Simple Bass multi effects suggestions.

[Dave71]

Morning all.
I’ve never used any effects live before now but a potential change in band is pushing me in that direction.
As the tracks range from a bit of Floyd to 5FDP, could do with something to enhance my standard tone that I get from my jazz and rumble

Had a zoom b3 sat in a drawer for a few years but passed it on thinking I’d never need it.
Thanks

[Wonks]

Is it possible to list the effects you’ll need? And can you see yourself needing to change effects mid-song (as this may affect unit choice with ease of preset selection). And budget?

[Random Guitarist]

The Wonkmeister asks the good questions.

If you want to dip a toe in the water fairly cheaply then a zoom B1 is a great starting point.

Plus points:
Cheap
Small
Impressive range of fx options
Computer editor (allows loading FX and easy patch editing)
Sounds better than you might reasonably expect
Works as a nice headphone amp for practice

Negatives:
Small and not built like a tank
Tweaking on the fly is messy/near impossible

The biggest limitation is around turning individual fx in patches on and off mid song. The only realistic way I know to do it is to move between to adjacent patches where one has the fx on and the other has the fx off.

I'm using the acoustic guitar version of the pedal in a small group at the moment and it's great because it's simple to use and super quick to set up.

[Random Guitarist]

There's also the b3n which has more switches and could be a bit more 'on the fly' flexible but is twice the price.

[Dave71]

Yes, should have added more detail. Was originally looking at a fender downtown express, but for this project I would need to add some extra boxes. I’d rather have an all in 1 unit. Granted if it packs up I have nothing but the times I’ve encountered troublesome pedal boards….

On the other hand, individual pedals are much easier to adjust on the fly. Nothing worse than imbalanced patches requiring a manual on hand to adjust.

In importance of order….
Tuner (do have alternatives available)
Compression
Eq
Drive/distortion
Chorus
Flanger

Ideally looking at s/h up to £200 - from memory the b3 I had did all of the above but I think I switched it on twice in 3/4 years.

Now, I do appreciate that overdoing effects can turn what sounds nice in the spare room to an undefined wall of noise in the live environment. That’s the main reason I’ve not used anything previously. We had enough going on with electronic kit, 2 guitars, keys and bass. We ran everything quite clean apart from the required drive on the guitars and some subtle reverb.

With this project, I’m pretty sure the 2 guitars will be heavily processed so apart from a few quieter tracks, I imagine I may be running a cleanish signal

In the interim, I’m looking at experimenting with my irig2 (if I can find it) and iPad.

[The Elf]

As above, one of the Zoom pedals would a be good choice. If you use the (now well known) 'hack' you can load any of the contemporary Zoom multi-effect pedal algorithms into any of the pedals, so you can grab an MS-50G, or MS-70CDR and load the bass pedal algos into it. The stereo-input 70 might come in useful for other duties. Doing the hack renders the computer librarian/editor useless, though I feel that's minor payback.

If you want to push the boat out (well beyond the budget you've given, unfortunately), then the Helix Stomp (or maybe the XL) has everything you could need and *loads* more. The computer editor is damned good too, and you can sync your patches with the plug-in version, should the urge take you. It's out of budget, but I guarantee the rest of the band will want to borrow it!

[tea for two]

On the other hand, individual pedals are much easier to adjust on the fly. Nothing worse than imbalanced patches requiring a manual on hand to adjust.

In importance of order….
Tuner (do have alternatives available)
Compression
Eq
Drive/distortion
Chorus
Flanger

Ideally looking at s/h up to £200

Valeton Dapper Bass ? It's £99.00 on andertons.
I haven't got this so I can't make any statement on it.
There are a couple utube reviews not sure if they are of use to you.
I have a Valeton Dapper Guitar multi pedal it's pretty alright for me, although I'm switching it out for a battery operated Lekato.

[SecretSam]

A secondhand line 6 m9 would do all of that with good sound and great ergonomics.

Some people whine about the drive sounds, but I think they can be dialled in just fine. You could probably add secondhand TC electronic grand magus and still come in on budget.

The m9's pitch effects are glitchy and laggy, but they aren't on your list.

[sonics]

An old bass Pod XT or an XT Live with the bass pack, perhaps? Better than the Zoom for bass IMO.

[Dave71]

Thanks for all that, much to consider. Just missed out on a s/h line 6 helix stomp. Got my Irig up and running for audition on Wednesday, does enough for now so will see how that goes before I take the plunge.
Cheers

[Dave71]

Well. New HX stomp arrived today. Nearly went for the XL until I realised you can add 2 extra foot switches and assign their use.

Very nice unit! Found a couple of very usable presets just at home using my headphones so there’s a start. What I am really happy with is the edit software. So easy to create and edit patches without having to navigate the menu and figure out what button does what. I will spend time on that though for on the fly tinkering.

Good suggestion!!!

[The Elf]

[BigRedX]

I would definitely recommend that you learn how to use the built-in interface of your HX Stomp. I have the full Helix Floor unit, and because the editor software is so simple to use, for a long time I did all my programming that way, which was sometimes a problem when I needed to tweak a sound in the rehearsal room to for it to sit properly in the overall band mix and I didn't initially know how to do it from the front panel controls.