Zoom B6 or discreet pedalboard?

Djadja

Djadja

May 25, 2010
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#1
I read through a similar thread referring to the Helix, but I’m more interested in the B6 I think… (feel free to convince me otherwise).

I’m playing in a number of very different situations and need to upgrade the distortion and envelope follower on my board… maybe chorus too. So I started looking at a Darkglass B7K Ultra V2 and a Snow White envelope… we’re well over $600 then new and over $500 used in excellent condition. The B6 comes in at the lower end there and adds tons of other sounds, but… There is something to be said for a straight ahead analog pedalboard.
I don’t see myself using either pedals all that much but do need those sounds on the rare occasions that I need them. Currently I am not playing any DI/in ear gigs but could see that developing in which case amp sims and speaker IR’s would be nice (the B7K ultra V2 does do cab IR’s evidently).

What do you all think?
 
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#4
I am looking at those units myself too. They're compact yet powerful, I am currently using my analog pedalboard. I may get one of these in order to use it as a stand alone unit or to combine it with my current board (I'm leaning towards the HX Stomp).

If you are interested in ZOOM, they also have the B3 and the MS-60B, both for bass and both at a very good price.
 
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#5
RexxRokket said:
I am looking at those units myself too. They're compact yet powerful, I am currently using my analog pedalboard. I may get one of these in order to use it as a stand alone unit or to combine it with my current board (I'm leaning towards the HX Stomp).

If you are interested in ZOOM, they also have the B3 and the MS-60B, both for bass and both at a very good price.
Click to expand...
Why towards the HX stomp?
 
#6
revroy said:
I read through a similar thread referring to the Helix, but I’m more interested in the B6 I think… (feel free to convince me otherwise).

I’m playing in a number of very different situations and need to upgrade the distortion and envelope follower on my board… maybe chorus too. So I started looking at a Darkglass B7K Ultra V2 and a Snow White envelope… we’re well over $600 then new and over $500 used in excellent condition. The B6 comes in at the lower end there and adds tons of other sounds, but… There is something to be said for a straight ahead analog pedalboard.
I don’t see myself using either pedals all that much but do need those sounds on the rare occasions that I need them. Currently I am not playing any DI/in ear gigs but could see that developing in which case amp sims and speaker IR’s would be nice (the B7K ultra V2 does do cab IR’s evidently).

What do you all think?
Click to expand...
What is there to be said about a straight ahead analog pedalboard? Tactile knobs and buttons maybe. Or easy to learn and use? But sound wise, nobody will care. If you have many different analog pedals it will just add to the amount of points of failure. Certain pedals are very easy to recreate digitally, others not so much. But neither of them sound objectively bad. Helix might be a bit expensive and unnecessary.
So bascially it comes down to:
-Do you ever have to use multiple pedals at the same time?
-Do you ever have to use a pedal that has a very distinct tone that is not easily recreated with a digital modeler?
-Would you use enough pedals that a bunch of analog ones weigh more / are less convenient than a digital solution?

If you only use single effects at a time, meaning you never really stack any of them and you don't use any weird bespoke effects that are hard to replicate digitally, then I would suggest going with something like a Line6 M5, or maybe one of the Zoom products. But if you use very few pedals in general then I would just suggest going with some nice single analog pedals. Not because they would sound better, but because that's the easiest and most straight forward solution.

And I also wouldn't immediately go to the conclusion that amp sims / IR's are worth your money. Most of the times your bass sounds just fine straight in with some of the effects infront.
 
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#8
*discrete*

Unless you mean:
vi23abonhltn1asa3jbi.jpg
 
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#9
revroy said:
I read through a similar thread referring to the Helix, but I’m more interested in the B6 I think… (feel free to convince me otherwise).

I’m playing in a number of very different situations and need to upgrade the distortion and envelope follower on my board… maybe chorus too. So I started looking at a Darkglass B7K Ultra V2 and a Snow White envelope… we’re well over $600 then new and over $500 used in excellent condition. The B6 comes in at the lower end there and adds tons of other sounds, but… There is something to be said for a straight ahead analog pedalboard.
I don’t see myself using either pedals all that much but do need those sounds on the rare occasions that I need them. Currently I am not playing any DI/in ear gigs but could see that developing in which case amp sims and speaker IR’s would be nice (the B7K ultra V2 does do cab IR’s evidently).

What do you all think?
Click to expand...
I primarily play with a rock/dance band and I don't get to do a lot of spacey stuff or rip many solos. I'm headed for getting a B6 because it offers a lot of sound options, it looks remarkably easy to use, and it's built for bass (and I've had a decent experiences with one or two cheap Zoom gizmos in the past).

I only have a couple of other pedals, but I picked up a Source Audio C4 last year and that gave me a sobering look in the mirror - I haven't used that pedal at all. At least for now, I apparently don't want something like that where I have to dive into cyberspace to sort out what patch I want or what sound I want to tweak into shape for myself. The Zoom can allow for some tweaking for sure, but it's also rather all-in-one and ready to go.

Even if I initially find only a few sounds with the Zoom that I want to use, that will be much better for me at this point in time compared with the expense of gathering different pedals to try to get different individual sounds. I'm also not wild about trying to organize (and eventually reorganize) a pedal board. If the band wants to take a run at a certain song during a practice, it would be a big luxury if I can call up a sound to help us get closer to nailing it right then and there.

There are several really nice options around and I know that folks are raving about the newer Line 6 products. Maybe I'll get one of those for myself down the road. I've never had a big time multi board for bass and the B6 looks like the one I want to dive in with right now.
 
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#11
@groove pump
You can always go over to the B6 thread for ideas and any questions or help you need.

Zoom B6

I think you'd be an ideal candidate for the B6. It won't overwhelm you and once you get your feet wet, you'll still have plenty to grow into and explore, though not so many options that you'll be buried. That's not always a bad thing, though.
Having myself come from some very sophisticated programmable pedals, I also appreciate pedals that are simple to use and sound good....and the B6 has some really great sounds in it IMO. Good luck!
 
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#12
I could never do one or the other to me the best solution is both. There is no multieffect that can fulfill all of my needs with out too much of a compromise, but there are many things they can do to fill a lot o0f my needs. Granted I do have a fairly substantial investment in my current board that is approaching perfection for me.
 
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#13
I could never do one or the other to me the best solution is both. There is no multieffect that can fulfill all of my needs with out too much of a compromise, but there are many things they can do to fill a lot o0f my needs. Granted I do have a fairly substantial investment in my current board that is approaching perfection for me.

04-01-2020 Change Machine.jpg Change Engine
 
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#14
B6 is a great option. Only drawback it's made of plastic. Still strong but kept the price to a worth it multi-Pedal effects. All the sounds track well. Helped designed by a great bassist Carlito del Puerto. It's made for bassist in mind. The sounds are bassist related. Don't get me wrong The HX are great but you wont be disappointed with the B6.
 
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#16
jimfist said:
@groove pump
You can always go over to the B6 thread for ideas and any questions or help you need.

Zoom B6

I think you'd be an ideal candidate for the B6. It won't overwhelm you and once you get your feet wet, you'll still have plenty to grow into and explore, though not so many options that you'll be buried. That's not always a bad thing, though.
Having myself come from some very sophisticated programmable pedals, I also appreciate pedals that are simple to use and sound good....and the B6 has some really great sounds in it IMO. Good luck!
Click to expand...
Outsmarted myself... got the Pod Go... steep learning curve... need to do more homework...

...still had the itch to try the B6... scratched said itch only a few weeks ago... many thanks for your recommendation, which was spot on :thumbsup:

Loving my B6 (already used it at a gig) and looking forward to building my own patches and maybe grabbing some input online. Although I thought the Pod Go would be fun for both guitar noodling as well as bass adventures, I'm liking the B6 so much that I might go bananas and also pick up a used G6.
Astronaut said:
another drawback is its looks. Hard to believe it’s the successor of the b3n an g5n series.
Click to expand...
Funny - when I first got mine, I thought it looked like a toy (I suppose it is?). Then I jumped in, found terrific sounds, tweaked some others, and got hopscotching around using the color-coded switches, knobs, and the nicely sized touch screen without needing a ten hour tutorial just to learn how to switch it on.

Now my tiny brain thinks that maybe something that works and sounds this good is supposed to look something like this thingamajig.
 
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#17
The B6 is doing the job for me, too. It would be nice if Zoom made their products look a little more "pro". It only stands to add to the appeal. Some people can't get past the looks even when they might actually like the performance.
 
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