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Yes….the Switchbone should be able to be used with any two guitar
amplifiers without problems. Make sure you follow the set-up procedures
to ensure your equipment is safe. If you are not sure consult a qualified
technician.
The polarity reverse allows you to correctly line-up the polarity of the
devices that you are using. For instance, some amplifiers will be ‘out
of phase’ with others and some amp channels even on the same amplifier
will be out of phase with each other. The Switchbone allows you to compensate
or create new sounds by purposely setting one channel out of phase with
the other.
In guitar lingo these terms are interchanged however in true electrical
terms they are different. Reversing the polarity is switching the positive
and the negative wires around. Phase is actually in the time domain. A
signal can be 30 degrees out of phase with another causing the sound to
be muddy. 180 degree absolute phase shift is essentially identical to
reversing the polarity.
An AB box is a switcher that allows the musician to select one amp (A)
or the other (B). These are usually passive devices that are simply a
switch wired to two outputs.
This is a box that allows AB functionality as above with the added features
of being able to turn both amps on at the same time like a Y-jack.
Most AB boxes cause a click or thump when switching. The Switchbone uses
a series of expensive devices called opto-couplers (2 per switch) to perform
this task. We go to this extreme because when a guitar amp is set to distortion
the input sensitivity is increased dramatically and clicks and pops caused
by switching are amplified.
The problem is mostly due to the Y or when driving more than one amplifier
at the same time. The moment you try to drive more that one amplifier,
the guitar level will drop by half or 3dB unless amplified. This causes
the guitar to lack punch and definition. You can fix the problem by introducing
an amplifier but unless done very carefully, the sound of the guitar will
change. Then of course you have to deal with the hum, buzz and polarity
problems. Also, most AB-Y switchers use chips to drive the sound. The
Switchbone employs a true Class-A circuit for best sound.
Guitars live in the mid range. This means that if you want your guitar
to cut through the mix during a solo or if you intend to increase sustain,
adding mid range is critical.
Yes although it is most noticeable with true bypass pedals.
Yes of course! The Switchbone is extremely clean and will work fine in
the studio. You can also use it to ‘re-amplify’ your amps
or effects by recording a dry track, and then sending the signal to the
Radial X-Amp which converts low-impedance signals to high-impedance guitar
signals. The X-Amp would then be connected to the Switchbone.
Although you may find that the Drag control will reduce a bit of high-end
when Drag is set to maximum, because most acoustic guitars have built-in
pre-amplifiers, Drag has no direct connection to the pick-up themselves
and a such , will have very little if no effect at all on active instruments.
Most harshness of the acoustic guitar is caused by the low quality direct
boxes that are used. The best solution is a high quality DI like the Radial
JDI or J48.
When we developed the Switchbone, one of our primary goals was to reduce
foot steps during the switching process. The switchbone's noiseless opto-coupler
switching and Toggle Mode™ foot switching allows you to quietly
(ie: with no clicks or pops - even with high amp gain) select either A
or B to be 'ready' while still playing in the BOTH mode. In other words,
with both amps on, you are selecting which amp will stay on when you next
hit the BOTH switch to revert to single amp mode.
When transitioning from two amps to one, you may wish to have some gain
to make-up the difference in overall level. The Booster lets you accomplish
this. It also allows both amp levels to be increased at the same time.
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