Radial Tonebone JX2 SwitchBone AB-Y Switch Pedal

The Radial JX2 Switchbone is the finest AB-Y guitar amp switcher pedal in the world. It is more than a simple switching device, it is also a creative instrument designed to allow your guitar to drive and control 2 separate amps without extraneous noise, unintended distortion, or annoying clicks and pops. More importantly, the Switchbone retains the natural tone and feel of your guitar. At Radial Engineering, they call this phenomenon the "Un-Sound".

Features:
Switch noiselessly between amplifiers

Class-A circuit design for pristine audio

Unique "Drag" control load correction capability

Integral Power Boost circuit with mid controls

Transformer isolated for total ground loop elimination

The Switchbone uses the same high quality Class-A circuit design as the critically acclaimed Radial JD7 Injector for unparallelled audio performance. The unique Drag control knob provides load correction capabilities to re-introduce the natural interaction between the amp and your guitar's pickups that is often lost when the guitar signal is buffered or split to drive two amplifiers. To eradicate annoying hum and buzz caused by problematic ground loops, the Switchbone's 2nd output is transformer isolated for 100% hash-free operation.

As an additional advantage to the serious performing artist, a variable Power Boost circuit allows for gain boosting, mid-boost or a combination intended for soloing purposes. An innovative "toggle-mode" footswitch with large, easy-to-see flashing LED lights makes switching and combining amplifiers easy without having to tap-dance like Fred Astaire when changing sounds. A separate Tuner output is also provided to keep your tuner's circuit out of the instrument's signal path.

The Radial JX2 Switchbone is very simple to use, very intuitive and totally fun! Where we come from that's what guitar playing is all about!

JX-2 Switchbone Development:
For years, guitar players have been seeking a real solution for ABY amp switching and combining capabilities. One would think that in this day of advanced modern technologies, that building this type of device would be a piece of cake. And of course it is very easy... unless you insist on retaining the original tone of the guitar...

For those that have tried using two guitar amplifiers together using Y-cables or some of the other popular AB-Y boxes that have been on the market, you are familiar with the many distinct challenges: Loss of gain, tonal changes, annoying buzz and hum just to name a few. The Radial Switchbone JX2 is an amazing unit that conquers with all of these difficulties and utilizes a design that is easy to operate, musical and totally effective. The Radial Switchbone has been optimized for live performance use and allows a single guitar to drive two amps and do it while retaining every bit of the natural sound of the instrument without introducing nasty buzz, hum, unintended distortion or switching noise.

The Radial Switchbone begins with the concept that most 'tone crazy' players will generally use 2 amps on stage. When driving 2 amplifiers with one guitar, the signal from the pickup is divided in 2 and the sound changes. To get around this problem, the Switchbone employs a unique Class-A amplifier circuit that has been optimized for use with guitars. With Radial customers like Eric Johnson, Steve Lukather, Carlos Santana, Steve Stevens and Neal Schon, we are not allowed to alter the sound of their favorite vintage axe. The sound must be real!

This leads to the next problem: Your guitar has now gone from being passive to essentially becoming active. Your pickup is no longer connected directly to the amplifier. It is being 'buffered' (amplified) by the Switchbone. The natural relationship is lost. To compensate for this, they have introduced a feature called Drag? control to allow you to reintroduce the natural loading that is lost. With load-correction, the instrument goes back to normal. It breathes!

Then, as soon as you connect your 2 amplifiers together they hum, they buzz and sometimes even spark with hundreds of volts! This is due to the way that each manufacturer builds their amplifiers. Some use positive ground, others negative. Some use the chassis as a ground plane while old designs from the 50's and 60's do not even have proper 3-pin safety U-grounds! To solve these problems, the Radial Switchbone incorporates a transformer-isolated output, a ground lift switch, and a polarity reverse switch. This isolates the electrical current flow of each amplifier and eliminates ground loops.

Of course, once you get these amps connected together, you have to control them! This is where the Switchbone also shines! The Switchbone is easy to use. The foot switch layout and LED readout follows a 'common sense' and intuitive approach that is very natural. Radial also added a boost circuit to allow you to 'step-up' the output to both amps simultaneously for a solo or extra saturation when playing through a distorted sound. For icing on the cake, they added a separate output for your tuner. This takes the tuner out of the audio circuit, thus ensuring you get the direct tone of your guitar without extra loading.

About Radial:
Over 20 years ago, Radial started developing tube amplifier and pedal technology with a single goal in mind: To create devices for professional musicians that would combine exceptional sound quality with straight ahead functionality. In other words, build products that are intuitive and musical. Ultimately, they believe that these 'tools' will have achieved their goal by spurring on the creative process.

Radial products are used by many of the world's most notable professionals. These include Bryan Adams, Bruce Springsteen, Seal, The Rolling Stones, k d lang, Celine Dion, Nine Inch Nails, Journey, I Mother Earth, Randy Travis, The Barenaked Ladies, Tony Levin, Faith Hill, Janet Jackson, The Yellowjackets, Alain Caron, Al DiMeola, The California Acoustic Trio, Any Difranco, Will Lee, Def Leppard, Styx, Santana, and so many others.

Over the next while, the Radial Tonebone line will expand with many new products for guitarists and bassists.

Radial... True to the Music

Includes US/Canada-Only power supply. International customers will be responsible for obtaining the appropriate power supply or converter to meet their own country's power requirements.