Zoom B1X Four Bass Multi-Effects Processor with Expression Pedal, with 70+ Built-in Effects, Amp Modeling, Looper, Rhythm Section, Tuner, Battery Powered

I got this nice upgrade after using a less than stellar compression pedal that was fine at home, but horrible on stage.Pros: it’s got lots of power even before it gets plugged into my Peavey Maxx 112amp. You can plug in your phone with a dongle adapter you can get so it has the 35 mm jack again hooked up to the new style iPhone plug adapter to have backing tracks along with your bass. Mine is mixed in tandem with my amp so I can have my IEM as well with my extended IEM connector cable. It sounds like an on stage system for me and is perfect with lots of patches you can have or take away, I use a 750 (ToneHammer simulation) and SVT (simulation) on it quite a bit. It’s not a Stomp by no means, but gets the job done for less money.Cons: It’s very light weight and boomy (rattles the walls and windows) if you live in an apartment like I do with a Karen neighbor upstairs I finally ran off, before deciding to just use it where only I can hear it

Whoa, if you want some superior bang for your FX pedal bucks, this Zoom B1-4 is the deal of the century!I'm NOT exaggerating. This little jewel is undoubtedly the BEST bass effects pedal I've ever owned or played with. It has everything you'll need, including amp modelling, outstanding compression--the "Glam Comp" setting delivers jaw-dropping sustain, the likes of which I've NEVER heard before--an auto-wah that is a blast to play with, all sorts of nifty filter variations, and even some classic amp tone models right out of the history books. When I first plugged it in and started messing with it, I was astonished by this unit's range and versatility. I could get nearly any tone or amp sound, any kind of filter effect I wanted. It's ridiculously simple to use and has an open, "blank" bank in it that allows you to copy an effect from a different bank into an open slot. It's stupid-easy to set up a series of presets in linear order in the blank bank so that just a touch of your toe cycles quickly to the effect you want. I set mine up with the auto-wah first, then the "hard comp," followed by the "glam comp," with an Ampeg SVT amp model, then a vintage Fender cabinet, leaving four more slots open if I want to add something else, simply by copying the desired patch--a three click operation--into any of the remaining slots. Make a mistake? Easy-peasy: delete it and do it again. Takes less than a minute to reprogram it.Not satisfied with the internal patches? No prob; the unit lets you tweak the parameters to suit your own ears. I didn't get into that; I really liked what I heard. Zoom's engineers really put some serious thought and research into this.There are only two drawbacks: it's made of a relatively lightweight plastic, not aluminum or steel, so it's a wee bit fragile. DON'T drop it! I suggest buying the carrier case that's available. I'm glad I did. It's a hardshell case and protects the unit really well.The other drawback is that some of the patches are a bit...well, WEIRD. One of them is labelled "Explosion." I tried it. Yes, it sounds like someone set off a nuke in the next county. Or a really mean thunderstorm. I dunno, you metal players might find a use for it--but a few oddball patches that I'll never use does not mean a deal-breaker.The price will make your jaw drop, too: around $90. (Zoom might increase the price later. I'm astounded that it's THIS inexpensive.) Shipping will add a bit more and if you get the case, you're looking at a total of around $125 for both. Yes, it comes with a wall-wart that has a nice long cord. All told, the Zoom B1-4 is about HALF the price of a comparable steel or aluminum sheathed unit from any other manufacturer--and it does five times the job. It's clean and quiet enough for recording. Onstage, it sounds frickin' AWESOME. I kick the glam comp on when I hit a low E at the end of a tune and that note will sustain for several minutes. I do NOT exaggerate!No foolin', this is the deal of the century. It's now the ONLY pedal I use onstage for my bass (a Squire Affinity series J-bass with active electronics which is itself an awesome machine.) and I can't see myself using anything else for some time to come. Warning: it will peg the meters on the sound board if you don't give the engineer a heads-up during the sound check. I'm serious. This little beast is POWERFUL.

Update: I've had this for about a month now and this pedal does provide some really good tones but the one I have is susceptible to radio interference when using higher gain settings which is somewhat reminiscent of a scene in the Spinal Tap movie. Cleaner tones are fine but for high gain stuff this may not work for you.I purchased this as a backup to my main multi fx amp modeler and for that purpose it's fine. It is an entry level multi fx/modeler so don't expect Fractal FM9 tones. Overall I'm happy with it and it's good to have in the gig box in case the main unit craps out. Here are some pros, cons, and tips.Pros: Great value. Good selection of effects, amps and cab sims. With a bit of tweaking good tones can be had. Primarily plastic construction but the build quality is good. There is a rhythm function for practice, and a looper as well. The Guitar Lab app make editing presets pretty easy on your PC or Mac.Cons: Most of the presets are set to run into the front of a guitar amp are not going to sound good without changes if you run through a PA or FRFR. Presets have up to 5 effect/amp/cab blocks available and when used as a modeler 2 blocks are going to be used for the amp and cab sim leaving only 3 for effects and such. The user interface on the pedal wasn't intuitive for me so it took some time to figure out.Tips: Download the full manual and the Guitar Lab app from the Zoom website. The included quick start guide just covers the basics. If you use headphones, PA or a full range flat response speaker the "mic" setting on the cab sim blocks must be turned on. Any preset with a cab sim has that setting turned off by default.So to recap, it's a good unit, the price is reasonable and Zoom makes quality stuff.