J-Station/POD/etc. vs. single effects pedals

  • Thread starter Thread starter Dolemite
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Dolemite

Dolemite

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Hey guys,

I was sure this topic had been covered, but I did a bunch of searches and came up with jack squat, so here goes. I'm still learning both acoustic and electric guitar, making steady progress, and I feel like I'm at the point where I want to add some effects. I recently sold my Epiphone Special II after acquiring a Raven RM2000. Anyway, I'm looking for a way to get a decent recorded sound, on a budget of course. I have a Vox Pathfinder solid state amp that has pretty decent Tremolo and a bit of overdrive/distortion. I'm looking for some more AC30ish tones along with some heavier distortion and compression. I'm left wondering which is the best alternative between a multi-effects/preamp unit like the J-Station/POD and a chain of separate effects pedals. I have to admit I kind of like the idea of the separate pedals but sound is my main concern, and I have been hearing good things about the J-Station, which is just within my budget. Any thoughts or suggestions?
 
With the j-station so cheap,its like a whole bag of pedals.I have one,and I'm real happy with it.I also have vintage tube amps but I love the ability to directly inject 24 bit audio via S/PDIF into the computer.I've used it both with my home recording setup as well as live with my band.

Tom
 
As amp modeling direct recording devices, the POD and J Station are good. As effects units they are less good, but certainly not bad. If excellent, fully dimensional, and deeply editable effects are your main concern, these devices will leave you wanting more.
 
I you just want effects to use with the Vox Pathfinder, nothing will give you the variety that individual pedals or rackmount effects will. The downside is that they require 9v power supplies, pedalboards, or batteries to power them...or MIDI switching devices if you are use rackmount effects in a live situation.

One thing I would consider is a multi-effects unit. The Boss GT-6 multi effects unit is their new one ....it has lots of effects and amp modeling and I imagine it would be versatile....I haven't played it because it's brand new. I've seen it selling for $350-400. The Boss GT-3 is selling for about $275-300. Digitech and Zoom make some even more affordable ones.

I've always liked individual pedals. They are easy to tweak and set-up and when you want to turn one on or off you can just stomp on it. If you want the good distortion effects then look at pedals. Jeykal and Hyde, Ibanez, Voodoo Labs, Boss, Marshall, etc. There are many more but my brain isn't working right now.....I have terrorists on my mind.
 
Thanks for the responses guys.

Tom,

I'm interested in your experience using the J-Station live. How has that worked for you? Are you using any sort of foot controller with it?

Wide Awake,

I have tried some of the multi effects units but I have never tried actual individual pedals. I'm borrowing a friend's DOD GS30 which is a fairly recent multi effects pedal/amp simulator, and it seems to be pretty decent. Some of the presets sounded good but it just seems like more of a distraction than anything, trying to get it to make the sound I want.

I'm leading more towards the J-Station but I'm still wondering which would be the best-sounding option. With that in mind, could anyone recommend a decent set of effects pedals that would sound good and cover some of the basic effects like compression, distortion, etc.? It seems like these individual effects might end up being a lot more expensive in the long run compared to a single unit that could cover a lot of ground...
 
Here's my two cents worth. I love to use the J Station to record guitar and bass. I've also owned a Line6 POD, and the guitar amp sounds are great for recording.

But, as far as live goes, Im going back to stomp boxes. I play in settings where the set list is not mapped out. Could play any one of thousands of classic rock, country or blues songs. So i need the spontaneous ability of using individual effects with a tube amp.

I also play in an acoustic duo. I've tried using J station or POD directly into a PA, so i could solo on Electric guitar. Never really was thrilled about it. Am going back to playing into a Boss Ad-5 acoustic guitar processor.

When I was in an original band, where we played short shows with a limited set list, I used a Line6 Amp (a full scale POD) and loved it.

Have fun.

The revolution will be televised.
 
How about one of the older Boss multi-effects units (ME-5, ME-6, and ME-8) that are supposedly made up of some of the same analog circuitry of the individual stompboxes? I have heard that some guys swear by those things. Or is newer generally better for multi-effects?
 
POD rocks

I also have a Vox Pathfinder. I usually play a Les Paul through it, so I have a similar setup to yours. I have a POD that I run through the Pathfinder, and it sounds great!

The POD's best feature is not it's effects, but it's ability to emulate different amps. (The POD's speaker cab emulation is off when it is run through a real amp.) The effects are decent on the POD, but I often run stompboxes into the POD instead of using its effects. That way I can turn the effects on and off while I play. With the POD you have to use a knob to turn the effects on and off. (I don't know if they sell a foot pedal for it.)

Anyway, I would HIGHLY recommend a POD. It's like having a whole bunch of different amps with some onboard effects. (It even has some AC-30 emulations.)
 
BluesJunkie,

Yes, there is a footswitch for the POD...
 
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