Al Krow

Sorry to hear. In terms of programming any of the still in production Zoom multifx's I can't recommend the Tonelib patch editing software highly enough. It's free to download and use and makes creating patches both a doddle and a lot of fun. You should have 14 days (or 30 days?) before you need to return for a full refund, so hopefully that will give you a chance to see if it is too much for you. I've actually gone for the B1X-4 that you mention, having previously had a B3n which I moved on having got a Helix Stomp - but then have come full circle back to Zoom! The B1X-4s are available to buy now and I'm liking mine a LOT It has the same newer DSP and chipset as the B3n i.e. has been upgraded from the older B3 and MS-60B; but 'only' has 50 patches and not 150 which the B3n offers, but in a much more compact form factor. The B3n is a really good piece of kit for live use - its three pedals and three stomp switches give it an edge over the B1X-4's two pedals in that regard, but its larger size means it doesn't quite fit into the pouch of a gig bag so easily!

Fingers crossed it arrives. But I understand your slight nervousness (although if they don't ship you will be able to get a full refund via eBay) - we have a saying here in the UK: "don't count your chickens until they have been put into a decent curry"...

It's an excellent bit of kit! 😎 But surprised the B1-4 is taking so long to come through. I think a few of us managed to order from Zoom UK directly (via the link Dave provided) and got our B1-4 and B1X-4 within 48 hours. I had a bit of fun using the expression pedal on the B1X-4 at rehearsal last night using the Wah-distortion stock patch on one of our covers. Basically scrolled through clean --> Dark Pre --> Wah-dis to provide a bit of colour to the repeated bass line. Got the thumbs up from my bandmates. For me definitely worth the extra £15 to have the wah pedal included in one unit.

How easy are they to park?

Well if any folk are likely to know you'll probably find them on this thread, probably starting with the gent in the above post!

A couple of practical points to note: 1) if you scroll up and down through one bank you're doing the same across ALL FIVE banks i.e. go from 10 --> 12, means if you switch banks you'll be on 22, 32, 42 and 52 on the other four banks 2) useful warning comes up to tell you that your batteries are low!

Which are the two pitch shifters you are using on the B1-4 and are these the same Zoom effect as on the B1on (and MS-60B)? What precise settings do you have them on besides the dry / wet balance? I'll give them a go on your settings on mine and let you know. Did I read somewhere that the drive on the TC SD can now be changed using Tone print - or am I just imagining that? If it can, that could deal with the one weak spot of the pedal based on folks' comments that the drive is a bit 'meh' on the SD.

I'm guessing the difference in experience here is going to be G1-4 vs B3n / B1-4 with the latter two being specifically geared to the bass frequency range, whereas the G1 is aimed at guitarists?

Dunno if you've seen this in the FS? (Lol - just seen that this was a 2015 thread, and the OP has probably given up bass and taken up boules by now... 😁)

Exactly! Add in 35" scale, a John East 3 band preamp and it seems to me you're on the road to tight low end heaven 😁

Yeah, it may simply be down to the individual vol settings on different patches and needing to adjust so that I don't get a volume spike and / or simply setting the master volume on the pedal appropriately. Bit of fine tuning still to do...

Just lovely. And that reverse-P is icing on the cake!

hpf and comp are currently 'standard' on all my patches including what I refer to as 'clean' which I have at the start of each bank of 10 patches for easy access. So definitely 'yes' to those. EQ mostly d/w elsewhere. Specific effects so far: drive, 'Jaco' (= fretless emulator) and filter (all using modified stock patches). Need to work up a few more e.g. delay, flange and octave up and down - probably also in combination with dirt.

Well it's been to two rehearsals already and next rehearsal outing tonight. First gig with it likely to be this Saturday. Completely agree about the "size 11 foot" thing Dave mentioned though (although I'm a paltry size 9). It was all too easy to step backwards onto it and find I'd engaged an unintended effect!! Not that the rest of the band noticed... 😄 Oh yes, and in terms of the earlier active / passive discussion it does seem to transform my passive bass into an active one as far as the amp inputs are concerned.

@FinnDave where the venue has a decent sound system including monitors and a competent sound engineer, I turn up with just my bass and a lead! I may pull out the stops and take along a Zoom B1X-4, which fits into my gig bag, going forward...

Entirely depends on your set up. We have two RCF 310As as our PA and put vocals, acoustic guitar and sax through that. The PA is lightweight and very portable. Bass and lead guitar are through backline. Works very well for both pub gigs and functions. For me, around 500W+ D class works a treat, gives me enough headroom without needing to thrash my amp every gig. My current D class head delivers 450W through an 8 ohm cab (perfect for pubs) and has the ability to go to twice that for functions via a VK210 LNT 4ohms, where we are providing all the kit. It sounds great. I've done the sums and the weight of our PA and bass rig (which is what I am responsible for transporting) is actually less than just a PA that is capable of handling bass as well as my bass rig can (e.g 2 x RCF 745As).

What are these mixers you and @EBS_freak are referring to which have these 'superior facilities'? How much would one of these set you back? Our pretty good quality Allen & Heath analogue mixer is definitely not in this league!

Agreed with everything you said, John, apart from that last statement 😁

...or just get a couple of pedals that meet your immediate requirements What's your current set up for bass rig and PA? I presume you will be providing all the sound gear for at least some of the functions you're going to be playing at?

Paul - I totally love that. Gonna be my 'thought for the day'! I replaced a rack that could hold 5 basses for one that could manage 7. But I somehow managed to not get rid of the 5-rack!! Schoolboy error.

Well my Spectracomp has unexpectedly been usurped by a single effect patch on the capable (and amazing value) Zoom B1X-4 mulitfx and is currently sitting in the departure lounge... A month in, how are you getting on with the Stella? Is it still stellar and how does it stack up against the other comps you've had over the years?

Ok I just need to get competent on using a pick and learning how to slap then and I'll be able to justify getting that swanky CompIQ Stella 😀

Are you using the ZNR (Zoom Noise Reduction) effect on your B1on patches? I find that adding it as 'standard' eliminates background 'standstill' noise on the noisier B1-4 patches e.g. the drive effects in particular. Not sure about your Q - but full available effects list attached. But that then leaves you plenty of time to be playing wing basses, doesn't it? And the audience probably does think that is a keyboard bass 😀 Zoom B1(X)-4 effects.pdf

Haha - no doubt I / we spend far too much time on here. But we're all allowed some R&R, right? And this beats fBook for me! Btw - if you get the Zoom B1-4 or the Helix Stomp, you can cut down a lot on buying pedals and maybe even start selling some!