First -time FX pedal buyer

In response to arjen, to me the multi effects are just to much effect. I mean i enjoyed the zoom stuff, and the v amp sounded better to me at first but the v amp is just to much effect. I mean it depends which multi effects board, wouldn't you agree arjen? Actually Arjen your post broutght up a thought in my head. It kind of depends what kind music this will be for. If he is playing heavy metal then a zoom pedal or a good dis.
stompbox may be a good way to start his effects. If he is playing christian rock he may want a line 6 delay thing, which is used by many of the bands that have stopped by and played for my youth group. I would like to know what kind of music this is for. I would stay away from the v-amp. Everyone keeps bringing up the zoom, i would agree that if you decide the multi effects way to use this, and yes it does have good distortion. I would go to a local store play on some zoom effects then go use some stompboxes. WHAT KIND OF MUSIC THIS IS FOR WILL ALLOW ME TO HELP YOU MORE

I think that the first thing he should buy is a multi-fx. I agree that it is possibly "too much effect", but it is also a good platform for him to decide which effects he really wants/needs. From there, he can find the right dedicated pedal for whatever sound it is he wants to produce. It's a means to an end rather than the end itself.

I have a Pandora PX4, with more effects than you can shake a stick at. I use about 3 of them.

What kind of music is it for......well, if you take a look back at the original post, you'll see that what I want is a pedal that'll allow me to change from a clean sound to distortion at the flick of a (foot!) switch.....

My music is basically rock/pop music.....plenty of acoustic for rhythm, and a bit of gain/distortion for lead.....check it out on

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/9/viclewismusic.htm

Vic

There is no such thing as too much effect, maybe too much options. The V-amp isn't a multieffect, but more a modeler with some effects thrown in. You can't use the V-amp distortions like you would use a distortion effect. I'd much rather have a few effects I don't use then a few effects I don't have. If a unit offers all effects, then that unit is perfect for every style. Simple as that.

If Vic is sure he only needs what he says he needs then a MFX is not needed. If he is willing to take a look in the world of effects, a cheap 'introduction' MFX is very usefull, as Greybeard stated.

Had a look at the Zoom site.....look very reasonable price-wise....suppose the only way I'll find out for sure is to go and check them out....
Both Musician's Friend and zZounds.com post user reviews of most of the products they sell. I did a bunch of reading up on various effects before ever plaing a bid for one on eBay.
Then again, a recurring theme in the reviews is "try before you buy."
ah well, gives me an excuse for a day out.....
Yeah, and then it's not "a day goofing off at the music store," it's research. 8)

--
Doug C.
"The company wants to pay me to evaluate that effect for them? Well, alrighty then!"

Most guitarists, most of the time, need a good clean and a good overdrive. So, for simplicity, I would get a decent OD or Dist box to make sure you have a good sound for the majority of situations. Then, a multieffects box seems the easiest way to go for more complex stuff.

So, without entering the debate too deeply, there is a place for both. The individual OD boxes with a tube amp will probably give you the best distorted sound, but it will give you a narrower range of distortions than a multi-fx. A tube-screamer copy (which is most of the OD boxes out there) will sound like a tube screamer (the Bad Monkey pedal is good for the price, and the Boss SD-1 is fine. There are better ones in the $100 range, but those work well in the $40 range.). I'm pretty sure I remember that you're using a solid-state amp, so, as stated earlier, an OD pedal won't do much for you. In that case, a dist pedal or the multi-fx will give you what you're looking for.