The 7 Best Looper Pedals for Guitar (2023)
Loop pedals were initially quite tricky to develop, as they needed a recording device inside the pedal that could record and then play the recorded signal in a loop. The first loop pedals came to be in the 90s and spread over the world like wildfire.
Today, you can find dozens of different looper pedals on the market. On this list you will find 7 of the top looper pedals today, ranging from affordable, smaller ones to the high-end pricey ones.
My top recommended looper pedal is the BOSS Audio RC-3 Loop Station Pedal. A high-quality and highly used pedal with 3 hours of loop time available for use.
My second recommended looper pedal is the LEKATO Electric Guitar Looper Effect Pedal. If you want something more affordable yet satisfying, the LEKATO is one of the best that fits this description.
Contents
- The 7 Best Looper Pedals for Guitar (2023)
- 1. BOSS Audio RC-3 Loop Station Pedal
- 2. LEKATO Electric Guitar Looper Effect Pedal
- 3. Electro-Harmonix Stereo Memory Man with Hazarai Delay / Looper Pedal
- 4. MXR Clone Looper Guitar Effects Pedal (M303)
- 5. Pigtronix Infinity 2 Dual Stereo Looper
- 6. Donner Triple Looper Guitar Pedal
- 7. TC Electronic Ditto Looper
- How do Looper Pedals Work?
- Where does a Looper Pedal go in the signal chain?
- What to look for in a Looper Pedal when buying?
- Conclusion
The 7 Best Looper Pedals for Guitar (2023)
Let’s compare these in more detail.
1. BOSS Audio RC-3 Loop Station Pedal
Another one to do it all pedal. When there are guitar pedals, you know BOSS will show up with their unique sturdy design and they didn’t disappoint once again. RC-3 is a loop station with a bunch of options that make it a high-end contender.
First of all, there are 3 hours of looping time. This means you can have all the time in the world to record everything you need. Apart from that, you can store up to 99 different loops at the same time and save them on the pedal.
Also, you will get an auto-record option, giving you time to automatically record when you start playing or to give you one bar time to prepare. 10 different basic rhythms are also available to give you a hand while recording your loops. This is also a great way to play by yourself when you’re practicing at home.
For connectivity, you have a true stereo with two pairs of ¼” I/O as well as an AUX-in and a USB connectivity. This allows you to connect both the computer or other instruments to this pedal and record them also through this pedal.
All in all, this is a great, high-end, quality pedal that is going to last you for years, and with so many options it will make even the hardened professionals happy. The price is a bit on the high side, but it’s not too expensive.
Alternative options from Boss: BOSS RC-10R, BOSS RC-1 Loop Station, BOSS RC-300 Loop Station.
2. LEKATO Electric Guitar Looper Effect Pedal
We move on to the budget choice to form this list. The item in question is a LEKATO Looper Effect Pedal, which is a tiny, budget-friendly, loop pedal. Unlike the most looper pedals out there which have additional effects to them, this pedal comes with just a simple loop pedal but does what it’s supposed to brilliantly.
This pedal comes with just a single knob for level (sound volume) and a single button. It’s small – you could place it on your hand easily.
As for the I/O, it has a standard ¼” I/o as well as a mini USB port. It also comes with a USB cable, so you can connect it easily to your computer and upload the sounds you want to loop from there.
As for the looping it has up to 5 minutes of loop time and unlimited time of overdub. But, beware that your loop is only going to last as the first loop you recorded, so start from the longest one first. It doesn’t come with an AC charger, so beware that you should get one with it too.
This is a great affordable pedal that does one thing but is great at what it does. For this price, you won’t be able to find a better looper for sure.
3. Electro-Harmonix Stereo Memory Man with Hazarai Delay / Looper Pedal
Electro-Harmonix Memory Man is one of the best pedals there is. Made by a famous company, this stereo looper pedal, apart from the loop effect, also has the delay and a bunch of other effects that enable you to achieve the sound you want.
The main option is the 30-second loop over which you can then play and record more sounds. You can set up to 8 different presets and there are echo, multitap, reverse echo, and loop effects already on the pedal.
With options like blend, decay, filter, repeats, and delay, you can set up any sound you have imagined with this pedal. The pedal itself is not too big and has a sturdy metal casing, tight, precise knobs, and buttons.
It comes with a true stereo signal, meaning it has two ¼” ins and outs and works on a power cord, without the possibility of getting the batteries inside.
This is a pricey item, but from my personal experience (and I had one for almost 10 years) it will endure anything you throw at it and always perform at the top level. No matter if you use it for guitar, bass, voice, or anything else, you can be sure you’re getting the best effects there is out there.
4. MXR Clone Looper Guitar Effects Pedal (M303)
MXR Clone M303 is an affordable yet quality pedal to fulfill your needs for the loop effect. As for the effects you get with this pedal, there is only a loop, but you can choose to play your recording normally, at double speed, or in reverse, allowing you to experiment and play with your sound.
As for the build, this pedal is out into a metal casing, with one volume knob, and two separate buttons to stomp on, which control the pedal.
There is a standard ¼” I/O as well as two different ¼” jacks, that allow you to connect other footswitches or external controllers to this pedal.
Pricewise this is a very affordable item, so there is no reason not to get one if you want to experiment and broaden your sound a little. Whether on stage or at home, this is a great item to have in your collection.
5. Pigtronix Infinity 2 Dual Stereo Looper
Here is another high-end loop pedal. Pigtronix Infinity 2 is the next step in the Infinity line and what a specimen it is!
This pedal will allow you to have two separate loops with up to 5 minutes of loop time. It comes in a slick black metal casing, with two knobs and two buttons, but that’s all you’re going to need.
Apart from just looping music, you can also control your loops, which is something not many pedals offer. You can choose to stop, repeat once, or octave shifter. Also, there is a decay knob, allowing you to mix your overdubs and make them fade into one another when playing with this knob.
As for the connectivity, you will find a true stereo with two pairs of ¼” I/O, USB input, and power connection. Even though the price is high, the Pigtronix Infinity Looper is a great, high-end, high-quality loop pedal for professionals to use every day.
6. Donner Triple Looper Guitar Pedal
The Donner Triple Looper Guitar Pedal is another budget-friendly option on this list that provides a good amount of loop time while at the same time a very easy-to-use approach and design.
There is a reason why the Donner Looper is so frequently used. Aside from having 3 slots, with each slot being able to store 30 minutes of loop time, it has a very simplistic design and navigation. A single-foot switch controls the record, play, overdub, stop, and clear functions and makes this a good buy.
Donner also focuses on and provides a good-quality tone production with as little noise as possible. A truly well-rounded looper, hence the wide usage and positive feedback by many.
If you want a budget-friendly option that is used and approved by many, I highly doubt you will find a better match and a more sonically gifted one than the Donner TRIPLE Looper Pedal.
7. TC Electronic Ditto Looper
To top off this list is the TC Electronic Ditto Looper. This pedal is also a highly used one because of its simple design and easy-to-navigate style which allows for 5 minutes of loop time, an infinite amount of overdubs, and undo/redo options.
Ditto is powered by a standard 9 V power supply source which can be found on almost any pedalboard these days. It makes for an excellent addition to your sonic capabilities, especially if you are a solo performer and want something built with simplicity in mind!
Apart from good sound quality and intriguing/minimalistic design, featuring a True Bypass and analog dry-through, this Looper pedal is actually pretty durable. I’m still using mine for years and I can safely say I’ve dropped it at least 5 times but it still manages to persevere.
Not only is the Ditto Looper a very affordable pedal, but it also comes from one of the best pedal manufacturers out there – TC Electronic. If you don’t trust my judgment, surely you will trust theirs!
How do Looper Pedals Work?
Looper pedals have become increasingly popular, especially for live performances where musicians and guitarists can do a whole show just by themselves. How it works is that the looper pedal records a chunk of audio that you play and repeats it, laying down a sort of backing track. Afterward, you can add layers of melodies and vocals to make an entire song by yourself.
Most looper pedals have a single or double footswitch design. The switch or switches control when you capture audio, playback, and stop playback, while some looper pedals even have additional effects and options like tap tempo, sync, and more.
Where does a Looper Pedal go in the signal chain?
Most guitarists place the looper pedal at the far end of their signal chain. Having the looper pedal toward the end means that all other effects pedals like delay, reverb, overdrive, and so on go before the looper which contributes to the sound source that’s being looped. Naturally, if you can experiment with different placements and even skip effects that you don’t want looped by placing the looper before them.
What to look for in a Looper Pedal when buying?
There are a couple of key components to look for in a looper pedal when purchasing one and this includes the design, loop time, memory slots, and loop tracks.
Design
As I mentioned, looper pedals often come in a single or double footswitch form. While a single footswitch looper is more transparent and won’t take up any space on your rig, it’s also a bit more challenging to use since that one footswitch controls all your options. Usually, it would have a certain pattern of steps that control recording, playback, stop, undo, redo, and so forth.
Having a double footswitch looper means that these controls will be divided and they will be easier to control, where one switch will be for recording and playback, and the other will usually be for the undo/redo functions. Naturally, the downside here is that these pedals will be bigger and bulkier, taking up more space on your rig.
Loop Time/Memory
Not long ago, most looper pedals could only store a few minutes of recording time but with the coming of age, looper pedals nowadays can store hours of recording time. Depending on what you want from a looper pedal, you should always get one with a good loop time.
Memory slots are also crucial. You’d want a looper pedal that has sufficient memory for storing audio or even ones that have expandable memory (storage) should it ever become necessary. A good pedal recommendation would be the MXR Clone Looper which has unlimited overdubs or you can go for the Boss RC-3 which offers 3 hours of stereo recording.
Loop Tracks
Single-loop track loopers are great for guitarists who are playing in a band or with a group and don’t need a looper for their entire performance. These loopers are usually more compact and offer straightforward looper use with basic looping options.
Double-loop track loopers are for performers who favor one-man-band performances. These loopers generally have more control over and for the loops, however, they are bulkier, harder to learn and navigate, and cost more. That being said, if you want more control and create more complex loops, this would be the option. Additionally, most would have extra options and effects like tap tempo, volume, quantize, etc.
Conclusion
Looper pedals are frequently used in many music genres, from psychedelic rock, funk, and jazz to experimental music of the modern era. A useful gadget to have around, especially if you like solo performing. They are also useful for studio environments and even the lonely songwriter set up in their home studio.
My top looper pedal pick is the BOSS Audio RC-3 Loop Station Pedal if you want a high-quality and highly used pedal with up to 3 hours of loop time.
My budget looper pedal pick is the LEKATO Electric Guitar Looper Effect Pedal. If you want a budget-friendly option that will get the job done, then this one is for you.
