Zoom 505 II

Very easy interface. You can create a patch in a snap.
Would be nice to have a drum machine in there...like to new G1 or G2 etc.

Some nice ones in there. Zoom knows something about sound. It is a cheap effect, but they really chose some useful ones. Mine is pretty clean sounded pedal and the noise level is not too high. I did not buy this one, but the are so cheap used, that no one should even complain...

yea..it's a plastic. so do not drive your car over it..OK?
this midget is always ready for my bedtime practice.I would be careful with those for a gig though. It needs to be attached to a surface with a rubber band or a string. Don't abuse this mouse.

Going to call them soon. They better give me some cheese supplies for this small creature.

Now seriously, for the money,this is a great tool for a hardware recording use. I can tweak the hell of it with my Tascam. The acoustic sim is great, and it makes my seven strings guitar sounds like Marcus Miller meets Victor Wooten-you best believe it. I am going to compose some NASTY grooves with this, and edit it on my Mac. There are so many multi effects out there these days, and they are all the same.. in a way. That means: you always find something that you like, and something that you do not like. Use your ears!!! teak tweak and tweak. Do not settle for the presets, even if it is the Boss GT-10, or a POD X3

This is a good first effects pedal. It features a lot of effects for a low price, and it opens the doors to some interesting sound possibilities. Editing the patches is easy, and the manual is generally pretty clear (there are a few places it is vague).

I use this with a Fender Standard Telecaster. It features "ZNR," or "Zoom Noise Reduction," which works pretty well. The effects are fun, but after you get some experience with some higher end effects, the Zoom 505 II begins to sound a little cheap and thin. I pretty much just use this for the tuner now.

The "ring modulation" sounds terrible, and some of the distortion effects are bad, but otherwise it's pretty good. I like the delay the most.

This is a lower end pedal, so it's not terribly high quality. Mine is plastic, and it feels like a toy. I've been fairly gentle with it, and the output jack is getting really loose; it makes a terrible noise if the unit is giggled a bit and the connection breaks.

This is a good pedal if you are new to playing and want to experiment a bit, or you find a used one for sale cheap and want to just mess around. Otherwise, save your money and get a higher quality pedal. Just remember; you get what you pay for.

It has a ton of effects to mess with, but I wouldn't use it in a gig.

If you really want good effects, find the ones you want and spring for them.

Very simple. A knob and a few buttons...what you need the manual for?

I had a Digitech RP50 and I traded a buddy for the 505 II for the better amp sims. Just the Zoom sounds more analog and harmonic rich, so I think I got the better value. This pedal is pretty metal, I was able to record some tracks for my solo project easy and they cut through the mix well. Most effects are pretty limited with their sounds and parameters, but for half a Line Six Liqua-Flange, a multi-effects box isn't going to be top notch. That being said, you can get nice passive effects that can cut it. After a few months of owning it, the input jack started getting noisy and whistling. More on that later.

I've gigged with this probably three or four times when it was new. then...a year and a half later, the input jack was becoming steadily worse and worse. I was already babying this thing because of its plastic jacks (I hate threadless plastic jacks!!!), and the power would cut out when I changed presets because of the wobbling jack, and it was getting noisier and noisier until I couldn't take it out with the ZNR. Not only that, but the positive terminal fell out of the battery enclosure and I had to rip it apart and secure it again...tightly. So no, do NOT gig with this after a year. but for 50bucks, the sound and time it held up is pretty astounding.

Never called them. Did some home repairs though, and what I fixed didn't break again.

If you're on a budget, want a uber simple multi effects box, analog sound, etc, find an ebay listing (they've been discontinued) or pick up a G1/G1x. I feel my money/trading was well spent and I still got the better end of the deal. But if you want steel pedals and things you can really get good sound out of while stomping them, you're gonna have to shell out more cash. I feel I've gotten great use out of it and I still listen to those old recordings and killer dm distortion.

pretty easy to use once you get used to it

creating and editing patches is simple, switching between then can be tricky. Small plastic buttons are flimsy. LED display does what it should but not great

One good feature is a stereo line out to headphones so you can practice without an amp. Worth owning one just for this

The only reason I bought this pedal was because I had a cheap practice amp with no reverb on it. This was cheaper than a reverb and came with oodles of effects.

If you're using this at home to practice or (as I did) as an interface for recording then it's OK. Don't use it live whatever you do. It's noisy and many of the effects just sound weird.

The distortions are tinny and artificial sounding. Has an amp modeler which is useful if recording straight from it into a mixer but again not that convincing

Reverb's OK . delay is so,so.

Can't remember much else except that some of the preset patches are hilarious.

Not great sounding but what do you expect for this kind of money

Made of plastic. Never gig with. One step too heavy and it's all over for this box. Still, I had it for about a year and it always did what it was supposed to so i suppose that makes it reliable

never dealt with them

I bought this from Sound Control in Sheffield for ??40. As I said all I needed was a reverb but I came away with an all singing and dancing multi-effects unit. I ended up selling it on ebay for more than I paid for it so it cost me nothing.

I'm really not sure how Zoom got so many effects into this thing and who on earth they were trying to compete with but it works beautifuly in a Heath Robinson kind of way

It would be easy to mock this pedal with its weird sci-fi alien bowel motion effects and tin can meets angry wasp on acid distortion sounds but for the money nothing else even comes close. For a guitarist who's just starting out or is on a budget this is the pedal for you. Don't try and compare it to a Boss or a Vox Tonelab because it isn't in the same league (and it may be playing a completely different game). Just accept it for what it is and enjoy it.

I have no regrets about having owned one of these.

Would make the perfect Xmas present for a learner guitar player.

Easy as pie to use. The exact printed manual is available online in PDF format. Setting patches is just about as simple as the predecessor Zoom 505. The 505 is actually a bit easier because you can see at a glance mode what effects were on or off. But, the "dial format" of the 505 II is more robust, and less likely to stick or break. It's actually pretty easy to change a patch quickly if needed (as opposed to a rack mounted unit).

As many have said, the presets are 90 per cent useless (unless you're using headphones or want some outer space sound). As to sounds, read below.

I use the 505 II (and I own a 505 as well) for about three or four sounds. You'll likely want to create your own.

The P7 Pitch Shift is an excellent patch--add a bit of room reverb and you've got a really nice wash that's a bit stronger than a BOSS Super Chorus or Chorus Ensemble, but not as thick as an old Analog CE-2. This is the primary patch I use the 505 II for. It's cheap but effective harmonizer sound that I use for three or four ballads a night, and for colour in a couple of rockers.

The C3 & C5 Chorus patches are also very good--you don't really need to add anything to them--they stand as warm, sparkling choruses on their own. Maybe adding a bit of D1 Delay for slapback on one patch as a change-up is good idea, but the choruses are definitely nice the way they are.

I also use a couple of Delay patches - D1 and D4 that can be used for the odd solo or rhythm.

As far as the other sounds go . . . I rarely use them. I've got a flange patch, and a couple of chorus hybrids, but that's about it. IMHO, this isn't a distortion box by a long shot. You could use the EQ for a high end boost, or to roll of mids for certain songs, but the 505 II is not meant to be a replacement for a true amp sound, a good stompbox distortion, or an amp modeler. The distortion, compressor and can be noisy. Best to stay away from them IMHO.

BTW--the 505 II (and the 505) sound pretty darn good through a effects loop. If you want a stronger sound, the loop works well. Just stay away from the the distortion patches (again, IMHO).

It's never broken on me yet. It's too bad Zoom didn't put it in a metal casing and charge an extra $20, but as long as you have it firmly seated on your pedal board (I use a velcro method) it should last . . . as long as you don't lean on it like a Tube Screamer ;-).

Never had to deal with customer support. TTYTT, for the price of these things, it's not really worth the time if there's a problem.

I'm a classic rock player, but play a wide range of rock-related styles (blues, pop, mood stuff, ballads), but mostly kick-ass stuff. Been playing professionally for 34 years.

The bottom line with the 505 II (and the 505) is that they will not be the be-all and end-all (but neither was any rack mount unit I ever owned). As I said, the Chorus and P7 sounds are the strong suits of the unit, and for those alone, I really like the product. I use it every gig, and even start the night with a tune using the P7 Pitch patch. I also rely on it for songs like Pink Floyd's "The Wall". I know Gilmour doesn't use chorus in the verse chords, but WTH--it adds a nice flavour to that part of the tune. Also, that same patch is just what the doctor ordered for the intro to Golden Earring's "Twilight Zone" or the guitar melody in Billy Idol's "White Wedding"

I have a zillion stompboxes . . . I only load up about 9 or 10 for any given gig, but the 505 II has become part of the overall picture. I can use it with my Line 6 Flextones for smaller clubs, or with my JCM 900/Hiwatt DR 504/Marshall 4x12 for bigger venues.

IMHO, for the price, the 505 II (or the 505) are worth it for the patches I described. The Chorus, Pitch and Delay effects aren't noisy in the least, and most decent pedal chains will have a Noise Gate at the end just in case.

I realize these Zoom units aren't designer stuff, but WTH . . . for the sounds that are good in 'em, they're well worth a place in yer arsenal.

I think it's easy. It may only have a two-character display, but there's only so much you can edit on this thing - Select an effect from the bank, and one parameter. The manual is informative (only a couple of instances of bad translation!). It has explanations of the nature of some of the sounds/effects, descriptions of the factory presets, which can be restored, etc. It's not the worst. My main gripe with this is the two-pedal system. It's something to get used to, but even then, tapping both pedals simultaneously to bypass isn't easy to get right first time, even after two years. It is also easy to select the wrong preset, and also it's annoying having to scroll through presets during a song, so for that reason the only live use this gets is one preset per song, saved one after the other. Can't go wrong that way.

I would say it's not bad, provided that you know what you can and cannot do with it. When I bought this, I wanted something that would provide me with a variety of sounds at a decent price, and this was being sold off at ??35. I have had a lot of use out of it, but it is not without it's limitations. It works well plugged into my computer, as with a POD, only cheaper and not as good - It has a stereo output that also doubles as a headphone out; I haven't bothered with this more than once, but it does definitely work. I do use it in my chain, but mainly as a delay, with presets. Some settings are OK, some are really quite good. The Marshall overdrive is OK, some nice crunch sounds to be had. I have found that it sounds best with the amp simulation on full; otherwise it sounds pretty poor, to my ears anyway. No, it does not sound like a cranked JCM-800 stack, but it really cannot be expected to. All that said, however, I wouldn't use it (the built-in OD) in a gig situation anyway, just for fun when I can't be bothered to set my full rig up, or can't, etc etc etc. The reverbs are quite good, particularly the hall reverb, more than the room reverb (which is also good). I don't really use reverb though, but the hall reverb is fun to play with sometimes - mess around with the feedback times - some interesting sustained feedback to be had - you could be in a cathedral... I can't think of any practical application for it though. The delays are what I use most - they are really quite good. One parameter adjusts the feedback/depth, then the delay time in a separate bank. Another novelty is the cocked wah setting - it actually sounds quite lifelike (I did a shootout against my wah (Morley PWO; soon to be RMC Wizard). For a simulation in a cheap multifx, it's not that bad. I don't care for auto-wah. There's also lots of random sounds in the 'mod' bank, that I'm sure someone can find some use for, aside from the usual chorus, tremolo, etc. I use an Ibanez RG1570, with a Morley Power Wah, Ernie Ball VP-JR, Zoom 505II, Boss SD-1, Marshall GV-2. I play out at my church, and when I do, I use a keyboard amp. At home I've got a Marshall MG10CD practice amp, and an old bass amp of my dad's, which sounds nicer than the Marshall, only is getting old and unreliable. It is noisy, but the inbuilt noise gate seems to curb some of it down to a vaguely acceptable level. It doesn't seem to do anything for the rest of the chain, however.

Now this is where it gets negative. It is made of cheap plastic, and I knew it would crap out at some point. I've had it for two years, and the jacks are becoming unreliable - waggle the cables and it will fizzle and cut out. Not great. I did read on here of others who'd had similar experiences, but you get what you pay for. I'm not hugely dismayed - I never intended to go to my grave with this thing, and i'm getting what I paid for, to be honest!

I have not attempted to get in touch with them - I have no need. It's not worth the cost or effort to get repaired. It hasn't died yet anyway.

Overall, this is a good 'cheap thrill' for a guitarist that's new to effects. I found it great as a means of experimenting, and it's not bad as a delay - I can have different presets for everything. In the future I may accomplish this with a midi board and rack delay. If it were stolen or lost, I wouldn't replace it. It's done its job.

Its easy, sorta. If you've used other multi-effect pedals before, you should have no problem putting together one that you like. My only grievance is that you must cycle through them all if you miss your preset.

As far as quality goes, its a turd. Plugging your headphones into it is about the only thing that it is good for. The presets are okay, some of them. For the most part, you are trying to get your own to sound good. and i'd rather spend my time rockin'.

Its plastic, as mentioned.

its still working...unfortunately.

Its sounds okay through a solid-state amp, but it truly kills your tone through the tubes. It has been banned from my effects chain, and without true bypass, i can't even use it as a tuner. Save your cash and get a real sound.

This thing is pretty easy to use. I've been able to do what I want without much problem. Any questions at all and the owners manual will cover it.

I like the sound quality for the money. You can tweak each patch as well with the built in compression, EQ, noise reduction, etc.

Any reasonable musician should probably realize that a multi-effects pedal that's cheaper than many individual stomp boxes isn't going to ahve the very best sound. But I can say for sure that it's worth a lot more than the price. The sound quality of the 505II has improved over its predecessor.

I've had this for 4 or so years. I've never had a problem with it. I don't tour or gig heavily, but it's lasted through weekly rehearsals, gigs, and loads of home jamming.

Don't jump to conclusions about its plastic body. It's more durable than you think!

N/A never had to call them

I play all kinds of music from blugrass to funk, and jam rock to flamenco, so this is perfect for me. I did't have to shell out much money and got a hell of a lot of versatility from this pedal.

I play a Parker Fly Deluxe through this, and I've been playing now for 13 years. I've used this for recording, gigging, and rehearsal, and have had no issues whatsoever with it.


One suggestion: Don't buy the expensive expression pedal for this thing. I had one and it was a $60 piece of crap. Get an expression pedal of higher quality. Same goes for a tap pedal. I never tried the Zoom tap pedal, but I got a standard keyboard tap for $14 and it works fine.

I have used my zoom 505 II 4 years, and I can say when you know it and read the manual then, you can get the best from this pedal. My new users only play the originals patches. I think is easy editing when you edits your first patch and better when you get out the sound that you want.

The oirginal patches are noises, overall distors, and the acoustic simulator have a lot of hiss, specially when go direct to mixer. I can obtain my best sound adjusting GAIN, EQ, and ZNR. If you want distor "clean" then need in chain other pedal before. I used a Boss DS-1 and my zoom FDR clean. Excelents sounds when I connect two amps for stereo sound. Really is the best sound fot this.

I played rock, and pop and i think can be for begginers, but, in the mix you can fill some decents sounds specially if use amp simulators from this.
The bad things the original patches need be edited for better performance.
The good things, is cheap, have the basics efects, and you can work easy!

Fairly straight forward but can get a little tricky without the manual if you are trying to dial in your personal tone due to a lot of the readouts being numbers and letters that you may not always know exactly what they are saying.

Never buy a $60 to $80 little plastic pedal and expect it to act like a $200 to $300 solid steel floor pedal. I think for the money this little plastic yet very durable little pedal (The Zoom 505 II) packs quite a wallop! This unit sounds absolutely fantastic through headphones for late night or early morning practicing w/FX.

I owned mine for years but when I tried to use it as a serious piece of gear in my chain there was always this certain frequency issue that bothered me and I could not get rid of it even with 2 or 3 EQ's so I only used it when practicing by myself

I recently put it up for auction. During this time I was trying out new tubes in my Marshall TSL100 and had some trouble inserting one of them which resulted in frying a diode or something after turning it on. Sent it to the shop for repair along with my little Laney combo to get an FX loop installed so I had nothing but a solid state amp to practice through. I thought, man, this thing has such a great sound for an inexpensive all in one unit (which I usually am not too fond of) there MUST be some way to get a sound good enough to play out with.

I plugged it in and again it had quite a wide variety of tones and distortions but I just couldn't get rid of that frequency issue. I then turned EVERYTHING to "off" except the distortion and chose my favorite one. Threw one of those old MXR 6 band EQ's (blue one) in front of it because I love the tone, punch, and crunch this pedal gives when pushing other pedals or preamps. WHAM! It sounded fantastic! Possibly too many bells & whistles in this little bugger but I tell you what, I have recently tried out many pedals including a Rocktron Nitro, MXR Micro Amp, Rocktron Silver Dragon, Seymour Duncan Twin Tube, Boss Dyna Drive, DanElectro Fab distortion and a few others I can't remember at the present time and sandwhiched these pedals with EQ's and still barely came up with anything I would play out live with.

These are all good pedals but I just couldn't get the tone I was after. I haven't tried every pedal in the world but the only other ones I have played through within the same price range that sounded as good or better are the Boss SD-1, the Ibanez TS-9 (both Keeley mods) and a used (Paid $99 - cost $189 new) Sansamp GT-2.

Although the presets/patches on this sound pretty darn good right out of the box, you cannot just plug this into an amp and expect eveything to sound golden. This is an All-In-One unit with NO FX loop. If you run this into a head or combo with any kind of preamp gain your Reverb and Delay are going to be distorted and sound absolutely terrible not to mention other issues if there is too much high gain between this unit and your amplifier preamp. Although the fx in here are not real sophisticated, they still sound fine and all though basic, if you run it into a clean amp they sound very good. Sure they are a little limited but my goodness how much quality can one expect from one little unit packed wiah FX, Distortions, overdrives, amp models, EQ, compression, (etc.) for $60 to $80?

I have had mine for years but never played out with it. Although it is plastic it feels and looks pretty durable. I suppose if you threw it against a brick wall as hard as you could or jumped on it with all your body weight you may damage it. Otherwise I think with normal use it should last years and then some.

Never contacted them

Super value for the money! I didn't have a chance to try it out after I found my sound with it due to my main amp being in the shop. It was through a solid state amp that I discovered the trick to get it to sound good but it still sounded warm and natural. I literally had to shut almost everything to "off" except the choice of distortion/gain.

Would I but it again if it got lost or stolen. Well, like I mentioned before, while I was selling mine on Ebay I actually figured out how to get my tone out of then. I would definately buy another one but I am getting the Zoom 510 because I don't need the FX in the 505II and want a plate full of distortions and tones that zoom offers in hopes to find that little extra edge when I get my main amp back. I used to plug this into my clean channel and seriously thought about running it this way and getting rid of the Boss SD-1 Keeley mod pedal but it had that frequency issue. Can't wait to try the 510 when my amp gets out of the shop but I would have NEVER sold this if I would have made this discovery sooner!

EXCELLENT Bang for the Buck! I have always liked the sound of Zoom pedals although only owned one. It was because of hearing a guy plug into one in a music store one day that motivated me to try one. I highly recommend this for an inexpensive route to add distortion/gain to your setup.