Al Krow

If you are gigging, it's worth noting that Zoom have designed the software on the 60B+ so that the patch name doesn't stay displayed but it defaults to one of the fx in the chain. This, plus lack of PC editing ability available on earlier Zoom models, were deal breakers for me and a few others on this thread.

Yeah, a lot of folk talk about wanting to tweak stuff live. But being competely honest, I don't have headspace for thinking about that during a gig - too much else going on! Definitely prefer to get to something that sounds decently good, based on prior experience, at home and then make a mental note of any adjustments (eg drive not cutting through the mix or whatever) during a live performance. I do love ability to preset on multifx, it's one less thing to think about and no worries about dials getting knocked etc. But then again I'm on PA & desk lead for my band - I guess if someone else is dealing with that then you're freed up to focus on "just" being the bass player, which would be grand! IMO, most things that are EQ related can be dealt with via a decent desk, and perfecting flavours of tone are nice to have, but not what a good band performance hinges on?

Fraction of the size of a B1-4 for starters. Not aware of any that look as good on paper as this one for the money and compact enclosure? I suspect it may well sound better than the B1-4, too, but I'd need to A/B it to find out and tbf no particular rush for me to do that as I've got my work cut out for a while getting up to speed with my Boss multi 😅 Greg's suggestion of it providing a back up is a neat one, though.

That's not a bad thought! It's not going to take up any space and as back-up can potentially cover off a full pedal board!

Valeton GP-5 - announced at NAMM 2025: super compact multi fx for £79! 100 effects Supports loading 3rd-party cabinet IRs, max 20 stored Supports latest Neural Amp Modelling (NAM), with 50 curated files, max 80 stored 100 patch slots (50 factory patches) Up to 9 modules able to work simultaneously, with the order of some modules being customizable Built-in chromatic tuner

Boss GT-1000CORE Multi-Effects Guitar Processor - Black for sale online | eBay: Not sure how long this one will be knocking around for, but that's a good price for one of these, and seller describes it as being in 'mint' condition. [Update - sold overnight, not surprised!] First patch created - added a clean blend to the drive sound I took a shine to, using the easy to use parallel path routing. Nothing comparable to this on my little Zoom B1-4, and starting to look like my personal Zoom multifx era could finally be coming to an end! Also need to explore what bespoke patches folk have created and shared for bass on Tone Central. Hopefully some good preamps that I can filch!

You're welcome! Tbf the journey, including some of the dead ends, has been part of the fun - all helped by sourcing kit used from BC or elsewhere, which makes "mistakes" not expensive in the financial sense. Unfortunately you don't see too many of the Boss multifx's coming up for sale used, maybe because fewer people are buying them and those that do are holding on to them. I run my pedal board straight into the PA and we use IEMs for monitoring. Look forward to hearing how you get on!

My own experience fwiw: Current: Zoom B1-4 - been gigging this for several years and has been a core pedal (and great tuner!) at the heart of my little pedal board. Can be a little noisy and need to regularly use the noise reduction fx on patches which can make the bass tone feel less 'open' / more blanketed, but not particularly noticeable in a band mix GT1000 Core - new to me and currently putting it through it's paces. Liking it a lot so far and it's getting to places (e.g. a quality dirt/fuzz for bass) that the Zoom never quite reached Previous: Zoom MS60B - much loved by many since its launch in 2013 Zoom B3N - decent --> I replaced with the much more compact Zoom B1-4 Zoom MS60B+ was looking forward to this one, coming out last year a full decade after the 60B. Disappointed that Zoom have designed the software so that the patch name doesn't stay displayed but it defaults to one of the fx in the chain, which makes it much less user/gig friendly for me. This plus lack of PC editing ability, available on the above Zoom earlier models, were deal breakers for me. Shame. Helix HX Effects and Stomp. Tried several times to bond with these, but for whatever reason didn't manage to. I've found several of the guitarists I've worked with getting quite a harsh tone when going straight into the PA with their Stomps (unlike the GT1000 Core). A few guitarists on YT seem to have managed to crack by focussing hard on the EQ. Huge bass-playing fanbase on BC and elsewhere and the Helix software fx is unmatched IMO and regularly updated. Hardware getting a little long in the tooth now: 10 y/o chipset. Hope that's useful!

I sold my GT 1000 Core to our band's guitarist a year ago not really having touched it myself. He's put it to really good use and easily managed to avoid the harshness of tone that guitarists I've worked with can struggle with some multifx pedals (notably the Helix Stomp until they've really got their head around the EQ on that pedal). However, I managed to get hold of another Core (from my usual BC source, haha) a little while back and finally had a bit of head space to load up the PC Editor, which is pretty easy to use, and spend a bit of time with the pedal. First impressions are very positive! Just picking up on a couple of comments made on another thread recently: I seem to have amassed quite a collection of dirt/fuzz pedals which I was going to spend some time A/B'ing. Not sure I will bother now - I found a drive sound on one of the preset patches (#226 "Classic Rocker") which I think is going to work really well in the mix. Not something I ever managed to get close to with my Zoom B1-4! The octave capability doesn't seem noticeably worse than the excellent Boss OC-5, and I think certainly usable live, to thicken out the sound. And it has a decent up and down filter patch, although not on a par with the best dedicated pedals, so my EBS will be not be getting booted off my little gigging board just yet! Really liking the #12 Clean & AG Mix patch - which has quite an upright bass feel to the sound. Very much looking forward to creating some bespoke patches over the coming weeks.

Nige bought my Future Impact v4. Great comms and immediate payment. Hope you enjoy the pedal!

If you've got backline for bass and electric guitar, a pair of RCF 310As for what you've set out could be just the ticket! We only stepped up from 310s to 912As when I started putting my bass through the PA (competing with a full rock drum kit!)

Ah interesting. I've always thought of pitch shift as being a really good test of capability for any multifx - most really struggle with it! I'm guessing the DSP / chipset are going to be a step up on the 1000 vs the 100/10, which may account for the difference?

There's a lot of love for the RCF 310s plus sub, combo! Should work very well depending on your band line up? Another alternative would be two decent 12" tops e.g. RCF 912As.

Ooh that looks good! The screen, in particular, looks a nice step up from the one on my GT1000 Core!

Agreed - a judicious use of an octaver can add definitely add something to the basslines of some songs for filling them out (and some of the original tracks e.g. MJ's Billie Jean did exactly that). Out of interest Chris do you use any pedals for tone shaping/EQ/compression etc or are you a purely bass --> amp & cab bass player?

100% agreed! In my case I've a Zoom B1-4 as the 'core' plus dedicated envelope filter, synth and octaver. The only addition to your list for me of "can't do as well" is overdrive/fuzz, but that may be a limitation of the Zoom and the GT1000 Core may be able to hit the mark better?

@AllYourBassAreBelongToUs spotted a second use for twin headphone outs which is to provide a second FoH option for venues where the main XLR are going to the house PA but you still want to make use of your own PA at the gig. I can think of a couple of venues where that might come in handy!

Aha, ok, thanks! As it happens, I picked up one of those a little while back. I'd best give it a proper try out in a live mix then, if it's the one that has got your vote!

One thing I've struggled with in using dirt/fuzz in a live band context is, despite how good it can sound on its own, the bass seems to get lost in the mix, even when blended with a decent amount of clean. I'm guessing that's not something you're finding but I wonder if it's something others have found and what they've done to solve. In my case I've ended not really making much use of my fuzz in a live band context.

I've always really liked the Nordstrand big singles on the SR Premiums I've had. They have a punchy growl which works really well in a covers band mix.

Released last year with a £700+ price tag. Not seen too much on this, and doesn't seem to have made much of a splash with existing bass multi-fx users on this side of the Pond? I guess that boils down to feature set vs cost, and established competition from the Helix Stomp and GT1000 Core which are arguably bothe better featured and less expensive.