Al Krow

Ever thought of moving to Belarus? You'll get plenty less choice there 😁 Did someone previously mention that the perfect number of basses was nine? That works for me (again)!

Yeah - hats off to Line6 for their customer service on that - definitely good to hear. Much better than what I'm currently getting from Amazon on an Asus laptop they sold me! But, equally, I completely understand you now wanting a back up in case it happens again! Btw I am a generally massive fan of Line 6, their innovation and speed to market and the way they have moved things on with their Helix line up. And I'm just as much a fan of their parent group...Yamaha, whose basses I adore. But I'm also thrilled by what Boss, the old gits(!) have been doing to update and keep relevant their product ranges. For example the Boss SY-1 is on a different planet to the predecessor Boss SYB-5 in terms of its tracking and features. I think this new GT-1000 Core is a very exciting new addition to the multifx options we have and will finally give the Stomp some serious competition, at a similar price point, particularly with the additional processing power it seems to be bringing to the party. I'm looking forward to getting my hands on one. And in my case, it won't be replacing the Stomp, but the Helix HX Effects, where its more compact size is another real plus in my books.

Only the stuff I've already shared on the Helix thread - including your own 'blow out'. I wasn't particularly bothered about the previous reports of the Stomp overheating or my own USB issue (which could be just wear & tear related). But an almost new Stomp failing on a gig (how old was yours when that happened?) coming on top of the rest was definitely concerning, particularly as I know you're not one to abuse your gear. A quick search on the net, just to confirm we weren't unique, threw up a few of these threads: https://line6.com/support/topic/45406-hx-stomp-sudden-loss-of-sound/ Having had both a Stomp and HX Effects the HX Effects has, to me anyway, a more sturdy feel to it. Maybe all this stuff was just teething issues and Helix have got it all sorted now.

And mentioned again by you, for a third time by the looks of it - hehe. Good to see you adding value to your own thread 😁 And there's now even been a link provided. Service with a smile eh?

But folk who are happy with their rig aren't necessarily going to be that fussed about amp and cab sims? I'm certainly not, which is why I have the HX Effects: that has precisely none of them! Besides it seems to have a very cool IR loading capability should you want it. In my experience, the quality of multi fx sims (eg synth, filter and pitch shift, in particular) is very much related to the processing power on tap. This seems to leave the Stomp and HX Effects in the rear view mirror on that score. Doesn't reach the processing power of the forthcoming DG multi, but it is less than half the price of that unit, so it's a good compromise on price vs power for me. And knowing Boss, this will be built like a tank. That has been a bit of an achilles heel on the Stomp from the feedback I've seen.

This one's on guitar but he does a pretty good job on his reviews. It's not an in depth review by any means, though. I guess there will be a lot more YT stuff on the GT-1000 and this shares the same platform, patches and editing software as that.

£599 https://www.peachguitars.com/boss-gt-1000-core.htm

Yeah - but neither do the current gen Zoom or HX Stomp and Effects. The Stomp does have a balanced out and you can always use a 1/4" to XLR cable with that, if you need. What's going to save my B1-4 is a) it's just ridiculously good value b) it's a great headphone amp with aux in and c) I really enjoy the drum machine for home practice. My HX Effects ain't going to be hanging around too much longer though! Dunno whether the Boss has a balanced out though...or a built in drum machine 😊

Comparable in size to my Zoom B1-4 and half the pedal board footprint of my Helix HX Effects! 24 effects blocks in series and parallel. Yes that's right, 24 effects blocks (vs Helix Stomp and HFX both with sub 10 block limit).

O....M.....word!!! Colour me very interested!

Well I'm sure we can all chip in here. I get that the BDDI can be tricky to dial in e.g. I think it took @Lozz196 several years(!) before he found how to get to the sweet spot on his. Which Zoom do you / have you had? There are a bunch of very happy BC Zoom users (me included) who get some great sounds out of our Zoom multis - I'd head over to this thread if you still have one: In terms of the Stomp it would be useful, as a starting point, to understand what the rest of your signal chain is in terms of: what bass you're using, rest of your pedal board, amp and cab. Following which, hopefully one or more of the many Stomp users on this thread should be able to jump in with a few helpful tips!

Agreed 😉

In respect of the OPs query regarding the HX Stomp, that does provide a balanced out, albeit from a normal jack output rather than an XLR, which can go straight to the desk. (But you're right, a fair few don't).

And then there were 4...see what you've started here @Stofferson😁?

I can see that this "I've got a bigger pedal board than I need club" is rapidly filling up! 😂 (even if the boards aren't).

Tbf I've just been on a similar downsize to you (which is why I know about both clubs 😁). I've currently got a Helix HFX as one of my "boards", just as a standalone pedal, and a Metro 24 and a PT2 currently both lying completely empty and in storage for that day I return to big set ups again...

So, does that make you half board full or half board empty sort of person?

Two clubs in fact!...the "Helix owners club" AND the "I've got a bigger pedal board than I need club" 😁

Actually I've just spotted that I attached a May 2019 list of effects which I downloaded from when I bought my B1(X)-4 - I've since replaced it with a B1-4 as I wanted the extra space on my board and I wasn't making much use of the built in expression / volume pedal. So there may be an updated effects list knocking about...

Here you go... (I'll also pin to the OP for ease of reference) Zoom B1(X)-4 effects.pdf

Is she on BC? If so, I could delete my post for a small fee...😂

Yeah that's a neat midi unit. Agreed vgc used is the way to go if you can. Are you using your DMC midi for other pedals also? As you spotted, the new price comparison is quite revealing though: B1-4 = £59 plus p&p MS-60B + DMC midi = £200 And the B1-4 still does a lot more than the MS-60B & midi combo. Right, I'll shut up now!

Didn't realise that the MS-60B was midi enabled. Learn something new every day! But if you're going down the midi switcher route to deal with the scrolling limitations of the MS-60B, would it not just make more sense to get a B1-4, as you've now also lost the space advantage of the MS-60B and are starting to be well up on cost? I guess it would be less of an issue if you're already using midi with some of your other pedals.

That's very fair about the the B1-4 vs MS-60B. For me: Advs of B1-4 significantly easier to use interface. The MS-60B used to do my head in before the advent of patch editing software; but the ToneLib PC editing software is free, easy to use and makes creating and editing patches a doddle on all Zoom pedals and has levelled the playing field on that score. live use: global EQ and volume knobs (vs in patch only on MS-60B) live use: ability to scroll up and down through 5 banks of 10 patches (vs 26 in one direction only, I recall, on the MS-60B) live use: two decent flappy paddles (vs 1 stomp switch on the MS-60B) live use: useful 3 light led tuner: great for dark stages / venues latest chip set, same as the B3N => up to 5 effects per patch (vs 4 on the MS-60B); and you can set to use a patch as a bank of 5 individual effects which is very neat capable headphone amp with aux in excellent and easy to access drum machine for home practice (IMO the looper is pretty meh) cheaper - which can be a bit of a surprise (see @Jakester's post below 😁 ) given how much extra it offers! Advs of the MS-60B half the footprint greater range of effects patches bomb proof metal case I've had three MS-60Bs come and go over the years. But for me the B1-4 is without doubt the better and much more usable piece of kit, and is happily sitting at the heart of my small pedal board now.