What is 4 Cable Method & How Do You Use It?

With a few different guitar pedals at your feet, you’ll have access to a massive range of tone options, just waiting to unlock your creativity. But while these cool tones and effects can be a valuable tool for songwriting and spicing up your playing, pedals can sound and behave quite differently depending on the order in which you place them. So, if you want to get the most out of your stompboxes, you must route them in the most logical way possible for your setup.

That’s where the ‘4 cable method’ comes into play. It lets you run your stompboxes through different sections of your amp; its ‘front end’ and ‘effects loop’. By doing so, you can achieve better separation between your effects. Just as importantly, you can make sure all your pedals are working together in harmony, too. But exactly what is the 4 cable, or four cable, method, and how can you use it? Read on for all the details!

What Is An Effects Loop?

An effects loop is an input and output section (often marked ‘send’ and ‘return’) that lets you route pedals between the two main parts of your guitar amp – the ‘preamp’ and ‘power amp’. The preamp is where your core tone comes from, and it also includes the EQ controls you’d typically find on your amp’s front panel. The power amp is the bit that actually “amplifies” your sound, projecting what you’re playing through a speaker.

For most amps, the effects loop comes after the preamp and before the power amp. That means any pedals you connect via the effects loop are routed after the preamp, so your base signal is unaffected and the power amp remains at the end of your signal chain. But connect a pedal through the front of your amp, and that pedal will directly affect your original signal. Which is better? That depends entirely on the effects you’re using and the sound you’re trying to achieve.

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Which Pedals Go Through The Effects Loop?

So, with that in mind, what are the types of pedals you’d typically want to run through an effects loop?

Generally, most players will route their modulation and time-based pedals through their amp’s effects loop, things like chorus, phaser, delay and reverb. Running these particular pedals through the effects loop yields a more natural sound with better clarity, as they’re being used after the preamp has done its thing. This means your core tone wouldn’t be as dramatically affected by the sound of the pedals, because the preamp would still remain the first part in your signal chain.

How would those same pedals sound if you routed them straight into the front end and before the preamp? Well, if you plugged a delay directly into your amp’s input, then it would sound fairly out of control, especially if you used the distortion channel! Modulation pedals are likely to run into similar problems, often causing an unwanted boost in volume. These issues are down to the compression that occurs in an amp’s preamp section, which enhances and boosts the sound of any pedals that run before the preamp. The result for effects like delay or chorus is a sound that’s over-the-top and very often unusable.

Front of amp (before preamp):

• Overdrive
• Distortion
• Wah
• Compressor
• EQ

Effects loop (after preamp):

• Reverb
• Delay
• Chorus
• Flanger
• Phaser

What is the 4 Cable Method?

As we touched on earlier, the 4 cable method is a routing process that utilises four cables to connect the main elements of your rig. With the 4 cable method, you can make full use of your amp by running pedals into both its main input and through its effects loop.

Here’s what you’ll need:

• A guitar amp with an effects loop
• Either a pedalboard or multi-FX unit with external loop capability
• Four patch cables

This method works well for those who favour using individual stompboxes, but it can also be a great choice for players who prefer multi-FX units – although the setup is slightly different for these units. With single pedals, it’s easier to visualise the process required to connect everything together. The diagram below gives you a clear idea of how this is achieved:

4 Cable Method with Single Pedals

With single pedals, it’s very easy to separate the effects you’d like to run into the front end and through the loop of your amplifier. The effects loop is perfect for routing your time-based and modulation pedals, which are predominantly digital effects that embellish your tone rather than fundamentally changing it.

It’s more typical to use certain analogue pedals straight into your amp’s front end, including things like overdrive and distortion stompboxes. These effects interact much better with your amp, as they add gain before the preamp section, which can completely change the way your amp sounds (in a good way!). For example, metal guitarists will likely know that running a Tube Screamer-style pedal into the distortion channel of your amp will create a richer and more saturated sound, “tightening” your tone.

Ultimately, there’s no definitive right or wrong when it comes to which pedals should go where. Some players love to use modulation pedals in the front of their amps, as it gives a more exaggerated and “in-your-face” sound. Do what feels right to you!

How to Set Up 4 Cable Method with Single Pedals

1. Guitar → front-end pedals (OD, distortion, wah)
2. Front-end pedals → amp input
3. Amp FX Send → modulation/time-based pedals (delay, reverb, chorus)
4. Last pedal output → Amp FX Return

4 Cable Method with Multi-FX Units

With powerful multi-fx units such as those offered by Line 6 and Boss, you’ll find a variety of inputs/outputs on their rear panels, including some with external loop sections. Just like amps, multi-FX pedals feature their own loops so you can use a couple of your favourite single pedals in conjunction with them. However, they also mean you can employ the 4 cable method with amps.

As multi-FX processors are packed full of hundreds of different effects, figuring out a way to internally separate these effects is vital if you want to achieve the best results. While this could seem confusing at first, it’s not toodifferent to connecting single pedals – it’s just a matter of making sure you send the right effects to the right place! 

How to Use 4 Cable Method with Multi-FX Units

Most modern multi-effects units like the Neural DSP Quad Cortex, Boss GT-1000, or Headrush Prime support the 4 cable method via external loops. Here’s a quick general setup you can follow:

• Guitar → Multi-FX input
• Multi–FX send → Amp input
• Amp FX Send → Multi-FX return/input 2
• Multi-FX output → Amp FX Return

From here, you can assign internal effects in the unit to sit either:

• Before the amp’s preamp (OD, distortion, EQ, compressor)
• After the amp’s preamp (delay, reverb, chorus)

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4 Cable Method: FAQs

What is the 4 cable method for guitar amps?

It’s a way to connect your amp, pedals, and effects loop using four cables to route effects before and after your amp’s preamp section.

Do I need an effects loop to use the 4 cable method?

Yes. Without one, you can only run your effects pedals into the front of the amp.

Can I use the 4 cable method with a combo amp?

Definitely – just so long as it has an effects loop!

Can I use the 4 cable method with analogue pedals?

Yes! The method works with individual stompboxes and multi-effects processors, digital and analogue alike.

What are the benefits of using the 4 cable method?

Improved clarity, tighter tone, better modulation/delay behaviour, and more control over your effects.

Can I damage anything if I set it up wrong?

There’s no major risk, but wrong routing can cause noise, loss of tone, or unwanted volume boosts.

Want To Learn More?

If you’re interested in putting together your very first pedalboard, check out our extensive article on the subject by clicking here! And if you want to find out more about gear to expand your knowledge, click here to view all of our Learn articles!