Multi FX Pedals
- Thread starter MrMoon
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I don't want to dissuade you, but multi effects units do not represent good value in my opinion. These units usually have dreadful overdrive / distortion sounds, synthetic modulation (chorus / flanger) sounds, and are often only good for digital delay and some additional uses (programmable, tuner, volume and expression etc)
The quality of a decent stand alone chorus will always be better. There are some mighty good distortion units which are not that pricey. Even digital delay units can be picked up cheaply (danelectro / behringer). You can buy them as you need them and as you can afford them, so I would always recommend stand alone pedal units over multi effects units. In a multi unit, the quality of each effect is compromised by being bundled together.
Behringer have recently released pedals which cost just £13!!! They are built only averagely and no doubt have very cheap components, but I bought three for test purposes, and they actually sound better than the Boss Me50 that I bought (and sold). And the Zoom unit I used was the worst sounding effect unit I've heard.
Sorry, just my experience and opinion.
If I absolutely had to buy one, I'd go for the most recent Boss unit. Although ironically, for the price, you could probably buy all the single effect units you could want.
Good luck on your purchase though
The quality of a decent stand alone chorus will always be better. There are some mighty good distortion units which are not that pricey. Even digital delay units can be picked up cheaply (danelectro / behringer). You can buy them as you need them and as you can afford them, so I would always recommend stand alone pedal units over multi effects units. In a multi unit, the quality of each effect is compromised by being bundled together.
Behringer have recently released pedals which cost just £13!!! They are built only averagely and no doubt have very cheap components, but I bought three for test purposes, and they actually sound better than the Boss Me50 that I bought (and sold). And the Zoom unit I used was the worst sounding effect unit I've heard.
Sorry, just my experience and opinion.
If I absolutely had to buy one, I'd go for the most recent Boss unit. Although ironically, for the price, you could probably buy all the single effect units you could want.
Good luck on your purchase though
Associate
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Singles are easily the best, but if (like me) the cost involved is too much the POD XT is a great system - also travelling to/from uni means multiple pedals would be too much of a pain. I dont have the live version (the kidney one), but if it just the same system with pedals for easier control on stage, i would say its worth it.
Not played with Boss though, so cant really compare the 2.
Some comments on it:
GT8 - http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Effects/product/Boss/GT-8+Guitar+Effects+Processor/10/1
POD XT live -
http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Effects/product/Line+6/Pod+XT+Live/10/1
Not played with Boss though, so cant really compare the 2.
Some comments on it:
GT8 - http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Effects/product/Boss/GT-8+Guitar+Effects+Processor/10/1
POD XT live -
http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Effects/product/Line+6/Pod+XT+Live/10/1
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Singles are much better, but I can understand it from a costing point of view. You can get a digi multi-effects for the same price as just a single Boss pedal. My pedalbard consists of the following
Pedaltrain flightcase - £150
Boss DS1 - £50
Boss BD2 - £60
Boss DD6 - £100
Boss BF3 - £70
Crybaby Wah £90
Boss TU1 - £65
Thats probably twice as much as a GT8 and not as flexable. It all depends on the sound a guess. Personally I wouldn't like to be gigging a digi effects through a nice tube stack.
If you're going for one, the GT8 would be my choice.
Pedaltrain flightcase - £150
Boss DS1 - £50
Boss BD2 - £60
Boss DD6 - £100
Boss BF3 - £70
Crybaby Wah £90
Boss TU1 - £65
Thats probably twice as much as a GT8 and not as flexable. It all depends on the sound a guess. Personally I wouldn't like to be gigging a digi effects through a nice tube stack.
If you're going for one, the GT8 would be my choice.
Man of Honour
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Just go and watch every experienced guitarist and in front of them will be single pedals so you can't really argue with that.
I have seen one guitarist with a POD XT Live and he made it sound awesome on stage but he told me he had spent months fine programming it.
I'm actually thinking about getting rid of my Line 6 Guitarport and buying the new Line 6 Floorpod which again is a great all in one unit but would need lots of fine programming for live use.
Single pedals just seem to work out of the box.
I have seen one guitarist with a POD XT Live and he made it sound awesome on stage but he told me he had spent months fine programming it.
I'm actually thinking about getting rid of my Line 6 Guitarport and buying the new Line 6 Floorpod which again is a great all in one unit but would need lots of fine programming for live use.
Single pedals just seem to work out of the box.
One of the problems that often is overlooked with floor pedals is that they have a nasty habit of being *one shot* deals. By that i mean, they have one setting that hits a sweet spot and the rest of the settings never actually seem to quite work. That often leaves you having forked out quite a lot of money for what is, essentially, something which only does one thing to any real standard. Boos make hardworking OK pedals but they are the marks and Spencer of the effect world. A damn good average ,but no real character of their own.
If you want to sound like "everyone else", Boss is probably the way to go but if you are looking define your own sound it's worth experimenting a little deeper.
Now, the place to start is how you play yourself. Do lightly trip across the strings or do they stay hit? There is a world of difference between say Steve Vai and Neil Young, yet they both play guitar. Find where you sit as re other players and then begin to search for the kit that will produce the sound you seek. It's a hell of a lot easier to give people suggestions for gear when you know what style and genre they work in.
The PODxt would be my choice for your set up , from those you have suggested, or, if you can find one, the pro musicians best kept secret, a second hand Johnson J Station. I have an original POD mark 1 and J Station. The POD i use for classic *Marshall* tones, the J Station i use for *Modern rectified power guitar* tones and the superb Fender Blackface sim.
For bedroom guitar playing you could do lot worse than a Pod XT and a couple of the little Epiphone 5 watt valve amps.
If you want to sound like "everyone else", Boss is probably the way to go but if you are looking define your own sound it's worth experimenting a little deeper.
Now, the place to start is how you play yourself. Do lightly trip across the strings or do they stay hit? There is a world of difference between say Steve Vai and Neil Young, yet they both play guitar. Find where you sit as re other players and then begin to search for the kit that will produce the sound you seek. It's a hell of a lot easier to give people suggestions for gear when you know what style and genre they work in.
The PODxt would be my choice for your set up , from those you have suggested, or, if you can find one, the pro musicians best kept secret, a second hand Johnson J Station. I have an original POD mark 1 and J Station. The POD i use for classic *Marshall* tones, the J Station i use for *Modern rectified power guitar* tones and the superb Fender Blackface sim.
For bedroom guitar playing you could do lot worse than a Pod XT and a couple of the little Epiphone 5 watt valve amps.
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Maniac618 said:
I made a mistake above in my post.
It wasn't a POD XT Live the lad was using on stage but a GT8 but he did spend months fine tuning.