Digital Multi Effects Pedals. Which One???

[rdamato]

I'm getting a bit tired of adding pedals each time I require a new effect.
This may be heresy, but I am considering a Multi unit.
Any recommendations with pros/cons would be appreciated.

Thanks
Ron

[giggedy]

stay away from digitech. not made well at all

[Flyin' Brian]

I have a friend who uses a Boss VG-8 for major shows running it direct with no amp. Yes it's more than a multi effects unit, but pretty much all of the effects in it are the same as the Boss GT-8, as is the physical unit. It has been very reliable for him and sounds great.

[TGPUser]

stay away from digitech. not made well at all

How so? Seem to be a rather loose comment - can you elaborate? Over the last 12 years I've owned an RP1, RP6 and GNX3 and the only issue I've ever had was a broken footswitch button which was broken when a friend tripped over the unit (my RP6) and cost about $5 to replace.

I've found they always worked fine and did what I expected although by the time I got the GNX3 I was at the point where the complexity of editing patches simply didn't interest me any more. The GNX3 was a fun/robust unit but I gave up and have since gone "retro" with a pedal board.

If the original poster is looking at MultiFX units I wouldn't discount Digitech by a long shot but there are numerous offerings from BOSS, Korg, Vox, Line6, Digitech etc which are all well-priced and worth checking out but I think the only way to make the decision is to first narrow down what type of features you are looking for.

Rdamato do you have specific things you are looking for such as modelling options, cabinet simulation, built in valves, certain must have effects, a simpler MultiFX unit (like a Boss ME50), rack options etc?

[Moe45673]

Boss ME-50. WYSIWYG. No Amp modelling to fiddle with either

[rdamato]

I was leaning to the ME-50. I am not interested in amp and/or cabinet modeling. I want an effects pedal that will give me a reliable simulation of OD, Compression, reverb etc. I play classic rock and blues through a Rockytop 45/50 1 x 12.

[Witek]

Boss ME-50. WYSIWYG. No Amp modelling to fiddle with either
What the hell is WYSIWYG?

[rdamato]

What You See Is What You Get!!!

[TGPUser]

I was leaning to the ME-50. I am not interested in amp and/or cabinet modeling. I want an effects pedal that will give me a reliable simulation of OD, Compression, reverb etc. I play classic rock and blues through a Rockytop 45/50 1 x 12.

The ME-50 would be a great choice then. It's got a nice mix of OD/distortion, modulation and delays along with all the finishing touches like reverb, compression, noise gate etc in a simple easy to use package without all the amp/cabinet modelling complexities.

[TGPUser]

Actually another unit I just remembered about and saw in web post somewhere on the net is the RockTron Utopia G100 (http://rocktron.com/site/products/floorprocessors/utopiag100/index.html). Has anyone tried one of these out?

[777]

Perhaps you've seen http://www.thestompbox.net/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleID=21

I have the PODxt Live and it works well, however I'm still looking into the Vox Tonelab. In this comparison, they are testing the Tonelab SE. Since then, Vox has come out with a Tonelab LE which promises to be even better.

They also have a very helpful forum on that link.

[timbo]

TC Electronic G-Major or G-Force

[Twin63]

Boss ME-50. I used one for a while with a Peavey Classic 30. Well built, easy to use, and sounds good. You can get them used for around $200.

[Craig Walker]

stay away from digitech. not made well at all

I disagree also. I used to use a Digitech GNX3000 .....no problems at all.
Sounded pretty good too.

[TGPUser]

Perhaps you've seen http://www.thestompbox.net/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleID=21

I have the PODxt Live and it works well, however I'm still looking into the Vox Tonelab. In this comparison, they are testing the Tonelab SE. Since then, Vox has come out with a Tonelab LE which promises to be even better.

They also have a very helpful forum on that link.

Cool article. I think the POD is probably outside the parameters set by the original poster (no amp/cabinet modelling) however the Vox Tonelab LE would be another great choice. Even though it does have some modelling built in the layout is super easy to understand and use and the sounds are really nice and easy to construct. It's also got some clever connection capabilities for recording and inserting external pedals into the effect chain so it would be a good choice if you wanted something a bit more flexible down the line without the steep initial learning curve.

[rob2001]

I don't care for the digitech unit's either. The verbs and delays were ok on an RP-6 I had but the Od's and dirt settings were nasty IMO. Modulations are average at best. Mine is sitting with 2 bad footswitches so i'll be giving it to my young nephew. I had a GNX 3000 also to experiment with modeling for a short time and didn't care for the models much. Everything sounded very digital to me.

[willyboy]

I don't care for the digitech unit's either. The verbs and delays were ok on an RP-6 I had but the Od's and dirt settings were nasty IMO. Modulations are average at best. Mine is sitting with 2 bad footswitches so i'll be giving it to my young nephew. I had a GNX 3000 also to experiment with modeling for a short time and didn't care for the models much. Everything sounded very digital to me.

+1 in my opinion. I have had a number of students over the years with Digitech multifx units that have been retired as a result of bad switches and pots especially - moreso than the boss units definitely. If you have ever taken one of these things apart to see what is going on inside and to repair it it is quite apparent where the costs are being cut - very cheaply made.

[Jarrett]

I was looking for the same thing and got a Boss ME-50. I've been gigging with it and like it. The effects are pretty nice and very usable. You can use it like a series of stomp boxes or setup patches. If you want to use the "Tone Modify" and/or Compressor as a stomp box on the fly you need extension pedals. I think they are called FS-5U. You also need these if you want the ability to bank up and down on presets live.

The down sides are the OD pedals. If you are used to boutiques, they are not that but they are very usable. I like the RAT and Mod RAT settings. Also the OD-1, BD-2 and TS-9 settings are nice as well.

[clapointe]

Plus one on the Boss ME-50.

[Jarrett]

As an update, I've been A/Bing the ME-50 and PodXT Live for the last hour or so. The PodXT Live is a much more versatile pedal and I hoped it would sound better and easily replace my ME-50. But after going through each effect and A/Bing them between the two units, the Boss had better all around effects except for a couple
of things like the wah and maybe a couple of the OD pedals.

This was kind of a bummer to discover as I like the options the XT Live offers for turning on and off a series of effects on the fly in a stompbox like function.

[Moe45673]

The big plus about the ME-50, IMO, is the relative ease with which it can cut through the mix. The Line 6 pod stuff feels like I am fighting a losing battle with one arm tied behind my back.

[moody07747]

I'm getting a bit tired of adding pedals each time I require a new effect.
This may be heresy, but I am considering a Multi unit.
Any recommendations with pros/cons would be appreciated.

Thanks
Ron

Magicstomp has gone though my paces and is still working.
Its got some great FX and can be had for cheap on eBay.

Also have a look at the Boss ME-50, great unit.

The digitech RP pedals I've tried and they sound to digital to me. however I cant wait to hear the Digitech EX7 I just ordered ...should come in any day now...

[Chicago Slim]

I have a Zoom G2, that I've been very happy with. You can turn everything off, with no loss of tone. I use it for a tuner, effects, recording device, and amp back-up. The amp modeling is also pretty good. When I use ut for tremelo, I can add a touch of Twin Reverb. Or when I use compression and hall reverb for country, I can add some AC30 chime. For chorus, the stereo JC120 model sounds very good. For overdrive, there is a choice of amp models, and pedal models.

The biggest drawback, is the way that you have to toggle (step up or down), through your settings. Since I tend to only use a few effects, it hasn't been a problem. The delay doesn't sound as good as my old analog delay, but the different types of delay, echo and reverb, more than make up for it. And as I said earlier, being able to turn everything off, and hear your guitar and amp, may be the best feature.

[Craig Walker]

Not to talk you out of purchasing a multi-effect, but have you considered a looper for your current effects?

Don't know your budget, but I'm about to set up my rig with a Gigrig: http://www.thegigrig.com/

The mojo, vibe and tones of your fav pedals, with the convenience of a multi-effect. There are also cheaper looper options [not as many features though].

[Bantha]

G-System

[Mullenski]

I started with the ME-50 however went to the GT-8 as soon as I started going direct to the PA. The amp modeling is such a great additional function -- I didn't know what I was missing until I had it.

So, so, so very useful to be able to go from cranked Marshall to tweed Fender to Jazz Chorus with one pedal tap. I use the GT-8 for praise/worship where we are all over the place, tone-wise, from song to song. Absolutely no time to tweak an amp. And, I can get there quicker with the GT-8 than I can the ME-50. Plus, more sounds to choose from with the GT-8.

For what it's worth, works for me...

[TGPUser]

As an update, I've been A/Bing the ME-50 and PodXT Live for the last hour or so. The PodXT Live is a much more versatile pedal and I hoped it would sound better and easily replace my ME-50. But after going through each effect and A/Bing them between the two units, the Boss had better all around effects except for a couple
of things like the wah and maybe a couple of the OD pedals.

This was kind of a bummer to discover as I like the options the XT Live offers for turning on and off a series of effects on the fly in a stompbox like function.

I thought the ME50 could run in two modes - manual and memory - and in memory mode you had something like 30 patches? Is this what you wanted to do with the ME50 or are you referring to something else?

[kensmith]

Actually another unit I just remembered about and saw in web post somewhere on the net is the RockTron Utopia G100 (http://rocktron.com/site/products/floorprocessors/utopiag100/index.html). Has anyone tried one of these out?
I have one, have had it for about 2 weeks. It replaced my Digitech RP-350. I miss a few things (univibe and xlr out) from the Digitech, but that is about it. The tones on the Rocktron are unreal and the speaker modeling are awesome! No bells, no whistles, just tone!

[TGPUser]

I have one, have had it for about 2 weeks. It replaced my Digitech RP-350. I miss a few things (univibe and xlr out) from the Digitech, but that is about it. The tones on the Rocktron are unreal and the speaker modeling are awesome! No bells, no whistles, just tone!

I was quite impressed with their demo sound samples on the RockTron site. Normally MultiFX sound samples are rubbish but the Utopia has a real amp feel going for it.

[5sonic]

another +1 for the ME-50. I agree that the wah is not it's greatest feature. This is a great unit for quickly dialing in useable sounds, and it's pretty well built.

[brianf]

I have had an ME 50 for more than a year. I bought a POD XT Live but it went back. For the life of me I had problems dialing it in. To complicated for me. The sounds were great but this 50 year old brain hit a roadblock with it.

ME 50 sounds good and is so easy to use.

brianf

[dorfmeister]

The ME-50 would be a great choice then. It's got a nice mix of OD/distortion, modulation and delays along with all the finishing touches like reverb, compression, noise gate etc in a simple easy to use package without all the amp/cabinet modelling complexities.

Does it allow one to choose the order of effects used?

[royd]

Did you buy one Ron? Here's my experience.

I picked up a Zoom G9.2tt about 4 months ago, thinking the same as you, plus wanting to stop the dancing of trying to turn on and off multiple effects at one time.

The good - the G9 is very tweakable. The tubes add some warmth and feel that wasn't on any of the other digital units I've tried. It has some amazing sounds (the vibe is great and the acoustic model - while not a perfect "acoustic" guitar sound is closer than any other I've tried and sounds great as another voice, period) and a whole bunch that are pretty much in the middle of the pack. no more dancing as you can program as many as 10 effects to change with one stomp of a pedal. It is nice to have one relatively small box to carry and if an amp fails, it can go direct through the PA and sound very convincing.

The downs... I've got some great analog pedals that sound better than the effects in the G9 and I got to choose the ones I wanted. I like being able to see my settings for each effect as opposed to them being in some digital memory somewhere. And there is something about digital.

So my zoom is in the emporium. I have to say that I am tempted to keep it just for the two sounds I mentioned. The digital multis certainly have their place and I have no question that for many folk they are a very good solution.

[TGPUser]

Does it allow one to choose the order of effects used?

Not sure as I've only had a quick play with one in the shop. I just grabbed the manual off the roland website (http://www.rolandus.com/support/product_manuals/ME-50_OM.pdf) and by the looks of it there is some simple auto-order logic built in (see page 8). Depending on what type of modulation you choose and what you tie the expression pedal to the effects chain is re-ordered. The effects re-ordering seems pretty logical but outside of the automated functionality it doesn't appear that you can customize the order.

[guitarist58]

+1 on the MAGICSTOMP--incredible veratility (8 simultaneous modulation delays, Fuzz, phase shift, reverb, or whatever), and a smaller footprint than many other multis mentioned here so if you end up using it more like an individual stomp box or only like it for "one thing", it's more likely to fit into a pedalboard... goes for pretty reasonable prices these days, as well.

[plygtar]

I know many folks don't like the Digitech pedals, but I ended up buying a Digitech RP150 effects pedal. I do like playing through this pedal. I have get a whole variety of modeling tones and effects. I think it gives me decent modeling sounds of a JCM800 and an AC30 amp without forking out the bucks for a vintage JCM800 or an AC30 amp. I do like creating my own effects, adjusting the existing presets, and being able to save them, too.

[googoobaby]

I've thought about picking up a Damage Control Glass Nexus, but the manual doesn't really explain it very well. I'd like better quality than my Zoom G1, which at least is very logical from a user perspective.

[Laird_Williams]

G-System
+1 on that - but it IS expensive and getting it tuned right for your setup can be a chore. If you want great FX and are willing to spend some time and $$$ getting set up for your rig, that is great. I did and I love mine.

That said - if you have a good tube amp...and this is gonna sound weird...go ahead and get one of the multi-FX modellers and then turn off the modelling.

I think the FX in the PODXT Live/Pro sound fine...just turn off the amp and cab simulation on your patches and have at it. Just because the device CAN do modeling does not mean you HAVE to use it for that.

Same goes for the Boss modelling FX units.

And the PC-Based patch editors for both units are outstanding. Bag twiddling knobs and trying to decifer an FX chain from a 3-line LCD.