Modeling unit to substitute for small pedalboard

[lilcallahan]

I am looking for a small (physically and cost-wise) modeling unit to substitute for a pedalboard consisting of a graphic equalizer, TS-9 type overdrive, and reverb. A tuner would be a plus but not required. Thanks for your suggestions. There seem to be so many options these days.

 

[sammy1974]

There are a ton of options for sure, I've done a few comparisons over the years.

What's your max size and price?

 

[AAT65]

The Zoom MS (MS-50G or MS-70CDR) units are literally the size of a single stomp box but you can have up to 6 effects chained, and 50 saved patches. The MS-50 includes amp models and distortion, the MS-70 is focused on Chorus, Delay and Reverb.
The downside is you only have one stomp button so the way I ended up using mine (which was the MS-100BT, now discontinued) was to have just 3 or 4 patches and cycle round them. But that still covers a lot of ground in a very compact footprint.

 

[Blrfl]

Knowing your budget would be a big help. One thing worth considering is that these things tend to be long-term purchases. Spending an extra hundred or two in the lower price brackets could pay itself back later when you don't have to buy more gear to get more/better effects or switchgear.

 

[dswo]

Boss ME-90 (newer, better modeling) or Boss GT-1 (more compact, cheaper)?

 

[Jumbotronic]

A used Line 6 M9 would fit the bill.

 

[sammy1974]

The Zoom MS (MS-50G or MS-70CDR) units are literally the size of a single stomp box but you can have up to 6 effects chained, and 50 saved patches. The MS-50 includes amp models and distortion, the MS-70 is focused on Chorus, Delay and Reverb.
The downside is you only have one stomp button so the way I ended up using mine (which was the MS-100BT, now discontinued) was to have just 3 or 4 patches and cycle round them. But that still covers a lot of ground in a very compact footprint.

For ultra compact, I'll second the 50G. I've owned both but the 50 is more versatile.

 

[lilcallahan]

Thanks to all for your suggestions. The Zoom MS-50 looks ideal for my situation - something very inexpensive and small, to experiment with. The Boss units also look pretty good and inexpensive.

 

[Heartbreaker_Esq]

Boss ME-90 (newer, better modeling) or Boss GT-1 (more compact, cheaper)?

Yeah, the ME-90 would be my suggestion, because it's a true replacement for a pedalboard, in that you can actually use it like a pedalboard, rather than dealing with menus, presets, etc. And it's roughly the size of a typical board with the four pedals you mentioned. A little bigger, but not by much.

 

[Peegoo]

@lilcallahan

There are a few that offer a separate button for each function. Two that are pretty good are the Tech 21 Fly Rig and the Mooer Red Truck.

 

[sammy1974]

Thanks to all for your suggestions. The Zoom MS-50 looks ideal for my situation - something very inexpensive and small, to experiment with. The Boss units also look pretty good and inexpensive.

This one is indeed great for experiments and 'testing the waters'. The interface looks daunting at first but is actually intuitive. The amp models are great replacements for the overdrive pedal models btw. Just remove the cab and you get some great dirt sounds. The reverbs and eqs are also good.

 

[Blrfl]

Also keep in mind that the MS-50 isn't going to be the be-all, end-all of modeling. It's a low-end product and will have corners cut to keep the price down.

 

[WireLine]

I didn’t see your application. With any modeling amps/effects, you get what you get. If you can live with them, fine.

One thing to keep in mind is editing on the fly. If in daylight, nearly all are impossible, and the more expensive they are, the more buttons you’ll have to push to get there.

Longevity is another matter. What is today’s cream of the crop might be landfill in 5 years if something goes wrong, or is replaced by the next cream of the crop

 

[Holy smokes]

Line 6 hx

 

[sammy1974]

One thing to keep in mind is editing on the fly. If in daylight, nearly all are impossible, and the more expensive they are, the more buttons you’ll have to push to get there.

Longevity is another matter. What is today’s cream of the crop might be landfill in 5 years if something goes wrong, or is replaced by the next cream of the crop

Luckily the MS-50G won't be an issue here. Pretty much every parameter is accessible within 2 or 3 key presses and the display is a primitive LCD visible in daylight, although the display is really small.

It's still popular a decade+ after first production, Zoom just introduced a newer version of it. (I actually like the old interface better.) They're cheap and there's little lost if it becomes a clunker eventually, and it can still be resold pretty easily. It's a no brainer for experimentation. The resident ZNR soft noise gate is (surprisingly) one of the best I've used too.

 

[generic202]

One thing to keep in mind is editing on the fly. If in daylight, nearly all are impossible, and the more expensive they are, the more buttons you’ll have to push to get there.

Just from what was suggested here, Boss ME-90 and Tech 21 Fly Rig have individual knobs to adjust on the fly.

Longevity is another matter. What is today’s cream of the crop might be landfill in 5 years if something goes wrong, or is replaced by the next cream of the crop

If something goes wrong, send it to authorized service centers. Competent amp techs could also service them. For DIYers, figure out where to get the parts. For example, Fullcompass carries Line 6 parts from replacement PCBs to encoder pots.

 

[Coffeemutt]

I came here to say Zoom MS-50G, also. I don't have experience with any other current modelers, but I love throwing one pedal in the guitar case and heading off to jam.

Not all amp models or distortion models sound the greatest, but for jamming in a band context I often get compliments on my tone. If you get one, spend a little time searching for posts here and Reddit for direction on the best sounding options to start with, because there are sooooo many options.

 

[Ljislink24]

I came here to say Zoom MS-50G, also. I don't have experience with any other current modelers, but I love throwing one pedal in the guitar case and heading off to jam.

Not all amp models or distortion models sound the greatest, but for jamming in a band context I often get compliments on my tone. If you get one, spend a little time searching for posts here and Reddit for direction on the best sounding options to start with, because there are sooooo many options.

A lot be said for what's good in a "band context" long story short I chased acoustic tone on acoustic instruments and learned some very expensive lessons in a 5 piece band.
Anyway just getting back into playing electric guitar & decided getting an amp that's easy to use, sounds great on it's own & no pedals. But...with the band I find myself now going to the amp backing off/increase gain or master volume or reverb. I really only need light & heavy distortion, tremolo & a nice clean reverb. I know that pedal will do that but does it have a bypass ? My rig sounds great as is and I would only use the pedal effects on about 1/2 the songs were doing. Amp is a VOX AC10 which has a bad rep for taking pedals but that's another can of worms, but for the price of the MS-50 it may be worth a shot.
Thanks

 

[sammy1974]

The MS-50 does not have an official Bypass feature if I remember correctly, but you can set the tuner as bypass or mute, so if you long press the main center switch, you get tuner+pass thru.

The other way to to create an empty patch.

 

[Ljislink24]

The MS-50 does not have an official Bypass feature if I remember correctly, but you can set the tuner as bypass or mute, so if you long press the main center switch, you get tuner+pass thru.

The other way to to create an empty patch.

Thanks, I'm going try one out.