Welcome to the second issue of the Two-Rock Newsletter.  Our goal is to offer you an inside look at new products, specials, and tips and tricks to optimize your playing experience. Feel free to contact us with suggestions on future topics you may want us to cover.

This month, we’ll explore the mysteries of effects loops and offer some application guidelines. 

Effects Loops: Part 1

There has been a lot of discussion  lately about effects loops and how they work.  We’ll begin with basics.

Typically, time based effects (reverb, delay) provide the most natural sounding enhancements when added to your guitar signal after one or more preamp stages. Reverberation occurs naturally in a large room, for instance, and the best way to duplicate this effect is by adding it to a guitar signal that has already been processed(cleanly or distorted, eq’ed, etc) by your preamp. Most loops are an insertion point between your preamp and power amp sections.  Some amps have a built- in buffered stage after your preamp stage to prevent a low impedance effect from “loading” a high impedance output stage. Once the processed signal returns to the power amp, an additional buffer is usually required to again compensate for any impedance mismatch between the effect’s output and the power amp input.

There are literally hundreds of effects pedals on the market today. As a general rule, most stomp box type effects work better at the input(low level) than in the loop (line level). If it seems your effect is distorting (unintentionally) your signal in the effects loop, it’s a good indication the line level signal presented to the input is overloading it. Try it at the input stage.
Next month, Steve Kimock will discuss where to best utilize different effects, and where the perform best in the signal path.

Re-Certified Pre Owned For Sale

Thanks to our trade in promotion and some happy customers of new amps, we now have some old issue pre-owned amps for sale.  Contact us or your local dealer for questions, or to purchase one of our Pre-Owned Two-Rock's'.  Here is what we have in stock right now:

1.  Sapphire 100 - $2595

2.  Jet Head - $2400 (+$100 for combo)

3.  Classic Reverb 100 Watt - $4100

4. Custom Reverb Sig 100 Watt Blue - $3895

5.  Jet Signature - $2700

These amps will go fast so contact your dealer as soon as possible!