multi-effects pedal/board that doesn't suck?

[Smitty]

in my ongoing quest to lighten my gig load as much as humanly possible, i've turned to my effects chain.

at this point, out of the pedals i have i'm really only using the tremolo, delay, and fuzz in a live setting.

if there existed a mutli-effects box with good sound and easy, gig friendly switching options, i'd gladly consider retiring my current setup to the studio.

so, anybody know of any? i'm not a brand snob, but i need it to sound at least as good as the pedals i'm using now (a mix of Electro Harmonix, Boss, and an old Arion delay). i like the way my guitar and amp sound, so i definitely DON'T need 3 million amp/guitar sim settings... i'd want something without them or with a way to easily bypass them if they exist.

[Chris_Meck]

Carl Martin Quattro.

[curtiswyant]

Ibanez made a big multi-pedal, like a 3-in-1 deal. I think it's the UE-305 like this http://cgi.ebay.com/RARE-VINTAGE-IBANEZ ... 240%3A1318

I've never used one but they're as good as the separate Ibanez pedals which aren't bad.

[;ivlunsdystf]

Ibanez made a big multi-pedal, like a 3-in-1 deal. I think it's the UE-305 like this http://cgi.ebay.com/RARE-VINTAGE-IBANEZ ... 240%3A1318

I've never used one but they're as good as the separate Ibanez pedals which aren't bad.

I used to enjoy playing thru one of those Ibanez pedals back in the 1990s for a band I was in. It was really cool. I never owned it. I wish I had one now.

That Carl Martin thing looks pretty nifty.

Too bad the EHX holy stain doesn't have (1) delay and (2) presets, as it would otherwise fulfill all your needs.

[Smitty]

i guess i should mention... i'm not looking to spend $650, either.

thing does look cool, though.

[Sean Sullivan]

Three stomp box pedals will take up less space than a big all in one multi-fx pedal. Maybe you can get a small pedal board?

But, the Digitech Twin Tube is pretty nice multi-fx, but it's rackmount, so you'd need a MIDI controller to switch patches. It's $100 online. It has pretty good overdrive sounds and really good delays.

[Dakota]

at this point, out of the pedals i have i'm really only using the tremolo, delay, and fuzz in a live setting.

I'm not aware of any minimalist multi-fx pedalboards that have the tremolo *and* are all analog. Plenty of digital multi-fx do all that, but I'm really suspicious of anything in a guitar chain that would digitize the uneffected guitar signal heading through.

Aside from that, some multi-fx with tone and cool points are the ibanez "ue" boards, the digitech chain reaction, and the roland gp-8. Quadraverb plus and GT are wicked for shoegazey reverbs, but not anything to rely on for the other multi effects. The Korg pme-40x is also a cool and odd thing, swappable fx.

If I were you though, and had settled on fuzz, trem, and delay, I'd just make a tight and rugged little pedalboard. Get what you want for each.

[GooberNumber9]

i guess i should mention... i'm not looking to spend $650, either.

If that's your budget and you don't want it to suck, just stick with individual pedals. It doesn't make sense to go for a multi-effect if you only need three effects. Get a small pedal case (NYC cases?) and maybe a one-spot and be done with it. You can always spend what's left over on upgrading that Boss to something nicer-sounding, or maybe getting the Boss modded.

[cooters]

one other thing to add. single pedals almost always sound better. ever multi effects pedal i've had doesn't have the sounds i'm looking for. but i can always find those sounds in individual pedals.

[roscoenyc]

I like homemade pedalboards but I recently got a Pedaltrain Jr w the soft case and it came out pretty cool.

this one is even smaller/lighter

Pedaltrain Mini

http://www.pedaltrain.com/ContentPage.a ... oupId=4264

[Harry]

digital multi-fx units suck.
It's like one step away from getting one of those pod things and going direct to the PA.

Sorry....I'm still bitter about selling all my pedals in the early 90s for one of those cool digitech gsp21s.
God that thing sucked,but I tried really,really hard not to admit it because I spent all my money and had no pedals anymore:(

I've found that it's best for something to do 1 thing and do it right.
For me anyway,the same goes for recording.

I would build a little pedal board that fits into one of those goodwill suitcases someone was making fun of in another thread a while back.

[Smitty]

I'm sure those pedaltrain things are great, but I cannot bring myself to pay multiple hundreds of dollars for something that would cost $20, were it being sold for any other application.

I made my pedalboard myself and it's not too bad, except it's a bit heavy and doesn't have any kind of case or lid...

[roscoenyc]

I'm sure those pedaltrain things are great, but I cannot bring myself to pay multiple hundreds of dollars for something that would cost $20, were it being sold for any other application.

Pedaltrain mini is $69 with soft case free shipping on the e-bay.
Pedaltrain Jr that I got recently was $99 with the soft case.

More than $20 yes.

[Sean Sullivan]

I'm going to sell my ugly steel plated looking pedalboard and get a Pedaltrain Mini, does it have room for a Deluxe Memory Man, and three Boss sized pedals?

[curtiswyant]

I think custom pedal boards are incredibly overpriced. You can get a roll of velcro and a slab of plywood for $10. I found a suitcase at Goodwill that was the perfect size and it holds all of my cables and stuff too.