The low price looper shoot out...

[daddymack]

y'all should'a knowed this'un was comin' eventually...

 

I had some gig money burning the proverbial hole in my pocket...

 

So, I still have the RC-30 Loop Station [still a great unit! If anyone wants it, I may be inclined to sell soon....], but realized finally that all I am really using it for currently is basic looping, and why have a $300 looper on the floor when I could have a ~$100 looper on the floor, taking up less space? We were discussing pedal boards recently here, and that was when a light bulb went on about how big my rig was getting.

 

Comparisons were made between the JamMan Express XT, the RC-1 Loop Station, and the TC Ditto. I also researched but did not try the Hotone 'Wally' [suggested by a self proclaimed 'gear fiend' friend] and the Ditto X2...but the X2 was outside the target price range, and I could not find a Wally at my local shops.

 

First, having spent some years with the RC-30, the RC-1 was the odds on favorite at the beginning of the process. The JamMan XT reminded me much of its big brother as well, which ran a close second in the 'big boy' competition two years ago. Both offer the standard record, play, overdub, stop, clear stomp format, and a level control. So I started with these two in mind and they each had nice features, the RC with it's 'rotary display' of the loop being played, and the XT with the individual led's for record/play/overdub. But I realized while using the Ditto that I really didn't want to look down at the box except to make sure I was in the right mode, meaning very briefly, because I am singing, playing guitar, running the drums on the Beat Buddy, and the harmonizer too.... And I couldn't seem to get the level knob to work accurately on either the RC or the XT on the fly, and frankly, the less I have to fiddle around with, the better.

 

Both the RC and the XT are dual in/dual out, allowing for stereo loop effects, and other permutations...none of which I would likely avail myself [i already have that capacity with the RC-30, and haven't used it]. I honestly could not perceive much difference in the sound quality, either, at least demoing them in the local GC (thankfully, no 15 year olds in there on a Tuesday morning). Then there was the case size...and the Ditto is just...well, teeny! I didn't realize it when I first started my online research [the offset jacks should have clued me in, duh!].

 

So, here comes the funny part...I got the Ditto.

Why? Because I already have a big killer looper that makes a nice omelet on the weekends, changes my oil, rotates my tires quarterly, and a whole bunch of other things.....and I wanted a simple, small, basic unit...and frankly, the Ditto is just that: simple, small, basic.

[steve mac]

Good thought process to decide. I have a simple looper built into two of my pedals otherwise I would also be going for the Ditto.

[Shaster]

As I mentioned in a previous thread, I started down the looper road and then turned back. Last week, I purchased a Digitech delay with looping capabilitym but it's in my band guitar rig, along with my wireless and other stuff.

 

I've got a Christmas Eve gig at a hotel where the agent doesn't want sequences or drum machines. If I can't sneak my tracks in, maybe I'll try the looper again. I've heard good things about the Ditto, so maybe it's time...

 

Thanks for the shoot out.

[daddymack]

The price has dropped dramatically, btw...they were ~130, now ~100