Multi-effects or Individual Stomp Boxes?

[MetroBass]

I apologize in advance if there a good thread on this subject but I couldn't find it. Any re-direct would be appreciated. However, I'm a newbee but love the effects since I'm playing a variety of genres.

As a comparison I bought a Boss Chorus CEB-3 and a Boss ME-20B. I understand the limitations associated with the multi, ie, only 3 effects at a time. But when comparing the Multi in the chorus mode to the CEB-3, the CEB-3 appears to have more diversity and a hotter output.

1. Are the electronics between the two even close?
2. There’s no comparison – go individual pedals?
3. Price alone, there’s no comparison go Multi?
4. Not married to BOSS.

I have to say with the ME-20B getting the dedicated Wah feature is almost like getting a pedal for free.

Thanks

[phat daddy]

I do both. I have a ME 20B that I use for tuner, filter, wah, flanger and synth. Then I use a two synth stompboxes, an envelope filter, a phaser, an octave divider, an overdrive, and a compressor in that order. The ME 20B is great for programming sounds that use up to three effects in each sound and fills in the missing links that my stompboxes don't.

[Nyarlathotep]

Go individual. There is a lot more options in single stomps than in multies

I've found, thru reading manuals and stuff, that only certain stomps are modeled. I know its not chorus, but the best example is OD/Dist/Fuzzes. Almost every multi only has a TS9, a fuzz face, a muff, an octavia, and maybe a B:Assmaster model. There are sooo many effects between those that its not even funny. Would I be able to get a sound simmilar to my new Attack Goat (blend w/ hint of octave up)? Maybe, but its prolly easier to just buy it like I did

The same thing goes with choruses. Hell the POD i had only had 1 chorus model, and you could only do the HPF thing if you had the Bass PODxt version. With the new X3: no HPF, so no way to really emulate a CEB-3 if you wanted. The boss might be different, but I doubt it lol

Just my 2 cents on the matter.

[Swift713]

You'll get more effects per buck from a multi like the Boss or Zoom and it's a great introduction to the wonderful world of effects. I've been gradually converting from a Zoom B2 to a few select single pedals which sound much better but don't do as many things. With my current band I only use overdrive, filter, and compression but the Zoom has several delays, chorus, flange, octave, pitch shift, tremolo, etc that I would probably never buy individually but can be plenty of fun.

[Zappstorius]

Well I think most people learn about effects through multis...I'm one of them.

I go single stomp boxes because of versitility and efficiency. I can customize each stomp box to whatever I wish...i.e. my chorus is setup to make an organ-like sound-I don't know if that's possible with a multi unit.

More tweakability with individual stomp-boxes IMO.

[b to g is yummy]

I've dabbled into multi's myself a bit, and haven't liked them much. I found tweaking them, remembering your settings...etc was a pain. It's a matter of what you find comfortable. Like's been said, they are great for giving you experience with different types of effects, learning what is usuable to you and what isn't.

I do have expensive taste tho, I might add. So, the idea that pros generally have individual stomps made me want individual pedals too....I should add, last night I was at one of my fav bands' concerts and there frontman (not lead guitarist) played through a Line6 Pod something... so it's not that no big guys do it.

And to answer some of your questions, well I don't really know If you like what you got, USE IT!

[varunkapahi]

single! you can save little and spend little and keep adding pedals every month or something and have a cool collection in sometime

[bassbrad]

I'm with Phat Daddy in the "both is better camp". There are several single effects pedals I use because of the sound and added control and use the multi to fill in the gaps and to save created sounds.

[EricF]

This topic has been discussed many, many times...

For me it's no contest. Individual effects give me total flexibility and control over exactly what the sound is from each box. Additionally, I don't have extra features or effects that I'll never use.

If you can find me a multi that has the same circuits as a Demeter Compulator, EHX Micro POG, Tonefactor Cream Pie, Fulltone OCD, PE Depth Charge (w/ clean blend, of course), Analogman Chorus (w/ deep mod), Boss BF-2, and Guyatone MD3, I might take a look.

[Valerus]

Individuals all the way!!

[lowbass68]

I prefer individual effects. And I like BOSS the best. Individual is easier to use and yields more flexability, IMO.

Ashdown Envelope --> LMB-3 Limiter -->ODB-3 Overdrive --> CEB-3 Chorus --> BF-3 Flanger --> GEB-7 Bass EQ --> GEB-7 Bass EQ --> FV-500H Volume

I use 2 EQs so I can go from mid boost to mid cut.

[jk3]

i'm leaning towards both as well. and i'm wondering, can you have a multi, like the ME-20B, in a pedal chain? if so, can it work in conjuction the individual pedals?

[niftydog]

Of course you can - it's not going to blow up or anything!

[bongomania]

Oh that's just mean, nifty, you know perfectly well it is going to blow up! Now the poor kid is going to go plug a multi into the same chain as his individual pedals and the resulting square wave DC will overexcursion his speakers, fry his amp, and probably blow the power transformer outside his house. Nice going.

[niftydog]

Yeah, you got me. I was just drumming up business!

[hkroy]

it really depends...go for multi because it can give you many different effects in the same time with a reasonable pice, but ofcause the sound produced not as good as the stompbox

on the other hand, the stompbox undoubtedly will produce "better" sound because of its circuit, but when you purchase more and more to fit your needs (somehow when you got, you will be addicted to them....that's my own experience),you have to spend more than a multi, I would say it is "NOT CHEAP".

Well, I would say if you know what you need, go for the stompboxes to have the better sound, otherwise go for multi first, then you got a lot of pedals that you can try out. Personally, I use a Boss ME-50B at the beginning, now I switched to stompboxes as I know what I need and for the more natural and better sound.

just my 2 cents

P.S the pedals of Boss are a good choice with reasonable price, I have a CEB-3 too

[topcat2069]

I got the Boss GT-6B it sounds like it sounds, I just like the fact that it's easy to program and easy to set up and maintain.....plus I can change presets and still have individual on off switching for each effect........ if only it had a wireless unit built in......

[grace & groove]

^That'd be an absolutely wonderful feature for a ME.