Whether you're just starting out on electric guitar or are a pro, there may be settings on your amp that you're not quite sure about. You may feel a little intimidated to try them out because you're not sure what the effect will be or what it could do to your amp. Plus, you don't want to risk damaging your amp.

The effects loop input/output capability on a guitar amp is a helpful but often underused tool. If you want to learn more about this setting on your amplifier so you can start using it more, read on!

What Is It? Effects Loop Explained

An effects loop can be used along with effects pedals to keep the sound clean as the amp's power increases.

When you start using effects pedals, you learn quickly there's an art to it. The order of your pedals between your guitar and the amp is critical — changing up the order will change up the sound, too. Before effects loop input/output capabilities were added to amplifiers, guitarists would plug certain effects pedals directly into the front of the amp. This worked well for a while — at least until overdrive became more popular.

As guitarists added more power and distortion to their amps, their sound turned muddy, and those cleaner tones disappeared in a mucky mess. That's where the effects loop comes into play — literally.

When guitarists use the effects loop input/output on their amps, their effects are coming in after the overdrive effect but before the increase in power. The muddy tone will be gone, and you'll get a clear sound with your effects at high power.

How Can I Use It?

Using an effects loop on your guitar is helpful, but not for every situation. If you're only using distortion, fuzz or boost pedals in your setup, it's not necessary. If you're using modulation, delay and reverb effects, you should be using your effects loop on your amp. Understanding how to use effect loops — and all the other settings on your amp — will help you have even more control over your music.

You can put almost any effect into the effects loop input/output on your amp, including delay, reverb, chorus, tremolo and boost. To set up your pedals with the effects loop, you'll be using the jacks labeled "send" and "return" on the back of your amp to create a chain, with your effects pedals between the two jacks. You can still create a chain with other effects between your guitar and the amp.

Like always, keep an eye on your levels while you're playing. If the levels of your amp and your effects pedals don't line up — even when they're connected in an effects loop — you'll get a less-than-ideal sound.

Now that you know the basic concept of an effects loop, go experiment! The type of sound you create is up to you. What one guitarist thinks sounds great, another may not like. Let your creativity run wild while you're creating a sound that's all your own.

To pick up any new equipment, like Boss Effects Pedals and Amplifiers, visit one of our two  Bananas at Large locations today.