Pedals vs Multi-effects...

[Edinjazz]

Thanks for the info! What did you think of Boss ME-50B? Or similar to GT-10B, as it looks like you got rid of it...?

I had one for a couple months. Some people like it, I didn't care for it. Before owning one I had a bass pod xt pro and a zoom b2.1u and didn't think the sounds were any better for the price, leaving me with a giant pedal to lug around. I've also had several digitech models, a boss ME-50B, line 6 bass pod pro (the kidney shaped one), and a few other random ones (I think I have multi effect ocd). The Zoom B3 is by far my favorite for practicing and adding some effects along with my pedals.

I'd suggest trying them out before biting though if you can. I bought my B3 on a whim recently and I love it.

 

[Jason Hall]

Thanks for the info! What did you think of Boss ME-50B? Or similar to GT-10B, as it looks like you got rid of it...?

To me it was like having a bunch of boss effects that sounded watered down from being digitized. If you're hung up on the boss effects take a look at Victor Wooten's rig... he uses a Boss GT-6B (older model, had one of those too, *** is wrong with me) along with a custom boost pedal and a soundblox multiwave distortion.

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What I like the most about the B3 is that while it's only 3 pedals currently (the guitar version was upgraded to handle up to 6 effects, hopefully bass will get the same type of update), the effects all sound great and you can put them in any order you want. You can have multiple modulation or delay effects in a patch if you want to.

Only negatives of the B3... no factory reset (something the ocd in me had to overcome), patch switching can get annoying because it cycles up or down (there's a mod that helps with switching but I haven't done it yet), and no built in expression pedal but you can add your own if you like.

 

[Edinjazz]

Got you! I am not hung up on Boss, actually. Just curious. I have always been an analog/true bypass pedal guy and I am actually an EBS endorsing artist (they only make high end analog stuff), so digital Multi-Effects is a new territory I am only checking out yet, in order to see what new musical possibilities it can offer. I know Christian McBride uses ME-50B and Will Lee and my buddy, Bubby Lewis, use the GT-10B, but they are all endorsing artists with Boss and they all, obviously, love their units. I simply wanna hear some more opinions and I appreciate your time and feedback a lot!

To me it was like having a bunch of boss effects that sounded watered down from being digitized. If you're hung up on the boss effects take a look at Victor Wooten's rig... he uses a Boss GT-6B (older model, had one of those too, *** is wrong with me) along with a custom boost pedal and a soundblox multiwave distortion.

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What I like the most about the B3 is that while it's only 3 pedals currently (the guitar version was upgraded to handle up to 6 effects, hopefully bass will get the same type of update), the effects all sound great and you can put them in any order you want. You can have multiple modulation or delay effects in a patch if you want to.

Only negatives of the B3... no factory reset (something the ocd in me had to overcome), patch switching can get annoying because it cycles up or down (there's a mod that helps with switching but I haven't done it yet), and no built in expression pedal but you can add your own if you like.

 

[Jason Hall]

Got you! I am not hung up on Boss, actually. Just curious. I have always been an analog/true bypass pedal guy and I am actually an EBS endorsing artist (they only make high end analog stuff), so digital Multi-Effects is a new territory I am only checking out yet, in order to see what new musical possibilities it can offer. I know Christian McBride uses ME-50B and Will Lee and my buddy, Bubby Lewis, use the GT-10B, but they are all endorsing artists with Boss and they all, obviously, love their units. I simply wanna hear some more opinions and I appreciate your time and feedback a lot!

Sure np. I'm just a fan of always having a multi effect around whether I'm playing bass or guitar. Good luck.

 

[chatterbox272]

I'd say get a multi of some sort. I got a Digitech BP355 and it's great for me. I will probably get a couple of distinct pedals for what the digitech can't do or can't do well, or for things I use a lot but I think I will always have it in my chain. It's nice to know that whatever effects are called for you have, and the amp sims are nice too IMO because then if you ever have to play though a crappy rig for some reason you can at least hope for an FX send and just run into that with an appropriate amp sim.

 

[TaySte_2000]

+1 it's kinda pointless buying effects pedals before you have a good amp.

+100

A cheap bass will sound good through a decent amp
A great bass will sound crap through a cheap (small/underpowered) amp

Buy fx when bass and amp are moderate to good

 

[caeman]

+1 it's kinda pointless buying effects pedals before you have a good amp.

Not every needs an amp for their gigs. Or for their practice.

My amp hasn't left the house in a long time. All of my church gigs are direct to PA. 1) Because my amp wouldn't be big enough for a 600-seat room, anywho, and 2) I don't need to lug around a 70-lb monitor.

So, to the OP, I would recommend a good mutli-effect unit that had a head-phone jack on it, with amp/cab emulations, and a nice set of head-phones. Don't cheap out on the head-phones.

As the OP has admitted to being a minimalist, a good multi-effects may be all he ever needs.

 

[Bassmike62]

I think a lot of people will echo this advice: buy a cheapish multi-effects unit first, work out which effects you use and which you don't and then buy the individual effects which correspond to those if you want at a later date.

Buuuut if you are the minimalist that you say you are, then you may end up just buying a tuner. And that is truly the most important pedal of all.

Yup sireeeeee.

I started on a cheapo Zoom B1 (which I still have and use as a rythm machine) and moved on to individual pedals after about 6 months. Once the generic effects identified (chorus, flanger, etc.), a bit of research can be useful to determine THE pedal (i.e. Boss CEB-3 or CE-5) that provides best this sound for you (here, Youtube, Harmony Central). As an example, I got the MXR BOD after looking it up for awhile and that pedal did not work out for me (and I'm a huge MXR fan). I sold it when I realized that my BSW was a far better octaver (IMO).

Or you can go like me and go totally berserk and start buying and selling stuff just for the fun of it. There were a few pedals that were already history by the time the credit card bill came in.

 

[Dweezilmeister]

Wow, thanks for all the feedback

I know I would need a better amp for playing with others, but I am still a newbie and lack free time to play with others.

Although my idea for effects is for the time where I play music, not practice. My music teacher told me from the beginning to make the distinction between playing music and practicing. Practicing should have a specific goal focused on improving my skill and knowledge, while playing music should simply be fun time.

I think I'll be looking into the zoom b2.1u. I always was a big fan of the boss hardware, but it seem this particular unit has to be tried out.

Thanks again guys.

 

[caeman]

It isn't a pedal, but I have had good experiences with the Behringer Bass V-Amp Pro. It is a rack-type unit, but it is fairly small. It can found for cheap used. Just plug in headphones and practice.

 

[metaball]

I know I would need a better amp for playing with others, but I am still a newbie and lack free time to play with others.

Although my idea for effects is for the time where I play music, not practice. My music teacher told me from the beginning to make the distinction between playing music and practicing. Practicing should have a specific goal focused on improving my skill and knowledge, while playing music should simply be fun time.

good call.
i picked up a Behringer V-amp when i first started playing bass. i was happy with it for a couple years while i noodled around & bonded with the instrument. once i was more confident in my playing & had decided what effects were useful to me, i started shopping around for nicer gear. the Zoom unit looks like a good buy for starting out as well.