Best multi effects processor for under 300?

[King V]

Hey fellow tb'ers. Ive been playing bass for over 20 years now and I'm now just recently getting interested in effects. My question is this...in your opinion what is the best multi effects processor out there that can be had new or used for 300 bones or less? ill take any advice, even if its just something to stay away from. Any help is much appreciated!

[iamdenialNJ]

You can get yourself a used m9 for $300 or less.

[bassbrad]

The question is what's best in your needs. Boss, Digitech, Line 6, Rocktron, Zoom and others all get love and hate. 2 me it's like asking who makes the best jeans, your butt is different than mine and his and hers, for some jeans are fashion and others just some comfy everyday clothes. It comes down to sounds, versatility and how easy it is to program, because all the presets suck and need to be tossed.
Zoom is my main choice because of the sounds, relaibility and price. All of the efx sound good and they offer some choices not found elsewhere-ring mod and I like the synth sounds.
Boss/Roland is good stuff if a bit generic at times.
Digitech makes some good sounding stuff and i still love my BP-8.
Line 6 is the modelling king for amps and efx but I don't always agree with their choices especially for bass.
I have been messing with an AdrenaLinn for a couple of days and there are some awesome efx there for bass, awaiting my update to version 3.

[King V]

I kind of have my eye on a me-50b. Anyone have experience with that model?

[bassbmx]

Used Line 6 M9. You won't be disappointed

[bassbrad]

It's a good sounding dependable unit, easy to program but again the sounds are very Boss and these days that means generic, not bad, but a bit on the tame side....
adequate compressor, nice selection of filter effects amps and drives, dependable selection of modulation/delay and reverb. Plus side for the master eq section. Pedal control offers lots of useful options. No XLR DI out which you would expect at this price.

[Zitch]

I have the boss and I personally like it, What I like on it is the compression, distortions, defretter, tuner and the mid shape. The delays are satisfactory, the flanger is about useless for some reason it creates a serious volume spike. The auto wah is cool but the wah pedal is good with the distortion but a bit useless straight up. Hope this helps.

[King V]

After prioritizing my needs....it seems that I need a unit with a good envelope filter, flanger, and synth sounds. Is the ME50-b a good choice? Also looking at the gt10-B, but that would have to wait another paycheck or two. Also considering the Line 6 m13...but it looks as though this unit may be geared more towards guitar than bass.........

[Crystalman85]

If you want to try something different, rocktron processors is worth checking out. it's got great sounding modulation effects and it's got some cool sounding reverbs and delays. other than that, I personally would recommend boss, zoom, and line 6 processors. in case you're curious about how the rocktron processors sounds, I have sound samples of the rocktron utopia b100 on my soundclick website. here's the link.

www.soundclick.com/crystalman85

[Kosko]

line6 m9 for sure

[cybersnyder]

M9.

[walknbluez]

After asking the same question you did and researching and then debating between individual pedals and a multi-effects unit, I went with Line 6's M13. The M9 can be had for your price range, but I figured if I was doing it, I may as well pay a little extra to be able to have the extras that the M13 offers.

[King V]

Originally Posted by walknbluez

After asking the same question you did and researching and then debating between individual pedals and a multi-effects unit, I went with Line 6's M13. The M9 can be had for your price range, but I figured if I was doing it, I may as well pay a little extra to be able to have the extras that the M13 offers.

I'm now bouncing between the m9 and m13....did you find that the m13 was worth the extra scratch?

[walknbluez]

Originally Posted by King V

I'm now bouncing between the m9 and m13....did you find that the m13 was worth the extra scratch?

I think so because of several reasons that were explained to me in another thread before I bought it.

Here is what was said to me that pushed me toward the M13 and after I bought the M13, confirmed it for me:

"I bought the M13, even though I don't use a lot of effects, because I wanted the possible 4 effects at a time rather then the 3, the effects loop option, and easier to change scenes and get into the looper mode. My thoughts were that if I wanted to use either a comp or EQ, that would take up 1 of the 3 on the M9, so I would go for the M13, even though I didn't need 3 options for each of the 4 possible "ON's" at one time."

The other thing is that with the M13 and another pedal (Boss LS-2), you can run effects in parallel which opens up a whole new world I'm told.

[cybersnyder]

The M9 goes *on* your pedalboard, the M13 *is* your pedalboard. I believe I need to accredit this distinction to Rich Renken, the Line 6 Product Manager for the M9. It seems to be a fair distinction between the two. I found that the M13 was too big and I didn't use it that much, as much as I liked the sounds. I now have an M9 and it's on my larger pedalboard to compliment my existing pedals.

If you already have pedals, I'd go with the M9. If this unit will be your entire effects setup, I'd go with the M13 but would also consider the easier portability of the M9.

[King V]

Discovered the m9 / m13 club thread. I'm now sold on the M13 and have one on order. Thanks for everyone's input!

[jakrees747]

i really like my korg ax3000b, has a great amp sim section, really good filter, delay (not that i use them much) and pretty good synth, pitch and ovtave options. and a crappy compressor