Guitar effects

Happy New Year Everyone!!!!!!
I am wanting to add some guitar effects to my playing and looking for some advice.
Am I better off to get individual stomp boxes of a larger multi effects processor.
I guess the question is - "Will I get a better quality effect from an individual effect box - quantity vs quality?"
I would appreciate any advice.
Thanks

G'day mbendel,

Like so many things in life "it depends" :')

I'm just a part-time player, so I decided that I didn't want (or need) to spend a lot on effects - so I have a Zoom G1X 'all-in-one' box. Cheap, but not too bad for a church setting once every couple of weeks.

If you were 'semi-pro' then I'd look at something like the Line 6 floor pods - there are some good deals floating around some of the stores in Australia at the moment if you look hard enough - but at over three times the price of the G1X,they were not for me.

If you're hoping to be full-Professional, then buy the individual items, and get "the best" you can. Probably start with a delay pedal, a distortion pedal, and a compression pedal. Those three should be a 'good start' - in that, they are the three effects I use the most in combination on my G1X (oh, and 'phase shifter' :')

As for what "the best" is - that too will depend on you, and what you are trying to achieve - you are looking for your "own" sound,

have fun,

.h

I highly recommend the M9 from Line 6. This is a relatively new pedal and it really does the trick. Full of effects and very user friendly. The problem that you have with many effects units is that there are so many menus and complicated routes to get to where you can use a simple sound. I think the M13 and M9 units from Line 6 really do a great job or making effects pedals that sound great and don't have all the bells and whistles that most of us never use.

I feel this unit is very adequate for beginners and professionals. I believe you can get one for around $399 but I am sure if you look hard enough you can find one for much cheaper. Here are some links pertaining to the pedal. Good luck.


Online Tutorial:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpOwSGAZawA

Description from Line 6:
http://line6.com/m9/

I'm really jealous of you guys over the other side of the Pond.

The least I can see an M9 for over here is 300 of our English Pounds that's nearly 500 of your Yankee Dollars!!!


Dave.

P.S. I did get a secondhand Zoom G2 off Ebay last month for about $50 but I suppose you'll be able to get a NEW one for that. :mad:

LOL! Well, you could also go through Craigslist in cities like Los Angeles and New York and you would pay a little more shipping, but you may be able to swing something that way without paying a crazy amount of shipping costs. That is a little messy though so I understand.

Zoom pieces have upped there quality a good deal over the years. I was NOT a big fan of their stuff years ago as the casings were made of plastic and the sounds were awful. Now, they really have come a long way; especially with their hand-held recording devices.

Best of luck! :D

Douglas, thanks for the suggestion but, knowing my luck, Her Majesty's Customs and Excise would probably demand a 17.5% VAT payment which would kinda qfeat the object.

I got the Zoom to take to my night class as it would fit into my gig bag rather than my Boss ME50 which is not very portable. The school is right over the road from me so with my Strat and Vox AC4TV I can manage. Well, I could if it weren't for my broken leg!

Dave.

OCD from fulltone is terrific...also the memory man from Electro Harmonix rules...

While you are talking about the Zoom G1, I am looking at purchasing either a Zoom G1 or Digitech RP55. The Zoom is a little cheaper and has more drum sounds than the Digitech. My main question is that I am looking at them acting as preamps so connecting my electric directly into a mixing board and avoiding using an amp. The Digitech manual goes out of its way to mention Cabinet Modeling but the Zoom doesn't. Will both work connecting directly to a mixer and not using an amp?

Both will work as pre-amps. The whole point behind any of those processors as they have a wealth of effects and cabinet modeling to make it so you can plug into an amp, mixer, or computer easily. I looked into the Zoom piece, and it has the same design and set-up as they have for had some time. Those very much function the same way, but I am sure they don't have all the cabinet modeling options like you have on the Digitech. Both will work, but the Digitech I am sure will sound better.

You do have multi-effects units that don't have amp modeling, which is desired in some cases but not in others. If you like the sound of your amp, than you honestly don't want the sound of amp modeling getting in the way of that. If you are running into a mixer, than yes amp modeling would be ideal.

This is my long winded way of saying that both will function for what you want, but I would recommend the Digitech.

Good luck! :eek:

Originally Posted by: EASDaveI'm really jealous of you guys over the other side of the Pond.

The least I can see an M9 for over here is 300 of our English Pounds that's nearly 500 of your Yankee Dollars!!!


Dave.

P.S. I did get a secondhand Zoom G2 off Ebay last month for about $50 but I suppose you'll be able to get a NEW one for that. :mad:

LOL I also got a g2 zoom this christmas (new) and it was like $75

Couldn't be happier with my Vox Tonelab ST. The amp and cab modelling are fantastic, and it covers most effects people use these days. It also has a small size so it's perfect for practice. It also has USB so you can hook it right into your computer for use with whatever software. A lot of modelers don't have this.