What Loop Pedal Does Ed Sheeran Use?

Ed Sheeran’s sound is certainly quite a unique one as far as pop music is concerned. Sonically layered with a lot of harmonies, it can be quite tough to pull off as a solo act live. So how does Ed Sheeran do it? Well, his loop effect certainly helps. 

But what loop pedal does Ed Sheeran use? Well, Ed Sheeran doesn’t use an effect pedal that’s currently on the market. That’s because he has his own custom-built loop pedal he calls the Chewie II. However, before he used this, he used the Boss RC30 Loop Station. 

But what makes Ed Sheeran such a good musician to emulate? What is the Chewie II, and what capabilities does it give to Sheeran? Can you get yourself a Chewie II? What is the Boss RC30 Loop station? What other gear does Ed Sheeran like to use? Read on to find out the answers to all these questions! 

Who is Ed Sheeran?

Ed Sheeran is a multiple Grammy-winning English singer-songwriter and producer who has sold millions of units of his records worldwide. Often being seen at the top of popular music charts, his catchy and infectious tunes see radio play worldwide for a reason. 

Sheeran had success right off the bat with his debut record “+” (pronounced as “plus”). It topped the charts in the UK and saw him gain a fanbase around England and around the world as well. His second record, “x,” (multiply) did even better and was the second-best-selling record of 2015. Once he hit the charts, he’s never left, and his every subsequent release has done even better than the last. 

A lot of what makes Ed Sheeran so popular is his sonically layered pop songs with beautiful harmonies in both vocals and music. This style makes for easy listening to some great pop tunes, but deeper listens are possible as well. 

However, playing these kinds of songs live, especially as a solo act, can be quite difficult. Good thing Ed Sheeran has his trusty loop effect to help him accomplish this difficult task.

What loop pedal does Ed Sheeran use?

So what loop pedal does Ed Sheeran use to get this done? Well, throughout his career, he’s used a number of them. Currently, he uses a custom-built loop station he dubbed the Chewie II. However, before this was built he was using a Boss RC30 Loop station, a far more realistic and affordable choice for the average musician. 

The Chewie II

Ed Sheeran’s custom Chewie II is a custom rig built by Trevor Dawkins. Basically, it takes a Boss RC20 Loop station and allows it to integrate with the looping plugin Mobius. It has a massive interface and takes up a ton of space, but allows Ed to do everything he needs to do on stage live including managing vocal harmonies and musical harmonies as well. 

Unfortunately, it is nearly impossible to get a Chewie II, as it would need to be custom-built. THis would cost an exorbitant amount of money, and you still probably wouldn’t be able to get the exact same product as Ed Sheeran’s version. Still, Ed didn’t always use this behemoth, so there are options that can still allow you to make music that’s close enough to Sheeran’s!

The Boss RC30 Loop Station

The best way to replicate Sheeran’s sound is to use the Boss RC30 loop station. This is the pedal that Ed Sheeran used before the Chewie II was built, and could be seen at many of his older live performances. 

This all-in-one loop station makes looping easy and intuitive, all while giving you the versatility to use it for many different styles of music. It can store up to 99 phrases, a huge internal memory bank, volume faders for each track, and track selection as well.

If you’re looking to play solo but want to experiment with harmonies, the RC30 can be a great pedal for you. It has quarter-inch and eighth-inch inputs as well as an XLR input, so you can be sure that microphones, guitars, and whatever else you’ll be using will probably be able to go right in. 

What other gear does Ed Sheeran use?

Ed Sheeran is mostly known for playing acoustic guitars and tends to stick with Martins, specifically the Martin LX1 series, or the signature guitar he had made with Martin. 

As far as other pedals are concerned, there are very few. When playing live, his Chewie II takes care of almost everything, and in the studio, most of his effects are added in post-production. 

Wrap up!

Ed Sheeran’s looping station is a custom-built board he has dubbed the Chewie II. If you want to replicate his sound, the best option is to use what he used before he had his own unique board, the Boss RC30 looping station.

This looping station will give you the capability to layer a ton of vocal and musical harmonies on top of one another, with the sound quality and accessibility you need to have a smooth and easy performance.