Zoom 2020

very good!! It is very easy to program this thing, within an hour i knew what i could do with it.
there is a special 'manual' mode on the thing, which makes it function like 5 stompboxes in a row. This can be activated by pressing a button, but there's also a special footswitch available for it (a keyboard's pedal can be used too, like i always do)
this thing is very good when it comes to editing, clear easy and quick!

I use a fender twin 100, ernie ball volume-pedal, and a yamaha se112. and DAMN this thing roxxxxx! Really!
i read some reviews here, and everybody is so negative about the distortions... i agree, if u turn off the EQ and use, even the metal-dist. , u won't get a cool sound. But, if u put on the eq on this thing, throw in a bit low, not too much high, turn the mid almost down and the mid-range (which is the most powerful feature of the pedal i think) about one step over half, u get a very good metal-distortion!! and i know what i'm talking about, i've compared with many many stompboxes from Boss, DOD, Ibanez, everything even a marshall top wasnt as brutal as my preset! Trust me!
The chorus is also very cool, especially the strange setting. Than there are two delays, which rule, ping pong-delay rocks!! Wah sux just like the pitch and step. E/V is pretty electronic..

man, i've dropped this thing down the stairs for TWO, YES TWO TIMES!!! I carry it around in my suitcase, and even when i'm cycling to my band-house and it drops out of the suitcase, in a pool of water, it will STILL work afterwards! I had to adjust some switches, cuz i jumped on them with all of my weight, but that was done in no time!!
I've used this thing at about 15 gigs!!!
and, i have bought this thing when it was already USED for a year!!!!!!!

i dunno, i don't NEED THEM!

i play all sorts of music, from jazz to metal to funk.. trust me, u can always use this thing, the rock-distortion is very good, u can make ur guitar sound like a real dark jazzy thingy..
just take some time trying things out, listen closely, adjust, and u will have a great tone and sound for just about everything!

very good!! It is very easy to program this thing, within an hour i knew what i could do with it.
there is a special 'manual' mode on the thing, which makes it function like 5 stompboxes in a row. This can be activated by pressing a button, but there's also a special footswitch available for it (a keyboard's pedal can be used too, like i always do)
this thing is very good when it comes to editing, clear easy and quick!

I use a fender twin 100, ernie ball volume-pedal, and a yamaha se112. and DAMN this thing roxxxxx! Really!
i read some reviews here, and everybody is so negative about the distortions... i agree, if u turn off the EQ and use, even the metal-dist. , u won't get a cool sound. But, if u put on the eq on this thing, throw in a bit low, not too much high, turn the mid almost down and the mid-range (which is the most powerful feature of the pedal i think) about one step over half, u get a very good metal-distortion!! and i know what i'm talking about, i've compared with many many stompboxes from Boss, DOD, Ibanez, everything even a marshall top wasnt as brutal as my preset! Trust me!
The chorus is also very cool, especially the strange setting. Than there are two delays, which rule, ping pong-delay rocks!! Wah sux just like the pitch and step. E/V is pretty electronic..

man, i've dropped this thing down the stairs for TWO, YES TWO TIMES!!! I carry it around in my suitcase, and even when i'm cycling to my band-house and it drops out of the suitcase, in a pool of water, it will STILL work afterwards! I had to adjust some switches, cuz i jumped on them with all of my weight, but that was done in no time!!
I've used this thing at about 15 gigs!!!
and, i have bought this thing when it was already USED for a year!!!!!!!

i dunno, i don't NEED THEM!

i play all sorts of music, from jazz to metal to funk.. trust me, u can always use this thing, the rock-distortion is very good, u can make ur guitar sound like a real dark jazzy thingy..
just take some time trying things out, listen closely, adjust, and u will have a great tone and sound for just about everything!

Bought it back in 1995 or something. The whole scrolling thing can be a bit annoying.

I used it through a Fender Blues Deville, Marshall jcm900 combo, and Roland JC-120 at various times.

Let's look at it in relation to the price. I bought if for modulation effects, and for that, you can't beat if for $150. Delay, chorus, tremelo, phaser, all good, especially for the price. People say the step flanger is unusable.......I say you are WRONG! I used it as an effect at the intro to one of my bands songs along with distortion and people LOVE it. We call it "robo-guitar". You can use any effect for something cool if you put your mind to it. Be creative! For christmas sake, i hear tons of guys using ring modulators now....THOSE are musical? Give me a break. Makes a lot of hum in bypass mode if near another power source. So.......move the power source! Oh, and the distortions suck for anything except making noise......which could be cool. No, it can't sound "brown" or like SRV.........here's an idea, try to sound like something else!!!!! Ohhhhhhhhhhh, can't do that. Delay between patches is a bit too long. Typical of units from this time period.

It's plastic and cheap. Knowing that, I have had 0 problems. Zero!!!!!! I've carried the thing around in a backpack for a few years, banging around with boss, danelectro, and Ibanez distortion pedals. It's beat to hell but still works. Don't drop things on it! Would you drop something on your guitar?

Look at this piece of crap. Then listen to it. How many boss pedals can you buy for what you pay for this? 2? 3 MAYBE? This thing has a decent delay, phaser, flanger, chorus, tremelo..... that's already about $400 in boss pedals.

Its pretty easy to use. Id give it an 8. Once you figure out the zoom way of programming, you can operate about anything they make right away. I owned the first version of the 2020. It was a cool step up from stomp boxes in that it eliminated all those patch cords and batteries. Manual was helpfull and easily understood.

It didnt take me long to just wipe out a bank of programms and start programming from the ground up. I wasnt impressed with any of the factory presets. Noise? yeah it was knda noisy. I used it through an
80s model marshall artist head. The 2020 had no reeally good distortions so i just bypassed the gain and used it for chorus/delay
etc. Couldnt get any of the tones of professional rigs.

while it was cool to get rid of allmy stomp boxes, this puppy had its own issues. The power converter melted, literally melted, between sets
one time, also the input/output jacks were prone to short out. Worst of all it ahd a speaker sim feature that only worked through the 1/8 stereo headphone out put. So i rigged a plug to use that as a main output, it lasted about a month befor crapping out.

tried to get factory service, they wouldnt do it.Out of warranty.

It wasnt a complete loss, it just wasnt usefull for my power metal taste. I have since bought other zoom gear and toured and recorded with it succesfully. If it were stolen, I would not have replaced it.

Patch editing is straightforward and intuitive and - more importantly, especially during pub or club gigs when the acoustics change from your sound check - can be done quickly on the hoof. I'd never depend on this for my sound but WOULD use it to 'colour' my sound.

Used with a Fender Performer 1000 amp, Crybaby and Ibanez S540. Primary styles are R&B, blues & contemporary rock (strange mix, I know...) & it's fine for chorus/phase/delay effects. The distortions are OK over headphones but NEVER rely on them live, they are weak and lack authority and attack. Other reviewers mentioned that they suck tone, I have to agree but then the Fender is a brute of an amp & it doesn't really affect it. I like to feed out stereo to the Fender & a Marshall V65 & with a stereo chorus it's tremendous, better than the Boss GT5 which I also have. This is limited in what it does well, but those which it DOES are very good indeed.

I HAVE gigged with it, maybe 30 times. It was fine at first but then problems with patch switching, then bank change. I acquired a second one but the power system pops & farts & then the unit resets & I got frustrated. They're both now with the UK distributors for repair. Case is still intact after 5 years but you do have to be careful & light footed.

UK distributors were terrific. Sent units back, repairs being done free of charge even years after warranty expired. Will update this comment when I get the units back.

Playing for 30 years, gigging again after a 16 year gap ! Own an Ibanez S540 / Gibson Les Paul / Fender Tele, Fender Performer 1000 & Marshall V65 amps, Boss GT5 & Crybaby Wah.
This is easier to use & program than the GT5 but it's not so robust & some effects are a bit cr*p, however for the 'lazy' musician or non-live work it's generally OK & you dont need an advanced computing degree to be able to programme the thing. A good practice or 'scratchpad' machine. Get a good multi (Boss, Roland) for live work.

The designs help me very much to get a good sound out of it. And it is very intuitive.

It has a very great sound. I use it with an Ibanez Iceman and a Dynacord amp 2x12" 120watt rms. I play black, death and heavy metal.

It isn't very good for the live show but i have done 10 gig with it :P

The 2020 is relatively easy to use. If you read the manual, you won't have any problems. Manually editing patches gets tedious quickly.

I generally use the 2020 with my MIM Strat to a Yamaha 4-Track with headphones. It is very quiet in this configuration it is very quiet, but plugged into either of my amps (100 watt Crate and 15 watt Peavey) it hums terribly. The distortion effects are really disappointing. There are six types, (two clean, two overdrive, and two distortion) of which, the two overdrives are completely useless, because they are exceptionally weak. The clean tones are good, but why would I use a processor for "clean?" Both of the distortions are pretty weak, and make harmonics really tough. I spent hours unsuccessfully attempting to get some thick, chunky distortion (i.e. "Paranoid"). The EQ works fine, but auto-wah is pointlessly bad. The pitch shift has a great range, but there is too much delay between the played note, and the created note, so don't try to emulate a 12-string, or back yourself with fifths. Flanget, trim and phase are all very good. I think the chorus is excellent. It is probably the best effect on the board. The "Step" effect is the stupidist thing I've ever heard. I can think of no reason to even include this contrived, fake effect on the board other than to increase the total number of effects in the catalog. The mono delay is good, and the ping-pong delay rocks, but it's hard to think of a reason to use it. The reverb is a little mechanical sounding.

I've had my 2020 for over four years, and I haven't ever had it fail on my. It's durability would not prevent me from gigging without a backup. Unfortunately, the poor sound quality keeps me from using this anywhere but my living room.

I've never had a malfunction. That's the kind of customer support I like.

I have been playing blues, hard rock and metal for about nine years. This unit handles blues pretty well, but it is pathetic for anything else. I can make weird effects for impressing my friends, but that's not what I bought it for. If the 2020 were stolen, I would find the guy who took it, and punch him in the gut, but I'd let him keep the processor. I prefer the processor to a huge string of stomp-boxes, but I couldn't play live with this thing. I wouldn't recommend this particular processor to anybody who wants to play anything but weird Pink Floyd or Frank Zappa licks.

Easy to use.
Good effects, achevied easily.
I worked out how to use it quiclky.
Exellent to play around with, and for serious playing.

I play with a washburn, vantage amp, marshall, gibson 335 and a guild. I think the quallity of this is brilliant. I paid only $45 and i really think its brilliant. The quality is exellent for begginners, and ametures but pros may want to look for more, but thats only if youre doing big gigs. A great mix of effects can be acheved and most, almost all effects sound good. It has all the extremes and everything in between. Great

No problems with mine. Its always good to have a backup but i would rely on it, i don't have any other. It hasn't any problems.

Havent needed any!!!!

Exellent.
Good effects,
Easy to use.
Provideds good value for monnet effects which actually sound good.
4 pedals so no cycling through effects. jump straight to them.
Really pleased with mine. I mean really pleased.
I haven't given it 10 because pros may look for more, and of course nothings perfect!

Easy to edit and easy to get to use, maybe too easy, as there wasn't a lot of tweaking available.

I mostly used it to record directly to my 4-track recorder and it served me well in that capacity. I never used it with an amplifier, so I can't comment on that. The effects sounded better to me than those in the 505, which I purchased about two years later.

Reliability? Well, I accidently dropped a drummachine onto it and that was the the end of it. The drum machine was positioned about two feet above the 2020 player and that was enough to crack the circuit board inside it.

It pains me to even think of it, lo these four years... Job knows how I feel...

Evidently, the Zoom 2020 and the 2020 player were different models. I owned the 2020 Player and during the brief time in which I owned it, it pleased me greatly. It allowed me to get those cool Guided By Voices sounds that I had always wanted. I used it on guitar and vocals, and it served me well. Too damn bad Zoom puts everything in a disposable plastic box. I just bought a PS-02 and I'm hoping it holds up better. I'm hoping to Hell that I don't drop the thing. Zoom... cool while they last...

The unit is easy to use.

When I owned this unit a thought hmm all distortions are very bad. A mild overdrive was acceptable but you could never get any harmonics to pass throught it, so for really stupid Van Halen type stuff it was terrible. Eventially I used it exclusively through my (Marshall Valvesate 8080) effects loop for basically delay and chorus. The chorus was not very warm (see later)

I owned a Zoom 5050 choir which was also pretty poor in the chorus department as it was way to lush and killed the tone.

The unit is VERY!!!! noisey. It hisses even when no effects are being used, hence useing the effects loop with -20dB setting??? or 0dB dunno which made it be quiet. It didn't seem to have been designed for going into the front end of a guitar amp - just a piece of shit with the hiss, but in the effects loop it was quite.

The two delays is a good feature. You can set up a very pronounced delay and a more ambient one later in the mix.

I had an expression pedal with mine, and it seemed to drop out and sort of loose track of where it was - crappy wah.

I ended up using a BOSS noise supressor with a BOSS Metal Zone and a Turbo overdirve and an original FUZZ FACE. All these are great, although you may as well make your own Fuzz for the rediculous price they cost.

A Jim Dunlop Wah was also used so eventually the 2020 came down to a hollow sounding digital delay, and a very non transparent chorus.

Never buy this piece of shit - consider using it if someone gives it to you for free but the operative word is condisder it!

At the time it was the absolute best value multi unit around, but really it is a piece of tone sucking shit.

Very relible - never need a backup unit

never needed them

Good unit for a myriad of effects but virtually unusable at anything above bedroom volume.

Just don't bother - for example a 505II is way cheaper new and about twice as good in sound quallity compared to the 2020, 4040 or that era.