Bass multi-effects?

[squidfetish]

Hi, any of you bass players out there know much about bass multi-effects units? I currently use a bunch of Boss stomp-boxes - overdrive, flange, chorus, EQ... I'm thinking about getting a multi-effects unit, but I don't know the first thing about which are the best ones, whether they have any advantages over separates other than ease of carrying around/less room taken up etc. Maybe I'd be better off sticking with what I've got, I dunno. So if anyone has any thoughts about or experiences with about multi-effects units, I'd be interested to hear about them.

Thanks,
Rob

 

[Meedleyx10]

Are you happy with the sounds you have now?

 

[squidfetish]

To a degree... I'm looking at possibly needing a delay option and maybe a phaser. I'm wondering whether I'll get more bang for the buck with a multi-effects unit, or carry on buying stomp-boxes until they take over my entire room. The effects I have already are good quality - the question for me is will I be sacrificing the quality of my sounds if I buy something that I can just shove in the corner and take up less room? I'd be prepared to pay the money for something good, but only if the sounds are as good, if not better than what I have now - maybe a high level Boss or Korg unit, but it's the old sound quality Vs portability/space dilemma.

I bought a cheap-ass Zoom unit a couple of years ago and I got what I paid for.... crap! :-(

 

[Meedleyx10]

If you're dead seat on getting a multi-effects unit, I'd reccomend something from the Boss GT series (since you seem to like what the Boss stuff is doing for you now) or possibly one of the Line 6 units. I might be more inclined to persuade you to keep the individual pedals if you were using a wider variety of pedals, anything analog, boutique stuff, etc....but for better or for worse, the Boss stuff can be quite easily/convincingly replaced by a multi-effects unit. That said, depending on how many pedals you actually have, you might consider getting a pedal board to put it all on. If it's just overdrive, chorus, flange, eq, and maybe delay and/or phaser, you could quite easily fit that all on a pedaltrain jr. (http://pedaltrain.com/Home/Pedaltrain_JR) or even just make your own (the cheaper and more flexible option).

 

[squidfetish]

Mmm yup, certainly food for thought there - I had considered nailing some sort of pedal board together, but I'm liking the look of that pedaltrain! I'll give it all some thought. Thanks for your input, mate!

 

[Meedleyx10]

No problem I'll vouch for the Pedaltrain too. I use PT-2 and it holds up great. Very durable and well designed. The design allows any and all cables to be tucked underneath the board and allow for a very neat and tidy set up. As you might have read about on the website, all new ones ship with mounting brackets for the Voodoo Lab PP2+ power supply and have holes on the front to run the power cable out of and to use the PP2's AC outlet (one of the pictures on the link I posted shows the AC cord coming out of the front and the power supply mounted discretely underneath). I went that route myself and couldn't be happier with it. There are various other power supplies you can use and various other ways to mount them on the board as well. I'll try to post pics of mine sometime soon...I was planning on posting pics anyway once it was all done, but I might do it anyway and then just post more once the final two pedals find their way on there.

 

[schenkadere]

If you like Boss effects, I'd look at the ME-50B. around 300 bucks...probably has all you need, and a much more intuitive, friendly interface than many of the others out there.

http://bass-guitars.musiciansfriend...0B-Bass-Multiple-Effects-with-COSM?sku=151433

 

[squidfetish]

Well... I just got an ME50B off ebay for about 90 quid. I'm gonna mess about with it tomorrow and see what it can do - I'm gonna keep my other pedals and probably get a pedaltrain too. If the ME50 doesn't float my boat then at least I can sell it on and expand on my stompboxes. Looks like its got some interesting stuff on it already. Thanks again, fellas.

 

[razoredge]

Dont know if you can find these ART units in England. My friend played through one of these for years but went back to straight bass through his Gallian Kruger(sp?)/Harke stack. I admit to knowing nothing about bass effects or if they are really needed, seems it would create mud where its not needed. With this you really need a midi controller though. This company didnt mess around and the parameter control and programing of these units is extensive and easy once you understand the process. I use the SGX 2000 for my guitar and Im still finding interesting useful sounds and tone.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ART-SGX-NIGHT-B...5|66:2|65:12|39:1|240:1318|301:1|293:1|294:50

 

[anacrucix]

bass + effects?

the very concept of this topic shakes me to the core

 

[razoredge]

Me too, I can see them for recording atmospheric sections in a song or two. I think used properly they may help fine tune a sound but delay, reverb, distortion and stuff is going to make mud. I've had problems playing with other guitar players that tune their sound for solos with delay and other saturating effects that dont turn them off for riffage. It takes the distinction out of it and it gets to be a big puddle of mud. My crunch channel is just distortion, exicter, compression, limiter and gate, if I lift from the strings there is no sound, no echo, its keeps things crisp.