Zoom A1 Four?

[Lennon9]

Hi guys, I’m suffering with new pedal purchase torment and wondering what your thoughts are regarding zoom a1 four ($169 Canadian) vs b1 four ($129 Canadian). I play bass mostly in an acoustic trio but the occasional show is duo in which case i play acoustic lead guitar. My friend just got the A1 Four and quite likes the acoustic modelling and effects.
Upon looking at the Zoom A1 four effects list I noticed there are quite a few bass effects:
1. lots of compressors (although i’ll likely continue using my diamond bass jr.)
2. lots of eq options, some bass specific...also hpf & lpf
3. envelope filter, chorus, octave, synth, and phaser specfically for bass

What I’d be missing compared to B1 Four is the amp/cab sims, bass preamp options, and handy presets some of which, at least, likely sound pretty good and are quite easy & convenient.
However, I’m also gassing for Broughton HPF/LPF so that adds a faux cab sim (i mentioned zoom has lpf hpf but i like the idea of easy access for making quick room adjustments.
So, to buy:
Zoom A1 four + Broughton
Zoom A1 four AND B1 Four AND Broughton
3. Zoom A1 four and B1 Four (skip the broughton)
…that is the question.

Current pedals are: Helicon Harmony Singer, Bass Diamond jr, Digitech Polara (would drop this), fender engager boost, radial proDi

Thanks!

[Al Krow]

Must admit I wasn't even aware of the A1-4 till you mentioned it! But it looks like the B1-4 hardware with some different patches loaded up and with a C$40 price hike. 

 

If you've got the time you'd probably be able to create several of the A1-4 patches on the B1-4 yourself and save yourself a bit of cash. I certainly wouldn't get both the A1-4 and the B1-4, there would be far too much overlap. 

 

Out of curiosity (and partly cos I've been thinking of starting a trio project myself!) what's your trio line up? 

[Lennon9]

Hi thanks for the advice.. Yeah the A1-4 hasn’t gotten a ton of attention, especially amongst bass players,  but b/c it’s for acoustic instruments, including “acoustic bass”, there are lots of useful bass effects. https://zoomcorp.com/media/documents/E_A1FOUR_FX-list.pdf)

the guitar player in my trio, who has, and has had, lots of pricier gear just got one as a reverb/delay module but quite likes the acoustic modelling as it turns out (tons of eq settings that mimic classic acoustic guitar models) That got me interested in the A1 four, but also peaked my curiosity in the b1 four. 
 

As for the trio setup, we are three piece acoustic act with:

1. Bass player, singer (me)

2. Lead Singer, rhythm acoustic, harmonica, and stomp box (faux kick drum pedal)

3. Lead acoustic, singer, mandolin, accordion

 

The pros of not having drums are: easy to set up and tear down, can travel in one vehicle,  easier sound check, easier to rehearse.

it’s a somewhat common setup where I live and here’s a few things I’ll say:

1. Without drums, should focus on vocals. Lots of harmony! When we rehearse it’s mostly making sure we have three piece harmonies down pat

2. most important instruments are just bass and acoustic guitars. The other instruments are a very fun, cool bonus but not necessary. Vocals most important. That being said, the kick drum pedal is kind of a secret weapon that I do think makes an impact. His is locally made and no longer being made but they’re out there. Here’s the first thing I googled: https://drummingreview.com/best-percussion-stomp-box/

3. we play some small pubs but long ago focussed on weddings and cooperate parties/events (we r a cover band).  A lot more $$$ and much better hours typically 

 

that’s all for now!

7 hours ago, Al Krow said:

Must admit I wasn't even aware of the A1-4 till you mentioned it! But it looks like the B1-4 hardware with some different patches loaded up and with a C$40 price hike. 

 

If you've got the time you'd probably be able to create several of the A1-4 patches on the B1-4 yourself and save yourself a bit of cash. I certainly wouldn't get both the A1-4 and the B1-4, there would be far too much overlap. 

 

Out of curiosity (and partly cos I've been thinking of starting a trio project myself!) what's your trio line up? 

 

[andruca]

You probably can customize the firmware in your A1 Four to have FX from either the B1 Four and G1 Four (bass and electric guitar models). Start here... https://github.com/Barsik-Barbosik/Zoom-Firmware-Editor The A1 Four is not mentioned, but being that the hardware is exactly the same as the B1/G1 Four it should work (just probably wasn't out at the moment the guy developed this app).

Edited February 9, 2022 by andruca

[slickerbass]

Mungewell's zoom-zt2 is better fit for the modern pedals. I have built on this. You can find the A1 FX under my git

 

"GitHub - shooking/ZoomPedalFun: A collection of tips and tricks for Zoom B1On, B1XFour and G1XFour pedals." https://github.com/shooking/ZoomPedalFun

 

I have YouTube demos of a G5n with all the B1XFour FX I need plus some A1XFour.

 

With my software you can visualise the FX. With Tonelib or Zoom Guitar Lab it will pretend the FX don't exist. They do 🙂

 

My most recent video shows how to take a G1XFour, remove all the FX, load up the B1XFour then load the patches. It is in effect (every pun intended) a B1XFour except the Sysex ID says it is G1XFour. These pedals are almost interchangeable.