Multi FX Pedals - Boss ME50 etc.

Now we all know what's really 'better' but the problem is that humans get in the way.
Last night I went to see two bands and the first one features a guitarist who is amazing and he has gear you would kill for.
A proper Marshall stack, seperate pedals but his guitar sound is a piece of poo.
The second band once again had a lead guitarist with a valve head, 4x12 cab, seperate pedals and his guitar sound was poo.
I could also take you to countless other guitarists with amazing equipment and duff sounds.
Compare that to 2 local guitar wizards who both use multi fx and normal Line 6 combos and their sounds are awesome because they know what they're doing.
Not so long ago we had a guest guitarist get up with us and we'd set him up a 10 watt Marshall mic'd into the PA.
Obviously before we played me and him set his sound up through the PA and he sounded as big as Tony Iommi (fair enough he didn't sound that big on stage but it was the crowd that mattered).

It's one thing coming out with 'Valves are better' and 'Seperates are better' arguments and to a point I would agree but it all comes down to who is setting them up and in my experience not many people know how to do it.
 
dmpoole said:
It's one thing coming out with 'Valves are better' and 'Seperates are better' arguments and to a point I would agree but it all comes down to who is setting them up and in my experience not many people know how to do it.
Click to expand...

I think it's only bedroom guitarists that try to argue it one way or another. Most review magazines seem to state that solid states and digital effects are now at least as good as their valve amp and analogue counterparts and they are ultimately the only ones who are going to have experience with a lot of gear apart from longstanding gigging musicians.

For one thing, I don't think live tone necessarily matters as much as recorded tone because as long as it isn't noticibly 'bad', then non-guitarists simply will not notice.

I think my Boss ME-50 plus Blackstar HT-5 sounds amazing, but then I'm only a bedroom guitarist so I don't really have to much to compare with apart from the other three amps I have owned. But then again if I think it sounds great, it doesn't matter to anyone else.

Another thing is that you can only really tell the full difference between tone when it's quite loud, which is something that's not really possible in most homes.
 
Last edited:
Nitefly said:
Most review magazines seem to state that solid states and digital effects are now at least as good as their valve amp and analogue counterparts and they are ultimately the only ones who are going to have experience with a lot of gear apart from longstanding gigging musicians.
Click to expand...

Absolutely and Guitarist magazine says this over and over.
Of course bedroom guitarist will argue that it is a conspiracy because the reviewers are paid to say it.
 
At the end of the day the guitar is a very personal thing. Whether or not it's a valve amp or transistor, single pedals or multi, you can argue the toss for both sides of that argument till you're blue in the face. All that matters is what the guitarist using them thinks works best for him. For me, my little valve amp and my single pedals do exactly what I want, but I would never slate someone else for using transistor amps and multi FX units, if that's what does it for them.

All swings and roundabouts.
 
Well personally I'll be using this through my Blackstar HT-5s (mini stack with 2 1x10s and the HT5 head). I also want to be able to record and mess around on my PC with this setup, not sure of the best way to do it though.

I know if I had a pod HD or one of the Boss GT's I could just make use of the amp modelling and plug directly into my soundcard bypassing my amp, but with the ME's, would I just take a cable from the Headphones/Emulated output port straight into the line in on my soundcard? Do you think I should ditch the amp modelling idea for recording and keep it as fx through the HT5 to keep my sound consistent? Although I like the idea of the 4 cable method which works with the GT and Pod HD allowing control of where effects are placed, so I guess there are pluses and minuses... I guess it's a case of you pays your money you makes your choice.

Still not sure what'd be best for me, sticking cheap with an ME50 for around £90ish when I find a deal or stumping up the extra for an ME70, cheapest I've seen a 70 go for is ~£170 2nd hand (infact I found one right now for £170 locally).

Alternatively, I've seen GT8's for around £150, GT10's go for ~£220, Pod HD300's are £260 as they're too new to be seen 2nd hand. I think I'd rather either go cheap or find middle-ground and keep the extra for my next onset of gear acquisition syndrome, so preferably well under £200...

Bah, it all would have been so simple had that guy just sold me his ME50. :P
 
Last edited:
EvilGrin said:
Well personally I'll be using this through my Blackstar HT-5s (mini stack with 2 1x10s and the HT5 head). I also want to be able to record and mess around on my PC with this setup, not sure of the best way to do it though.

I know if I had a pod HD or one of the Boss GT's I could just make use of the amp modelling and plug directly into my soundcard bypassing my amp, but with the ME's, would I just take a cable from the Headphones/Emulated output port straight into the line in on my soundcard? Do you think I should ditch the amp modelling idea for recording and keep it as fx through the HT5 to keep my sound consistent? Although I like the idea of the 4 cable method which works with the GT and Pod HD allowing control of where effects are placed, so I guess there are pluses and minuses... I guess it's a case of you pays your money you makes your choice.

Still not sure what'd be best for me, sticking cheap with an ME50 for around £90ish when I find a deal or stumping up the extra for an ME70, cheapest I've seen a 70 go for is ~£170 2nd hand (infact I found one right now for £170 locally).

Alternatively, I've seen GT8's for around £150, GT10's go for ~£220, Pod HD300's are £260 as they're too new to be seen 2nd hand. I think I'd rather either go cheap or find middle-ground and keep the extra for my next onset of gear acquisition syndrome, so preferably well under £200...

Bah, it all would have been so simple had that guy just sold me his ME50. :P
Click to expand...

I HIGHLY recommend the GT-8 if you can get one. Very, very good.
 
Steve2000 said:
I still have my singles. I used to have a Hiwatt 50W head with a 2x12 Marshal cabinet. In my old age this has become too much so I've downsized to a small Laney Cub 12 amp (this is a smashing amp, 5 valves in it, sounds a lot like my old Hiwatt, but smaller sounding as you'd expect, ideal for playing at home).

I'll probably never get rid of the singles. I've had them all for years, most of them since the early 80s. I've tried all those multi FX things and I just can't quite get away with them. One effect that none of them can do properly is the Big Muff. I have an original 1973 version that I bought in 1981, and it's going to the grave with me.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I notice that the ME50 has an emulation for both the Tube Screamer and the Big Muff Pi, I kinda figured that neither would be quite up to scratch, but then again, I hear that the reissued Big Muff Pi's and Little big muff etc. are all not a patch on the originals either. A friend has one of the Russian Sovtek's from the 80's that sell for £100's on ebay, that thing's going to the grave with him too, it's a beauty too, pulls off that classic smashing pumpkins tone perfectly.
 
EvilGrin said:
but with the ME's, would I just take a cable from the Headphones/Emulated output port straight into the line in on my soundcard? Do you think I should ditch the amp modelling idea for recording and keep it as fx through the HT5 to keep my sound consistent?
Click to expand...

A big part of the sound you hear is through the speakers so coming out of the back of the HT5 won't be the same.
I suggest what pedal you have is to experiment a lot coming directly out of it into your sound card.
This was a big problem for me when I bought the ME-50 - do I still use the 4 channels on my Marshall amp or do I put it on a clean sound and let the pedal do all the work which would be easier.
We went into the practise room, turned up very loud, I put it through the clean channel and as soon as I hit program one I had got an excellent heavy rhythm sound which just needed a little tweaking on the top end.
All the other sounds I had previously setup also sounded wonderful.
And of course it then goes through a 3K PA rig.

In my main band we carry round a Line 6 Floorpod as a backup just in case a guitarists amp goes down.
Over the last 5 years my rhythm guitarists amp has failed twice and my lead guitarists once and they plug straight into the Floorpod and into the PA with their sound coming back through the monitors.
They are getting a poor sound coming back at them but the sound going to the audience is massive.
These modelling pedals can be very accurate providing you know what you're doing.
 
Yeah, that's a damn good point, hadn't thought about that as I've never used headphones so not really experienced the sound direct from the head's output. I guess ideally for keeping the sound consistent, I'd have to mic up the stack, but then again they add another factor into altering sound... don't think I want to go down that route just now tbh.

I do have a Behringer Vamp 2 just now which does amp modelling, it's good for what it is, but I have a feeling that even if I used the ME's effects through the vamp's amp modelling, the GT would still sound better for recording to PC as it has it's own built in amp modelling. Bit of a quandry really, I think the ME50 would be perfect for me when practicing through my amp, but it won't really cover what I want for recording, but then again the GT series is quite a bit of a jump in budget. Tough choice really!
 
Aha... Have been reading up a bit more on all of the options and I hadn't quite caught on to the fact that the ME70 boasts built-in amp modelling too, inspired from the GT10. Looks like this is the winner then, as even if it won't give me the same recorded sound as when practicing through my amp, at least I'll be able to record through it with a decent quality.

Time to keep an eye out for some bargains now!! Thanks guys.
 
EvilGrin said:
Ever tried the ME's to give a comparison at all mate?
Click to expand...

I've never played an ME, but I've seen and heard them used a whole bunch of times. I can't give a good comparison.

What I can say, though, is that the vast majority of usable effects in the GT-8 are between 75 and 90 percent on the way to sounding as good as their individual stomp box counterparts.

The direct out is pretty good for headphone usage and while the amp modelling is generally rubbish through an amp, it works very well when used via headphones or directly into a computer for recording etc.
 
Woody__ said:
I've never played an ME, but I've seen and heard them used a whole bunch of times. I can't give a good comparison.

What I can say, though, is that the vast majority of usable effects in the GT-8 are between 75 and 90 percent on the way to sounding as good as their individual stomp box counterparts.

The direct out is pretty good for headphone usage and while the amp modelling is generally rubbish through an amp, it works very well when used via headphones or directly into a computer for recording etc.
Click to expand...

Cheers for the advice mate, I did seriously consider the GT8/10 along with the ME70 and just told myself I'd pick up the first one that came up for £150 or under, and lo and behold, a mint condition boxed ME70 came up on ebay this morning and I pulled the trigger at £150, the GT8's were all going for £180-200. I got a good price I reckon! At the end of the day if I don't get on well with it, as it's a pedal that's still readily available, I should be able to offload it pretty easily. Here's hoping I'll like it though!

Cheers for all the advice guys, you've been a great help! I'll report back with how I get on when it arrives. :)
 
EvilGrin said:
Cheers for all the advice guys, you've been a great help! I'll report back with how I get on when it arrives. :)
Click to expand...

I'm getting all excited for you.
This is obvious to most but I have seen this done several times:
Remember to put your HT5 on a clean sound with the tones on neutral - that is all.

Make your way through the presets but you quickly realise they are more or less the same with tweaks so start making your own sounds ASAP.

You will never sound like the guy off the Nevada Music videos on You Tube :)
 
Woody__ said:
I HIGHLY recommend the GT-8 if you can get one. Very, very good.
Click to expand...

Me too. I've just got rid of mine since I'm not doing a wide range of stuff anymore, just need a fulltone wah fat-boost and fulldrive II, 4x12, a 100w plexi, echo and les paul now. ;)

But it was a great unit. The stomps sounded ace, the effects where great overall, reverb wasn't as warm as some but apart from that effects-wise it was 99% perfect.

The controls were fine, the amps sounded great if you used the headphone option on the output select (I used that option whether I was using a 4x12, 2x12 or the PA etc. - it just worked well and enabled the cab sim).

The only let down for me was the fact it sucked a little too much tone from the guitar (i.e my les pauls all sounded like generic humbucker equipped guitars) whereas now my les paul custom is thick, almost hollow, smooth and fat - it really sits well in a band scenario. Whereas the standard has a good bite, and a cut - especially nice in a live environment.

It's also superbly constructed.

Apart from the tone sucking it's almost perfect!! If I was doing a review I'd give it 9.5/10.

(IMO it sounded much better than the digitech and line 6 offerings (actually the line 6 ones weren't necessarily worse, just quite harsh and bright - but the digitech/zoom stuff is poop)


EvilGrin said:
I know if I had a pod HD or one of the Boss GT's I could just make use of the amp modelling and plug directly into my soundcard

Alternatively, I've seen GT8's for around £150, GT10's go for ~£220, Pod HD300's are £260 as they're too new to be seen 2nd hand. I think I'd rather either go cheap or find middle-ground and keep the extra for my next onset of gear acquisition syndrome, so preferably well under £200...
Click to expand...

It might be too late for you but I can send you or anyone else sound clips from the GT-8 straight to card clips if you want. Email in trust. Also I think Gt-8's = £180-200.
 
Last edited:
p0ss3s3d said:
Me too. I've just got rid of mine since I'm not doing a wide range of stuff anymore, just need a fulltone wah fat-boost and fulldrive II, 4x12, a 100w plexi, echo and les paul now. ;)

But it was a great unit. The stomps sounded ace, the effects where great overall, reverb wasn't as warm as some but apart from that effects-wise it was 99% perfect.

The controls were fine, the amps sounded great if you used the headphone option on the output select (I used that option whether I was using a 4x12, 2x12 or the PA etc. - it just worked well and enabled the cab sim).

The only let down for me was the fact it sucked a little too much tone from the guitar (i.e my les pauls all sounded like generic humbucker equipped guitars) whereas now my les paul custom is thick, almost hollow, smooth and fat - it really sits well in a band scenario. Whereas the standard has a good bite, and a cut - especially nice in a live environment.

It's also superbly constructed.

Apart from the tone sucking it's almost perfect!! If I was doing a review I'd give it 9.5/10.

(IMO it sounded much better than the digitech and line 6 offerings (actually the line 6 ones weren't necessarily worse, just quite harsh and bright - but the digitech/zoom stuff is poop)
Click to expand...

I didn't have that problem with my Les Paul, but I tended to use the distortion on the distorted channel on the amp, set up using the four cable method so that delays etc were in the effects loop and dirt was up front. I found that by reducing how much of the distortion was used (the output was rarely above 50 for distorted effects) the dirt would colour the gain channel enough to retain the tone of the guitar.
 
Woody__ said:
I didn't have that problem with my Les Paul, but I tended to use the distortion on the distorted channel on the amp, set up using the four cable method so that delays etc were in the effects loop and dirt was up front. I found that by reducing how much of the distortion was used (the output was rarely above 50 for distorted effects) the dirt would colour the gain channel enough to retain the tone of the guitar.
Click to expand...

I mean that plugging in the LP custom, with nothing on the GT-8 running (i.e "bypassed") it sounded mostly the same as my standards. The difference was negligible. Whereas when I use my Fulltone gear, the true bypass means the tone is hardly affected and all guitars sound totally different.

(I haven't had an amp with an FX loop for a while, and no gain/mv controls on the amp so I only ever tended to use it with a practice amp at home, or using a pa for Jazz, Funk and stand-in stuff)

Just my experiences so far.
 
Evilgrin - how did you go on?
Are you impressed?

I did my second gig with the ME70 on Friday and people in the pub were well impressed with it's sound BUT my main problem is that twice during the evening I hit 2 pedals at the same time which put it into another mode.
It was then a case of frantic pedal pressing to get it back to the sound I wanted.
I'm going have to come up with an idea to make the pedals stand out like they would if they were separates, maybe put coloured tape on them.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom