Passive means it’s not powered in anyway, you can use it without a battery and it directs your signal by mechanical switching, the LS-2 uses electronics to send your signal where it needs to go and must be powered for it to work.

…….by the way, I don’t mind at all, but you might get better info on Boss products from the Boss forum and if you email Red Onion they will tell you anything you need to know about their products!! but I’m glad to help anyway.

What kind of horrible amp stays clean with everything on 10!!?!?!

Thats funny because my amp cant get clean…lol, but thats the way I like it!

I like it, it sounds good and it’s freaking huge sounding with fuzz. It roars.

But that was the trend in Fender amps for awhile in the 70’s. Silverface fenders are notorious for being super loud and super clean.

But that’s fine with me. As much as I think a guitar strait into a dirty amp is, I don’t need it for what I do, and I think it’s sort of a hassle when you’re using effects to have effects loops and such.

well, any passive system will be transparent because there’s nothing to change the signal (apart from a few extra bits of wire and a switch, so providing they are good quality then there isn’t really anything there to alter your tone. I have no idea about the LS-2 though

Well a passive switch using 3pdt so that it disconnects the power connects the input to the output, so basically you’re getting the same as if you didn’t have a pedal in there.

A lot of older active switching pedals (AKA Buffered Bypass) were notorious tone suckers- especially Wahs. But a lot of builders have learned from that mistake and buffered bypass is much better now.

True bypass/passive switching has the nice advantage of that when it’s bypassed the power is disconnected from the circuit saving power and it’s like a pedal isn’t actually there when it’s off. But a long stretch of TB pedals with some long cords and essentially you have your pickups pushing a whole cord and you’ll end up losing tone- so having at least one buffered bypass will help your tone in such case. Also some pedals just shouldn’t be TB because of the drastic change in input impedance.

You can use active circuits for either switching system, and I think that’s what you want.
Because unless you are going to put a boost in the loop, you want a boost built into the bypass looper so that you can raise or lower the volume.

I see Red Onion offers passive volume controls, but that’s only going to allow you to lower a pedal’s volume.

The LS-2 does boost but the reviews on Harmony Central are mixed though. I don’t think Boss has the best buffers, but they aren’t bad.

I can’t think of any TB loopers with built in clean boosts, but I don’t know too much about what companies make TB loopers and stuff, so I’ll ask around.

anyways- to the original poster- I can’t find any solutions with built in clean boosts for under 100 dollars.

I’d say get the LS-2. It probably has a fine bypass.

yes.

Yeah, that should work with the LS-2.

Personally, I don’t think you’re going to be able to tell that the LS-2 isn’t true bypass.