guitar multieffects unit

equivariant

OK - I am thinking of investing in a multieffects unit and I'm looking for some opinions.

Some background. I'm not a pro musician but I do gig occasionally and I want something that works well in a live situation. My budget is 500 euro approx. I play jazz, blues and rock (in that order of preference). I would like something that can be used for home recording as well if possible. I have an archtop for clean jazz and a solid body for blues/rock.

Anyone got any thoughts? Line 6 PODs/Boss/other options? How do these compare to more expensive options like the axe-fx? Should I go for a rack mount unit like the GT-pro (presumably with a footswitch) or should I go for a floor unit like the POD HD500? Anything else worth considering?

I don't have a lot of experience with these things. I would epecially value direct comparisons of products if you have experience of using two or more of these things.

darrenw5094

If it is just effects, the TC Electronic Nova is something to consider. None of that amp modelling malarkey there.

equivariant

darrenw5094 wrote: »

If it is just effects, the TC Electronic Nova is something to consider. None of that amp modelling malarkey there.

actually i would like the amp modelling as well.

I already have a POD 2.0 which has amp modelling and effects modelling and I would like to upgrade to something more substantial that is better for live use and has more connectivity (e.g. firewire/usb ports etc...).

Seziertisch

The Vox Tonelab is quite cool and can be had for not much cash. I have also heard studio recordings done with it that have been more than just acceptable.

As for the Axe FX, I don't think you'll find too many that have one in Ireland. The reviews etc. all seem to be really positive, but again I think its one of those situations where you would be the first kid on your street to have one.

Squidgy Black

The new Line 6 POD's are amazing in my opinion, I must have spent half an hour flicking through the 400 the other day, the ability to arrange each effect in whatever order you want is great.

What amp do you normally play through? If you're using a tube amp, a lot of the dynamics and feel can be lost with modellers, that's the main reason I won't move away from my tube amps.

Rack units are a pain in the arse from my experience, with the floor units you have all the knobs right at your feet in case something goes wrong.

equivariant

stetyrrell wrote: »

The new Line 6 POD's are amazing in my opinion, I must have spent half an hour flicking through the 400 the other day, the ability to arrange each effect in whatever order you want is great.

What amp do you normally play through? If you're using a tube amp, a lot of the dynamics and feel can be lost with modellers, that's the main reason I won't move away from my tube amps.

Rack units are a pain in the arse from my experience, with the floor units you have all the knobs right at your feet in case something goes wrong.

I haven't tried the new PODs. Are the effects much superior to the old ones?

NoQuarter

I have the Pod XT Live and its excellent. Most of the features are only a press of a pedal or twist of a knob away.

And it has a USB cable with it so all you need to do is download a recording program hook it up and your getting studio quality recordings.

XTL may be 2 years dated now though but its still great, could be worth picking up a second hand one, although they are probably still expensive.

Owen

Boss GT-Pro has all that too, and is at a sweet price point. Still in love with mine and I got mine the week it came out. The best thing about the Boss (Apart from the very very very good amp modelling), is the software that comes with it, you can literally drag and drop pedals into the effects chain.



Has USB out for recording, full MIDI, 2 outputs one for your amp, one for your desk, DI's, a surprisingly good guitar synth, autoriffing, harmonists, 6 wahs, dozens of overdrives, and all the other effects you'd expect to be in there. It can also control the channel switching in your amp.

I've mine running in conjunction with a Behringer FCB-1010 using the new UnO firmware, and it's a match made in heaven.

Thomas from Presence

equivariant wrote: »

I haven't tried the new PODs. Are the effects much superior to the old ones?

Yep. The amps are the big win. They take a little getting used to I only started gigging mine after a month but the tone I'm getting now is phenomenal. I don't think it's worth plugging them into a traditional amp. I pair mine with a Mackie Thump Monitor (400watts & €350 in Music Maker). Real winner of a combination.