multi Effects question. can you help?

[winterfire666]

greetings to all, ive just upgraded my rig which is now lovely and light (th rh750 & barefaced super 12t)
its time to sort my effects out, ive had a quick look at the usual suspects (boss/zoom/etc) but cant seem to find what im after
im using the effects loop on the amp so ideally i want true bypass or at least a very clean signal path - this is the most important thing for me.
i use very few effects but it would be nice to have chorus, phaser, flange, delay, reverb, maybe a doubler or pitchshift (to get that 8 string sound) and wah
i dont need any amp modelling, drive effects, or compression as im happy with the tone of my bass and amp combination
must be a floor based unit
ideally a nice compact unit to do all would be best, does such a beast exist?
for the right piece of kit the price doesnt matter, although i would prefere not to be paying for loads of features that i would never use.

thanks in advance.
Winterfire666

additional, my benchmark for effects quality is a yamaha rev500 studio rack unit (awesome unit)
i found that when you turn off all the unwanted stuff on a lot of multieffects pedals, what you are left with really isnt that great.
line 6 bass pod xt was a dissapointment without the amp sims on and the gt6b sounded lifeless and when you bypass it sucks your tone.

Edited October 13, 2011 by winterfire666

[mike257]

The Line6 M series (M5/M9/M13) get good reviews on here, especially for the kind of effects you're after. They have all the models from the individual delay/mod pedals like the DL4, and loads more stuff, and none of that silly amp simulation to get in the way of your real tone. Whichever one suits you will depend on how many effects you're looking to use at once and the connectivity/programmability you need. The M9 is probably a good start though - there's a fair few users on here who can give you some real-life feedback on them.

[Paul S]

I have a Zoom B2.1u and initially I found it useful - mainly to actually discover which effects I wanted to use (not many, it turns out). Like you I am completely happy with the sound produced by the bass/ amp/ cab combinations I have so now find all the modelling redundant. I used to have one or two cheaper passive basses that needed 'beefing up' and one of the presets was perfect for this. Now I don't and, apart from some of the distortion, I am struggling to find useful effects. This is with the caveat that I haven't spent lots and lots of time fine tuning the various patches but, when I have tried fiddling found it difficult to get on with. For example, I don't *think* (but would love to be proved wrong) you can do a straight pedal wah, only an autowah that the pedal changes certain characters of. I only need it for one track so probably won't bother. The chorus/flange is rather unsubtle and I ended up buying an EBS Unichorus. So havinglived with it for a while I currently use it purely as a tuner and for some extra distortion beyond the Tube Tone on the amp if I need it. I suspect I soon will ditch the Zoom and get a Boss or similar for distortion and be done with it.

[LiamPodmore]

Definately agree with Mike there, an M9 or M13 would be my first choice for something like this, which is strange, as i'm not that much of a fan of Line 6, although the M series are definately quality pieces of kit.

Liam

[winterfire666]

im not a line 6 fan but the m9 looks pretty cool, ill have to try one out.
the true bypass thing is excellent as it will be bypassed 90+% of the time.

many thanks.

[thisnameistaken]

I've had the M9 for a couple of years. It's excellent for stuff like pitch shifting, delays, reverbs, and the occasional oddity like the synths, the ring mod and the goatkeeper style tremolo, but there isn't a lot of choice with chorus and flange, only one phaser I like, generally I don't think it's a good box for modulation effects. It's also weak when it comes to envelope filters because there's no global sensitivity setting (for some infuriating reason). The biggest strength of the M9 is the expression pedal implementation, so if you like to modulate effects with your foot at all you will love it.

[dmccombe7]

I have the Roland GT-6B but its a bit over complicated and the manual is huge.
Not bad sounds though. Not sure what new versions are like.

If you are into parameter changes and the likes then give it a try but if not stay well clear.

Dave

Edited October 17, 2011 by dmccombe7

[winterfire666]

i like things simple, clean and sparse. i did try the gt6b but didnt really get on with it.
im surprised there is nobody doing a high end multi effects (not modeler) pedal for bass with true bypass, im sure they would sell loads.

TC should do one, their studio effects units are great.

Edited October 17, 2011 by winterfire666

[xgsjx]

A simple one like the Boss/Roland ME-50b might suit you. it's basically 3 stomp boxes that allows you to assign an effect to each.
Line 6, Zoom & other Roland/Boss units are worth a look too.

[MusicJunkie]

We've got a Boss ME50B in stock right now and let me tell you, it's pretty tasty. That said, we've also got the M9 and we're all huge fans of that.

Personally I own the M13 and it's the best effects purchase I ever made, guitar or bass.

[dmccombe7]

I've only really got experience with the Roland GT6B and i would stress if you are new to this area the parameter set ups can be very off-putting when all you really want to do is press a button and you have the effect to hand instantly.
Don't get me wrong once you have preset it then it should be pretty good. I have also found that the settings i use at home appear don't sound same at rehearsals or live which is worth keeping in mind.

I recently bought a Lexicon which has some amazing sounds for bass but didn't come with a footswitch although you can buy one. MPX200
It was 2nd hand (£50 on ebay) and the stored sounds were pretty much what i was looking for anyway.

Cheers
Dave

Edited October 18, 2011 by dmccombe7