Al Krow

Nice review John! Given that the HPF and the tuner on the B1-4 should be at least as good as that on the MS-60B and you're getting a tone close to your VTBDI, seems to me you could easily get away without using either and have a one-stop shop in your B1-4. If you wanted, you could also pick up a compact battery-free passive DI from Behringer for £14. Job done

Apologies for sounding like a stuck record, but I did need to pick up on the 'profiteering' angle. I'm not aware of many folk on Basschat who are looking to make a profit from their gear - most of us are on here simply 'cos bass is our passion. The point surely is not about making a profit at all, but about value for money. Those of us that can blow £1,500 on a bass without giving it second thought, well that's great we're in such a fortunate position. For a lot of bassists that amount may be a stretch and could well be the single most expensive bit of gear they have bought. Then finding they have to fork out another £500 or so on replacement pups and preamp is not going to be a joke. So I totally understand where @thisisswanbon and others are coming from when it becomes a choice between moving it on and significant further outlay and wishing that it would be just amazing straight "out of the box", in the way that I'm finding with my Yammy BB P35 and tbf I'm sure many, but clearly not all, Berg owners are also with theirs.

That's exactly it! The better the DSP / chipset (= 'engine') the more authentic the sims. And tbf the Helix Stomp is the next level up in terms of a better engine. But you'd hope so when you're paying over six times as much, wouldn't you? And as I posted at length last night, I'm really sensing that the B1/X-4 is going to be 'good enough' which, when combined with the easier Zoom 'work-flow' that Jimfist explained better than me earlier, makes this pedal a potential winner. You do realise needing to do a reset is like landing on the 'go to jail' spot? You'll now need to spend three turns sorting your stuff out or shake a double (whiskey?) or pay a £50 fine to upload my presets 😂

That eff'ing awesome rig isn't hurting, though, is it Dave?! You'd be hard pressed to make anything sound sh*ite through that (let alone a £1,500 bass) 😁😂

You and me both, mate! I took the low road and eventually ended up selling mine (probably the single biggest 'loss' on any piece of kit I've had to take). Was a beautifully well made bass, no question. Yup, you really can't (or at least shouldn't try to) put a price on that!

Yes to the ToneLib software - you'll need to download the latest version which has been updated to cater for the newly released B1/X-4 You can do a factory reset to restore patches (not that I'm ever likely to do that until the B2X-4 comes out and I move this on). And using the ToneLib software you can back up your own created patches onto your PC so that you don't lose those if you are doing a reset. Dave will be able to jump in with a comparison to B1on (as I've never had that), but his earlier comments was this is better - which is very much what I would expect as it has the newer DSP / chipset present on the B3n, rather than the older ones on the B1on, MS-60B and B3. Go on treat yourself, and get the X-rated version whilst your at it! 😉

I've deleted 30 of the 40 original 'pants' patches, leaving just the 10 originals I'm likely to use. Deleting patches is not a luxury on the B1/X-4 as you only have 50 slots. I regard it as very necessary housekeeping to leave space for my own bespoke patches. And the effects are always available to create our own patches from. So I am kinda doing the opposite of you which is to leave all (or pretty much all) the individual effects on, but to delete the pants patches! On the B3N there were 150 slots available, so you could leave all the original patches on, if you wanted, and still have plenty of slots for your own use.

PS one to @dave_bass5 Patch [34] Sub Boogie (octave down + chorus) didn't make it passed Judges Houses and has been for the chop...😀

That PG does work really well.

Oooh the Joyo ZGP does look like a bit of kit worth checking out! But can't you get the same result using a Noise Gate effect (I think it's the ZNR?) on the Zoom multi? I remember putting that, or something similar, plus an HPF (the low EQ effect) for stand alone use, on quite a few patches when I had my B3N. Actually just spotted that Amazon have the Joyo ZGP on sale for £10 inc delivery (apparently 8 left in stock at that price) and given that it comes recommended by two of you on this thread, definitely worth a try out. Order placed! 😊 @operative451 that's the first bit of expenditure I'm laying blame for at your door! Hope this is not the start of a trend 😂

On the first bit, I think consensus is to clean up the signal with an HPF at the start of the chain => the rest of the pedals (particularly the compressor) are not having to bother with dealing with the 'crud'. I'm with you in preferring the TC Spectracomp over the Zoom multi comps.

Ok that is funny. But is it a fair comparison to what @Count Bassy was saying?

Who did the finishing & paint work for you (or did you do it yourself)?

Love her backside too! Btw - some of us actually like that 'awful' pick up selector switch! 😁

Apologies @Horizontalste for pulling this over from another (Accessories) thread, but OMG I totally love what you've done to your 425!!! Wow!

@JohnDaBass excellent! Do you reckon the that the VT Bass and the MS-60B will continue alongside or can you see the B1-4 becoming a one stop shop for you?

I've finally identified the culprit who transformed me from a contented passive chappy to an active knob puller. I hope you're proud of what you've done?

Congrats - sure you'll love it! But your need to replace the Delano pups and Glock pre used as stock by Berg summarises ALL my Berg hang-ups in one short sentence!

Apologies if this is teaching anyone to 'suck eggs' but as you said you were not sure... Class D is solid state. It's not 'digital' which is a common (and reasonable!) misunderstanding given the 'D'. The Quilter absolutely is Class D. Class A/B is also SS and the precursor to Class D. It tends to be a heavier power module than Class D and a lot of folk attribute it to having more 'heft'. Then there is the 'Trans class' (Mosfet) SS which my Mesa M6 is, but I lump that in with Class A/B to keep it simple in my head! I guess the key feature of Class D is the clear combination of light weight and power. Which is why they have taken the amp world by storm and left bass valve amps and class A/B amps to folk who appreciate the finer things in life. And I'm definitely not knocking them, but my back has had a big say in things...

Are the Zoom B1/X-4 & Zoom B3N multi-fx 'good enough' for live use? (Or should I stick with / step up to a Helix Stomp?) "The Zoom workflow and simplicity is just what the doctor ordered...preference to play my instrument more and menu-dive less." "the more sophisticated modelling multi-fx are capable of certain routing configurations and real-time (and/or automated) control of individual/multiple parameters...boxes like the HX Stomp and HX Effects are truly marvellous at their price point" I got asked by a mate earlier why I was moving my Helix Stomp on? My sense is this little B1X-4 is going to be sufficiently on point for live use that I can use it in place of my Helix Stomp. I love the fact that it's so user friendly. The Stomp is undoubtedly the 'better' / more sophisticated piece of kit, but I really think this will be plenty good enough in the mix with my bands and I'll be surprised if anyone in the audience will notice any significant difference on most of the usual classic effects - and that's the litmus test for me. @jimfist who has far more experience of multis than me was coincidentally arriving at the very same decision to move his Stomp on and his reasons are very much what I was feeling, but just a lot better articulated! This is what he had to say (over on TB): “Essentially the same modelling set, but I've come to the same conclusion with my B3n, and I'm prepping my HX Stomp to go off for sale to someone who'll use it more effectively than I will. I've dedicated hundreds upon hundreds of hours programming multi-fx modellers over the years and have grown fatigued of the process. The Zoom workflow and simplicity is just what the doctor ordered. It's not a knock on the more sophisticated pieces of gear (of which I've owned many), but more a knock on the work flow and preference to play my instrument more and menu-dive less (let alone having to be tied to a computer for more robust editing). That the Zoom box(es) get the job done is all that matters, even though the "big boy" modellers are so much more capable. The audience I cater to now would sooner notice 10% better musicianship than they ever would care about a 20% subjective improvement in tone, especially when that "great tone" can be totally screwed a dozen different ways in a live performance situation (a great equalizer). I geeked out on the Fractal AxeFx for years. Then on a whim I got the old B3 and used it for a couple of gigs. Nobody noticed or cared. That's when I started re-thinking my priorities...taboo on a gear forum!! The big caveat here is that the more sophisticated modelling multi-fx are capable of certain routing configurations and real-time (and/or automated) control of individual/multiple parameters, which the current Zoom boxes aren't able to do. If your needs are simple, then no worries. Otherwise, the more specific and sophisticated your needs, the more likely you'll find the "big boy" modellers more attractive and necessary. In that respect, boxes like the HX Stomp and HX Effects are truly marvellous at their price point. Still, there's no denying the value you get from the inexpensive Zoom boxes, limited though they may be.” Perfectly put. Thank you Jim.

Well that's good to know that we're thinking on the same lines! I agree the Jaco is fun. I think you mentioned you also like 42 Motown = Ampeg B-15N ? Try as I might, I couldn't quite get myself into that, I guess largely because I can get a really good treble-rolled-off vintage tone on my Yammys so it had quite a high bar to reach! Are you going to be keeping any other original patches besides the 10 in common with my list that you like, plus Motown?

Ok back in harness! The 10 original patches which have made the Krow-cut and will get through to Judges Houses are... 44 SMR400, 40 AMPG SVT 31 Octave down, 30 A Wah 29 Crazy Fuzz (Fuzz + octave up), 27 Wah Dist (only 'cos I have the 'X'!), 25 Dark Crunch 17 Jaco Bass (fretless), 11 MX Clean (this played through an amp and cab epitomises 'heft' for me!**), 10 Sans Clean That will leave 20 free patches for stuff I want to cobble together and then another 20 that can be song specific. Plenty to be getting on with methinks! Be interested to hear which patches you guys decide to keep? ** does anyone else come close to agreeing with that when they play through their amp and cab?!

I'm kinda feeling the same about my £85 Zoom B1X-4. It's definitely got a sense of 'good enough' / 'this will very adequately do' about it! But it's obviously not as good as the Stomp, so I'll only be getting rid of some pedals!