Guitar multi-effects

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I am not a crook's head
Member Since: Mar 14, 2003

So my birthday is coming up and I'm such a child when it comes to these occasions. I just got my 2008 bonus check from work so I've got this "extra" money burning a hole in my pocket (although in this economy I'm not sure that any money could be considered "extra"). I'm going around in circles trying to decide what to blow my wad on.

When it comes to my birthday, I generally buy myself something guitar, studio, or computer-related. I'm always drooling over the stomp box section of the Musician's Friend catalog and my recent subscription to Guitar World is only fanning the flames of my Gear Acquisition Syndrome with all of its advertising. There are so many effects that I want to be able to play with: fuzz, distortion, overdrive, wah, delay, chorus, you name it and I've fantasized about stomping on it and fiddling with its knobs.

So as much as I love stomp boxes, I figure it may be a better investment to just drop $300 or so on a floor-based multi-effects unit. So I wanted to ask all you fellow guitarists about what multi-effects units you've used and/or liked in that approximate price range (+/- $100). Here's the lowdown on what I'm looking for:

- I don't care about amp sims, direct recording or modelling. This will be sent through my tube amp.
- Since I love my amp's distortion and my TS9 overdrive, I don't really care all that much about distortions. Although a fuzz and an actual distortion effect (as opposed to an overdrive) would be fun to play with. but I can live without it.
- I seem to be favoring the units with a built-in expression pedal. Mainly because of the potential to have a wah effect and control effect parameters.
- I'm torn about the distortion issue because I don't know whether I want to send the unit through my amp's front end or use it in the effects loop. I'd want distortion/overdrive and compression into the front end and modulation effects through the effects loop. Maybe what I want are a couple of stomp boxes and a multi-effects that has only modulation effects like the G-Sharp from TC Electronics.

I know OldDog uses a Boss GT-8 and I've been impressed with the sound of it. But I think it might be overkill for me since there is so much modelling-related stuff built into it.

I've been eyeing the Boss ME series mainly. There are 3 models in that series that seem right up my alley, and I like the footswitch layout. Plus I'm a sucker for Boss stomp boxes. I'm just wondering how the digital emulation of these stomp boxes will actually work out.

The TC Electronics G-Sharp and G-Major are good-looking units with good reviews. But I've seen so many posts around here with technical issues with them that I'm a little put off. But the potential to pair a G-Sharp ($150) plus its footswitch with a couple of fuzz/distortion/overdrive pedals is tempting.

Then there are the lower-end models like the Digitech RP series, and the DeltaLabs series looks pretty slick, or even the Boss ME-20. I might even be persuaded to look into the Line6 FloorPod. But I don't want to throw away money on something that's going to sound like a middle-schooler with his first Line6 Spyder amp.

What all have you guys used? Any recommendations? Anything to avoid at all costs?

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Czar of Midi
Administrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002


Mar 07, 2009 09:17 pm

While I really like the G-Sharp and G-Major myself and have used them on and off. I have not seen anyone I know locally have any issues with them at all.


I finally got to tweak around with the Line 6 M13 through a live amp. All I can say is freakin WoW.

You at least have to run out and give it a shot using a live amp. Don't let the sales fool have you plug in with headphones as it doesn't do it justice.

Although I have pretty much released all my old stomp boxes back to nature I have kept my vintage Vox Wah Wah and an old tape echo unit. But recently picked up an RP350 for Ray to use in front of the Jr. Its not bad, but I'm seriously thinking of offing it and just getting the M13 for him to use. Its as close to having the real things as your gonna get with a modeling pedal like that. And honestly its a lot quieter then a chain of stomp boxes on the floor.

I am not a crook's head
Member
Since: Mar 14, 2003


Mar 07, 2009 10:20 pm

I did take a long look at the M13 but its really out of my price range. I like its layout for the same reasons I like the Boss ME series of floor multifx units, and that's because of the way they group the effects into categories and give you a dedicated switch for each category. The M13 is like the ME-70 on steroids.

But for $500 I'd expect to be able to use more than 4 of its 75 available effects at a time. I wonder why they hamstring it like that? Plus you have to spring for an expression pedal separately and its a ridonkulous $70.

Member
Since: Jul 02, 2003


Mar 07, 2009 10:29 pm

I nearly bought the ME50 when I was looking to buy my GT6. The sounds IMO are great and most of the stomps in it are the same actual circuits used in the single pedals, it wasn't so much an emulation, but just putting all (or most) of the Boss pedals in one unit. In the end the GT6 won out because there was alot more experimentation you could do with it, and I figured I wouldn't ever out grow it, which I haven't really except that now, I'm trying to make software amp sims do the trick. I still think the GT6 sounds better, easier than any of the software sims, but I'm getting closer to sounds I like out them.

One of the great things about the GT8 is that it can also do dual tones which is really sounds great. I've heard the GT10 went back a step in the quality of the sounds though I haven't tried one myself. The nice thing about the GTx series is that if just want to use them for all the Boss stomp pedal effects, you can and they sound very true the ones I used to own and the ones I've tried, I mean it is Boss after all that makes the GTx series. :) But you also have the option and room to grow with it, where as the ME series it is what it is, though I see the ME70 is getting closer yet to a GTx series.

Having said all that, I'd recommend you do as Noize suggests and really give each of them a real try thru an amp, all of them can sound great with a little tweaking. Remember overkill is just room to grow. ;)

Edit: On the digitech, I wasn't that impressed with them, though they aren't bad for the price, and I actually have an RP100, heck let me know where to send it and if I can still find it I'll give it to you. :)

Line6 good sounds, poor quality IMO. Put a GT8, next to a Floor Pod and tell me which you think is better made. Everything I've bought Line6 wise I've been disappointed with the quality including my Vax 700.

Dan

Czar of Cheese
Member
Since: Jun 09, 2004


Mar 08, 2009 01:54 pm

Quote:
I'm always drooling over the stomp box section of the Musician's Friend catalog


OK...now we're calling it "drooling"...

Anyway, I envy your position, and I applaud you for doing your part to stimulate the economy!

One of my band-mates went through a similar predicament as you...he went with the Boss ME-50 and never really liked it. He had problems getting the desired sounds, and by the time that he had a handle on things the unit went south and never worked again. He now has a GT-6 (I think) and he loves it.

I am not a crook's head
Member
Since: Mar 14, 2003


Mar 08, 2009 03:36 pm

Awesome, thanks for your suggestions everybody. Shortly after I posted this, I was invited to spend a weekend with an old friend in Vermont. So now I've gotta pony up for a round trip air fare to Northfield in late may. So now my plans to buy a multi-effects is in jeopardy! The same damn thing happened several months ago when I wanted to buy a new bass guitar. Never did get that bass :-(

For the price, I like the Boss ME-70 the best. I'm just really concerned about not being able to send some effects thru my amp's front end and other effects thru my amp's effects loop.

So maybe in an effort to spend less money and still have enough left over to buy plane tickets, I'm starting to lean towards just buying one or maybe 2 stomp boxes. Like a fuzz box and a delay pedal. Those should keep me entertained for a while, and I can patch them into my signal chain anywhere I like.

I am not a crook's head
Member
Since: Mar 14, 2003


Mar 08, 2009 05:29 pm

OK I pulled the trigger. On its way from zzounds.com is:

- a TC Electronic G-Sharp (I got $20 off by buying one that'd already been opened)
- the 3-button G-switch
- a cheap 12-space rack stand (way more spaces than I'll ever need but its a floor stand that puts the top space at about waist-level)
- a couple of cables to patch it into my amp
- a rack shelf that I can use for my HotPlate (I've currently got it precariously balancing on top of my amp)

So I'm all set up for all of the reverb, delay, chorus, phaser, flange, tremolo, vibrato, and filter effects that I'll ever need. I'm also excited about the potential to use it instead of reverb plugins on recordings.

Happy birthday to me,
Happy birthday to me,
Happy birthday dear gear whore Tadpui who has better things he should be spending his hard-earned, highly taxable, not-necessarily-a-proper-compensation-but-better-than-a-kick-in-the-taint bonus check,
Happy birthday to me!

Czar of Cheese
Member
Since: Jun 09, 2004


Mar 08, 2009 06:36 pm

OK, now I am "drooling"!

Czar of Midi
Administrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002


Mar 08, 2009 07:48 pm

Good choice indeed. Don't forget to get the software control panel for tweaking and editing patches.

So you just got the 3 button foot switch then, no exp pedal?

I am not a crook's head
Member
Since: Mar 14, 2003


Mar 08, 2009 08:04 pm

Yeah, I only saw reference to the G-Minor or the G-Switch footswitches in the documentation about the G-Sharp. The G-Minor seems to be discontinued so I didn't get a price for it. But the damn G-Switch was $50! 1/3 of the cost of the effects unit just for a 3-button footswitch! Kind of a rip-off.

Plus since I didn't go with a unit that has a wah, pitch-shifting, or anything like that, I didn't dwell on the expression pedal. Maybe someday soon I'll just buy a wah pedal and call it even.

Member
Since: Jul 02, 2003


Mar 09, 2009 12:00 am

That should do you well, now how about making some music with it and post it? :)

Dan

I am not a crook's head
Member
Since: Mar 14, 2003


Mar 09, 2009 09:46 am

Yeah Yeah, I've been on a hiatus from recording since about mid-summer. I don't even know why...it's been a turbulent time but that's more of an excuse to make music than to stop making music. Chronic sinus troubles have kept me from singing so that's been a big part of it too. But this is the time of year when I'm most liable to actually get moving and record.

Czar of Midi
Administrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002


Mar 09, 2009 05:36 pm

Ya, the pedal can just be faked anyway via midi from the DAW. That's what I had been doing for years with some of my processor's.

But hell ya, it is nuts what they get for a foot control. Even the simple ones.

Pinnipedal Czar (: 3=
Member
Since: Apr 11, 2004


Feb 09, 2011 02:37 pm

heh

I did a search for Line 6s M13, and ended up here.


Happy belated birthday, Tad! How are you liking that G-Sharp?

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