Multi Effect pedals

[JRCavileer]

My friend is looking for one, we really haven't done much research on them so you could just point us in the right direction (like which ones have impressed you and such) we would be eternally great full.


Since you guys were so helpful before i thought i would start here on our quest, thanks in advanced!

[Mr Ed]

I would strongly advise you to look at separate stompboxes, you just get such better sound quality and variety.

However, if you're set on a multifx... which I personally think are terrible... the Boss ME50 is pretty decent for what it is.

[tellthatmick]

i strongly agree with mr ed....

my first pedal was a digitech RP100 multi unit and it was truly diabolical. it put me off FX for a very long time...i'm only now really getting into them.

multiFX pedals can also suffer from a problem where there is a brief loss of sound when switching between modes - not cool.

[38thBeatle]

I agree with you guys about the quality multi f/x and individual pedals tend to be better ( some makers are better at some things and not others etc etc) but he did ask about multis and I have used a Korg AX1500G and with some tweaking it is not too bad.I am not keen on the chorus and the distortions are none too clever but it is good for what it is and it covers a fair amount of ground. Best thing is to narrow it down to a few likely suspects-getting one that is easy to use is important and the Korg fits into that category for sure. I have only second hand experiences of Boss but I know a session guy who uses a GT8 and he is a fussy about what he uses and so I'd bet it is pretty good if he uses it though a bit more expensive and complicated. Having said that, given the choice I'd use just amp, DHA Purist pedal,  compressor and guitar any day of the week but in a covers band, not practical.

[Twinfan]

I would ask what exactly it is he needs.  He may only need a couple of pedals, in which case separate stompers and a pedalboard may be a better option.  If it's just to try everything out and cover all bases OK-ish then I'd get a used Boss board off eBay.  He'll then lose less money when he comes to sell it.

And he will sell it.....

[noodleplugerine]

G Major and a midi pedal wouldn't be bad though, rite?

[Scotty477]

You could do a lot worse than have a look at a Boss GT 6.

There is no delay when changing sounds and the build quality is rock solid.

With the release of it's successor the GT 8, you can pick these up for a good price on ebay or online stores.

I've been using a GT 6 for about 4 years now and haven't had any problems with it.

[badgermark]

I've played with a few people who used multi-fx, and every single time the rehearsal was punctuated by a high pitched SQUEEEEEEEEEEEE from the fx. Avoid cheap ones like a poo covered stick.

[hamfist]

For reasonably unbiased, yet still well informed info about MFX and modellers I would strongly recommend visiting www.thestompbox.net .

   If you need great variety in your tones then I think there is a place for them. I've owned Line6, Vox and Zoom modellers, and spent a lot of time trying to get the best out of them.
    But, at the end of the day, I'd rather be stuck with fewer but higher quality tones by using an amp with pedals.

Alan

[the_bleeding]

yeah, individual stomp boxes sound better than multieffects. Especially the digitech or low end boss ones. The only decent multieffect i've ever heard was the gt-8, but its overdrive models werent exactly good overdrives. I'm sure the gt-6 isnt far off from it.

[Scotty477]

The overdrive tones in the GT 6 only needed a slight tweak to sound nice.

It really shines in the 'crunch' and clean sounds, with a good choice available.

Another good feature - for live work -  is it's build quality. It has a solid metal casing and a clear, easily readable screen.

If you can live with the gold colour case, I'd give it a try for low price but high quality.

[sgmypod]

have done it both ways had the seperate stomp boxes then the podxt etc....now have mixture of both the Mfx that I have is the tonelab.le..great at what it does..with not too many FX (pod could take 5 days just to choose a delay)

[Roobubba]

I still use a Zoom G2.1u, which I have been very impressed with. I now mainly use it for the odd bit of flange I need in a track, or a tiny bit of compression for my cleans, and it works wonders. I don't rely on it for distortion sounds (any more), as I now have a Peavey 5150-II which does the high gain stuff beautifully :)

I know that many, many people have a grave disliking of multi-effects units, but I have to say that I would still buy another Zoom G2.1u if mine were stolen, as it's easy to use, doesn't cut sound when switching between presets, and actually doesn't sound bad!
I used to use it for everything (distortion included), and found that the guitar-zoom-amp setup where the amp does the distortion and I just use the zoom for a bit of "signal conditioning" works much, much better.

I have no reservations recommending this unit, but with the caveat that it needs to be used properly - that is, use it to give yourself a whole load of effects which you use sparingly (for which you'd need 5 or 6 individual stompboxes, costing hundreds of pounds!). Don't buy one if you're looking for "the unit above all others", because such a thing doesn't exist!

Most importantly (which I didn't do, but got lucky!), try before you buy!

Roo

[Pickup Artist]

It depends on your requirements and budget.

If you don't want to spend much I would get a Zoom G2.1u, it has the best electronics spec of everything in the market.

If you want to spend a lot get the tc electronic G System - that can hardly be called a pedal though.

[noodleplugerine]

I still say a G Major and a Midi pedal.

Together you can get that for about £300 if you buy either 2nd hand.