FUQ (eff -yu - cue) - FAQ's with an EDGE

Tagged As: Best Guitar Effects Processor

Question:
I'm in the market for an effects processor, and I'm kinda curious about what would be the best deal for my money... I want to spend around $300. Ideally, I'd like to buy something used, as long as it isn't really beat to hell. Distortion and a preamp aren't big requirements, since I have an amp with nice overdrive and an effects loop. MIDI capability would be nice, though. The most important thing would be for the thing to have *excellent* basic effects, like chorus, flange, eq, pitch shift, etc. I've been looking for the past month and I get more confused by the minute. Please help me ?! What's the best f/x processor (used) for around $300?

Answer:
I would say that the new ART/ECC guitar fx processor would be worth a look. Has all the effects you listed plus steel construction/rugged. I bought an ECC from Musician's Friend for ~$300.00 and am happy with the output. There are 8 different distortion types (3 good ones), a modulation section (tremolo/pan, flange, chorus, pitch shift), as well as delay and reverb. I found it very easy to use. It also works great with a volume pedal (which can double as a wah-wah via the processor). For more reviews, the ideal place to check is the Guitar Effects database - this greatly affected my decision: http://harmony-central.mit.edu/Guitar/