Line6 m9 - good for bass and guitar?

[tomersg]

is the line6 M9 can used both for electric guitar and bass?
do you store patches that matches every instrument for its own?
is it have effects that are good and usable for bass?
thanks.

 

[KaseOfBass]

I've read several posts on here of folks that are using them for bass without any problems. Naturally, I would think that some would probably not be as good on bass or require tweaking.

 

[BassistFreak416]

looking through the Post-Your-Pedalboard thread, i have seen plenty of m9 and m13 being used

 

[David1234]

I just bought one based mostly on info here. I like it for bass. I'm yet to use it at high volumes but it's been really great at practice volumes.

None of the overdrives are amazing for bass; the unit lacks a "mix" feature that would allow clean bass to come in parallel with distorted bass. Still, the sounds are good, particularly the clean 'bass octaver' and some of the filters and modulations.

It really does work like a small pedal board. You can have 6 pedals set up for guitar in one 'scene' and a different 6 set up for bass in a different scene. Buy it if you want a looper and an octaver and a few different EQs and compressors. Then everything else is a bonus. Just make sure you have a MIDI-capable computer and midi leads so you can flash the unit to the latest firmware (a 20 minute job, not too complex) or you'll miss out on some of the best effects, notably the bass octaver.

 

[Vic Winters]

It's a great unit. I haven't tried it with guitar but it's been great for bass. You can store different scenes which you could designate for bass or guitar if you wanted. Lots of good effects for bass. I mainly use it for the octaver, analog chorus, tube comp, several eq, tron up, phaser, 80A flanger, tape echo w/ dry thru and pitch glide. The facial fuzz has good bass retention and the synth stuff is fun to play with.

 

[xikbastard]

I just bought one based mostly on info here. I like it for bass. I'm yet to use it at high volumes but it's been really great at practice volumes.

None of the overdrives are amazing for bass; the unit lacks a "mix" feature that would allow clean bass to come in parallel with distorted bass. Still, the sounds are good, particularly the clean 'bass octaver' and some of the filters and modulations.

It really does work like a small pedal board. You can have 6 pedals set up for guitar in one 'scene' and a different 6 set up for bass in a different scene. Buy it if you want a looper and an octaver and a few different EQs and compressors. Then everything else is a bonus. Just make sure you have a MIDI-capable computer and midi leads so you can flash the unit to the latest firmware (a 20 minute job, not too complex) or you'll miss out on some of the best effects, notably the bass octaver.

i agree just pick up a M9. some of the effects are very usefull accept the drive options, they should have some sort of mix/blend knobs it will be perfect to have that. either than that it is nice for bass. but awesome for guitars ;p. but i am bass player not a guitar, so i hope the next firmware upgrade can add some bass specific drive or a blend knob on it.

 

[mtomlins]

Could you use the M9 in the effects loop of your bass amp - and thus get a "blend" or "mix" from that?

I've got a Hartke 3500 which I think would enable this mixing.

 

[Jumbotron]

I like mine better for guitar, but for bass, the modulations and time-based stuff is really nice (not so much with the overdrives).

 

[stingray56funk]

1) Yes
2) Yes
3) Yes

 

[Swift713]

I like the Facial Fuzz and the Sub Octave Fuzz pretty well. Plus the Tube Driver gets kind of close to the Blueberry if the Blueberry's tone is at 12:00 and the Tube Driver's bass is cranked.
Also, the Tube Comp is very nice.
However, the modulations and delays do seem to be it's biggest strength.

 

[cheapbasslovin]

Could you use the M9 in the effects loop of your bass amp - and thus get a "blend" or "mix" from that?

I've got a Hartke 3500 which I think would enable this mixing.

It has a lot of headroom so you could probably do it, but it wouldn't sound as good as it does with lower input signals. It is designed at instrument level and an effects loop at line level would kill the dynamic range of a lot of the effects. To get the sound just right for me, I have to turn the volume down on all of my basses going into the M13.

 

[98dvl]

You may want to look into a Pod HD 500...

It's basically an M13, with expression pedal, and it also has 16 guitar amplifier simulators (which are apparently MUCH better than their existing sims) built in.

Chances are, they're going to release some bass amp sims as a firmware update in the future (though that's not guaranteed)... So, you'd take a chance there, but if you play guitar at all, or record guitar, it's definitely worth it. The samples I've heard (not from Line 6) sound much better than the X3 or XT sims do.

In the meantime, you can use it without the guitar amp simulators, just like an M13, and you'd have that expression pedal all in one unit.

 

[kevteop]

The M9 would be a lot more useful on bass if it had an input sensitivity control for the envelope-following effects, or something like normal output levels on the synths. Which are actually good effects, just rendered totally useless by their own half-arsedness.

Come on Line 6, sort it out.

 

[cheapbasslovin]

You may want to look into a Pod HD 500...

It's basically an M13, with expression pedal, and it also has 16 guitar amplifier simulators (which are apparently MUCH better than their existing sims) built in.

Chances are, they're going to release some bass amp sims as a firmware update in the future (though that's not guaranteed)... So, you'd take a chance there, but if you play guitar at all, or record guitar, it's definitely worth it. The samples I've heard (not from Line 6) sound much better than the X3 or XT sims do.

In the meantime, you can use it without the guitar amp simulators, just like an M13, and you'd have that expression pedal all in one unit.

From what I've read the big problem with the HD series is the interface is much trickier than the M's and doesn't allow for the sort of on the fly changes the M's do. Not that your post is wrong, I'm just listing the down side of that direction.

 

[jblock]

I had one (and an M13). Definitely great for bass with lots of options. I got rid of mine because I couldn't really read the display panels that well standing up. Getting old is a drag sometimes.

 

[coreyfyfe]

You may want to look into a Pod HD 500...

It's basically an M13, with expression pedal, and it also has 16 guitar amplifier simulators (which are apparently MUCH better than their existing sims) built in.

I believe, although I may be incorrect, that they HD500 doesn't have all of the effects of the M9/13. A large number yes but not all. And for the price, it would probably be better to go with an M9/13 if the planned usage is strictly for effects and not modeling.