Lehle 3@1

As the name says, the 3@1 allows you to connect up to 3 instruments and route it onto one output, which is a bit of an understatement since you actually can route it to two outputs and not one, so the correct name would be 3@2, but I understand the 3@1 naming for the sake of clarity. The rather cryptic SGoS stands for "second generation of switching". The pedal has three big buttons you can engage, each of them has an assigned led. This is something I really like about the 3@1. If you engage instrument 1, the first led is lit with GREEN color, instrument 2 has the middle led lit YELLOW and the 3rd instrument has the rightmost RED led. If you engage the same button again, it will switch your instrument, say 3, to the second output. So you toggle your instrument beweet output 1 and 2. If output 2 is engaged, the led will be blue (on all 3 leds). Usually you would want to connect a tuner to the second output but you could also connect another amp there... it's up to you. I have my rack mount tuner on the second output. The routing is really noiseless. I use it with my basses, both 4 and 5 strings, and the sound remains completely unaltered - but only if the volume pots are turned up 100% (let me explain that later). You can tell that the signal is routed hardwire between the inputs and outputs. If you switch from one channel to another, you hear this switching "click" which is a good sign. There is no pop during the switching process, at least I could not hear anything disturbing.

One of the reasons that I bought this device was that I wanted a pedal switcher that allows for volume compensation between different instruments. My 4-string bass is louder than my 5-string bass and I of course don't want to mess around the volume on my amp each time I switch instruments between songs. Each input on the 3@1 has a volume pot. I was hoping that it could both cut and boost volume but it does not. If you have the volume pot turned up all the way up (100%), you get the full signal. If you turn it down counter clockwise, you cut the signal strength. To my big dissapointment, cutting the volume colors the sound audibly, it takes out highs and makes the signal a bit muddy. If I wanted to use it in my setup, I would have to decrease not only the volume of my main 4-string bass (which would be OK), I would also have to decrease the sound quality. Which I of course don't want to do. So I found another solution - I have a high quality clean booster (Fulltone FatBoost2) in front of the 3@1 for my 5-string bass which is not so high output. Too bad. Aside from the sound quality issues of the volume pots, I wish it could also boost the signal. But this is not so tragic because the rest of the product IS AWESOME :-)

no problems so far

I dropped an email to Mr. Lehle about this and he replied in person very quickly.

I highly recommend this to anyone who needs a pedal switcher for their multiple instruments in live situations. And perhaps you will be more lucky with the volume pots than me. That a 9 out of 10 for me because even though I can't (don't want to) use the volume trim pots, the product is really awesome and does the job right.

Very easy. You know, it's just a switching pedal.

If you use high quality cables, you can't even tell this is in the signal chain. Except for the fact that it pops when you switch. Usually quietly, but last night our guitarists 1@3 was so loud we couldn't use it. For me, since it doesn't go to the PA, just my rig, the popping is tolerable. But come on, how hard is it to make it quiet when it switches!!

Well, we couldn't use it last night, so points off for that. Never had a problem before, though.

Well, Mr. Lehle wrote back immediately to address this popping issue.

This works great so that I can run two separate DI's- one for upright bass and one for electric bass- and then run them through the same rig on stage. I have tried other things, but have had grounding problems. Now with the lehle, it's smooth sailing.

I don't think that this could be easier.... each guitar has it's own input jack, and there's dual outs so you can drive two amps, or an amp and a tuner... or........

Bright lights make it easy to know which guitar is selected.

How to you rate a switchbox on sound quality... Essentially it's audibly invisible. I don't hear that it's there, there's no bleed from one guitar to the next... it's Ideally what I needed. The one Bad thing is that a tuner can send wierd feedback into the switch if you have it hooked to the 2nd output... I've found it's totally dependent on the tuner's model though. We'll dock a point for that... but this is seriously the best there is.

The pedal I don't fear breaking... There's nothing much that isn't built like a tank on it....

I really don't know...

There's nothing better than the Lehle 3@1... if you gig with several guitars like I do... a 6 and a 12 string... and occasionally a third one... Get it... It's expensive, but you are getting your money's worth. It's totally invisible to the ear. The less than perfect score is because #1, I wish I could run it on a battery just in case. #2 Distrobution in the USA is weak... It's really hard to get one... I called a dozen stores all over the country that were dealers and nobody had one..... except 1.