Zoom 707 II

This is my second review of this product; I originally reviewed the unit when I bought it new about 5 or 6 years ago. I've used it live for hundreds of gigs since then and now have more insight into it. As far as ease of use is concerned, the 707II is manageable, but is a pain in the ass live. Arranging patches for optimum use is very difficult and many times during the night I find myself doing the stomp-the-cockroach to rapidly change from one patch another six stomps down the line, even after carefully arranging them for my needs. Very frustrating, overall.

As many here have stated, if you take the time to twiddle, you can produce very good sounds from this unit. I have some wonderful chorusing, phasing and delay patches going and quite often get compliments on them from other musicians, so the unit is very capable of producing good tones. The initial presets are crappy, ugly "12-year-old-with-anger-management issues" tones and are overblown with too much reverb, gain, compression, etc. If they work for you so be it, but my advice is to erase them! My main gigging setup consists of usually strats into a blackface Bandmaster running into a 4-10 cab with Jensens, along with either a Blues Junior or a Blackheart Little Giant into a 1-12 cab. Along with the 707II, I usually have a Bad Monkey or an 808 reissue, a Marshall Shredmaster and a boost, currently an AC Boost (wonderful boost!). Although I am not ecstatic about the 707II, I use it because the tones are as good as I've heard from Korg and Boss units I've heard.

Well, plastic and durability don't go hand in hand, but I've stomped on this thing thousands and thousands of times, had drunk chicks fall on it and spilled a drink or two on it, and it still lives. All jacks had to be replaced, they went bad fairly quickly, and one must remember to keep the footswitches clean and lubed or they will stick. I transport my unit in a laptop bag and it is protected very well. So far so good.

Have never dealt with them.

I have been playing over 25 years now, play at least two gigs a month these days, usually two-nighters. I have a couple dozen effects pedals, but use the Zoom for practicality purposes. It helps keep the space in front of my mike stand clean and makes things fairly easy to handle as I sing at least 25 songs a night and am the only guitarist in a three-piece band. I don't have a lot of time to be stomping on 10 pedals, playing and singing at the same time. I'm just a dumb guitar-player! If lost or stolen, I don't know if I'd buy another, I'd try out some other units and look for a system that featured easier patch switching and routing.

Forget it. If your a bedroom music person, it may work. For live, throw it in the trash. I would rather spend my time learning new songs that trying to setup this cluster f.

I use the tuner. Again, toss it in the garbage. Guess you get what you pay for. I had the thing for about 4 months. With all the live gigs, amps, etc, no time to spend on it. And what little I did was a waste. If I wanted to program something, I'll do it on my laptop, NOT on my guitar pedals. JUNK for live performances.

Pwr connecter will not stay attached. Poorly designed and does not play well with others.

I would not waste my time calling anyone at Zoom for the POS.

Its got the trash can blues.

I don't know if it's me, but I have a hard time working with this unit. I've had it for four or five years and still have not been able to get really good sound out of it. The knobs are small and sensitive to the touch. When trying to change a drum pattern or beat for example, it is easy to zip past the one you are looking for. It's just a little too finicky for my taste. Getting good custom patches out of it is difficult at best. The instruction manual is not the best laid out, so figuring out how to do things takes a while. A few examples of how to get certain sounds would really help the manual.

Sound quality? Well, the quality of the effects leaves a little to be desired. The sounds are weak and tinny. The acoustic modeling has a nasty hiss to it. If you have a small practice amp, it can improve the sound of it, but it doesn't do anything positive to the sound from my Laney Tube Fusion and Epiphone G400. My 9 year old son likes it, though.

I can depend on this thing giving me trouble. All the inputs/outputs are flaky and constantly need jiggling to get them to work. Actually, I lied. The guitar input has been reliable. The others, not so much.

Never dealt with their customer support.

I play everything except Grunge, Heavy Metal and Country & Western and this pedal just doesn't fit with any of my musical preferences. Maybe it'll work for you metal heads, but not for blues, rock, jazz, or anything else out there. All I use this pedal for now is for the drum machine for when I'm practicing alone and for the tuner (I just keep it on BYPASS). I received this as a gift, so I can't really complain too much or I'll be sleeping on the couch, but I certainly would not buy another one.

It's as good as plug and play. I use it for my yamaha DX7 synthesizer so I can't comment on the presets as they were intended for guitar. Editing is very simple and easy, you can do it by trial and error. Effect modules are laid out clearly and the module indicators are very informative - during play mode it shows which modules are active, in edit mode, it tells you what module is being edited. Some effects have two pages which you can access by pressing a button so it helps reading the manual which is very straightforward and easy to understand.

Sound quality is very good. Very quiet. Effects are very good. I've created chorus, flanger, delay, phaser, into hall and room reverbs, they just sound so amazing. The 707 adds another dimension to my DX7 which lack effects. Others say their sound is muddy, thin, etc. I think they may have just phase cancellations in their sound - the 707's sound interferes with other effects gadgets or the amplifiers characteristics. I use a solid state hifi amplifier for my keyboard at home and it works with that. Still to test my DX7 into zoom into guitar amp/cabinets. One thing for sure, my keyboard doesn't sound good in guitar amps so I use solid state amplifiers instead.

It's fairly dependable. I might place a rubber padding on it's footswitches and expression peadal however because it seems slippery.

You will never need one (I hope). And I'll never expect one.

Good pedal, at least it worked for my DX7, and it sounds pretty good.

Super easy to use! expression pedal works in an instant. Patch editing/restoring and patch up/down is easier to use than the older model (707). Drive mode (OD,metal,clean,etc..) very easy to change,no need to go thru the editing mode at all. Manual book and patches table sheet available and easy to use.

I play alot of Tom Morello's (RATM @ Audioslave) effect. Almost got it all. But trying to get his Digitech Whammy's effect, only achieved 85% accuracy of its sound. I also combine this effect with other analog pedals,it sounds ok. For high sustain, just disable the ZNR (noise reducer) mode.

Works just fine for Morello's changing sounds play style,but could get messy sometimes. Better inspect everything before go live. Zoom's products know to have 1 flaw : input/output jack tend to loosen up, thus effect changing in mid of a song could lead to no-sound. Expression pedal is OK,but lack of control in Wah mode,compared to analog WAH.

The patch up/down is easier to step on,compared to the older model. SmartCard (MMC) slot could come in handy, to save a backup for those precious customized patches u've made. Choosing a drive & pedal modes is at a push of a button,every easy to use! For the price i paid, it's a must bargain!

The 707II is very simple to use, making patches or slightly altering a preset is really easy. But in order to actually make good patches (better then the presets) its good if you have some sort of tone knowledge. Some parameters in the effects may not be named or shown the same as they would on the real pedal version of the effect. eg; the delay doesnt have a delay time (400mls,100mls etc) knob, but other knobs like mix, which will kind of give the same effect. reading the manual once or using the pedal for 2 hours and you'll know everything.

Sound quality... well it isnt the best. However there is a MAJOR difference between the presets' quality and patches you make yourself. The presets pretty much all lack tone, warmth, sustain and overall balls. I use a Jackson king V of the x series (not the high end one) and a fender vibro champ tube amp. I mainly play metal or neo-classical shred but also some black metal and ofcourse I like a nice clean channel, although i dont need one. The distortion tends to be very weak, low output for pinch harmonics for example or sustaining notes. however ive made some patches which are definetly decent for what i play, combined with some delay and/or reverb i made a pretty nice lead guitar sound with good output but sustain is still weak. The effects are ok, mainly because you have so many its cool, but the wah is no good (compared to a real one)
all in all its ok, you have big variety in sound, but no sound is really great. Good for beginners

Reliability might just be worse then the sound quality, after a couple of months my input broke and couldnt fix it, however i own my second now, and no i didnt buy another one because of my satisfaction, but a friend gave me his cause he didnt need it anymore. Anyway, on the second one, a few months later the left pedal broke, so this meant i couldnt switch down patches, and i couldnt use the record and play mode anymore, which sucked cause it was kind of fun. And the tuning mode stopped working as a consequence. some other buttons also stopped working.

no idea, havent tried to contact them.

Like i said i play different kinds of metal, through a jackson and a tube amp. for the first 2 years of my guitar playing i owned this and it was good enough, for beginners its cheap and gives a wide variety of sounds, which you can make sound relatively good with some tweaking.
i then had a metal zone pedal which i borrowed of a friend for a long time together with the fx in the pedal.ive been playing for 4 years now amd i will be buying another pedal soon, probably a boss me-50, because i need more authenticity.


its good for beginners but for more experienced players it lacks alot, especially in tone and overall sound quality.

Lots of potential sounds, but you have to tweak it.Considering the amount of sounds possible, not bad.

Overall, it sounds killer.Charvel, Gibson Flying V through 2X el-84 tube amp.I like all music except cuntry.Effects are very good.All kinds of whacked out sounds possible, as well as regular rock/ whatever sounds.Not noisy.

I bought it used, but seems like it will last.Made of plastic, but designed well. I don't cringe when I use the pedal like I do when I use my Behringer X- V amp pedal.

Surprised by the ratings here.They've been nothing but helpful with all my dealings with them.I treat them with respect so that probably helps.Even sent me a battery cover for free.

I play ABC. Been playing 25 years.Doesn't sound as good as my Voodu Valve, but it didn't cost a grand, either.Definitely would buy it again.Don't buy this if you have no patience or imagination.If you have both, it's well worth the price new.Totally kicks ass.

I would like to start my saying that this is the second 707 II I ahve owned. I sold my first one a year ago to help pay rent. So the fact I went back for another one (second hand this time) shows that I beleive in the product.

I also play an Epiphone Les Paul Standard, with Seymour Duncan JB bridge and Jazz neck pickups fitted. This is channeled in a Fender FM212 amp. So I am playing a pretty intermediate setup, probably not too different to yours.

The whole thing is pretty strait forward. Use the left and right foot pads to naviagte the menus with, then use the three knobs to dial in the various settings such as gane, tone, volume, mix ect. The expression pedal again is pretty simple, with the function selectable by the side of the product.

One thing I will say is that navigating through all the patches (and there are allot of them) can take a while, so get to know the layout and use the fast skip buttons.

Also, to get the best tone out of the effects, its best to play around allot and get to know them well. Tweeking is a little more complex then may meet the eye, especially when your combining different effects in chains.

Overall, its very easy to use, and the large navigation screen is a BIG bonus!

Well, here is the thing. If you own a PRS ?10,000 hand made guitar with a Messa Boogy head and cab, and are used to Electro Harmonics effects, you will always be disapointed with this.

However, if you like most people dont have ?30k to blow, this thing is perfect! The tones you get are not as good as the real thing, but yout 80% there. And lets face it, why spend ?70 on a ping-pong delay your not going to use.

So buy the 707 II as your multi effects, then if there is a pedal you just love, go out and buy that. Put it in series with the 707 II and you have a pretty amazing rig.

I play allot of Smashing Pumpkins and Devin Townsend stuff, and the 707 II can 80% nail the tone. The versitility of the 707 II also means you can get all those weird little bits here and there that would mean buying 5 custom pedals normally.

There is no buzz from the 707 II, unless you turn it up to the top, then you will get a mall amount, but then the volume you get out is very very very loud, so in a venue, you wouldnt notice that. in fact. my amp mankes more noise than then pedal.

One critisism is that there does appear to be some tone sucking when you use the pedal, but this is few and far between, and avoidable when you use the amps effects loop.

Firstly, I am a product designer, so i know what im talking about.

People will talk to you about how the plastic case is crap. Well, its not. plastic is not inately crap in that it can be made more resilient than metal. Using a plastic casing reduces posible background electro meagnetism interfearing with the electronics (causing buzz). When you think about it, why are so many pickups (not covers, the actual pickups) encased in plastic? reduced interearence. The plastic used (assumably ABS) is very resiliant and wont fail you any more than metal.

Here are the floors though. The input jacks on my first one did start to have problems after the first few months. This is easily fixed with soldering, but it isnt good. Its all down to the way the 1/4" jacks are held to the case, in a very flimsy way, so this will go first.

Also, changing patches using the foot pedals is a bit 'wet'. On new Zoom pedals they have gone back to the old stomp box switches (like on most small single effects). The padels dont give that satisfying 'click', so you dont feel like your relaly there. Also, the padels make it easier to skip through patches, but also harder to reach your real patch. This can be overcome by using the 'special selection mode' , but this again makes it harder to select patches.

This pedal wont last a lifetime, but then its cheaper than other, which does suggest a lower life expectancy on the product. Just look after it, dont jump on it or through it out of the window and you will be fine.

This is reliable for a rooky, but if your planning a UK tour, bring some backup Boss pedals that can survive a nuclear winter.

Never used them. However the website for the Zoom pedals is a subsisary of another company, and in Japan. So dont get your hopes up for perfect 1-1 support. Then again, i may be wrong.

This is an excellent product for any guitarist who is a beginner to intermediate. Expert players probably will find allot of fault in the sound quality, and get annoyed o long touring gig. Then again, experts hate everything and have enough money for 30 boss stomp boxes.

As i said at the start, this is my 2nd 707 II, and I am very happy to have it. I can plug my headphones into it and play at night. When I move into my new (small small) room in a rented flat, the 707 II and my headphones will be my amplifier.

The sounds you get are very customisable to about 80% perfection. Its not the real thing, but then it loads and loads of effects for a relatively small price.

AMAZING value for money, so go anf get one today. eBay is a good place.

having not had much other experience with fx pedals i would say that it is relativly easy to use, although not the easiest thing in the world. certainly not as easy as turning some dials on the amp.

weak. The distortion (any kind) on this amp is weak and very artificial. I don't own a valve amp (yet), i have a MARSHALL MG50DFX and i can tell you that that sounds better on it's own than with this fx pedal. I used to use it with a PEAVEY RAGE 15W amp (this is where the zoom comes into it's own) until i upgraded and noticed that. The only thing you can use this pedal with is a beginners amp like the one stated. It will make the sound better on one of these, but when you get further up the (price) spectrum for amps, i wouldn't recommend it.
I use it for tuning now, thats it.

i think it's reliable enough. i've never had a problem with it, and mines been dropped a couple of times.
very robust for a plastic pedal.

never delt with them

beginners fx pedal = YES, VERY MUCH SO

someone who knows a little more, with more experience = NOT RECOMMENDED

Well when i first saw it looked pretty confusing.But i got used to the functions.there are manuals in different languages.editing patches is quite easy.

i am using it with an ibanez SA 260 FM and stranger 40W.The effects are good,but some of them are the same.It is not at all noisy(noise reduction system).I play creed,metallica,rhcp,also punk and many other artists.Great for punk and metal.not good for heavy metal.Also not good for soft rock and overdrive sound.WAH WAH pedal is really good.

Yes i can certainly use it on stage.and yes i can count on it.

who are they?hehe

very good for rock and punk rock,good for metal but not that heavy metal sound.i have been playing for 2 yrs.this is a good "first processor" for a start.shifting between patches is tedious.great for gigs and practise.for BEGGINERS it is a really good processor,also cheap.but for paying a little extra you can get the zoom gfx series which is better.50% of the patches are 'kind of' similar.but a good buy