Looper pedal advice please

Sparky

Bear with me .....

I'm starting to work on modes and I would like to use a looper to lay down some chords. I'm only looking for something basic to use with my Katana 50 (non FX loop version). What would people suggest is a good starter? Ones currently on my radar are:

Boss RC1/3
TC Ditto
EH Nano 360

Will they work through the amp ok? As far as my knowledge allows, I think the only issue running it through the front end is that I can't have separate effects for the loop and the lead over the top. Is my thinking correct?

Thanks in advance.

AlexC

I have a TC Ditto. Yes - you're right. I put mine right at the end of the chain which means it loops any signal going into it. So an obvious example would be play a clean rhythm and then add dirt for a lead line. Never tried it at the front TBH. Great pedal. Allows for 5 layers for 5 minutes. And very robust.

Legionreturns

The cheap clone Harley Benton (or other versions) dual Looper worked great for me before I got my Trio+. You could also try a basic trio, which doesn't have a Looper but does give you drums and bass backing to noodle over. Can be a more interesting sound than just chords. 

Wazmeister

Ive owned em all I think... 

1.) The best, and most creative imho, is the EHX 45000. I own one...

2.) Ditto lovely and simple.

3.) The Trio Plus is amazing, and very inspirational. I currently own one.

4.) Boss RC-1 has the magnificent (and I mean that) circling loop 
that shows you exactly where you are in the loop. But no storage.

5.) Which brings me to the Boss RC-3. Best all round imho of the smaller loopers, and it can store lots of loops; amazing how you soon build a little library up. I own oneof these too.

Some other thoughts...

EHX 360 - good storage, plays too quiet for me

Digitech - all seemed to colour and affect my tone

Ditto x 2 - love it - superb reverse loop option BUT ive had a couple of footswitch failures

markblack

+1 for the boss RC3 - great pice of kit. And you can store loops which I liked. Only hear good things about the ditto - but I think the £90 used for an RC3 looper is worth it for the ability to store (and the rhythms - even thought they sound pony).

I have the EHX 22500 - which I've just started using (I had the pigtronix infinity as well) but these are overkill if you just want basic looping IMHO.

Sparky

Cheers chaps, I do like the sound of being able to store loops.

Guitar_Slinger

I bought a Ditto from @mgaw a couple of weeks ago. Even though it's only mains powered, it stores loops.

smigeon

Wazmeister said:

Digitech - all seemed to colour and affect my tone

Yes, I found that too. So I got an expensive Pigtronix Infinity that didn’t suck tone; but unfortunately it was complex - more complex than I found I needed - and it required a dedicated power adapter. As a result, I rarely used it.

Now I have a one button TC ditto mini. It’s on my pedal board and powered by the thing that powers my other pedals, so there’s no setting up to do. And it doesn’t colour the tone *at all*. And it has no bells and whistles, and yet does everything I need it to (mainly recording a chord progression to play over) and it does it in a very straightforward and intuitive way. 

As a result, I actually use the thing, and enjoy it a lot. The older I get, the more I value simplicity, good design and quality.

By the way, I find I have no desire to store loops - it’s easy enough, and good practice too, to simply redo anything I want that I’ve overwritten.

hotpickups

Actually @Wazmeister that's a good heads up for me I.e. Boss RC 3. If I'm brave enough I could use something like that in my band as I'm the only guitarist other than the bassist

Unless there's another way to store loops that I could play back at a gig etc?