Jode Posted February 20, 2004 Share Posted February 20, 2004 I have come to the decision that I need bass effects in my life, and I'd like a few opinions from those who are more "in the know" than I. I've been going the dry-as-a-bone route for many years now, and while I know what various effects do, I'm not familiar with the current products that do them. I want a setup that gives me an envelope filter, flange, chorus, delay, and distortion. Questions: Is there a multi-effect unit that gives me all of these together, with good sound quality, that doesn't cost too much more than the individual pedals? Note that I don't care if I have all those sounds at one tap of the toe if they sound like crap. I'd just as soon 'tapdance'. I guess what I'm saying is, Is there any reason I shouldn't blow the cash on a Mu-tron, Electric Mistress, and Big Muff, just for retro feel-good points in addition to great sounds? "I had to have something, and it wasn't there. I couldn't go down the street and buy it, so I built it." Les Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davebrownbass Posted February 20, 2004 Share Posted February 20, 2004 I have the Korg Pandora's box, which is fun to play with. It has all that stuff, and makes a nice headphone practice amp. I'd never use the effects onstage. If I needed this stuff for performance, I'd have to start with the Bass Pod. I think I'd go with a rackmount for stage use. I've read that it does a pretty decent job emulating most of the vintage stuff. However, I've read that the ring modulator and envelop filter are not as funky as the "real" thing....YMMV. Good luck...and other users will weigh in with better opinions. "Let's raise the level of this conversation" -- Jeremy Cohen, in the Picasso Thread. Still spendin' that political capital far faster than I can earn it...stretched way out on a limb here and looking for a better interest rate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveC Posted February 20, 2004 Share Posted February 20, 2004 OK, I'll say do a search (my first time) for "effects" or multi effects" and you'll find some info. That said, I struggle with this all the time. I've gone from a bunch of pedals to a multi-effect unit back to pedals more than once. Having individual pedals is nice. You can turn on what you want, tweak it, whatever and not have to go through menu's or stuff like that. Having a bunch of presets ready for you at the tap of a button is also nice. For this kind of tone or song I use patch 2, for another one I use patch 4, etc. I think it's a bit more difficult to "tweak on the go" with a multi unit, but if you have a bunch of good presets, you should be OK. For individual effects, there are tons of choices. I like Boss and EBS. The pedals you mentioned are great as well. For multi-effects, I have used a Pod and a DigiTech rack unit. I liked them both. Seems like lots of people like the DigiTech BP200. There are Pod users, V-Bass, DigiTech and others here. I am debating going back to a rack multi unit as I have one rack space left to fill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy c Posted February 20, 2004 Share Posted February 20, 2004 I'm another one who went from pedals to multi-effects and back to pedals. But there are some great multi-effects out these days and the users will be popping in here to either tell you about them or tell you to use the search function to check out previous discussions of them. There seem to be an awful lot of people using the Bass Pod. Or maybe it's another invasion of the pod people. Free download of my cd!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicklab Posted February 20, 2004 Share Posted February 20, 2004 I've been using pedals pretty successfully. I can tweak them the way I like, pick exactly what I want to use and not get limited by presets. Sometimes I have as many as 8 pedals lined up (1 is a tuner), but I've found a way to make it work. Going with a processor or individual stompboxes really depends on what you need the effects for. I think I could probably get away with using only 3 pedals in my current situation, but your situation might be different. I find my pedals to be versatile and easy to keep up with. Obligatory Social Media Link "My concern is, and I have to, uh, check with my accountant, that this might bump me into a higher, uh, tax..." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kad Posted February 20, 2004 Share Posted February 20, 2004 Hi Jode, I'm definitely a "discrete pedal" kind of guy. If I'm working with 5 effects, I like to have 5 separate on/off switches in front of me - makes life MUCH easier. Also, I'm an analog freak, so individual pedals are sort of a no-brainer for me... I think you're definitely on the right track with the Electro Harmonix stuff. I've used EH pedals for nearly 25 years now, and I still love them to death. Looking at each of the effects you mentioned... Envelope Follower: while the Mu-Tron is the industry standard classic, I've had great luck with my EH Q-tron. It's VERY funky, and offers a wide range of filtering options, along with a "reverse sweep" option. Flanger: I've NEVER heard any flanger that can touch the Mistress for bass, period! The only other one I would consider is the original vintager MXR flanger, which is also quite wonderful sounding. Both pedals are being re-issued at this time. However, the Dunlop re-issue of the MXR flanger supposedly does not sound as good as the original. As an owner of both a Dunlop re-issue Phase 90 and a vintage Phase 100, I would have to agree with this in general regarding Dunlop re-issues. The EH re-issues, on the other hand, are right on the money!! Chorus/Delay: Let's look at these together, since if you buy an EH Deluxe Memory Man, you'll have both! The Memory Man is my favorite stomp box of all time. I must admit, however, that I've never tried using mine on my bass. In general, it's the warmest, most beautifully organic and musical delay you'll ever hear, outside of a mechanical tape delay. The chorus on the Memory Man is very good. It never really gets the respect it deserves. I believe this might be because A) it is very tricky to adjust properly, and B) it is overshadowed by that brilliant delay. Nonetheless, it is a beautiful chorus and when combined with the delay, the combination is magical! If you need to have chorus and delay in separate boxes (i.e. if you need to use them simultaneously and independently), I would go with the EH Small Clone for chorus. I adore my Small Clone - it's a total no-brainer to operate and it sounds fantastic. For delay, if the Deluxe Memory Man is a bit much to spend on one effect ($299 list), I would look for a vintage Ibanez AD-9 which I also own and love. The AD-9 sounds great (because it's also analog), but be aware that you'll only get a maximum of about 300ms of delay from it (the Memory Man will give you 500ms). If you need more delay time than this, you'll probably need to go digital (yuck!). Distortion: The Muff is a great choice. If you are looking for something a bit more subtle, you might try a vintage Rat (by ProCo). It's a very nice, smooth distortion. I didn't see a phase shifter mentioned in your list. If you are interested in a phaser, the EH Small Stone is unbeatable, especially for the price. Of the three phasers I own (MXR Phase 90, MXR Phase 100 and EH Small Stone) the Small Stone is my favorite by far. It totally nails that Dooby Brothers "It Keeps You Running" bass sound!! Good luck and have fun!! Kirk Reality is like the sun - you can block it out for a time but it ain't goin' away... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy c Posted February 21, 2004 Share Posted February 21, 2004 I own a lot of the effects that Kad mentioned. And some of them are for sale, but I'm not going to advertise on list: that's a no-no. I recently tried a vintage ADA flanger. Woowee! The best I've ever heard. Way better than the MXR flanger that I'm not using anymore. (hint) And my friend wants to get rid of the ADA. (hint, hint) And I've had great success with the EBS pedals. My BassIQ is the closest sounding thing to my original Mu-Tron III and sounds better to me than my Q-Tron which I also don't use anymore. (hint, hint, hint). Free download of my cd!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jode Posted February 21, 2004 Author Share Posted February 21, 2004 Dammit, Kad, now you've just about got me talked into blowing all that dough on the Electro-Harmonix stuff. I was afraid of that. Thanks a lot, ya bastid. "I had to have something, and it wasn't there. I couldn't go down the street and buy it, so I built it." Les Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adamixoye Posted February 21, 2004 Share Posted February 21, 2004 I have owned a Digitech BP-8 (now out of production, they have something newer, bigger, and supposedly better now) and a Boss GT-6B, both of which I was/am reasonably happy with. I don't know exactly what quality level you're looking for. These are both good units, but undoubtedly not the best for any given individual effect. So I'd say check them out and see if they meet your standards. At $400-500, the price is probably comparable to or better than buying 5 high-end pedals as you are suggesting. And if you want the Digitech BP-8, I have one for sale... I believe that is the greatest reply I\'ve ever read! I\'m not even joking. -- justinruins Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Basshappi Posted February 21, 2004 Share Posted February 21, 2004 Hi Jode, check your PMs Nothing is as it seems but everything is exactly what it is - B. Banzai Life is what happens while you are busy playing in bands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
... Posted February 21, 2004 Share Posted February 21, 2004 I want a Lemmy pedal. Erik, can you please get your people on that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g. Posted February 21, 2004 Share Posted February 21, 2004 USE SEARCH ; } . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremy c Posted February 22, 2004 Share Posted February 22, 2004 In response to popular demand: http://members.aol.com/jeremyzone3/lemmy.jpg Free download of my cd!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badgerbass Posted February 22, 2004 Share Posted February 22, 2004 "Is there a multi-effect unit that gives me all of these together, with good sound quality,..." My answer is: "Yes, no." Most of the multi-effects, like the Zoom, are toys, or, at best, good practice tools. For various reasons. I'd say stick with a few simple effects. If you want to see what is available, go the Boss website. You can listen to pedals in combination. They will also send you a CD with examples of all the sounds and combinations. Guy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexclaber Posted February 22, 2004 Share Posted February 22, 2004 Originally posted by Jode: I want a setup that gives me an envelope filter, flange, chorus, delay, and distortion. I prefer individual pedals - I think that on the whole they're easier to use and sound better, but they do generally cost more if you want a lot of effects and a big pedalboard can end up very cumbersome indeed. The EBS BassIQ is an excellent sounding envelope filter and very easy to use (I used to have a Lovetone Meatball is which is almost impossible to use live, far too many knobs to twiddle). I use the Boss BF-2 Flanger, which is a nice colour and can go seriously OTT. However, if you want chorus as well, TC Electronics and EBS both make very nice combined chorus/flange units. Boss make some neat and very straightforward delay pedals but if you don't mind the extra size and cost the Line6 DL-4 is a monster and does looping as well. There are a plethora of distortion pedals to choose from - the Fulltone Bassdrive is very nice. I also use the Big Muff which sounds great for fuzz but is more limited in its scope. If you get a true bypass FX-loop switcher like this you can avoid any tone-sucking and be able to switch all the pedals on and off without tap dancing. Alex Barefaced Ltd - ultra lightweight, high ouput, toneful bass cabs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
... Posted February 22, 2004 Share Posted February 22, 2004 Originally posted by jeremyc: In response to popular demand: http://members.aol.com/jeremyzone3/lemmy.jpgI'll take two, please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_Sweet Willie_ Posted February 22, 2004 Share Posted February 22, 2004 Originally posted by jeremyc: In response to popular demand: http://members.aol.com/jeremyzone3/lemmy.jpgI'd also order two, but I'm hesitant since I don't see any input/output jacks. Also, does it come in a rackmount version? Thanks, J. Peace. --SW spreadluv Fanboy? Why, yes! Nordstrand Pickups and Guitars. Messiaen knew how to parlay the funk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveC Posted February 23, 2004 Share Posted February 23, 2004 You guys are giving me serious pedal GAS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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