Musician Gear & Tech Discussion

I'm looking to get a mutliFX pedal for $200. From what I am seeing on websites it looks like it's either the Digitech rp355 or the Boss ME-25 for that price. I tried the Boss pedal yesterday at GC and it was good. Unfortunately I could only try the rp355 through headphones. Not really a fair comparison. I would be willing to go up to the Boss ME-70, DigiTech rp500 or PODHD-300 if they had significant additional features. However, I was thinking of using that extra cash for another pedal - possibly an exciter or something to add more warmth to the sounds coming out of the rp355 or ME-25.

Uses: Studio work initially then live work later. I also want something I can tweak the heck out of - and it be easy to do so. I know that many single pedals are the "best" way to go but I want this to start me out as I am just getting back into serious guitar playing from a 10+ year hiatus.

Anyone have any deal breakers for any of these 2 fx units or comments? Thanks.


Randy

I've tried 3 or 4 of those and I can tell you the boss ME models are pathetic.

Either get stomp boxes or get a laptop and run something juicy.

I own the Boss bass version of these and it sucks badly. (If you couldn't program it a little, it'd be fairly useless having only a few thin sounding channels as beginning presets.)

I'd recommend trying these in store before buying anything.

You might change your mind altogether.

i would recommend that you spend the extra money and check out some of the line 6 pedals such as the podxtlive or digetech I have a pod xtlive and they are great for studio and live

I love individual pedals, but a multiFX pedal is a good start, that's what I did. I would say go with one of the BOSS pedals. I've played through digitech pedals and line 6 PODs, both of which sounded like crap. The main problem I have with the multiFX pedals is that I could never get the sound I wanted out of them. Hopefully you'll have better luck than I did. From favorite to least favorite out of the one's you've listed I would say either BOSS pedal, then either digitech, then the line 6. When I play through a POD, it sounds like I'm running through a synthesizer when I'm really on the clean channel. I'd stay away from line 6 all together with the exception of their relay wireless system. I have one of those and it rocks (it eats through batteries like crazy though).

I am a Boss Fan. Start out on a multi-effects is good. If you're going to that go with Boss. Im not a fan of Line6 but I guess it depends on the player. A good guitarist will mae trash sing! lol

Have u looked at the VOX ToneLab EX? I love mine!

Have u looked at the VOX ToneLab EX? I love mine!

Yes, or one of these if you can still find one:
http://www.voxamps.com/pedals/tonelable/

It has very natural classic tube tone and is pretty easy to customize your patches. All the great guitarists are already in there: EVH, Slash, Petrucci, David Gilmour, Hendrix, Brian May, Jeff Beck, SRV, James Burton, Danny Gatton, The Edge, Satch, Steve Vai, Dimebag, Alan Holdsworth, Richie Blackmore, Peter Green, Clapton, and on and on.

I use it primarily for recording or where an amp won't work. Live I still do prefer the stomp boxes.

The problem with many of these pedals is the signal path can be confusing to some and they get connected improperly. Certain units like the POD are complete emulators not designed to be plugged into the lead channel of a guitar amp. They are designed to go into an audio interface or into the PA using line levels. When you plug it into the guitar amp jack you are tone stacking preamps and you will get horrible & thin tone from frequency oscillation. If your amp has a "power amp in" or aux, you are in luck...you should plug directly into this bypassing the amps preamp entirely. Some units have both and people fail to realize they are using the wrong signal path, impedence and line levels; it will suck all the meat out of the tone. Thats why some result to going back to pedals, as they are line matched properly for a guitar jack and dont rob tone. If thats not the case, I have also seen 5 out of 10 people give entirely opposite reviews as their references for "good tone" are all over the map. Although sounds like there was some valid and objective comments made thus far. I personally gave up on hardware units...the ability to really customize the sound and footboard automation was quite limited. Been using Guitar Rig 5 on a netbook with a Behringer FCB1010 and have almost infinite capabilities. It has never failed, and gives me a 6 hour battery backup in case power is out or not available at the gig. I velcro the netbook in a normal pedalboard with a USB audio interface and leave behind or on top of the amp. Still have a full pedal board in the trunk if i need it, but having switched back and forth a million times I am sold on GR5...you cant buy this much capability in other boxes.

The problem with many of these pedals is the signal path can be confusing to some and they get connected improperly. Certain units like the POD are complete emulators not designed to be plugged into the lead channel of a guitar amp. They are designed to go into an audio interface or into the PA using line levels. When you plug it into the guitar amp jack you are tone stacking preamps and you will get horrible & thin tone from frequency oscillation. If your amp has a "power amp in" or aux, you are in luck...you should plug directly into this bypassing the amps preamp entirely. Some units have both and people fail to realize they are using the wrong signal path, impedence and line levels; it will suck all the meat out of the tone. Thats why some result to going back to pedals, as they are line matched properly for a guitar jack and dont rob tone. If thats not the case, I have also seen 5 out of 10 people give entirely opposite reviews as their references for "good tone" are all over the map. Although sounds like there was some valid and objective comments made thus far. I personally gave up on hardware units...the ability to really customize the sound and footboard automation was quite limited. Been using Guitar Rig 5 on a netbook with a Behringer FCB1010 and have almost infinite capabilities. It has never failed, and gives me a 6 hour battery backup in case power is out or not available at the gig. I velcro the netbook in a normal pedalboard with a USB audio interface and leave behind or on top of the amp. Still have a full pedal board in the trunk if i need it, but having switched back and forth a million times I am sold on GR5...you cant buy this much capability in other boxes.

I agree Coldfront. I plug mine directly into the back of my VOX AC30. Another thing I like about the Vox Tonelab is I can practice with just the unit myself when the wife and kids are sleeping. Not a fan of head phones, but the Tonelab has just enough sound from their speakers to satisfy my late night.

I agree Coldfront. I plug mine directly into the back of my VOX AC30. Another thing I like about the Vox Tonelab is I can practice with just the unit myself when the wife and kids are sleeping. Not a fan of head phones, but the Tonelab has just enough sound from their speakers to satisfy my late night.

I have heard amazing things about tonelab, I might have gone that direction if I hadnt gotten a hold of GTR4. I dont argue that a good amp just sounds beautiful and very few emulators can compare, but in live situations the crowd isnt capable of the distinction and flexibility is more important for me to cover more musical ground. Even if that flexibililty is to do stadium rock in my practice room also...lol

easy, grab a used BOSS GT-10...

I use the older Digitech RP-1 and 12, the tones I get out of those units are still awesome. I put some VHT ( now called Freyette) Valvulators straight from the guitar and at the end of my pedal board to give it the old analog tone. The RP-1 has an effects loop which I use for a solo boost when it's solo time. If you look on E bay you can find the RP-1 and 12 for under $150.00

I just got an RP255 as a gift and I am having some trouble getting the tone I want out of it. I like the idea of pluging into the effects return on my am, have to try that. The main problem with multi-effects units is that you have to either set them up per your set list or scroll through a number of setting to get to the one you want for a particular song, and that sometime runs into a loud setting that you (and your mates) might not want to hear.

I bought a POD PRO with footcontroller off of CL a few years back, its my back up, its an amazing unit, you can find these things for around 150-250.

If you put it with a guitar amp, I just go into the return on the effects look, bypassing the preamp of the amp. It has speaker emulators, so you can plug straight into a mixer board for recording and live sound.

I primarily still use stomp boxes and amps, but I have the POD close by and if I happen to blow my amp I can just plug it up and keep on rocking.

I've not played on all of those, but I've listened to them on Youtube, etc (and I have played some). Of those you've listed, there are a couple of different flavors. First off, some are amp modelers (the POD, for example) and some are just multi-effects units that are less about amp modeling (The Boss ME series). In terms of Amp modeling, of those you've listed, I tend toward the POD (I've not played the HD, but have played the older models). For effects alone, the Boss is good but the Line6 M series stombox modelers are also quite good for that.

I find, though, that amp modelers tend to fall into two different categories. Some are better for high gain tones whereas others are more organic and can get you that semi-clean, bluesy, kind of tone. I've found the Digitechs to be just fine for high gain but I'd never try to play country on them, for example. The Boss and PODs do the organic tones fairly well (The POD being a little better, IMO).

Two that you haven't listed, though, are the Vox and the Zoom. The Vox ToneLab series is one I have played and found to be very, very organic sounding with a lot of very natural tubey compression. The Zoom tend to be very good for high gain and are at a good price point.

There are also two new mutli-effects pedals that I'm very interested in. The Vox Stomplab (which, like the Boss ME series, seems to be less modeler, more stompbox), and the Zoom MultiStomp (which seems to be very organic sounding - if you believe YouTube - and has a very low price point [but you'll need an iPad to really use it]).

Finally, I should add that if you just want effects and no overdrive/gain, check out the TC Electronic gear - but that's probably out of your price range.

Good luck.