Another use for an ABY is for recording a live performance. If you put the pedal in the front of the signal chain you can run output 1/A to an amp and output 2/B to the audio interface recording the performance. This allows you to capture just the guitar signal completely dry so you can re-amp that performance in the studio later on. Say you can only use one amp on stage but rather that track be running through different amps, pedals and amp settings on the final recording (for example you want a clean fender tone for the song but a heavy overdrive marshal sound for the solo) Well you can re-amp the performance in the studio to run through any selection of amps and pedals you’d like and even adjust the settings of the amps and pedals in real time when re-recording the re-amped performance. It brings a totally new element to recording a live performance
I'm going to add one use. It's the same as the 'always on tuner', but with another application: practicing bends. You can hear and confirm visually if you're on the right spot. Very useful also for learning the entire fretboard
As always Sam, very helpful. Lots of gear videos make massive assumptions that we guitarists know how to use or set up lots of equipment...which we clearly don't. Lovely simple explanations, demonstrations & useful graphical diagrams. keep it up dude.
I'd originally built my own A/B pedal (complete w/Abey Lincoln decal) to use as an overdrive pedal, sending one output to my clean Rickenbacker amp and the other to a $20 Drive CD-200 with the gain cranked. Once I realized that I already had two overdrive pedals (silly boy!), I ended up taking the output from my entire pedal chain and ran one output to my Ric amp for playing guitar and the other to my Vox Super Beatle across the room for bass. Plus, it's fun to switch amps in the middle of playing and confusing my friends (or set an amp up at the back of the room during a gig!).
Very good and simple explanation of the different ways to use these kind of pedals, thank you! I was thinking about using the Fender ABY to split my guitarsignal while recording. One signal going to my amp, into the torpedo captor, through the interface to the DAW with IRs. The second signal going directly in the other channel of the interface to record a DI track. I guess if the ABY box isn't noisy that should work just fine.
I use my (stereo) ABY for pedalboard OUTPUT selection before hitting the mixer. Using a rock oriented pedalboard (A) and a more "dreamy" one (B) I can send any guitar signal through both at the same time, but just allow one of the two to make it to the mixer. Doing the split at the guitar level and leave both outputs "live" may result in hum from the one not being used.
let's say I have a bass guitar already splitted, one with wet crunchy sound and the other one directly from the bass (D.I.). at the end of my chain can I put a ABY pedal to sum these two chains going to a single output??? A, receives crunchy. B, receives D.I. - Y outputs both???
In looping you can use with the mic. Send the mic signal to the amp And to the loop so you can sign and play the guitar but only loop the guitar, then switch the mic signal and loop a beat box rithm for example.
Great video. One idea, however, for use #3, would be to show the difference between having both wet and dry together vs them being separated, so we can hear how much better it is.
This is a good idea for people who do not have a effects loop built-in into their amplifier. This would more or less achieve the same result and requires only a second amplifier and a pedal like the Orange Detonator.
Use No. 4 makes it sound like a buffer is a bad thing when splitting the signal to both an amp and an always-on tuner. Rather the contrary. Passive splitting to tuner is just like passive splitting to second amp (because the tuner has an input impedance); your chain might be true bypass but you’re still losing some dBs (3-6), and your tone is likely to change. For that specific purpose, I would definitely recommend a buffered ABY (or simply use the boss as is, the buffer in that pedal is OK).
I use aby boxes on a guitar setup to switch between midi guitar and regular guitar, pre all the other pedals. Then another one to switch or blend 2 synthesizers on the midi side
This was very helpful! Setting up a little studio for fun at home and am learning as I go. I run a trio pedal separate from my pedals and guitar amp and was looking for a way to keep my guitar plugged into both without having to swap mid-playing. Haven’t got my hands on a ABY yet but now I know it’ll work. Thank you!
Just got the Orange ABY today. My plan is to hook it up to blend a Vox Custom AC30 and Marshall Silver Jubilee in a wet/dry setup. I'm also going to see If I can blend the Strymon Iridium with the Marshall. Should be fun
Another use: Switch between direct guital signal and midi processed signal or midi keyboard (using Irig with an Ipad + midi guitar 2 + Sampletank for instance).
Excellent and clear demonstrations! And that looping was fantastic - my only complaint is that you made it look so easy... (Think I need to go and practise now...)
Very helpful...I just bought the boss rc300 for live looping and was looking for a way to switch instruments... eventually I will use a mixing board to feed all I need into the pedal but this is much cheaper and better to learn the process....
Very useful thank you. One question, can you use A/B to go in-front or FX loop of the same amp. This could be useful for multi-effects unit that have only one output.
Never use an ABY, so this may be a dumb question. Can you use it to split into both channels of a two channel amp like a Deluxe? Wondering if it would be the same as channel jumping or if you could run, say, straight into the bright channel while routing through pedals to the normal channel. Great video, thanks.
Great clip Sam, you are a true fountain of information. What do you recommend for switching pedal order, is there such a device / to do this ? Thx again
2 questions. 1. Let’s say if I did use 2 guitars and 1 amplifier and wanted to use both guitars at once. Does it really work well or does it mute one while the other plays? 2. If the answer to the 1st question is yes, then can I use a pedal train with this?
Nice video thanks. But what about the 6th option ? If you have an acoustic and an electric guitar but wanna use some of the same effect pedals on both guitars such as looper boss rc 30 , overdrive , delay, reverb ,… But still having 2 separate output signals going to an acoustic amp and the other to an electric amp. Thanks for having a look at this :)
Can I use that orange ABY splitter box to a pitch fork pedal (use the octave setting to convert to bass tone) then send that signal to a bass amp? Then play both amps? this is a great video and explained in detail how many ways it can use it. Thank you so much for making this video.
That’s what I do with my simple mooer aby! Then you can put the tuner or mute pedal on one or both of the chains too! So you can just be playing guitar then hit the tuner to add the bass when you want it! Works well I reckon for a two piece with a drummer :)
I was wondering if I'm able to route my guitar to the input of my amp.. while routing a drum machine to the auxiliary input of the same amp.. I want the effects on the amp to come through on the guitar sound but I don't want the amp effects coming through on the drum sound.. but I want the guitar and the drum machine sounds coming through the same amp... Will this work for that?
Really helpful Sam! One question, to use the 3 cable method for a noise gate, (guitar to splitter, A to gate, B to dry effects to amp, EFx send to mod pedals to gate, out of gate to time based pedals to EFx return), do I only need the cheap one or do I need the expensive one?
Is there any way to set up: Two guitars going into one rack tuner, one guitar being tuned by a tech (crowd can't hear), and the other being played at the same time?
This was a very helpful video, thank you! Question: I have an orange amp detonator to send signal to 2 combo amps, and a passive aby box called the ehx switchblade +, can I use the ehx in the opposite way from the orange, to combine the mic signal from cab a and cab b together in the y out channel? Thanks!
Thanks for the info! I have the Orange Amp Detonator, using one guitar to split the signal into two amplifiers. Can A tuner pedal be placed before the ABY box to mute both signal paths?
Thanks for this. I have a Marshall JCM900 and a Fender Ultimate Chorus. I want to run them simultaneously because, well who doesn't love a Marshall and the Fender has a lovely solid state overdrive/chorus tone and the reverb tank is easy to control. Yesterday, I bought a Live Wire AB/Y splitter box. I run a guitar into a Cry Baby Wah and a distortion/overdrive box. When I connect the two amps, they screech and whistle, with lots of noise. Removing the effects pedals (by plugging directly into the splitter box), nothing changed. I daisy-chained them (Fender into the Marshall), there was no noise or feedback. What am I doing wrong? Thanks, again. jvb
Nice demo! I'm coming in a bit late but am curious about running a 3 amp set up consisting of an fx processor in stereo and a dry amp channel. I'm thinking Guitar into ABY input>A output to dry amp. B output to FX processor input>FX processor output Left to one amp / output Right to the other. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks again for the demo.
Great video! I’m a saxophonist and vocalist and I want to be able to loop a hook that I sing that I can solo over with my sax. Would a switch box be helpful in this case? If I’m switching from my vocal mic input to the sax mic input?
Let's say you have an acoustic guitar with two different pickup systems going through different effects chains and you want to go from one pickup to the other or blend them together!!...maybe this could be helpful?...
I've got a PRS SE electric and Martin SC-13E and I want both to go to one Fishman 2 channel Loudbox Performer acoustic amp. I also want both guitars to go through my Zoom G3Xn effects box. Would I put the AB switch "after" the effects box , that is, between the effects box and the amp? If it was possible, an easier way to achieve what I want would be to just get a Y splitter to put into my Zoom FX box's one Input and then go out to the amp with one output cable same as always. However, I've been told by my band that you can not put a Y into the FX box Input and two guitars because it wont work that way. ( I do realize it would be better to bring an electric amp and my acoustic amp for better tones on each guitar but I'm an old guy and dont want to haul two amps to a gig anymore. We are just kind of an acoustic/electric trio and the acoustic will be used the most). Thanks so much for any help,.
Just found this video, great explanation all around. I have a question. I have two amps (Peavy Classic 30 and Mesa Boogie .22) neither of which has an aux-in. Instead of a second guitar, can the second "instrument" be an audio player? TO feed backing tracks to the amp while playing? Thanks. Love the channel.
Could you use a passive ABY box to split the signal of a preamp send to two power amp returns - the first return to the same amplifier and the second to an additional power amp and cabinet? Would this cause any problems with the power amps? My thought is using two Joyo Bantamp heads, but only the preamp section of one of them in order to get twice the output (an amp and cab on either side of the stage).
Probably a dumb question , but I see quite a few people calling A/B switchers line switchers. So I just want to clarify, can an A/B box be used to accept/split line and or mic signals?
With the Fender ABY pedal can I pass my BASS and GUITAR, going to my pedal board and then going out to 1 amp which would be a BASS amp. I use my bass amp for my guitar since it sounds AMAZING and many guitarist do this. But yeah I have a looper and would love to be able to use my pedal board with the bass and the guitar. Is this possible? obviously I don't play both at same time but when I live loop it would save on cables lol and pedals.
Thanks so much for the video. I am new to all of this, so please excuse me if my question is stupid. I wanted to ask about using the ABY with two instruments: is it possible to do A for an electric guitar with specific effects pedals and B for an acoustic guitar with a different set or combination of pedals? Or would the BOSS LS-2 do that? I hope that makes sense
Dear Sam, Could u please explain me if the A B switch would work in the following case: I want to send a guitar layer to a Looper, and also a bass layer to the same looper (not at the same time of course) but I need two outputs . Thanks!!
instead of two guitars, could i have one output go to my main pedalboard and the second go to my boss gm-800 synth pedal and then to each their own amps ?
I just received mine and have a question. How do I send output of my pedalboard that is connected to input of my amp to the pedal? Sorry to ask a dumb question but the inputs only allow one cable from each amp. I want to send pedalboard-> amp-> Morley switch pedal input A and then on amp 2 send output of pedalboard 2-> amp2 -> morley pedal input 2.
That fender aby box has been nothing but A headache, I wish I saw this before I got it!. running it as a dual guitar to 1 amp. They use trs female inputs and when in a+b mode it shorts the tip!
