What is the best ABY pedal of 2021?
We know the right answer.
Every guitarist wants an ABY pedal that brings out the passionate feeling of a powerful effect.
There are numerous ABY pedals with different strengths and effects on the market, and we will help you choose the best one for your needs.
Let’s look at them.
Top 5 Best ABY Pedals:
| Image | Model | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Radial Bones Twin City (Editor's Choice) | Check Price |
 | Lehle Little Dual | Check Price |
 | Radial BigShot | Check Price |
 | MXR M196 | Check Price |
 | Electro-Harmonix Switchblade | Check Price |
Radial Engineering Twin-city Bones ABY AMP Switcher (Editor’s Choice)
Radial Engineering adopted the highly acclaimed buffering technology and Drag Control load correction circuitry used in the award-winning Radial JDT injector.
Two amps can be connected and used simultaneously without noise, altering the tone or loss of gain.
The Twin-city footswitch eradicates the noise susceptibility of the amps and the impedance. That makes it the perfect signal driver for large stages using cable runs.
It has a durable constructed 14-gauge steel designed to withstand busy stage.
The Radial EIS (Electronic Impulse Switching) of the Twin-city footswitch eliminates mechanical switches’ challenges, thus giving a superb performance.
It also has a LED indicator that makes on-stage switching easy as it indicates the activated output.
Among several features, this ABY pedal has a phase reversal and ground lifting switch. The huge pedalboard and long cable runs retain the signal quality of the guitar. Switching between amps is swift and easy.
We especially recommend this pedal for professional players on big stage performance because of its long cable runs.
The pickup-to-tube-circuit relationship between a guitar and tube amp always stays strong. It withstands load change without altering the original tone of the guitar.
The price might seem a bit high. However, it would be a good thing to buy, considering its high quality.
Lehle Little Dual Amp Switcher
The Lehle Little Dual Amp switcher is a durable, well-constructed, maximum signal amp switcher with bypass operation, activating two amps simultaneously using the left footswitch. The right one is used to switch back and forth between them.
Its uniquely engineered design with silent switches makes it flawless. It is capable of handling stereo sources with a seamless switching operation.
The Lehle Little Dual features a gold-plated-contact phase inverter and a gold-plated-contact ground switch. It can be operated either in alternation or parallel without sound loss or hum.
This pedal functions as A or B. Using the stereo signal of an effect unit as the input enables routing instruments equipped with two pickups, including some acoustic, hybrid guitars, and double basses by two amplifier systems with ease.
If you would like to play through your effects and simultaneously record a dry signal for later re-amping using a mixer/recorder, as long as your mixer/recorder has an HiZ input, Lehle will do just that.
Alternatively, you can use an XLR or TRS cable for your output signal. An additional advantage is that this pedal alters no sound or dynamics as the signal passes the switcher with no loss of frequency or signal strength. It guarantees a full frequency range of quality sound.
This pedal has a specially built Lehle LTHZ transformer that electrically isolates ground connection and breaks hum at this point.
Radial BigShot ABY True Passive Switcher
The incredible ability of Radial BigShot ABY true passive switcher to toggle between guitar amps and yet keep its original signal quality or play both amps at once perfectly makes it an interesting ABY pedal to use.
The output B has a polarity reverse, ground lift, and isolation transformer 14-gauge steel construct capable of suppressing any noise. It avoids ground loop or out-of-phase play in which the speakers are synchronized perfectly to avoid one moving forward and the other backward.
Experienced guitarists observed that guitar pickups react differently when connected to tube amps and solid-state amps even if they have the same load or impedance.
Radial invented the “Drag Control” function that enables the guitarist to‘ dial-in’ the desired amount of load on the pickup. That creates the feel and tone as if connected directly to a tube guitar amp.
Radial BigShot ABY True Passive pedal is specially designed to accommodate two entirely different setups: it can record both simultaneously. It would record your guitar both dry and thru the effects pedals.
You don’t need a 9V battery to power the switcher as it requires no power at all.
However, the Radial BigShot ABY pedal only has a mono input. It has just ¼ switch jacks, and if you would like to have stereo effects using two amps, this pedal cannot do that.
Electro-Harmonix Switchblade+ Advanced Channel Selector
The new Switchblade+ is your utilitarian sidekick as it comes with a passive audio path and active LED indicator.
Electro-Harmonix Switchblade+ can use a 9V battery or a 9VDC battery eliminator capable of delivering at least 16mA.
It can also operate without power since the audio path is passive. Switchblade+ routes your signal to output A or B or both A+B simultaneously, switching between different pedalboards. It guarantees no signal loss.
The turner port can be an additional output to another effects chain or amp.
This pedal also comes at a very fair price.
MXR M196 A/B Box
MXR M196 pedal is a simple, economical, and effective ABY amp switcher used to select one or both amps simultaneously with different effects.
The revolutionary development of MXR Company designed this effects pedal to be a reliable and sturdy stompbox in a small size. You can connect the Thru output to a tuner, amplifier, or any other device which needs to receive the signal.
The device delivers a signal to two separate outputs. Unlike most pedals, MXR M196 runs on a 9V battery. You can use this pedal with an active bass guitar, even with two high-gain amps. It will not disrupt the quality of the signal or give a humming sound.
Is it the best AB switch for guitar on the market? I doubt so because we have several options mentioned above but it is definitely a simple and effective device for any bass guitarist.
Comparison of ABY pedals
Let’s analyze these pedals to know which is more favorable.
Active Buffer Pedals
The buffer means to electronically strengthen a weak high impedance guitar signal to run over long cable without tone degradation.
- Always active regardless whether the pedal is on or not.
- Enhances weak high impedance signal over longer cable runs from your guitar to the amp without tone alteration of the guitar.
- Active low impedance pickups can drive signal through at least 100 feet cable.
- Buffer pedals prices are high.
Passive True-bypass Pedals
True bypass simply means that the signal from your guitar passes through the pedal unaltered when the effect of the pedal is turned off (bypassed).
- A true-bypass pedal won’t drive signal through long cables to the amp which might cause tone alteration or loss when the pedal is off.
- Passive high impedance pickups can drive signal through approximately 18 feet cable.
- Passive pedals are cheaper than active pedals.
Choosing a Good ABY Switcher
First and foremost, you need to choose between active ABY pedals and passive ABY pedals.
Active true-bypass ABY boxes are the only way to retain the absolute tone of the instrument. Passive switchers are less expensive and might appeal to a large audience.
Musicians select an active buffer ABY switcher, believing it will reduce noise from lights, transformers, radio frequencies, and other magnetic fields and enables longer cable runs.
Active buffered ABY switchers can eliminate problems of a passive switcher, though at a higher cost.
Features of the Best ABY pedals:
- ABY pedal must be able to eradicate noise and break humming sounds.
- It should be able to switch between amps or select two amps without altering the dynamics or quality of the signal.
- ABY pedal should have a phase reversal and ground lifting switch or should be able to do that.
- An ABY pedal should be able to retain the original signal quality of the guitar when connected via a long cable to the amp.
- It might have an LED indicator to indicate the activated output while playing.
- A good ABY should be very rugged and should be able to withstand accidental stomp.
Given everything said above, it is easy to say active buffer pedal is the best for users. It is durable and guarantees a quality signal for stage performance and indoor recording.
Radial Engineering Twin-city Bones ABY AMP Switcher proves to be an amazing piece to use regardless of the cost. It possesses almost all the unique features to give you an amazing playing experience. In our opinion, it is the best ABY pedal available on the market at the moment.