What multifx (no amp sim required) would you recommend for a bass beginner?

[molul]

My uncle recently started learning bass, and he saw my Helix LT and was interested in getting something like that instead of buying several pedals (compressor, distortion, chorus, flanger, delay...).

I was thinking of HX Effects for his use case (he has a nice bass amp and doesn't need amp simulation), but being forced to use HX Edit is a big con, and on the other hand, I think a device like Hotone's would be enough for him to start learning about effects. I mean, he doesn't need the best quality, just something cheap and nice to get familiar with this new world for him.

What would you recommend?

 

[ian_dissonance]

Yeah, for a beginner whatever is going to fit their approach is best. I would honestly recommend avoiding much for FX until you have some confidence on the instrument. Always reminding people of that when I was doing lessons. FX are cool, but they’re not important until you can play something.

 

[molul]

He knows how to play enough I was hoping more for device names than general advice, but thanks anyway :)

 

[ian_dissonance]

He knows how to play enough I was hoping more for device names than general advice, but thanks anyway :)

Boss GX-10. Super easy, touchscreen, classic FX, not crazy expensive, built solid.

 

[Desertdweller]

@molul The best bass rig I ever had was a tuner, a MXR bass compressor, and a DarkGlass preamp. $600 new or $500ish used and you have a full rig, headphone ready, with an XLR out. Bass generally doesn't need delay, chorus, or reverb, but it can be nice to add sometimes. Bass needs punch, width, and girth. A bassist needs to be able to control these at will.

This compressor


This preamp


For fun you can check out these also awesome offerings from Ampeg and Mesa:



If you really need a multi-FX, nothing beats the control and functionality of the Line 6 HX Effects, but a good FX pedal with some of the best quality around would be the Fractal VP4. But neither has a preamp section, they're effects only.

 

[Desertdweller]

Here's a great pedalboard rundown from Amos Williams of Tesseract. He runs an all-pedal platform rig:

 

[ragingplatypi]

My first recommendation would be an HX Stomp if it’s not too expensive. It’s easy to figure out and it’s what the pros use.
My budget choice would for a new box would be the Zoom Multistomp

MS-60B+ MultiStomp for Bassists | Buy Now

MS-60B+ MultiStomp for Bassists

zoomcorp.com

Then there’s a myriad of choices on the used market.