AB/XY or 2 x ABY ?

[fleabag]

Tricky one

I need a switching box with 2 inputs and 2 outputs,  one for bass one for acoustic.  Bass out to amp and acoustic out to a desk.  Now, i cant seem to find a 2 in 2 out box, unless i pay some silly price,

so will  2 x ABY boxes work if i reverse one of them ?  I dont need them combining at all.   Only one or the other.

 

EG.  First ABY used back to front,  so 2 instruments in, and single  out to another ABY single input, and then that gets me 2 outputs, if that makes sense. I can then split the 2 instruments off.  Sounds messy and it means 2 pedals taking up a lot of space, but ABY boxes ( 1 in 2 out ) are helluva lot cheaper than the 2 in 2 out boxes i've seen...  think  Radial.  No way hose a

 

The Behringer AB200 looked like i was onto something till i found they've disappeared off the market, and then i discovered they're battery only.  No way hose b

 

Gotta be 9v mains supply.

 

The other thing is, are all ABY boxes  able to be used back to front as well as the regular way round ?    I dont know how tell just by looking online, and it never seems to be in the descriptions as to whether its possible

 

I was looking at the Fender  model   https://www.absolutemusic.co.uk/fender-aby-2-way-switch-pedal.html

but again, doesnt say if it can be used in reverse

 

Any suggestions on a 29 quid note please

[Downunderwonder]

I don't understand what you are trying to get done. Most people plug the bass straight in the bass amp and the guitar straight in the desk.

 

Any basic A/B/Y box is 2 going to one or 1 going to two depending which way you plug it in.

[fleabag]

Forgot to mention, both instruments are sharing an FX pedal, which only has 1 in 1 out.

[Joe Nation]

I barely know one end of a TSR cable from the other, but it sounds like two ABYs is exactly what you need. Acoustic (A) and bass (B) into one box, then out (Y) to the FX, then into (Y) the other box and out to the amp (A) and desk (B). With a 2 in 2 out, you've got no way to get the FX in line with both guitars.

 

Edit: A for acoustic and B for bass! Also see Matt P's post further down with the Dual AB switch, sounds ideal.

Edited February 2, 2022 by Joe Nation

[PigBass]

Hi Fleabag, I have a Behringer AB100 (bought it, tried it, found that it worked perfectly and that I also never needed it) but I can confirm that it is switchable from either 2 in 1 out, or 1 in 2 out. 

 

Darren.

[Matt P]

do you need both instruments or both amps to be live at the same time? 

 

for the input a simple a/b box should work fine (one instrument or the other)

 

for the output then an A/B if you only need one output at a time, A/B/Y if you need to feed 2 amps at once as well as seperately.

 

It's a small thing but the A/B pedals are slightly cheaper which is more important when you are buying two.

 

i've made my own in the past but recently i bought a bright onion one and it's a great bit of kit and not that expensive, they offer lots of options as well so they might make something that would suit  True Bypass Loopers made by Bright Onion Pedals

 

Matt

 

 

EDIT - just had a look and if you only ever need one instrument and one amp then this seems like it will do everything in one box (with a loop for the FX pedals)    Dual AB Switch with Loop – True Bypass - Bright Onion Pedals

Edited February 2, 2022 by Matt P
Added Link

[fleabag]

3 hours ago, Joe Nation said:

I barely know one end of a TSR cable from the other, but it sounds like two ABYs is exactly what you need. Acoustic (A) and bass (B) into one box, then out (Y) to the FX, then into (Y) the other box and out to the amp (A) and desk (B). With a 2 in 2 out, you've got no way to get the FX in line with both guitars.

 

Edit: A for acoustic and B for bass! Also see Matt P's post further down with the Dual AB switch, sounds ideal.

 

I had a think and it seems you are bang on. !

[fleabag]

3 hours ago, PigBass said:

Hi Fleabag, I have a Behringer AB100 (bought it, tried it, found that it worked perfectly and that I also never needed it) but I can confirm that it is switchable from either 2 in 1 out, or 1 in 2 out. 

 

Darren.

 

I'll PM

 

[fleabag]

2 hours ago, Matt P said:

do you need both instruments or both amps to be live at the same time? 

 

for the input a simple a/b box should work fine (one instrument or the other)

 

for the output then an A/B if you only need one output at a time, A/B/Y if you need to feed 2 amps at once as well as seperately.

 

It's a small thing but the A/B pedals are slightly cheaper which is more important when you are buying two.

 

i've made my own in the past but recently i bought a bright onion one and it's a great bit of kit and not that expensive, they offer lots of options as well so they might make something that would suit  True Bypass Loopers made by Bright Onion Pedals

 

Matt

 

 

EDIT - just had a look and if you only ever need one instrument and one amp then this seems like it will do everything in one box (with a loop for the FX pedals)    Dual AB Switch with Loop – True Bypass - Bright Onion Pedals

 

Basically, i dont need both instruments to be live at the same time, but both amps will be.  When we say amps, one is the bass amp, and the other is the desk

 

I'll say it again, this time with the pedal in case i confused anyone.

 

Both bass and acoustic wil be sharing an FX pedal  ( has 1 in and 1 out )  so if i connnect both instruments into a  2 input switch box first,  then out of the switch box is 1 output.

That 1 output then goes to FX pedal input.  Then out of the FX pedal into another AB , so each each instrument can be spilt off. Bass to bass rig /amp and Acoustic to the desk

 

I guess ABY is not needed , just 2 AB boxes - does that sound more correct.   I never need to combine bass and acoustic, so i guess the Y function of  the switches is not needed

 

I think 

 

Edited February 2, 2022 by fleabag

[fleabag]

PS those Bright Onion pedals look like biz. 

[Downunderwonder]

3 hours ago, fleabag said:

 

I guess ABY is not needed , just 2 AB boxes - does that sound more correct. 

Not really. A regular passive A/B is a regular passive ABY box with different writing on it.

[Matt P]

16 hours ago, Downunderwonder said:

Not really. A regular passive A/B is a regular passive ABY box with different writing on it.

 

normally an ABY box has 2 switches and gives 3 different options (A, b or both) the most common use is to split a signal to two different amps.

 

An A/B box usually has a single switch and only the option of A or B. 

 

 

@fleabag I've had another look at bright onion and they offer an alternative pedal to the one i linked above that only has one switch and switches both the input and the output at the same time, if you won't ever need to send the acoustic signal to the bass amp (or vice versa) then it is a tenner cheapet and takes up a little less room on the pedalboard  version 2 A/B   might be exactly what you were looking for?

[fleabag]

Thanks Matt,  seems like a good option.  As i need a 2nd pedal, that might be the one to get