Watch It First
Nobody buys a line selector because they’re excited about it. You buy one because your board finally got complicated enough that you need to actually solve a routing problem, and the LS-2 has quietly been the default answer for that problem for a very long time.
It doesn’t make a sound of its own. It doesn’t add gain, doesn’t color your tone, doesn’t do anything flashy on a demo video. What it does is let two completely different signal chains coexist on one board without you needing four extra pedals just for switching.
I added one to my setup mainly to solve a very specific problem, splitting my dirty and clean chains, and ended up using it for about five other things I hadn’t planned on. Here’s the actual breakdown.
What The LS-2 Actually Does
At its simplest, the LS-2 lets you switch between two separate effects loops, Line 1 and Line 2, each of which can contain its own chain of pedals. Step on the footswitch and you jump from one full signal path to the other.
Beyond that basic function, there are six selectable modes covering things like using both loops simultaneously in parallel, running one loop as an always-on path with the other switchable on top, or using the pedal purely as an A/B box between two amps.
Why This Matters More Than It Sounds
Say you’ve got a subtle overdrive and compressor chain for rhythm parts, and a completely different lead chain with a boost, delay, and reverb for solos. Without something like the LS-2, you’re either running both chains together all the time, or tap-dancing through six separate footswitches mid-song.
With this pedal, both chains sit ready to go, and you jump between them with one press. It’s the difference between hoping you hit every pedal correctly live and knowing your tone will be exactly right every time.
Sound And Signal Integrity
The LS-2 is genuinely transparent when it’s not doing anything unusual with your signal. It’s not adding character, and that’s precisely the point, you want your tone to sound like your pedals, not like the switcher between them.
The volume knob on each loop deserves a specific mention because it solves a problem most guitarists don’t realize they have until they’ve lived with it: level matching. If your lead chain is quieter than your rhythm chain because of how gain stages interact, you can trim it right at the switcher instead of readjusting every pedal in the chain.
Parallel Mode Opens Up Some Genuinely Interesting Options
Running both loops simultaneously lets you blend two completely different effects chains together, which is where things get creative. Think a dry rhythm tone blended under a heavily effected ambient layer, similar in spirit to how the Boss RE-2 Space Echo gets stacked with reverb for texture.
It’s not something you’ll reach for daily, but when a song calls for layered, blended tones without an actual looper pedal, this mode is genuinely unique among switcher pedals at this price.
Build Quality And Playability
This is standard Boss floor-pedal construction, robust metal housing, solid footswitch, built to survive years of gig transport without complaint. It’s a bit larger than a standard compact Boss pedal because it needs the extra jacks, but it’s not unreasonably big for what it does.
Power is flexible here too, it runs on battery or adapter, and can actually be used to power other Boss compact pedals downstream through its jacks, which is a genuinely handy feature for anyone trying to reduce the number of power bricks living under their board, alongside things like a Boss TU-3W tuner.
Setup Takes A Bit Of Planning
This isn’t a plug-and-play pedal in the way something like a Boss TR-2 tremolo is. You need to actually map out your signal chain, decide what goes in which loop, and pick the right mode for your use case before it clicks into place.
Spend twenty minutes with the manual and a bit of trial and error, and it becomes second nature. Skip that step and you’ll be confused about why your parallel mode sounds nothing like you expected.
Who It’s Actually For
Anyone running two genuinely distinct tone chains, rhythm versus lead, clean versus dirty, is the obvious core audience. If you’ve ever wished you could instantly swap your whole pedal chain rather than stomping six switches, this solves problems similar to combining something like a Boss BF-3 flanger and a Boss OC-5 octave pedal in two completely separate paths.
Players juggling two amps also get real mileage here using the A/B modes, and multi-instrumentalists switching between a guitar chain and a different processing path for another source will find plenty of use too.
If your board is simple, one drive, one delay, one reverb, you probably don’t need this yet. It’s a solution for complexity, not a pedal you add just because Boss makes good gear.
Honest Niggles
No MIDI support means it can’t be integrated into a fully automated switching rig if that’s the direction your setup is heading. For manual foot-controlled routing it’s fine, but if you want digital effect switching flexibility instead, something like the Zoom MS-50G handles that differently.
The learning curve is real. This is not an instantly intuitive pedal for players who haven’t dealt with loop switching before, and the six modes aren’t clearly labeled on the enclosure itself, so you’ll be referencing the manual more than once.
It takes up real board space for something that makes zero sound of its own, which is a tough sell until the exact moment you actually need what it does, and then it becomes indispensable.
Boss LS-2 Line Selector – Specs At A Glance
- Type: A/B line selector with two loops
- Modes: Six selectable looping and switching modes
- LED display: Yes
- PSU connector: Yes, can power other Boss devices
- Shape: Floor effects pedal
- MIDI interface: No
- Power: 9V battery or DC adapter
Final Verdict
The LS-2 isn’t a pedal that impresses anyone on a demo video, and that’s exactly the point. It solves a genuinely annoying routing problem quietly and reliably, and once you’ve used one properly, going back to manually managing a complex board feels needlessly stressful.
It’s not for everyone, if your rig is simple you won’t need it, and the learning curve before it clicks is real. But for players juggling multiple distinct tone chains, this is one of the most quietly essential pieces of gear Boss makes.
IMO this is the definition of a pedal you don’t know you need until you actually need it, and then you wonder how you ever gigged without one.
