Posted: 3/31/2026 7:36:23 AM EDT
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Because I have nerve damage, my left hand is very weak and I lack dexterity. Playing used to be fun. Now, I can only play for 15 to 20 minutes before my hand starts to hurt and I want to give up. Something else that makes it not fun is that when my hand gets tired I hit more wrong notes than right ones, and it sounds horrible to me. I need to play more, build up my strength, with stronger fingers, the dexterity will come back. I think. In order to make it more fun again, I'm thinking about adding a cheap multifunction pedal to my kit. What does arfcom think about these choices?  
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Don't piss off old people. The older we get, the less "Life in Prison" is a deterrent.
| Zoom has been in the game a very long time and while they're not generally unearthing earth shattering tones, I've always had fun with the Zoom multi-effects pedals. I'd buy that one especially at the price with no regrets. There's a Vox unit for similar money through Sweetwater you might consider for $150. |
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Stretch your budget just a little to go Mooer GE150 at $120-ish, or go with Sonicake Matribox for under $100. Nicer display. Can't recall which parent companies but most of these inexpensive modelers are made by 2 main companies so the programming(tones) is the same but slight differences in the interface. Zoom has done anything new in a while. Between those two, the Mooer. I used their IR loader (Radar) for a couple years and it was a good device. ETA: I hear ya on the hands. I have Lupus and Sjogrens and guitar really gives me something that doesn't seem like PT to keep my hands limber as possible. Best of luck on your recovery! |
Crap Magnet Extraordinaire
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SC, USA
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I don't know anything about those, other than like the poster above me said, Zoom has been in the game a while and they do make some good stuff. I use a Boss ME90 multi effects unit. The stuff it can do is absolutely amazing. It's pretty much every effects box Roland / Boss makes, plus tons of cabinets and amps, delays ( digital and analogue ). It's fantastic. The problem, is it's also damn near too complicated for me, so I've made one great sounding late 80s rock guitar sound, and one great acoustic with a touch of reverb , chorus, and delay. I haven't done anything else. It's a great system, but it's way too complicated and the instructions and the online videos just don't help. I wish I could find a good multi effects processor like I used to have. I'm going to go back to a pedal board at some point. Really, I'd go back to a Gallien Krueger 250 series II if I could find one in good condition that I could afford. That's the one that Iron Maiden used on Somewhere in Time and 7th son of a 7th son. It had fantastic metal and rock tones, and beautiful cleans, and I could get the crunchy stuff I liked. Everybody wants a ton for them now. Just make sure whatever you buy has good instructions and not one piece of paper that folds out into a 3ft x 3ft paper, that still doesn't give you more than basic info. |
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I don't know each of these specific units, but if it is just for noodling around, they will all give you a shit ton of options to play with, and many presets to get you nearly any tone you are looking for. Some may not be giggable quality tones or tough enough to take on the road, but they will be more than adequate for home use. I would look more at the interface, and what gives you the level of control you are looking for. I haven't played with them in years, but I do remember some were very clunky to adjust or to access different features. I am guessing they have come a long way, but I would recommended finding the interface that works best for you and going with that. Good luck |
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I have had the Mooer GE150 for about 10 months, it's amazing. It's like magic in a little box. With the computer app, you can really dial in just about any tone you want. If you're familiar with Criss Oliva from Savatage, he had a real unique tone. I think I about nailed. I love the thing, I don't even use my amp anymore. I have presets for Oliva, Blackmore, Iommi, George Lynch, old Metallica, etc... You can import IR presets also. |
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Originally Posted By Middleofthemgmt: Are you planning on running this into an amp or some kind of speaker, or just headphone noodling? If it's the latter, I'd just get a USB interface for your computer. There are tons of great free plugins these days, like Nueral and Amplitube. I have a Fender Frontman 15G amp that came as a part of the package. That's what I'll be running it into. |
Don't piss off old people. The older we get, the less "Life in Prison" is a deterrent.
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I've read reviews that say the Zoom is more user-friendly for beginners (me) while the Mooer is better for more advanced users. Any insight on this? I'm all for user-friendly. Except when it comes to ex-wives. But I digress. |
Don't piss off old people. The older we get, the less "Life in Prison" is a deterrent.
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My suggestion is you skip the Frontman 15G amp or any amp for that matter and use decent headphones and the tone world will open up with headphones compared to a guitar amp. If you just want a mid tone that has reverb and or distortion, sure the amp will be fine, but at the end of the day, it's a guitar amp not made for a modeler. I have the Sonicake Pocket Master and for small portable, ( comes with a built in belt clip ) is has great tones and is very flexible in how you set it up. You can get it on Amazon for $60. I play the background music via bluetooth from my phone or ipad through the Sonicake with guitar and through headphones and when I switched to headphones from an amp I fell in love with guitar again. |
Mach
Nobody is coming to save us.
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Nobody is coming to save us.
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Originally Posted By Mach: My suggestion is you skip the Frontman 15G amp or any amp for that matter and use decent headphones and the tone world will open up with headphones compared to a guitar amp. If you just want a mid tone that has reverb and or distortion, sure the amp will be fine, but at the end of the day, it's a guitar amp not made for a modeler. Interesting thought. My ears are kinda fried from a lifetime of being around guns, loud diesels, and loud turbine engines. My hearing is so bad my tinnitus has tinnitus. So I don't know if I'll even be able to hear nuances. But I may try it with headphones as well. |
Don't piss off old people. The older we get, the less "Life in Prison" is a deterrent.
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Don't piss off old people. The older we get, the less "Life in Prison" is a deterrent.