Back in the day, like in the late 90s, when I was in a struggling prog trio that was forever seeking a lead singer, I purchased a Line 6 Bass Pod, the red one shaped like a bean. It had all sorts of modeling modes and sounds and I could never figure that thing out. It was definitely more than I needed and I also didn't have the maturity to understand how to use it. I ended up selling it or something, I can't remember. And that was my first and only experience with a multi-effects unit.
Over the years I've had plenty of pedals and things, but not until last year or so did I start getting more pedals. They haven't become a lifestyle for me like they are for some, but I have a handful that I use and enjoy.
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| Top row, L-R: Aguilar Tone Hammer DI, Electro Harmonix Bass Clone (chorus), A/B switch, Rolls personal monitor Bottom row, L-R: Ibanez SB7, TC Electronic Spark Booster, MXR Octave, MXR Bass Compressor, Korg tuner |
I've had the setup above for a few months now and I use it in all my bands. For the most part, I like the sounds I get, though the Ibanez synth pedal is a little limited in what it offers. The reason I wanted to look at multi-effects was after hearing my bandmate in the Sunset Grooves use his on guitar. He has a Boss unit and after hearing his tones on some of our cover tunes, I decided I wanted to have a better grasp of bass tones for some songs that need it.
On a song like Jive Talkin' by the Bee Gees, though it's likely played on synth, the recorded bass tone is definitely distorted, with a filter or modulation of some sort. In their "official video," the bassist plays a Ric with pick, which is definitely not how that would sound. I play it fingerstyle, with my octaver and bass synth engaged and it sounds OK. But as a result of that song, and others, the search was on.
On my birthday the other day, I went to Guitar Center as they had some pedals in stock, including the Boss GT-1B, as well as the Zoom B1X Four. The Boss was new-in-box and the GC guys were kind enough to let me open it up and try it. But first, I tried out the Zoom. I grabbed a nice Squier vintage 70's P in Seafoam Green and got to work.
The little red Zoom pedal was as the online reviews described. Sort of cheap feeling, being plastic and all, but once I got past that, the sounds were really cool. The interface was pretty intuitive for me, with the pedals, dials/knobs and screen all making sense after a few minutes. I noodled around on that and figured that its newly announced replacement, the B2 Four, would at least sound as good, but with new updates and improvements. (I also tried the Boss, but didn't like its interface as much, so it went back in the box)
With my mind made up on the Zoom, I ordered the B2 Four and it arrived yesterday. I unboxed it and read up on some of the PDFs offered online (no manual in box, just quick start directions). I messed around with it on my desk and headphones and it was pretty cool.
Right off the bat, I realized how deep this pedal went. Something like 250 (!) preprogrammed sounds. They all have names based on the songs the bass tones might come from. Stuff like "Hysteria" and "7Nation" based on the songs of the same names. And they sound pretty good! But there are a bunch that need a far more nuanced ear to hear than I can hear.
Anyway, I plugged into my Trace amp (GP-12 Series 6) post-EQ and Avatar 212 cabinet to see how it sounded and mess around with the interface. I also downloaded the Handy Guitar Lab app onto my iPad. Interestingly enough, they charge .99 for it, so be aware of that! But, it is way worth it as it makes it so much easier to manipulate instead of sitting on the floor or having the B24 on a table.
Soundwise via the amp and cab, I liked what I heard. I barely scratched the surface, but did dial through some sounds as well as try to set up my own patches (effects, settings to my personal liking). I did some programming and dial turning and IEM use via the headphone out jack and it seems like it will be great for Sunset Grooves.
I brought it to Planets practice as well. I had set a PITO patch, with compression, an overdrive, and an EQ. I played through my Orange Terror Bass and Avatar 210 and Ashdown 15 and dang if it didn't sound as good as my regular pedals. I did find the OD to be redundant as whether it was on or off, the OD from the amp sounded very similar. Same with the EQ; on or off, it didn't seem to matter.
I even added a chorus pedal on the fly using the interface while it was on the floor. I could do it with my feet, but one thing I noticed was that for my eyes, the screen was too small. I had to bend over a little to read it properly as when you are choosing effects, they are portrayed as graphical renditions of the real thing, but 8-bit style. Looks cool, but hard to see from a standing position. Also, if you want to adjust, you do have to bend over and turn knobs as you would with traditional pedals.
Overall, despite feeling a little overwhelmed when I first opened it up, after messing around with it all day and then actually using it last night, I'm feeling better about it. I think it will be excellent at Sunset Grooves practice and shows once I get the sounds dialed in. In fact, there are a few patches that are named for songs we actually do, like "Maneater" and one other that I can't remember right now. Plus, the B24 has a DI out, which the previous version did not, so that will be useful for me. Looking forward to playing around with it some more over the next few days.
