VOX StompLab 2B Multi-Effects Modeling Pedal with Expression for Bass Guitar

The StompLab has been a part of my signal chain for 5 years. You can pick one up super-cheap, it's very light (about 1lb), and it can also be powered with AA batteries.Tweaking the tone is a little confusing at first, but I'm really happy with my custom settings. The stock tone models are absolute garbage though.Here are my settings that I gig with:Acoustic & Clean/More Bass Tones (U0)PDL - oFAMP/DRV - c3 - 5.2 - 9.0 (Pure Clean)LO - 10 - 8.6HI - 4.6 - 6.9CAB - CU - 10MOD - oFDLY - A3 - 3.1 - 1.4REV - HL - 2.3 - 4.8NR - 0.0GL - Ln - 7.0Acoustic & Clean/Brighter (U1)PDL - To - 10AMP/DRV - c3 - 10 - 6.2LO - 3.9 - 3.4HI - 5.8 - 5.6CAB - CU - 10MOD - oFDLY - A3 - 3.1 - 2.4REV - rM - 10 - 5.3NR - 0.0GL - Ln - 7.0Little Bit of Grit (U2)PDL - oFAMP/DRV - C1 - 6.7 - 5.3 (Fender Tweed)LO - 4.4 - 10HI - 6.5 - 10CAB - U2MOD - oFDLY - E2 - 3.0 - 3.8REV - rM - 7.8 - 5.6NR - 9.4GL - Ln - 7.0Little More Grit (U3)PDL - oFAMP/DRV - o1 - 10 - 4.8 (Digitech Tone Driver)LO - 4.4 - 10HI - 6.5 - 10CAB - U2MOD - oFDLY - E2 - 3.0 - 3.8REV - rM - 7.8 - 5.6NR - 9.4GL - Ln - 7.0Guv'nor Overdrive (U4) -- **My Lead Go-To**PDL - oFAMP/DRV - d1 - 6.7 - 5.3 (Marshall Guv'nor)LO - 7.4 - 10HI - 6.5 - 10CAB - U2MOD - oFDLY - E2 - 3.0 - 3.8REV - rM - 7.8 - 5.6NR - 9.4GL - Ln - 7.0Tube Screamer (U7)PDL - oFAMP/DRV - o5 - 7.2 - 5.6 (Ibanez TS9)LO - 10 - 10HI - 6.5 - 10CAB - U2MOD - oFDLY - E2 - 3.0 - 3.8REV - rM - 7.8 - 5.6NR - 9.4GL - Ln - 7.0To make a custom tone, select any of the 20 user settings (u1 - u10, or U1 - U10), then push the EDIT button. The preset name will begin blinking. Spin the preset dial counter-clockwise and start with PDL.If you want to cycle through the options, push the EFFECT TYPE buttons:--PDL cycles through pedal effects (wah, octaver, uni-vibe, etc)--AMP/DRV cycles through different amps and distortion/overdrive/fuzz--CAB cycles through cabinet types--MOD for different chorus/flanger/mod pedals--DLY goes through different delay types (analog/digital/echo)--REV goes through Room/Spring/Hall--The effect button doesn't do anything for LO, HI, NR, or GL.The 2 other dials determine the settings of what you've chosen.To remove a pedal or mods, for example -- hold the 2 EFFECT TYPE buttons together for about 2 seconds.Here's what the dials refer to for each setting:PDL - Value 1 & 2 dependent on the pedal type selectedAMP/DRV - 1: Gain, 2: LevelLO - 1: Bass, 2: MidHI - 1: Treble, 2: PresenceCAB - 1: Nothing (except Custom Cabinet (CU), 2: N/AMOD - Value 1 & 2 dependent on the mod type selectedDLY - 1: Time, 2: MixREV - 1: Time, 2: MixNR - 1: Noise Reduction Level, 2: N/AGL - 1: Amp/Line Selection, 2: Master Volume

I play solo jazz, back up singers, small duos and in country combos. I needed a new tuner and a reverb pedal for the price of a modest tuner. This does both (and more) for less. The fewer pedals, the better and they need to work with my 1spot. Spendy gear is not a realistic use of my modest funds. I use a Bad Monkey for my basic dirt as it works with an amp or direct. The Monkey goes into the Stomplab where user patches 1,3 5,7 and 9 have the same identical settings: Modest compression, slap back delay and some room reverb. Spaces 0,2,4,6 and 8 have the novelty effects like flanging, big reverb with big delay, tremelo etc. That way, I'm only 1 click away from normal at any time and I don't have to hop around on the pedal to get out of a weird patch. The tremelo is neither square nor sine wave but in between. I add some delay and it smoothes out. I like the compressor, only 2 knobs and fairly unobtrusive, not clicky. The other modulations are 2 knob and not very complex sounding but hey reminded me of old Magnatone amps. The room reverb is more believable than many more expensive pedals. The spring reverbs sounded amp like - more Silvertone than Fender. The overdrives were not for me. I set the stomplab as clean and neutral as possible. The Ocatvia seemed usable. All the stttings can be made to have the same volume.If your tastes run to Alabama Shakes, Southern Culture on the Skids, or other rootsy lo-fi., you can dial that right in. Try get that stuff with expensive gear! I need clean with some ambiance without a $500 case of pedals so I'm happy. Great price and easy to use once you get the hang of it. Both of my pedals could fit in my gigbag front pocket.CONS: If you buy one, download the PDF manual, cut and paste the charts on one sheet at a font size you can read. The manual that comes with has tiny, tiny print and is not handy to flip through. No power supply included. Not easy to change parameters on the fly at a gig.

This will convert a basic practice amp into a modeling amp. I'd say out of the 100 presets in this thing - about half of them are actually usable. For me, this turned an almost "free" bundled 10W practice amp I had into more or less the equivalent of my 40W Peavey VIP II modeling amp. Once I figured out which presets I liked - it's easy enough to switch between them, and they do sound great.On the negative side - I have no idea what the controls do (beyond the main "mode" selector switch) and the manual did not help me. YouTube was not much help either. I'm sure if I understood how amps worked better the controls would make more since to me... but for now, I have no idea what they do or how to properly use them. I only know on some presets the foot pedal seems to do various stuff and on others it does not. Same for the two chicken head knobs. I just stick them in the middle setting and leave them alone... a I leave the pedal depressed.I suppose if you knew what you were doing you could use this thing on a stage to quickly change between a lot of great sounds, inexpensively (a lot cheaper than a bunch of pedals). But for me - I can't figure out how to do that.