ampage Tube Amps / Music Electronics	For current discussions, please visit Music Electronics Forum.

ampage archive

Vintage threads from the first ten years

Multieffects Systems

:

3/19/2000 6:28 PM
MikeZ	Multieffects Systems I know many people on this forum avoid digital fx systems like the plague, myself includued, but I am am looking for a friend (really). Anyone have any comments on an all around digital multieffects sytem they liked thats in the $250 price range?

3/19/2000 6:54 PM

I seem to remember that Boss put out a unit a couple of years ago...can't remember what it was called, but the distortions were actually hard-wired distortion pedal circuits imbedded in the thing rather than digitally-modeled distortion(!). Chorus/Reverb/etc. were all digital. I remember thinking when I saw it, "If I ever absolutely have to use an all-in-one, this'll be it."

You might try ebay or the Harmony Central classifieds. I wish I could remember the unit's model number...but I'm like you in that I wouldn't use an all-in-one so I really didn't pay that much attention at the time. Maybe someone here?

3/19/2000 7:38 PM
Frank Clarke	The Boss ME-30 has analog distortion, digital chorus, list $299 US (maybe $230 street). http://www.bosscorp.co.jp/en/floor_based_units_2.html The Boss Chorus/Echo stuff is quite good. Horrible distortion is common in that multieffect price range, this is no exception. I can tell you how to disable the analog distortions and put in an in/out loop for your fave distortion box.

3/19/2000 8:33 PM
Joe Fuzz	Thanks for the link, Frank. Looking at the page, however, I think I was talking about the ME-8. Just did a quick check out at ebay and ME-8s are going for ~$150. Have you heard the distortions on this one?

3/19/2000 11:28 PM

I haven't heard it, but that does seem to be the one with the built-in Bluesdriver/Metal Zone etc. A $150 one should be pretty good value.
This is a funky ME-8 demo:
http://skoda.ee.umist.ac.uk/paul/sounds/bigdemo.mp3

If you stand on the power-out jack it's game over with the ME-30 and (by the looks of it) the ME-8. That worries me more than the plastic construction, which is actually pretty strong.

3/24/2000 5:57 PM

The ME8 is actually a pretty cool thing as multi FX units go. It's got a system so you can time the delay or tremolo to a rhythm, it's got most of the FX you could need, it's strong and reliable (except for the wall wart socket), and it's pretty cheap. I'd recommend it.

I had one a few years ago, before I got into stomp boxes, and there are a couple of things to note:

The distortion sounds are really useless, but there's a loop for putting in stomp boxes.

You've got to have the expression pedal, it can be assigned to different effects and it's a heap of fun.

3/24/2000 6:50 PM
Joe Fuzz	Well, that makes 2 people who say the distortions are useless on these Boss multi-fx things. Glad I didn't bother with it...

Page 1 of 2