Effect loop

[billstein]

I'm just getting back into playing and building again so I have a million questions. Sorry.

I have a Laney VC30 that has an effects loop. I'm an old school rocker and have always been content with a guitar, and a couple of dirt boxes and maybe a Chorus. I've always ran them straight into the amp and have never plugged anything into the effects loop.

Now I'm going to be playing the type of music that requires delays and modulation effects. Plus I'm building a Bloviator. Would the effect loop be a good place to put these?

What do you use your effects loop for?

[jkokura]

Effects loops are generally useful when you rely on your amp for any distortion. Generally, people use modulation and delay type effects after their gain - overdrive, fuzz, distortion and such. So, if you use pedals for these things, then not using the effects loop is just fine. However, if you use the amp to create distortion or gain, then it's useful to use the loop because it sits after the preamp and before the power amp.

Jacob

[billstein]

Thanks Jacob

[stevewire]

Hey Billstein,
If you are new to using guitar amp effects loops be aware they are not all designed the same and thus can vary in results.  Most could be characterized into two groups: series or parallel.  Then there are many other details of their designs that can also can affect their end results (tube buffering, variable wet/dry, post or pre phase inverter, etc).  Personally I've never gotten on very well with a parallel effects loop due to the fact that some cause a "filter comb" like result.  I quite like the series effects loops in my Vox AC30CC2X and AC50CC.  I am not too fond of the loop on my Fender Hot Rod DeVille, so that amp only gets use with the input.  Another thing to watch out for with effects loops are impedance mismatches between your amp's loop and certain effects pedals.  

I'd suggest a little research on your amp and some experimentation to find what you like, what you don't like and what will work for you.  Keep in mind that not all effects loops are designed the same way.  Some sound quite different volume or tone wise when compared straight through the input jack only.  Some amps do have a loop design that is hard to hear a difference.

[billstein]

Thanks guys for the detailed explanation