New: Zoom B3n Multi-Effects

[Jazz Ad]

Do you think that it's good right out of the box with out tweaking? I do notice that the preset patches are pretty level volume wise which has always been a gripe with other pedals.

I've been an user of multis for ever, I have owned maybe 2 dozens of them.
I always consider them as separate pedals put together. Never ever rely on patches unless you made them yourself.
This way if an adjustment is needed you know what to change.
Another issue is that patches are meant to be flashy. This is why they are always set way above unity gain, because gain sounds good. It is also why they usually sound great solo in the shop or bedroom but get lost in the mix.

 

[FuzzFacetious]

May still be available from some retailers, but it is discontinued. Snapshot taken from the ZOOM website.

View attachment 1103762

In my country it's still shown in the list of current products and not in the discontinued section, so I'm still holding out on a final update to the firmware to allow me to change the auto save settings (but not holding my breath!)

Retailers here online (amazon for example) have priced the B3 ridiculously high though!

 

[Johno Dunn]

Those of you who play through the front of an amp; how do you set up patches?

Do you have the amp set flat before you start adding amp sims, cabs etc, or do you set the amp up how you like your clean tone first and then layer the amp sim over that?

Hopefully I get time today to build some patches

I have my amp set the way it normally would be. I set the patches to work with that.

 

[Silas Stingy]

Retailers here online (amazon for example) have priced the B3 ridiculously high though!

I've just sold my B3 for £10 less than I paid for it 4 years ago. It's the first time I've ever said that about a piece of electronic equipment.

 

[jimfist]

In my country it's still shown in the list of current products and not in the discontinued section, so I'm still holding out on a final update to the firmware to allow me to change the auto save settings (but not holding my breath!)

Retailers here online (amazon for example) have priced the B3 ridiculously high though!

I'll fix that, then, care of www.zoom.co.jp:

 

[Das Jugghead]

My pedal finally arrived today. Pre-ordered it awhile back from Sweetwater but with Zoom pushing back the release date and our scheduled Spring Break it was cutting it too close so I asked them to hold shipping until we got back. Spent around thirty minutes playing with it through headphones and I am very pleased. Hope to dig in over the next couple of weeks but I have an insanely busy schedule at the moment.

 

[BassikLee]

That's a rough draft. If I stick with the behringer DI, I get top mounted jacks. That means I don't have to raise the DI above the lip of the pedalboard. The zoom is sitting on 1/2" ply, down both sides and under the front edge. That lifts the black pedals up above the lip of the case, and forms a pocket where the power bank lives. This one has a switch to turn it on and off, so I can leave the USB stuff plugged in. Going to listen to my settings at war volume tomorrow, and see.

 

[Spblat]

160 compressor -> BassStCho -> Delay -> Pedal Vol -> Looper MN -> Rhythm

Another Toosday Noodle - Clyp

EDIT: Settings

 

[BrentSimons]

160 compressor -> BassStCho -> Delay -> Pedal Vol -> Looper MN -> Rhythm

Another Toosday Noodle - Clyp

I like that Very tasty.
What settings are you using?
Brent

 

[BassikLee]

That's both the B3n and the G10 running. I figure that 20,000mAh bank should be good for sixteenish hours. For me, that's two or three gigs, with a charge once a week. That, and it does allow flow through charging. As a worst case, my battery case for my phone has a USB out. I've run zoom MS stuff off it before.

 

[jimfist]

160 compressor -> BassStCho -> Delay -> Pedal Vol -> Looper MN -> Rhythm

Another Toosday Noodle - Clyp

That's some great tone right there!

 

[Spblat]

Thanks for the nice words about my clip above. Coming from y'all it means a lot.

But...

Crap, I was sure this was going to work.

I have two of these USB to 9V thingies (each with a DC polarity reverser). I got 'em all wired up into my new Pedaltrain nano with my Polytune 2 and a 2-port USB battery. It is a work of art!

But no pictures yet. Because there's a whine. The tuner is sending a whine back through the 9V transformer, in one port of my USB battery pack, out the other port of the pack, in through the other 9V transformer and into the B3n. With two separate USB battery packs, no whine, of course. But two packs is somehow a bridge too far for this project. I've accumulated a bunch of two-port USB power packs over the years, from three different makers, and they all transmit the whine.

Any wild ideas before I give up and (gasp) buy an extension cord?

Edit: maybe [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] going into the polytune

 

[CharlieC]

Thanks for the nice words about my clip above. Coming from y'all it means a lot.

But...

Crap, I was sure this was going to work.

I have two of these USB to 9V thingies (each with a DC polarity reverser). I got 'em all wired up into my new Pedaltrain nano with my Polytune 2 and a 2-port USB battery. It is a work of art!

But no pictures yet. Because there's a whine. The tuner is sending a whine back through the 9V transformer, in one port of my USB battery pack, out the other port of the pack, in through the other 9V transformer and into the B3n. With two separate USB battery packs, no whine, of course. But two packs is somehow a bridge too far for this project. I've accumulated a bunch of two-port USB power packs over the years, from three different makers, and they all transmit the whine.

Any wild ideas before I give up and (gasp) buy an extension cord?

Edit: maybe [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] going into the polytune

That Diago Isolator looks interesting but can only supply 110mA of current.

If you want to roll the dice, go for the Diago, else take the safe route via extension cord.

Cheers!

 

[FuzzFacetious]

The sounds in the B3n are great! But I'm really bad at setting dialling in a decent bass tone, maybe I'm too used to guitar and my ears aren't attuned to it?

Any tips?

With guitar I know to roll back bass when adding gain, to add mids to add chunk and make it cut better, etc, but doing this on bass makes it tinny or muddy, respectively.

I can definitely get more than useable tones but I'm of course looking to build great tones but don't often play bass (or didn't until this unit came along!) so any help with how to set up an amp (model or physical), dirt pedal, cab sim etc would be much appreciated (can pm if it derails the thread)

 

[jimfist]

The sounds in the B3n are great! But I'm really bad at setting dialling in a decent bass tone, maybe I'm too used to guitar and my ears aren't attuned to it?

Any tips?

With guitar I know to roll back bass when adding gain, to add mids to add chunk and make it cut better, etc, but doing this on bass makes it tinny or muddy, respectively.

I can definitely get more than useable tones but I'm of course looking to build great tones but don't often play bass (or didn't until this unit came along!) so any help with how to set up an amp (model or physical), dirt pedal, cab sim etc would be much appreciated (can pm if it derails the thread)

can you give is an example or link to something that would be what you consider a "great" tone?

 

[FuzzFacetious]

Well basically just get an war pleasing tone that isn't tinny and doesn't get lost in the mix. Nice and full, without booming, whether clean or distorted.


Tool-esque, NIN-style and Sam Rivers (Limp Bizkit) kind of tones are my reference for bass tones.


I'm going to edit some of the presets to get started (that's how I learnt my way around on the MS60B, which I previously used in front of the amp) as some of them sound really nice when you ignore the overpowering effects.

 

[jimfist]

Well basically just get an war pleasing tone that isn't tinny and doesn't get lost in the mix. Nice and full, without booming, whether clean or distorted.


Tool-esque, NIN-style and Sam Rivers (Limp Bizkit) kind of tones are my reference for bass tones.


I'm going to edit some of the presets to get started (that's how I learnt my way around on the MS60B, which I previously used in front of the amp) as some of them sound really nice when you ignore the overpowering effects.

Good idea to strip out the fx from the presets.

I'll gather some of my settings tonight and post them up for you to try. Aside from the B3n and what it adds to the tone, round wound strings, bridge+neck pickups capable of producing a bright tone, and played aggressively with a pick...that's where I start for getting those TOOL tones. Action on the bass is set up on the low side to enhance the prominent metallic clank and rattle.

What are you playing for a bass?

 

[Stu_Bass]

That Diago Isolator looks interesting but can only supply 110mA of current.

If you want to roll the dice, go for the Diago, else take the safe route via extension cord.

Cheers!

Use the isolator on the Polytune since it's draw is less than >100 ma. Should still isolate it from the B3n. No?

 

[CharlieC]

Use the isolator on the Polytune since it's draw is less than >100 ma. Should still isolate it from the B3n. No?

Perhaps, but without trying it, who knows?

 

[FuzzFacetious]

Good idea to strip out the fx from the presets.

I'll gather some of my settings tonight and post them up for you to try. Aside from the B3n and what it adds to the tone, round wound strings, bridge+neck pickups capable of producing a bright tone, and played aggressively with a pick...that's where I start for getting those TOOL tones. Action on the bass is set up on the low side to enhance the prominent metallic clank and rattle.

What are you playing for a bass?

Yes I currently use round wound strings and keep the action as low as possible without killing the first few frets (they get mild metallic buzz on them though like you describe)

My 5 string has a pickup blend knob that I play with for switching between a fuller sound and a "Fieldy" (KoRn) sound, my 4 string only has one pickup, but it's versatile (if only I knew how to make better use of it).


I really need to stop approaching bass like guitar, that's the thing. The B3n has really ignited my love of bass, I actually feel excited to pick it up rather than thinking "ugh, now I have to write the bass line". Zoom are brilliant.