Pedalboards vs multi-effects units, which is best?
Discussion
Well, maybe not best, but which is preferred and why?
I can strum and have an understanding of guitars and the sounds they produce, but I am by no means a guitar player, and I don't have a position on this subject. If I was able to play in a band then I think I would probably want to get some kind of programmable multi-effects unit, but I notice from a lot of posts here how popular individual pedal arrangements (pedalboards for short) are.
I invite comments on the above subject, and am sure I will learn something from the answers.
I can strum and have an understanding of guitars and the sounds they produce, but I am by no means a guitar player, and I don't have a position on this subject. If I was able to play in a band then I think I would probably want to get some kind of programmable multi-effects unit, but I notice from a lot of posts here how popular individual pedal arrangements (pedalboards for short) are.
I invite comments on the above subject, and am sure I will learn something from the answers.
I use a board and it's primarily because I can custom build it to the specs (sounds) I want. A multifx unit are no doubt great and without wanting to sound condescending a really good way to introduce yourself to the sounds etc that you would want to explore.
I think the multi boards tend to be digital so if you want an analog sound then you have to go for pedals. You can get some awesome digital pedals too.
The other big advantage for me is that if I have a problem I can quickly isolate the problem pedal and take it out of the chain. If I was at a gig and my board crapped it's self it could be a nightmare.
Obviously though you end up paying a premium to build a board of separates but you can do so over a longer period.
If you get decent pedals you can also repair and mod them if you want.
Dunno that's my take on it
I think the multi boards tend to be digital so if you want an analog sound then you have to go for pedals. You can get some awesome digital pedals too.
The other big advantage for me is that if I have a problem I can quickly isolate the problem pedal and take it out of the chain. If I was at a gig and my board crapped it's self it could be a nightmare.
Obviously though you end up paying a premium to build a board of separates but you can do so over a longer period.
If you get decent pedals you can also repair and mod them if you want.
Dunno that's my take on it
Edited by dojo on Saturday 1st November 13:51
There is no 'best'. Or rather, the best one is the one that inspires you to express yourself better. Could be either.
If you can't decide, an old Boss ME-X is the perfect middle ground: http://www.bossarea.com/other/mex.asp So you can put analogue pedals in their own loops up front and use the unit's digital switching and FX to get all of the benefits of modern multi-FX.
(FWIW, there are a lot of multi-FX bargains out there right now. Some used the same classic circuits of early FX pedals, but don't have the crazy vintage price tags, e.g. Boss ME-5. This page - http://boss-pedals.jimdo.com/me-5-upgrade-options/ - has the skinny on that one.)
If you can't decide, an old Boss ME-X is the perfect middle ground: http://www.bossarea.com/other/mex.asp So you can put analogue pedals in their own loops up front and use the unit's digital switching and FX to get all of the benefits of modern multi-FX.
(FWIW, there are a lot of multi-FX bargains out there right now. Some used the same classic circuits of early FX pedals, but don't have the crazy vintage price tags, e.g. Boss ME-5. This page - http://boss-pedals.jimdo.com/me-5-upgrade-options/ - has the skinny on that one.)
EskimoArapaho said:
There is no 'best'. Or rather, the best one is the one that inspires you to express yourself better. Could be either.
Good point, thanks.Actually though it's not really for me, not in that sense anyway. I'm setting up a guitar demonstration room and think it would be a good idea if I had some effects people could use so that instead of them thinking 'I wonder how this would sound with a bit of...?', I had something there that would answer the question. With this in mind I bought a second hand Zoom multi-effects unit which has some good reviews, but the thing is so complicated to operate that it's unsuitable for anybody who doesn't want to put the hours in to learn how to work it.
Which got me thinking about getting some pedals instead, and where better to ask than here? I've got a basic understanding of how these things work and what they sound like, but didn't know if I would be heading in the right direction.
So, assuming I get some pedals, I'm thinking that maybe I should get a distortion pedal, an overdrive, a digital delay and a chorus? At least they would be easy for anyone to adjust.
singlecoil said:
Good point, thanks.
Actually though it's not really for me, not in that sense anyway. I'm setting up a guitar demonstration room and think it would be a good idea if I had some effects people could use so that instead of them thinking 'I wonder how this would sound with a bit of...?', I had something there that would answer the question. With this in mind I bought a second hand Zoom multi-effects unit which has some good reviews, but the thing is so complicated to operate that it's unsuitable for anybody who doesn't want to put the hours in to learn how to work it.
Which got me thinking about getting some pedals instead, and where better to ask than here? I've got a basic understanding of how these things work and what they sound like, but didn't know if I would be heading in the right direction.
So, assuming I get some pedals, I'm thinking that maybe I should get a distortion pedal, an overdrive, a digital delay and a chorus? At least they would be easy for anyone to adjust.
There are KISS multi-FX, such as http://carlmartin.com/quattro/ - quality, one-knob-per-parameter, and all of the basics covered in one pedal.Actually though it's not really for me, not in that sense anyway. I'm setting up a guitar demonstration room and think it would be a good idea if I had some effects people could use so that instead of them thinking 'I wonder how this would sound with a bit of...?', I had something there that would answer the question. With this in mind I bought a second hand Zoom multi-effects unit which has some good reviews, but the thing is so complicated to operate that it's unsuitable for anybody who doesn't want to put the hours in to learn how to work it.
Which got me thinking about getting some pedals instead, and where better to ask than here? I've got a basic understanding of how these things work and what they sound like, but didn't know if I would be heading in the right direction.
So, assuming I get some pedals, I'm thinking that maybe I should get a distortion pedal, an overdrive, a digital delay and a chorus? At least they would be easy for anyone to adjust.
6th Gear said:
What's your budget singlecoil?
Whatever it takes, though it's only for a demo setup so doesn't need to be as elaborate as what I might choose for myself (I do like to treat myself* ). I particularly like buying second hand stuff, there's a sense of adventure in it and I've not actually had a bad deal or been ripped off so far.* because I'm worth it, and you should see the way my face lights up when I unwrap a new and expensive toy, it's worth the expense just for that
EskimoArapaho said:
There are KISS multi-FX, such as http://carlmartin.com/quattro/ - quality, one-knob-per-parameter, and all of the basics covered in one pedal.
I must say I am rather taken with that, reassuringly expensive but within reach, I could very well see myself ending up with one of those.
If you're handy with a soldering iron the BYOC pedal kits are a great cheaper way of getting good sounding pedals.
For me the benefit is definitely in the ease of tweaking a sound with separate pedals. That's just not practical with a big multi fx. The Quattro thing is a bit of a middle ground I guess.
For me the benefit is definitely in the ease of tweaking a sound with separate pedals. That's just not practical with a big multi fx. The Quattro thing is a bit of a middle ground I guess.
I'm a fan of mixing them up. I like Boss kit and I still have an old GT6. It's good for some things, not others. Overdrives can be useful as a mid range boost, but I prefer to get the main O/D from either the amp or an analogue pedal.
As long as they're in the loop at the right place and you get them how you want them, shaping a sound is a pretty personal thing. I spent ages getting a good Zakk Wylde sound only to realise it sounded s
t compared to the one I'd put together for myself.
It's basic stuff I use, distortions, delays, bit of reverb, some chorus and either a compression or limiter
As long as they're in the loop at the right place and you get them how you want them, shaping a sound is a pretty personal thing. I spent ages getting a good Zakk Wylde sound only to realise it sounded s
t compared to the one I'd put together for myself. It's basic stuff I use, distortions, delays, bit of reverb, some chorus and either a compression or limiter
I think for a demo room I'd be tempted to have a reasonable amp which would give o/d and reverb and then tell people to bring their own pedals if they really wanted them.
I've only ever demo'd guitars with a very basic setup, never felt the need to do more.
Saying that, I have a boss ME30 kicking about if you want to borrow it.
D
I've only ever demo'd guitars with a very basic setup, never felt the need to do more.
Saying that, I have a boss ME30 kicking about if you want to borrow it.
D
davidd said:
I think for a demo room I'd be tempted to have a reasonable amp which would give o/d and reverb and then tell people to bring their own pedals if they really wanted them.
I've only ever demo'd guitars with a very basic setup, never felt the need to do more.
Saying that, I have a boss ME30 kicking about if you want to borrow it.
D
It's quite possible that I am getting a little bit carried away with this, plus I do quite like acquiring stuff I've only ever demo'd guitars with a very basic setup, never felt the need to do more.
Saying that, I have a boss ME30 kicking about if you want to borrow it.
D
I do actually have a 40 watt all valve combo amp which has reverb and will give overdrive etc, I just thought it would be nice to have a few extra sounds. I like a little bit of chorus myself, and maybe a little bit of delay, and I've just noticed that I always have the compressor on the unit I use at home for my own strumming stuff. I don't suppose any of this really matters in a demo setting, though, but I might still do it anyway.
Thanks for the offer of the loan of the ME30, BTW.
slightly off topic (its a bit more than just a pedalboard)
I've just got a line6 HD500X
backgrund;
I've played guitar for over 30 years - originally classically trained, then played in bands, now just for my own amusement.
I've had kit come and go, but this one may be a keeper.
it's massively flexible - which is one of it's un-doings - there is so much to tweak you can lose the plot !
I havent really found anything that I can't do with it yet - the effects parts are superb - total flexibility, in where you want to put them in the chain, how you configure them etc
And, which is important to me, it has a proper metal construction, and real high quality foot switches, spaced correctly
I design and build my own pedal boards that, just because I'm a bit obsessive, won't break (think 9mm alu construction, 20mm box section walls etc) and the Line 6 is right up there in terms of feel and durability.
PC configurability in real time is ace - make a small tweak, and play - see the effect if you like it send to pedalboard to store - job done.
Great easy to use PC interface (and integrates with the Variaxs)
I'm still getting the amp modelling sorted - it's not to my liking yet - still sounds to synthetic, but again given the level of customisation at your fingertips, I think it may be possible to get pretty damn close to a real amp sound
and if you plan to record, it really is unbeatable, as the sounds are better than my attempts at miking up my 'real' guitar amps (Marshall AFD-100, 4x12, Vox AC30TB Laney VC30 etc etc)
find a good shop - go play with some !
I've just got a line6 HD500X
backgrund;
I've played guitar for over 30 years - originally classically trained, then played in bands, now just for my own amusement.
I've had kit come and go, but this one may be a keeper.
it's massively flexible - which is one of it's un-doings - there is so much to tweak you can lose the plot !
I havent really found anything that I can't do with it yet - the effects parts are superb - total flexibility, in where you want to put them in the chain, how you configure them etc
And, which is important to me, it has a proper metal construction, and real high quality foot switches, spaced correctly
I design and build my own pedal boards that, just because I'm a bit obsessive, won't break (think 9mm alu construction, 20mm box section walls etc) and the Line 6 is right up there in terms of feel and durability.
PC configurability in real time is ace - make a small tweak, and play - see the effect if you like it send to pedalboard to store - job done.
Great easy to use PC interface (and integrates with the Variaxs)
I'm still getting the amp modelling sorted - it's not to my liking yet - still sounds to synthetic, but again given the level of customisation at your fingertips, I think it may be possible to get pretty damn close to a real amp sound
and if you plan to record, it really is unbeatable, as the sounds are better than my attempts at miking up my 'real' guitar amps (Marshall AFD-100, 4x12, Vox AC30TB Laney VC30 etc etc)
find a good shop - go play with some !
In the mid-80's, when I started getting seriously into guitar, I bought a couple of Ibanez pedals, then quickly switched to Boss, because they were the industry standard more or less, had a large and varied range and weren't too pricey. I discovered their BSB-6 pedal box which was a fantastic bit of kit; handy to carry, contained all your pedals already wired in so all you had to do was arrive at the gig, connect it to the power, plug the guitar in one end and the amp in the other, and you were ready to go. It had room for 6 pedals and even though the power supply took up one bay reducing that to five, it still suited me fine. I think mine contained delay, compressor, graphic equalisr, flanger, and chorus.
I had that for 15 years then sold it when multi-effects came out. What a bloody stupid idea that was! I hated it and within 6 months sold it and started buying Boss separates again. I still occasionally wander into a music shop and try out a multi, but have never been tempted to buy another.
Why? for me, the damn things are just too complicated. It's fine being able to program in lots of different memories, but how do you keep track of them? How do you remember whether that fantastic ping-pong echo with whooshy flanger, octave-up pitch shift, wicked EQ and St Paul's Cathedral reverb is in Bank 1 Patch 5, Bank 3 Patch 2, Bank 15 Patch 9 or wherever? I know some of them allow you to name the patches but I reckon I'd run out of names very quickly, and I flatter myself I'm pretty inventive. And you'd still have to remember where they were.
So for the last 15 years I've stuck with my separates. The BSB-6 has been replaced by the BSB-60 which has an integrated power supply, so you can now fit 6 pedals in. For thickos like me, the beauty of it is its simplicity; I can see at a glance which of my pedals are on or off and what their settings are and if Boss bring out a new one I like, I can just whip out one of the old ones and replace it.
For the record, the box currently contains:
GE-7 Equalizer
CS-3 Compression Sustainer
SD-2 Dual Overdrive
TR-2 Tremolo
BF-2 Flanger
PH-2 Super Phaser
(The delay is a separate Line 6 one, and the chorus is in the amp.)
Of course, this is just my story. Others may have no problems with multis.
I had that for 15 years then sold it when multi-effects came out. What a bloody stupid idea that was! I hated it and within 6 months sold it and started buying Boss separates again. I still occasionally wander into a music shop and try out a multi, but have never been tempted to buy another.
Why? for me, the damn things are just too complicated. It's fine being able to program in lots of different memories, but how do you keep track of them? How do you remember whether that fantastic ping-pong echo with whooshy flanger, octave-up pitch shift, wicked EQ and St Paul's Cathedral reverb is in Bank 1 Patch 5, Bank 3 Patch 2, Bank 15 Patch 9 or wherever? I know some of them allow you to name the patches but I reckon I'd run out of names very quickly, and I flatter myself I'm pretty inventive. And you'd still have to remember where they were.
So for the last 15 years I've stuck with my separates. The BSB-6 has been replaced by the BSB-60 which has an integrated power supply, so you can now fit 6 pedals in. For thickos like me, the beauty of it is its simplicity; I can see at a glance which of my pedals are on or off and what their settings are and if Boss bring out a new one I like, I can just whip out one of the old ones and replace it.
For the record, the box currently contains:
GE-7 Equalizer
CS-3 Compression Sustainer
SD-2 Dual Overdrive
TR-2 Tremolo
BF-2 Flanger
PH-2 Super Phaser
(The delay is a separate Line 6 one, and the chorus is in the amp.)
Of course, this is just my story. Others may have no problems with multis.
Mine is currently:
Tuner
Wah
Comp
O/D
Distortion
Termolo
Delay
Chorus
Flanger
Reverb
Not entirely in that order. I had multi fx for a few years& & found the advantages of having all the conceivable effects at your finger tips were far outweighed by the temptation to endlessly fiddle with the patches, normally making them worse.
I also found them to have designed in disadvantages. My tonelab for example had no silent tuner, so on stage was a pain & it had one direction only for switching between banks & it had four banks, so you had to think very carefully in advance of a gig about how you were going to negotiate from one to another.
I had another with autowah which again had to be switched on rather than stomped on, so it was awkward to get on it in time on occasion.
I'm sure the latest ones are amazing & like anything, if you throw enough money at it, you can have whatever you want - have a look at Pere Cornish's site for some bespoke stuff that is pure want bur I cart a board round & have never once had a negative comment from a punter about effects. My playing...that's a different matter.
Tuner
Wah
Comp
O/D
Distortion
Termolo
Delay
Chorus
Flanger
Reverb
Not entirely in that order. I had multi fx for a few years& & found the advantages of having all the conceivable effects at your finger tips were far outweighed by the temptation to endlessly fiddle with the patches, normally making them worse.
I also found them to have designed in disadvantages. My tonelab for example had no silent tuner, so on stage was a pain & it had one direction only for switching between banks & it had four banks, so you had to think very carefully in advance of a gig about how you were going to negotiate from one to another.
I had another with autowah which again had to be switched on rather than stomped on, so it was awkward to get on it in time on occasion.
I'm sure the latest ones are amazing & like anything, if you throw enough money at it, you can have whatever you want - have a look at Pere Cornish's site for some bespoke stuff that is pure want bur I cart a board round & have never once had a negative comment from a punter about effects. My playing...that's a different matter.
I have a pretty simple setup -
Boss GE-7
Ibanez TS-9
Boss DD-3
And frankly it would be more hassle to take a multi-fx box around to replicate that. I can see that if you needed a large number of different sounds (working on a stage show, for example, or doing covers, or something like that) it would be very handy, but I think a multi-FX will stop you developing your "signature" sound.
Boss GE-7
Ibanez TS-9
Boss DD-3
And frankly it would be more hassle to take a multi-fx box around to replicate that. I can see that if you needed a large number of different sounds (working on a stage show, for example, or doing covers, or something like that) it would be very handy, but I think a multi-FX will stop you developing your "signature" sound.
Strymon make some fantastic pedals - see the reviews.
http://www.strymon.net/
Mine is currently:
Tuner - tc electronic ploytune
Wah - Dunlop JC95
Comp - Wampler Ego Compressor
O/D - an original TS808
Distortion - The Elements - Dr Scientist
Delay - Strymon timeline
Univibe - MXR
Reverb - Strymon Big Sky
Looper - Ditto X2
http://www.strymon.net/
Mine is currently:
Tuner - tc electronic ploytune
Wah - Dunlop JC95
Comp - Wampler Ego Compressor
O/D - an original TS808
Distortion - The Elements - Dr Scientist
Delay - Strymon timeline
Univibe - MXR
Reverb - Strymon Big Sky
Looper - Ditto X2
FWIW I use a Diageo Gigman board with
Line6 G30 wireless receiver
Korg Pitchblack tuner
EH B9 Organ Machine
BYOC Triboost overdrive
Boss PH3 Phaser
Boss CS2 stereo chorus
BYOC reverb.
All with a T-rex Fuel Tank. The B9 has it's own power supply as it's a bit thirsty, and the reverb is rarely plugged in.
If I went to a multi FX I'd still need the wireless and the B9 separate, so the faff factor would be quite high.
Line6 G30 wireless receiver
Korg Pitchblack tuner
EH B9 Organ Machine
BYOC Triboost overdrive
Boss PH3 Phaser
Boss CS2 stereo chorus
BYOC reverb.
All with a T-rex Fuel Tank. The B9 has it's own power supply as it's a bit thirsty, and the reverb is rarely plugged in.
If I went to a multi FX I'd still need the wireless and the B9 separate, so the faff factor would be quite high.
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