CoolSwitch A/B-Y Switching Pedal Review

Simple as a dimple

An A/B-Y switch should be simple, and this one is. Glad it is 2x2, as I use two guitars in A/B connected to two amps "input". Backwards is good. A true 2x2 is surprisingly hard to find. (I don't want a "tuner" connection that bypasses the main circuit.) Seems rugged. Only complaint: LED stays on all the time.

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Cool''switch

The unit is very satisfactory in all modes! It does the job for which it is intended...great unit for the investment...quiet and totally effective!

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Awesome Switch

I wanted the ability to have two guitars (acoustic and electric) plugged into my church sound system's instrument cable. (I am provided one cable into the sound system) The CoolSwitch lets me plug each guitar into the two Output jacks. The instrument cable from the sound system plugs into one of the input jacks and now I can switch between the two guitars by pressing one button.… read more No need to switch out the instrument cable between the two guitars. Awesome!

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Great little assistant

So, when using an A/B/Y switch there"s a few things to note: Popping noise: this will happen if either of the sources are open, or, not plugged in. For example, using 2 guitars for one amp and one of the cables is not connected, you will get a pop when switching. Since I"m using this to switch between output of OC3 octave pedal"s bass out and my electric bass to feed the bass preamp,… read more I put my TU3 tuner directly after the A/B/Y so I can mute the entire bass side of my rig and unplug my bass, which really eats batteries. Routing: ART is really annoying when it comes to silkscreen markings on this unit. It seems like this is an active device requiring 9v power, but the power is only for the LED indicators. It should be labeled as "common" rather than input, and the A&B ports should be marked only as A&B so it"s more intuitive when making connections. A quick scan of the manual will prove helpful as it points out this unit can be used forward or backwards; 1 input to 2 outputs or 2 inputs to 1 output. Best to have just the one on the common side, but ART considers it a feature so you can hang a tuner on the other side of the common, which makes no sense as the purpose for most of us having a stomp-box tuner allows us to mute the signal while we tune. With tuner in parallel, everyone in the listening audience gets to enjoy the ancient song "tu-ning up." Power: this can be REALLY annoying as getting into the unit to replace the battery is rather cumbersome. The screw on the battery door will find its way down a vent shaft if given half a shot at freedom. Since I"m using a pedal board, I"m using a 1spot to power everything. With the 1spot combo pack, they include a 9v adapter so you can power this unit using standard power like everyone else. This will eliminate that issue forever. Summary: best unit for A/B/Y switching for your pedal for me because all the connections are at the top, not scattered around the box like a porcupine. Small footprint is great for dense pedal boards, but does require pretty good aim when switching. They are pretty close together, which is fine for me as I only switch between songs when switching instruments. Tuner after switch will really help to prevent popping sound when switching, especially with any open cables.

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Art Cool Switch

This was great. I get a call right after I order letting me know it has shipped. Then it shows in 2 days with a bag of candy. Man who else does that . NOBODY. I will order from you folks every time. Thanks for the personal attention to me and all your customers. Now if I could just win one of your contests, but maybe Idaho not on your list for prize giveaways. Oh well I`m happy… read more Thanks Sweetwater, Thanks Scott. The Art Cool Switch is the best a/b/y out there. To cool.

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