradually where stomping on the pedal didn't always switch the effect on.

Forget it.

This is the best clean boost pedal you can get.
Works great for running different effects for A/B sounds as well. I just use mine as a boost and to select different volumes.

Two mixers for the A/B loops, one knob for controlling your preffered functionality of the A/Bloops, and bypass - if this pedal confuses you, maybe you need a new hobby?

Listen with your EARS, not your fashionable, forum inspired eyeballs - this pedal has no noticeable affect on tone quality WHATSOEVER. PERIOD. If you're experiencing tone loss through one FET bypass then your problems exceed the remedy of all but the most qualified guitar techs.

Put simply, this is the most important pedal on my board, and unifies my creative tendancies in a simple package. Buy it, make your life easier, and enjoy the combinations of useable, switchable effects combinations with one stomp.

I have a backup. But the pedal seems solidly built, with great switch sensitivity. You really don't need to "stomp" this, just a quick toe tap and your there. I give this a 5 for median, or average reliability becuase I've only had for about 8 months now, with no issues.

Never dealt with customer support.

Gear: Music Man Axis, Axis Sport
Mesa Triple Rectifier (3 channel) Solo Head
Peavey 6505
Traynor YCS412VA (2) 4x12 Celestion G12-T75s

Effects: Loop A of LS-2 - Boss DD3, CH1, PH3
Loop B of LS-2 - Maxon ROD881, Boss TR2, BF3
Bypass Loop - Boss TU2, NS2, RV5
*NOTE: I use the Boss NS2 loop in the LS2 bypass, with (in
order) TU2, NS2, RV5, and have ZERO problems with noise, or
loss of fidelity*

I play in a heavy, alternative band, lots of atmosphere and layered rythms, and this pedal compliments my effects needs wonderfully.

It this were lost or stolen, I already have another still packed and tucked away for safe keeping.

It's bleedin' obvious!
Socket for your guitar, socket for the amp, then a socket each for the two loops, a volume for each loop and a switch for each setting!
The manual gives you a good starting point for the numerous options you can get out of this thing

I've primarily used my ls-2 as a booster for solos. I've run it in the effects loops of amps for years. It's been in the loop of a Rivera R30, R55, Knucklehead, Marshall 800 100 watt head, a Fender Concert 2 head and currently a Rivera Fandango. Simple and dependable for the task it's required

Never had a problem with it in nearly a decade of solid gigging. Bullet proof reliability

Never had a need to get in touch with them and I've got/used plenty of Boss/Roland stuff

I've played in loads of different types of bands playing plenty of different styles of music. The LS-2 has been a hugely dependable piece of equipment. I appreciate I dont us it to the full capability of what it can do but even so this thing's been on the floor in front of me in all kinds of places and has gone through all the usual bumps and scrapes you'd expect after 9 years or so of gigging reguarly and has never given me any reason to doubt it.

Easy to use, but what for?

Ruins your basic tone like no other Boss pedal. They must have done serious cost cutting on the buffers here, because they are extremely noisy. Just unuseable. Never had a problem with Boss pedals, but this is really terrible.

Build like a tank, but the Loopers don't seem to be as reliable as the other Boss pedals. Heard from people who had serious issues with them before (crapped out on a gig...).

No customer support from Boss.

This thing is terrible. It's extremely noisy and hisses more than an overdrive unit. I don't get it. What the hell was Boss thinking when they put such crappy buffers in a pedal like this? I can't use this. Safe your money and buy a hardwire switcher. Less hassle and no noise.

Not too hard to figure out but the sheer number of uses may confuse some people

Sounded completley clear, no hum (there was hum but only when boosting the volum of a line beyond what the amo is at, which is to be expected)

The damn thing worked for 15 minutes then all inputes/outputs/sends/returns screwed up. No idea what happened, it just ceased to work alltogether. Buttons still lit up appropriatley but all the signal chaining is messed up beyong comprehension. I did almost nothing with it.

We will see how boss handles this.

As of now, its a complete worthless hunk of junk. Brand new Worked for 15 minutes. If I get one that works (doubtful since I'll be getting a Barge concepts blender) then joy.

This is kind of easy to use, there are many situations where you
can use this, but you've probably purchased it for one particular
application. I used it to put a line-6 pod into or out of the effect
chain loop. You can use it to select different amp outputs etc.

Use of this pedal should be transparent but unfortunately it isn't.
It makes everything sound flat and lifeless.

I took it back after a week, it looks robust enough and Boss have
a good reputation for reliability.

Didn't have it long enough.

Too complicated for my needs I only needed a (true) bypass.
This sucks tone.

A little fiddly at first as there are so many possible permutations, there is a decent enough handbook.

The unit itself doesn't really produce any sound but allows you to manipulate your effects into lots of different loops or to run 2 guitars into one amp, one guitar in between 2 amps. You can mix different effects loops, use it as an A/B or A/B/Y Switchbox and lots of other things.

The sheer number of different applications mean that it is not a simple pedal to simply plug in and play but with experimentation it is very versatile and useful.

The sound quality is excellent. Some people say they can hear a definite degredation in sound quality compared to true bypass or direct to the amp but I didn't notice that much drop in signal. Plus they don't say what quality cables they are using.

My rig is as follows:-

Tokai Love Rock/Fender Japanese Strat> Behringer PB1sometimes)> Cry baby or Morley classic Wah> Marshall chorus> Marshall Bluesbreaker 2> Boss ME 50> Marshall JMP 50 watt combo and Crate Powerblock 150watt into a Marshall 1922 cabinet.

I use the rig in 3 different ways, for my pop/rock/corporate covers band I run a two amp clean/crunch set up with the LS-2 between the ME50 and the Amps to A/B switch between the Crate on clean and the Marshall on dirty.

For my hard rock/heavy metal band I run both amps on dirty with the LS-2 to A/B switch betwen the Marshall for rhythm and the Crate for lead with the Crate running twice as loud as the Marshall for solos.

I sometimes use the LS-2 before the ME50 to use the independent channel outputs to run a low/high outputlevel to run a cleanish/distorted tone through one of the amps, which one depends on the gig, the Crate is easier to get a lower volume distorted sound than the Marshall.

In all three situations the pedal has excelled. The Red/Green LEDs make it easy to tell which channel you are switched to, there was no ground hum when connected to the two amps in clean dirty and I couldn't hear any leakage of the sound from one side to the other. Careful placing of your pedals should mean that you get a pretty clean signal going to either amp.

I've not really experimented with the various loops etc but I'm sure the unit will be just as effective.

Only gigged a couple of times but built like a tank and so much more reliable than the Behringer clones.

Type of music described above. I now have a really good switcher and I'v enot yet discovered all the possible permutations it can do but I'd certainly recommend it. I have heard that the Radial Switchbone is even better but at twice the price it would need to be very good indeed.

It's pretty simple you get two loops and various ways to toggle through them a>b, a>b>bypass, a>bypass, b>bypass

I used two of these in my setup for awhile until I started noticing how much they mess up your tone. It's worse when the loops are active, but even in bypass. I had the same problem with the boss master switch pedal.

I do not forgive this by saying "oh well the pedal isn't true bypass". I have pedals that are not true bypass that don't mess with my tone. For instance all the ibanez pedals with FET switching from the 808 series to the 10 series had excellent buffers that can sound better than true bypass in many situations.

Boss cares more about reliability than sound quality.

This pedal is a great concept, too bad they didn't make the effort to make a good sounding pedal.

The simplest loop selector I've come across. 2 level controls, mode selector, 2 loops send and return, main send and return. DC in and out for daisy chain.

To "anonymous and annoyed" (previous reviewer) and anyone else down on this pedal; BOSS doesn't make any true bypass pedals. If you're worldly enough to notice the tone drop, you should know this. Boss pedals are not expensive boutique pieces. Most of us who can't drop $300 a pedal, are gonna have some fet pedals; Ibanez, Boss, etc. The nice thing about this pedal is that in bypass mode, you're running through one tone altering "bypass" instead of all your pedals. If you want true bypass, expect to pay more or get a soldering iron and go nuts.

Boss pedals are practically indestructable. This one is no exception. It doubles as a power supply via daisy chain which is a very big plus.

Great $80 line selector for anyone who wants to stick with pedals. Sure you can pay a fortune for a bradshaw selector, or something along those lines, but that may run you into the poor house not to mention over complicate your life.

Pretty easy to figure out even without a manual because I have previous experience with TB loop pedals and I also read up on this before it arrived (eBay purchase).

My intention with this is to switch back and forth between two overdrive pedals: one for rhythm and one for leads. I need this to happen with one stomp. So the A-B mode is what I have it set to. Right away though I could tell this thing is a great tool. That fact that it has level controls for each loop is a plus. This has no sound of it's own so it's hard to rate this category. Didn't sense any degradation so that's about all i could expect.

I'm into rock and use a fair amount of gain. I have a Marshall 3203 head, a Peavey Rock Master and Classic 50/50 rack set-up, two Marshall 1960 cabs, many pedals and mostly use Ibanez RG 550's with DiMarzio Super 3's. Two beefs I have with this pedal. One, the send and return jacks should be on opposite sides than they are. The other thing is i wish the Level controls for A and B had unity detents in the sweep. Other than that this is a super cool and useful pedal. I can't believe I waited this long to get it. Also it powers other pedals. I would not hesitate to get another if need be, even for full new price, now that I know how good it is.

I would give this stompbox a 7 for ease of use. It is not rocket science to work out, but this little box is capable of doing some really cool things and the more you look at the pedal and your current setup, it will open up a lot of possibilities. Some of them are not so obvious straight away therefore i reckon a 7 is pretty fair.
Read the manual/settings page to see what the mode dial does. A handy piece of literature.

Some quick background on me....
I am using this within a bass rig. My setup is as follows:

LTD 6 string active bass > BOSS LS-2 input > GK800RB input.

Loop A send > EH Mini Q Tron input > back into loop a return.
Loop B send > BOSS Chorus > Danelectro Compressor > back to loop b return.
I have read some reviews that people have claimed that the unit rolls off some of the upper frequencies but i haven't noticed it with bass. Will give it a 9 for sound quality (even though it is not a tone shaping stompbox) because it doesn't colour MY tone. I believe it probably would if you were a guitarist though.

I have several BOSS pedals and every one of them has been bullet proof. Metal casing, very sturdy construction, solid feel to the pots, what more can i say? This pedal could probably be launched from a plane and still survive.
I could get through a gig without it, but i wouldn't be happy. It would mean that i could no longer use my Q tron (see the reason for this later). Not the end of the world, but pretty close to it.

I have never had to call BOSS. I work in a music shop part time that also sells BOSS and i don't recall ever having to call them actually.

I currently play in a top 40/rock cover band. I am first and foremost a drummer who took up bass approx 15 years ago, but just started getting serious about it all 2-3 years back. Several months ago, i purchased an Electro Harmonix Mini Q Tron envelope filter to play some funky jam stuff at gigs and rehearsals etc.. and just to give me more options in my sounds. I was very impressed with the envelope filter - everything i wanted in a pedal and more. The "more" being in the form of a massive volume spike when the pedal is engaged. (I have since spoken to many people about this and it seems it's what they all do.) There is no output level control on the Mini Q Tron. The line selector with it's two selectable effect loops (each with individual level control) mean that i can isolate the Q Tron from my other effects and control that volume spike with the LS-2. The bright LED's that indicate which channel you are currently using is a great idea too! I know there are a lot of bass players out there who use the EH Mini Q Tron, so if you are looking for a way to control it's level this is a great way to do it! Works a treat. You can also use it as a volume boost too (as another reviewer mentioned) by plugging a cable into an empty loop send and then feeding it straight back into the coresponding return, adjust the level control for that loop and there you have it! Very cool!
As i mentioned earlier, the options that this little box opens up is amazing. Will make your job so much easier, and leave you free to concentrate on your music.
For my setup and usage, i don't need it to do anything else. There is nothing i can fault about it. It does what it is designed to do very well (separate effects from your main signal with the ability to have control over each loops volume).
It if was flogged i would have a serious collision of personality with the offender first (any ideas how heavy an active six string bass is?) then i would run screaming to the shop to get another one. Couldn't achieve what i want without this pedal. Go get one!

Very simple and the documentation included shows connection examples so it really is a no brainer. It has an in, an out and two loops so it isn't rocket science.
I researched various different products before I bought it, so I knew exactly what I wanted it to do and how to connect it up before it arrived.

I have two rack mounted processors and wanted to take advantage of my amps parallel effects loops by using them both in "wet only" mode so that the core guitar wasn't being mixed with a digitized copy, and so ultimately only the reverb decay, delay repeats and modulation / harmony voicing would be digital. The first processor is used for intelligent harmonizing only, and the second processor is used mainly for reverb and/or delay, and also for modulation effects on occasion (chorus, phase, flange and tremolo). Now the problem with using these processor in "wet only" mode is that if I run the processors in series, the second processor would only be adding reverb, delay or modulation to the harmonized voice because the main guitar part wouldn't get through to it. So I needed some way of running the effects in parallel. This adds its own problems because if I run effects in parallel I wouldn't be adding reverb/delay/modulation to the harmony because the first processor isn't running through the second, but fortunately both processors have multiple inputs and outputs and so I decided it would be easy enough to just run all the harmonizing effects in stereo, and connect both processors together using the "Right" output and input respectively. This would provide a complete wet signal that could be mixed easily with the main guitar using the effect loop mix controls on my amps.

I considered a number of different ways of doing this. Firstly I was using a stereo delay pedal (delay effect turned off) to split the signal from the fx send, run through the processors in parallel and then into an ABY box to bring it back to a mono output to go to the fx return. I wasn't too happy about this though, because although it sounded ok, there was definitely some signal loss and it was getting a bit messy. I considered buying a Behringer UB802 mixer and using the auxiliary send for the effects in parallel, taking them back to separate channels of the mixer (I believe Steve Morse uses the UB802 for this very task with delay). This would actually be an excellent way of doing it because you can EQ each processor as well as adjusting their levels, and it's actually cheaper than the LS-2! I also considered a rack based splitter/mixer but I will only ever want to mix a maximum of 2 processors and so wanted a more compact solution rather than a mixing desk either in or on top of my rack (both of which would need a mains supply and so extra mess). The beauty of the LS-2 is that it is small enough to take up very little space on your pedalboard (or in a remote MIDI pedal switching rack as I have it), and can be powered from my existing effects power chain. I may still try the UB802 one day just to see how well it compares because altering EQ quickly may be a god-send, but the LS-2 still won out as my first choice solution.

The difference between the stereo delay/ABY method I was using and the LS-2 is frighteningly obvious. I was losing a lot of signal and the effects that came through were very subdued using my first untidy method. Now the effects are doing exactly what I want them to. An excellent thing about using the LS-2 as a mixer is that you don't have to be so precise about setting levels between both processor's patches. I have set the patches as close as possible to my ideal mix with both gain knobs on the LS-2 set to the 12 o'clock position, with the harmony at about 75% of the main guitar level. But if I decide I need the harmonized voice to cut through the mix a bit more (or for songs with two guitar at equal levels) I can just push the gain up a bit and don't have to worry about making (potentially frequent) changes in the processors themselves. This is absolutely superb and incredibly useful for quick "on the fly" changes to levels.

It does everything I need it to without degrading quality and so is perfect for my application.

As with most Boss effects it is tough and so I have no concerns about its reliability. I may buy another LS-2 but to use for different applications, not because I think I need backup.

Never had to deal with them so I have no opinion.

I've been playing guitar for 24 years, mainly rock and classic metal, and the following guitars are the ones I have kept out of many:

Guitars:

Gibson Les Paul Standard - bought new in 89. Tobacco sunburst.

Ibanez RG770FM - Japanese model. Transparent blue flamed maple

BC Rich Mockingbird Natural Neck Thru with Full Shred pickup in the bridge position, Alnico Pro II in the neck and custom switching arrangement for coil taps and reverse phase in both pickups.

Hohner G3T (Steinberger copy) with Super Distortion pickup in the bridge and 2 x Little 59s in the neck and middle position. 3 individual mini switches to select each pickup as either full humbucking, coil tapped or off.

Jackson PS4 Performer

Ibanez PC300CENT Electro Acoustic


And my effects setup is always changing but at present it is as follows:

Guitar
v
Doobtone Micro Buffer 2
v
MIDI relay switcher (8 individual effect loops, 7 pre-amplifier and 1 unused spare in the effects loop)
Loop 1 - Rack Tuner
Loop 2 - Guyatone ST-2 Compressor (or Marshall ED1)
Loop 3 - Keeley Seeing Eye Mod Boss DS-1 >
Danelectro Fish n Chips EQ
Loop 4 - Behringer VD1 (Big Muff copy) >
Danelectro Fish n Chips EQ
Loop 5 - Behringer VP1 (Small Stone copy)
Loop 6 - Electro Harmonix Small Clone
Loop 7 - Unused spare
v
ISP Decimator (used if and when required)
v
BBE DI100X Sonic Maximizer (always on)
v
====================
Amp Input
v
Effects loop send
====================
v
MIDI relay switcher (continued)
Loop 8 - Unused spare
v
Boss LS-2 (in A+B Mix mode)
Loop 1 - Digitech Quad 4 (for harmony, 100% WET)
v (serial link - right output to right input)
Loop 2 - Behringer REV2496 (reverb/delay, 100% WET)
v
====================
Effects loop return
====================

All MIDI controlled by a Behringer FCB1010 floorboard.

I also have a number of other effects including a Yamaha Magicstomp, Zoom G2, Boss ME-50, Arion DDS1 stereo delay/sampler and various other single stomp boxes that I've experimented with over the years, but these aren't used in my current setup.

Basically the MIDI relay switcher has 8 x 1/4" send and receive sockets for the loops, a guitar in, amp out, effects send and effects return sockets so all connections between guitar, effects and amp are made via this controller.

My amps are a Marshall AVT150 combo with AVT112 extension cab and an ENGL Thunder 50 head which I use with the AVT cabs. There are good points and bad points about both amps so I plan on building an amp switcher to allow me to choose which amp to use on the fly, and insert the effects in the appropriate loop. This is a bit more complicated because I need to add a load to the unused amp, but the remote switching options it will give me would make it a much more versatile setup when completed.

Although it doesn't cost a fortune, it does emphasise that Boss are grossly overcharging when I could have bought the Behringer mixer for #20 less than the LS-2. That is a joke in my opinion, particularly seeing as they're both made in the Far East. But that complaint aside, it does exactly what I want it to and I really couldn't be happier with the results in such a compact package.

I could hear no difference in sound quality between the single processors in my loop individually without the LS-2, or when switching between them in A>B mode. Maybe those of you who have experienced some change in tone are doing so because it is in the unbalanced pre-amp signal chain. I haven't tried it there so have no further opinion.

Oh and to Mr anonymous and annoyed below, If you want to know about unwanted signal loading, just hook 8 or more true bypass pedals together with 50 odd feet of cable and without any "tone sucking" buffer and see what results you get! Everytime you stomp in an effect you'll change the loading on the pickups by a variable amount depending on the pedal and its position and will substantially alter volume and tone. Anyone who thinks true bypass alone is the saviour of tone has been educated too much on dubious forums or is simply following a fashion rather than using his own ears.

Overall it is highly recommended and as has been said previously, it is so versatile that everyone should get one.

I give it a 5. There is much more to it than there is to something like a CE-3. Kinda like the Noise Supressor... You have to learn where everything is plugged in, and the correct order of everything in your chain. once you have everything plugged in correctly, its clear sailing from there

Agile V with over 10 other pedals.(reason i needed the line selector) to a Kustom II Lead.

No sound quality really, its more of a tool.

It doesnt really give or take any quality when used on one line at a time. However, when used on mix, you have total control over how much of either line you want to mix into the other.. if you want to mix line A with Line B, but want Line B to be a little louder, you can!! Before when i had all of my pedals in one big chain, and i wanted just say distortion with chorus, it would sound too blended together...using the ls2, i can now use them together, and it will sound perfectly layered. as if you can hear them both exactly the same, and one sound doesnt get lost in the other. almost like its coming from 2 different sources, but at the same time...

boss. like i said i own 10 or 11 more of their stompboxes, and ive never had one break on me.

not going to fill in genre or music and that, for it isnt relavent to this pedal.

All of the switching options are in other reviews, so ill just add that I like the fact that Line A is a Green Light, and has a green Knob..Line B is a Red Light, and has a Red Knob. This is a great idea, and keeps things easier for the user. This pedal also has Daisy Chain capabilities, which was icing on the cake for me.


Ill finish by saying that NO pedal is perfect, and close with a few things i wish it had...

i wish that Boss would have made the box bigger. i dont think they should have made it a stompbox style pedal...this thing has THREE inputs, and THREE outputs, SIX!!! jacks altogether, 3 on each side, one on top of the other..this is a VERY tight fit, and also A LOT OF F$&#^$* cords. I know there really isnt any other way, and there has to be all these chords, but like i said, Boss probably could have made a different shaped box with better spaced jacks. other than that, this thing is quite the handy tool, and does exactly what it claims.

This pedal is not intuitive at first. You really need to read the enclosed instructions to see what is going on. But after a few minutes of study, it will all be obvious, and it is well worth the effort.

See the "Overall Rating" section below for my description of how this pedal works.

This pedal is very quiet. This is to be expected since it is just switches and a mixer.

A tank.

Never needed.

This has become one of my most favorite and most-used pedals. It is not really an effect- it is a utility pedal.

With this pedal, you can hook up two separate effects loops (A and B) and do the following, according to the Mode switch setting:

-Switch between loop A and loop B
-Switch between A and Bypass
-Switch between B and Bypass
-Rotate from A to B to Bypass
-Switch between mixed A + B and Bypass.

As an example, here is how I have mine set up: I put my "clean" effects on Loop A (Chorus->Phaser). I put my "dirty" effects on Loop B (Overdrive->EQ). Now I can switch from big folksy chord playing to burning lead lines with one tap of the pedal, instead of turning a bunch of serially-connected pedals on and off. If I want, I can set the Mode switch so I can switch between chorus and distortion, or between distortion and clean, or rotate from chorus to distortion to clean, etc. You get the idea...

But wait, there's more! The Mode switch has the cool A+B Mix setting. Now, for example, I can have my chorus going full tilt, and mix in just a smidge of distortion to give it an edge. It's like a whole new effect! The two knobs control the mix level from each loop. You can also use this mode to mix a little effect into your clean signal, which is something some pedals won't let you do (like most OD/dist pedals).

My A and B loops are pretty short, but there is no limit to how long or complicated they can be, as long as they each have 1 input and 1 output.

I also use the LS-2 as an A/B switch when I am evaluating a new pedal and comparing it to another pedal. Very handy!

The LS-2 also lets you select between two guitars to one amp, or you can set it to select up to 3 amps from one guitar.

The possibilities of the LS-2 are mind boggling, and I am always thinking of new things to do with it. It sits front and center on my pedal board. One piece of advice- don't lose the instructions or the Sample Settings guide. They are very helpful for suggesting ways to use the pedal.

The manual is pretty good and explains all the different uses this pedal gives. It is very easy to set up the pedal to your spefic needs. Has a good link-up ability with the NS-2

I use it to switch between to effects loops, one has a Marshall Shredmaster which stays on all the time. The other loop has a SD-1>PH-3>NoBels Trem>Whammy 4. This allows me to switch from a tremolo and a phaser together to just distortion on its own

Its a Boss

Would not know

Has many different uses, everyone with a pedalboard will find this useful

You can get good sounds out of it...No problem.....A+B mix is a neat ticket as well as the different modes of switching.....Did not have a manual, but that's OK. This is an unmodded LS-2. Take some time to figure what you want to do with it...
This pedal is really a multi-tasking freak!

Tried this in all kinds of setups. DO NOT use this if you are concerned about high end rolloff or loss of tone! Get a TB Looper for that! I mean it and you can take that to the bank! It colors, it intro's a buffer signal in your chain, which is good if you have miles of cables and you use it at the beginning of your chain. Put your Boss TU-2 on one of those loops then, so you won't introduce 2 buffers while you are playing....Whew!
This is what I do...
Fender American Vintage 1972 Stratocaster (all original)
Fender Mexican Deluxe PowerHouse Stratocaster
Gibson Les Paul Deluxe L.E. W/mini-hums

Boss TU-2
Voodoo Lab MicroVibe
Univox Micro Fazer
Morgan Miller modded Crybaby
Boss TU-2
Boss LS-2
Big Muff USA reissue
Nobels ODR-1 original
Nobels ODS-1 original
Zoom UF-01
Zoom PD-01
RonSound Distort-o-matic
Dan Armstrong Blue Clipper
Boss CE-2
Horizon Select-a-line ABY
Leem 4-way splitter
PDS 1002 digital delay
Boss DD-6
Arion SAD-1

Peavey Delta Blues 115
Rocktron Replitone 212
Behringer GM110
Fender sidekick 10

I looped out the Muff/ODR-1 in one loop and the ODS-1 and gave a listen....Even with those looped out, and they're Tone suckers, it was a blanket thrown on my ability to "Gilmour Soar"....(sad)

So now I have a diff setup......

I think that this would be for Metal Militia people not concerned about those clarity/dynamic issues....Just my .02

I got my looper (need another though) and I have my amps back....
The TU-2 at the very beginning of my chain intro's a buffer to my chain of True bypass pedals and that is a GOOD thing....If you have a long chain of those TB pedals and cables, the TU-2 just makes it right...
The LS-2 is gone....It just wasn't for me, but it might be for you!

It will get stomped on a bunch.... more than others...So keep an eye on that switchability.....

Sorrrrrry.......I do not call companies. N/A

Gilmour,Clapton,Trower Kinks Stones Classic stuff....My higher register work regarding tonality was gone and I wanted it back.
You can do amazing things with this, but I can't do without what I need most of the time!

This is just a response/follow-up to the previous review. No, this unit is NOT a true bypass. But then, it is a 'line selector' so functions in a different way. Acting as a bypass (whether true or otherwise) is only one of it's abilities. I, personally am planning on purchasing this pedal to switch between my distorted and clean (compressor, eq) loops, then on to the rest of my effects (volume, delay etc...)

If you were only wanting this to perform as a bypass to shunt noisy effects in and out of your rig then it is a rather expensive way to do it! Try www.pedalboards.com for their true-bypass strips instead.

Most importantly, if you are caught up in the 'true bypass' conundrum, please visit this site:

http://www.geofex.com/Article_Folders/bypass/bypass.htm

It is a very informative resource (as is most of geofex) so make sure you read it and then come to your own conclusions.

It's a line selector - not simply a bypass box.

the boss ls2 claims to be bypass loop,i am quite simply amazed,correct me if im wrong here,i thought the point of bypass was to remove efects from the signal chain that introduce unwanted signal loading which adversely affects tone,fairly straightforward proposition really on the face of it , except when you take it out of the box to use it,
it is not true bypass , it is fet, not hardwire bypass it doesent fucking work ,t loads the signal,it alters tone,there are 20 other reveiws about this product,only one of them recognised that it is not true bypass, what the fuck are the other 19 crackheads doing listening with there fucking eyes probably ,
if any of the previous reveiwers read this and think im talking shit,then pick up the phone and speak to boss to clarify this point which is what i did , much to my suprise boss freely admitted it is fet and not hardwire ,not,i repeat not true bypass,if i wanted to change channels i would use an ab box and as it doesent bypass i can use the on off switch on my pedals instead of this waste of fucking money.
ive read harmony quite a few times and wondered are all these glowing reveiws real or just tone deaf people high on product rush.

the only saving grace is this ,the manager of the shop that sold me the ls2 also phoned boss and confirmed it is not true bypass .you only have to listen to it actually,but anyway he spoke and confirmed what i told him and quite kindly gave me a refund
rating ,shit
.

piece of tone sucking crap

boss totally mislead in there product description by calling this bypass ,but they were honest enough to admit it is not true bypass ,
only redeeming feature really,considering they wasted my time in the first place.

youve read this far so im sure you get the idea,do not buy this thinking it will eliminate tone sucking pedals by looping them into true bypass because it does not ,no fucking way,phone boss and ask them is it true bypass , dont make the mistake i did by listening to the good reveiws here, i know im in the minority here but im right dont take the word of reveiws phone boss, or buy it and find out the timewasting hard way.

I'm rating the LS-2 an "8," simply because it takes some time to discover the staggering amount of uses for it. The manual only publishes maybe one-third or one-quarter of the different ways to use it, and it is simply a matter of time before the gravity of the situation dawns on the user. Once it finds its perfect niche, in your rig, useability becomes a "10."

I'm currently using this pedal to blend the two separate outputs from a modified Washburn J-9--1 output is a pair of 59s in the standard configuration, and the second output is an LRBaggs transducing bridge. I'm using the pedal to either blend acoustic and electric, or choose between them--also use it to add a Sansamp acoustic DI to the loop affecting the transducer. The output goes to a Korg DT-10 tuner and then directly into a Mesa Nomad 55. All the effects I use are in the intricacies of the tubes and the three versatile channels on the amp. This pedal is noiseless and colorless. Period.

Boss pedals are neat, because they last forever, even though you don't always want them to. This and the EQ pedal are the two of theirs that I would hate to have die, but which (knock on wood) won't, because they were made by Boss. It'll be cockroaches, twinkies, Boss pedals, and Keith Richards around after the holocaust.

No need.

I play Irish punk ( www.amadanusa.com ) and rockabilly, and have been playing this instrument for more than ten years, and music in general for seventeen years. I used to be into rackmount stuff, and have had mixed results with some Line 6 stuff (no real need for modeling or heavy effects in my world--just finding a tone or two and PLAYING WELL), but sold it all for my current rig and my acoustic rig. I'd replace this pedal in a heartbeat, and in fact am considering getting two more to clean up my signal path even more (a separate tuner loop) and for the acoustic rig. First of all, buy this pedal, for the sole reason that it will, one day, prove indispensible. Secondly, take the time to read these reviews and learn about people's rigs--that's where other people's experience and tinkering will lend a hand, and you'll figure out all of the options more quickly than the first guy.

There are many ways to use it. A 2way mixer, a 3 inputs->1 output or 1 input->3 outputs selector box, effect looper, ...
Possibilities are infinite.
It is sometimes a little difficult to figure out the good way to achieve your goal, but potential is here.

This unit is not supposed to have a sound. It's your typical utility device.
Little to no hiss, depending on the quality of the stuff you plug in.
Of course it's a cheapo box, don't expect the quality of a NEVE console. I think your could buy 1 knob of a pro console for the price of the LS-2.
Still unbeatable for the price.
I've used it with many setups, always with great success.
The quality of the cords is essential, expecially because you may have to use a lot of them.

It's a sturdy box, like all Boss units.
I would use it without a backup anywhere.
I've seen a few Boss pedals collapsing under abuse, though.

Boss has a good customer support.
I've never dealt with them for this pedal, but each time I got in touch with them they revealed helpful.

Regardless of your style and background, you will need this pedal one day or the other.
Tomorrow if not today.
It's a cheap tool, something to have just like a screwdriver set, soldering iron or plyer tools.
It saved my life several times :).
I think Boss should start a section on their site with stories about LS-2 saving a gig, just like Zippo lighters.
Fantastic value is really deserved.

This pedal is a breeze! The only thing that will leave you scratching your head is when you begin to marvel at how many routing options you can get out of this thing. The manual with the suggested signal chain options is a must-keep. Hang on to it as your setup grows!

I'm surprised that someone said it had horrible sound quality - I've NEVER heard this thing alter my tone. It's VERY TRANSPARENT. My set up is USUALLY as follows: Carvin modfied custom guitar (dual hums with active electronics) into an MXR Dynacomp, Dunlop 535, Boss OC-2, Danelectro Daddy 'O, MXR Phase 100, and a Danelectro PB&J (tape delay) into a Peavey Classic 30. The LS-2 is in my effects loop. I currently use it to run my pedal setup and my Roland VG-8 into the Effects return (so I can still use my gain channel without affecting my VG-8. HOWEVER, I only do this b/c I don't have a great second amp to run the VG-8 into. Normally, the LS-2 is switching me between the Daddy'O and an old Rockman Sustainor, etc. I keep my chorus effects (Cool Cat, an old Arion Chorus and a Memory Man) in the Peavey's effects loop as well. The fact that I could even run my VG-8 in tandem into the same amp using this thing has allowed me to save serious money (as I can't buy another amp right now!) and I can still get all the tones I use.

This thing will probably survive Armageddon.

Never had to deal with them. However, I have noticed some people complain about their web site. I've checked it out and it seems fairly informative.

I play EVERYTHING from Jazz, eclectic pop/rock (i.e Sting, Peter Gabriel), to some country, art/instrumental, alternative, etc. I've been playing 13 years, and would NO DOUBT buy another one of these things if I lost it or it was stolen. However, I'd have to break the legs of the guy who stole it first. I've considered getting TWO of these things (if not three). I used to be all into rack gear, but as I got more familiar with what effects DID to the sound, I began to buy individual pedal effects since I can be more of a hands-on architect of my sound. The routing options of the LS-2 allow me to do some more complex things with single effects, and not compromise the control I have over my tone and effects settings. IT TOTALLY HELPS ME MAKE MUSIC.

This thing is simple to use. The manual and supplemental sheet have a ton of illustrations on different ways to use the line selector.

There is a little high frequency rolloff, but other than that, it is very quiet, switching is very quiet.

It's a Boss. Solid metal construction, solid knobs.

Never had a problem with any of my Boss pedals.

I give it a 10 just for the amazing number of possibilities you can use it for. I use this pedal in the effects loop of my Fender Princeton Chorus to give me two different boost levels. I have the A channel boost at about 1 o'clock and the B channel boost at 3 o'clock. I play rhythm in the bypass, then hit A for a solo boost or even B for some extra boost in solos. I have thought about getting another LS-2 to run 2 guitars into some effects before the amp. An excellent buy and definitely worth the money if you're having some connecting woes. They could easily call this the Swiss Army Pedal.

Use it to put noisy tone-sucking-in-bypass-mode effects out of the signal path, engage several effects at once without being a tap dancing pro, use it as a clean boost (yes!), switch between several amps, switch between guitars...practical, practical, practical. Not true bypass, but no loss of sound quality to my ears - certainly not an issue in a live situation, where you'll want to use this. A humble little tool that makes life easier.

You know the rap.

Useful. Practical. For gigging musicians. You know you need one.

It is easy to use and simple to undrestand the set-up.

Awful sound quality. I tried using this effect as an A/B between a 1984 JCM 800 4010 Marshall combo and a new Marshall JSM 2000 DSL 401. It created a huge amount of undesirable noize. The two amps are very quiet when running direct without this pedal. I just bought this pedal today and will be returning it to the store soon. Maybe I was unlucky and got a defective one. I don't know. I do know that it makes my clear tube amps sound like trash. I was very disappointed.

How hard can it be, stick the pedals in the loop, push the pedal for on, push again for off. I really love this pedal and couldn't live with out it. I have about 10 fx pedals and I use this to either run the signal straight to the amp or through the loop. I like to run a few pedals at a time, i.e. chorus, harmonizer and delay, and have my amp on the clean channel. Then I'll want to go straight to no fx with the amp on the distorted channel. This pedal makes it all possible with one step of the foot. I simply place the amp's channel switch right next to the line selector and bam... a totally different sound. Like I said before, after using this pedal once, I'll never go back to not having one again.

Haven't noticed any degradation. I can't hear any difference when its on or off or even when I run the guitar straight to the amp with out it. it's all good.

IT'S BOSS! You could throw it against a brick wall and it would work perfect.

Never had to call. I like the free battery they throw in with it, even though I use a power supply.

I couldn't live without it. it's the answer to my prayers: a simple and cost effective way to route my guitar signal and switch sounds without having to buy an $800 midi switching system!

this pedal is very, very easy to use. its amazing how many routing problems it can solve. most defenitly one of my favorite pieces of gear.

you can notice a little bit of tone degredation, but not too much. defenitly not true bypass. the fact that you can run two different loops at seperate volumes at the same time is wonderfull, especially if you have some effects that run a little louder.

its a boss pedal. i'd have no worries beating the shit out of it.

????????????????????????????????

this pedal is my messiah. i run a semi-complicated rig, and it can do whatever i need it to.

2 loops + bypass
A level knob for each loop
+ a knob that selects the way this pedal is meant to be used
You can select several modes - it's all described by other reviews

It's a no brainer - a child could use it
As someone else already said the 6 in and out jacks are very badly placed but they could not be put elsewhere so ....

By the way, I didn't know about this pedal before I struggled on it here at HC
I bought it immediatly

I do not notice any high freq loss or noise so that's perfect for me !
It doesn't muddy the sound although the bypassed sound is VERY slightly "different" from the direct sound
It's no true bypass
I use it only on gigs, so the quality is more than OK
I would not record with this pedal - I would rather make several tracks and change my setup otherwise if needed

Boss pedal !

laughable
Their website is one of the worst I've seen

This is a excellent pedal - it can solve A LOT of routing problems
Currently, it's placed in the FX loop of my amp (Marshall JCM 2000 TSL 100) only to have 3 different volume level settings on stage. The advantage of this setup is that on all 3 settings, the amount of gain/distortion remains equal, only the volume is affected (this is what I've been looking for since very long)
I first wanted to buy a boost pedal (fat boost, Banzai, ....). They are VERY expensive, of single use, and I don't need that quality on stage

It's the most versatile pedal I've ever seen - just look at the other reviews that show different uses for this pedal

More than probably, my use for this pedal will change in the future - maybe I'll use the loops to put other noisy pedals out of the direct guitar->amp line. Maybe I'll use it as a A/B switch for my different guitars. Maybe I'll use it to combine several amps
There's so much you can do with it

I'm glad I heard about this pedal
I'm glad I bought it
It's my most essential pedal
It's too expensive IMO bust still less than others

You can make it work just fine about ten minutes after you open the box. As you accumulate effects and amps and instruments over time, this box becomes versatile in ways you probably didn't think of when you first bought it. Keep the manual and that sheet that has the suggested hookup options. As your gear inventory grows, the LS-2 becomes a more valuable addition to your collection. The documentation will come in handy.

The biggest usability drawback is also one of its strengths: It's nice that the LS-2 comes in a standard Boss box, but they really had to jam the in and out jacks close together. Get right-angle hookup plugs or this thing will take up an awful lot of real estate on your pedal board. Even wires with right angle plugs can be difficult to route.

My pedalboard is constantly morphing, but now I use a variety of guitars and a Peavey Delta Blues 210 amplifer, with a Boss DM-3 analog delay in its effects loop.

The LS-2 adds no noise to your circuit, as far as I can tell.

I use two effects loops with the LS-2; Ch A is a Boss OD-1 overdrive into a Boss PH-1 phaser. Loop B is a Boss DS-1 into a Boss CE-2 chorus (yeh I like the two-knob Boss pedals a lot...). I generally use the AB Mix/ Bypass mode on the LS-2. If I turn off all the effects in one loop, it becomes a clean channel, to be mixed with whatever is turned on in the other loop. This mellows out the buzz boxes considerably, and can make the swirly boxes much more subtle. (If you listen close, its almost like playing two different guitars simultaneously.)

Mixing the chorus in one channel and the phaser in the other (with no OD or distortion) is unbelievably sweet and loungy, especially with humbuckers. Reports of slight, high-end roll off are basically true, but I don't notice it as much being I have a GE-7 EQ pedal connected to the main output of the LS-2.

So far Boss has never let me down; most of my Boss pedals are at least 15 years old and still work great. I'm gigging without a backup now. If the LS-2 died on stage, I could reroute some wires and drop in some 9V batteries (I also use it as a power distributor) and make it thru the gig using a less complicated setup.

Never had to deal with them, almost all my Boss stuff is way past warranty anyway.

I could not find a similar unit by another company at the time I purchased this pedal. The volume pots on each channel separate this box from all the other A/B boxes out there.

If I'm sitting around the house and nobody's around, I'm probably crooning C&W and Rockabilly classics and the only effect I need is the DM-3 set to a nice slapback mode. The nice thing about the LS-2 is that, for this mode, I can bypass both loops and use only those effects further down the chain.

But my current band plays a wide variety of original music, as well as spoofs on a lot of popular styles, from disco to metal, and I need the ability to create my own sounds, imitate others, and to be able to switch around several patches. I tried digital multi-effects units and rack units, and IMHO they are all a pain in the ass to use live.

The LS-2 allows me to use a typical Boss-size box to loop discrete effects, which I can tweak on the fly, and which I can place in any order I choose.

I'd replace a stolen LS-2 the same day. I love my collection of old analog stomp boxes, and the LS-2 makes them all sound better because of its mixing capabililty. Parallel effects placement reduces signal loss, and even in mix mode, I'm getting much more signal than I was before, when I strung my effects in series.

I'd like to see Boss produce a Super Lineswitcher, with more loops and mix modes. It would undoubtedly be a larger more expensive box. But I would buy it.

I got this sucker used without manual, so I cant comment on the manual.
I'll give it a 10 since its not the everday, hook it up, turn some
knobs and step on it kinda pedal. There's a little more involved in
what it actually does - so the fact that it was easy to figure out is
reason for my high rating.

Due to the nature of this pedal, I'll answer this category by rating how noisy it is. Having said that, the A and B loops are not noisy at all - unless you use pedals in the A and B loop that are noisy. I cannot hear any real degredation in sound quality from the 'Bypass' channel either.

The previous owner drilled a hole straight through the back of this sucker and its still working perfectly!! What else can I say?

Cant comment.

I was doing some home recording when I found a cool little trick you can do with the LS2. You can use it as a volume boost. Just loop one of the channels back into itself without turning on the connected pedal(or just dont hook up a pedal into that chain), turn the volume up and engage that loop! Simple and effective. It may even save you from having to buy one of those expensive boutique 'clean boost' pedals.

I use a Les Paul Deluxe, and a Tele into a Vox AC15 Ri. Most of the time, its just guitar to amp. But when I have to , I go from guitar -> Tu 2 tuner -> Crowther Hotcake -> Vox valve tone -> LS 2. From here, I can engage a delay (loop A) or a Wah (loop B), or both (great sound especially with the overdrive!!) together.

I got this because I wanted to take out my Boss DD3 and my Dunlop Wah out of the chain when I wasnt using them. The wah especially was fucking with my tone (high end loss) when it was turned off! The level controls for each loop is a bonus! There was always a slight volume reduction when I kicked my wah on, but the level controls on the LS 2 have fixed that problem completely! This pedal may not actually make any sonic effects, but i cannot stress enough how important it is in achieving my sound.

This is a great pedal that opens up new avenues of splitting (and / or mixing) up your sound as well as making your setup convenient. That just means you can get more creative and explore beyond the traditional ways/order of hooking up effects!!

This would be good for those who have too many pedals and need to split them up into patches. In my case, its also saved me from losing great tone!!

It gives you some great options for switching your sound. I just wish it had one more loop, and a couple more different switching options. Oh yeah - and Guitar gear are overpriced (that definitely includes roland / boss products) !!
Otherwise, it would be a 10.

The other users have said everything - nothing to be added.

Sounds good to me. I used it only in Live situations, so I can not comment whether there is a little high-frequency roll-off. No problem for gigging.

I just wanted to add another way of using this pedal. I am using a Rocktron/Egnater TOL ie4 preamp, which goes into the "return"/"Poweramp in" of my Marshall JCM2000 DSL 100 Head and then into a 4x12 cab. The preamp is very versatile, but I always wanted to use the distortion from my Marshall too. So my setup now is the following, and it works good for my : guitar into the "input" of LS-2, the "output" into the "Return" of the Marshall. The first loop of the LS-2 is A send - Egnater in - Egnater out - LS-2 A return. The second loop is B send - Marshall input - Marshall output (aka send of the effects loop) - B return. Now I can switch between the two preamps and use them even in the mixed mode which gives a VERY interesting and special sound.

Only had it for two months, so I can not comment on that.

???

Can solve A LOT of your routing problems - for very little money.

Hook it up, put a battery in, instant A/B Box. It's got other modes but I'll probably never need them. Just make sure you connect the jacks correctly and you'll never even need to tweak a knob.

My set-up is as follows: Epiphone Les Paul/Charvel Model 3->Boss LS-2->(loop A) Danelectro Cool Cat->(loop B)ProCo Vintage RAT->MXR Distortion +->Danelectro Fab Tone->(out)Boss BF-2 Flanger->Boss NF-2 Noise Gate->Boss 300-H Volume Pedal->Fender Hot Rod Deluxe. The pedal is dead quiet, though I don't know why it wouldn't be. There's not a whole lot you can say about the sound of a glorified A/B Box...there's no noise bleed, so that's good at least. It does what I need it to and it can adapt to any setup I may use in the future, which is about all I can ask from it. It's got a variety of cool modes, but the standard A/B mode is probably the only one I'll ever need. It does suck tone a little (especially if you have other tone-suckers in one of its loops), but it's impossible to make a pedal that has no effect whatsoever on tone, so it's a minor thing. I only notice it with my distortion loop, so it doesn't bother me that much. The thing that makes it a gem is that it can power eight other effects, which saves me beau coup on power-strip real estate.

I've had it for a couple months now and nothing's gone remotely wrong with it. It's got a metal case and it's a Boss--what else do you need? I've heard of it melting wall-warts, but I think that only happens if you max out its daisy-chain.

Never needed to talk to them.

I got this pedal cuz I found I was frequently jumping back and forth between my chorus and distortion pedals and couldn't move my foot fast enough to make a clean transition. This does what I needed it for a powers three of my other pedals. I don't know what else I could ask of it... In the future I may experiment with some of its other modes. There's one mode that will simultaneously send the signal through both loops, so you can theoretically reproduce the sounds of tons of guitars using it, depending on what modulation effects you're using.

Easy enough, you just need patch cords long enough for your loops. The manual is clear enough to understand the many options.

My setup has finally reached a stable status: guitar (either of my Pauls) in the LS-2, patch A is my clean loop with the AC-2 Acoustic simulator and the CS-5 Chorus Ensemble, patch B is my "Rock" loop with a beefed up TS-5 Tube Screamer set as a clean boost for solos, through a old reliable Boss TW-1 T Wah, through a Boss DF-2 Super Feedbacker Distortion, a somehow resurected Rocktek Flanger set on a chorus-like setting (a bit dirtier than the Boss, fine for my Rock patch), through a Rotovibe, back to the LS-2.

The LS-2 is set for A-B-Bypass, which suits me just right for my purposes. The output of the LS-2 is patched though my Zoom 508 Delay. I leave it outside both loops since I like to use delay on either clean or dirty sounds, I just bypass it at the pedal.

Then the signal goes either to my trusty Fender Blues Jr amp or my Zoom 503 Amp simulator if I'm recording.

The setup is clean, quiet and versatile, I'm very happy with it!

Are you kidding? It's a Boss!

Again, you're kidding right? It's a Boss! I don't forsee needing Customer Support!

Here's a setup that's versatile enough for my oddball mix of Brit Rock meets the Blues & Neo psychedelic ... and let's not forget Neo latin either!

Been playing for a while, and this is no doubt the setup I thrived for from the get go. It's a versatile pedal and I'm glad I bought it.

Tip for the ground loop hum blues: keep the Zoom on a separate adaptor than the other pedals. The ground loop I was experiencing when using a 1000 mA power supply to power all of the pedals is no longer there when using 2 adaptors, live and learn!

Because this pedal is essentially an A-B+bypass switcher, the limitations of the standard Boss box are readily apparent. If you use both A & B loops, you will need to tap the pedal twice to go from A past B to bypass. If Digitech made this pedal in their dual switch box, it'd be perfect.

How many otherwise indispensible pedals do you own that suck your tone dry even in "bypass" mode? My DOD digital delay, E-H Bass Microsynth & Deluxe Big Muff Pi - Once I plug straight into these beasts, the beautiful, soul-wrenching sound of my '63 P-bass gets pinched and puckered. The LS-2 allows to put these suckers on their own loop with adjustible (in this case, enhanced) level controls, which evens everything out at the amp.

The bypass mode is fairly transparent to my ears, however as the previous post mentions, both of the loop channels do suffer from some high-end rolloff.

The switch has been exceptionally flaky since I picked it up. Very unusual for all the BOSS pedals I've used.

For the simple fact that it is the only self-contained buffered effects loop switching unit with individual level controls makes this an undeniably essential pedal. However, the single-switch limitation and pass-through degradation as well as my unit's flakiness leaves me wanting for other options. A Morley A-B-C switch for effects send with a Raven Labs mixer for effects return is a pricey, but ultimately more satisfying method of isolating stomp box loops.

Extremely easy to use. It's pretty self-explanatory, but the manual is very helpful if you get stumped....and/or for explaining the internal routing, which is helpful to know.

Here's where I have a little bit of a gripe. If you're used to the tone you're getting from stringing many pedals together before hitting the input of your amp and then use the LS-2 to bypass them, then you'll rave about the transparency of this pedal. However, if you're accustomed to the purity of a guitar->cord->amp setup and then try to use the LS-2 as an active volume control (i.e. A/B mode with different Level settings on each channel) then you might find yourself wishing for a little more transparency. If you run your guitar straight into your amp and then compare that tone to the LS-2 inserted between guitar and amp, you will notice that the highs have been slightly rolled off (I measured a roll-off at about 15KHz), overall articulation and clarity will have been reduced and that the noise level has increased, especially when using the high gain channel of the amp. This reduction in sound quality seems to be dependent on the amp used. The LS-2 IMPROVES my tone when used with the Tech 21 Trademark 60 and HURTS my tone when used with the Guytron GT-100. I suspect this may be related to input impedance differences between these amps and the inherent wider frequency response of the Guytron.

With that said, I still find this pedal indispensible. I use it as an active volume control to quickly and accurately footswitch between an overdriven lead tone and a quieter "crunch" rhythm tone when in channel B of my Guytron. This pedal allows a degree of speed and accuracy that no human could ever achieve with their guitar volume pot! I only wish Boss would put out a higher quality (perhaps "boutique"?) version of this pedal in which nothing was spared in the persuit of transparency. One of the ways this could be done would be to reduce the number of functions and, hence, the number of op amps the signal has to travel through to get from input to output. Personally, I only need the A/B function with Level controls on each channel. As I recall from the routing diagram, this would cut the op-amp stages in half! This would definitely reduce noise and muddiness. The quality of the op amps and FETs used in switching could also be improved. Unfortunately though the "marketability" of such a pedal would probably be pretty low.

I now always carry two LS-2s to every gig. My original LS-2, used extensively for almost 5 years now, recently started to get a little flakey, but then corrected itself. It was making some popping noises when attempting to switch channels and would sometimes fail to actually switch channels. Everyone raves about Boss quality, but I've had trouble with them in past. They ARE very reliable for the price, but could be made better with a little more attention to quality. Of course, that would probably increase their price by as much as 100% in some cases.

This pedal gets a resounding '10' for functionality, but has to be demerited somewhat for sound quality, hence the '9' rating. The Top Hat folks make a pedal called the Xpressor, which is a three channel version of the LS-2's A->B mode. It performs no other function but to actively switch between three different volume levels. They claim it's as transparent as modern technology allows. It also retails for around $220! Perhaps you get what you pay for, so I may give the Xpressor pedal a try. It's only functional disadvantage though is that it uses three switches. I would prefer to use ONE switch to toggle between two different volume levels in order to avoid confusion onstage.

Well, this thing doesn't make any sound on it's own, it's more of a router. Manual is very clear, like most Boss pedals. After you've looked at the block diagram in the manual it's easy to use this and it's very versatile. Lots of useful modes for most any applications.

Actually I got a whole bunch of Boss pedals at once and placed them all on the SKB ps-25 pedalboard along with Brownsville Volume and Wah pedals (they are not made in metal and you pay half of the brand name). Well, I will take some time before I review the other pedals, but this one is very easy, and I already know: I LIKE IT. None of them are noisy at all although my signal goes through a million patch cables. I use it with Trademark 60 amp. A nice feature is that you can set the level of each of the 2 channels individually, so this could work as a boost pedal as well. Also if you get the optional daisy-chain power cable (~$10) this will power 6 other pedals (9V DC) Very useful.

Yeah, all the Boss pedals are rock solid, I'm not afraid to buy used, this is the only brand that I would buy used. Although I only had this one for a few days, i think it'll last a lifetime. It's just a switch.

I really don't know. Will I ever?

I think styles are irrelevant here, if you're a pedal junkie, this is a must-have. It lets you split between clean and dirty and have less pedals at a time (better sound quality, less noise). I run it in the mode of A-B switch, stomping between clean and dirty channels, but you can also mix the two, it's way better than a A/B switch. With my current setup if this one is lost I would have to get another one. But I figure if it's lost or stolen, it'll be with all the pedals, then I just couldn't afford getting it again. Very good pedal, read the manual first to figure out exactly how you will use it. I'm no expert on pedals, but I now own about 7 boss pedals, so feel free to ask, share, etc. I will reply! P.S. Well, I thought about it and changed this rating to 9. These things are expensive. My simple pedalboard setup of 5 pedals cost me about $700! (with Volume, Wah and the case). This is just a switch, people, they're just taking advantage of the fact, that no one else makes a good one like this. I would say it would get a 10 for about $50.

This is NOT the kind of pedal you can just take out of the box and play around with. While it has a very wide range of uses, you have to know what you want from it. Once you've figured it out, though, it is one of the most useful pedals you'll own.

I'm using this with a custom Music Man Silhouette with EMGs, an old Steinberger GL, various Boogie amps, and all kinds of effects, from crappy ZOOMs to clean Boss.
The pedal itself is extremely quiet. The main thing I use it for is to eliminate noise from crappy pedals in my chain.
You see from the other posts here what this thing does. You can have two loops, or hook up a tuner, with level controls for each loop.
Say you have a sound that uses a number of different pedals, and it's a pain to stomp them all when you need to punch in that sound; just put them in a loop off the LS-2 and one stomp is all you need.
I put my noisy ZOOM 505 (which also requires that I step on 2 buttons to engage it) in a loop. In a live situation, I switch patches between songs and leave the damn thing on. When I need that sound, I stomp on the LS-2. While this sounds like a lot of trouble to set up just for one pedal, believe me, it's a godsend!

I have hurt Boss pedals before. The pot posts are the weak point, but overall, all Boss pedals can take a major beating.

I've never dealt with them, but I've heard that their artist relations aren't too friendly.

I play a wide range of music; rock, pop, country, metal, disco, jazz, lounge, latin... This pedal really helps me get it all under control.
I've been playing for 18 years and owned lots of gear. The LS-2, even though it generates no tone of its own, is a vital part of my setup.
If someone stole this, I'd buy another in a heartbeat. Either that or the Roger Mayer Crossroad pedal which is better but costs twice as much.
I love that the LS-2 has two loops. There's so much I can do with this thing! The level controls are very helpful, too. It also has an AC out jack, so I can power other Boss or Ibanez pedals when the LS-2 is plugged in using the PS 120 AC adaptor.
I compared this to a Yamaha unit, a DOD, and the Roger Mayer unit. While the Mayer is the Rolls Royce, the Boss is the Cadillac. I chose it because it's cheaper than the Mayer and because the Mayer only has one loop.
If there's one thing I would change about this pedal, I would make it bigger. The jacks are all crowded into the standard-sized Boss pedal.
The question is: "Does it help you make music, or does it get in the way?" It takes care of all the stuff that's in the way.
Many players are not aware of how effects that are supposedly in "bypass" mode can degrade or alter their signal. When I put the ZOOM 505 in an LS-2 loop in "bypass" and play my guitar, then kill the loop so that the LS-2 is the only thing in my chain, the difference is significant. If you have effects that you love, but they mess up your sound when you don't need them, the LS-2 is a necessity!
And if you want to use your little tuner on stage or in rehearsals, you can use one of the LS-2 loops so that you can kill your signal while tuning up and STILL have another loop to play with.

A Stombox. Easy. But a bad thing is that ins and outs are placed rather low to the ground. Ok it needs 6 jacks to be connected in a rather small stombox, so what do you expect. Didn't fit in the BCB6 from Boss because of this, there is a new BCB6: the BCB6g. And also the BCB3 supports this pedal. For the old BCB6 pedal box there are some rubber feet supplied WITH this pedal to make rise out of the box so the connectors can fit in. Sounds smart, but the BCB6 can hardly be closed with this set-up [doesn't look waterproof anymore too] The rest is easy and simple. You can switch two different effects loops constantly. You can also mix two loops (interesting if you want to get rit of that 'digital' sound from your FX-units). And you can use it as a ..rather expensive amps or guitars switcher.

It's silent. Not tell futher..of course Exept maybe that you can set different volumes per loop. Very usefull option! [indispensable for such a pedal?]

Ok. Simple.

Didn't need them. But there was a period in which this Boss pedal of mine took more than three months to be delivered. It had to do with some kind of sales trick from Roland Japan. STINKS! I had to wait, because Roland wanted to make their Boss pedals to be close to sold out, so that the dealers would buy their new dealer package. Why must WE customers suffer from that?

Very useful pedal, if you have got a lot of stomboxes. Also nice to temporary eliminate pedals out of your FX-line when you don't use them for a moment and they are noisy or not true-pass by. Actually one in a kind... There are not many alternatives on the market. Even Oasis uses this pedals. Mike Stern had at least one or two during life-gigs. This is a typical pedal that people overlook. Too bad because it's really handy! Good, useful, reliable, just a little overpriced. Not a big seller perhaps? I don't know.

Here are the basic features of the LS-2: Jacks (all mono) - Input, Output, Send A, Send B, Return A and Return B; and a Mode Selector Switch - A<->B, A<->Bypass, B<-> Bypass, A->B->Bypass->, A+B Mix<->Bypass, and Output Select; and A/B Level Control Knobs which adjust the volume from mute to +20dB. The unit comes with "Instructions" and "Sample Settings", both of which are well written and helpful. After reading the documentation and experimenting for about a half an hour, I was up and running in production mode quickly.

This box has a lot of modes, but I bought it primarily for its mixer capabilities. For instance, hook up an effect(s) to Send A and Return A, and another effect(s) to Send B and Return B. Now you can control the A/B mix by adjusting the Level Control Knobs. This allows you to create new effects! If you leave either A or B empty, you can mix an effect with your clean signal. Now you can tame a wild distortion box, or improve an effect which is too sterile (i.e. digital effects with A/D and D/A converters)! The A<->B capability gives you more options than say a DOD 270 A/B Box, because of the Level Control Knobs.
Here are some of the things that you can do with an LS-2. These examples come from the Boss LS-2 "Sample Settings" documentation. "You can select output Effect [A] or Tuner [B]." "You can select one of two kinds of distortion." [This is done by varying the volume on the two channels which you can select from to drive a single distortion box.] "You can select one of two instruments." "You can use the LS-2 with the [Boss] NS-2 Noise Suppressor." "You can select one of two settings (for solos or backing)." You can control your volume if you have multiple LS-2s. "You can select one of two amplifiers." [The next three capabilities all have the same setup.] "You can select one of two settings (for solos or rythmn)." "You can select one of two settings (for backing or rythmn)." "You can select one of three settings (for solos, backing or rythmn)." "You can mix two settings (for solos and backing) to create a new effect." "You can use the LS-2 as a 2 channel mixer." [i.e. two guitars playing at once.] "You can mix effect and straight sounds to create a new effect." "You can select one of three amplifiers. (The Level Control Knobs will not function.)"

It's the typical Boss stomp box featuring a heavy duty and easy to operate pedal switch

N/A

It's amazing to me that I'm only the second person to review it. Perhaps the product needs better marketing. Last time I visited the web site there wasn't much information about it. I think that if more people knew what it could do for their tone, they would be beating down the doors of the local guitar shop to pick one up.
I really wish that I had bought one of these at the same time I bought my first effect. In fact, I wish that I had a couple more of them around. If it wasn't for the ability to mix two effects together, and to mix an effect with the clean signal, I would have had to sell a few of my distortion boxes which are otherwise too harsh for my liking. This box opens up a lot of new territory for tone hunting.

There are a few different settings that can be used. It makes it versatile but it takes some time to get it goin'.

Very clean and not too much white noise for something of this nature.

Built like a rock and it rocks. :)

For Bassists this thing is great. For effects that you want the effect of but don't want to lose your fundamental signal this is the ticket. It has two effects loops (or one stereo) in the pedal. You can choose to leave one empty and put your pedals in the other loop. Then, by combining loops A and B you have them mixed together. Envelope filters still sound funky but not obtrusive to the point of annoying volume alterations throughout the sweep. This is just the beginning of this beutiful little problem solver.