What Looper to get?

[awkwarden]

I'm looking for a looper for my future acoustic gigs, but am not sure what I should get. I don't need it for vocals, just for my acoustic guitar. Any suggestions?

[CJ]

So you can do this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJvTT-x8ZAI

Might find some help/suggestions here:

http://www.loopers-delight.com/tools/tools.html

[eded]

It depends on what you want to do with it.  The various pedals do different things with varying levels of complexity in use.  I use both Digitech 8 sec. pedal (ancient) and a Boomerang (original) to do everything I need.  My first looper was a pair of recorders with an actual loop of tape running between the two.  I have used a bunch of the pedals over the years.

Ed

[tmar16]

The boomerangs are great, especially for "ease of use." Nothing like having everything spelled out for you right at your feet.

[eded]

The boomerangs are great, especially for "ease of use." Nothing like having everything spelled out for you right at your feet.

Simple people like simple tools.  (grin)

Ed

[rustyp]

Hi CJ, Like others have said, it depends on what you're hoping to do. Do you just want to loop one section, or more than one? In other words, do you want to play one chord progression, and solo over it, or record a percussive loop and play over that? Or do you  want to record the various sections of an entire song, or layer various loops?


I started with a Boss rc20XL. It only records one "track" or one loop and infinite overdubs. I've used it for over two years. I've found lots of uses for it, chord progressions for soloing, percussion, repeating notes to play under a chord progression. I feel as though I've outgrown it at this point.

You might consider cost also. A Boomerang which can record up to four loops will cost you around $450, while a lesser looper will be cheaper. This might be important if you want to fool around, aren't completely sold on it yet. If you're interested, I'm considering selling my Boss rc20XL. It would give you a place to start, an inexpensive entry point.

Rusty
 

[eded]

My Boomerang is the original, though I found a good deal on a Boomerang Plus that I bought just to keep as a backup in case the other one goes up.  I am able to do a rhythm loop, then go back and overdub a bass line (well, a bass line done on guitar).  With a little practice and planning (and a volume pedal), it is possible to learn how to get the right mix.  It is possible to record a (guitar) bass line at regular speed, then play it back at half speed and play a chord pattern for a better bass loop.  Some of the other pedals do lots of stuff, multiple tracks, different timings, etc.  On some, it is possible to have dozens of pre-recorded tracks so you could have a whole set (or 2) of ready to go backup tracks.  And, to top it off, just looking at the Boomerang and how it has evolved over time, it's easy to see how you do well looking at various features and prices and specs to see which does what you want.  The real tough part is to anticipate where looping will take you and where you will want to go with it.  You don't want to buy a pedal with more bells and whistles than you'll ever want or need.  But otoh, you don't want to learn a set of skills and then find the pedal you got doesn't have a feature that you do need.  Hopefully that makes sense.

Ed

[brandon]

One of my favorite artists uses a Boss RC-20 XL. Check it out here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgltlKavMdk&feature=related

Awesome musician!

[PM33AUD]

I use the looper in my TimeLine for simpler stuff and for more elaborate 'arranged' looping I use an awesome (and free!) software called Mobius running on Ableton (to handle the routing, cueing, and crossfading.  The latter is much more complicated but allows one to avoid getting stuck on the same loop/section which is a common issue when doing live looping.

[JJ Run]

I have recently added the small Roland AC-33 to my amp collection.  It has a built in looper (40second max) which can loop your voice as well as your guitar simultaneously and is my favorite for playing in a "busking " situation.  When I play restaurants, I hook in into another amp as a main and use it as my monitor.  They run about $400 but are very versatile.  The are only for straight forward, on the fly, loops with no storage capacity.  The sound is just like what you are making....Just another option...

Larrivee PV-05MT with K&K pickup
Taylor 814ce with ES
Martin 00-15m with K&K pickup

[rustyp]

I have the Roland accc as well and it works GREAT for less elaborate stuff. Get a switch pedal and you're in business. I too use it for a monitor, but have been pretty impressed with what it will do in intimate settings on its own.

[jkstraw]

I remember dying to get my hands on the orginal boomerang back in the mid-90's.  Since then I have gone through a jamman, Boss Rc-20xl, Boss RC50 and the built in looper on the Fractal audio AxeFX II.  This summer I sold the RC50 and decided to bit the bullet on the latest Boomerang. 

I'll echo what a few people have said - it depends on what you need it for.  IMHO - for live use you simply can't beat the Boomerang.  For backing tracks, building tunes and saving them the new Boss RC300 is the current champ (it's big though....RC-20xl is a std. Boss 2 pedal footprint).

You could also look at the new looperlative lp2

Best of luck!