I have played guitar for almost 30 years but have not done much in the past 10 years or so beyond playing acoustic or unplugged guitars in my lounge. However, I’m now getting back into the guitar and looking to pick up something decent but cheap for an effects unit. I have no space for a huge multi pedal board as I had years ago, so more looking at the multi effects units. However, having lost touch over the past 10 years, I am not too sure where the technology is up to now?!

I am essentially ideally wanting something cheap to fairly cheap that can give me good amp simulation and multi effects. I tend to enjoy playing rock/alternative stuff that are riff based, think Rage Against the Machine, Muse etc, so that’s the kind of sounds I’d be looking to emulate without having to sell a kidney for a Kemper Profiler and a Line 6 Helix system!

Is there anything worthy out there in the reasonably affordable range for a hobbyist purpose? I tend to use AmpliTube and Positive Grid stuff if recording, so this is going to be solely for jamming for pleasure and not any studio or recording work (unless the tech is now that good of course!).

 

Great thing about software amp sims is that you can find used hardware units really cheap these days. I would look for older 'flagship' units from Boss, Vox and even Zoom that come with modulation pedals and all the other bells and whistles you can imagine. You can easily find them for 100-200 dollars/euros. If you know what you are doing, you can get great sounds from all of them. Time hasn't changed that.

 

Line 6 HX Stomp Guitar Multi-effects Floor Processor
The HX Stomp has the same HX modeling technology as the main Line 6 Helix! So that means great sound. However, it runs 6 processing blocks at one time (so you can run a few effects in the chain as well as amp modeling) but on the Helix, you can run 12. So you’d need to decide which is best for your needs.
https://line6.com/support/topic/36658-hx-stomp-are-6-blocks-enough-not-really/

 

Last edited: Jun 16, 2019

I would bet for this brand or at least for this model https://digitech.com/en/products/rp360-xp
Been using this one ( now discontinued) for 8 years and love it https://digitech.com/en/products/rp255

 

Last edited: Jun 16, 2019

https://www.tcelectronic.com/Catego...ocessors/NOVA-SYSTEM/p/P0CLX#googtrans(en|en)

 

On the cheaper side a ZOOM G3XN makes an ideal effects unit for practice through an amp or headphones:

 

I suggest you check out the Boss ME-8, no digital overdrive simulations on that unit, all analogue compressor, overdrive/distortions, many digital effects and has amp/cab sim for jamming.
That will also give you more options when recording, you can use the analogue overdrive/distortion into vst amp/cab sims.
Detailed info here...
https://audiosex.pro/threads/boss-me-5-me-8-guitar-fx.26501/

 

So, I did some research and I found Boas Katana amps. They sound very good, and they have a lot of flexibility, having Boss pedals modeled inside the amp. They have both combo and head. Check them definitely!

 

I have the Boss GT6 and GT8, and my collection of pedals, so I enjoy both worlds.
But it seems to me that the IR loaders are game changers. You can use your old pedals with your favourite OD and modulation or whatever, and add a IR loader at the end and sound like you are playing through an amp rig that you will never be able to afford. I never felt like that using the Boss's amp modelers. There are now devices that can load IRs from whatever amp/speaker/microphone you want (dozens upon dozens of free and paid IRs on the web), and they sound WAY more realistic that any amp modeler that I tried so far.
I have no idea where the IR technology will be in, say, the next 10 years, but already today you can have incredible stuff for very, very reasonably prices, and you can use your own weird pedal effects.

In november I spent a week playing with a small cheap Cerberus, which cost around 200 euros, and puts my GT6 to sleep, mixing analog circuits in the OD/Dist part, digital resources for delay/reverb/chorus/phaser/tremolo, stereo outs, expresson IN, MIDI in/out, loop to add whatever you want, loads IR from several amps/speakers, one OUT that can go directly to your recording interface, and all in a small metal box. Heck, you can even use the 4 cable method with your amp, if you want.
And the Cerberus is just the cheapo in that division.
Something like this would have been impossible just 10 years ago. Brilliant stuff.

 

Even though it is old by today's standards, I love the GT8 purely for the fact that is has pots to control parameters. Theres nothing worse than dialling in that tone using buttons or a GUI. It has Big Muff emulation and that is what took the money out of my wallet at the time

 

For rock and such, VOX Tonelab all the way.

Tonelab SE or LE (second hand) for cheap
I advice an LE
When i bought it, i sold my last tube amp.

More "modern" (metal ...) oriented, a POD HD 500 pedalboard.

Here is a vid that may help you