I’ve been playing a solo acoustic gig for about 7 years now, and in all that time I’ve wanted to do lead breaks in various songs. But being a solo artist, and not having all that much time to spend on backing tracks, needless to say, lead breaks were out of the question – until now.
I just picked up a used Boss RC-2 the other day, and since playing with it, I just know that it is going to change the way I do my solo gigs forever. Even if I don’t keep this particular unit (which I probably will for quite awhile, as it does everything I need for now), I’m a total convert to using a looper!
Not that it hasn’t been challenging. Consistent tempo is tantamount to creating loops on the fly. Playing solo, I’ve gotten used to doing rhythmic embellishments, which don’t quite work all the time with a looper, and I’ve had to practice cutting off the record at just the right time. That has probably been the biggest challenge so far. But I’m starting to get the hang of it, and I’m just loving the possibilities it opens up for me!
Guitar Gear 
Congratulations. You are going to get so much use out of that. I started using a looper a few years ago when I found a basic one was built into my amp. Loved it. I then replace my amp and needed to get a looper asap. I almost purchased the RC-20, but wound up going with the RC-50 because of a great sale, a couple coupons and a gift card I had. Only cost a little bit more than the RC-20. I haven’t even scratched the surface of what it can do as I am a bit overwhelmed by it. So far I just keep using the first Phrase. I’m having fun though which is really what it is all about anyway. Check out what this guy can do with his RC-20. He’s pretty good.
This is totally cool! Thanks for sharing that! 🙂
Glad to know someone else is trying to get the “cut off” just right with a looper. Just got one since it was included in my Boss ME-25. Pretty neat, but I can’t seem to get the cut off right. I am enjoying the experience and I’m sure with practice, it’ll come. Now if I could just figure out SONAR… It’s gonna be a long summer.
I think I’m finally getting the cutoff right – still need practice though. But I’ve also found that using an extra footswitch pedal has been absolutely invaluable. I have a couple that I used to use to trigger stuff on an old keyboard that no longer works, and they’ve been collecting dust. I can get the tap tempo so much easier with that pedal than with the RC-2. No matter, it has been a TON of fun!