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Multieffects pedals?...

I have heard good things about the M9 and the M13 but they are digital and some people swear by analog. Some people hate the boss products and some people love them. Effects are very subjective and only you can decide what you want to do and how you want to do it.

Lots of people will encourage you to buy a multi 1st and experiment. I think it depends on where you are right now. Do you have great basses and an awesome amp? Are you happy with your clean tone? What kind of music do you play? Any links showing what you want to achieve? After answering these questions you will give us more to work with and you will have more info to move forward with.

I hope this helps. Good Luck!!!
 
I started with a Digitech BP-80 and it was good starter for me. It got my feet wet with pedals. I now have a pedal board that I run my effects with and the main reason why I went to pedals was so I could change the sound immediately with a twist of the nob verses having to play with the buttons of the BP-80. I bet you could pick a used one up fairly inexpensively off of Craigslist or ebay for less than $80.
Hope this helps!
 
multis can be a good cheap way to try out a lot of effects and see which ones you like best for building a board with separate pedals. they're also handy to have in case you ever need an effect that you don't have in a pedal format. and a lot of folks like the convenience factor as well. no wrong answer for this one, however, i've yet to play a multi that made me want to quit using separate pedals.
 
Is it really worth it too get one of those mutieffects doodads from boss or line6, or should i just dish out the dough to start customizing my own board with all the pedals i want? What do you guys think?

I own a POD X3 Live (Bday gift), and although it's a stellar piece of gear especially with the free software and computer integration, almost all of these products are geared 90% to guitar and the remaining 10% for bass.

The Line 6 is awesome, and it has a whole bunch of bass presets and amp models. The bass effects are bleh. Being bass players, we know that some of the most used effects are compressors and fuzz. I personally have chorus and flange in addition to the above mentioned, and most people on this forum have others in addition to. I think what matters most in terms of bass is finding the "right kind" of fuzz, distortion, overdrive, compression, chorus, flange, etc. With so few to choose from on these multi-fx units, you may not like the 1 or 2 types of 'flange' they have to offer.

The Line 6 I currently use most of all for its delay and reverb, as both of these on the Line 6 are excellent and there are many types to choose from. To sum it up the only advice I can give is to really think about what sort of effects you want to add to your sound, ask talkbass for their advice on what's best for you, and then buy and save the receipt. If I was a guitarist, I would buy a multi-effects unit in a heartbeat cause hey, they're killer for home practice when the neighbors are sleeping.
 
The multi-effect is always a great place to start. I have used them foy years, and have used many. The cheaper units will be a case of getting what you pay for. The original Zoom 506 can be found for around $20-30 with a power supply, but again, you may not be happy and end up with a bad taste for multi's. The Digitech stuff is subjective. It's not terrible, and can be had for good used prices. Korg and Boss are the ones that have done it for me. I'm currently using the boss GT-6B, and I love it. I wouln't recommend it as a first pedal, as it is rather complicated to work with. You may want to give the ME-20B a try, or seek out an ME-8B, or look for the Korg AX1B, AX10B, or AX300B. You may grow to like the multi-effect setup, or not. It's all pretty subjective, and it ends up being what sounds good to you. Still, they're a great statrting point for experimenting with different effects, and if you do end up liking the quick setup, the higher-end multi's are high-end and more expensive for a reason. Hope this helps. Cheers!