I was wondering if this has any advantages over the Zoom B1four pedal gurus?
2 Likes
Well, it is Boss, so Roland, and they are one of the ones at the top of the food chain. my guess, without actually knowing for sure, it is a more advanced unit, probably with better control, and better for doing what it does, but not as highly MULTI as the zoom.
This one is most likely based around Boss pedals. since they make the real pedals, they are probably spot on.
Zoom really mimics other brand pedals with some of their own effects.
they pack a whole lot into their unit, at the expense of some overall control. Zoom does a great job, but, and some pedals, they mimic the controls perfectly, but some they only partially mimic the controls.
3 Likes
Mac,
I was just looking at that board on Reverb the other day. I’m curious to hear any comments. I haven’t checked out any real specs on it.
I have the Boss Me-50b. I got it slightly used about 8 years ago, and they seem more expensive now. I haven’t programmed any patches myself… I’ve just used the presets, and some of them are cool. Some I need to clear and reprogram as they aren’t my type of sound. Also, I added the external foot switch to make scrolling thru the banks easier/faster in live playing.
I do use the compressor, tuner, volume/expression pedal, 2 line outs, and auxiliary in frequently. I paid around $200 US, so I feel like it was worth it for just those features.
The build quality from Boss seems solid, and I have used it on stage, and in home.
Hopefully that helps.
4 Likes
Thanks for that @T_dub and @Moose_Hofer
I’m seriously considering it as the Boss pedigree sells it to me . Watch this space lol 
3 Likes
How much are those?
I kind of always thought of Boss and high quality, been around forever, but more the slow and steady wins the race instead of frills and thrills.
But after getting that Bass Comp BC-1X, and have had a TU-2 tuner (that was part of the trade for the Comp) and also having a Noise Supressor NS-2, I decided (in my quest for Reverb pedal) to order for trial, the RV-6, on @howard 's recommendation.
That reverb got here yesterday, and it is built like a tank, and has a lot to offer. I have not explored it much quite yet, but I will be testing it against another pedal today, and I think its gonna win.
Since I can’t get a TC Electronics HOF2 full pedal to try, I am probably gonna keep the Boss, and will now have at least 3 Boss pedals on my board.
That is for somebody who didn’t think they were exciting and new (as in young and exciting) enough.
So, I bet that Boss unit there is probably built like a tank, nothing like the plastic Zoom boxes (Hey, I still love the Zoom boxes, just saying) and probably has some quality effects built in.
Not that I will be looking, with as much time, effort as I have sunk into this pedalboard so far (I am quite proud of it so far), but I am always curious to know, just so I know.
3 Likes
It’s going to rush me $200 posted with an ac adapter . Has a metal frame too which is a real plus I reckon.
3 Likes
I’d be careful buying older digital multieffects effects units - not so sure that is an upgrade from the current Zoom units. Pretty sure it’s not, actually. Unlike analog pedals, the digital effects models and hardware tend to get better and better over time.
The current Boss bass effects processor is the GT-1B, and it’s more or less a sidegrade from the B3n, not an upgrade, from what I have heard.
There’s a lot of excellent units from that era out there - @terb is collecting Line6 Bass PODs that came out around then, for example - you just need to be aware of what you’re getting in to, and that with the digital multieffects, “vintage” is not generally going to mean “better” for most of them.
It still might sound awesome though, a lot of people like the ME-50B. If you get one I’m curious how it compares to the effects on your B1four.
I kind of wish Zoom hadn’t gone with their patch presets concept and just provided a slightly nicer UI for selecting the individual effects pedal sims. That’s one real advantage some of the older and simpler units like this one has. Unfortunately the GT-1B seems to use something more like the Zoom patch idea.
5 Likes
B3 and B3n are metal.
Basically their entry models are plastic and the ones meant more for stage use are metal. Still not built like a Boss though. Well, maybe the MS-60b like yours are 
1 Like
I agree with all that you said @howard , I’d just moderate a bit this point : good units from that era exist but are not so commun. most models are really outdated and I’m pretty sure a current entry-level Zoom sounds better than almost every old digital thing.
speaking about preamps / amp sims, the real exception in my opinion is the first Bass POD, and even more the Bass POD Pro. the other models are fun to collect and to play with but only the Bass POD (and Pro) really has this little magic.
also some old digital effects are really cool, I think about some Digitech pedals, but you have to know it will be very low-fi 
3 Likes
Yeah, this is one of those things where if you know what you want you can find some really cool stuff, but for the most part, older digital modeling gear mostly just means “outdated.”
I’m not surprised the Line6 stuff holds up more than some of the others as they were kind of pioneers here.
3 Likes
yes and the Pro range was very high end and very expensive at the time (around 700-800€ , 20 years ago)
but yeah the general rule is :
3 Likes
Yeah it’s a good signal for someone interested in buying a Helix now. Their stuff is generally top notch.
4 Likes
Thanks for your posts @howard and @terb
I’m a real technophobe so I really need steering in the right direction.
I’ve read the pedal thread over and over but struggled to understand even the basics I’m embarrassed to say.
I still generally just plug my basses straight into the amp rather than through the Zoom but really want to master this pedal stuff.
And then there’s recording 
3 Likes
pedals are one of the most user friendly things in the universe cuz you literally cannot screw it up. settings on your amp, yes. but pedals, no. just twist the knobs until you like what comes out (umm… let me rephrase that).
and finding pedals you like is also easy, just put the name of the pedal into youtube with the word bass after it, and you’ll find someone demo’ing it. if you like it take a chance. if it doesn’t work out you can re-sell it for most of the money you spent, think of it as a rental.
3 Likes
This is one of the real tangible advantages that a physical set of pedals has over a lot of the multieffects units. The ability to easily tweak the knobs is key.
Zoom fixes this somewhat on the B1four (though there’s still only one effect tweakable at a time) and the B3n (with three sets of pedal knobs.) They really need to release a bass equivalent of the G5n so you can have five of the simulated pedals tweakable at the same time.
This is also the reason I like physical drum machines over drum VSTi. Even though they are more limited, harder to program, and often sound worse, they are more tactile and fun to play with 
4 Likes
or return it to Amazon for full Credit that shows up usually within 2 hours of dropping it off at the UPS store, for me, In my region, that is how it works at least.
1 Like
yeah, most of the things I order are domestic stock, so I am sure that plays into how easy it is to order with free ship / returns.
1 Like
Ah okay.
I had a mate of my missus’s order some horse stuff from Amazon in the USA and mail it to us here as we couldn’t get it. Bangs the cost up but there was no other option.
1 Like
That sux. Amazon is certainly large enough they should be better outside the US. Ofcourse there is a lot of super cheapo stuff on Amazon, and Ebay, that looks awesome until you realize it is coming from China with a month lead time. kind of blows the deal IMO.
I could see this being the same when you see things coming from USA.
1 Like