Vox StompLab IIB

The Vox StompLab IIB is a compact floor pedal that gives bass players amp modeling and multi-effects in one metal box. MusicRadar's reviewer Trevor Curwen describes it as two things in one: an amp processor and multi-effects unit for home headphone practice that can also sit between bass and amp¹. It is the treadle-equipped model in the StompLab range, a series of multi-effects pedals for guitar and bass that Vox announced in September 2012 and that arrived in December of that year²³.

What it does and how it is controlled

The IIB provides 61 types of modeling covering amp, cabinet and effects, with 100 preset programs on board². Its factory preset banks are categorised by musical style: Jazz/Fusion, Pop 1, Pop 2, Rock 1, Rock 2, Heavy Funk 1, Funk 2, Dance and Other¹. Two footswitches scroll up and down through the presets in each bank, loading them immediately¹.

Instant tweaking comes from two chickenhead knobs: one controls the amount of gain and the other controls the output volume¹. The treadle works as an expression pedal that can control volume, wah or whatever parameter is assigned to it¹, and the IIB also allows for volume control through it¹².

Bypassing and tuning are handled by the footswitch pair:

• Hitting both footswitches bypasses all effects
• Holding them down for a second or so mutes the StompLab's output
• Both methods bring the onboard auto chromatic tuner into play¹

Where it came from and how the range fits together

The StompLab IIB shares its architecture with the rest of the range, and the modeling count is substantial: Vox's stompboxes in the line offer 60 and 61 types of modeling including amp, cabinet, and effects, with 100 preset programs². Reviewer Phil Curwen, writing on the IIB, notes the family resemblance: "Vox being a Korg company, we can see a similarity here to its Pandora range of processors, which have a similar architecture" in terms of the multi-effects chain and range of effects available¹.

Curwen sees a family resemblance in the circuit design: Vox being a Korg company, he notes a similarity to Korg's Pandora range of processors, which have a similar architecture in terms of the multi-effects chain and range of effects available¹. The guitar-side siblings are covered on the StompLab 1G, StompLab IG, StompLab 2G and StompLab IIG pages, with the non-treadle bass model on the StompLab IB page. For players weighing a bigger unit, Vox's ToneLab ST sits in the same family of modeling pedals, and the broader field is covered on the multi-effects pedals type page.

What reviewers said

MusicRadar's review of the IIB lists the nice prices, the wide range of sounds covered and the space-saving mini-treadle among its reasons to buy¹. On the treadle itself, Curwen wrote:

On the amp models, he found the range of amps covers a selection that focuses directly on a bass player's needs in a dedicated pedal, much better than cursory bass presets in a guitar pedal¹. On build and size, he judged it rugged enough for stage use and probably small enough not to cause too much congestion on a pedalboard¹. His verdict on value was the strongest note of the review:

The review also flags one drawback: the display abbreviations, which Curwen counts as a reason to avoid, since you need to look up what they mean¹.

Vox's own product material describes the StompLab series as impressive new contenders that pack powerful sounds into compact and sophisticated looking metal bodies⁵.

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