Guitar looper question
Discussion
I'd like to buy my son a looper for Christmas.... he's a decent guitarist and currently doesn't have such a thing.
It's not a subject I know anything about. I am not a guitarist and am not up to speed with what is available.
Budget would be in the £150/200 range... the Boss Audio Loop Station would seem pretty good - but what do guitarists who use loopers say?
It's not a subject I know anything about. I am not a guitarist and am not up to speed with what is available.
Budget would be in the £150/200 range... the Boss Audio Loop Station would seem pretty good - but what do guitarists who use loopers say?
Without meaning to sound condescending (as your not a guitar player) it all entirely depends on what he's wanting to do with it. Best to find that out before throwing money the problem.
Single loop with overdubs?
Multiple loops and patches to bring in and out?
Looper with built in drum and bass beats?
Something as simple as a Boss or Ditto looper will do 99% of what people need in a simple loop + overdub pedal.
The Digitech Trio Band creator is an all in one box that allows overdubs, will generate bass lines and drum patterns to the loops you play into it and can basically act as a backing track for you to write songs to.
FWIW I have the Digitech Trio as I play solo mostly and it great. Definitely at the top end of the budget.
Single loop with overdubs?
Multiple loops and patches to bring in and out?
Looper with built in drum and bass beats?
Something as simple as a Boss or Ditto looper will do 99% of what people need in a simple loop + overdub pedal.
The Digitech Trio Band creator is an all in one box that allows overdubs, will generate bass lines and drum patterns to the loops you play into it and can basically act as a backing track for you to write songs to.
FWIW I have the Digitech Trio as I play solo mostly and it great. Definitely at the top end of the budget.
The two pedal Boss looper (RC-30?) is great - you can do two tracks, it has vocal and guitar inputs, you can do two tracks and keep one running while backing off the second one etc all with the two pedals
Really sturdy piece as well
Don't forget to buy an adaptor as well, the 9v battery's don't last long
Really sturdy piece as well
Don't forget to buy an adaptor as well, the 9v battery's don't last long
i think i've got the perfect solution pal....
the lekato mini looper will hold 10 multi tracked patches of up to 9 minutes each. plenty of space for layering for a gig.
the beauty of it is that it is so easy to use... and it costs less than 50 quid.
i don't actually use mine live (we are a recording only outfit) but find it incredibly useful as a writing tool. i am the only instrumentalist in the band and write my songs by layering up 6 string electric and acoustic guitars, 7 string guitars, 5 string basses, 4 string basses and a bit of keyboard....songs in the main are all +7 minutes so the lekato is a vital writing tool for me.....
one point to make.... your set up needs to run as follows:
guitar....effects bank.....looper....amps
if you run the guitar straight to the looper and then your effects bank when you change patches within your effects bank it will change previously layered tracks in the looper.... which will stop you looping clean/distorted/phased etc tracks ..
honestly... you just don't need to waste hundreds on a looper when the lekato does everything you need
the lekato mini looper will hold 10 multi tracked patches of up to 9 minutes each. plenty of space for layering for a gig.
the beauty of it is that it is so easy to use... and it costs less than 50 quid.
i don't actually use mine live (we are a recording only outfit) but find it incredibly useful as a writing tool. i am the only instrumentalist in the band and write my songs by layering up 6 string electric and acoustic guitars, 7 string guitars, 5 string basses, 4 string basses and a bit of keyboard....songs in the main are all +7 minutes so the lekato is a vital writing tool for me.....
one point to make.... your set up needs to run as follows:
guitar....effects bank.....looper....amps
if you run the guitar straight to the looper and then your effects bank when you change patches within your effects bank it will change previously layered tracks in the looper.... which will stop you looping clean/distorted/phased etc tracks ..
honestly... you just don't need to waste hundreds on a looper when the lekato does everything you need
I've got the Digitech Trio+ (the later version, with a few more features than the standard Trio). Super capable and there's a song mode which lets you create intro/chorus/verse/etc sections into a whole song. The 'band' feature is also good just for timing practice. And you can go to some interesting places by 'teaching the band' and then telling them to play it back in a different genre+style.
It's not as 'focused' as a one-button looper, which would be annoying if your brain works that way.
It's not as 'focused' as a one-button looper, which would be annoying if your brain works that way.
Is your son Ed Sheeran doing multi-layered takes or just looking for an incredibly simple 1-2 layer looper?
If it's the latter then the TC Electronics Ditto is an incredible product and excellent value: https://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/product/13010411100...
I wouldn't (and haven't) look beyond this and you've got a "spare" £75+ for more essential items like an annual supply of strings.
If it's the latter then the TC Electronics Ditto is an incredible product and excellent value: https://www.guitarguitar.co.uk/product/13010411100...
I wouldn't (and haven't) look beyond this and you've got a "spare" £75+ for more essential items like an annual supply of strings.
Thanks for all the suggestions.... they are all going on my list to review. 
My son is 19 and is a good player with a decent guitar. Currently he doesn't have any tech beyond a Dark Side effects pedal and therefore has never tried a looper.
The combination looper/band pedals may be of more interest as they have a wider use. He's currently at university and playing a lot in lockdown!
My son is 19 and is a good player with a decent guitar. Currently he doesn't have any tech beyond a Dark Side effects pedal and therefore has never tried a looper.
The combination looper/band pedals may be of more interest as they have a wider use. He's currently at university and playing a lot in lockdown!
Loopers are the most useful and the most frequently-bought pedals - a great tool.
TBH anything more advanced than a Boss RC-20 or Ditto is likely overkill.
Two channels rather than one? Probably overkill.
MIDI? Probably overkill.
(I wasted money on a Pigronix Infinity that has both of those features, because I thought I needed them)
TBH anything more advanced than a Boss RC-20 or Ditto is likely overkill.
Two channels rather than one? Probably overkill.
MIDI? Probably overkill.
(I wasted money on a Pigronix Infinity that has both of those features, because I thought I needed them)
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