Is the Zoom B1X Four any good?

[Jkk17]

Hi, I wanted to know if the Zoom B1X Four is worth the price and if there is better options at the same price range. I would like to play with stuff and create my own abastract music. Thanks

 

[JohnArnson]

You won't get anything better for that price, nothing beats Zoom's digital multi effects at their price point, and in my personal opinion the effects in their never models like the B1X Four sound better than those in the more expensive Boss digital multi effect.

 

[Jkk17]

You won't get anything better for that price, nothing beats Zoom's digital multi effects at their price point, and in my personal opinion the effects sound better then on the more expensive Boss digital multi effect.

Thanks for the help. Yeah I'll probably pick the B1X

 

[bassbrad]

Agreed for the money it is hard to beat Zoom for sounds, utility and value! Have fun!

ToneLib don't miss this for your new Zoom!!

 

[Vronica]

You won't get anything better for that price, nothing beats Zoom's digital multi effects at their price point, and in my personal opinion the effects in their never models like the B1X Four sound better than those in the more expensive Boss digital multi effect.

+1
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[spigmu]

Did these ship in the U.S. before becoming unavailable until Sept? Never seen one in the wild.

 

[imurrx]

You need to scrounge around but you can find it through an outlet. I have the B1 Four instead. Not much difference except the X model used the pedal for volume or what stuff. You do get a few more effects you can choose from from the non pedal version.

After a month playing it, I have come to the conclusion that that I wanted a tube preamp (Le Bass), flexible compressor (spectracomp), and just ordered a cheap cab sim (Valetron) for now.

I will use the zoom still to practice with on the go. I have realized it is a great creative tool to experiment with but the sound was off. The Cab Sims it has were eh.

Use a USB with the zoom to power it. It will chew up batteries once a week the way I was practicing. No need to buy a power supply.

 

[Markzts]

I bought one of the B1 Four ( not x ) from Sweetwater when they first got them. I much prefer the B1 Four over Boss for preamp/distortion/overdrive tones - other tones are pretty much equal. I will get rotten eggs for this, but I sold my darkglass pedals after getting what I wanted from B1 Four. It's not the same mind you, but by combining different things with the darkglass model they have, you can get close ( or maybe better depending on what you want ). Rhythm section is useful for practice. Best of all for me is that using the latest version of Zoom Guitar Lab software to edit the effects chain, the whole patch edit thing becomes easy and fun. Loop a bass line into it and just sit at your computer with headphones and tweak tones for hours ( if you're into that sort of thing ). For $80 ( or $100 for the X ), I don't think you can go wrong.

 

[spigmu]

I picked up a Four X, having gotten pretty used to the Zoom way and sound having had a B1Xon that did me well until I dropped it. I've decided that I can't *use* multifx pedals live no matter what they sound like. I don't like the changing of entire patches just to put some delay on it, and to work at all it has to be planned out in the banks. No playing with X or Y or Z sound and then deciding to flourish with a little delay for a moment. I still use it like I used the B1Xon live, which is to just have that one better, beefier sound and leaving it there all night. Maybe having one fuzzier patch but that's the extent. A separate pedal for each function is the only way I can see using all those (amp sim, compressor, overdrive, modulation, ambience) functions. Not saying it can't or shouldn't be done, just that I can't and shouldn't do it.

And as far as quality, I'm not convinced I would benefit by having $600 worth of better pedals live, aside from the live effect engaging/bypassing. Although I never play venues comparable to his by a long shot, Zappa's line that "In a hockey rink no one can hear the difference" is applicable to the places on the far other end of the spectrum I do play.

 

[stingray69]

I already own the B3 and the MS-60b, so I'm not sure how the B1-FOUR managed to fly under my radar since it came out.

Mine is arriving tonight and I'm looking forward to hearing all the new amp models & effects they've added into this newest offering. Tired of reading up on it, ready to get some hands-on time with it!

 

[MtManiac]

I picked up a Four X, having gotten pretty used to the Zoom way and sound having had a B1Xon that did me well until I dropped it. I've decided that I can't *use* multifx pedals live no matter what they sound like. I don't like the changing of entire patches just to put some delay on it, and to work at all it has to be planned out in the banks. No playing with X or Y or Z sound and then deciding to flourish with a little delay for a moment. I still use it like I used the B1Xon live, which is to just have that one better, beefier sound and leaving it there all night. Maybe having one fuzzier patch but that's the extent. A separate pedal for each function is the only way I can see using all those (amp sim, compressor, overdrive, modulation, ambience) functions. Not saying it can't or shouldn't be done, just that I can't and shouldn't do it.

And as far as quality, I'm not convinced I would benefit by having $600 worth of better pedals live, aside from the live effect engaging/bypassing. Although I never play venues comparable to his by a long shot, Zappa's line that "In a hockey rink no one can hear the difference" is applicable to the places on the far other end of the spectrum I do play.

Tonelib software makes that working out the patches in advance much, much simpler and easier. I don’t have the Four, but I have a B1Xon and totally agreed with you on this point until I was introduced to Tonelib here on Talkbass.

I’ve no idea what the Zoom software that comes with the Four is like.

 

[stingray69]

I picked up a Four X, having gotten pretty used to the Zoom way and sound having had a B1Xon that did me well until I dropped it. I've decided that I can't *use* multifx pedals live no matter what they sound like. I don't like the changing of entire patches just to put some delay on it, and to work at all it has to be planned out in the banks. No playing with X or Y or Z sound and then deciding to flourish with a little delay for a moment. I still use it like I used the B1Xon live, which is to just have that one better, beefier sound and leaving it there all night. Maybe having one fuzzier patch but that's the extent. A separate pedal for each function is the only way I can see using all those (amp sim, compressor, overdrive, modulation, ambience) functions. Not saying it can't or shouldn't be done, just that I can't and shouldn't do it.

And as far as quality, I'm not convinced I would benefit by having $600 worth of better pedals live, aside from the live effect engaging/bypassing. Although I never play venues comparable to his by a long shot, Zappa's line that "In a hockey rink no one can hear the difference" is applicable to the places on the far other end of the spectrum I do play.

With up to 5 effects possible, I find myself usually building a Clean Patch with 3-4 effects (usually Amp, Cab, Compressor, etc.) to get a solid base tone going and then throw in additional Ambient, Delay or Overdrive effects into the chain with the intent of using them as stomp on/off from within that patch. Not sure if that helps you, but I noticed it sure cuts down on replicating patches (for me) just to tag on 1-more effect (usually a toggle on/off effect at that).

 

[spigmu]

I don't mean it's a problem creating patches or arranging them in useful banks. Just that live, unless I'm literally using one patch nearly all the time and the very rare advance to the patch after or the one previous and then back, I find that the process of going to a handful of different patches to be distracting and mildly disorienting. Biggest issue is that the floor is pretty far away : ) Reading glasses (which I couldn't function in for playing live) would help that but f*#k everything else. One thing I do like about the B1X Four is that it's much easier to set up a "live" patch like you describe than it was on the B1Xon, and pick a few fx for it and toggle them on and off by using the right pedal to advance through them and the left to bypass or turn on. This works pretty well on it, simulating having separate pedals. Maybe it's just me, but every time I've gotten any kind of multifx pedal for guitar or bass I've tried to have one full bank of useful live sounds and failed at getting comfortable physically and mentally using them. Actually, it's the small multi pedals that do this with me. The larger ones that are basically single pedal boards, where you can pop up and bank and pop over a # are less of an issue there, but the size of those things kept me from shlepping them around. If it won't fit in the shoulder bag, much less the gig bag, I end up leaving it hooked up at home, so it's small pedals, with their attendant flaws, that I use : )

 

[stingray69]

I don't mean it's a problem creating patches or arranging them in useful banks. Just that live, unless I'm literally using one patch nearly all the time and the very rare advance to the patch after or the one previous and then back, I find that the process of going to a handful of different patches to be distracting and mildly disorienting. Biggest issue is that the floor is pretty far away : ) Reading glasses (which I couldn't function in for playing live) would help that but f*#k everything else. One thing I do like about the B1X Four is that it's much easier to set up a "live" patch like you describe than it was on the B1Xon, and pick a few fx for it and toggle them on and off by using the right pedal to advance through them and the left to bypass or turn on. This works pretty well on it, simulating having separate pedals. Maybe it's just me, but every time I've gotten any kind of multifx pedal for guitar or bass I've tried to have one full bank of useful live sounds and failed at getting comfortable physically and mentally using them. Actually, it's the small multi pedals that do this with me. The larger ones that are basically single pedal boards, where you can pop up and bank and pop over a # are less of an issue there, but the size of those things kept me from shlepping the around. If it won't fit in the shoulder bag, much less the gig bag, I end up leaving it hooked up at home, so it's small pedals, with their attendant flaws, that I use : )

I hear ya - fortunately, I am not in need of jumping around much from patch to patch - and with up to 5 effects, that need is even more reduced. At most, I will place my Top 3 patches next to each other and patch up or down to adjacent patches with the footpedal. I understand there's a way to program your jumps if you're needing to jump from say patch 50 over to patch 58 or anywhere that isn't right next door so to speak, but since I'm only 3-4 days into it, I still need to read up on the process.

 

[spigmu]

At most, I will place my Top 3 patches next to each other and patch up or down to adjacent patches with the footpedal. I understand there's a way to program your jumps if you're needing to jump from say patch 50 over to patch 58 or anywhere that isn't right next door so to speak, but since I'm only 3-4 days into it, I still need to read up on the process.

LOL, that's exactly me with the three patches And any pedal that can boast a pedigree of being able to access across banks by programming jumps doesn't win me over with that function, because if I get lucky enough to figure it out the first night of poking around with it, there's no way in the world I attain the patience to painstakingly plan out the mapping or sequencing of non adjacent patches.

I'm not sure bass players as a people are suited for that kind of thing. Besides, I spent all these years convinced that everyone around me could change their sound from awash in ambience to going through a room of Leslies or both, and if I held it down with the same P sound through it all then everything would be alright, and I still don't stray too far from that. I mostly use the Zoom to wack around and have fun with, and then go back to those three patches and get to work

 

[Bassmunnky]

I got it....Use it on fly gigs when I can't bring the Zoom B3N...Mostly for Compression, slight dirt...Octaver...It's pretty damn stellar.

 

[roller]

+1 on the high praise for the Zoom B1X Four.

I recently picked one up used from another TB'er and I love this thing. Lots of great sounds -- Zoom really did their homework when choosing what to emulate in this unit. Preamps by Darkglass, Avalon, Echoplex, SansAmp and more... amps and cabs simulations by Ampeg, SWR, Aguilar, Acoustic, Fender, Trace and more... effects by Boss, Electro-Harmonix, MXR, TC and more... compressors by Demeter, Urei, DBX and more... lots of EQs... wah and volume pedals... bunch of miscellaneous effects, too. And the all stuff sounds really good. You can load up to five effects/simulators in each setting... change the order with ease... edit the names. Yeah, I'm in love.

Once you get the hang of it (which only takes a few minutes), it's easy to use. The controls are laid out really smart.

All that plus built-in drum machine, loop pedal and tuner? Are you kiddin' me?!!

Power from AC or AA batteries makes jamming on the couch a cinch.

And at the pricepoint it's selling at, it's just a steal. One of the cooler effects units I've ever run across. Go getcha one.

 

[bassically_eli]

I'll go ahead and say it again. The B1 Four is worth it just for the HPF and parametric EQ. Cheaper than anything else that does those jobs, and useful in just about any category of playing situations. Decent compression on top of that? Well damn....

 

[vaesto]

I own this multiFX for several months. It has unbeatable price/performance ratio and is very useful indeed. At the start I used tonelib or guitarlab software with it but now I use menu more and more...it is faster way. Also I like ability to feed it from mobile charger. And finally I've found the way to load effects from G1/A1 which expanded usability even further.

 

[bassically_eli]

Also I like ability to feed it from mobile charger. And finally I've found the way to load effects from G1/A1 which expanded usability even further.

+1