Zoom 504 II

To get a good sound....ya gotta tweak! It's the same thing with virtually any effects. The manual tells you about the presets and the various features...and is pretty straightforward. It's a fairly simple pedal to edit/use.

I'm using MOSTLY a Washburn Festival Series EA-26K into a Carvin AG-100 (100 watt) amp. The amp has a piezo/tweeter in it which helps with the acoustic sound. I find the delays to be weak, but keep in mind this pedal is fairly inexpensive. I think I paid $60 or so for mine. I really only use 3 patches...dry; chorused; chorused-delay. I tried to mimic a friend's setup: he has an SWR Strawberry Blonde amp (10 inch speaker) and it has a killer acoustic sound (with piezos). I THINK I've found that sound with my little Zoom pedal.

Here's my "dry" patch parameter settings:

Patch Level: 27
Type: RY
Limit/Edge: 10
Low/Body: 9
High/Top: 2
Air: Off
Effect: off
Delay: off
Global De-amp: 51
Global Feedback Suppressor: 11.

I have a friend I run sound with (he's run sound/has the "ear" for tones for 20+ years)...and he says my acoustic ALWAYS sounds great! I can chalk it up to this little pedal.

It's made of plastic, so...I can't say it's as sturdy as it could be, although I've never had any problems. I keep it in its box when not in use and I used to have it in my "analog" pedal board. I've never had a back-up of anything other than guitars, cables or batteries. If it were to conk out, I'd go straight into the Carvin.

N/A; Never had to deal with them.

I play anything from acoustic to rock and have been playing about 23 years. In my old band, I played acoustic 90% of the time and this pedal has been through many gigs. With a little tweaking, you can get some decent sounds outta this pedal. The delays aren't good quality, but I was only looking for a solid, punchy acoustic sound (as if playing through a Strawberry Blonde). I chose it for its affordability. I'm giving it a "10" for its price and what it can do. It's all I need to get the acoustic tone I like!

I bought this after I heard a mate play my then new acoustic guitar through it, about 4 years ago. I thought my guitar was sounding incredibly good and was very pleased.. and then he turned the 504II onto bypass and my jaw hit the floor as I realised just what the pedal was doing to the tone.
The pedal is very simple to use and reasonably intuitive. Turn the single dial to the setting you want to edit, then press the plus and minus buttons as desired. How much easier could it get?
One drawback, and the thing that kept sending me to the manual for a while is the two digit LED display. Great for space saving, and its big enough to see clearly when on stage, but bad for clarity. Kept having to turn to the manual to find out what "r" meant compared to "R" or "C" compared to "c".

Adjusting the patches on a pedal you're playing an acoustic into can be fun. Its hard to cut out the sound of the acoustic and focus on exactly what you're hearing through the speakers / amp. When I was initially setting up the pedal I ended up getting a guitar playing friend to sit and twiddle a bit in another room, with a long cable going to the pedal so that I could hear only what the pedal was producing!

The inbuilt Chromatic tuner is great, intuitive, and sensitive enough for decent tuning. Makes changing the guitar to alternate tunings a breeze.

I've been playing a Washburn D10SCE through it for the past 3 or so years. It gets played through a variety of different thing, but its mainly fed into a DI box off to the PA system, then returned by foldback. I do use it once a month through my electric guitar amp, a Behringer Blue Devil. It also does quite well for feeding my PC when I'm recording. It has de-amping features on it which are a nice touch, and do improve things, but there is only so much you can do to counter an amps natural sound. Don't go expecting it to make your electric guitar amp sound like an acoustic amp!
Occasionally I play my Yamaha Pacifica 112 electric guitar through it, but only when I've snapped a string on my acoustic and really need something aproximating an acoustics sound.
This pedal is great with acoustic guitars. The air sound is fantastic and gives the guitar a much more natural sound, doing a good job of simulating mic'd up guitar. EQ is adjustable at bass, mid, and treble for each patch.
Delay is a complete waste of time. Does nothing to the sound IMO, it might as well not be there.
Auto-wah is again a complete waste of time. I don't think I've ever used it live. Its not sufficently adjustable to be of use for picked bits, and is naturally a total waste when you're strumming.
Feedback surpression is a godsend on a noisy stage, especially as I play a guitar with a dreadnaught body. Its not perfect, but if it helps me avoid blocking up the sound hole its all good.

There are two ways in which this pedal isn't so good:
1) If you've got great pickups in your acoustic guitar. Just don't bother, unless you're playing with other guitars and want to seperate out the sound a little bit.
2) If you're playing an electric guitar. Okay, its great for a distinctive tone. Its great for those "Damn, snapped another string" moments if you've only got a single acoustic guitar, but don't go expecting miracles. The sound you'll get back is still noticeably not that of an acoustic.

Up until 6 months ago I would have said yes to it being dependable. These last 6 months it has gone rapidly downhill, switching off randomly, even with fresh batteries. but that is natural given its age, and the fact its been with me on some good length journeys and taken a bashing along the way. It still works fine when plugged into mains though.

Its plastic.

That has to be my biggest dislike. Why plastic? Most stomp boxes and multi-fx pedals are metal, solid and can take a seriou beating. I'm always cautious about dropping this. It feels solid enough, and its probably me being paranoid, but I'd much rather it was metal.

I would use it at a gig without a backup, but only because it isn't mission critical. The guitar'll still work without it!

This pedal has been great. Its made my guitar with its cheap pickups sound better than guitars two or three times its value, I've regularly recieved compliments for the tone. Their jaws hit the floor too when I put it on bypass to show them how much the pedal is doing.
Its not stolen or lost.. just dying a slow death. Time for a replacement, I'm getting the a2.1u which looks to be replacing this model in Zoom's lineup. If it had died a year ago I would have bought another 504II without a seconds thought.
There is one feature that would have been really handy, an expression pedal. You can buy one for it but it struck me as a little expensive to justify as an add-on.

I've posted a review here on this unit previously and am adding to it now...

Easy to use like any Zoom pedal.

This is an acoustic sim, but it really doesn't make an electric guitar sound like a flattop. What it is good for is giving you a variety of clean tones to use. I like it with a jazz archtop and a tube amp, using the 504-ii to add ambience via reverb, chorus, and tone/EQ. It works well for that. Strangely enough, I've never used it with my flattop, but may try it sometime. I really just use it for jazz, which I don't play often enough.

Once you play with it, it's not too hard to coax a decent sound out of it. Editing patches is fairly easy, and the manual is very straightforward.

Setup: Epiphone Les Paul Standard with Flextone III XL.

The pedal is noisy. If you reduce the high end you can get rid some of the hiss, but this reduces the realism of the acoustic emulator.

As an emulator, it's almost as good as the Boss Ac-2 except for the annoying hiss which I could not get rid unless I drastically reduced the high end.

I exchanged mine for a Boss Ac-2.

I only had it for two days. It's built out of plastic. If it got stepped on, it wouldn't be a good scene.

For use with an acoustic guitar, this pedal would probably be fine. As an acoustic emulator for electric guitar, though, the high level hiss is very frustrating. The Boss Ac-2 was an excellent upgrade (and so much easier to use) for only $30.00 more.

It takes a few minutes to set up and store your settings, I really only use a few. There are 36 storage spaces for your settings by changing presets- I didn't spend much time tring out the presets and searched for my own sounds. It did not come with a manual(used) by I easily downloaded the manual from Zoom. I do keep the bass response down somewhat, the effect sounds clearer.

I use Martin Ian Anderson signature model 028 with Martin thinline gold, Martin 00cxae with Fishman Sonicore 4, Gibson Hummingbird with Fishman natural matrix,Ibanez GA6CE classical with piezo, Washburn acoustic with Shadow soundboard transducer. I go direct to the PA, but it can sound good into a keyboard or acoustic amp. I got this effect at the direct recommendation of Ian Anderson. There is no question I can duplicate the live Tull acoustic sound ( a very nice sound,by the way) using this and the IA sig model. I found that the best aspect of the effect is the "air" setting which is why Ian Anderson uses this effect. It seems to eliminate the "quack" associated with piezo pickups by simulating the sound of a mic'd acoustic. I also have a Roland/Boss acoustic processor with a mic simulator but this sounds better-with all my guitars. The resonator simulator also seems to give each string a bit more clarity. The reverb and delay are just OK. I use the chorus spaningly and it is adequate. It also has a doubler and wah-both fair. I would recommend this if you want to reduce the piezo sound in your live performances. So, it gets a 10 "air" effect and probable 7 for other effects.

I have had it for 5 months(used), never any problem.

I play rock, classical,folk, jazz. I never use it except live through a PA. It is very close in sound to a mic'd acoustic- isn't that what we want? I have played for 29 years. I think more expensive acoustic processing units have better reverb and delay and effects except for the "air" setting. I have used it in a solo setting however, and it is better than a piezo into PA tone. For under $50.00 new, this is a good choice even for the fingerpicker.

Pretty Easy, but you need to spend some time with the book. I find it a bit limiting, though.

I am using either a Carvin C780 or a Taylor 310CE, both with Fishman Prefix Plus systems. It sounds OK at low volumes, but once you pump it up the sounds seems to deteriorate quickly. I recently just unplugged the whole thing and went straight into the PA in the middle of a gig just to get away from the mud sound the pedal created.

I don't know if you can depend on it. My partner uses one, too, and his is always crapping out. The batteries go quickly, so I recommend an adapter if you play out often.

Thankfully, no need. But I suspect I won't, since this will quickly become a home-only pedal. Back to the Boss for me.

Overall, the first time I used it, I like it. The second time, not as much, the third...you get the idea. It wasn't the ultimate pedal for me. I will go back to what I was doing back in the day (Boss pedals) and, since I only really like the chorus on an acoustic, and maybe a little compression, there are all sorts of effects that are wasted on me.

Having read the other reviews on Harmony Central I was a little unsure if this piece of kit was going to be ok. However after a bit of tweaking, actually I dismissed the presets and started again, I thought it was pretty good. I only use 4 patches a clean, clean with a bit of compression, clean with a bit of delay, and clean with both. I play in an acoustic duo through a MArshall AS50r then a line out to the desk. Really easy to edit, after a few mins was whizzing round the various settings and options. Its a bit of a nuisance having to re-hit one of the buttons to fine tune, a knob would have been better. But once you have your settings your done.

The guy in the store( I can recommend him ) said that there may be some white noise, but in a live situation I found it almost not noticable. I use it with an Ibanez and a Washburn and once you get the anti feedback working and the right tone settings your away. I found it better to keep the bass and treble down a bit to eliminate boominess and sharpness. The digital reverb is nice mixed with a bit of spring reverb built into the amp. I did a gig last weekend and when it was all connected up was very very quiet( volume) so I checked back with the manual and found I needed to set it up for high gain, this boosted the signal and then it sounded great. Keep the patch volume at about 23 or 24 because higher than this and its starts to have that horrible digital break up that nobody wants. The tuner is adequate, I use it to get in tha ball park , then I use harmonics , then I de tune the b strings a tad( it works for me).

Seems reliable , too early to say , although its plastic with a metal base, I look after my gear anyway, its money after all. I would use it without a back up.

Never used them, but Sound Contol in Birmingham is very good. Used them for over 20 years, the guys in there have treated me well.

Got it from Sound Control in Birmingham, at that price you cant go wrong. I would recommmend it. We play everything from Police, Paul Weller, Clapton, Green Day, Santana, Beatles right across the board. I found the Zoom gives me strumming and picking control I was looking for. I would get another if lost or stolen, its small neat and works. I use a power supply, dont like batteries, they always go when you need them. Does not get in the way of the music provided you play the songs dont overdo the effects, punters want to be entertained they are distracted if your sound has too many effects going on.

It's easy. At this point, this kind of interface has been everywhere and no one should have a problem using it as intended.

That said, like all other menu-type multiple effect units, you get the stock discomforts, like doing a lot of button tapping and not being able to overview the settings, and scrolling, scrolling, scrol- blah, we've all been there. Not hard to use, but I love being able to see the settings, and a few knobs (let's face it) just make things easier and faster to fine tune, so they're missed.

The newer Zoom 5whatever interface (with an actual knob!) is better than the old, but still the one parameter that really, really needs the knob does not, which is the NOT the parameter selector, but the VALUE of that parameter. I'm game for some downtime setting up a piece of equipment, but you're going to do a fair bit of knob tapping.

Which, I guess, for the price, is still fair. But a VALUE knob would go a long way.

I have an oldie Zoom 505 for years and expected similar returns, as far as what these things are capable of, and what their limits are. I haven't had this unit that long, so I'm talking more about what's good, what's improved, and what's ...just... disappointingly the same.

Sounds good and bad, nice and nasty, all depends on how you set it. Purists will be rudely awakened to its quite digital feel, but then again who cares, it's a digital processor. What's the surprise, and what's the crime?

2 points on the bottom line, for me, are 1) it beats mic headaches in a recording situation where the environment is not a studio and/or cheap mics are the only on hand, and 2) it's got a nice variety of fx to play with, i like to experiment a lot and I love these kinds of toys.

On the downside, it's easy to have noise problems, and the scrolling programming makes it a pain to find the right settings quickly.

Definitely could be better sounding, but she tones are really varied, way more so than an average preamp.

I haven't had problems with my old 505. I use that and this as table-top units though. I would not gig with this, the sound is too processed for my tastes to be used for anything other than studio exploration, but nevertheless for that purpose it is a very nice addition to my tool box.

I don't care about all the plastic so much. I'd rather they put the bucks into improving the sound than house it in metal, to be honest. But a little of both wouldn't hurt this product, that's for sure.

N/A all the way

Good product, but would be vastly improved with:

- stereo I/Os and programs (wishful thinking?)
- more global control (i can't really stress this enough, especially for I/O levels)
- more effects (the phaser and deeper pitch-shifter in the 505s can't be hard to add)
- better sounding delay OR more control (either would do)
- a dial for setting VALUE (less tap, tap, tap, tap...sigh...)

I can't give it more than a 5, it's good, not great, but not bad at all. I like all the features and love the idea behind it. For all that it can do, a pedal like this little ol' Zoom could be my never-leave-home-without-it best friend, if only it was just a little BETTER at what it does. Hope Zoom reads these things.

I bought this pedal 3 1/2 years ago to go with my Aria Sinsonido.
Very easy to get a nice sound, and editing/tweaking the patches is a doddle. The manual was pretty self explanatory - only really used it for the preset list.

I use it in a chain of effects - Vox wah, Danelectro frenchtoast fuzz, Roctek phaser, Flanger, Zoom 504, Zoom 505 delay. All in a pedal-board/box. I play a mixture of acoustic and electric guitars through the setup (takamine 12 string, yamaha semi-acoustic, L'arrive electric, aria sinsonido) all going into a Viper Pro-amp 1970's valve head with a 4x12 celestion cab.
The sound is great for acoustics and electrics alike, i especially like it for adding a bit of reverb or light delay, and the auto wah is lovely for putting a bit of an edge on when playing Ska.
It is a bit noisy on one or two settings, but this only appeared after a nameless friend spilt a pint of beer over it just before a gig - Put it under the hand drier and it was fine!

I have been using it for gigs for the past 3 years - no problems at all. obviously it's a bit plasticky, but as long as you don't jump on it it'll be fine - especially on a foam covered pedal-board.
I would recommend using a power supply rather than batteries, but that's just so it doesn't run out just as you're about to start playing!

Never broken, so haven't had the need.
I did lose the manual and was able to download it in PDF format from their website.
Not sure if the warranty would cover beer damage anyway :-)

I play all types of music - the band I play in 'The Toretz' play a blend of Ska, jazz, punk, and anything else we're in the mood for. Been playing the guitar for about 13 years so I know what sound I want and this helps me get it - I don't want to sound like anyone else, just me :-)
I'm not really using how it was meant to be used, as I use electrics and acoustics through all the effects, but I like what it adds to my sound, so.........try it out, you may like it. It's never going to be the best effect out there (it's only #45!) but it does the job.
Check out our website - www.toretz.com - and hear it in action (mixed in with all the other effects of course!)

I've found this pedal really easy to use - like most pre-sets, the factory supplied settings are "over the top" but a little tweaking is very easy. For fooling around using the presets it's the easiest thing in the world to operate.
The manual is clear and answers all my questions.
I don't think there is firmware available but you don't really need it, everything is there from the offset.

I'm using this with various acoustics - Washburn, Fender, Vintage, Yamaha etc with a Fishman rare earth and a Dean Markley Mag. I wouldn't bother using the acoustic simulator for an electric because thats a bit of a daft idea - but if you're going to remember acoustic simulators only really work with single coils, not humbuckers.
It is fairly noisy on some setting, mostly the ones I use which are to replicate a more "acoustic" sound from my soundhole pickups - but aa a previous reviewer noted, in a live situation this slight noise wouldn't be noticed. In the studio you just use a mic anyway, right?
I run it into a Marshall 50w acoustic combo and it sounds great.
I play mostly Neil Young, Steve Stills, John Martyn type stuff so just wanted to get that lovely natural acoustic tone live - and it really works. As I mentioned before the presets are a bit too lively but they are really easy to tweak and get a thoroughly useable sound from.
The built in tuner is always useful, especially as it has a mute so your audience don't have to listen to you tune up.
I also wanted the feedback eliminator because it's a real problem for me as I use sound hole pickups so I can't use a feedback buster bung. The feedback eliminator is REALLY good and works brilliantly but there's one problem - if you encounter feedback during a performance you need an optional footpedal to control it - and I don't know where to get one from, my dealer doesn't stock them and ebay isn't throwing anything up at the minute.
Some people have mentioned they like the 12 string effect and this is quite good if you don't over cook it - it does sound simulated.
The auto wah is effective and could be a nice touch to a song or two depending on your style of playing.
It's a fine unit for live work if you spend a couple of hours just fiddling with the presets to get them to where you want to be. I only wanted the one, natural tone and found it in about half an hour of fiddling - great stuff.

Seems pretty reliable but is plastic - as a few other people have mentioned it would be worth spending a few quid more to get a metal casing - maybe Zoom should offer it as an option.
I'd gig without a backup for sure but I play seated and wouldn't really go all Hendrix on it so it's not a worry for me - but a metal casing would be nice so it's more sturdy when being transported.
For the money though, no complaints here.

Not had to deal with Zoom, can't foresee a need to.

For what I bought it for - to get a natural acoustic sound from my soundhole pickups and to eliminate feedback - it does the job perfectly. My only gripe is needing that footswitch to get the most from the feedback eliminator. At this price it's not an issue although it should state on the box that it's a recommended extra. That's the only thing that stops the overall rating being a 10.
Don't expect to put a Les Paul through this and into a Marshall stack and think it will sound like a pre-war Martin D45 - it won't, but thats not what it's for and in that was a couple of previous reviewers have missed the point.
For getting a really nice, tweakable, natural tone from an electro or an acoustic with a pick up you can't go wrong for the money.