Switch Effects Pedals

The more technical your musical genre or personal play style, the more equipment you have to manage. Whether you use different amplifiers for different songs or you like to swap out your six-string for a seven or twelve-string guitar on the fly, router and signal path effects pedals allow you to quickly swap or combine inputs and outputs without wasting your time moving cables by hand. One of the most straightforward routing pedals is the AB switch. This signal path stompbox can split your guitar signal two ways, making it possible to drive two amps at once or choose between one path or the other—perfect for swapping between different pedalboards. It can also serve as a mixer when connected the other way, sending two signals to one device. For extra routing options, upgrade to an ABY switch and you can also connect a tuner or always-on supplemental effects pedal. For the guitarist who craves features, some router and signal path effects pedals come equipped with built-in gain adjustments and power boosters, making them well-suited to big arrangements with a lot of other effects units to drive the signal through. Like most stompboxes, router and signal path effects pedals are typically powered by a 9V battery or AC adapter. Unlike other effects boxes, however, these pedals are sometimes capable of working without power. This is good news if you're one adapter short on your pedalboard or if a battery dies unexpectedly. If you're using a passive signal path pedal, you can use it with no juice—the only thing you'll be missing is the indicator light. If you're a fan of complex guitar setups and frequent switching between different instruments, amplifiers or stompboxes, the right router and signal path effects pedals are a must. As basic or as feature-rich as you want them to be, these pedals make any guitarist's equipment a snap to manage.