Zoom 505 II

easy to use with the handy manual. just read it and edit all u can.

u can get a good sound in some patches but dist is weak, youll need a good eq for this box.

maybe some care will make it last.

a nice little box but it cant be compared to the 1st one. if it lost maybe ill get another one. a good feature of this one is the 9 effects at once.

Very easy and intuitive to use. Patches are easy to edit. The manual is short and concise.

I'm using it with a Stratocaster clone and a P.A. type keyboard amp.
The main shortcoming of this unit, in my opinion, is that some effects, particularly the distortion programs, do not have an infinite level setting; the minimum setting is already too high. I have yet to figure out if there is a way to get a subtle bluesy distortion sound.

A few 'clean' programs, such as the FenderAmp simulation, are far too noisy.

The noise reduction feature does work sometimes, but it acts more like a noise gate. I expected something better. It is not adaptive, and I suspect it can't figure out the difference between mains hum and music.

Apart from this, the unit is not terribly noisy. With some high-gain programs, it may at first appear noisy, but this can be rapidly remedied by appropriate adjustment of the input level on your guitar.

I was not expecting miracles in sound quality, and I can only say that I am more than satisfied with the results.

My impression after some weeks of owning the unit is that it looks too fragile and I am afraid to stomp it with my foot. The printed lettering on the top does not look like it will last very long, either.

I only dealt with the dealer, Knight Music, and they were extremely patient and helpful as always. I was actually surprised to find it in stock, and even more surprised with the serial number #84. Very unusual indeed, at least by Maltese standards, where it is normal to get to sample new products many months, if not years, after they are released in other countries.

I've been playing keyboard for a long time, but I'm a beginner when it comes to guitar. What can I say... it was only after getting the unit that I managed to actually get my fingertips sore with practice.

The unit is a bit overweight on harsh distorion sounds, but other than that, it's not bad. I am not disappointed, it certainly packs a punch for the price, and I gurantee it will do miracles to a beginner's playing ability.

By the way, it also works great as a headphone amp and tuner.

this is the easiest effects pedal to use on the market!

the effects themselves are good but the sounds that come out of them are very tinny and there is practically no Bass whatsoever

The first time i tried it in a shop i lifted my foot upwards quickly and cought the left pedal. the pedal came right off and onto the floor. i managed to get it back onto the unit but if you do knock them off in the middle of a gig u are screwed!

a good easy to use pedal but the effects are fat too tinny and buzzy for my liking

You can't have it much easier. Much better than the first version of the 505. The manual is okay.

I use a Les Paul and a Jackson DK2 together with a Hughes&Kettner Tube 50 Head and a Mesa/Boogie 2x12" Thiele cabinet. It's very difficult for me to give a clear rating in this category. I use the 505 II in the FX-Loop and only for Reverb-, Delay- and some modulation-effects. I do not use the Overdrive/Distortion-Sounds at all because I'm totally happy with the sound of my amp there and the 505 II sounds pretty dull if I put it in front of my amp.
But if you use this box as a headphone-amp, you will be surprised how good it sounds. Especially the new amp-modeling-like Fender-, Boogie-, Peavey- and Marshall-Overdrives sound surprisingly good to me. From soft overdrive to screaming Recto-like high-gain-sounds, you can have it all. In the past I've never practised without turning on my amp, but I think that I'm going to do this more often now.
The modulation- and reverb-effects (when the unit is used in the FX-Loop) sound really good for the $100 this thing costs. I'm very happy that they integrated some effects like Tremolo and Ring-Modulator, which weren't available in the old 505. The noise reduction does a good job and the unit is not very noisy at all. They really improved the chromatic tuner, it's much faster than in the old one.

Of course you cannot expect studio-like high-end-sounds coming out of this tiny box, but for that price, there is no better multi-fx around. So...I give it a 7.

I used the old one for over two years, I also gigged with it and I've never had any problems. I hope that the new one is also that dependable.

Never dealt with the company.

As I said, I had the "original" 505 and I'm very happy with the new version. I really love it when used with a headphone, and with the modulation- and reverb-sounds this thing produces, I'm completely satisfied. If it was lost or stolen, I would immediately buy it again.
You have nearly every existing effect in one box which is easy to use and cheap. So, what else do you want?

it is very easy to use! no problems at editing patches or effects!
great thing

sounds very great! never heard something like that before! even my cheap practising amp and my aria pro II sound like santana!

i think it is very reliable! but i just play for 2 weeks!

no experiences

it is very good for every kind of music, especially for distorted sounds!

I just bought the latest version to replace my faithful original 505. With regard to ease of use, well I guess it is easier than the one it relaces, though the old one wasnt difficult. The new one has rotary knobs to edit and scroll through patches. Editing patches is easy as is storing the edited result to your desired patch.

There are 36 factory pre-sets in 6 patches arranged in 6 banks of 6. The reverbs and delays have intensity an time adjustable parameters.

I am using the 505II with a Fender Buddy Guy Strat with Kinman pickups, through a Trace Elliot 50W Bonneville all valve combo. Compared to the original 505 this new one is total crap. We all know the factory presets are usually a waste of time, but normally you can usually find a couple that are useful. Unfortunately you will not find one on this baby. To say this new unit sounds crap is an understatement! It sounds total rubbish.

Now in fairness the original 505 took a fair bit of tweaking and editting to get it sounding ok, but with this new one I just could not get a useful sound out of it. Compared to the old one this new thing sounds really cheapo and thin. The distortions and overdrives sound like bee in a honeypot. But worst of all this thing is sooooo noisy. It hisses like a cobra on virtually ever effect, which totally negated the #200 I spent on noise-free pick-ups.

Please do yourself a favour, have a good listen for yourself before you buy. Better still dont waste your money.

Come on Zoom, the first 505 was a great little box for the money, so what went wrong? Dont you listen to your products before you thrust them onto the public?

Anyway, I took the little sh*t back to the music shop and got a refund - THEY ALSO THOUGHT IT WAS CRAP!

Dont know about reliability as I didnt have it long enough. The original was ok, no problems.

Well if it were stolen the thief would probably bring the motherf**cker right back. If it were lost it would do me a favour.