Radial BigShot EFX: True-Bypass Loop Control for a Pedalboard

The Radial BigShot EFX is a true-bypass effects loop switcher, a compact footswitch box that lets a guitarist drop an entire chain of pedals into or out of the signal path with a single stomp. It provides two independent effects loops that can be engaged separately, stacked in series, or repurposed as a silent mute, and because each loop is genuinely true-bypass, the pedals inside vanish electrically from the signal when they are switched off. For the player tired of tap-dancing across five pedals to make one change, the BigShot EFX turns a fistful of stomps into one decisive move.

Why True-Bypass Loop Switching Protects Your Tone

Every pedal left in a signal chain loads the guitar pickup and adds a little noise, even when the effect is switched off, and a long chain of them can dull the high end and raise the noise floor before a single knob is turned. A true-bypass loop solves this by physically routing the signal around the pedals when the loop is disengaged, so those effects are completely removed from the path rather than merely idling in it. The BigShot EFX applies that principle to whole groups of pedals at once, letting a guitarist keep noisy or tone-sapping effects out of the way until the exact moment they are needed.

Two Independent Loops for Real Creative Routing

The BigShot EFX carries two separate effects loops, each with its own footswitch and LED, and they can be used in several ways. Run them independently to keep a group of always-on effects on Loop-1 and a set of time-based effects like delay and chorus on Loop-2 that you bring in only for solos. Engage both and Loop-1 feeds Loop-2, cascading the two chains in series for stacked, layered textures. The LEDs show at a glance which loops are live, so there is never a guess about what is in the signal path under stage lights.

A Built-In Mute for Silent Tuning and Instrument Changes

Flip the internal mute switch and Loop-2 becomes a mute function instead of an effects loop, killing the signal to the amp with a single stomp. That gives a player a clean way to tune in silence between songs or swap instruments without a burst of noise through the PA, while the separate loop path can still feed a tuner. It is the kind of practical control that keeps a performance tidy, turning dead air between songs into a quiet, professional pause.

Doubling as an ABY Amp Channel Switcher

The two send jacks on Loop-1 make the BigShot EFX useful well beyond pedal switching. On an older amplifier that lacks footswitchable channels, connect Send-1 to the amp's first channel and Send-2 to the second, and each footswitch now toggles a channel independently. Patch pedals in between the pedal and each amp input and the routing possibilities open up further, giving a vintage amp modern switching flexibility it never shipped with.

Built to Survive the Floor

Like the rest of the Radial pedal line, the BigShot EFX is housed in a folded 14-gauge steel chassis with a durable powder-coat finish, built to take the repeated stomping and travel abuse that ends the life of lesser switchers. The passive true-bypass circuit passes signal with essentially no loss, measuring just -0.3 dB of insertion, and a ground-lift option helps tame hum in a complicated rig. It is a set-and-forget box that disappears into the pedalboard and simply works, show after show.

Who the BigShot EFX Is For

The BigShot EFX is for the gigging guitarist who wants to manage a big pedalboard with fewer stomps and a cleaner signal path; for the tone purist who insists on true-bypass so idle pedals never color the sound; and for the player running a vintage amp who needs channel switching or silent tuning it never had. If you want one footswitch to take a whole effects chain in or out on cue, the BigShot EFX is the loop switcher to build the board around.