Zoom 505 II

I haven't learned all of the programming on this thing yet, but I have used it in three gigs so far. It doesn't take much to get awesome sounds from it.

I am using an OLP bass, and ampeg 350w stack. Some settings are noisy, but if you adjust your amps equalizer, this can be cleaned up.
I constantly discovering new effects on this. I love the chorus,and flange. I haven't messed with the distortion much yet. One thing that surprised me was the fretless functions. My bass sounds awesome with it, and it reduces slide squeak. The wah is pretty good, but I would like to try it with a pedal to improve the effect. This is a great unit for classic rock and blues.

I must admit, the plastic case scares the crap out of me. I am always paranoid that someone will step on it, or drop an amp on it. It is small enough to slide under my amp between sets, and on crowded stages, I set it atop my amp for safety's sake. So far though it has proven to be tougher than it looks. I have had no trouble with this unit.

I haven't needed them.

I play Classic rock, blues, and a little country. I love this thing for blues. It sounds great on classic rock, especially on the Chuck Berry stuff that we do for Country songs I turn it off.

Like most multi- effects,the presets are overwhelming.It's easy to dial stuff back,though.Good manual.I first gladly paid 160.00 for the regular 505.I lost it,then happily bought this new one.The new one really is an improvement.Mess with it and you'll eventually get good sounds.

This nine only comes while considering the price.Been playing 25years,and this thing IS an idea factory.Charvel and Flying V.Fender 1x12 tube amp.Too hissy and the distortions are a BIT too thin for recording.Not to sound like a tool,but the step filter alone is worth 50.00.The phaser(?) is also killer.The more you mess with it,the more you'll like it.

I'm pretty easy on my effects.Too flimsy to gig with unless you're careful.

If you have a bit of patience,you can get some good info from the website.

See above.Not to sound like a goober, but I'm actually glad kids will be able to snag one of these.This would have been a lot of cash back when I was coming up.( Mid eighties)Compared it to many other similar units.I'd like to get the pedal for it, but it's ten bucks more THAN THE 5052 ITSELF!Still,that very well may still be worth it.It even has a wider range for when you do use the pedal.Snag it if you can.It's a monster!

This is the simplest pedal i have ever used. I got it on ebay so i downloaded the instructions when it was in the post, but i haven't used them. You just twist the Knob, controlling each option with the control buttons, and then save it with the only other button. You can flick through the sounds you have save with either of the pedals, or if you want to get REALLY complicated, you can skip groups with the control buttons.

I can't believe zoom include a large manual to say that!

I won't give it 10/10 as they could could have made more pedals so you can get to your favourites quicker.

It isn't all that bad. I sold my old one to fund a new guitar, and the nice man included this with my new axe. I thought it would be poo, because he was giving it away, but i was pleasantly suprised. OK, some of the effects sound crap but the basics are fine, and the noise reduction is good, and it has lots of effects. If i could i would give it 6.5, but as im being a critic, im going to round it down.

Nb. If your guitar makes noise then this will amplify it- If you have a squier, don't buy this or better still, smash up your squier!

Everyone seems to just say "it's plastic" but is is actually quite tough. Ok, so the metal ones feel far more solid, but i don't actually know what you could do to break it. Im only 10 stone but i do stomp pretty hard, and its fine- I hurt my ankle quite badly once, and i think that says it all. It doesn't feel solid, but try and break it and you will be suprised. I think the people that moan must be really, really fat.

Got it on ebay from a guy called Chris Andrews, and he was very friendly and helpful, so I'll give him a 10!

Don't know about Zoom though. ask someone who got it new.

It is small, which isn't a category, it makes decent sounds, with loads to chose from, despite being plastic it's tough, and it's cheap. The downsides are that it would break if you ran it over with the tourbus (apparantly a common problem), and it doesn't look or feel proffessional. I will buy a new one eventually, but thats just because one day i will want better. You can pick these up on ebay for about #25, or #40 new, and it is very simple, so if you want multi effects for cheap, buy it. It does the job.

Its easy to use ok? Just sit with it for a few hours and presto.

OK, now for all the people who owns a Marshall 100DFX with a ZOOM505II, this is specially for you. I've got a Jackson KVX10 aswell.

I was searching the net for months just to get someone with the same setup as me to get some hints, but could'nt find anything. I just symply could not get anything sorted distortion wise with the ZOOM and Marshall combo.

The Zoom kicks ass. The dt is just to much like a Metal Zone, way to buzzy, especially on the Marshall. So I sat down and got this patch : Dist:Ld Gain:22 EQ:41-45 ZNR:5. Put your Marshalls Bass on 5, Mid on 3 and Treb on 3.5. I put the gain on 5, but play with the Treb to get the desired highs.

The distortion blew me away! You get a Soil/ Zakk Wylde sound and get all the gain to do those pinched harmonics. The only thing you need to play around after you got this patch is your Marshall. The sound is not muffled nor buzzy, its just smooth. Just right to do Hard Rock to Metal riffs.

Hope this helped!

No problems with it, but it is plastic

Very good

Conclusion: The Zoom is awesome, BUT sit down with it, turn your amp way up and get it right!

Quite easy to use, works, however, since I dont get around to mess with the effects that much, the editing is somewhat a problem for me. But it is the user type problem I guess. The navigation could be better also.

Im using it with my acoustic Hohner to my earphones aswell as through a computer to my general music center cd player etc. I can make my guitar play through the same speakers as for example the AC DC Shook me... goes. From what ive heard, no hum, nothing, sound is great, and whats more important- im not a soundfag. And what is even more important- ROCK N ROLL!!!

Im a little worried that stomping on it may cause the footswitches to loose or something, but so far it has been reliable.

Come on, seriously?

In general, the good money for sounds package. Looks a little fragile but so far nothing has happened. Im very happy with it. If i gigged, id probably use it...

A little strange interface at first sight (I haven't used an integrated effect processor until 505II) but once you get used to it it appears quite easy. Great number of patches in internet and some are really good.

Sound is great, I play it on Career Avangarde Series Double Cut and no matter if it is on headphones or on the cube i sounds nice. There is noise in high gain distortion but considering the price, no other in this segment is even closer in sound quality. As emulation of a distortion (it is digital effect anyway, and I have used "MetalZone" before it) it lacks a bit of depth but things are repairable by playing with the settings a bit. The delay and the chorus are really outstanding.

Good! Not expected from a plstic unit, but it is really rugged. No problems, only fun.

No idea.

Great! I made a really big marketing before deciding to buy this little piece of soundwork. I am not sorry for a single cent. The Device is very compact and it fits with no problem in the carying bag of my guitar, gives a very good sound and battery performance and is very affordable as a price. I thought that if my quitar costs of 500USD it is not reasonable to spend the same money for an accessory, so it was a good deal. If you are not a high-end proffesionalist 505II is just fine.

Super easy to use and program. beyond most MFX makers, Zoom has the ease of use thing down pretty good. The manual is helpful but after a short while you'll only need it as an index as to what the 2 character effects names mean.

It's easy to get good tones out of it if you take the time to tweak the patches to your particular guitar/amp combination and your volume level use --- meaning, you have to set it one way for gig-level volume and another if you only play at bedroom volume.

I think the unit sounds fine if you tweak it to fit your guitar/amp/playing volume. For example, the cleans can sound tubby if you don't tweak the EQ settings on the 505-II. Some patches are noisy, like when using the Mt (Metal) overdrive, whihc I don't like. You can use Zoom's noise gate (ZNR) to eliminate much noise *and* to eliminatealmost all of it, just turn down the "patch level" of the offending patches. The higher the internal volume of each patch, the more noise you may get.

I use mine with a gibson semi-hollow archtop and a Fender Super (tube) Amp (used to use a Fender Deluxe reverb with it as well).

I like the chorus, reverb, flanger; auto-wah is eh; distortions are OK is tweaked. Compression works well if you like thta kind of thing.

Does not work well direct to PA - distortions sound weird, but then agian, the unit was designed for DI use.

I've ggied with for 3 years in smoky bars - worked great. I'm using it again in a new music project. Definitely dependable. Might be nice to have 2 programmed the same way, but so far one has been enough.

Very versatile, inexpensive, giggable, decent sounding pedal. I have mine set up for gig volume with a P90 equipped or Gibson humbucker equipped archtop.

I've been playing for 12 years. Have owned - still own - lots of MFX pedals (currently have Digitech GNX3, Zoom GFX-707, Zoom GFX-1, Zoom 504-II, and the 505-II). I use the 505-II almost exclusively - small footprint (unlike the GNX3), decent sound, lightweight (unlike the GNX3), not too many inputs/outs (unlike the GNX3).

I really like it's size and weight for the bang you get.

It helps to make music definitely.

There aren't much buttons on this piece, so you don't have to search in the manual to understand anything of it (but you better do read it, so u see all the options availeble)

Clean sounds are very good, even the accoustic simulator isn't bad.
The soft distortions like blues and stuff are acceptable, but the hi-gain distortions you use for metal, realy blow.

I play in a beatdown/metalcore band, I had only one repetition and I decided to get rid of it.
The problem is that the metalizer is too sharp, and isn't fat enough.
Also when you put on the noizgate, but you use the metalizer, turn up your amp a bit, and you only get noiz.

the effects like flanger, chorus, ... I never cared about, 'cause I never use them.

it's plastic...
also I dropped my adaptor on the floor, one plug is almost broken off, but it still worx.

I would never use it for gigging

never dealt with them

I play hardcore/metalcore, and I wouldn't use this pedal
I bought the 505II after I sold my boss ds1 (you can't use it for metal, the pedal is pretty good for punk)

I play 2.5 years now, my gear:
-BC Rich M7 Sig Special
-Some suckass strat copy
-Boss MT-2
-Laney HCM30R
-Carlsbro GLX100
-Line6 SpiderII Head + Cabin

If it would get stolen or lost, I would never buy this piece again, just keep your money to buy a good effect pedal. I'm thinking of buying a BOSS ME-50, or maybe I'll buy a compressor pedal and noizgate and make a chain


for beginners it's a good pedal, but when u want to start doing the real thing, don't buy it

you need a little patience for this one, but its pretty good once you get the hang of it, making your own sounds on it is great, you can get basically whatever you need

i'm using this with a p-38 parker and a nice sounding small amp. the distortions are pretty good, some are bad and some are excellent. you can even set an acoustic "distortion" i.e. you'll get an acoustic sound. a really nice acoustic sound at that. if you want the best out of this pedal, throw in some "proper" effects, i use boss and dod stomp boxes mainly, but even if you have no stomp boxes with it, it still sounds good

it's made of plastic, but so long as your gentle with it youll be fine

i would think it would be smartest to get a backup, just in case

the manual was in japenese, but they supply english ones as well

i play metal and some rock. not the best distortions for metal, but if you fiddle with it enough you'll get just what you want

if it were stolen, i would be depressed, because i have some really nice settings on there

This is my second 505 replacing the original and let me say, there is absolutely no problems so far. I can make my own patches very easily and they sound good with the effects available! The manual is very good. It describes things great.

With this I use a 10 watt Squier amp and a Squier stratocaster with 3 single coil pick-ups (not that good quality) It cancelles out most of the buzz very well. I can play Metallica on this easily. It has some great distortion. And if you can't find the right effect, just make your own.

I can depend on this thing for live gigs and home practise use. I have used it in a couple of gigs. At the gigs I use my Peavey amp though. I would definately use this without a back up.

I havent dealt with them because it is a well built pedal.

Definately a good reliabe 10 worthy pedal.