Fender launches Switchboard Effects Operator loop switcher ahead of NAMM 2024

January 18, 2024 · 3 sources

Fender announced the Switchboard Effects Operator on January 18, 2024, as part of its pre-NAMM product launch. Guitar.com reported that among the launch's guitars, parts and accessories, the switcher was the only effects offering¹. Guitar World reported that the unit was developed in collaboration with Ron Menelli, "the man behind RJM Music's Mastermind switchers"².

The unit is a switching pedal with five relay true-bypass effects loops, the fifth stereo compatible, that can be toggled and rearranged into any order and saved into banks for recall¹². Guitar.com reported that presets are made via a small LCD screen and a rotary encoder¹; Guitar World described a full color screen, an oversized encoder knob and indicator LEDs that change color depending on the mode². The signal path remains completely analog, controlled by a processor².

Other features include MIDI, a footswitch jack for amplifier channel switching or tapping tempo into an analog delay, an internal volume pedal that can be pre-set or controlled by an external expression pedal, and switchable input and output buffers¹. Guitar World also listed a built-in tuner, 500 presets, USB and MIDI connectivity, an expression pedal input and a footswitch output². MusicRadar reported a 9V draw of 500mA³.

The Switchboard Effects Operator retails for $449.99²³. Guitar World compared that with "the usual $799 tag of the RJM Mastermind PBC/6X" and "the $1,000+ cost of something like the GigRig Atom G3," noting that both offer six loops². Guitar.com reported no price at the time of its article and said a figure near the Boss ES-5 would be reasonable to assume¹.

Fender's own description, as quoted by MusicRadar: