Preamps with effects loop footswitch

[Inazone]

A great source of frustration with my growing rack rig is the matter of balancing control with simplicity. I had hoped to move from a pedal-based setup to a rack rig, but for every function or feature I add, there seems to be some shortcoming. For instance, my Rocktron MultiValve has the Hush and EQ settings I bought it for, plus some great delays, but there is a split-second gap between patches which rules out live use. The solution would be to run it in switchable effects loop, but my ART DST-4 preamp's effects loop isn't switchable; the footswitch is only a bypass. These are both older devices and I understand that flexibility is limited compared to more modern gear, but I'm reluctant to start over...especially since everything *sounds* good. I would absolutely use this rig in the studio, but it'd be even better if I could use it live.

Here are the core pieces of my pedal AND rack rigs: solid state preamp, parametric tube EQ, Hush, digital delay, and tube power amp. I have dedicated items for each function, but the Rocktron MultiValve combines the EQ, Hush and delay. As much as I love my ART gear, they are no longer in the guitar game, so I'm inclined to explore other options. Two inexpensive prospects are the Peavey Rockmaster and Carvin SX300R preamps. Based on everything I've read, the Peavey does NOT have a switchable effects loop, but each channel has its own loop. The Carvin appears to have built-in effects that can be assigned to each channel, with the channels selected via footswitch; I'm not clear on the SX300R's actual effects loop.

If anyone could provide some input on either preamp, I'd like to know what you think. I need something capable of high gain, but tubes are not a requirement as I've been using solid state preamps with tube power amps for years. It's not that I intend to totally eliminate pedals, but I don't want to add a rack piece for every pedal I phase out. If a single footswitch could give me my clean-to-distortion and EQ/delay accessibility, life sure would be good!

[Racerx2k]

I had a Rockmaster and LOVED it. Sold it when I got out of the game, for a while. The nice thing is the effects loops. one for each channel, and a common one, too. Used that to my advantage: Split my signal to two different preamps, the Rockmaster and a Boss solid state, for clean. The Boss out just went into the effects return for the Rockmaster clean channel, so I had solid state for clean, and tube for dirty. Worked real well. And all the channel switching was done, via MIDI and a Rockman Midi Octopus.

[Inazone]

I did some experimenting tonight with an A/B footswitch, running "A" straight from my distortion pedal to the amp, and "B" from the distortion pedal to the MultiValve (EQ/Hush/delay patch) and then to the amp. That achieved exactly what I'm looking for. The down side is that I might need to go back to lugging my VTM-60 head around. My Peavey Classic 60 power amp only has a single input, while the VTM-60 has two, which the A/B setup would require.

I have an old DOD Gate/Loop pedal which would technically allow me to do what I want, but it has as bad a drop-off as the MultiValve when switching. The Morley ABY is instant and doesn't suck tone like the DOD. So I guess I have what I wanted...sort of.