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Don't want to fork out for a Helix? Check out these alternatives...


Al Krow

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5 minutes ago, danbowskill said:

Are you sure it's not dollers? I've just watched a American guy asking the mooer man chin about retail price and he said $699

Still pricey mind

Yeah - but $ price is without sales tax, so divide by whatever pitiful rate the £ is at (1.25?), then add 20% back on for VAT...

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6 minutes ago, danbowskill said:

Are you sure it's not dollers? I've just watched a American guy asking the mooer man chin about retail price and he said $699

Still pricey mind

You could be right dude, just quoting from the Anderton's video, they could well be wrong.

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48 minutes ago, owen said:

IIRC it is not just a Helix-alike though, is it. It is a Helix/Kemper alike. That is a lot of grunt under the bonnet. The price seems not unreasonable for that. 

Ok if that's the case, it's back in the game!

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On 25/01/2019 at 08:05, eude said:

Well Si very kindly went and had a look.

image.thumb.png.0c47cb5632cde9b35c5bf03667a745fa.png

He says the patch setup is pretty easy, the touch screen isn't as sensitive as hoped (perhaps its and old school capacitive one) but works well enough.
His only concern is that you can't run parallel signals across the whole thing, so you're relying on the patches to have wet/dry control, which not all of them do. The only that would really be an issue is when using drive modes I expect, however there are two bass specific drives, both with wet/dry. There's loads of other guitar ones though, which have the ability to EQ, but it's not quite the same.
Fear not though, I expect there will be more options with this stuff if you're plugged into a computer, and there's bound to be updates, patches, new effects etcs.
Si also confirmed that you can order the effects as you wish, as you just assign them to "FX Bays".

If you check the manual out >> http://www.hotoneaudio.com/downloads/manual/Ampero/MP-100(Ampero)_Online Manual_EN_V01_190119.pdf
You can see the extent of the patches and sims, and what they're based on, it looks pretty good, better for guitarists obviously, but we don't have equality yet ;)

Looks to me that, much like everyone else doing similar things, you can set up sound patches, with everything you want and then recall them as you need them, or just use it more like a set of stomp boxes.

I'm extremely close to pulling the trigger on one. They're up for preorder all over now, but I expect they will sell out fast...

Eude

So did you pull the trigger?!

I'm getting a horrible sense of GAS about this multifx...I can just see it being a complete one stop shop 'plug and play' mini pedal board for rehearsals and gigs in the way I never could imagine using my B3n for.

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On 03/02/2019 at 19:20, Al Krow said:

So did you pull the trigger?!

I'm getting a horrible sense of GAS about this multifx...I can just see it being a complete one stop shop 'plug and play' mini pedal board for rehearsals and gigs in the way I never could imagine using my B3n for.

Sorry dude, I'm afraid I've chickened out for now.
It's a lot of cash for a gamble, I want to hear some real world feedback from bass players before I pull the trigger, I'm not in any desperate hurry really. GAS took me to the edge, but I've managed to come back for now.

Eude

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4 minutes ago, eude said:

Sorry dude, I'm afraid I've chickened out for now.
It's a lot of cash for a gamble, I want to hear some real world feedback from bass players before I pull the trigger, I'm not in any desperate hurry really. GAS took me to the edge, but I've managed to come back for now.

Eude

You and me both :) 

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I went and had a play with the Mooer GE200 yesterday, and while there's hundreds of effects on it and plenty of amp sims, not many of them are much use for bass. The wah and autowah sounds have too little range of adjustment, distortions are very fizzy, octaver is limited and amp sims are geared toward guitar. But there's some reasonable eq. Still nowhere near as good-sounding as my 3 envelope follower/BassWhammy/B7K/Bass Synth pedalboard...

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 07/02/2019 at 08:47, eude said:

Sorry dude, I'm afraid I've chickened out for now.
It's a lot of cash for a gamble, I want to hear some real world feedback from bass players before I pull the trigger, I'm not in any desperate hurry really. GAS took me to the edge, but I've managed to come back for now.

Eude

I'm slightly bumping an old thread but the B3n is a step up on the B3 sound wise and worth trying. If you're anywhere near Leeds you can borrow mine for a week to try. 
ESP at the cost. I have one and it feels a bit different than going straight into an analogue amp, but I'm think it's not at a stage where it's "different" rather than "worse". Would love to compare to a Helix!

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17 hours ago, LukeFRC said:

I'm slightly bumping an old thread but the B3n is a step up on the B3 sound wise and worth trying. If you're anywhere near Leeds you can borrow mine for a week to try. 
ESP at the cost. I have one and it feels a bit different than going straight into an analogue amp, but I'm think it's not at a stage where it's "different" rather than "worse". Would love to compare to a Helix!

Don't worry it's not THAT old ;)

How big a step up is the B3n? I had a B3 briefly, and it left me a little underwhelmed, could well have been just as much of where my head was at playing wise if I'm honest, the lack of DI is a pain though. The build quality is another thing that folks mention, but I remember the B3 at least being pretty solid. How's you rate that on the B3n?
I used to love that Sansamp BDDI tone a while back, and I've been contemplating picking one up again, but I know the B3n does an impression of that particular unit, is it any good? I could get a B3n new for less than a BDDI v2 secondhand!
So you reckon it's not all that bad then? I'm half way thinking about just getting an HX Effects or Stomp now, GAS be damned!

Thanks for the offer of a loan dude, very kind of you, I'm down in South London, so sadly it's not so easy to pop by yours in Leeds :(

Eude

 

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Oh and another few questions @LukeFRC if I may?

How's the whammy/pitch bend on the B3n?

Blending of effects, can you adjust the wet/dry on patches, or just some?

I've read some folks saying that the B3n flattens the tone of their basses a little, however I have read on some sites that the guitar equivalent, the G3n, G3Xn and G5n pretty much keep up with Helix to most ears, not worse, just different and that the amp and cab sims are just as good, although there's no IR stuff obviously.

Any thoughts on the above would be awesome buddy...

Eude

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4 hours ago, eude said:

Don't worry it's not THAT old ;)

How big a step up is the B3n? I had a B3 briefly, and it left me a little underwhelmed, could well have been just as much of where my head was at playing wise if I'm honest though, the lack of DI is a pain though. The build quality is another thing that folks mention, but I remember the B3 at least being pretty solid. How's you rate that on the B3n?
I used to love that Sansamp BDDI tone a while back, and I've been contemplating picking one up again, but I know the B3n does an impression of that particular unit, is it any good? I could get a B3n new for less than a BDDI v2 secondhand!
So you reckon it's not all that bad then? I'm half way thinking about just getting an HX Effects or Stomp now, GAS be damned!

Thanks for the offer of a loan dude, very kind of you, I'm down in South London, so sadly it's not so easy to pop by yours in Leeds :(

Eude

 

The B3n is a step up on the B3. Small in some ways but really noticeable when playing. 

Construction wise it’s fine too, not as metal based as the B3 but in practice I doubt you will brake it! 

I’ve not compared it to a Helix but would like to. 

Compared to a BDDI I guess it’s a digital effect with all the extra functionality and fannying about with gain staging and headroom that entails. For the money the B3n is very good 

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8 minutes ago, eude said:

Oh and another few questions @LukeFRC if I may?

How's the whammy/pitch bend on the B3n?

Blending of effects, can you adjust the wet/dry on patches, or just some?

I've read some folks saying that the B3n flattens the tone of their basses a little, however I have read on some sites that the guitar equivalent, the G3n, G3Xn and G5n pretty much keep up with Helix to most ears, not worse, just different and that the amp and cab sims are just as good, although there's no IR stuff obviously.

Any thoughts on the above would be awesome buddy...

Eude

Cab sims on the B3n are based on ir I think, but you can’t load your own. B3 aren’t. 

Wet dry is per effect I think rather than per patch, I can’t promise all of them have them! 

I think you need to find a London basschatter to lend you one

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3 minutes ago, LukeFRC said:

Cab sims on the B3n are based on ir I think, but you can’t load your own. B3 aren’t. 

Wet dry is per effect I think rather than per patch, I can’t promise all of them have them! 

I think you need to find a London basschatter to lend you one

Or I could just buy one.
I've got a bunch of pedals I'm not using that could go, and they'd probably pay for 2 B3n's but not quite a Helix...

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7 hours ago, eude said:

Or I could just buy one.
I've got a bunch of pedals I'm not using that could go, and they'd probably pay for 2 B3n's but not quite a Helix...

The last post was a bit short becasuse at lunch... google tells me that there’s not a global wet/dry setting. 

Youre one of the guys on here that I listen to your reviews and opinions - so in my head you’ve got a fairly clear idea of what you like in your head - so I’m a bit loath to blether about the B3n beyond what I can say categorically! I’ve never used whammy or pitch blend, so I could go switch it on and play with it but I have no idea if it’s good or not! :D 

the question about tone flattening is a good one - maybe a little, more in that there seems to be a little compression and you loose a little something - in my head that’s probably something to do with the analogue-digital conversion? You’ve then got to play around with matching the gain of different patches and effects to make sure live it’s fairly consistent output level - why these kinda things don’t come with a PFL metering type system I don’t know. 

But it’s great for the money. I used to have a B3, and can’t remember why I sold it but missed having it about, and for the secondhand price of a B3n I don’t really think I lost out at all. I mostly use it for the amp sims into a PA.... would a spectracomp into a BDDI or similar get me where I wanted to be and sound better... possibly, but then I would miss out on having the ability to have some of the other stuff.... and try random stuff...

lets look at it the other way... what else would I want the HX stomp to do to convince me to spend the extra ££? If the amp models are a step up in naturalness of feel... if the gain matching is way simpler, and I guess if I had a FRFR setup it could double as a electric guitar rig... it would also let you do your wet/dry blends, have a xlr out ... let me put it this way, the B3n is great... but I’m going to go try an HX stomp, and if I was a bit more flush I would be selling you my old B3n as the HX had replaced it! 

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15 hours ago, LukeFRC said:

The last post was a bit short becasuse at lunch... google tells me that there’s not a global wet/dry setting. 

Youre one of the guys on here that I listen to your reviews and opinions - so in my head you’ve got a fairly clear idea of what you like in your head - so I’m a bit loath to blether about the B3n beyond what I can say categorically! I’ve never used whammy or pitch blend, so I could go switch it on and play with it but I have no idea if it’s good or not! :D 

the question about tone flattening is a good one - maybe a little, more in that there seems to be a little compression and you loose a little something - in my head that’s probably something to do with the analogue-digital conversion? You’ve then got to play around with matching the gain of different patches and effects to make sure live it’s fairly consistent output level - why these kinda things don’t come with a PFL metering type system I don’t know. 

But it’s great for the money. I used to have a B3, and can’t remember why I sold it but missed having it about, and for the secondhand price of a B3n I don’t really think I lost out at all. I mostly use it for the amp sims into a PA.... would a spectracomp into a BDDI or similar get me where I wanted to be and sound better... possibly, but then I would miss out on having the ability to have some of the other stuff.... and try random stuff...

lets look at it the other way... what else would I want the HX stomp to do to convince me to spend the extra ££? If the amp models are a step up in naturalness of feel... if the gain matching is way simpler, and I guess if I had a FRFR setup it could double as a electric guitar rig... it would also let you do your wet/dry blends, have a xlr out ... let me put it this way, the B3n is great... but I’m going to go try an HX stomp, and if I was a bit more flush I would be selling you my old B3n as the HX had replaced it! 

That's very kind of you to say dude.

Have to say, that all does sound like a bit of a fiddle, being a dad of two young kids, working full time and being really hands on at home, I'm not sure I'd ever get round to setting something like that up properly at all, I get 15 - 30 mins noodling a day if I'm lucky right now, I feel perhaps that could be what went wrong with my brief shot at the B3.

As it happens, I've managed to snag a Sansamp BDDI V2 for a bargain, which will sort me out amp sim wise for the immediate remote recording project that's knocking on my door, just wish these things had a headphone out!

I'm going to keep my eyes on the classifieds for a bargain B3n should it pop up, and I'm really keen to hear your thoughts on the B3n vs the HX Stomp, I'm surprised there aren't any comparisons out there already. There's several between the Zooms guitar offerings and the Helix stuff, but the opinions are so conflicting and obviously guitar specific, having spent ages trying to figure out a way forward I'm more confused than ever!

Eude

 

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  • 2 months later...

Not sure why it's taken so long for me to spot this but the Mooer GE 300 also does Synth! (Probably 'cos Mooer seem to be taking forever getting this launched?)

"There’s also the Synth Engine, a new tri-voice polyphonic synthesis module with options for wave form, pitch, filters and arpeggiators - with no special pickup or guitar modifications required."

If my current pedal board could (theoretically) be replaced by a Helix Stomp and a Panda Future Impact ,then it seems to me that the GE 300 could, in turn, potentially replace both those and it comes with the bonus of an expression pedal.

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24 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

the GE 300 could, in turn, potentially replace both those and it comes with the bonus of an expression pedal.

If the FX part is the same as the GE200 I'm not sure it would! They didn't seem to work very well at all for bass - thin and sounding as if they were only designed for guitar...

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  • 6 months later...

Zombie thread here...

Just thinking out loud really, but why on earth don't Fender put their modelling software into a nice solid pedal housing, like their new range of effect pedals?
I reckon they would be on to a bit of a winner there, they've already done all the hard work, there's specific guitar and bass versions, working at two levels too, basic and fully fledged.
Surely they would fly off the shelves?

Eude

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4 hours ago, eude said:

Zombie thread here...

Just thinking out loud really, but why on earth don't Fender put their modelling software into a nice solid pedal housing, like their new range of effect pedals?
I reckon they would be on to a bit of a winner there, they've already done all the hard work, there's specific guitar and bass versions, working at two levels too, basic and fully fledged.
Surely they would fly off the shelves?

Eude

That's a great idea. The new Rumble 800 sounds fantastic.

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15 minutes ago, Jack said:

That's a great idea. The new Rumble 800 sounds fantastic.

Exactly what I was thinking. The guitard stuff they do has been well received too. I wonder if they've already got something on the way. It seems a very logical thing to do...

Eude

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