ridger Posted June 25, 2005 Share Posted June 25, 2005 I've been looking at some multi effects pedals just to play around with. Currently, I don't own any pedals. I play mostly blues, classic rock, and country. The ones I've looked at are Boss ME-50, Digitech RP300A, and the Toneworks (Korg) AX1500G. Have any of you had any experience with these and what are your suggestions? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BluesWithoutBlame Posted June 25, 2005 Share Posted June 25, 2005 Originally posted by ridger: I've been looking at some multi effects pedals just to play around with. Currently, I don't own any pedals. I play mostly blues, classic rock, and country. The ones I've looked at are Boss ME-50, Digitech RP300A, and the Toneworks (Korg) AX1500G. Have any of you had any experience with these and what are your suggestions? Thanks. I don't know how familiar you are with the pedals, or the places you can check out info on them (so excuse me if I tell you things you already know) but the best advice I can give is go to Harmony-central to the User-Reviews and read up on each one...make notes. You can't trust all that is written there, but you read what people say their experience is, be doubtful, if nothing else some might mention a drawback or great feature and you can see for yourself. If I were you I would take my own guitar in to the music store, and plan on spending several hours trying each pedal...and not buying any. Go back a second time to decide. This is what I have done (I own a Digitech RP-7, and a V-amp2. Both of them I chose at the time, the RP-7 over the more expensive and feature filled RP2000 because after time (the big factor) I noticed I just warmed to the more tube sound of the RP-7. People mostly probably think I'm nuts for the next, but I preferred the V-amp2 over the POD by a good margin. Price was a factor, but the main one was ease-of-use...I am a guitar guy, I like real knobs and the Vamp had more. I also liked the sounds. Don't know your price range, but I hear GREAT things about the Tonelab SE. Anyway, other small advice...keep in mind that patches that sound phenominal in the headphones or even through an amp, often don't work in a band (that's the other thing, you never mentioned what you want to use the pedal for...recording at home? Playing in a band? both (but which one more?). A pet peeve of mine for live playing, I have gone back to stomp boxes because...I always know which box is which and I can tweak them with knobs. It's a more visceral thing. I can't use menus live, and my RP-7 I just never know which patch has what effect. I could organize it better with series of patches, but it is TOO much to think about in the heat of playing. Also I'm liking mulit-effects pedals less and less because I spend too much time tweaking, not playing. Another thing, I wish SOMEONE would have a volume normalizing knob...watch out for going from a patch at the right volume to one that is too low, or too high...I hate that! Again, it depends on what you mainly want it for. Live, you have to judge how easy it is to read, if your patches all have names like "A-31" etc, or if you can give them descriptions like "SRV tone" etc. Also if you can tell what is on easily, what is set to what (modulation effect...is it set to tremolo, vibrato, phase shift?? etc.) easy to turn things on and off and most important, to adjust EQ on the fly. Just some thoughts. Harmony-central user reviews are GREAT though. ==================================================== Check out my original music at http://www.soundclick.com/bands/jacker "In theory there is no difference between theory and practice, but not in practice." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted June 25, 2005 Share Posted June 25, 2005 You must listen to Diamond Dust's Vox Tonelab SE direct-recorded mp3's. Find any post by him, and clonk on his "Posts: # " at the bottom to speed up a search; or, go through the last two or three 'pages of the "Share your music"-thread that has been "stickied" to the top of the Guitar Forum's first 'page. Also check out the Digitech GNX series; vastly superior to the DOD RP series. A friend made me play through a DOD RP pedal so that he would also be able to hear the built-in drum-machine while he was playing an unamplified acoustic; it so neutered my tone and feel that I couldn't get the piece of crap unplugged fast enough! I came up with an alternative way to amplify his RP's drum-machine pronto. Do a search here on the Guitar Forum for the Boss ME-50; there've been mixed reviews of it here by people who know what they're talking about, I think some liked it and some felt about it the way I did with that DOD RP unit. What all do you need a multi-effects pedal to do? Would a rack-stylee, plugged into your amp's effects-loop, do as well for you? (Assuming your amp has a 'loop.) Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted June 25, 2005 Share Posted June 25, 2005 Originally posted by BluesWithoutBlame: "If I were you I would take my own guitar in to the music store, and plan on spending several hours trying each pedal... ...and not buying any. Go back a second time to decide." Very, VERY good advice! I try to make a minimum of two visits/test-drives before deciding on any gear; three or four is even better. Impulse purchases are usually regretable, although a couple of guitars that I bought in record-setting time were great exceptions... "Don't know your price range, but I hear GREAT things about the Tonelab SE."I've heard GREAT things from the Tonelab SE! (See above.) "...keep in mind that patches that sound phenominal in the headphones or even through an amp, often don't work in a band (that's the other thing, you never mentioned what you want to use the pedal for...recording at home? Playing in a band? both (but which one more?)."Sad but true; varies with different players, guitars, amps, etc., what works great for one might not for you. "...watch out for going from a patch at the right volume to one that is too low, or too high...I hate that!" Yeah, I know what you mean. And even when you've seemingly got 'em set perfectly, a change of room or amp or other factors can throw that off again! Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillWelcome Home Studios Posted June 25, 2005 Share Posted June 25, 2005 I don't know the models that you site, but I've used the RP-6 and the RP-200, and been happy with them, as they served the purpose that I bought them for. I particularly like the compact size of the RP-200. My one suggestion for all multieffcets pedals... most of the settings are designed to impress 16 year olds and their non-player dads. So to most players, they seem 'over the top'. Dial back some of the settings, and they are quite useful. Bill "I believe that entertainment can aspire to be art, and can become art, but if you set out to make art you're an idiot." Steve Martin Show business: we're all here because we're not all there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Major Tom Posted June 25, 2005 Share Posted June 25, 2005 Check out the GNX2 from Digitech. They are being closed out as low as 199 to make way for the next model. I have one - I don't use the amp/cab models, some say they are great. The effects sound nice, I think the distortion/OD pedal models sound good, all metal enclosure with a sturdy volume/wah pedal, good connectivity, editor software, etc. I use mine for live use and like it very well. Unlike the smaller units, you can toggle some effects on/off within each patch. Great bang for the buck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green657 Posted June 27, 2005 Share Posted June 27, 2005 Originally posted by BluesWithoutBlame: A pet peeve of mine for live playing, I have gone back to stomp boxes because...I always know which box is which and I can tweak them with knobs. It's a more visceral thing. I can't use menus live, and my RP-7 I just never know which patch has what effect. I could organize it better with series of patches, but it is TOO much to think about in the heat of playing. The ME-50 seems like it would be right up your alley. It is all knob-based, just like a row of stomps. I never use the "memory" mode on my ME-50. I always use it in "manual" mode. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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