Guitar straight into amp and use amp send/return all your pedals

[rogeryu_ph]

Guys, Just want to hear your experience and comments. This kind of set up I tried but only to limited amp. For me just the same with our guitar pedals series into amp setup. So what's the purpose of amp send/return? Does this have other purpose and what is the advantage of using it?  Is guitar straight into amp setup is more natural or pure of tone? No tone sucking? No cable sound degration? I'm not a purist but I'm curious. Many thanks.   

Roger

[Seljer]

the amp's preamp provides distortion

by placing an effect in the loop you're placing if after the distortion, which is the preferred position for many effects (delays, phasers, etc...)
while other things are generally placed in front of the amp (overdrives/booster pedals which are used to boost the signal before it goes into the preamp)

[jonathan perez]

time delay based pedals such as the chorus, delay, and flanger, belong in the loop, AFTER distortion.

[Processaurus]

one super handy thing with effects loops that has nothing to do with sound effects is to have a clean booster (or even a simple passive volume pot or volume pedal) in the loop, this makes it so you can change the overall/master volume without changing the gain sound from the amp, the way a booster or volume pedal running in front of the amp would.  That way you can play dirty and crucnchy, but be able to make it 10x as loud when you want to rip leads.  I love it a couple times in a set when someone's got something tasty to play and all of a sudden they're the loudest thing in the band.  Live, people really seem to freak when that stuff is way huge.

That would apply to players that use their amp for distortion, it wouldn't make a difference if you use your amp squeaky clean, in which case an effects loop isn't  necessary.

Another thing you could do is put a mixer in the effects loop and mix in a sampler or ipod, or even a mic in a pinch, and still have the sound you like from the pre-amp on the guitar.

[dmk]

time delay based pedals such as the chorus, delay, and flanger, belong in the loop, AFTER distortion.

thats open to hot debate 

[mars_bringer_of_war]

time delay based pedals such as the chorus, delay, and flanger, belong in the loop, AFTER distortion.

thats open to hot debate 

Absolutely. To my ears, there's nothing like a flanger or phaser in front of an overdriven amp.

[Barcode80]

it's all in tastes. effect order is not definite right or wrong, and it all depends on what your sound preference is.

that being said, when the option is there to do it conveniently, i prefer modulation AND boosts in the loop, distortion and filters in the guitar path. as much as i sometimes like to slam an amp input or a distortion pedal with a boost in the front, it doesn't make much sense to me if you want a volume boost, since you are boosting actual volume very little that way, and it seems a little odd to call what amounts to an overdrive pedal a booster (though i guess that's what it technically does).

as for modulation stuff, i have used them both in a loop and in the guitar path or in a specific point in relation to other effects, and don't let anyone tell you either is the "right" way. i've gotten thoroughly good sounds doing all of the above, just for my tastes and purposes i prefer them in the loop when possible.

anyone who tells you that you HAVE to put anything in any specific spot to get a "good" sound has let their brain get the best of their ears.

[MetalGod]

time delay based pedals such as the chorus, delay, and flanger, belong in the loop, AFTER distortion.

thats open to hot debate 

Absolutely. To my ears, there's nothing like a flanger or phaser in front of an overdriven amp.

^ +1

also, delays sound best in loops 'if' you're using amp distortion.  into a clean amp delays can sound great and with a fuzz it can sound tasty too.

[blanik]

experiment and trust your ears.

[mac]

When someone tells me "time based fxs belong to the loop" I do exactly the contrary, and viceversa.
There are no rules. This is very subjective.

one super handy thing with effects loops that has nothing to do with sound effects is to have a clean booster (or even a simple passive volume pot or volume pedal) in the loop, this makes it so you can change the overall/master volume without changing the gain sound from the amp, the way a booster or volume pedal running in front of the amp would.  That way you can play dirty and crucnchy, but be able to make it 10x as loud when you want to rip leads.  I love it a couple times in a set when someone's got something tasty to play and all of a sudden they're the loudest thing in the band.  Live, people really seem to freak when that stuff is way huge.
That would apply to players that use their amp for distortion, it wouldn't make a difference if you use your amp squeaky clean, in which case an effects loop isn't  necessary.
Another thing you could do is put a mixer in the effects loop and mix in a sampler or ipod, or even a mic in a pinch, and still have the sound you like from the pre-amp on the guitar.

I'm a guitar volume/tone guy, guitar+one distortion+amp revb+speaker, thanks for the tip.
The few times I used the loop was to take the signal from the preamp to the sound card.

mac

[rogeryu_ph]

Indeed subjective 

I think it depends on one style and ear Indeed this would be best explain by amp manufacturer and designer

Roger

[Ben N]

A lot depends on the signal level in your loop. Most pedals are designed for small signals, and don't do well with line level signals. If the voltage at your fx send is closer to line level, yu may wat to reserve the loop for rack-type effects. I have one amp with a loop, and the only uses I ever put it to were (a) for a stereo delay line with adjustable input levels, feeding both the fx return and a slave amp (awesome!), and (b) to switch between the built-in preamp and an outboard distortion preamp (actually, a Sansamp GT2). I never found that garden-variety fx pedals did any betterin the loop than ahead of the preamp, where they were designed to be.

YMMV, of course.

Ben

[runmikeyrun]

I don't like to put my effects into the loop because i use a few like uglyface, TSA, and runaway delay which put out very high signals when they get going.  I'm afraid to slam the power amp too hard when my master is already on 5 and pushing the limit of how hard i want to hit my power tubes.  At least through the preamp you have a few gain stages that will overload and distort more chopping off the huge peaks.  I think this is especially important for SS amps whose terrible distortion can destroy speakers in short order.

Now i'm rehousing my BBE for use and i'm going to see where it sounds better, in the chain or in the loop.  It's unity gain and i'm afraid the benefit of it will be lost by the time it gets through my pedals and the preamp gain sections.  We'll see!

[rogeryu_ph]

What about the issue of TONE SUCKing. Does this have significance co'z the guitar plug straight into amp? Correct me if i'm wrong. I'm not well verse in using send/return loop

Roger

[GibsonGM]

Tone sucking occurs mainly when using long cables. A search of "input impedance" will tell you more.    A buffer anywhere in the pedal chain will prevent it...it probably can still occur in the effects loop if using a low impedance input effect...a natural consequence of physics. 

Try it both ways, rogeryu...the way it sounds best to you is the right way!!
Personally I do not use my pre out/power in except to test preamps, etc.   All it is is a break in the chain between preamp and power amp.   I put my time/phase effects first in my chain, then distortion/boost >> amp.  Works for me.