Loooper The Loooper

ease of use - obviously as easy as plugging in a guitar :).
Infact "ease of use" is one reason I very much wanted these devices instead of all the electronic, programmable, etc. devices that do this same function.
I wanted something that was: hardwired, easy to setup and understand, not prone to electronic failure, if any part does fail it is easy to swap out that unit (and/or easy for the owner or a tech to fix).

sound quality - great, not a problem in any way, it's a simple device not an "effect" so it doesn't change a thing about the signal.
What using these DOES do to improve your sound quality is forces true bypass on your effects, many of which always claim they have true bypass but almost NONE out there do! Even my expensive $400 H&K Rotosphere claims it has true bypass in its manual, NOPE it does not.

The Loooper devices solve all that for me.

reliability - they seem sturdy, they are very simple and would be easy to repair if needed. I've only owned them a month or so; but they're metal, and the stomp switches and jacks used are sturdy not cheapo's.

David Boggs at Loooper.com has been great, answering all my Q's in email, and getting my items built exactly as requested. Pretty much all my loooper devices were custom ordered, and all came to me exactly as I'd requested. To facilitate this I think it's helpful to draw simple pictures in paintbrush or something, it was easy to do and allowed me to show clearly where I wanted each jack and button to go and what color Leds to use for each switch.

Value - unlike a lot of small device/guitar/amp makers, Loooper.com does not OVERcharge or act like a "boutique shop catering to the stars", the way one particular amp maker in my city does (an unknown who makes Victoria-like Fender clones and tries to charge Victoria prices, but Victoria is KNOWN and he is not). I saw a small "boost" box that person made and it wasn't even as nice as the Loooper boxes, and his streetprice was $189, ridiculous, you can get a brandname nicely built MXR microamp for about $50.

Loooper.com gives you good fair prices, and will make any config you ask for, I really like the way he runs his business!


Here is a cut&paste from email I sent Loooper.com which tells the 3 BIG reasons why loooper.com devices are a great choice:

"#1.) TRUE BYPASS

After using loopers now I am shocked (and a bit
disappointed) in how many fx boxes out there,
expensive ones too!, that do NOT have true bypass even
though their manuals clearly claim they do. The $400
H&K Rotosphere (leslie sim) is one of them.
These loopers are perfect for this!
I can tolerate my tone getting tweaked a bit when an
effect is on; but I honestly don't understand why
these makers don't really use true bypasses, and
worse, why they lie that they do.


#2.) loopers at my feet, effects tucked away safe from harm or changes

Another thing I dig the loopers for is I don't tweak
pedal knobs when playing live, but having all those
knobs at my feet makes them get accidentally bumped to
a wrong setting, which can be disasterous. Now I'm
setting all my pedals on a separate velcro board
behind my amp all set how I want, and the only thing
on my board in front of me is the looper devices, and
using a Hosa snake to go between the 2 pedalboards.

That's 2 very important uses for me that the loopers
fill.

#3.) simple to troubleshoot, swap out during a gig, repair yourself.

I guess a 3rd concern to me is I'm not that keen on
electronic-based looping/controller devices, because
when problems arise those are more a pain to
troubleshoot; whereas the loopers are simple and
hardwired, so I can trace down any problem quicker.
No programming, very simple for me to configure, easy
to swap out a backup unit in a hurry, etc. "

On-Off. very simple. I also added the blend pot and the stutter switch options. No brainers, too.

I have an Akai Deep Impact, Marshall BB-2 modded for bass and an Ibanez PD7 (noisy). Sometimes I use all three of these at the same time, and sometimes one at a time. Either way, it takes them out of the signal path when I don't want them there. Also, Stutter option allows repetitive on/off for some very interesting sonic rhythms. As David's site suggests the blend pot isn't very good with these types of pedals. However, I added the option in case I want to switch this loooper to modulation effects.

The switches seem sturdy, the box is metal and the jacks are heavy duty.

David's email responses were always timely. Also, He talked me out of a much more expensive loooper, and was concerned if I ever wanted to sell the loooper, this would be easier to get rid of than a very custom piece. That's looking out for your customer!

I felt with the variety of styles I play, having some different sound options available would be benefitial. The Loooper has done that and taken 3 pedals out of my chain when not needed. While this isn't like ordering a mass produced item that ships the day after you order, the wait was worth it for me. I would not hesitate to have David build me another Loooper.

Very easy to use and easy to set up (connections, adapter, etc...) If you basically know what an A/B box is and what an effects loop is, you'll have no problems at all using the Loooper. No manual, but do you really need one with this type of pedal?

The sound quality is perfect. I mean, there is no added sound - my signal is not affected by the Loooper and there is no noise when the unit is in use. It's true bypass so there's no tone sucking going on here, there's also no "popping" noises when turning the unit on or off. That's about all you could ask for with a switching device like this so I've got to give it a 10.

My Loooper has 1 loop and a Tuner Mute switch - so it's got 2 switches on it. I primarily bought the Loooper to get my Boss TU-15 tuner out of my main signal path to my amp, get it mounted on my pedal board instead of sitting on top of my amp, and be able to tune silently (nobody enjoys hearing you tune up)...so the Tuner Mute option was a must for me. You can also use the Tuner Mute button as an A/B switch to toggle 1 input signal between 2 separate signal paths - like 2 different amps for example. I haven't quite decided which of my pedals on my board are going to run thru the Loooper's loop. Right now I've got my Vox wah going thru it - The wah is a real tone sucker since it's not true bypass yet (getting it modded soon). But the Loooper takes the tonesucking wah out of my main loop and oh man what a big difference. Since I only use my wah in about 15% of the tunes my band plays, it's really nice to be able to get it out of my main siganl path at the touch of a button and get the best tone possible.

When I first received my Loooper it wasn't working properly. There was a noise problem when engaging the loop switch and I only got sound about 1/2 the time I used it. I was pretty dismayed by this and couldn't believe this brand new unit was faulty. Turned out to be a defective loop switch. The second unit Dave sent me has performed flawlessly in the month or so since I've used it. I'm pretty confident I won't have any problems going forward. It's built like a tank....very solid. I'm going with a 9 instead of 10 only because of the first unit I received.

Here's the best thing about this pedal - the support I got from Dave Boggs. It was truly remarkable. When I emailed Dave about the problems I was having with the first unit, I received a VERY concerned response back from Dave within 2 hours of my email to him. He was very apologetic and helped me to trouble shoot the problem. After we determined there was a problem with the unit, he had me send it back to him for repair. Dave paid for the shipping. He emailed me back within 2 days - told me there was a faulty switch in the unit and that he'd already sent me back the unit. He also told me if I experienced any problems of any kind with the repaired unit, he'd build me an entirely new one. Again, he was very concerned about my satisfaction and assured me that the problem with the switch was very rare. I got the pedal back within 5 days of sending it to him and it's been mounted on my pedal board ever since. I've probably used it 7 or 8 times now with the band. No problems whatsoever.

You know, you can buy a looping pedal or an A/B switching pedal from lots of manufacturers, but there's no way you'll get better customer support than what you'll get from Dave Boggs. Great guy. I was shocked at the service I received and how much he really cares about his product and his customers. I'd give this category a 20 if I could.

Great pedal - great guy. If you need a looping device or an A/B switching device - this is the pedal to get and Dave's the guy to get it from. Incredible amount of choices too.

Very easy to use; mine is a single-loop Loooper. It is basically a stomp switch that feeds the incoming instrument signal either straight through a true bypass or through an effects loop. It has two sets of inputs and two sets of outputs, so it is simple to set up. I had mine built with a tuner mute (a second stomp switch that mutes the incoming signal and feeds it into a tuner, for silent tuning), and with a blend pot to mix the wet and dry signals. Both are big pluses - I highly recommend them. There are two LEDs to indicate that the loop or tuner mute is activated. The blend pot can be switched on or off. My only minor complaint is that there is no way of visually checking to see whether the blend pot is on or off; it is activated by a non-stompable button that stays out either way, and there is no LED - I gave it a 9 (really a 9.5) because of this (Dave e-mailed me that he hadn't been able to find a toggle switch reliable enough to use with the blend pot, so it's a matter of quality vs. convenience).

I use this with various active basses and an effects loop that currently has 5 pedals in it. A bypass loop like this should be noise-free and color-free, whether you send the signal through the bypass or the loop, and the Loooper seems to be just perfect that way. The true bypass does not seem to affect the signal a lick, and the blend pot doesn't seem to add any color when it's turned all the way wet or dry. The tuner mute is silent.

It seems to be super sturdy, hand-built and very well finished. You get a definite feeling of high quality from holding the box, from all the reviews and from talking to Dave Boggs and visiting the website. I very much doubt it would ever break down, so I don't feel a need for a backup.

Dave Boggs, the man behind the Looopers, is extremely good about answering e-mails and customer service seems like it would be first rate if you needed it. One of the cool things about these devices is that they are built one at a time, so custom orders seem like no problem.

I highly recommend getting yourself a Loooper if you use a bunch of effects; you can keep them all set up and on, so you just stomp one switch to get the whole chain going without having to do a tap dance. It is also useful if your effects rob signal strength or tone, since you can bypass them completely. The blend pot and tuner mute options give you flexibility if your amp doesn't have these features, or if you don't want to use your amp's effects loop.

If you're looking here, you're probably familiar with what this does. It allows you to take pedals without true-bypass and bypass them completely with this box by patching them into loops in the box. It's very easy to use. It's also very flexible in that you can create a number of cool customizations, built to order. My box was a customer who decided to go with something different so there are 4 chrome caps to fill the holes made for the mod that was taken out. Otherwise, it's brand new.

As others have said, it's the lack of color etc. that is important. As far as my ears can tell, this box does exactly what it claims. It allows me to bypass a Guyatone Chorus and Delay with no clicks or pops. It completely removes them from my chain. What's also cool is that by using the Loooper, I shorten my signal to my guitar when I'm not using modulation or delay.

I've only had it for a short period of time, but it cleary is built to last with high quality switches and a rock-solid chassis. The LEDs are surrounded by metal collars to protect from stepping on them and breaking them. It has a nice black fleck finish which looks like it will hold up well to abuse.

Dave Boggs is very friendly and professional. I asked a lot of questions up front and he helped me out quite a bit. When I just wanted a simple 2-Loop device, he turned me on to a un-modded unit that was $10 cheaper. I would imagine that if I had problems, he would be very responsive

All in all, I'm very satisfied with this product and the man making/selling them. If I needed similar boxes, to mod my existing one, or to use some other routing products, I'd certainly start with Dave first. This box gives me the flexibility to change out my delays or modulations without any concern for whether they are "tone suckers". Plus, I don't have to mess with pedals and possibly void warranties, etc. I would say that this pedal is probably best for those building a pedal board though. The cabling and layout would make setting this up on a floor and little cumbersome. This is a product for someone who is gigging and wants the best possible tone with effects, without a lot of compromise, and with greater ease of use.

Well, it's a simple loooper, so it is quite easy, just one footswitch!

That's the main reason I bought it... To bypass an old '71 Big Muff which sounds terrific when on, but is totally annoying when off... The Muff doesn't bypass very well (SPDT and not even a buffer).. With the Loooper, the Big Muff doesn't exist anymore when off... And it will save the '71 footswitch of the Muff for a couple of years...

Just got it today, but it seems reliable... Very well built!

Dave Boggs is a very nice person to deal with... I had to wait a lot more than what he had first planned because of tornadoes (he lives in Indiana) and maybe other things, but he kept me informed on everything, so I cannot complain... I think there is also a 2 years warranty just in case...

Also, I had a special demand about the unit (even though it's a simple loooper), and he did it the way I wanted it to... I wanted the setup of the jacks in a different arrangment and he did it... Very nice!

It is a very nice unit built by someone who cares about his customers... So, everything was nice, really...

I play a lot of styles, and the unit nails the reason it is created for: Bypass another thing and it does it wonderfully...

Single LOOOPER with LED and ac jack is easy to use. If you're reading this review you know what it does and how it works. If you need a manual, then that is profoundly scary.

Very transparent. I use it to bypass almost my entire bass fx pedalboard as some of the fx aren't true bypass and affect the tone bit:

Sadowsy bass-> Carl Martin compressor/limiter or RNC FMR1173->LOOPER->Kern 777 preamp ->K2 power amp->Euphonic Audio VL210 cab

LOOPER LOOP->EBS Multidrive-> Roger Mayer Voodoo-1->Mutron III->DOD FX25B->script old MXR Phase 90->EBS Unichorus->Demeter Tremulator-->LOOPER

It seems built fairly well except the paint chipped easily. No big deal: it's a pedal that's going to get stepped on!

Prompt e-mail replies. I haven't needed customer support up to now. Dave has a nice demeanor in his e-mails.

I use this simple LOOOPER in my bass rig and it's very helpful for dealing with tone degrade from pedals line in series and changes in volume from pedals too. If one fails the LOOOPER allows you to get out of the pedalboard but that's more theortical than a likely possibility. It's a lot cheaper to have this little box than mod your pedals to true bypass or adding a buffer. I'll buy it again if needed.

I'm in a band playing originals and covers. WWW.VELVETDIMENSION.COM and my CD is at www.cdbaby.com/cd/sloves

On bass it's rock, funk, pop

The Loooper is very easy to use as it has no knobs, just plug and play.

It definently made my overall sound better by taking pedals with a poor buffer out of the chain.

This pedal is very sturdy and well built. I opened it up and it is wired very well too. The paint chips fairly easily but I don't really care about cosmetics. I haven't played a gig with it yet, but I would imagine the pedal will work forever.

AMAZING! Dave has always responded the same day that I email him with questions. Very friendly and has a wide knowledge of effects.

As some others have said, I have no idea how Dave can make a profit making these. It is well built and has greatly simpliflied my rig. You get to choose the color of your loooper along with the LED color; it doesnt get any better than that. This is a must have pedal for any guitarist using effects.

Step once = on. Step again = off. Plug in what you want/need to and do your thing. Actually, this makes rigs easier to use.

There is no sound to this. Therefore, it's great. Nuff said.

But, there is one reason why I wrote this review, and that's the cost of this product. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining, but the cost baffles me. I build my own effects, but I like to compare the things I build to those of others. I've built a bypass box, and I wanted to see if this was any better. I ordered the same things I made for myself (combination of two effects loops and an A/B switch that has A as wet and B as dry, this same effect is achieved by adding a tuner out). I tried the box. I liked. Actually a touch cleaner than mine (i was using a slightly different value of resistor, mine was too high). Sounds much better with delays than mine does(also due to the resistor difference, changes the amount of buffering in the loop, this is why modulated effects sound different in your amp's effects loop than out in front).

So, what does this all mean? First, I respect the work that was done in creating this, so I'm not going to give away a schematic, or any other idea of how this was built. What I will say is this. When I built mine, parts cost me about $90 US funds. It took me like 4 or 5 hours to build. All this without even painting the box (i have no knack for art, or whatever you'd call painting an aluminum box). Dave's (Loooper's) cost? $103 plus $8 shipping. I'll assume he's faster than I am at building these, but I know it's gotta take him at least 3 hours to knock one of these out. so, basically, he's working for UNDER U.S. minimum wage to build us fantastic bypass boxes that make our rigs easier to use AND better sounding due to true bypass.

So, in closing, buy one of these. Do yourself a favor, make that rig easier and better sounding. Do those around you a favor, make that live show better sounding and more smooth. Most importantly, do Dave Boggs a favor. Support his business, support his obvious love and respect for guitarists and musicians. I mean, I know I couldn't do it for any cheaper if I was to make no profit. You won't find a better deal, so don't even bother looking.

There's no friggin way this could be made better.

Dave is a good guy, if you need him to, he'll work with you every step of the way, he'll customize a bypass or A/B box any way that would help you, even if it sounds impossible (check out his page on Looopers and look at the monstrosity of a box built for a guy who wanted special use of his piezo pickups...genius). If you are looking for better customer support, you won't find it. I mean, even Robert Keeley likes and supports Dave, if you ask Robert to build you a bypass box, he'll refer you to Dave Boggs. I mean, if that tells you anything.

Hell, Boss Harmonist pedals cost more than this, and you'll sound a whole hell of a lot better. I'd suggest these to ANYONE who doesn't have a personal guitar tech under the stage or in the recording studio switching their pedals for them. Wait, actually, I'd suggest this to them, too. If I ever have kids, and they want to play guitar, the first three pedals they are getting are a overdrive/distortion, a delay, and a Loooper. No, I'm not kidding. You need this pedal. Actually, let me restate. YOU NEED THIS PEDAL.

Plug and play. Simple and effective.

This has increased my tone quotient from a 7 to a 10. I had one non-bypass type pedal in my chain which was enough to suck a lot of life out of my tone. I play clean jazzy blues and like my sound to sparkle. Used it on a gig last night without a hitch. No noise, no pops, just clean tone.

Too soon to tell

Good. Dave responded to my emails quickly and answered all my questions. He even went out of his way to get it to me early for a gig. He did forget to email me as promised when it shipped, so I have to knock him 1 point.

This is a great addition if you've found a pedal you love that is not bypassing in the off mode and robbing you of your tone.

Could not be easier to use. BAsic set up with 3 loops and a direct out.

Sound Quality great. the looper made my rig 10xs easier to use.

Tis thing is built like a tank.

Customerr support was great. Fast Replies to all emails. I knew the status of my order the whole time. Im sure if i had any problems (doubt i will) looper would take good care of me.

This thing is made of the same parts lovetone makes all there boxes out of. He made me a custom looper at a really great price, nobody will beable to touch this price or Quality.

Very easy to use, if you can?t figure it out you most likely don?t need it.

What sound it's a bypass box.

I will play shows for the time without a backup but not for long. The unit is built like a tank and is very well made and I have no reason at all to expect any failure any time soon. But with the nature of switches they will fail eventually and I know Murphy?s Law says it will happen at the worst possible moment. It is not that they are cheap switches it is just that any friction operated device (switches, pots) will fail.

This is where Dave Boggs shines. I had to e mail him a few times and every email was answered within a few hours to get that kind of response from a person is key. If you want to go and get some mass produced product that is fine but I want to deal with small craftsmen doing top notch custom work Dave is the guy for this I mean when was the last time you picked the color of your pedals and color of your LED?s.

I have a Loooper with two loops and a tuner mute function. I use this to get true bypass out of some effects that can?t be racked and it is great. If it was stolen I would not hesitate to get a new one this is a excellent product and I am quite pleased with the entire process. Dave is as I stated before a class act and it is a pleasure to deal with a person like that. I play in a rock band that plays a few nights a week and I have no reason to think this product will not excel at taking the beating that I will give it.

Very simple.

I've got a Fender Blues Junior and a couple of Telecasters and plugged straight in it sounds excellent but using any pedal without a true bypass degrades the tone noticably, especially with the pedal turned off. I found that the Marshall BB2 overdrive/boost pedal works well and has a true bypass, but I needed something for my chorus and delay pedals. I got a loooper and put them in the loop and I can now have that wonderful straight in tone as well as having access to chorus and delay with the touch of a button.
It doesn't add any noise.

I opened it up and looked inside and it's built like a tank. Very professional. All components are top rate.

I must have driven the poor guy nuts asking questions by e-mail and he was really helpful and polite. Very easy to deal with.

Simple, reliable and useful. It was definitely worth getting. A real bargain.
It's also nice to be able to chose your ideal layout and colour scheme (even what colour LED!). Check out the site, there are loads of options.

If you are ordering it, you already have an idea of what you are trying to do. There are no surprises--it works the way you expect it to. My box is a two loop unit.

Again, this passive device does what it is supposed to do. It is a patching/routing device and does not add or detract from your sound. But of course, using it to bypass an effects loop is going to dramatically improve your overall sound.

This is solid, metal, well built. The innards are tidy and well wired. There's no reason to expect any failure.

Dave is really on the case. His emails are prompt and helpful--her emailed to tell me he was starting to build my box. He emailed me to tell me it would be shipped the next day. I had/have great confidence dealing with him and wouldn't hesitate to order more stuff if the need arises.

It was mentioned in someone else's review that the product would be hipper with more professional graphics and I agree. The handwritten Sharpie pen markings leave no doubt that this was hand made. But I'm a player, not a decorator. It looks fine and it WORKS fine. And it is a bargain.