Thread Comments about the feature article: Pedalboards vs. Multi-Effects Pedals

4 replies
3 participants
3,622 views
3 followers

Mike Levine

Author

First post

1 Posted on 02/28/2014 at 11:52:30

Unless you're one of those guitarists or bassists who flat-out refuses to consider a digital multi-effects pedal, it’s worth comparing the merits of both approaches before deciding which type of setup to invest in. The purpose here is not to advocate either option, but just to present the advantages and disadvantages of each.

Read the article

This thread was created automatically after the publishing of an article. Feel free to post your comments here!

Watch by email

Tocarlos

New AFfiliate

2 Posted on 03/01/2014 at 10:51:28

Well, I remember going through lots of presets and having fun with it but in the end I only use up to five or six fx. I guess it's better to have 6 great sounding pedals than thousands of presets with lesser quality.

Mike Levine

Author

3 Posted on 03/01/2014 at 13:29:08

Good point. It's easy to find some "go-to" effects, and then just stick with them, rather than exploring the rest of what's available in the pedal. When I referred to presets in the article, I was talking about building custom presets, where you put together a group of effects that fit particular songs or song styles. I was not referring to factory presets, which are typically only useable as starting points, and are often not even good for that.

NEEDMOREBASS

New AFfiliate

4 Posted on 12/03/2014 at 06:14:38

why do most people seem to hate multi-effects pedals? They can replace so many effects. Do the good ones still really do that bad a job of simulating their pedal counterparts? Is a pedalboard really the route to go or is that a myth?

Mike Levine

Author

5 Posted on 12/09/2014 at 07:52:26

I think it's mostly a sonic thing. Good quality stompboxes are purposebuilt for one effect, where as multieffects boxes are more like "jack of all trades" units. And of course, many stompboxes are analog, and most multieffects pedalboards (with a few exceptions, such as the Tech 21 FlyRig 5 or the Carl Martin Quattro) are primarily digital, which allows them to have a zillion effects and lots of patch memory, but they often don't sound as good as stompboxes. Also, although digital multieffects pedals offer you the ability to save a variety of settings as patches, it's generally easier to reach down and make a quick parameter tweak on a stompbox. Stompbox based pedalboards are usually more bulky to carry around, however, and more expensive on a per-effect basis.

List of moderators