View Single Post
  #36  
Old 08-19-2016, 09:45 AM
Steve-R Steve-R is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: St Louis, MO
Posts: 183
Default

The Boss VE-8 and the TC Play Acoustic, while achieving basically the same end result, are really two totally different pedals in design I believe.

The Play Acoustic has settings you input by hand through the digital interface (you can choose by genres and tweak from there, along with adding your own "favorites". You can customize settings and call them up later when playing). The buttons are small (the display is as well), and you have to store settings. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love TC equipment and this unit is no exception: It sounds great and I really liked it, but for my use it wasn't pragmatic. I took it back, and I'll make that point in summary later.

While I don't own the VE-8, I have played it extensively and found it very user friendly, as it has knobs for all settings, a volume for both the voice and the guitar, and basic effects (yes, with knobs) for both as well. I also thought the harmonies were pretty good, and I also like that you can control the harmony level with a knob as well. With the Play Acoustic, you have to "drill down" into the settings, and the levels are displayed digitally (and small). That'd be tough for me in a live setting, and I'd think for others as well.

So here's my point: As a gigging solo singer/guitarist (10 years of 2-3 jobs a week), I think the VE-8 is much better for "on the fly" guys like myself. I play a lot of bars/restaurants, stand while playing, and usually without a setlist. It's important to have pedals, or for that matter a sound system, that I can easily manage and adjust while playing. My trusty ol' Vocalist Live 3 bit the dust so I went out shopping and came to this conclusion. As such, the Play Acoustic goes back and I'll see how the VE-8 works out - in real-world applications it seems like it fits the bill. If not, it's Ebay for another VL3

Just my two cents worth, but thought I'd pass it along since these kinds of things are sometimes important to folks like us and may save someone a little trouble.

Cheers!

Steve-R
Reply With Quote