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New Zoom B1X Four $99
- Thread starter bassbrad
- Start date
- Oct 7, 2000
- 18,619
- 38,939
- Disclosures
- Endorsing artist: Musicman basses
I'm cautious about speaking too soon, but I think I may have found my holy grail of pedals...
I LOVE the tuner. As already mentioned, its much steadier than my Pitchblack, and live, this is the first pedal I've owned that didn't freak me out. Its not terribly complicated at all, easy to tweak on stage, and I actually like the effects. I only thus far used a tweaked distortion, and the HARD COMP patch. Super sweetness with both.
Just hoping now that the batteries last as long as they say, because I hate plugging things in on stage.
I LOVE the tuner. As already mentioned, its much steadier than my Pitchblack, and live, this is the first pedal I've owned that didn't freak me out. Its not terribly complicated at all, easy to tweak on stage, and I actually like the effects. I only thus far used a tweaked distortion, and the HARD COMP patch. Super sweetness with both.
Just hoping now that the batteries last as long as they say, because I hate plugging things in on stage.
Yes. This was a surprise. This tuner seems much faster, more responsive, easier to read than the tuner on any other Zoom product. I 100% recommend this product.
Not far off what I'm feeling right now! My sense is this little pedal is going to be sufficiently on point for live use that I can use it in place of my Helix Stomp. I love the fact that it's so user friendly. The Stomp is undoubtedly the 'better' / more sophisticated piece of kit, but I really think this will be plenty good enough in the mix with my bands and I'll be surprised if anyone in the audience will notice any significant difference on most of the usual classic effects - and that's the litmus test for me.
How confident am I about this? Well my Stomp went up for sale today.
I guess I'm in the minority here so far or just had my expectations set way too high. My B1X Four arrived earlier today. It's likely going back tomorrow. This is my first foray into multi-effects since the mid 90's and I was hoping for something that may clean up my admittedly sparse pedalboard and be a fun practice tool. Unfortunately I have found nothing positive to say about any of the effects. The factory patches are all pretty bad which I guess isn't that unusual. The best I can come up with is the looper isn't horrible due to the two pedal interface and the tuner is quick. The compressors are awful and the overall sound of everything is just cheap and processed. I guess the interface isn't bad. I had no problem navigating through and editing the existing patches as well as making a couple of new ones. I'm going to try it through headphones later to see if I can at least make use of it for quiet/portable practice. If not then it's history.
@KB5 fair do's.
Most of the original patches are fairly 'pants' for sure! I'm keeping just 10 of them, but some are actually pretty good - e.g. the A Wah provides a very usable filter sound (and I have the MXR BEF, Fwonkbeta and 3 Leaf GR2 to compare it to). The patches I'm going to be keeping are:
44 SMR400, 40 AMPG SVT
31 Octave down, 30 A Wah
29 Crazy Fuzz (Fuzz + octave up), 27 Wah Dist (only 'cos I have the 'X'!), 25 Dark Crunch
17 Jaco Bass (fretless), 11 MX Clean, 10 Sans Clean
That will leave 20 free patches for stuff I want to cobble together and then another 20 that can be song specific. This is where the real fun / value is going to lie, from combining and tweaking the ton of individual effects that Zoom have made available. And I guess as a previous Zoom MS-60B and Zoom B3N owner I've got a bit of a head start in knowing what is possible.
But it may be that you need something that is a step up from what the Zoom pedal can offer, in which case I would definitely recommend checking out the Helix Stomp.
Most of the original patches are fairly 'pants' for sure! I'm keeping just 10 of them, but some are actually pretty good - e.g. the A Wah provides a very usable filter sound (and I have the MXR BEF, Fwonkbeta and 3 Leaf GR2 to compare it to). The patches I'm going to be keeping are:
44 SMR400, 40 AMPG SVT
31 Octave down, 30 A Wah
29 Crazy Fuzz (Fuzz + octave up), 27 Wah Dist (only 'cos I have the 'X'!), 25 Dark Crunch
17 Jaco Bass (fretless), 11 MX Clean, 10 Sans Clean
That will leave 20 free patches for stuff I want to cobble together and then another 20 that can be song specific. This is where the real fun / value is going to lie, from combining and tweaking the ton of individual effects that Zoom have made available. And I guess as a previous Zoom MS-60B and Zoom B3N owner I've got a bit of a head start in knowing what is possible.
But it may be that you need something that is a step up from what the Zoom pedal can offer, in which case I would definitely recommend checking out the Helix Stomp.
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Essentially the same modeling set, but I've come to the same conclusion with my B3n, and I'm prepping my HX Stomp to go off for sale to someone who'll use it more effectively that I will.
I've dedicated hundreds upon hundreds of hours programming multi-fx modelers over the years and have grown fatigued of the process. The Zoom workflow and simplicity is just what the doctor ordered. It's not a knock on the more sophisticated pieces of gear (of which I've owned many), but more a knock on the work flow and preference to play my instrument more and menu-dive less (let alone having to be tied to a computer for more robust editing).
That the Zoom box(es) get the job done is all that matters, even though the "big boy" modelers are so much more capable. The audience I cater to now would sooner notice 10% better musicianship than they ever would care about a 20% subjective improvement in tone, especially when that "great tone" can be totally screwed a dozen different ways in a live performance situation (a great equalizer).
Sounds like you know your way around multi-effects. My only advice is to home brew sounds/effects from scratch, taking care to make sure that you start your process from a "bypass", 100% un-effected state, and take it from there. You may also find that the default settings for some things like drives and compressors to be far too over-the-top, so a healthy backing-off of these effects goes a long way to making improvements in a very subtle way.
I have a patch that includes a drive pedal model (on the G5n, the Gold Drive IIRC) which is set so that all it does is add a little bit of overdrive distortion (hair) and fullness in the low-mid. In isolation, it doesn't sound like it does all that much, though it's noticeable. In live performance, though, when I kick on that drive, it's night-and-day for the better.
Point being, these pedals tend to be programmed leaning toward over-doing things. Backing the down a bit can provide rewards, but perhaps not terribly glamorous ones.
@jimfist - that first post explaining your reasoning for moving your Stomp on is so very well put, thank you! I got asked by a bass buddy on the UK forum the same question as to why I was moving my Stomp on. Well you've explained very clearly exactly what I was feeling and my reasons are identical. Hope you don't mind, but I'm going to quote your post above in its entirety back on this side of the pond!
Have at it, no worries! I geeked out on the Fractal AxeFx for years. Then on a whim I got the old B3 and used it for a couple of gigs. Nobody noticed or cared. That's when I started re-thinking my priorities...taboo on a gear forum!!
Have at it, no worries! I geeked out on the Fractal AxeFx for years. Then on a whim I got the old B3 and used it for a couple of gigs. Nobody noticed or cared. That's when I started re-thinking my priorities...taboo on a gear forum!!
Well you and I have arrived at the same destination, my friend. Yours has been the more in depth journey!
The big caveat here is that the more sophisticated modeling multi-fx are capable of certain routing configurations and real-time (and/or automated) control of individual/multiple parameters, which the current Zoom boxes aren't able to do. If your needs are simple, then no worries. Otherwise, the more specific and sophisticated your needs, the more likely you'll find the "big boy" modelers more attractive and necessary. In that respect, boxes like the HX Stomp and HX Effects are truly marvelous at their price point. Still, there's no denying the value you get from the inexpensive Zoom boxes, limited though they may be.
Ok, it's going back. Played around with it for two more hours and it all sounds like crap to me. I started with fresh patches and played around with moving different effects around in the signal chain and just don't like what I hear. There is always this weird synthetic quality to everything. I feel like I can get many more musical and useable sounds with a few good quality stomp boxes.
The good news is that it doesn't sound any worse through my AKG headphones but the rhythm section is pretty much useless to me. It's not going to work for me as a quiet practice tool either. I would still say It's worth the price if you're just starting out and want to experiment with effects on the cheap.
I tried...
It happens. Sometimes, even when you really want to like a piece of gear, it just doesn't seem to be in the cards. Just goes to show how subjective these things are. Some players happily gig with the B3, MS-60B, B1on, while others just can't bond with it.
What were you monitoring through before you tried headphones, and what sort of things did you want the pedal to do for you? Just curious.
Completely fair if it's not working for you. A single multi costing $99 shouldn't really be going toe to toe in all aspects with dedicated pedals costing, together, many many times more (otherwise we would be seeing a collapse of the pedal industry overnight!). Sounds like you are firmly landing in the dedicated pedals camp.
For me it's about what is going to 'cut it' for me and my audience and @jimfist just summed up everything perfectly in terms of workflow and audience reactions etc in his posts above.
I will, however, be keeping several of my dedicated pedals as well for creative home use!
In particular I haven't come across any multi yet that can deliver what the Future Impact does in terms of synth and I really like having a Thumpinator (HPF) and TC Spectracomp at the start of my signal chain to clean up and tighten my signal. But in a band mix the nuances of great tone can easily be lost. This comment from JimFist summarises several years of my own gear-quest in a nut shell:"The audience I cater to now would sooner notice 10% better musicianship than they ever would care about a 20% subjective improvement in tone, especially when that "great tone" can be totally screwed a dozen different ways in a live performance situation (a great equalizer)."
I am finding the B1-4 to be a very useful headphone amp, though, with it's aux-in and ability to adjust volume and EQ.
Out of interest did you use either the ToneLib or Zoom (available free) software for editing your effects patches?They have transformed my experience of the Zoom boxes!
- Oct 7, 2000
- 18,619
- 38,939
- Disclosures
- Endorsing artist: Musicman basses
This is a lot how I feel. In a live situation I'm not looking for perfection. In contrast though to KB5s experience, this multieffects is a lot less synthetic sounding than any other I've owned. And I've owned quite a few.Completely fair if it's not working for you. A single multi costing $99 shouldn't really be going toe to toe in all aspects with dedicated pedals costing, together, many many times more (otherwise we would be seeing a collapse of the pedal industry overnight!). Sounds like you are firmly landing in the dedicated pedals camp.
For me it's about what is going to 'cut it' for me and my audience and @jimfist just summed up everything perfectly in terms of workflow and audience reactions etc in his posts above.
I will, however, be keeping several of my dedicated pedals as well for creative home use!
But in a band mix the nuances of great tone can easily be lost. This comment from JimFist summarises several years of my own gear-quest in a nut shell:"The audience I cater to now would sooner notice 10% better musicianship than they ever would care about a 20% subjective improvement in tone, especially when that "great tone" can be totally screwed a dozen different ways in a live performance situation (a great equalizer)."
I am finding the B1-4 to be a very useful headphone amp, though, with it's aux-in and ability to adjust volume and EQ.
Out of interest did you use either the ToneLib or Zoom (available free) software for editing your effects patches?They have transformed my experience of the Zoom boxes!
If I were an effects guy I'd probably do lots of shopping and spend lots of money. I'm not an effects guy by any stretch and only need something to take care of the bare essentials - tuner, distortion, compression - and this, for me, does the job. I've spent a lot more in the past (almost 5X as much) and gotten a lot less.
Possibly also, the question of whether an effect sounds synthetic, organic, or otherwise satisfying or dissatisfying greatly depends on the type of music you play, the bass, your personal taste, etc. There's no reason to expect a "one size fits all" even with the most versatile multis
I need to play Let’s Goove Tonight by Earth Wind & Fire...great synth bass line... in our band. Could this be good for that. Of course I don’t expect it to have the spoken words in it just some good sounds for synth bass for the $$$
I seem to dip into the land of Zoom once every few years. My first guitar pedal was a Zoom 606 in champagne silver. Yuck!
I had a gargantuan B9.1ut for a while. It sounded a bit dull and synthetic.
Part of me really wants to try a B1X just to see 'where we are' with this technology now.
I had a gargantuan B9.1ut for a while. It sounded a bit dull and synthetic.
Part of me really wants to try a B1X just to see 'where we are' with this technology now.
