The GigRig G3 Atom

The GigRig G3 Atom is a pedalboard switcher: a floor unit that sits between your guitar and your pedals and amps, letting you bring effects in and out of the signal path with one press instead of tap-dancing across your board. It carries six passive true bypass matrix effects loops, each of which can be configured for stereo using TRS cables, and it routes your signal to two separate outputs, one of them isolated and phase reversible so two amps can run without earth hum or phase issues¹.

The GigRig positions the Atom as a compact alternative to the larger G3 "without compromising on any of its features"¹. It arrived as part of the G3 range in 2020, with MusicRadar reporting it would be available in November of that year at £799². Guitar World's Michael Astley-Brown described the Atom at launch as packing "six loops, all of which can be mono or stereo via the use of TRS jacks"³.

What the G3 Atom does

A switcher like the Atom solves a practical problem: the more pedals you leave in line, the more your tone degrades through buffers, patch cables and bypass losses. The Atom takes your pedals out of the chain entirely until you call for them, through true bypass loops that GigRig says leave the signal untouched. The company describes the result as "the ultimate in signal path purity," and says the unit "will not load or colour your guitar tone, letting you hear your effects and amps as they were designed to sound"¹.

The measured signal path backs up the transparency claim on paper: in true bypass the bandwidth is 4Hz to 100KHz, input impedance is 3.3M Ohm, and the maximum input signal is 16.5V peak to peak¹.

For players running two amps, the Atom's two outputs give options. Out 1 is true bypass with your amps off, and it is earthed, so it must be connected to ground at all times. Out 2, with amps off, is buffered and isolated using GigRig's Hi-Definition Isolation, which the company says avoids earth hum and phase problems between amplifiers¹.

Footswitches, screen and presets

The Atom is controlled by GigRig's own-design OptoKick footswitches, milled from stainless steel. They use light instead of mechanics to do the switching, which GigRig says means "there's nothing to break"¹. An ultra-bright TFT LCD screen, approximately 5 x 3.8cm, shows the Bank, Preset Number and Name, Pre and Post Gain levels, and the menu system, with adjustable brightness for outdoor stages¹.

Presets are where the Atom gets flexible. It holds 99 banks with up to 16 presets per bank, and each preset can be configured for Preset mode (one press recalls a whole setup) or Stomp Box mode (switches behave like individual pedal switches)¹.

The built-in Bluetooth links the unit to the G3 Atom iOS app, which handles software updates, system back-ups and set-list editing, so you can build and reorder a show's worth of presets from a phone rather than the footswitch menu¹.

Power and connections

The Atom runs on 9V DC through a 2.1mm center negative connector and draws 850mA¹.

Connections are six effects loops (mono, or stereo via TRS cables), an input, and the two outputs described above. TRS remote switching is also available for controlling other gear¹.

How it differs from the G3 and G2

The Atom sits in the middle of GigRig's G-series switchers. The G3 range launched in 2020 with four products: the G3, the G3 Atom, the G3 Hub and the G3 Extension Kit². Guitar World called the G3 "the successor to the award-winning G2"³.

The trade-off is straightforward: the Atom gives up half the loops and smaller banks compared with the G3, but keeps the stereo-capable loops, the two isolated outputs and the same power spec. Against the older G2, the Atom gains stereo on every loop rather than just two, and Bluetooth app control instead of MIDI ports. Premier Guitar's review of the G2 noted its "10 independent loops (two are stereo)" and eight banks of 15 slots⁶, so a player choosing between used G2 units and an Atom is choosing between MIDI integration and per-loop stereo.

The G3 itself also adds built-in wet/dry signal splitting, which Guitar World noted lets players "send different combinations of effects to different amps"³, a feature the Atom's six loops and two outputs handle on a smaller scale.

The G3S Atom version

GigRig also builds the G3S Atom, which the company describes as "its Atom with built with screens next to each footswitch"⁸. Beyond the per-switch displays, the G3S Atom adds features aimed at stereo players: stereo delay and reverb trails, and a true stereo Post Gain stage. It shares the same core layout, with six passive true bypass matrix loops configurable for stereo using TRS cables, 2 separate outputs with one isolated and phase reversible, and the same compact-alternative positioning, in this case relative to the larger G3S⁸.

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