Radial BigShot ABY

[theGeek]

So I picked up a Radial ABY switch because I wanted to be able A/B between my two amps and the prospect of playing them both at the same time was appealing as well... I have noticed, however, that when I use the LIFT and/or ISO switches I lose my tone. My high is is just sucked! I tried adjusting my amp to compensate for the loss but no dice...

Any suggestions on how I can fix this?

[dualtone]

Originally Posted by theGeek

So I picked up a Radial ABY switch because I wanted to be able A/B between my two amps and the prospect of playing them both at the same time was appealing as well... I have noticed, however, that when I use the LIFT and/or ISO switches I lose my tone. My high is is just sucked! I tried adjusting my amp to compensate for the loss but no dice...

Any suggestions on how I can fix this?

Yeah...When you switch in the transformer for phase reverse it really does something wacky to the signal of that amp. But...I think the box sounds better than more expensive ones, even the tricked out Radial one. I'd just find an alternative for making sure the amps are in phase. You could switch the neg/pos leads on the speaker of one amp. The Lehle P-Split works pretty well as an alternative, but I didn't like the sound of it as much as the Bigshot.

[SkunkWorks]

I have the Radial Tonebone Switchbone and it's definitely no tone sucker... it's been specifically designed not to be.

Whatever you do don't buy a Peavey A/B/Y... now that's a tone sucker! Tried one for less than a minute before I immediately packed it up and returned it and bought the Switchbone.

'Nuff said

EDIT:
I meant Morley, not Peavey (the passive one)

[Bluzzi]

Just curious, when you switch to A+B amps do you get a loss of tone at all? Gain?
I mean if you have Amp A switched on and then switch on Amp B does the volume of Amp A drop at all?

Jim

[Doc Mixwell]

Originally Posted by Bluzzi

Just curious, when you switch to A+B amps do you get a loss of tone at all? Gain?
I mean if you have Amp A switched on and then switch on Amp B does the volume of Amp A drop at all?

Jim

Not in my experience. Radial makes extremely useful products for every occasion. IME-None of the Radial stuff messes with the tone.

[SkunkWorks]

Ditto what Adam said with the Radial.

[teleharmonium]

Switching in the transformer absolutely affects the tone, especially if you don't have a buffer elsewhere in your signal chain. The info on the Radial website clearly states this; you are no longer true bypass when you switch in the transformer. It's a 1:1 transformer used for isolation and the wiring option for phase reverse on one side, so it is a relatively non invasive use of a transformer, but you are running through an additional passive device in that mode and there is no free lunch in audio.

I wouldn't call the effect on the tone, an objectively negative effect, but then again I think I always sent that switch a buffered signal when I had it in my rig.

[theGeek]

Originally Posted by teleharmonium

Switching in the transformer absolutely affects the tone, especially if you don't have a buffer elsewhere in your signal chain. The info on the Radial website clearly states this; you are no longer true bypass when you switch in the transformer. It's a 1:1 transformer used for isolation and the wiring option for phase reverse on one side, so it is a relatively non invasive use of a transformer, but you are running through an additional passive device in that mode and there is no free lunch in audio.

I wouldn't call the effect on the tone, an objectively negative effect, but then again I think I always sent that switch a buffered signal when I had it in my rig.

This is true... after doing some research I found that the transformer adds an extra load to the pickups and thus there is a tone loss. Its a lot like what would happen if I ran 200 feet of guitar cable

[SkunkWorks]

Originally Posted by theGeek

This is true... after doing some research I found that the transformer adds an extra load to the pickups and thus there is a tone loss. Its a lot like what would happen if I ran 200 feet of guitar cable

I don't hear a tone loss with the Radial. Now if you want to hear a tone loss to the point of actually being unuseable try a lesser quality unit like the Peavey which will also cause nasty ground loops.

With the radial, I use the second output to run a dry track into my puter for re-amping or amp simming and the pre I run it into will have more of an influence on tone than the Radial itself.

EDIT:
I meant Morley, not Peavey (the passive one)

[teleharmonium]

Originally Posted by SkunkWorks

I don't hear a tone loss with the Radial. Now if you want to hear a tone loss to the point of actually being unuseable try a lesser quality unit like the Peavey which will also cause nasty ground loops.

With the radial, I use the second output to run a dry track into my puter for re-amping or amp simming and the pre I run it into will have more of an influence on tone than the Radial itself.

the "tone loss" is only there if you have the transformer switched in AND have no buffering amps in your signal chain before the amp. It's not a negative on the unit per se; both the isolation and the phase invert are included as a convenience to handle problems that shouldn't really be there as a matter of course.

Lots of pedals have buffers built in, and anyone that is using multiple amps, is probably using some pedals as well, so the intersection of the need to use the transformer (for either of the two reasons it is there), and the lack of a buffer, seems like an exceptional case to me. Any passive device with a transformer is going to do the same thing, so it's not a knock on Radial for having somehow not found a way to avoid the issue. They do make an active switcher too, if there is a person out there who uses no other pedals and wants to do amp switching while needing isolation and ground lift !

[SkunkWorks]

Looking back over the thread, I just wanted to make it clear that when I'm talking about the Radial I use it's the JX-2 Switchbone, not the Bigshot.

[theGeek]

That's where the difference is... the switchbone, unless I'm mistaken, is an active pedal with a built in buffer (a very nice one at that)... it was also out of my price range. The Bigshot is passive so it need a pedal with a buffer in front of it to avoid that loss of tone.

[dualtone]

Originally Posted by theGeek

That's where the difference is... the switchbone, unless I'm mistaken, is an active pedal with a built in buffer (a very nice one at that)... it was also out of my price range. The Bigshot is passive so it need a pedal with a buffer in front of it to avoid that loss of tone.

Yes, the Switchbone is active. Possibly why I didn't dig it that much as I find it alters the tone. You know, for my taste that is. I'm sure it's completely acceptable for many. FWIW, I find I don't need a buffer at all when using the Bigshot.