# Do any of you do the effects loop trick?



## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

....where you jumper it with a short cable, then use the effects loop volume as a master /attenuator?

wondering what your experience with it was like?


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## blam (Feb 18, 2011)

I've never seen an effects loop with a volume personally.


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

blam said:


> I've never seen an effects loop with a volume personally.


hmmm...interesting. My CAA OD-100 (Suhr) has a level pot for the efrects loop and Im 99 % sure my previous amp (Mesa Dual rectifier) had one as well....or possibly more, knowing that amp, lol


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

Yeah, a number of amps exist that have the feature, but I've owned at least 50 amps and never had one...I think....then again, I don't use loops much so it's possible I did have one at some point. It's not real common, anyways.


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

keto said:


> Yeah, a number of amps exist that have the feature, but I've owned at least 50 amps and never had one...I think....then again, I don't use loops much so it's possible I did have one at some point. It's not real common, anyways.


oh ok thanks!


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## deadear (Nov 24, 2011)

Well what was the outcome of doing this with a jumper. Just a pot to regulate the amount of effects in with the signal. Can't see it making a whole lot of difference to the sound of the amp. Never tried it.


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## bagpipe (Sep 19, 2006)

For a while there I was running a booster pedal through my effects loop. Using it to give me a volume boost for solos. It actually works quite well. Only problem was the extra cables I had to run from the fx loop to my booster pedal.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Send and/or return level controls vary in what it is they are in anticipation of. In some cases, I would imagine a level control is included to compensate for any outboard gear that needs, and sends, line level signals. If the return signal is entering at a point in the amp's circuit that expects something lower, then you'd need attenuation. You'd also need attenuation if the return signal was simply hotter than the send and you wanted to achieve FX/bypass volume balance, and some gain if whatever is in the FX loop has some passive loss; although I imagine a return input that includes some potential/adjustable gain is mroe the rarity.

Amps also differ in how they implement a master volume, if they have one. Some amps may have the master prior to any loop send. Still others can use post-inverter master volumes (I installed one on a blackface Tremolux years ago and was suitably impressed), and these would come way down the line from wherever the return path might be situated. If your send/return points are post-master-volume, then it allows you to set the gain and master for a desired tone, and use the loop for a master-master-volume, making that particular tone louder or softer. The same cannot be done, of course, if your amp uses a post-invertor master-vol.


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

bagpipe said:


> For a while there I was running a booster pedal through my effects loop. Using it to give me a volume boost for solos. It actually works quite well. Only problem was the extra cables I had to run from the fx loop to my booster pedal.


I just started doing this, with a Marshall DSL50. Seems to work really well on this amp.


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## bagpipe (Sep 19, 2006)

bagpipe said:


> For a while there I was running a booster pedal through my effects loop. Using it to give me a volume boost for solos. It actually works quite well. Only problem was the extra cables I had to run from the fx loop to my booster pedal.





keto said:


> I just started doing this, with a Marshall DSL50. Seems to work really well on this amp.


Hey, what a coinkydink. Thats the amp I used to use it on too. Those amps are under-rated - I used to get a great clean tone with mine too.


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## deadear (Nov 24, 2011)

deadear said:


> Well what was the outcome of doing this with a jumper. Just a pot to regulate the amount of effects in with the signal. Can't see it making a whole lot of difference to the sound of the amp. Never tried it.


Update I tried it and did not do a thing for the valvestate. When turned to full effects the volume dropped.


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