Zoom 3000B

if you don't go threw the manual it can be a bit tough. i had the optional footpedal that had a tap tempo on it. the tap tempo was very hard to use and not explained very well. patch editing was straight forward and pretty easy.

this was my first real multi effects pedal and i still remember some of the cool sounds i made with it. the distortion, delay, flanger, enhancer, and eq were very good. the amp sims were crap. the synth section was pretty good too. i got phish's down with disease synth wah sound right out of it. it also had a 8 sec looper on it, my first step into the sampler/looper realym, got some pretty cool stuff of it. this pedal could have been ground breaking, if it wasn't from zoom. as a preamp it was crap, as an effects unit it ROCKED. i used it in the effects loop of my hartke 3500 head. with the blend knod the zoom sounded awesome. ofcourse without that tube preamp it was average

what can be said for a floor pedal made out of plastic. i broke 2 of pedals during one show, it was a pumpin show and i got alittle over zealous on it and snap. the input jack kept breaking of the board, after re-soldering it about 15 times the pc board gave out a just fell apart around the jack, so i soldered wire onto the pc board. then the plastic case started cracking around the jack and that was it, and also the jack for the footpedal cable broke and the cable itself broke. she was on borrowed time anyway. but it always powered up.

they took no action. the reason was because i bought it in japan in 98 and the factory warrenty was only 1 year and only good in the country it was sold in.

a great sounding pedal with lots of great features. it had a 3 or 4 sec looper in it as well. as i said before it's made of plastic and it's a floor pedal. when i bought mine i wsa just messin around in my barricks room and it lasted for 5 years with no problem. but with in 1 year of gigging with it, it was toast. i actually took it to a repair shop, but never got it back the bill was more than it was worth. all and all for 30000 yen in japan in 98 not bad

The patch editing is a little non intuitive to start with OK after that. At first for instance its not easy to know which parameters are are per patch and which ones are global. The manual is good though.

The digital time/pitch effects seem good for what is really a budget processor. The analogue section sucks a bit though - the compressors and limiters are not especially musical but they are ok. The real weak point however is the amp simulations: the "clean" amps just sound like straight solid state with a bit of EQ and none of the warmth that one would get from a real valve amp or a state-of-the-art simulator/modeller (e.g. a pod or sansamp).

Dont put this in your gig-bag without unplugging the power lead - it will get stressed and crack the circuit board. Not the most rugged unit in the world in general.

Ive not deducted points for the powerlead problem because that is argualbly down to my own stupidity :-).

As a cheap unit that does a bit of everything its fine and makes a good practice tool and I use it as backup preamp for gigging. If your looking for *real* amp sim however save some more money and get a sansamp or pod.

Despite my criticism I've given the highish overall rating for sheer value for money.

Being a multi-effect it can be considered easy to manage.
Some people says it is not possible to go down with banks. It is uncorrect. There is a function pedal that can be programmed to do this (as mine do!)

The sound quality is very good, but some tweaking is needed and the presets are not good.
Maybe not all the single effect are very good, but the tone obtained with the overall chain can be very good.
The dual band compression tightens the sound very well.
The synths sound good if the uneffected signal is high in the mix, and works well together with some distortion and some octaver, giving a powerfull and sustained synth tone. I use them a lot! Some care has to be taken about the input sensitivity depending on the output level of the bass. I also have the expression pedal and works well.

I've use it for 2 years without problems.

I play alternative rock music and it match very well.
I have been playing 20 years. I have 2 of them but I am thinking of replacing one with the new Boss GT6B. I own many effects and also a Boss VF1 which has an effect chain for bass guitar that sounds good, but has not the dual band compression nor the synths.

As long as you go thru each section seperately, you can decide what sounds good. The synth patches are terrible, horrid tracking, monotone bleh. (I've played real synths with input for bass or guitar, the zoom fails miserably on synth sound). That said, the I like #1 & 2 comp section. # 5, 7, on dist/amp section (Cab simulation are gross nasty nasal boxy things, leaves that off). Wahs ok, but I only use #7 eq. Eq sections good. Synth section is horrible. Efects section is ok to good. Dly & Rev section is fairly good. Editing is easy if you start with everything off and start with comp & amp, then go to the 2 eq's then last for effects & Rev. Once you fidle with it great sounds are possible within the areas I use. One or two workable synth voices would have been much beter choice then the 7 lousy ones offered.

No noise if you use the noise reduction cranked to max. If you go by the preset sounds is very weak sounding unit! raise all levels to at least 25, and use the eq in wah section for raising 50Hz & 100Hz and plenty of balls to be had sound wise. Plays an ESP LTD B50 with Dimarzio pj pickups added. Since I go thru a samson mizpad 12 before signal reaches amps, I needed something to give sound qaulity of plugging directly into bass amp (Home studio amp rig is pair of Peavey Minx's run in stereo), the Zoom gives me that plus good distortion via the #5 OD & #7FN-d, useable compressor,useable chorus, pitch & reverb. Though the reverb gets too much spring noise if you set it above about 30% mix. Only phaser I've really ever loved for bass is the latter 1970's Maestro Stage phaser, but the zoom's is ok if you fiddle with it for settings. Rates sound qaulity based on what I use on the zoom, not the parts I dont use. Would have rated it 9 except for reverb not as good as should be. Too much spurious spring noise in it.

Is realiable. Made of qaulity space age plastic. I'm one of the few peeps who ever owned a wasp synth from England. Made around 1980, of plastic, you could toss it out 5 story building window, scamper down to ground level, get it and play it no prob. The zoom does have metal reinforcement under the shell.

Never dealt directly with Zoom.

Plays variety of death, thrash, black metal along with electronica & some prog rock. If I lost it would want to campare to DOD's multi bass pedal. Not sure if would get another Zoom. The 3000B has been discontinued along with most of their other floor multi pedal units, so dont know what comparrison to DOD would give. Wish it had a useable synth voice and that some of the other 8 choices for Dist/amp where more useable. Only really lies #5 & 7, #3 is good too for clean voice. Seldom uses clean voice. Lol. For the price is great unit except for the synth section. Should have left that out or done just 1 or 2 choices that worked ok.

Easy to use right out of the box. You can create your own decent settings if really study the manual (available as a PDF online if you lose the original).

The some presets are pretty extreme; I'm guessing to its show its range in sounds. I would be nice to erase them to give twice the presets memory, like a quadraverb...

I use a customized danelectro copy with Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounder p-bass pick up into a Neve board for recording.

I play any style needed for the mix with the exception of bluegrass and country (need a Rick for that). Mostly Blues, Funk, Rock, Pop, anything that gets the kids fired up.
I agree with everyone on the synth settings, I suggest keeping them VERY low in the mix, if at all. In fact, most of the effects sound better at lower levels with combinations of patches. The sound of one patch can affect another, both for better and worse. Amp simulator and flangers are clean. We got to keep in mind, this IS a mid-price foot pedal.

Very quiet. The noise reduction can be adjusted or turned off completely.

I use it in the studio; never a problem. The ABS plastic would make me a little nervous on the road, but then, I used to be little psyco on stage; have you ever distroyed a DS-1 distortion pedal before?

No need to call them.

If someone stole it, of course I'd be pissed! I'm out $150.00.
In 20 years of playing, I'd like to find every guy that stole my gear and beat them with a sock fill of quarters.... yeah, I'd replace it.
Tthe optional expression pedal would be great for manual wah-wah & volume control.

For a mid-price pedal, it's worth it.

It took a little work to figure out how to program the thing, and was very easy after I got going. The built-in tuner and metronome are extremely easy to use.

Sounds like junk to me. With every effect off, it puts out a lot of noise. The synth effects don't track well at all. The distortion on this is completely useless. I play jazz to metal/industrial and this is useless for all of the above. Since I play bass guitar in a jazz band I needed something that could give me a good tone/light reverb for playing on multiple rigs in tight to large spaces, and have multiple overdrive/synth effects for playing industrial music. This machine cannot accomplish either. I play a Warwick Fortress One through an Ampeg SVT-3Pro, so this pedal really junks up a good tone even if the only effect activated is reverb or an eq. Perhaps if I had my old Ibanez Sdgr and Peavey Mark amp I'd be less dissapointed with this pedal. Additionally the wah effects are crap, though I admit I haven't heard them with the optional remote expression pedal.

I wouldn't trust it...

Never had to deal with.

If it were stolen, I'd not miss it. Other gripes: No bank down switch (what the??)?? What's up with that? Playing an effect in bank 1 and have to go to bank 0? Push the up button 18 times. If you want the bank down switch you have to buy the rp-1 which also has an expression pedal. I'd sell this thing before I upgrade it and buy the rp. My recommendation is that if you are thinking of buying this pedal and you have 5+ (intermediate) years under your belt, forget about it. Save your money for a stack of analog stomp boxes.

Quite easy to use, tough the manual is needed for reference, 'cos the printed parameters on the unit doesn't make clear which settings are for which effect, but You can learn them after using to it a bit. Effects don't have too much editable parameters, but what's needed is there. The presets are OK.

The sound quality is good, especially for this price range. The ZNR (noise reduction) works fine, the Amp simulator is good, the modulation effects are also good. The only limiting thing is that some effects require single notes (like Slap\Defret, Bass Synth) and they are unprecise when You play a little faster, or 'uncleaner'. The Bass Synth chokes when it doesn't recognise the note which limits it's usability, but by mixing it with the input signal, and if reverb/delay is used, You can get some nice effects like resonance.

Good.

Didn't need it yet.

It's a good choice for those with tight budget. You can get a lots of good sounds, it has plenty of patch storage place, and it has everything that a bass sound needs. The multi-function switch can be used for many things, like Bpm tapping, sample and hold, mode changes, efect Real time modulation (on\off switch).
By plugging the optional RT pedal, You can control most of the parameters Real-time, like the Wah depth, Effect Depth, Volume, Delay.

I've been amazed of the easiness(!) of this piece of art. Changing the parametrs is a piece of cake. The manual is the best i've ever read, and from the first day i got the sound i wanted

This thing makes my Ibanez fly. I bought it with the guitarist of my group, and he was amazed from the sound and the effects of this machine. NO NOISE at all! All the effects are very good, especially the flanger, the reverb and the delay.

Although is from plastic it is very heavy and hard constructed. I was used with the poor construction of the BFX-708 and when i tested the 3000B i was surprised. I defenately use it without backup!!!

Never deal with them

Check this baby out as soon as possible! I'm owner of two pieces from ZOOM (BFX-708 & 3000B) and i think that 708 will be usefull only as volume pedal and for home studying. 3000B is The best thing for the value.

Get ready for some serious hours in the manual if you're serious about your sound.

Didn't really like the presets with my setups. After some tweeking I had all the sounds I wanted at the tips of my toes.

I play an active 5-string Ibanez and a simple 4 string frettless Hagstrom > Crybaby wah > into anything available at the place I jam. So my problem is: getting just about the same sound whereever I go. Solution: the 3000 B. It's very easy to adjust al your FX at once. To whatever amp or venue you might come across.

But it ain't all good. *The defret-effect can't handle diads/powercords, let alone actual chords (but I don't play them anyway).*Some of the distortion-tupes are not that hot (although one of 'em is great). *The basssynth has no sustain at all. *I like my crybaby wah better than the 3000b wah.

Then why rate the 8? 'Cause of the fine reverb, the cool autowah, the phat Octave and the creamy chorus and the option to use the multy switch to boost your gain. Some extra punch. Little unwanted noise.

I've had it for about a year and a half. No problems so far. Play a lot so guess it's reliable. Too bad it's plastic, but at least it's the strongest plastic I've seen in a while.

Never needed to deal with 'em.

I play some heavy funky fusion and really groovy jazz. Shure: I used to stack a zilion effects into a patch just because I could. But now that I've stopped doing that (I just can't seem to shake the autowah/fuzz/octave/reverb-combination)the 3000B is still great. Even compared to the (much more expensive) Korg-Toneworks.

You can (re)create every sound. From that guy Poogy-something(?) who plays with Badu to Gary Willis, to Rocco, to Tommy Kennedy. And of course your own. Two other things I like a lot: the build in metronome and the reverb/delay combination setting(aka freak-mode).

If it where stolen I'd miss it badly. But let's be realistic: I might go for the line 6 basspod.
Only one thing missing on this thing: it has a bank up switch, but bank down would be nice (mind you it's possible with the multi-switch, but that means I'd have to do without the gain boost switch).

To cut a long story short: definately check this mottha out.

Editing is easy if you know the terms used and what they do.
It's hard to get a good sound out of the dist. modules.
Manual is ok.
(i'm using the zoom for about 1 1/2 years now.)

I mainly use a fender jazz bass (5str) and an swr bass 750 amp with goliath III speakers. the combination works fine.
only problem i think: when using the zoom, even bypassed, there is this strange "feel" when playing. kinda like a noise reduction set very low.
Synth sounds are not so good: when playing 2 notes at the same time, the thing makes really weird sounds, so you have to play very very clean to get a good synth sound.
the distortions and the auto wah fx aren't that good either.
other fx do their work great.

never had any problems, don't use backups.

never had to deal with them, so i can't say anything about it.

i'm playing for 4 years now. i'm in the conservatory of rotterdam (pop and rock).i mainly play rock, funk, 80's, metal, but i play all kinds of music.
i wouldn't buy it again: i'd buy separate fx. e.g.: i just bought a crybaby wah for bass (kinda has an envelope filter sound), i'm planning to buy a boss overdrive and a dod envelope filter, and a bass synth.

i think it's easy enough. i don't speek english well but i understood the menuel. the hard part is using your own patches

great sound. there are some problems like jumps in the sound but they are rare. my guitar sounds great with this effect

I like it very much.

never use it

buy it . it worth it.
the problam is that there are some new effects that are better

Once you get the hang of it, it's a great pedal. Editing is a breeze and the manual helps a lot.

I'm using a Washburn XB200FL through an Ampeg B50R. I use the pedal for punk/ska on stage, and sampling for techno in the studio. It's very useful. The vocoder effect is great for sampling.

I've been using it reliably for a few months now with no failures. I don't use the presets on stage. I get all my effects on the first two user banks and I'm set from there.

Never had to deal with CS.

It's great for blues, rock, anything with a solid bassline, funk, techno. I used to use a Boss compressor and an original Big Muff Pi for my sound, but those have been easliy replaced with this pedal. If you play many styles, check this one out.

I haven't played around editing the pathes yet - I am still getting the hang of it. Biggest problem in use is that the bank switch goes up, but not down - means a lot of stomping if you are on (say) bank 2 and want to get back to bank 1!

My first impression was that only a very few of the pre-sets were really useable. However I am using them more and more. Many of them may not sound wonderful when soloing, but really work better when playing with others. You may use others for only one or two songs in a set, but they add variety.

Haven't used it long enough to say. I worry about the thin-ness of the psu lead - I can see that needing mending after someone trips over it at a gig.

I use it for blues, rock and funk. Despite its faults (see other reviews too) the bottom line is (a) I don't see how you can beat it for the money (b) even many of the presets are better than they first appear when you try them out on your own. Now I am getting used to it, I wouldn't want to lose it.

Well, ive only had the pedal for a few days, but i have had great fun playing with all the different settings. I usually find editing a preset sample easier than creating a whole new one, as tweaking a sound slightly would usually create what i want. I haven't really got to grips with the RTM function yet, but if i buy an expression pedal that would probably help.

I play a Yamaha Attitude Plus, through a 65W Trace Elliot Bass Combo, and using the Noise gate was very effective (gone are all those horrible hissing noises :) I found the distortion (the "fuzz" setting) a bit electronic, but i may be able to change that more to my suiting. I find the AutoWah with Drive setting the most useful (especially when playing Rage or Metallica, i know its not the sound the artists themselves use, but i find it really fits the music) and i also like the Chorus sounds a lot.. i admit it has a lot of weird sounds, but i might be able to find use for them, ya never know :)

Yeah, the power supply does get very hot.. i only just noticed (it is plugged in for about 10 hrs a day) but i think it will survive.. unlike the 506 there is NO battery option (though i dont it would last more than a few seconds) But i think it would stand up to a few kicks..

Only had it a few days :)

Yeah, i think i made the right choice.. good value for money (considering a Distortion pedal and a synth pedal would've cost me more) and nice sounds.. makes bass playing even more fun that usual!
If anyone has any cool patches they wanna share with me, please mail me :)

To start with you have to read the manual to get going,but the manual is well planned out and helpfull.It holds (top of my head) 20 banks with 4 patches in each 10 user and 10 preset, to programme your own is difficult and time consuming i have only made 3, and i don't use them alot thankfully the presets are good of the 40 odd patches i'd say abot 7 are really helpfull 10 useful 10 weird the rest are just almost useless, so programming your own is advised. for the price I am impressed it has a built in sampler which is fun and a chromatic tuner there are lots of patches dedicated to certain players like tm stevens billy sheehan and these are clever well thought out patches,if i could change it i would tell zoom to put more usefull patches in and not weird useless ones.Otherwise a fine unit esp. for the price. n.b You can buy an expression pedal for it Zoom charges #50 for it but you can buy any any expression pedal which has a midi lead out to work mine was #24.

the power supply heats up very very quickly worth getting better one