The Electro-Harmonix 2880 was a breath of fresh air for many loopers. Its multi-track recorder like design made the entire thing very intuitive, and that same thread of user-friendly design has survived with the updated model. The new looper, the 45000, looks very similar to the older incarnation, but does it have more to offer? With multi-track looping, a stereo Mix Down track and an included 4GB memory card (good for over two hours of recording), the 45000 could be the next big thing in looping. Check Amazon Price
Author: Peter
Digitech Jamman Solo XT Looper Review
Digitech’s JamMan range is legendary in the world of loopers. The gargantuan, though now somewhat dated Jamman Delay Looper being one of the most feature-heavy options on the market. The Jamman Solo XT builds on the Jamman Solo, offering the features and functionality you expect from the JamMan series in a small, stompbox-sized package. However, any update like this automatically raises suspicions. If you already have the Jamman Solo, for example, is the updated XT version really worth the upgrade? How much has actually changed?Check Amazon Price
TC Electronic Ditto Looper Review
When you’re shopping around for loopers, you’ll undoubtedly see models with as many dials as the interior of a space shuttle. In that respect, the TC Electronic Ditto Looper is a breath of fresh air. It features only one dial and one footswitch, stripping down the overly techy looper layout to its bare minimum functions. You might be worried about lost functionality, but simple design and great sound quality still makes it an extremely appealing option. But can it really compete with the technological might of other, bigger loopers on the market?Check Amazon Price
Pigtronix Infinity Looper Review
Pigtronix didn’t pull any punches with the marketing of the Infinity Looper. Promising revolutionary new features for live musicians and a looper which doesn’t interfere with your tone, it generated much anticipation from the looping community. Although most guitarists assume these claims are about as reliable as political promises on the run-up to an election, the Infinity might actually be able to back it up. It was finally released in November 2012, and it just might give the bigger manufacturers like Boss and Digitech a run for their money. Check Amazon Price
Tips for Using a Looper Pedal
Using a looper can seem too complicated for many guitarists. You can’t just turn it on and forget about it like other types of pedals. The trick with a loop station is making it seem like you aren’t using one at all. The only way to pull this off is to have set strategies in place. Learn to think like an entire band and allow the loop station to complement your performance instead of control it. If you don’t already have a loop pedal, make sure that you are buying one that will do everything you need it to do in a way that you can understand and feel comfortable with. Don’t just go in blind when you’re buying your first pedal; do your research.
Akai E2 Headrush Delay/Looper Review
The Akai E2 Headrush Delay/Looper pedal promised to take off where it’s fairly successful predecessor (E1) had left. With the E2 Headrush, users were promised better headroom, more looping time and a solution to the noise problems with the E1. The result is a relatively inexpensive and robust looper that works well for both live performances and home use, but also lacks many of the bells and whistles of the newer loopers on the market today. Check Amazon Price
Vox Lil’ Looper Review
Vox’s entry into the looper market in 2012 is a welcome change from the ongoing battle between Boss and Digitech. The Vox Looper steps in a different direction by dispensing with unneeded hours of recording time, keeping their loops at a maximum of 90 seconds, and instead building multi-effects options into their new loopers. The Vox Lil’ Looper allows you to continuously loop a piece of music, while adding variations in the sound using different effects that would otherwise have to be purchased as separate effects pedals. Check Amazon Price
Vox Dynamic Looper Review
The VOX VDL1 Looper Multi-Effects Pedal is a powerful combination of both a looper and a multi-effects pedal. This combination allows musicians to not only loop a section of music, but to also add a variety of different sounds and effects such as bass and acoustic guitar simulation, compression, distortion, wah, and others. While not everyone will want or need these built in effects, others will love the convenience of an all-in-one pedal. Check Amazon Price
Reader Submission – Eduardo Sitja, Bass Soloist
Eduardo Sitja sent me a really cool video showing him live looping with the Boss RC-3 Loop Station. Daft Punk has great bass lines!
Boss RC-300 Loop Station Review
The Boss RC-300 Loop Station is the new “flagship” looper from Boss. Being hailed as the second coming before it was even released, the Boss RC-300 has a lot to live up to. Not only was it’s predecessor, the RC-50 Loop Station, loaded with features, Digitech’s competing looper pedal, the JamMan Delay, is similarly large and loaded with cool features. With such stiff competition, the RC-300 Loop Station has to deliver something very special to stand out from the crowd. Check Amazon Price
ZVEX Lo Fi Loop Junky Review
The ZVEX Lo-Fi Loop Junky is the antithesis to the modern digital looper pedal. It’s all analog, without analog to digital conversion of any kind. It also samples for only 20 seconds, and everything you record into it will sound totally different coming out. But, what’s really cool is that It features lots of hiss, noise, distortion, and other analog artifacts. It’s even capable of making your little guitar loop sound like an old, scratched, warped record! Check Amazon Price
Boss RC-3 Loop Station Review
Boss released the RC-3 Loop Station in 2011 to replace the older Boss RC-2 Loop Station. Both pedals have now been superseded by the more recently released Boss RC-5 Loop Station as Boss’s top-o-the-line compact looper. Nevertheless, the Boss RC-3 Loop Station is still a powerful looper. You can also probably find it at a significant discount now that it’s an older model. , The RC-3 gives musicians up to 3 hours of stereo recording time and 99 loop memory locations. Check Amazon Price