I have ignored loops forever and will continue to do so. I just don’t think it does much for you especially on bass.
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Just watched a Basstheworld video where Gregor said a bass player never needs an effects loop and they should be taken off bass amps.
Would anyone really miss it if it was gone?
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Depends what style of music you’re playing. I found them very useful for ambient / atmospheric / drone type of genres.
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The one use I would have for them is a place to put reverb and maybe delay if I wanted it to affect the tone the amp preamp adds as well. Which is kind of another way of saying what @Noisembryo just said.
But no, generally would be useless for me. Would rarely use it. I want almost all my effects before the final preamp.
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Same, I guess the use of a FX loop is rare for most bass players. I prefer to use my delay before the preamp.
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I think I am finally clever enough to understand this thread and the video.
My take (and reviving in case newer folks are wondering about these effects loops).
- If you use the preamp section distortion, etc of you amp, the effects loop gives you a way of putting your reverbs and delays after those internal amp EQ/distortion/etc. Delays and reverbs generally come after preamps unless you are looking to do something different in tone.
- If you use pedal based preamps vs. your amp’s preamp, or, have a very clean preamp with your amp (like I do) putting everything before your amp is fine. You could move the preamp and reverbs/delays into the effects loop, but makes no sense at all.
- If you use the effects loop, you have to be careful to understand what kind you have and what pedals you put in it.
- I see no need for the effects loop (for me) and will be just fine calling these features “the extra buttons on any piece of electronics that will never get used”.
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Yep, having a effects loop on bass equipment is more or less useless IMO. But if they leave it off people will say why no effects loop. I can guarantee that 90% of people including guitar players just plug their effects into it thinking it somehow improves things.
I can guarantee 100% in not using it wrong…cause I’m not using the effect loop on my amp and I don’t have any effect pedals! 
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This is exactly how I used to use it on the Darkglass amp I sold. It had built-in vintage Microtubes, so the only way to get reverb after that was in the effects loop.
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Yep 
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Yeah, and thats what dave does and it’s certainly the correct way to do it. I’m just not sure on a bass what dif it would make unless youre doing some jaco solo with dirt and reverb or something. And even then i dont know, seems more of a guitar thing.
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I think it’s basically useless. Reverb and delay post vs pre would make some difference for preamps that really color the tone - something like Ampegs or some G-K for mainstream amps, etc… but really for most it will be a subtle difference. I’d rather just put it inline before the preamp.
And I definitely would want an EQ after the reverb anyway, so it’s easiest that way in the first place.
Of course, it’s even easier to just ditch hardware completely when you’re talking about this level of tone nitpickerry.
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It is also a lot of cable management if you want to work with a FX loop (4CM). The idea of having just one clean and complete pedalboard before the amp works fine for me.
For guitar it may be different because of the higher gain? Anyway this is a nice illustration from Andertons:
It is interesting that an extra EQ is in the loop. Nice way of controlling your effects.
Only time I use the FX loop is when I want to use a different (preamp) tone. The preamp pedal output is connected to the return of the amp so it skips the preamp of the amp.
But they put it in the wrong place, LOL. That’s stacking it immediately behind the preamp EQ. Two EQ’s in a row, one right behind the other. Instead they should put it after the reverb there, to make it effective at taming the reverb shimmer and chorus harmonics.
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I would agree with you. The article isn’t really that extensive on this particular picture. What is 4 Cable Method & How Do You Use It? - Andertons Blog
My main point was that it is also a lot of extra cables and hassle to manage your pedalboard(s). Don’t see really the point of using it on a multi-fx unit either because you usually do the routing in the unit. Think it only matters if you have your own amp with you.
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It’s useful for looping
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