Zoom G9.2tt

If you are familiar with multieffects units its fair easy to get a good sound out of it. The manual its ok, I would like to have more parameters in the Whammy effect (it has no Mix for dry and affected signal) , other than that is a very good unit.

For me this is the best multieffects unit I have used, definitely its not perfect, but it works great, this is one of the few multieffects in which I can obtain a decent distortion (not digital sounding), modulations and delays are very good, whammy needs a mix control I feel it is a little weak but sounds real !
I bought this after a gig nightmare I had dealing with bad patch cables, so again I send my pedal case to rest for a while(Boss delay, chorus, flanger, noise supresor, ibanez tube screamer, jekyl & hyde distortion, bad horsie & whammy) and gave a try to this zoom, I can tell you that I do not miss the pedals, I can not hear quality differences between them.
I am using this unit in front of a Carvin Legacy head for my main set up, and also with a Roland cube 60, great results both.

Looks undestructible but who knows, ...

I play in 2 bands one is a heavy metal / hard rock band who plays in clubs (from 70's - 2000's rock hits) and other one who plays at weddings and family parties (latin, pop, ballads, some jazz) this unit is working for me right know, I used to have : boss gt6, gt8, m e, toneworks korg, digitech rp2000, pod xt live. this zoom sounds real and I like it better, I also still keep my rack (Rocktron piranha, TC G Major, Mesa 50/50 and BBE) but there is long time I dont use it. Zoom + Legacy has worked great for me.

Its easy enough to use

It trys to be this and that and fails!! comes nowhere near the quailty of modded pedals. Just one modded Boss DS-1 by Monte Allums blows away any overdrive/distortion sound this can do!. Also I dislike amp sims!! stop thinking your getting loads of pricey amp sounds out of this unit? your not!

Built well

Do you want afew top notch sounding pedals of your personal choice or a unit with tons of average effects? any self claimed pro that praises this is deaf! if your a serious guitar player! keep it real

How easy is it to get a good sound out of it?

Pretty easy, you need to read the manual though! tried using headphone and it rips my g2.1u in sound, in front of an amp its awesome

How about Editing patches?

confused at first, with a lot of button and parameters to choose from, but after reading the manual, its a breeze.

How is the manual for it (if there is one)?
easy to read, no rocket science here, but have some errata that s not too serious

Do you know the firmware revision number? Has your unit been upgraded?

no idea!

Can you get the sound of your favorite artists? Who are they?

i like to have my own sound with this unit so no comment on this one

Are certain effects (distortion, chorus, ...) very good? Very bad?
preamp/distortion sound is a topnotch, i can make a very close sound especially to those high gain sound, very authentic.

What setup (i.e. what guitars and amps) are you using this with?

im using a yamaha AES620 through a p1 tube amp, and it rocks!!

Is it noisy? On what settings?
high gain, noisy but you need to use the ZR (zoom noise reduzer)

Are the effects weak or do they always sound great?

very usable effects, its what i need

looks and built like a tank

not dealt yet

from blues to rock to metal, this is a good match. i use pedals before , but i need to switch from clean to high gain distortion so i purchase this unit and it suits me well

How easy is it to get a good sound out of it?

\It takes a little manipulation.

How about Editing patches?

\Same as most similar units. Just grab a knob or click an effect module. Then save if you like what you hear.

How is the manual for it (if there is one)?

\Decent. A little non-linear.

Do you know the firmware revision number? Has your unit been upgraded?

\No, and I wont upgrade. This only adds new patches, Not new sound engines. I can achive any sound I need with the unit stock. And if I need to restore it to factory defaults (which I had to do when the unit arrived from Music123)I can do so with out loosing any upgrades. I can just re-load my saved paches from my other G9.2tt.

Unbeleivable... This is like having a massive rack system including multiple preamps. The two tube cuircuits operate as individual pre and post amps. Adding three stages of gain with enough eq to get whatever you want. I am a Tube and Solid State user and this would satisfy tube purists. The modulation effects are plenty but not necessarily spectacular. The Z-Pedal is groundbreaking however.

I have never had this type of equipment fail in 16 years. Boss, Zoom, even digitech is all extremely reliable. If you have good gear and have not abused it you will allways trust it.

Never.

What style of music do you play? Is this a good match?

\I play Blues, Jazz, Metal, and Rock.

How long have you been playing? What other gear do you own?

\17 years. Many different 4x12 cabs and combos with celestion g12t7516 speakers, G12H100s, G12M70s, and peavey Sheffield 1230's and Black Widows. Too many effects and multi effects to mention.

If you decide to purchase this....Enjoy..I sure have.

* How easy is it to get a good sound out of it?

alot of the presets dont sound good, but they are a good starting point to see what is possible, and you can use them as a starting point to get a sound you like.

* How abou2100 player t Editing patches?

i had a zoom before this, almost identical system of editing, except you have alot more controls to use, i didnt read the manual to start editing stuff on it, i only needed to read the manual for a few extra features like the AARM and assigning the custom buttons.

* How is the manual for it (if there is one)?

fairly well layed out, except the special patches that are meant for using the Z pedal are on a separate sheet of paper, i understand this is because they were added after the original specs were finalise and manual written.

* Do you know the firmware revision number? Has your unit been upgraded?

1.07, no upgrade is available

* Can you get the sound of your favorite artists? Who are they?

i dont really try to copy other artist's sounds, but as for my own sound that i like, i have no problem finding numerous sounds that sound great. i like guitarist like Adam Jones, Omar Rodregez, Jeff martin, and so call post rock, bands like mogwai, Isis and GYBE!, but i like alot of different genres of music.

* Are certain effects (distortion, chorus, ...) very good? Very bad?

there are alot of distortions and amp models, personally i haven't tried all of them, but generally with a bit of EQing you can get them sounding good. im not obsessed with all the amp tone stuff, so im not concerned if they dont sound identical to the original, the Gt9.2tt has 2 tubes, one at the input, and one on output, the first is a parallel circuit of a transistor amp, and tube, so you can blend a digital or analog signal as the pre amp before any of the effects, adds warmth to the sound, and alone can be used as distortion. unfortunately it can not be turned off, and you cannot store different parameters with each patch.

generally the effects are good, ill list all my gripes with the individual effects:

Wahs: dont have alot of range, and sound quite weak in comparison to other stand alone wahs.
Phaser: not as much depth as say a small stone, and compared to the phaser on my old Zoom 2100, it lacks the different tones that were achievable. there is only 4 ranges of colour, where as the 2100 had 10 different depths of the 2 phaser types (like the colour switch on most phasers, then 1-10 of the depth from subtle to over the top.. i like over the top ;) )
Flanger, much the same as the phaser, it doesnt have alot of options, but i really liked the flanger on the 2100, the flanger on the G9.2 sounds alot more like the boss flanger on the GT8.

Overall i wish all the effects had more parameters, there is already a Page button, which is only used for setting up the ARRM feature. it would be nice to see this used for the effects, so each effect could have more then 4 parameters, to allow them to have more variation.
ild love a more customizable pitch shifter (whammy) there are 8 different presets which you cant change, ild like to see one that has the Low pitch, High pitch, Balance, for me it would be more useful.

the unit does contain some nice effects that you cant find in other pedals,

Reverbs are great, as are the delays as far as digital go.
also has a compressor, which i guess is ok. i HATE THE ZOOM NOISE REDUCTION. it destroys quite dynamics when using distortion. ill take a bit of hum over that anyday.

one problem with the delays is when you switch the amp position (before or after the delays/effect2) it will cut the signal of anything that is delaying. so does changing the delay tone or delay time. can be annoying if you have the delay held, and the delay feedback is set to one the pedals, and you bump it, all your delay disappears

the Z pedal is realy great, but setting it up does get a bit difficult. it lets you assign 4 different effects parameters to each axis (4 to the left pedal, 4 to the horizontal right, and 4 vertical right) setting the range (can also be set inversely) and each vertical has the ability to switch the effects on and off, when you stomp down hard (switch under the pedal) it would be great if this could be extended so you could set the parameter range, and also the range of the pedal the effects it,

EG. you have the wah pedal going from the pedal fully down, to half way. then at half way the pitch shifter goes up to the fully depressed state.

the AARM, forget what it stands for... but is an oscillator that can be assigned to any effect parameter, has alot of different wave forms, but unfortunately can only be assigned to 1 effect, would be cool if it could be assigned to 2, and have an offset on one of them.

* What setup (i.e. what guitars and amps) are you using this with?

i got a Tele 68 custom, and an

* Can you depend on it?

it looks like you could beat someone to death with it and it would still work, it weight in at 5KG. sturdy metal case... only thing i recon would kill it easily is someone spilling beer in the tube vents

* Would you use it on a gig without a backup?

i do, have no worries ever

* If you've dealt with the company, how helpful/friendly were they?

i find the language barrier the biggest problem, as Zoom are japanise, i have emailed them a few times and have got help, but not as percussed as i would like.

* Ever get an upgrade, or try and get it repaired?

nope

* What style of music do you play? Is this a good match?

i play what kids these days call post rock, which as far as equipment goes is large pedal boards, and anything goes. i recon the G9.2 does the job great, as well as some effects i dont think would be possible on single pedals. one pitfall is to edit effects you have to press a few buttons, that is understandable, but when an effect is off, you can not edit the whole block, so say its on wah. to change it to a ring modulator, you have to go through all the other effects while its on, which makes a few clicks and glitches.

* How long have you been playing? What other gear do you own?

8 years... to much to list

* If it were stolen or lost, would you buy it again or get something else?

buy another one of these.

* what do you love about it? What do you hate? What is your favorite feature?

ive listed my loves and hates though out this review. one other thing that i dont like, is it doesnt have a full midi implementation, well not as much as i would like.
it would be great if the pedal would receive MIDI SysEx data, so you could change the effects type, or parameters from external devices. afaik most roland equipment lets you do this, and it would be a great feature for the G9.2, but it is not something alot of others might find useful. the unit will send midi SysEx data, but not receive it.

it would also be great if the signal path was more routable, currently you have 2 switches, effect1 before/after distortion, and distortion before/after effect2/delay giving you a total of 4 options, expanding on this, and allowing any pedal in any order like the GT8 can do would make it so much more versatile.

the computer editing software is really nice, shows everything layed out well.

* Did you compare it to other products? Which ones? Why did you choose this one?

i tried the GT8, POD XTLive, and researched many rack units on the Internet, i found this to be the best i could get for the price, with out going for a expensive rack unit.

* Anything you wish it had?

alot of things listed thought out the review

* Does it help you make music, or does it get in the way?

ive practically mastered it now, so if im thinking of a sound i can get it fairly easily, but it was hard to start with, cause there are so many effects, and so few buttons and knobs

* Anything else you'd like to share?

no

Firmware version 1.07

Well the g9.2tt is difficult to use at first and some time is required to learn the g9 and how each patch re-acts wih the accalerator and energiser settings.

After about a week of use it should be very Easy to use and program

Literally Perfect; really

If you take the time to learn how the unit operates with each effect and setting you can get some truly amazing tone from it.

i'll give you some tips; using a fairly low gain sound with NO ZNR (it cuts off notes too soon even at setting 1) turn the tube accelerator knob up full for a truly astounding dynamic reactive tube distortion. Hell I was even able to get the Guthrie Govan sound from the unit.

there is no flaw in sound once you have programmed your own patches

never had any problems; solid and sturdy piece of equipment

the only thing I could see go wrong with it would be a powercut LOL

never dealt with them

I'm 19 and play guitar more than I sleep; I love all music styles especially all types of shred guitar (huge shred freak)

I love the sound quality of this thing (turn the znr off though, unless you are a sloppy player)

he unit can get fantastic sounds for any style (try the jc clean with a booster in efx 1 and some chorus, tasty clean patch) the Z stack distortion sounds fantastic for any metal type shred and us blues is great for soulful soloing


if stolen; i would buy two more and maybe a g7 as a spare spare LOL

After opening the box the first impression is one of confusion. But i found that although the manual is very good, it is better to have a fiddle with it before reading the manual. This is because the manual refers to some of the components on the effects box which will seem alien to many. It is very easy to get a good sound out of it as it has the same knobs that a conventional amp has. Editing patches is very easy as you just turn a knob to add more bass and press store/swap and you can store it wherever you want to. The manual is very good, it explains every parameter and component in high detail.

The sound quality on this unit is very good. The overall tone that comes from it is amazing. I am new to effects pedals, and i wasnt expecting a large amount of tone and sound quality to come from it. The unit has many patches that recreate the tones of favourite artists: The edge, Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Kobain, BB King, Slipknot and more. Some certain effects are especially good. The Marshall TSL and DSL patches are great. A friend brought his TSL 60 stack for a practice and it sounded identical. Hughes and Kettner patches are also good. You can of course save all of your favourites in your own custom banks.
I am using this board with a PRS Santana SE running into a Crate Powerblock 150W head and 4x12 cab. The Crate Powerblock 150W Head is very good as it only has one channel and no effects, so i am using the zoom g9.2tt solely for sounds and effects.
The board is not too noisy as it has built in ZNR (Zone Noise Reduction) which you can set the sensitivity for, it can eliminate all of the hum of any loud pickups or other pedals.
The effects are very good. Some are virtually useless but are great for a mess around. The delays and Wahs sound good and the reverb is very nice.

I have had this unit for 3 months now, it has never turned off or malfunctioned in any way. It is very sturdy and rugged - encased in metal and hard rubber ends. However i do want to buy a hardcase for it as I have found one scratch on the base. If anyone needs one a very good site with the correct size is at >>http://www.flightcasewarehouse.co.uk/music/typeproducts2.asp?id=3149-2678<<. I would defianately gig with this without a backup. This is a very reliable piece of kit.

I am in a blues/rock band and I also play in a very lively church. This suites the style to perfection. The abundance of great sounds has really boosted my playing in both situations.
I have been playing for 5 years now and am at a high skill level. I own a PRS Santana SE II and a crate stack (which is very pleasing).
If it was stolen or lost I would defianately buy another one without a doubt. I have tried the Boss GT-8 and the Line6 Pod XT Live and this exceeds them by far. The two 12AX7 tubes really make a difference.
I love the sounds and range of effects on offer. I dont hate anything I just love it!
It defianately helps my music as I said earlier it has boosted my skill and ability to try new things and to play "outside the box".

I wouldn't say it's easy to use. There are so many options, it's easy to get confused with it. The instructions are good, however, and it doesn't hurt to keep them close by. I've never owned anything that has this many choices. It's incredible!

I'm playing a Gibson SG standard with EMG's into the G9 into headphones mostly, but also into a Marshall JCM800 sometimes. Great sound. When into my amp, I only use the noise reduction, compression, and Eq. I then switch on the Univibe, delay, and talkbox as necessary. I've got it sounding just like "Rocky Mountain Way" and "the Star Spangled Banner". At this point, that's enough to make it worth the price and that's not even the main reason I bought it! Into headphones, I'm getting almost any tone I want(although it takes awhile to find it). I haven't tried to record straight into the computer yet, but I definitely will. It also sounds great with my cheap back up guitars, a Squier Strat and an OLP Axis copy. I'll put up a few samples on my soundclick page in a few days.

http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=460225

This thing is solid!

I just got it for Christmas '06. Last year I got a G2.1U and never had troubles with it. That's why I decided to upgrade.

I like to play old rock in the AC/DC and Led Zeppelin style. This is great for that, either into headphones or an amp. There are so many amps, effects that it's mind boggling. I can't wait until I master all of the possibilities of this thing! The different settings of the pedals can give you so many tones at an instant. It's amazing!

Highly recommended for tube amp users.

I have had this unit for about 6 months and am still getting used to it.

This is a good unit if you are picky about your sound and are still playing a tube amp. This unit has true bypass and will not change the tone of your guitar unless you turn something on that is supposed to change it.

I have spent a little time with the amp models, but so far have not been using any of them. Instead, I use this unit only to overdrive my amp and to use compression, EQ, noise gate & pedal effects. I play a Gibson LP DC customized with Duncan pickups into a Rivera R-55 amp. The LP has coil tapping as well so I get both humbucker and single coil sounds similar to a PRS. I also still use the channel switching in the amp which means both clean and distortion channels are used.

The G9 switches patches so fast you can just hit the buttons and change patches while you are playing without any problems. It also has quite a few effects that I???ll never use but are fun.

The compressors in the G9 are some of the best I???ve seen in a multi-unit and I like their noise gate.

Having 2 expression pedals are also very nice. You can set the range of the volume pedal and actually control the gain on your amp with it as part of one of your patches. I use the right pedal for wah-wah and a few other effects like whammy, depending on my patch.

While I???m sure this unit could have had some more controls added, the key is it is a player's unit designed for simplicity on the stage so you can just hit your buttons or pedals and go without lots of other complications. This helps for people who play and sign and cannot look down all the time at the unit.

I???m sure some of the other reviews have covered the other details of this unit, but in a nutshell.???this unit works well with tube amps and can be used to replace quite a few stomp boxes. Once you get used to the layout and figure out how you want to use it, you can set-up this unit to perform quit a bit of stomp box functions and have more control over them as well.

Easy to use i thought, though sometimes the layout of the EQ controls can be a bit annoying (the Low Mids and Harmonics are over on the left, the rest are on the right).
Manaul is good though i still haven't got to grips with all the pedal assigns :(

Editing, saving etc are pretty simple, everything is in the manual

Well..... I am comparing this to my huge pedalboard full of classic pedals (Boss CS2, CE2, BK Butler Tube Driver, DAM Ramhead, Electric Mistress, Barber LTD, Dynacomp, Mojo-vibe etc... etc....), my Boss GT6 and a few other multi-fx i've owned.

Ok, the preset sounds are ok but nothing special, too many unusable sounds and generic tones. However, im not interested in presets, it's all about creating my own patches.

Overdrives/Pre-amp: Great, the highlight of the unit. The Muff, OD1, Fuzz Face and other simulations are really fun to use, pretty accurate and sound analogue rather than the usual fizziness of digital FX. The amp models are good, again very useable and pretty authentic. 9/10

Wah/FX1/FX2/Modulation: The Wahs are not good, the Delays are nice but not brilliant (a little digital thud in the repeats), the compressor and noise reduction are very good, chorus and phase are great but the uni-vibe lacks that sticky gnarly sound of the real thing. Most of the modulation effects are good but not spectacular. For live use everything in these modules is certainly good enough, but i feel the GT6 has the edge here.

Delay/Reverb: Again, lots of options, very adaptable, competent sounds. Nothing brilliant, but good solid sounds. The ability to layer multiple delays is great, and the overall quality is high.

Overall Sound: Great. I intend to use this for live use, straight into my Hiwatt Custom 50, for that scenario this is the perfect multi-fx. It sounds great live.

Dont know yet, but i had a Zoom 5040 and 3030 for years without any trouble.

I play in a Pink Floyd tribute band, i've been playing guitar for over 19 years. I own several Strats, Les Paul and other good quality guitars.
I use Hiwatt amps and have spent a lot of moeny getting the best gear over the years.

This is a great unit. I had decided a few years ago that multi-fx were not for me, but this one is good enough to make me want to use it. Its easy to set up, has loads of options and above all, sounds great.
Like i said, there are a few negatives - the wah sounds are weak and some of the modulation effects are a bit flat, but the overdrive and pre-amp sounds make this worth the money alone. The Muff almost sounds as good as my DAM Ramhead and sounds better than my USA Muff and Frantone Sweet. The Fuzz Face and Rat are great to use and even the more over the top distortions still sound good.
Clean tones are very important to me, i reckon the Hiwatt and Fender clean models are actually very good on this, but its better to turn them off and just use the compressor/delay/EQ to get some nice cleans.

Overall, i love it...... the 2 12AX7 tubes do add some warmth and tone to the overall sound and even though there are a few downsides this is still the best multi-fx available.