Pedals or a multi-effect

[SanDiego333]

Ok, so...when I started playing back in the stone ages, options were limited....a wah-wah, a fuzz, then came the revolutionary phase-shifter (yeah, I'm o-l-d).

 

So, I'm wondering...what are the pros and cons of a multi-effects board like the boss versus individual effects connected together?

[booher]

pedals. hands down.

Pedals to me are a lot more personal and reflect your style moreso than a mutlti fx rig. sure, it's nice to only have to run one thing into your amp, but I think that those things really just lack character. Some are great for recording, but I like having each individual effect sitting right in front of me. Plus, sometimes those things, I think, really kill your amp's tone and override it with their own, and some of the effects are a lot better than others. And when I say that, I mean that sometimes the good effects are just mediocre, meaning the rest are crap.

[orourke]

Originally posted by SanDiego333 Ok, so...when I started playing back in the stone ages, options were limited....a wah-wah, a fuzz, then came the revolutionary phase-shifter (yeah, I'm o-l-d). So, I'm wondering...what are the pros and cons of a multi-effects board like the boss versus individual effects connected together?

I'm a card carring member of the geezer brigade, but I'm still gigging in a hard rock band.

There are a lot of guy's out there that don't like multi-effects, or don't like digital, or don't like anything that's not true bypass. I'm more pragmatic. The fact is I want to have a lot of effects, I want to pre-progam a lot of different type of delays, and I like to control the parameters with an expression pedal. I find my old (and supposedly obsolete) Boss GT-3 does all that and more. The modulation effects are great, harmonizer, rotary, reverb are all good, even the compressor is usuable.

The drawback is the distortions and overdrives stink and so does the wah. That's where I think digital really comes up short, digtial distortion just doesn't do it for me.

So if you're looking to have a bunch of stuff on the floor, (multi plus outboard gear) like me. You might want to try a used GT-3. You can find a used Boss GT-3 for about $125 to $150 if you look. Mine has held up to quite I bit of abuse over the years so they're pretty sturdy.

Of course the new Boss GT-8 has even more flexibility and lots of bells and whistles (literally). The Boss multi's are supposed to be the best effects-wise. I plug mine straight into my amp like any stomp-box, never liked effects loops. For recording I hear hear the Vox Tone Lab is better in the amp-model department.

If you just want a couple of pedals, there's tons of nice stuff out there these days. Not like when we where kids and were happy with a Big Muff and maybe a MXR Phaser. "wow man, sounds like a freakin' jet".

[Quagmire]

The best guitar players of all time used stompboxes so i'd go with that.

[Eddie]

Originally posted by SanDiego333 So, I'm wondering...what are the pros and cons of a multi-effects board like the boss versus individual effects connected together?

Some of the pros and cons have changed throughout the years, given that multi-fx have become smaller, cheaper, with better sounds, etc.

With pedals you can get exactly the pedals you want and/or need. What effects will you use? If you want to use 2 or 3 effects, perhaps pedals is the way to go.

How often do you gig? Do you have a regular gig somewhere where you can leave your gear? Or are you interested in effects for recording? Are people able to get near the stage (and spill drinks)?

All of these will come into pay when deciding what to use. For recording I prefer to use pedals, for example. A friend who is constantly touring uses a Digitech multi-fx unit and a Line6 Variax. As he says, it's not the best tone but it's convenient and gets the job done. No one in the audience cares whether it's a digital unit or multiple pedals Another guy I know who tours constantly was using a POD the last time I saw him.

I'm more into single pedals, and generally prefer them in terms of sound quality and reliability, but both sides have their advantages/disadvantages. A pedalboard with nice individual pedals may end up being quite expensive. This may not be a problem, but you may not want to carry thousands of dollars worth of pedals to every gig.

By the way, I would think that some of the "best players of all time" would at least experiment with the newer digital devices if they were alive today. They were open to trying new/different things.