Tonebone JX2 Switchbone

Very easy to set up and has great directions. The Switchbone XJ-2 is designed to be used with two separate amps but it even transforms an individual amp with two inputs jacks into a two-tone monster machine! Cabling is a snap, chose what amp you want to be number one and the other becomes number two. Amp #1 becomes the master grounded amp and some how through the cables amp #2?s ground becomes isolated. My rig is comprised an early 90?s Fender Blues Deluxe 1-12 and late 90?s Fender Hot Rod Deville 4-10. Although the Hot Rod series is an outgrowth of the Blues amp series, Fender chose to ground them differently. I found this out when I tried to run the amps in stereo off of a Marshall stereo chorus pedal. The hum was so bad I had to abandon the idea. That?s the main reason I purchased the XJ-2. Hitting the ground switch on the XJ-2 solved the problem instantly. Then I started playing and realized the amps were 180 out of phase. One click of the phase switch and the amps were tight as they could be. Wow, what a difference. Then, the boost option couldn?t be easier. The boost option operates a lot like the Solo volume booster on a Mesa Boogie amp but better! Not only can you instantly boost the volume for a lead solos but you can add more gain if you want to by using a small screwdriver to turn up the gain pot. It?s great because there is no knob to get accidentally moved. Set it and leave it. Also there is a three-position switch to scoop the mids if you want to or keep the EQ flat when you activate the Boost. Great option!

Switching is absolutely silent and the XJ-2 took out 95% of the hum between my two amps. I had hoped it could be better but considering what kind of noise was generating out of the amps before I am very pleased. It really doesn?t bother me because it is amazing how this switch box can radically transform a rig into an option-equipped, tonal monster. In terms of ?sound?, the sound quality you get out of the two-amps is absolutely huge!!! A single amp with two inputs sounds very nice too. The two-amp sound allows one amp to have some overdrive or grind to it while the other can be set clean to provide more clarity. I start out certain songs with the clean amp sound and then add the second amp while the song builds. It?s like adding another guitarist to the band. One guy playing clean chords while the other is playing crunch!

Built heavy and tough, I own a Tonebone Classic as well with no issues. I thought I had issues but it was ?me? and not the Classic. I think it will be very reliable.

The place I bought the Classic from gave me a techi?s number at Tonebone. He was very helpful and would even take it back for a diagnostics check if I wanted but the unit didn?t need it. I think they offer excellent support.

I am very pleased with the Switchbone because of the way it has expanded the options in tone and effects to my rig. The rig is set up is as follows ? Switchbone > TS9 Tubescreamer > Hot Rod Deville 410 and then the Switchbone > Tonebone Classic > Blues Deluxe 112. The TS9 and Classic add different gain and overdrive tones to these two amps, which have great overdrive tones to start with or compound on top of. I run only a rack mounted Lexicon MPX-100 multi-effects processor for all of my other effects such as chorus, tremolo, flange, delay, etc. I have found this unit to be the best for live gigs because of its tonal options and its stored memory capability. No more pedals on my pedal board, no knobs to check before a live gig, no pedal problems, etc. There are 16 user presets I set up to my liking and turn the knob to the effect I want between songs. And have a remote switch on my pedal board to activate the unit mid song if needed. I always run the Lexicon through the effects loop of the amp. Then came the greatest surprise with the Switchbone! I ran cables from the FX loops on the Blues Deluxe and Deville?s to the left and right I/O?s of the Lexicon. It was pure bliss! Picture hearing an echo ? if Amp 1 was chosen on the Switchbone the original tone came out Amp 1 and then echoed by Amp 2. Normal right? Yes. But if Amp 2 is chosen then the echo comes out of Amp 1! It works either way and I had no idea it would. If both amps are chosen the sound comes out of Amp 1 first and then Amp 2. Tremolo coming out of the two amps is my favorite, followed by delay and echo. And the Switchbone made all of this possible. You will not be sorry if you lay down the bucks for on of these!

i just bought a Radial Engineering Tonebone Switchbone JX-2 and it solved all of my buzzing and humming from trying to run two amps at once. easy to use and just as important to my amp setup as my noise gate is.

i run a 5150 and a Marshall Jmp-1/Mesa Boogie together to get the "perfect" hardcore guitar tone and until i got the JX-2 i was troubled by rediculous humming and buzzing.

it appears to be built like a tank.

i sent Radial Engineering a thank-you email and two guys emailed me back to thank me for thanking them. how friendly is that?

if anyone is having trouble splitting a guitar signal or trying to run two amps at once this is an essential piece of equiptment. don't even mess around with other AB/Y switches or splitters, there are a lot of them to choose from but none of the ones i tried(morley, bad cat, VHT, BOSS) were able to link my amps together in silence, in fact they all created scary ground noises. i hope that some day Radial makes a rack mount version of the JX-2 with outputs and inputs on both the front and back pannels, until then this will always be on the floor in front of my amps.

This is a very impressive product. I read through the short manual and started rocking right away!! I was able to resolve some major concerns with my rig in minutes.

1. I eliminated a terrible ground loop by hitting "ground lift" switch.
2. Both my amps were out of phase, I hit the "polarity" switch, problem solved.
3. I wanted more conrol from my pickups, I dialed in the "drag' control.
4. I wanted a hotter, more aggressive sound, I dialed in the "mid boost" and gain.
It is actually pretty incredible what I was able to do from this one unit. Very cool!!

Here is where it gets interesting. I run a pretty high gain set up. I am running a Soldano Avenger stack & Marshall Plexi stack. I play humbucking guitars Les Pauls, BC Rich, Dean etc. I use no other effects except the Switchbone!! I never knew my rig was out of phase until I hit the polarity switch. This AB Y switch may have been my best tone improvement yet. My sound has a ton more bottom and is much tighter and focused. I was thinking about other amps until I got this thing. By using the polarity switch, drag control, mid boost, and gain, I dialed in my best sound to date.

I am pretty new with the Switchbone, so I will leave this unrated. I will say the build quality is very solid.

I called Tonebone several times and they were very helpful and new a lot about the product. They took time to explain the full features of the Switchbone.

I play hard rock and metal, this works perfectly. I have been playing over 20 years. I can't believe a AB pedal can effect the sound so much. I was using a Morley pedal with a hum eliminator. I can't compare the improvement. I could have bought any pedal if all I wanted was to switch amps. This unit is really much more of a tone control device. I am sure people will think the price is a bit high, it is, but all I can say is I would by another one in a blink. Hands down the most inexpensive sound improvement I have found to date. I know another "all 10" review, but I can't think of any downside except maybe it costs a bit more. Great unit - Go get one!!!

Great sounding, transparent piece of equipment. The two amps I run are horribly out of phase and the 180 degree polarity switch rights that wrong. They're also never free of a buzz when played together, except when using the ground lift on the JX2. Easy to make these adjustments. The blinking LEDs help determine which amp will not be heard when switching out of "both" mode.

The JX2 is the only piece that has remained on my pedal board during last summer's busy quest for tone. It's silent, doesn't pop EVER, offers a great boost feature with EQ or none. The boost alone makes my tube amps scream, especially when dialed in at full force. The drag feature muddies or cleans as needed. I like the pristine quality, so I leave it set as such. Best A/B/Both, and affordable.

Very solid. It's fun to hold: small but heavy. Everything about it is professional.

Excellent. I wrote the company about an unrelated issue, using the purchase and satisfaction of the JX2 as my introduction, and the company's president answered in a very cool, but business-like manner. I hope to deal with this company again as I explore their other products, namely the Radial JDI Direct Box and perhaps some of the overdrive products.

If you are reading this in order to determine if you should spend more money than a Morely or Whirlwind or some custom made box, I have no trouble reassuring you that the money spent on the JX2 will not be in vain. If you are comparing this unit with some of the other few high-end switchers, probably the Framptone, I can't help you because I've never tried that unit. I don't think it has a boost feature, though. The Switchbone, on the other foot, is a very clear, musical piece, and the additional features do not degrade from its ultimate objective; they are either enhancements or, as in the case with my two amps, a necessity.

This unit is really simply. It's an A/B-Y box with some great extras! The way the a/b and both switches work is fantastic! When both is selected there is a flashing light to indicate whether it will go back to a or b when you switch "both" off. VERY cool! Setting it up is really, really simple. Just plug it in and go.

I have used this with a varity of setups so far. The first thing I used it on was my Modified 70's "silverface" bassman. I used both channels on it and a/b'd between the two. Every other a/b box I used with this amp caused humming, and/or adversely affect my tone. I have also used this to A/B between my Bogner 101B and a '66 blackface super reverb. All I can say about this unit is is THE holy grail of a/b boxes. It is 100% sonically transparent. I use exclusively high end cable (GeorgeL or Mogami), and I mainly do studio work, but also some live playing. This is the ONLY box I have ever placed between my guitar and amplifier that I could say could TRULY not be heard! I am REALLY anal about this... and you can NOT tell it's there! Incredible. Honestly... I haven't even messed with the SAG control yet. It sounded/felt RIGHT to me right out of the box.... so I am not gonna fix what ain't broke. I do really like the adjustable boost feature too! Works great for lead boost's, a little extra gain, etc. I am studio guitarist and producer/engineer here in Nashville. This piece is a PRO piece of gear, but at what I think it fairly affordable ($229)... it's something EVERYONE questing for pure tone sure own. Everywhere I play people just rave about my guitar tone.... especially in the studio. I use the multiple outputs on it (a/b and tuner) for creating "mults" to drive 2 different amp, and a direct input. For example for modern rock, we run "A" into a Marshall JCM, "B" into a Bogner or Mesa, and the tuner out into a direct box to record direct into the recorder for re-amping later if needed. This is the only box that can do this with ZERO audible signal loss. Simply incredible.

This thing is built like a TANK! I have hauled it around in gig bags, on a pedal board, etc. It always works flawlessly. I can't imagine there is anything you could do to it to break it. Everything on it is extremely heavy duty.

Well, I had no need to call them because this unit is fantastic and has always worked great. Their website is fantastic and provides a lot of information. I did write them to tell them how happy I was with their product, and I got very quick resposnes. I would expect one would not need any support for this device, but were it needed... I am sure it would be great. This guys are a class act. I have use their Radial Design direct boxes and accessories, and they are also truly the best in the business.

I play all kinds of music. Mainly Rock/Pop/Modern Rock/Alternative/Funk/Blues. I have a huge array of amps and effects. My favorites are my Bogner 101B, and a Silverface Bassman I had modifed by a local Nashville amp guru to blackface specs on the right side, and a Marshall 2204 circuit on the right side. I have been playing for 19 years. If this unit was lost or stolen I would just buy another one. I can't live without this thing. I use it on every single studio gig. I love everything about it. I know it's lame to post a review without ANY thing negative.... but there really isn't anything. It's just as well thought out as any A/B box could be! My favorite feature is a seprate "both" button... but this is fairly common on high end A/B boxes. I have owned just about every other economy or high end A/B box known to man... nothing comes close to this. The only thing I can think of that it doesn't have... that I might possible wish it did.... would be a remote switch for both the a/b and both switches. Some of their other products have this feature and I think it's fantastic. It really does help me make music because I can plug up almost any combination of amplifiers... and it just works. No hum. No buzz. No adverse affects to the tone. It's just RIGHT. :)

The unit is very simple to set up. The drag control takes a little tweaking, but this is a "set it and forget it" adjustment. The manual is short but adequately describes the various features. Ground lift switch ensures "no hum" operation between the two amps and a Polartiy switch keeps the amps in phase. Also has a tuner out allowing tuning out of the audio path.

The sound quality is excellent. With the Drag control set properly, the unit is totally transparent and does not effect the tone at all. I use this to switch between a Germino Masonette and a Marshall 2205 halfstack using a Les Paul Custom with SD pickups (59 in the neck and a JB in the bridge. Ultra quiet noise free operation....

Construction seems to be very solid. Only had the unit for a few months. I would gig without a backup.

NA

What really sets this apart from other amp switchers in this price range is the added features of the Gain and Mid Boost controls. The gain control offers an incredible clean boost capability and can be combined with the mid boost if so desired. Not only a great amp switcher, but a great clean booster pedal as well. I have come to like it so much that I even use it with only one amp. If you need a great amp switcher with some nice extras added, the JX2 offers a great bang for the buck.

Pretty simple... An advanced ABY switch with a gain/mid boost/mute switch(cool feature),drag control for sending the right impedance to both A/B outputs.Manual's great too.

I'm currently using a Soldano SLO 100 & A Marshall JCM800 100w ch switching head(like Tom Morellos but 100w)with a bunch of Fenders & Gibsons etc.....This pedal is nothing short of amazing for several reasons.1)It does not change your sound in fact for an active switcher it's amazing.
2)I'd never realised until now that every time I'd used two amps that they were out of phase,using the polarity reverse switch on the pedal made the sound become focused & tight(massive)
3)The ground lift switch did exactly that..I had a ground problem which is now gone.
4)The boost function is great as with my amps I don't really want to add extra gain so by switching the pedal to mid boost only my single note sustain was outstanding with awesome controllable feedback.(love it!)
5) Absolutely no pops,bangs or other noises when hitting any of the switches.
6) The drag control allows You to get the exact same input into both amps(same as if you were plugging into just one amp).
The only sound problem I had with this pedal was when both a & b were selected the blinking led created a slight pulsing sound(very minimal)

This pedal is built like a tank,gain and drag controls well recessed in the housing so as not to get accidently altered.I have only had the pedal for three weeks though I can't see any problems eventuating.

No need yet....

I play mostly hard rock and have been looking for a device like this for years,Ive tried morley,boss and all the standard brands but none of them come close to this beasty..The only other device I would have liked to try this out against is the Framptone switcher but at this point their are no importers in Australia and I think it's gonna cost mega bucks anyway.

Very easy to use - plug in your two amps, flip the groundlift or phase shioft to get rid of any ground-loop hum and away you go.

Excellent sound quality. There a drag control to modify the guitar's tone a bit, if it's not what you're used to. There's also a boost with gain control. The tone from my 2 Vox AC30's is amazing with this unit - they have never sounded so good. Got rid of all hum.

Just got it - looks like it's built like a tank. I only have one, so I'll have to try it without backup.

I spoke with one of Tonebone's guys before buying it and he was very nice in answering my questions.

I play straight ahead, all original rock (circa 1973 sound) in a band with guys I've known for many years. This is a good match - easy to use, great sound, does what i want which is to get rid of amp hum (when 2 amps are used) and give me a signal boost. I use 2 Vox AC30TBXs with a 1977 Les Paul Deluxe, a Rick 660/12 and a 1972 blonde Fender Strat. I don't have any other pedals in the signal path - don't like em. I'm from the school of plug it in and play. I have been playing for over 20 years. I would replace it if it were lost or stolen. I haven't compared it to any other like products. I highly recommend it is you want to run 2 amps simultaneously without annoying hum and get a nice signal boost as well.

pretty stinkin easy. way more than just an A/B/Y box.
mid boost with level increment switch. gain boost with level adjustment tweaker pot. tuner mute. "drag" control to tune in pickups to unit. oddball 15 volt wall wart is not ideal though

ran it between my sfdr and mojave coyote live.
dead quiet. silent switching. the mid boost is very similar to the tonebone classic mid boost---great to thicken a strat solo sound, and the gain can be thunderous, but full and clean. the gain boost reminded me of the roccaforte bastard pedal, without the noise the rocca spit out.
in fact it may be the best clean gainboost pedal i have ever heard!

total pro product.

i own a tonebone classic and use radial passive d.i.s.
i love their products. never had to deal with them...

playing for 22+ years. seen other a/b/y boxes come and go. this is the best because it is transparent and noise free, and has those extra features to boot!
radial engeneering may become the giants of the pedal industry if they keep this up!

very easy to use.not complicated at all...one small box,three foot switches--1st sw activates both amps,,2nd sw toggles between to amps w/an led that blinks,letting you know which amp will be hot when you hit sw 1 again...the 3rd sw has several asignable functions--mid boost on/off,,gain boost on/off,,mute on/off(for tuner jack..nice option)

set up;guitar(s)esp,kramer,G&L--SWITCHBONE---Modded MarshallTSL100
---Soldano HR50+XL
both using greenbacks and V-30's

This SWITCHBONE does not color effects,is NOT noisy at all,switches silently and sounds superb!...The drag control is really cool,,this adjustment does exactly what the manual says-evens out the p-ups' response so its not too tinny or not too dark,,sort of a presence effect but still transparent.The sound is great!

I would not gig w/out this box,even if I were playing just one amp...Why?,,Because the mid-boost,mute,drag features are so useful.
(The mid-boost / gain-boost sounds way better than my active boost in my guitar,I took it out)Unit is built very well,,thick steel chassis.
I don't anticipate any problems

Never dealt w/ the company

I know we're suppose to scrutinize a product until we find even the smallest thing wrong or something lacking.This unit goes beyond its' AB/Y function.Deserves a 10+