Monday, October 25, 2010

Drifting Through the Highway to Hell




RRPG Mini Looper
True Bypass Switcher

  • Size: 1 3/4" x 3 7/8" x 2 3/8"
  • Single Channel Swictcher
  • Heavy Duty Enclosure
  • Built w/ Top Notch Parts & Components
  • Custom LED Color Options
  • Standard 9V (-) Adapter Jack
  • Hand Built in Canada
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In today's world of stompbox play it is not uncommon to see players using switchers of one sort or another. These helpful and genius little boxes have become the secret weapons for many of today's players, from the bedroom jammer to the certified pro. With today's breed of player becoming more and more tone conscience, tools like these are a necessity. So where is it one turns when on the hunt for a solid top quality switcher?... One place many players are turning to is Road Rage Pro Gear, and for good reason too. RRPG's rep for kicking out great quality versatile switchers is one that has really begun to make some noise. This little Canadian outfit offers one of the widest variety of switchers you will ever come across. On the Road Rage website you will find everything from single all the way up to 12 channel loopers, different types of signal/feedback/and tap-tempo switchers, boosters and buffers, small footprint volume pedals, DIY kits, great quality enclosures, awesome pedalboards, and much much more. Each one of RRPG's products is built by hand one at a time and constructed from the finest parts and components. Road Rage Pro Gear comes to us courtesy of Jeff Wesseling. Along with his partner Rosa, Jeff has made it his mission to deliver unto the music playing community some of the best quality tone saving tools money can buy. These switchers are great for maintaining one's root tone and for pulling the best sound from your pickups, amps, and guitars. Once you have a go at one of these switchers you will see just how impressive and attractive they really are. I myself was quite blown away by the beauty of the RRPG Mini and found it to be one of the most useful little gadgets I have ever come across. 

Whenever assembling, designing, or putting together together one's precious beloved pedalboard, the name of the game is always to try and save on as much space as possible. This is where a pedal like the RRPG Mini true bypass switcher comes in very very handy. Being no longer than a finger and no wider than two, this little box is the perfect choice for any crowded pedal gathering. And don't let it's size fool you, this box is capable of a lot more than most pedals. Pay attention.

I began my Road Rage Mini experiment by using it as a simple true bypass looper. Because of the pedal's size I was able to mount it onto my board without moving or swapping out any of my pedals. My first mission was to plug it into some of my buffered overdrivers, boosters, distortions, and fuzz boxes. I have some great sounding old and new dirt boxes that I just knew would benefit from a true bypass operation. Just like I expected the pedal helped with both tone sucking and overall sound issues. The Mini was able to show me th differences between true bypass and the opposite, which helped choose just where and with what pedals to us it with. When using a pedal like this you won't necessarily hear from insanely crazy change in your sound, it's something you feel and can notice in the response of your playing. Through the Mini I was able to achieve a much more transparent and clearer tone, which made everything work smoother and got me closer to the naked amp feel. The RRPG Mini also came in handy for use with switchless stompboxes. An example of this was plugging my switchless treble boosters in with the RRPG Mini. This let me kick the treble boosted signal in & out as I pleased just like any other pedal. This sounded and worked great for solos, choruses, and build-ups. Digital delays are another area where a true bypass switcher can come in handy. Not all digital delay stompboxes are of studio quality or built with the finest components. This can have a dramatic affect o your sound which you will most def pay for in the end. This little pedal here fixes this problem by making those cheapo part delays into true bypass fine machines. Another great use I found for this pedal was using it as a preset switch, which the possibilities can be endless for. For this all you simply need to do is grab those two or three favorite pedals that you like to use together, plug them in line and then in and out of the switchers send and returns, and that's it! You're good to go with a killer, simple, favorite preset switch you can call in any time you'd like. I did this with a fuzz and reverb pedal to help me get those haunting spaced out tripped out fuzz sounds. This is a sound I like to use whenever layering or adding accents to a song. I actually used the Mini on a few gigs which was of huge help. The last switcher I had didn't fit on my board and sat on the floor. Here I did not have this problem. Another really cool trick I was shown some time ago, is plugging in a half cocked wah and throwing in a crunchy/gritty overdrive pedal.  This creates one of the wildest most unique tones you will ever hear, and it is simple to do. How about those of you that like play your lead tones with delay? Again, not a problem with this little beast. Like I said, the possibilities are endless. Next, I was able to use the Mini as a silent true bypass tuner mute. This works great for any tuner you need or like to leave on, or any of thos egreat quality non-switch tuners. But one of the coolest uses I found for this little monster was using it as an A/B amp or instrument switcher. This is another trick I learned from a buddy of mine that I dig using when playing big enough venues. You can literally feed one signal into your favorite clean amp, and another to your favorite dirty amp. You can also patch in whichever pedals you like to use with each amp or plug into all your pedals first to use them with both amps. With the Mini you can switch from clean amp to dirty amp, all without some complex or expensive system. With instruments maybe there's an acoustic and electric you gig with, or a keyboard and guitar you gig with. Plug them both in and switch back and fourth with no problem. In the end this makes for a much more powerful tool that it may seem to be. For those of you familiar with the world of true bypass switchers and loopers you already know how they can benefit you. For those of you who haven't had the chance to jump into this world, this is a perfect place to start. The Road Rage Pro Gear Mini is tiny and packs on hell of a punch! 

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For more info on Road Rage Pro Gear go to www.roadrageprogear.com or lick any of the RRPG banners on our site. We will try to bring you some more from our Canadian friends as soon as possible so hang tight and let the bed bugs bite. 

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