[jacobp]

Hello
I was wondering about effects, never really worked with them before and wanted to start toying around. I dont need anything really great, just something that works.

I was wondering what the general concensus was about multi-effect pedals? I was looking at buying a Zoom 505II multi-effects pedal, its like 60 bucks and as i said i dont need anything great...Anyone have anything good bad otherwise to say about it? or any other recommendations? Any comments would be appreciated

[jacobp]

P.S. please excuse me if this makes no sense at all, as i have no experience with effects

[allthumbs]

I used to use one of those. The presets are not the greatest for the most part. What used to drive me nuts is that some of the presets were 2 or 3 times louder than others so I was constantly blowing my ears off switching effects. You also need a seperate pedal to control some of the effects. For about 60 t0 80 bucks you can get a Korg pandora 4,on ebay, which I use quite a bit. The nice thing about it is it works really well plugged directly into your soundcard for recording.

[nocat]

There are literally 10s of thousands of effects processors out there, running the whole
gambit of prices... IMO, your best bet is to figure out what types of tones you like best
and go from there.

One option to consider if you are going to use your PC for recording, is Software Processors.

Check this out:

http://www.native-instruments.com/in...97da75&flash=8

Cheers
Ben

[Cedric01]

The Korg AX3000G. It has accurate sound effects, it's easy to use and the frame is made out of metal.

[bluesguy]

My journey with effects was to buy (what was) an inexpensive multi-FX box. Honestly I spent more time fiddling with the FX box to get the perfect tone than I did practicing & playing. Also I found that inexpensive multi-FX boxes don't do any one thing very well they just do a lot of things medicore.

So... I got rid of the multi-FX box and started to slowly buy specific FX boxes to do specific things. For what I wanted to play I got a wah-wah, overdrive, chorus & echo. Each of these boxes does one thing and does it very well. No one of them broke the bank and I added them slowly to my set of effects. Worked well for me

Except ... I hardly play my electric guitar now. I mostly spend time playing my acoustic guitar.

[WernHalen]

BG I agree, that the smaller boxes do their things better, but the versatility that you get from a unit like a multi fx board is better... IMHO... You dont have to fiddle with buttons to get to a completely different sound : distortion, overdrive chrus modulation etc... and the units are infinitely easier to transport except if you have a dedicated pedal board...

Now I decided to go for a more expensive amp and FX modeling processor and it is worth every cent... I have the fersatility to sound like any of my heros (that is the sound not my playing...) and the fact that I can put it straight into a PA system makes it even better when travelling. I must say though that It will never be better than the real deal it will only ever get so close that you will not be able to hear the difference...

I have the Tonelab SE wich sells for around $400... you can go for something cheaper though seeing that you are only strating to fiddle with FX... Get a Korg PX4D Pandora as Allthumbs suggested they are great little machines for the price... but dont listen to us go to a shop and play with the different ones they have available...

All you have to do is be aware of everything we tell you when playing them, and then ultimately make your own descision.

[fly135]

If you're a noob like me then you'll probably have a lot of fun with an FX box. Since you really have no way of knowing what you need to buy, getting a cheap one like the Zoom is probably a good start. I bought a used Digitech RP300 and I have a lot of fun with it. But like bluesguy said, you'll end up spending more time finding sounds than playing.

From what I've seen the "good" single FX boxes are pretty expensive. I wish we had a section in the forum where people would post clips that demonstrate the various FX they use. I'm sure that some of the great tones are the result of ability and not just the FX, but at least we could get an idea of whats possible. Maybe they could do a straight record into the computer instead of mic'n the amp, so we could hear the effect straight up.

Here's a clip of my G&L S-500 going through a Danelectro Fab Tone. When I got it I tried to learn a ZZ Top lick to see what it sounded like. My wife just recently confided that she tried to not say anything, but my playing this stupid lick everytime I picked up the guitar was starting to annoy her. So I guess I need to get to work on some of the fingerpicking lessons and learn a real song or 2.

Also, if you're like me when you mess with your FX box it's takes forever to find a sound you like, and then ya forget what the settings are the next time you hook it up. Either that or the setup you saved just doesn't the same.

[bluesguy]

What WernHalen & fly135 say is correct. A multi-FX box is great if you want to get tonal differences quickly. So if you want to have a bluesy, funky and then a metal sound then a multi-FX box will do the trick. Personally I don't know many people who play that many styles in the same session. Another good point they bring up is that if you are a gigging artist and you can get most of your tone via multi-FX box, guitar & PA then you are going to travel a bit lighter.

This really all boils down to what you are trying to accomplish with your tone and style of playing.

[USGold]

I had almost this same question a bit ago--was tempted to go for a low priced multi-effect unit-than i started getting some advice and they convinced me that the lower priced ones just don't hold up and with all those effects you spend so much time screwing around with settings that you forget to just play the axe---so right now here's what I am thinking I plan to do--I intend to get one good effect pedal---thinking for the way i play and the music i favor--a "Bad Monkey"--tube overdrive effect--totally reasonable at $40 US from musiciansfriend.Scott

[allthumbs]

Originally Posted by USGold

I had almost this same question a bit ago--was tempted to go for a low priced multi-effect unit-than i started getting some advice and they convinced me that the lower priced ones just don't hold up and with all those effects you spend so much time screwing around with settings that you forget to just play the axe---so right now here's what I am thinking I plan to do--I intend to get one good effect pedal---thinking for the way i play and the music i favor--a "Bad Monkey"--tube overdrive effect--totally reasonable at $40 US from musiciansfriend.Scott

Good choice. They are a great pedal. An o.d pedal is usualy one of the first pedals people buy. Their site has clips if you want to get an idea of what they can do.

[joe_strummer]

Originally Posted by fly135

My wife just recently confided that she tried to not say anything, but my playing this stupid lick everytime I picked up the guitar was starting to annoy her. So I guess I need to get to work on some of the fingerpicking lessons and learn a real song or 2.

I see your wife apprieciates our learning curve to fly lol same prob here. I use a multi effects on the acoustic a Zoom A2 took me forever to program the effects in i wanted but i tend to leave it set now, on electric i use a wah wah and chorus pedal which are seperates, much easier to use and work with.

[fly135]

Yeah joe, she wants to listen to me play the guitar. She just doesn't want to listen to me *learn* to play the guitar.

[allthumbs]

Don't let pedal gas get a grip on you. My friend is a recovering pedal addict


Here you go, I don't think I'm forgetting anything Dur

ODs, Distortions & Boosters:
Fulltone Fulldrive 2 (pre-FM)
Fulltone OCD
Paul Cochrane “Timmy”
MJM Blues Devil
Barber DD
Barber DDSS
Barber LTD
Hermida Zendrive
Lovepedal COT50
MI Audio Crunchbox
Option 5 Destination OD
Jacques Fuseblower II
ProCo RAT2
Addrock Boostmaster

Fuzzes:
Fulltone ’70
Fulltone Soulbender
MJM London Fuzz (Ge)
MJM Foxey Fuzz
D*A*M Drag’n’fly
Zvex Vexter Fuzz Factory
Pedalworx McFuzz Standard
DOD FX-52 Classic Fuzz

Modulation:
EH Electric Mistress (original)
Voodoo Lab Microvibe
Sweetsound MoFaux vibe
DOD FX-65 Stereo Chorus
Guyatone Micro Chorus
Guyatone Micro Flanger
Maxon PT999 Phaser

Delay:
Ibanez EM-5 Echomachine
Maxon AD-80 reissue
Line 6 DL-4
Boss DD-3

Other:
Thomas Organ Crybaby (‘70s)
Teese RMC-1 Wah
Teese WOF Wah
Goodrich Volume / Fuzz
Boss TU-5 tuner
Arion Octave pedal
Startouch A/B/Y box