'block of pedals' type MFX units - Please share your experience with these types of unit

Voxman

Having recently posted asking about the sonicake rockstage, I hadn't realised that there are a whole load of manufacturers offering this type of pedal, which kind of takes me back to simpler times when I had a Boss BE5.

The concept of a few essential pedals being 'joined' together in one compact, lightweight box with a dead easy 'stomp/turn knobs on the fly approach' has a lot of appeal as I'm not an FX junkie and don't use a lot of FX.

I've now come across the Mooer RedTruck that is about 4 times the price of the Rockstage but is clearly a more quality bit of kit for front of amp or line-out use, with reverb, delay, modulation, distortion, drive & pure boost (toggle switch, not foot operated which is a shame), and you can save 5 patches too. Andertons are doing it for £199 and it comes with a nice little carry pouch. I've watched the youtube vids and it sounds brilliant although I think I'll wait for prices to come down a bit first.

So, got me to thinking whether folk here were using this type of unit, which one, and what you think of them?  I sold my Zoom G5n so have some dosh to buy something like this which I think would be great for band practice and home use - maybe even for a gig!

Wait to hear! 

kennedydream1980

For complete simplicity you can’t beat the Carl Martin Quattro. It sounds excellent as well.

EricTheWeary

FWIW possibly the most upmarket block type is the T Rex Soulmate which was nearly £400 but thomann have them at £255 as part of their T Rex clearance. 

I think the block approach is appealing but I'm not sure I've ever seen one that is exactly the right combination of effects for me ( although that combination shifts over time so even if I did then it would be wrong by the time I'd had it a week). 

NorthernStomps

Not interested in going full multifx with something like the HX Stomp?

ICBM

Voxman said:

I've now come across the Mooer RedTruck that is about 4 times the price of the Rockstage but is clearly a more quality bit of kit

I'm not at all convinced of that. It has the same shitty breakable mini-pots as the normal Mooer mini pedals. Press down hard on one of those and it can do a fair bit of damage inside. The Rockstage at least looks like it has proper knobs so they can't be driven through the casing in the same way.

The Rockstage appears to have its chorus in front of its overdrive, which you either want or don't want... but that's likely to be a limiting factor with a lot of them, as well as the choice of effects.

Voxman

NorthernStomps said:

Not interested in going full multifx with something like the HX Stomp?

I have my Vox Tonelab SE and LE for that

Grumpyrocker

I have been tempted by this kind of thing - the Nux Cerberus looks like a good one.

Gassage

I have a couple of very good boutique ones.

1. A Benado PS1B- which is all Wampler pedals (5- comp, SLODrive, Euph, Delay and Verb) and sensational but they're $1900 new. I would sell it for £400 if interested

2. A Skrystrup special, a one off, that's got a CS2, SD1, OD1 and a DM2W inside. Utterly stunning and not for sale. I know it cost the original owner €2700 and I got it for £600. It is the only one in the world.

However, if you want the best (and you can get them cheap right now at HotRox) the almighty and magnificent Carl Martin Quattro will set you back £380

Plus, the TRex SoulMate and Magnus are brilliant too and highly recommended.

And all the Boss ME range.

sgosden

Gassage said:

2. A Skrystrup special, a one off, that's got a CS2, SD1, OD1 and a DM2W inside. Utterly stunning and not for sale. I know it cost the original owner €2700 and I got it for £600. It is the only one in the world.

Couldn't you achieve the same thing with those pedals on a PT nano?

Gassage

sgosden said:

Gassage said:

2. A Skrystrup special, a one off, that's got a CS2, SD1, OD1 and a DM2W inside. Utterly stunning and not for sale. I know it cost the original owner €2700 and I got it for £600. It is the only one in the world.

Couldn't you achieve the same thing with those pedals on a PT nano?

Probably. But not quite as the pedals have all been modded by Steen Skrydtrup- there's toggle sliders also on the OD and DM to change voicings (you can see them in the pic). And it's a rather nice thing to have as there's only one in the world. It's also got a S/R loop.

Voxman

Thanks guys - disappointing to hear @icbm that the Mooer footswitch quality isn't as good as those in the Rockstage - a pedal that's a quarter of its price.

@Gassage thanks for the offer but way more than I'd want to spend.  Re Boss ME range, no - not for this purpose as these are bigger, heavier units & I have a Tonelab LE (& SE) as stage rigs - the ME distortions are not for me, its COSM amp models are not good, and for a full stage rig I want patch-naming that the ME's don't have.  So, my TL's fit the bill here.

Grumpyrocker said:I have been tempted by this kind of thing - the Nux Cerberus looks like a good one

It certainly looks like the most feature packed unit of this type that I've seen, but it was the simplicity and compactness of the Rockstage and RedTruck that first appealed, and based on the videos I think their distortion tones might be better.  But I'll certainly keep an open mind here particularly as the Nux Cerberus can be found for around £155.  

Gassage

@voxman Before you buy, keep an eye on this https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/T-Rex-Soulmate-Multi-Effects-Pedal/233152589586?hash=item3648fa2f12:g:SR0AAOSwtOZcXxAH

Voxman

Gassage said:

@voxman Before you buy, keep an eye on this https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/T-Rex-Soulmate-Multi-Effects-Pedal/233152589586?hash=item3648fa2f12:g:SR0AAOSwtOZcXxAH

Thanks for the heads up @Gassage ;; - haven't looked at the vids for that one yet, but I will

EricTheWeary

Voxman said:

Gassage said:

@voxman Before you buy, keep an eye on this https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/T-Rex-Soulmate-Multi-Effects-Pedal/233152589586?hash=item3648fa2f12:g:SR0AAOSwtOZcXxAH

Thanks for the heads up @Gassage ;; - haven't looked at the vids for that one yet, but I will

The BIN price is £20 less than a new one from thomann. Woo hoo...

ICBM

Voxman said:

Thanks guys - disappointing to hear @icbm that the Mooer footswitch quality isn't as good as those in the Rockstage - a pedal that's a quarter of its price.

Maybe that as well. It was really the little pots I meant though - those Mooer ones which are basically the shaft of a mini-pot poking through a hole in the panel are a pain in the backside - difficult to adjust, and easy to break.

There's also the Tech 21 Fly Rig, but that shares the same problem. Although I tried one recently and thought the 'overdrive pedal' section sounded crap. (The 'amp' bit was OK.)

PolarityMan

If you cant change what each block is then what is the point of having a multi-fx over individual pedals? Can you at least to presets with those kind of pedals?

Voxman

ICBM said:

Voxman said:

Thanks guys - disappointing to hear @icbm that the Mooer footswitch quality isn't as good as those in the Rockstage - a pedal that's a quarter of its price.

Maybe that as well. It was really the little pots I meant though - those Mooer ones which are basically the shaft of a mini-pot poking through a hole in the panel are a pain in the backside - difficult to adjust, and easy to break.

There's also the Tech 21 Fly Rig, but that shares the same problem. Although I tried one recently and thought the 'overdrive pedal' section sounded crap. (The 'amp' bit was OK.)

Ah, thanks for the clarification, I'm with you now.

I can pick up a brand new Rockstage on EBay for around £54 and for that price it's a nice little unit even for home use to put through my valve amps that I could leave permanently out without taking up any room and having to pull out my BCB60 board or set up my Tonelabs.  Yes, other units are more sophisticated, but based on reviews & what I've heard on vids hardly seems a big risk!

Voxman

PolarityMan said:

If you cant change what each block is then what is the point of having a multi-fx over individual pedals? Can you at least to presets with those kind of pedals?

I think these are intended as a 'halfway house' for folk that are not looking for a full MFX unit but want a simple solution to get some basic 'core' effects that are pig easy to tweak on the fly in a unit that is a fraction of the size/weight of conventional pedals.  The appeal for me is just that.  I already have a conventional pedal board, and three Vox Tonelabs (SE, LE & ST). Something like the Rockstage gives me something different that's cheap & cheerful & that sounds really good - it certainly seems to be well made and punches way above its price point.  If the Mooer RedTruck was say £100, I'd go for that - but at 4 x the price the Rockstage offers way better bang for buck. 

But I'm mulling over - despite @ICBM 's cautionary note, I might hold back a while (I'm in no rush) to see if the prices drop and/or if any pre-owned ones start appearing.

ICBM

Voxman said:

despite @ICBM 's cautionary note

If the purpose is only home use and you don't stamp on it like an elephant it won't be a problem . Just not so sure about gigging where things tend to be a bit less under your control.

But it does seem a bit too expensive at £200, when you can buy a Boss ME-80 - I know we've been round that and it's got faults too, but you can't argue with its sheer functionality - for only a few quid more.

Voxman

ICBM said:

Voxman said:

despite @ICBM 's cautionary note

If the purpose is only home use and you don't stamp on it like an elephant it won't be a problem . Just not so sure about gigging where things tend to be a bit less under your control.

But it does seem a bit too expensive at £200, when you can buy a Boss ME-80 - I know we've been round that and it's got faults too, but you can't argue with its sheer functionality - for only a few quid more.

Agreed re ME80, & in typical Boss fashion, built like a tank - but its a different type of unit for a different sector of the market (although no good for my needs as you know & my Tonelabs do the job I need for gigging anyway). As I said, it's the simplicity, lightness and small size of the Rockstage that appealed. 

ICBM

There's a BE-5 on Ebay right now for £100 too. (Plus postage.)