Boss RC-1 Loop Station Pedal Bundle with 10ft Instrument Cable, 6in Patch Cable & Guitar Picks - Perfect for Live Performances, Home Recording & Practice Sessions

Call me a Boss fanboy. I own two of these, and another two loopers by boss for good measure. This is a very functional unit designed to bridge the gap for the musician looking to move out of the studio, and onto the stage. I would caution anyone considering it for the stage that the purchase of an external foot switch is an absolute must, and while not 100% necessary for the studio, I sure would, it helps streamline your looping process and gives you flexibility and speed.The looping software is exactly what I’ve come to expect from boss, top notch. The rhythm section is pretty rudimentary, it’s more for studio practice time, as it’s not anything you’d want to really use on stage, or on a recording. This is especially true when using the tap tempo function to slow the tempo on any prestored rhythms, I can hear the “stretch” they put into the signal. On very high quality tempo controllers, it’s seamless.The build of the box feels bomb proof. Some so called stomp boxes don’t lend themselves to the name, they skitter across the stage, or make a feeble little “clickity” type of sound. Boss got this one right. One heavy rubberized pad on either side of the box, each of which feel like you could stand on if you wanted, and rubber anti skid pads on the bottom . And unlike some of boss’s other offerings (I’m talking about you VE-8) you could operate this pedal securely with a pair of clown boots onstage if that’s what you wanted to wear, and there would never be any question about hitting both pedals at the same time unless you meant to.Again, get the external foot pedal. It shunts control of almost any parameter you want onto one or two assignable pedals. If you need more, you should consider the next level up in the boss chain. If I had one complaint about this aspect of the pedal it’s that either the manual or the programming process are counterintuitive. I read the instructions and ended up doing it exactly backwards the first time. Fixable once I figured out what I had done.If I wanted something for just the stage, I’d stick with the smaller RC-3. Pair it with the FS-6 double footswitch and it’s amazing what you can do onstage with those three pedals. If you’re needing something for the studio too, this is the obvious choice, especially with the computer input on the rear access panel. It’s less portable than the RC-3, but the rhythm section and onboard effects give you some more power in the studio. Honestly I haven’t figured out in my solo act what I’d possibly use the effects for onstage.Pros: Clean looper. Extra Flexibility especially with external added pedal. Build quality. Customizable pedal assign.Cons: Cumbersome onstage workflow without the added pedal. Suspect tempo controller.