The Bright Onion Pedals Looper with Amp Channel Selector v2 is a small utility pedal that does two jobs at once: it gives you one true bypass loop for a pedal or a chain of pedals, and a second footswitch that changes your amp's channel. It is aimed at amps that accept latching channel switching, and it lets you bring a pedal in and jump to your amp's other channel in a single motion, because the switch spacing means one stomp can hit both1.
Bright Onion Pedals describes it as "a single true bypass loop with an additional switch to select channels (for amps accepting latching channel switching)"1. The pedal is totally passive, built into an aluminum enclosure measuring 110x60x31mm, and listed at £54.95 GBP1.
What it is, and what it is not
The word "looper" gets used two ways in guitar gear, and this pedal is the simpler kind. It is a true bypass loop: a send and return pair that lets you switch a pedal, or a whole chain of pedals, in and out of your signal path with one press, keeping them out of the way when you are not using them. Bright Onion Pedals is explicit about the distinction, stating on the product page: "Please note this is not a phrase or sample looper pedal where you can record your guitar and then play over the loops"1. If you want to record phrases and layer parts over them, that is a different category of pedal entirely, covered under looping pedals.
Because the circuit is totally passive, the loop switching itself needs no power at all. Your clean signal passes through with nothing active in the way when the loop is off1.
The controls
The v2 keeps the front panel simple, with two footswitches and a small internal or side-mounted polarity switch1.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| Loop footswitch | Activates the loop, putting whatever is connected between send and return into your signal path1 |
| Channel footswitch | Changes your amp's channel, for amps that accept latching channel switching1 |
| Polarity switch | Ensures the correct LED status is selected for the channel footswitch1 |
The maker notes that "the loop footswitch activates the loop whilst the second switch changes your amp's channel, due to the spacing of the switches you can also do both with one stomp"1. For a player who wants to kick on an overdrive and jump to the amp's dirty channel at the same time, that spacing is the practical point of the design.
Status LEDs show which state each switch is in. These are the only part of the pedal that uses power, and the socket is a Boss style 2.1mm 9V DC type, so a standard pedalboard power supply output will run them1.
Power is optional. The pedal is totally passive and the switching works without it; the 9V socket only lights the status LEDs. If you do power it, use only a 9V DC center negative 2.1mm barrel supply, and never a battery, since the maker states its products contain none1.
The channel select jack and the polarity switch
The channel switching connects to your amp through a channel select socket, and the v2 ships with a mono version because that is the most commonly used. Bright Onion Pedals can instead fit a stereo socket wired to the ring if your amp's footswitch wiring needs that1.
The polarity switch matters because amps differ in how their channel switching jacks are wired. On the v2 it ensures the correct LED status is shown for the channel footswitch, so the lights match what the amp is actually doing1. On the original Looper with Amp Channel Selector, the polarity switch instead ensured the correct channel was selected for the loop2, so if you are comparing the two versions, that is a real difference between them.
How it compares with other Bright Onion loopers
Bright Onion Pedals builds a whole family of true bypass loopers, and the v2 sits in the middle of them. The differences come down to what else is packed in alongside the loop1:
- Looper with Amp Channel Selector (original): the same single true bypass loop with an amp channel socket, but with the polarity switch handling channel selection for the loop rather than LED status2.
- Looper with Volume Control: a single true bypass loop with a level knob placed right after the return socket, for taming loud pedals in the loop, rather than amp switching3.
- Mini Dual AB Looper with Tuner Mute and Dual AB Looper with Tuner Mute: dual true bypass loopers with an AB Loop switch to move between two loops, plus a tuner mute, built with Neutrik plug sockets45.
The v2 is the one to look at when your problem is amp channel switching rather than level control or choosing between two loops. Its 110 x 60 x 31 mm aluminum enclosure also makes it one of the more compact options in the range1.
Questions
Is the Bright Onion Looper with Amp Channel Selector true bypass?
Yes. The v2 is a single true bypass loop, so when the loop is switched off your clean signal passes straight through without any active circuitry in the path. The pedal is described by the maker as totally passive.
Can this looper record and play back phrases?
No. Bright Onion Pedals states plainly that this is not a phrase or sample looper pedal where you can record your guitar and play over the loops. It is a switching pedal: it turns a loop of pedals on and off and changes your amp's channel.
Does the amp channel selector need power?
No. The pedal is totally passive and contains no batteries. Power is only needed if you want the status LEDs to light, and then only a 9V DC center negative 2.1mm barrel supply should be used.
What does the polarity switch do?
On the v2, the polarity switch ensures the correct LED status is shown for the channel footswitch. On the original version it ensured the correct channel was selected for the loop, so the two versions use it slightly differently.
Does the channel select jack work with a stereo cable?
The channel select socket comes as a mono version because that is the most commonly used. Bright Onion Pedals can build it with a stereo socket wired to the ring instead if your amp needs that.
Sources (5)
- True Bypass Looper, Bright Onion Pedals
- True Bypass Looper, Bright Onion Pedals
- True Bypass Looper, Bright Onion Pedals
- True Bypass Looper, Bright Onion Pedals
- True Bypass Looper, Bright Onion Pedals
