Multi-effects...comments please

G

greco

New member
A friend of mine uses a multi-effects units (I don't know the brand name or model ...sorry) all the time and is suggesting that I consider getting one. This unit is quite a large and was expensive.

He can certainly get a wide variety of tones from it (after having tweaked the settings.... e.g., he can nail Trower's "Bridge of Sighs")

I have nice tube amps and enjoy playing clean or adding a bit of distortion through a TS-9 type of pedal.

I'm not gigging, and am not that great of a player, but I enjoy jamming with my friends and just playing to relax.

I'm concerned that I might only enjoy it for a short time and then go back to my usual plug and play. I'm also concerned that it will suck tone, but he says that the bypass system is good.

Are many of you forumbros using these regularly?

Any comments as to which makes/models are are most preferred. (I'm not concerned about spending a reasonable amount on it...but I don't want the little Z**M plastic systems)

I don't see these for sale on the Trading Post very often, so I'm assumimg that either people are keeping them because they like them, or that they haven't been all that popular for a while now and nobody is buying them.

Thanks for your comments.

Dave
 
Re: Multi-effects...comments please

It depends on what you want to accomplish and how.

It sounds to me as though you would be happier with individual pedals, though.

BTW, I own a POD xt Live. I really like it, and I played PODs in church for 6 years. Now I'm back to an amp and pedals.

It's a matter of taste, and if you don't really have a need for that variety, it will be a waste of $$$ and MIGHT suck your tone away.
 
Re: Multi-effects...comments please

IME, it takes a fair bit of tweaking to get the desired results from most multiFX. That seems to run counter to "I enjoy jamming with my friends and just playing to relax".

IMO, multiFX are great if you want a heavily effected tone or don't want to do the "pedalboard tap dance" when changing tones. They also provide good bang for the buck when compared to acquiring individual stompboxes that cover the same territory. That said, if you're not into a lot of FX, I'd probably recommend getting stompboxes instead.
 
Re: Multi-effects...comments please

I like single FX , But there are pros and cons. Single FX pros-Always interchangable,simple to use. Cons- Can be a pain to power all if your useing different brands and voltages,Can get noisey. Multi FX Pros- Neat (no patch cables) Cons- It breaks ,your done for the night FX wise,Non Interchageable.
 
Re: Multi-effects...comments please

If you are jamming with heaps of friends who play different styles of music, a MFX unit might just be your thing. You can pre program your tones at home and fit right in with anyone you wanna jam with later. You would still be able to run into the power section of your tube amp too.

I use a Boss GT-8 and can't see myself geting bored with it any time soon...just think up a tone and chain of FX and away you go! I am one of those people who enjoys playing around with things though, it might be different for you. Hope this helps!
 
Re: Multi-effects...comments please

greco said:
A friend of mine uses a multi-effects units (I don't know the brand name or model ...sorry) all the time and is suggesting that I consider getting one. This unit is quite a large and was expensive. He can certainly get a wide variety of tones from it (after having tweaked the settings.... e.g., he can nail Trower's "Bridge of Sighs") I have nice tube amps and enjoy playing clean or adding a bit of distortion through a TS-9 type of pedal. I'm not gigging, and am not that great of a player, but I enjoy jamming with my friends and just playing to relax. I'm concerned that I might only enjoy it for a short time and then go back to my usual plug and play. I'm also concerned that it will suck tone, but he says that the bypass system is good. Are many of you forumbros using these regularly? Any comments as to which makes/models are are most preferred. (I'm not concerned about spending a reasonable amount on it...but I don't want the little Z**M plastic systems) I don't see these for sale on the Trading Post very often, so I'm assumimg that either people are keeping them because they like them, or that they haven't been all that popular for a while now and nobody is buying them. Thanks for your comments. Dave
Click to expand...

I use a Boss ME-50 and I'm very satisfied with how much it cost and how well it works. The only thing it could use is a "solo" pedal like the GT-8 has, but I can get a SD Pickup Booster for that :D

But yeah, I'm totally happy with my ME-50. In fact, I'm about to head out to church where I use it :D
 
Re: Multi-effects...comments please

Dave - Of all the multi-effects I've tried, the only one I found to be worth its weight was the T.C Electronics G-Major. Very little tone coloring and its got every effect you'd probably ever want. The downside is that its rack mount, so you would need the G-Minor or similar midi-controller, unless of course you opt for a G-System, which is awesome, but its alot of money.
 
Re: Multi-effects...comments please

I've heard things such as 'jack of all trades, master of none' about the multi effects pedals. If I got one, I'd only use the chorus very occassionally, the delay and maybe distortion. Doesn't seem right to me. I'd rather have the individual pedals. Futhermore, a boutique pedal will really get the job done, so $300 on 3 really good pedals will be better than $300 on 15 effects in one unit.
 
Re: Multi-effects...comments please

Thanks very much guys.

Seems like opinions are fairly split on this one, understandably.

At least I've got your suggestions as to the Boss GT-8 and ME-50 as being reasonable choices.

Matt...thanks for suggesting the G-Major, but the rack mount approach is bit overwhelming to try at first. I don't doubt that the G-Major is a great piece of equipment.

Bottom line....I need to get an MFX on loan to try at home for a while. The local music store is usually OK with this.

Dave
 
Re: Multi-effects...comments please

I power my pedals with a 1Spot adapter. So far, no noise.

Greco, as someone alluded to above, if you are looking to play a wide variety of styles on the fly, multieffects units are the ticket. If you are looking for your own personal sound, then I would recommend pedals.

I use both, depending on the application.
 
Re: Multi-effects...comments please

This is not a bump....just another thanks for the comments from Rid and LesStrat.

I'm thinking more towards individual pedals at the moment as I can hear the tone that I want (in my head only so far...d*mnit) and it is a fairly simple tone, mainly for the Blues.
It should be possible to get this overdriven, slightly sustained tone (cranking the amp would do the trick, and I'm building a 6 watt tube amp in hopes of achieving this...just that progress with the build is slow due to the constant demands of daily life....I work for my wife in her business ----Need I say more !!

Again, many thanks.

Dave
 
Re: Multi-effects...comments please

greco said:
This is not a bump....just another thanks for the comments from Rid and LesStrat.

I'm thinking more towards individual pedals at the moment as I can hear the tone that I want (in my head only so far...d*mnit) and it is a fairly simple tone, mainly for the Blues.
It should be possible to get this overdriven, slightly sustained tone (cranking the amp would do the trick, and I'm building a 6 watt tube amp in hopes of achieving this...just that progress with the build is slow due to the constant demands of daily life....I work for my wife in her business ----Need I say more !!

Again, many thanks.

Dave
Click to expand...

Just be SURE you get a quality pedal board or something for it. Also, remember that the more individual components, the more points for failure, in theory. Take good care of the cables, and make sure the pedals are grounded to each other along a common ground like the pedal board itself.
 
Re: Multi-effects...comments please

I also use the Boss ME-50.
I always used Boss stomp-boxes, and I got tired of the maze of wires and adaptors, plus the signal loss with using more than 3 effects.
The ME-50 is a decent unit, it has it's limitations and shortcomings, IMO the compressor is just about useless, the reverbs need work, you can't easily change/add parameters on the fly if you use programs, but I ususally just use the individual effects, but overall, it does what I need it to do. Plus, it does have some cool stuff on it.
 
Re: Multi-effects...comments please

It depends on what you need. For me i like things simple, i dont need that many different tones. I have owned a POD and a Korg Multi FX unit before and i have found that i ended up using a few of the models they had and not using 99% of the pedal's potential. I have found generally in multi FX devices that 'Jack of all trades, master of none' description that Robbiedbee pointed out was very true. If you really need a wide number of tones, go for it. Find out your needs and buy accordingly.
 
Re: Multi-effects...comments please

Bada Bing/Matt: Glad you asked this because I thought that the common ground was well establised through the 1/4 inch plugs/jacks. Am I wrong here?

TwinReverb...can you explain further please.

Thanks

Dave
 
Re: Multi-effects...comments please

greco said:
Bada Bing/Matt: Glad you asked this because I thought that the common ground was well establised through the 1/4 inch plugs/jacks. Am I wrong here?

TwinReverb...can you explain further please.

Thanks

Dave
Click to expand...

That was always my understanding, Dave. I used to run a fairly sizable board and never had any grounding issues. My biggest recommendation is using quality cables (Lava's are awesome), and a clean power source.
 
Re: Multi-effects...comments please

I think you can get a better tone with stompboxes and they are easy to use.....just turn a knob or two.

I got turned off to multieffects a long time ago, because of all the parameters that you have to go through to make simple changes. One more thing. most multieffects presets are unusable.......does anyone remember the SPX-90?
 
Re: Multi-effects...comments please

Although it is true that increasing the components increases possible failure points, it also makes it cheaper to fix individual problems. Just a thought.

Of course, with that said I have never had a failure with a POD in six years of use.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

M
59 was awesome for metal. What next?
Replies
15
Views
371
metalmachine1983
M
misterwhizzy
Cool amp story, bro
Replies
13
Views
902
Binnerscot
Binnerscot
GuitarStv
Red Hats - a new (old) song
Replies
10
Views
174
Chistopher
C
simply rod
Mojotone vs. Philadelphia Luthier Tools magnets
2
Replies
37
Views
2K
Masta' C
Masta' C
Snake Aces
Bawls Deep Bass
Replies
19
Views
650
Snake Aces
Snake Aces
Back
Top