Jag Posted July 7 Posted July 7 Hi all, I'm looking for some advice on whether a multi-effects unit would actually be worthwhile for my setup, or whether I'd be better sticking with what I already have. My current gear (on a budget) is: - Fender Champion 20 - Marshall MG15CF - Squier Classic Vibe '50s Strat - Gear4music Telecaster - Gear4music Semi Acoustic - Harley Benton SC-DLX Gotoh I mostly play at home and enjoy Mark Knopfler/Dire Straits, blues, classic rock and clean tones. I don't gig or record professionally. I'm considering buying a budget multi-effects unit (around £75–£100), such as the M-VAVE Blackbox or the SONICAKE Smart Box, to use mainly with the Fender Champion 20 on a clean setting. My questions are: - Would a multi-effects unit be a worthwhile upgrade for my setup? - Would it give me noticeably better amp tones and effects than the Champion 20 on its own? - Would I be better off using it with the Fender or the Marshall? - Are there other multi-effects units under £100 that you'd recommend instead? - If you owned my gear, would you spend the money on a multi-effects processor, individual pedals, or save up for something better? I'd really appreciate advice from anyone based on my current setup. Thanks! Quote
EliasMooseblaster Posted July 7 Posted July 7 I'll answer your first two questions with another question! What are you hoping to get out of it? To elaborate: are you chasing any specific guitar tones, or just looking to experiment and see what you can get out of your setup? Are you trying to make the Champ sound like a completely different amp, or just enhance the basic clean tone? I'm afraid it's a long time since I played with a multi-fx unit, but given how good the budget pedals are these days, I imagine it's worth a punt: even if you don't love it, it could be a good way to help decide what kind of tones and effects you like, and you could always buy some dedicated pedals for those. (And the resale value for the multi-fx will probably be pretty good if you decide it's not for you!) And to answer your third question: I'd have thought the Fender might be a better pairing for Knopfler-esque bluesy tones. Single-coil guitars into a Marshall is typically a bit more Hendrix, or even Ritchie Blackmore! 1 Quote
Jag Posted July 7 Author Posted July 7 Thanks, that's really helpful. I think I'm mainly looking to expand the range of sounds I can get without buying a collection of individual pedals. I enjoy playing Mark Knopfler, Dire Straits, blues and classic rock, so I'd like access to better delay, reverb, compression and modulation effects, as well as the option to experiment with different amp models. I'm not expecting my Champion 20 to sound exactly like a high-end valve amp, but if a multi-effects unit could noticeably improve the overall sound and versatility, I'd consider it worthwhile. That's a good point about using it as a way of discovering which effects and tones I actually use before investing in individual pedals. I hadn't really thought about it from that angle. Interesting that you'd pair it with the Fender rather than the Marshall. I actually prefer the sound of my Marshall on its own, but I can see how the cleaner Fender platform would probably let the modeller do more of the work. Quote
Skinnyman Posted July 8 Posted July 8 I’d normally suggest Zoom as a good first multi-fx but i must admit that ive been blown away by my Nux MG30. Quote
Jag Posted July 8 Author Posted July 8 7 hours ago, Skinnyman said: I’d normally suggest Zoom as a good first multi-fx but i must admit that ive been blown away by my Nux MG30. Just looked at the nux, very appealing specs, with price tag to match. For experimenting and my entry level setup I think the budget friendly sonicake might be a better choice for me, unless of course the general consensus here was it's overrated and doesn't cut it. 1 Quote
Skinnyman Posted July 8 Posted July 8 (edited) I’ve not come across the sonicake before but they look pretty good - it’s basically the same as the Nux. I would be tempted by the model with the expression pedal (QME Matribox) at £89 on Amazon - looks amazing value and for home use should do the job nicely. Edited July 8 by Skinnyman Quote
Jag Posted July 8 Author Posted July 8 2 hours ago, Skinnyman said: I’ve not come across the sonicake before but they look pretty good - it’s basically the same as the Nux. I would be tempted by the model with the expression pedal (QME Matribox) at £89 on Amazon - looks amazing value and for home use should do the job nicely. Thx, looks good, I hadn't seen that one Quote
