Zoom 9002

has everything but here's what everyone wants.. i couldn't find the manual online at the zoom site (like it's so old they archived it ;p but diggin' around i found the 9002 pro manual, then altered the link until i found the 9002 manual...

The Zoom 9002 manual can be downloaded at:

http://www.zoom.co.jp/archive/Previous_Model/E_9002.pdf

the 9002 Pro is at:

http://www.zoom.co.jp/archive/Previous_Model/E_9002Pro.pdf

Yeah, I know, I rock... lol!

Great for some sounds. Great for practice, okay for recording.

yes, battery is good for about 1-1/2 to 2 sets. lots of people claim to have made a (4) AA battery pack that works. I'm going to try it sometime.

They directed me to someone to get a battery once.

it's good for most general rock

**Disclaimer... I am both a 9002 fan/user of the 9002 and a vendor of free 9002 repair information, repair parts/ services, complete refurbished 9002's and accessories including new rechargeable batteries at www.e-lectronics.net*** Because of my great personally interest in the 9002, I have obtained a lot of 9002 information and would like to share it. I am not affiliated with ZOOM or Samson, just a fan. The following review is to the best of my knowledge based on my experiences with the product and may have some slight discrepancies.

It doesn't get much more simple than the ZOOM 9002. All feature are accessed directly with a very simple menu and the 3 band EQ bars are dynamic with in each effect for adjusting rates and gains.

If you want to record with it, just plug a stereo 1/8 inch to RCA into one of the two provided headphone jacks.

With or without the manual, anyone can be fully proficient at using the 9002 very quickly. If you don't have the manual, you can download it from ZOOM in several different languages here:
http://www.zoom.co.jp/archive/Previous_Model/

All releases of the 9002 use the same 7.5vdc 200mA power supply (AD-0001D) and 6v BT-0001 battery and 9002R or 9002F remote control, with the exception of the PRO model which will use the PRO which is the only release that works with the FC02 foot controller with bank switching. Be careful with aftermarket power supplies, the 9002 (atleast the early ones) do not have reverse input protection and will fry if you swith the + and -.

Very unique,

I admit that I do like the newer PS-02 for it's compact size, AAA batteries, bass and drum backing, and recording features.....it even has an emulated 9002 effect BUT... truth be told none of these sound like the 9002. I don't personally rate the 9002 as the very best all around sounding processor ever, but the sounds it has are good and very unique.

If you're wondering what the difference of the 9002 releases are, here it is:

All models use the same ZFX-1 16 bit processor.

There was an early release called the "Special Edition" with an Orange ring around the display. I believe this was a promotional model, maybe offered through GC or something. The key here is that it was and early release and really doesn't have any advantage over the other releases.

The 9002 in its standard form with the blue trim has some internal changes, mostly component enhancements and some minor circuitry changes. I don't know exactly when the changes took place but you can guess by your serial number....1000 and lower are pretty early 5000 and up have had some changes made to improve noise reduction and electronic efficiencies. You likely won't notice much difference between any of these assuming the ones you compare have fresh capacitors in them.

The 9002 PRO was the last release of the PRO with the latest circuitry improvements for sound quality, noise reduction and efficiency. The PRO also works with the FC02 foot controller which has bank switching capability and is increased to 40 user defined and 40 preset patches. In my opinion, the PRO has more presence that the standard 9002.

The PRO Artists Edition is the same as the PRO with pre programmed patches by famous artist.

Many 9002's are now suffering from the electrolytic capacitors drying out which also sometimes causes the charge pump circuit IC7660 DC to DC converter to fail as well. Before completely drying out, the unit will usually whine while "warming up", the distortion will get weak, the headphone outputs may give out as well. Finally when the capacitors dry out all the way, the unit will no longer pass the guitar signal but you will still hear the AUX input, metronome and tuner. This problem is primarily showing up in the standard units but this is most likely because they were release before the PRO, I have serviced a ton of dead standards and only 1 PRO as of winter 2006. My guess is the PRO's capacitors time is coming.

If your ZOOM 9002 looses it's sound output, don't throw it out, just replace the capacitors (or have them replaced for you if your not electronically inclined.)

Remember,

These were released in the early 90's. All and all the 9002 was designed very well.

Issues are:

-Capacitors drying out causing loss of guitar signal (this can be repaired by replacing caps and sometimes also the IC7660)

-Power supply failing (these are great power supplies, it's usually just the tip that fails, a replacement tip can be bought at Radio Shack for about $2 and soldered on)

-Power failure...there is one section on the circuit board that not too often but does sometimes crack a solder joint causing a total power loss, this too can be fixed with a quick touch of the solder iron. Some times the DC input jack and headphone jacks will break a solder joint at the board as well, most are repairable with a touch of the iron, some are actually broken jacks and I have not found a replacement other that spare parts units.

-Battery covers break or get lost (www.e-lectronics.net has new compatible non-OEM replacements)

-Batteries were discontinued and have all died (www.e-lectronics.net has new compatible non-OEM replacements)

ZOOM and Samson have both been extremely good customer support for me. I have bought various parts directly from Samson and received great information from ZOOM Japan. They also offer an extensive manual library which I find a great resource.

http://www.zoom.co.jp/archive/Previous_Model/

All good, no complaints here!

A very low cost yet versatile processor that I wouldn't want to go with out. Many people use these for guitar as well as bass or vocals. With the headphones and a new battery I can rock in privacy for about 4-5 hours.

I like the unique sound, simplicity, and size. I also like the fact that ZOOM blew the competition away with this unit, it was light years ahead of the others and it still rocks.

It's hard to compare to others because it's so unique. I haven't used the other small units like Korg Pandora. The sound of the 9002 is much different than what you will find in the newer line of ZOOM.

I like to keep the toolbox loaded and the 9002 is a keeper in my opinion.

I am doing my best to keep the 9002 alive; for more infomation feel free to email me and I'll do my best to help out. Hope you've enjoyed this bit of info! -Markcm

Sliders are not too accurate, but generally it is very easy to use even without a manual. Surfing trough banks and presets is ok. There is a little gap when changing between presets, but it is manageable. I use to play it for couple of hours every night and it was hard to change any parameters because there isn?t any light on a display (of course that I played in dark, it?s a great feeling), but later I learned where the keys are by heart.

It really sounds terrible when played through an amp, noisy when compressor used, and it has a week distortion. Can produce some very good cleans. Sound quality improves greatly when it is used trough headphones.

It bounced a hundred of times and it still worked ok. It is very old now, and sometimes when tuned on it won?t give any sound for some 15min. and after that it works normally. Probably it caps need a replace.

Although I love this little thing (it?s my first ever effect), I must be objective. It's a good effect for practice and excellent for beginners, some pretty good cleans could be produced, but that?s about it. Anything with distortion and amps is simply something that Zoom 9002 isn?t built for.

It's a very easy unit. No much parameters for edit.

Well, I'm in love with the ZOOM 9002. I owned also a ZOOM 505 and a ZOOM 2020, but nothing like the 9002. Very 80's sounds, but with too much quality for the price and the unit.

I recorded my first CD with this unit, and it was fantastic... My first unit was stolen, but I get a very new one from www.e-lectronics.com, wit a complete overhaul and a NEW BATTERY !!!!

Well, I play 80's rock and this unit is good for that. Bon Jovi Songs, clean guitars with flanger or chorus. NOT FOR NU METAL !!! My first unit costs US$ 480 in 1992!!! Now, in EBAY you could find it for 80 bucks. Mine costs 110 bucks because the man in e-lectronics made a complete ovehaul to the unit (change of capacitors) and send me a new battery (6 hours for the unit !!!) and the reomtecontrol unit, with all the manuals !!!

Well there are so many seetings posible that it isn't really hard to get agood sound out of it.
The distortion lacks a bit of sensitivity, such that if you're looking for a particular sounds, that's the one it just won'r readily give. It takes a bit if fiddling with the compression to antain what you're looking for.
A child could edit patches on the Zoom, however you may also need a childs small fingers to edit adequately.
I'm lucky to have received my Zoom as new with all the manuals,which are also dead easy to use and in 3 languages, so if anyone has a question regarding "How to...." feel free to mail me.
If the Firmware number is the one printed on the back of the unit, then mine says 004209.
Mine hasn't been upgraded, any way how could you upgrade the little critter, it's already jam packed with chips!!! lol

Guitar-Transfer, USA performer series (Fender wannabe)(It's definately not made in the US),in a Fender Bullet reverb amp.
Never found it to be too noisy
Everything is fine except the little distortion hik and those bizarre special FX, Hmm, more precisely the third one, Metallic... Strange

Not tried to hard to reproduce other peoples sounds, mine were always good enough!

Distortion a bit iffy, pitch shifter creates a dalay effect... not good. and the last FX sucks + the majority of the artists patches also suck, that could have been extra space for my patches.
Other than that they are all seamless.

100% reliable on power, provided the wire is good

Wouldn't be reliable if i stepped on it!

The batery was dead on arrival, never bought a new one, never even thought about it.

The foot controller is a bit too flimsy, the wire that hooks it up to the main unit looks like it was made for Barbie. I'm still waiting for someone to walk on, and obliterate it!! lol

Had some issues with the microswitches in the controller too. Sometimes I'd press 2 and patch 4 would come on. For that reason alone I'd never use it out.

N/A

I'll give anything a go, It's fine for that.
8 years on and off, AS said Copy fender, fender mp and a crybaby. I rely on the amp distortion, it has more grunt.
Hmm, tough question, It's so cheap now I'd probably get one for the fun of it, but other than that, not really.
I love that it's so unusual and compact, most of the sounds are good. It's fine foe a home setup and headphone fun.
Haven't really compared it. Chose it coz it was going cheap. My neighbour couldn't deal with editing the patches.
Wish it had a Wah attached to the foot controller + a sturdy connecting wire, Backlighting would be handy too on the display.
Put into a reinforced floor unit instead would probably be safer.
I've had it for 7-8 years, loads of fun and lots of noise, good noise though.
If you have cash going spare, buy one.
If you're anovice, buy one, explore the effects, then you can spank out on dearer and more specialised analogue gear.
Long live music

Doesn't get any more simple than the Zoom 9002

Sounds are good but dated 80's.

Two big issues- the capacitors tend to fail- see a write up on fixing this here: http://www.guitarsite.com/database/Guitars/rec/732/wwwboard/messages/349.shtml

The dead battery thing was a pain in the butt, until I made a new battery pack, it works awsome! check ebay, I usually have one forsale there

Zoom sent me a new manual for my 9002 free of charge in 2004, I like that!

Mostly use the distortion, I've played for several years but I'm not a real sound quality critic, extra volume usually solves my issues.

I really like that you can get one of these for less than $50 on ebay and rockout with your headphones, the small size is a real plus if you have a battery for it.

If you want to get your zoom going again, check ebay as I usually have a NEW BATTERY PACK listed forsale there. or you can contact me by email too at: mmph@comcast.net

Wow! I thought I was the only one still using one! Extremely Easy to use, bought mine new in April 1993, after recommendation by a top local guitarist.
Never liked the shape, used it on my guitar strap once, but it got in the way, kept pulling it off the amp until I worked out how to lash it to the carring handle with some cable, or gaffa-taped it through the rails.

Using Strat through Peavey practiceamp/Fender Princeton Chorus/ DI.
The presets always sounded a bit too "American Metal" to me. I Play mostly Blues, Classic Rock, etc. but easy to set up some decent sounds on it.
These days mostly use for EQ, compression, delay, etc into a line 6 Pod.

Battery went years ago so now using power supply only. input, output jacks starting to show wear and tear but after 11 years, what do you expect?

never needed them.

took ages to decide to buy it, but when I did, I never looked back until now, when its beginning to show its age.

Very easy to use with clear definable value adjustments. Comes with 4 channels of 4 banks each pre-programmed to get 16 different quality sounds right off the bat. Plus you get 16 more (4x4) that are user banks you can customize and save for future use. So you get 32 different storage banks overall. Only thing bad I can think of are the small buttons, but I'm not complaining.

Great sound for a Zoom and the 9002 itself isn't much bigger than a standard guitar Distortion prossecor/switch.

It is somewhat fragile. I've had mine over 10 yrs, and after about a dozen drops or so, I've notice some of the LCD bars come and go, and a little piece of plastic seems to have become loose inside, but the output sound is unaffected and still sounds great.

Sweet product for the low end price I paid. Sure there are better, but not in this price range.

I only use a few of the effects on this unit. The footswitch is a must and provided you concentrate it is quite easy to use.

I used a marshall combo, HH combo, and Torque combo. A stereo output was taken from the output and the left channel taken to the Marshall.
The right channel was taken to a stereo chorus with 1 channel to the HH and one to the Torque. The mix of the 3 amps gave a powerful Upfront sound which made my Guild and Burns Brian May guitars sing.
My favourite artist is of course Brian May and preset 4/4 gives me the Hammer to fall effect. A few of the harmony effects are quite good and the single delay is good for Brighton Rock type work however some of the harmony channels are useless. I have since removed this pedal from my live set up and only use it as an amp simulator for recording work. a built in tuner would have been useful rather than just the tuning fork.

The footswitch let me down once and was repaired under warranty.
I have since replaced my set up and now use a vox valvetronix and vox brian may. I still bring it along but its use thru the pa is not recommended as it sounds a bit passive, however its better than nothing at all.

I tried to get a new battery and found them unable to assist as the sony battery had been discontinued and no other battery was available. Had I known this prior to buying it I would have steered well clear. The repair was straight forward and fast enough and it has remained robust during constant daily use.

I play a mixture of music and use it to create backing tracks.
Have played for almost 30 years and use the guild and burns brian mays with brian may vox thru vox valvetronix. The zoom is used with cubasis to create backing tracks. I have some old analogue effects which do not work effectively with the newer amps.
Just wish it had a tuner and a port for a pp3 battery instead of the obsolete thing it has.
To get the best out of this unit it must be used in stereo as the mono sound is too busy for one channel and makes a confused noise.

Bought it around Xmas 1991. It's very easy to set up good sounds, to learn to use patches. The manual was clear and easy to understand. It was in english language and not italian, but it was understandable. On the manual there are all the original settings, in case you want to re.set up then.

I've been using 2 guitars: maison with 2 HB, and a Guild B.May model.
Different amps. With the Hughes & Kettner Attax 100W the zoom doesn't work good on the "effect input". It's better on the normal/brilliant input. It's a bit noisy connected ti the amp, but just a little. Nothing if compared to other effects in 1991. With the zoom I can reproduce similar effects/sound as Brian May. The distortion isn't very good. I use the ampli. gain. The "Cry" is an "automatic wah wah". I use the CryBaby pedal. The compressor and all the other effects are good. There are 2 delay effects that give a "Stereo Sound" on 2 channels if connected to a stereo recorder, or a stereo amplifier. The "metal" sound, if set up, is very similar to the Queen song "Headlong" guitar sound. Rating:10 in 1991 if you consider the cost/quality relation. in 2004 the rating could be a 8. Today it's a good effect box (7), and still is a good pre-amp for house recording (9). ( I used the zoom to record traks directly into the PC). Clearly it's not an multi-amplifier emulator.

the battery gives troubles, so I use the power supply connected.

Never had a reason to contact them

I play rock '70's/80's
I don't know if I would re.buy it. Maybe today there are boxes with similar effects + other things in the same box (pod).
I love him 'cause it's easy and fast to set up. You can use it in different way: to play for fun, to exercise, to record, on stage. On Stage it miss a footswitch (it was an optional). It has a "handswitch". You can put it on the guitar body, it has 4 buttons.

Years ago I could sell it, but I took it with me. It don't need a Rack unit to be taken around and you use 2 seconds to plug in.

Dead easy. You can flick through the presets or make your own. It's just like a line of stomp boxes.

This is a difficult question. For direct injection into a recording equipment it sounds SO SO good. If you put it into an amp then it sounds like crap.

It is a bit noisy and doesn't include a noise gate / suppressor.

I really like the sounds, because I am an 80s metal guy. I have bought MANY effects units since this and still pick this up for many uses - eg putting something down quick when recording or best of all listening with headphones. For that it ROCKS.

Never had a problem.

N/A

I would NEVER sell this. There is NOTHING like this for jamming through headphones.

Typically of the era, the user interface is cumbersome and obscure. However, it doesn't take a genius to be able to get to grips with it within a few minutes and start making music! Get a manual if you can although I can't find one anywhere!

The usual tone comments apply - it's fizzy and sounds quite dated - but then again it's perfect for practising or warming up before a gig! At the end of the day, it's a little black box o' tricks and it sounds like one. I'm sure it'll be good enough for most people for practising, but I'd personally never gig with it or record with it cos there's simply better stuff around these days.

There seems to be an inherent problem with the design of these things in that they always seem to fail after a few years with the same fault - no ouput apart from metronome. The solution for this fault is to replace the ICL7660 (Surface mount) negative voltage generator that supplies the preamp, along with it's surrounding caps. In total this repair costs around #2-3 in parts and takes about 10minutes to complete with the right tools! Also, the battery packs are useless. Replace this with 4 AA rechargable cells connected + - + - etc, and hold them together with gaffer tape. Job done.

Seemingly non-existent these days, but then it is an old unit!

It may have once been an expensive bit of kit, but these days it's not a patch on whats available. However, if you can get one cheap then it's a great thing to have in your gig-bag as a useful tool - even if you only ever use it as a tuner or metronome!

Takes a long time to really fine tune this thing. I must of spent 100 hours dialing it in perfectly. The presets are AWFUL. i can't imagine people ever really wore this thing while jammimg. It's really just a great silent practice amp for yuppies. Overkill rockman. With lawsuit avoiding volume. Great for recording and for plugging into a stereo. Never good find a way to actually play with it in a live situation. Plugging it into a tube amp has always resulted in a horrible tone.

The distortion and compression adjustments have only 10 levels and that's a pity because I liked the distortion at 3 and the compression at around 7 but could not really fine tune it. Distortion at 3 being too much and 2 too little. I wanted a 2.5 or a 2.75. I'm annoying by the limited adjustments.

I used it mostly for writing and recording tunes. The preset overdriven tones are horrible but I was able to find my own settings that I think are just superb. Zoom overdriven tones are usually with the distortion at 7 or 8 and the compression almost off. This, to me, is just backwards. I found a "Plexi" like tone bringing the distortion to 3 and cranking the compression up to 5 to 7. I also added a super short reverb (50 ms) to fatten the tone and give it a real tube amp sound. Very cool.

With the short reverb (50ms), compression on about 6 and the distortion on 3, my Les Pauls laid amazing tracks down on my home studio. I liked some delay too.

Really a great sounding processor. Clean or dirty the tones possible are top notch. From jazz to screaming 80s metal the ZOOM was in the top of the field and a writing-recording dream. No mics to fiddle with. No noise. Consistant sounds. No outside noises. Small space. Quick adjustments. No bothering the girlfriend with endless takes. Just a bunch of advantages in the recording studio over an amp and pedals! With an amp, if you bump a mic you gotta lay all new tracks again! With the Zoom you can come back years later and if you know what setting you used your saved from endless hours of trying to recapture the original tracks.

I bought this new in the early 90s and must have put 1000 hours on it before it stopped working. (no output). I dropped it a few times from 3 feet onto carpet and maybe the input jack is broken. Shoot, this is what sucks about expensive toys. When it's broke....IT'S BROKE! Nearly $400 of fun now worthless in a drawer, too broken to use and too expensive to toss. All I have left is memories and the hopes that someday a miracle happens.
There is a lot that can go wrong with these things and they are very fragile. I broke mine using it only in a recording studio. Imagine using one on the road! It wouldn't last a month.

No one can fix these things. If anyone could he would be busier than a one legged man in an ass kicking contest.

I've been playing hard rock and metal guitar for 35 years.

The Zoom was great for writing and recording.

Now I use a small Fender Champ and pedals for my recording.

I loved all the features it had and the great tone. it really is a wonderful thing to have in the recording studio.

I wish it was more popular like a Marshall amp so people would know how to fix them. I suppose I could try to get the factory to fix it but it would probably be cheaper in the long run to just buy a new Zoom.

Can you believe Zoom actually built this fragile little $400 toy to be worn on your belt or strap????? I guess if you are rich, you might be able to afford doing that. For myself, $400 is a lot of money.

A really fun, usable, effective, innovative, practical, great sounding product.

But I feel it was a little too expensive, small, fragile, and the compression and distortion adjustments too limited. The overdriven presets were bad and what the hell good was that kooky effect all about? Was anyone ever able to make use of that effect? Sounded like a random synthetic harmonic doubler or something. I heard it for less than a minute and never used it again. Wierd, really wierd!

In my eyes the Zoom 9002 would have been better value had it been built as a larger and sturdier floor pedal or rack mount.

I get the feeling the Zoom company thought guitarists where going to use the Zoom at the beach while skating on roller skates and playing guitar at the same time.

Even on stage, a wearable effects processor is not needed. Are you gonna change the settings on your presets in the middle of a song?

Well, it's been broken for 6 years or more and I haven't fixed it or bought another one yet.

A great travel companion for yuppie rockers. That's it niche. Otherwise, get a rackmount or floor unit for recording or playing out.

I just received a Zoom 9002 from a friend who was going to throw it out. The power jack loses connection intermittantly when moved around(probably due to cracked soldering. Haven't taken it apart yet). It still sounds good, but the paint for the button labels is almost completely worn off. Through trial and error, I've figured out what most of the buttons are. Unfortunately, there was no manual, so any word on locating manual would be greatly appreciated.

Right now I play my Ibanez 'S' Series 7 String through the 9002 going into a Pignose amp. This makes a fun little rig I can take anywhere. I haven't tried the 9002 through my larger amps yet. So far, everything seems cool with it(A nice little addition to my tools).

In it's current state, I wouldn't rely on it for any major situation. However, for just hanging around and makin' a little noise, it works like a charm.

Haven't communicated with them.

I've been playing for approximately 17 years. Various styles of music interest me(I try to stay opened-minded). I enjoy playing through a Marshall JCM800. I have an Alesis Quadraverb Gt and a few BOSS pedals that I also enjoy. Well, I guess that about wraps it up. Have fun kids.

I bought my first Zoom 9002 used in 1992. I have been playing through it ever since. I do not have a manual for it but if anyone knows where to download one, feel free to contact me and let me know where. Even without the manual I have had no trouble setting up and changing patches.

For guitar, of course, it sounds great. I also plug my Hofner Beatle bass into it and the sound is surpisingly good. The lows are a little muddy since it was designed for guitar instead of bass but it works for the sound I want, which is mainly an indie-rock psychedelic type of thing.
I use the pitch shifter and some delay ans reverb while playing with a bow and it sounds like an entire orchestra backing us up.
I have also tried it with my theremin and it sounds great there, too.
In fact, I just purchased a second one on Ebay specifcally for use with the theremin.
I would like it to have a bypass feature for a nice clean sound but I got around that by programming a blank patch at the beginning of each bank.
There is a little bit of bakground noise but it is not too bad. especially for live playing.

I have used it without backup for over ten years at hundreds of gigs and recording sessions. It has only failed me twice. Once was when the battery finally gave out completely and, for some reason, I did not have the a/c adapter with me. The other time it was stepped on by a fellow band member 2 minutes before we went on. The remote was history and the a/c adapter input was shot.
I had to replace the input and output jacks once but it has worked great ever since.

I never had to deal with customer support.

I would definately replace it if it turned up missing.
I currently use the Zoom 9002, an antiquie Morley wah,and then a Zoom 508 Delay pedal for a little post-wah delay looping. The sound is mind-blowing.

I started with the Zoom 9002 in it's earliest version; 1990. It's a phenomenal piece of equipment...set a whole new standard for portable
Digital/Analog effects processors. VERY easy to use for those with even mild experience with parameter/setting type devices. I want to make note that while people are certainly entitles to their opinion; it is my opinion that anyone who claims these aren't suitable for Studio or Live work.....are of the "everything sucks but Ford's" ilk.
That is to say..NOTHING will convince such lamebrains!

Sound Quality= FABULOUS! I am a recently retired Music Producer who was listed in the Major Recording/Music Industry throughout the 90's with a Retirement listing in 00'. I have been listed in the following:
MIX-(Studio Directory), RECORDING INDUSTRY SOURCEBOOK-(Studio's East,
Producers/Engineers, Artist Management, Mastering Facilities, Sound for Film etc. Invitee: Who's Who in Pop Music 96' etc, etc. In short,
I have a thoroughly qualified opinion and it's thus. I have personally
wowed various Artists/groups, musicians with what the Zoom 9002 can do
especially when some of their "effects units/stacks" costs many thousands of dollars and the 9002 new was $450.00. I have used it on many recordings and live.....NEVER a complaint.

I HAVE used the 9002 without backup, can thoroughly depend on it and have continued to list it among my all-time favorite and dependable
units.

In the early days.....there was virtually no support (young Company-Japan based) but things have come a LONG way since 13 years ago!

My overall rating for the 9002 is a 10++. I play ALL styles, am a multi-instrumentalist (11 instruments), have been playing (guitar) for
41 years and have bought, borrowed, leased or used most everything out there at one time or another.....& the 9002 NEVER let me down. Don't believe the old addage: "You get what you pay for" as it's Companies like ZOOM, FOSTEX, ALESIS and a host of others breaking new ground with new technologies at AFFORDABLE prices. To be rather blunt:
ANY guitarist who honestly believes that all the guitar Companies making "lightweight" guitars (so you won't hurt your itsy-bitsy poor little shoulder-HELL a good strap is all you need!) made out of SMART woods etc-are in the league of the REAL thing, but allow yourselves to be BRAIN-WASHED due to budget constraints...are still only fooling yourself. Save up for the REAL thing and get a GOOD/padded guitar strap!!

It's very user-friendly...

Great especially when you don't have expensive guitar....

except the battery, the whole unite functionally properly all the time.

??? how can they help you???

Just would like to share the expensive of how to made a battery replacement yourself.

1. use four standard AA rechargable battery 1.25V/1250mA.
2. bond them together by wire the + - + - + -.
3. use the plastic tape to tight them up firmly.

It just cost you US$6.00 to get it done. Hopefully, it helps.

It's not difficult to understand the manual while the LCD display also enables you to make the configuration change easily.

I've no comments on this part cause the sound quality is not bad expect the distortion not powerful enough, but it's not likely someone will use it on the stage as the control/handling is difficult when you're preforming on the stage but it's excellent for home practice.

it's reliable except the battery.... but I've found a way to make an replacement for it... simply just tight 4 x AAA rechargable battery together, bonding with copper board to chain the + & - together. IT works....and 4 x AAA just fit the origin battery place and you don't need to make any alternation.

NIL, cause the product was discontinoued.

As all have described, the unit has great sounds and is light years ahead of the Rockman from which it probably took it's lead. But I will agree on the battery situation. Thankfully I only paid $130 after trading in some junk I didn't need. My unit was listed as a Special Edition on the Red border around the LCD and didn't come with the Guitar Remote Controller R0002 but I did get the Foot Controller at the time. I know that a new model was produced later than mine called the Pro with updated patches and also additional user patch slots. I believe it was a 40/40 on the Pro and a 20/20 on my edition or the first edition. I wouldn't mind getting that updated firmware for it but I don't think the unit is supported in any fashion in Japan or here in the US. After this experience, I would be very hesitant in buying anything from Zoom again. Many are interested in a manual, As far as a manual goes, one can be downloaded from the Japan website if you have Acrobat Reader installed on your PC. Go to Zoom.co.jp and click on manuals on the Home page.

As listed the sound quality is good and reminiscent of the sounds of the late 80's, early 90's sounds.

The battery is the reliability issue I think with most users and I had to replace mine once when it was available. It didn't last all that long and was around $25-$30 to replace. I was hesitant when buying my 9002 new because the battery was propritary in design and we all know the way that works.

Help from Zoom Japan is not available only from the distributer in your country. In this case Sampson Technologies or Sampsontech.com. The Zoom logo of "catch us if you can" really holds true when trying to contact a real voice at Sampson Technologies for assistance. I called for 30 minutes straight using the re-dial functon (as the line disconects when no one answers the line)until I finally got a real person on the other side and was told the battery is no longer made. I logged onto the Zoom website in Japan(Zoom.co.jp) and they state with appologies that the battery manufacturer has indeed discontinued the battery. So where does that leave us ?? Like all who own one, I'm looking for a replacement if possible.

It was great for what it was designed for "a silent practice device". I would love any information on obtaining a replacement battery for it. See my Internet address - Thanks

Small strap mountable. Pretty ease of use, No manual - purchased used.

Sounds are ok.

Unit over all is reliable but like everyone else has said the battery is junk. And nobody can seem to find a replacemnet.
I think i may have found a few places for battery BT-0001.

http://www.mouser.com
part # 547-PS-605
amount $ 13.00 each
With the same size, type, and power.
I do not know if it will work i have not recieved it yet. The reason i say that is because i'm not sure if the connectors will line up correctly.
or
http://www.ibt-power.com/Btseries.html
I couldn't find a direct comparision but it's worth a try.

Out dated.

If anyone has a manual or even better an electronic copy of the manual please contact me. If you are interested in the battery i recommended please email me and i'll let you know how it worked for me. Well that is after i receive it.

Bought my unit new in '90, don't know firmware, has not been upgraded, modified, or otherwise altered.

The interface easy to figure out, with or without the manual. Patches are easy to select and customize patches with cursor navigation buttons and sliding parameter bars. No unneeded buttons, basically select, mod, save, cancel. No confusing deep navigation menues or screen selections, a very straight forward design.

One set of preset patches five major banks (0-4) selectable only on main unit w/ four patches(1-4) each selected either with remote or unit, make for 20 preset patches. Plus and additional 20 patches that are user definable (easy to return to factory defaults). Makes for a total of 40 patches, not bad.

Display uses the early LCD screen technology from the late '80s. No backlighting and no brightness switch, but surprizingly it is not hard to read. Make sure you have a pen light handy if you use it in a dark setting. Patch selections have red LED indicators so it is easy to see which patch is selected from the current bank.

Remote control is a nice touch. Only four buttons to choose one of four patches from whatever bank is selected on the unit, each button has an associated red RED. Depending on the instrument I use I would either have the remote velcroed to my breast, or instrument. This way I don't have to stop and muck with the unit to change patch selections.

Little more about the effects. Hope this helps for those who don't have a manual. Up to six effects effects can be mixed together and stored in any of the 20 patches. Effects are displayed on the screen. It really is pretty easy to select and mix effects.

Guitar Effects -
(COMP) Compression,
(DIST) Distortion,
(EQ) Equalization
Modulation Effects -
(PITC) Pitch shift,
(PHA) Phaser,
(FLA) Flanger,
(CHO) Chorus
(DEL1) Delay 1 -
# of echos
Reverb Group - (only one of the following can be selected
(DEL2) Delay 2 (# of repeats)
(REV1) Reverb 1 (large hall, longest reverb 4000ms)
(REV2) Reverb 2 (small room, longest reverb 160ms)
Special Effects - (select only one pattern at a time)
(1) Step
(2) Cry
(3) Metallic

The 22 page manual is layed out very nicely and easy to follow. A quick read with everything you need to know on how to care, feed and operate the unit.

A 12 page patch paramter chart is provided with all the preset bank, and default user bank. Good for the geeks who want to know the parameter settings. It'd be easy to duplicate the format to use for customized patch settings.

I have used this with differnet styles of instruments with totaly different sounds. In all cases the sounds have been good.

Etherwave Theremin - gives a richer almost haunting sound. Since this is a touchless instrument the effects can be very subtle but helps to make the theremin forgiving and more rewarding. The special effects, which sound silly with guitars become quite effective here.

Chapman Stick - Sound is good with any settings. As a hammer instrument effects are not as pronounced unless I notch up the sensitivity.

Steinberger Guitar - This is where the 9002 struts its stuff. It was designed for an instrument that is going to have a sharp attack, be it pick or pluck. Special effects are rather silly sounding here and vendor could have done better.

Sound has always been excellent for me no matter what I've played it through. Very clean with no added noise. Played it through Crate amps of one type or another.

I have the same complaint as everyone else. Battery burn is a bitch. Bought it new and dealer mentioned unit doesn't charge batteries very well, even had someone who could fix the unit for me if I wished. Didn't take him up on it. Stupid me.

Unit itself has been very reliable. Only functional issue is a brief pause (less than half a heartbeat) when selecting between patches.

Has a very nice feel to it. Even though it is plastic it doesn't feel cheaply made, very durrable. Dropped it once on a hard floor, didn't seem to bother it at all.

Other than the battery issue I've had no problems.

Never had to deal with the company.

Bought the 9002 almost on a whim. Didn't know much about it at the time. Store owner recommended it to me. Hooked it up and I was sold. Never regretted buying it.

Taste in music: rock, alternative, progressive rock, fusion, jazz.

Haven't really played much in about a year and was going to sell the 9002. Checked it to make sure it still works. Couldn't stop playing with it then and realized I'm not going to part with it, even if I'm not gigging or recording. Too nice of a tool.

The display and button layout makes a lot of sense. Everything is right where you need it.

I like its compact PDA size.

Battery death is the biggest annoyance. Since they don't seem to work anyway and it takes up over a 1/3 of the unit they could have dropped it from the design and made it even smaller.

The on/off button is tiny. Would rather have a rocker switch or push button something you can easily see and feel.

Don't like the slight delay when selecting between patches.

Volume switching between patches can be annoying. Most of the pre-set patch firmware volumes are different so when you switch patches the volume will jump up or down IF you touch the volume slider (so don't touch the slider). Really don't know how they could have designed around this since the slider is a physical switch and the firmware isn't. Alternatives would be to have the volume jump as soon as you switch patches, which would be more annoying, or to not have pre-set volumes, which would be worse.

Yes, I would replace it if stolen or lost.

really easy to use!
the manual is ok

The clean sound is good.
chorus, flanger , delay are ok.
distortion is crap.
special effects (sfx) are funny.
NOT FOR CRUNCH.
All you SRV/Keith Richards/vintage tone fans look for anything else

Never use it for a gig.
It's more like a practice/home recording unit
The battery deads very fast!
There is a second of delay between patch change

If it were stolen or lost, would you buy it again or get something else? NO.
Pro musician playing for 17 years.
I use Fenders (teles and strats),Marshall and Fender amps and a lot of Boss pedals.
I don't need (nobody needs) a ZOOM 9002 on stage or studio.
It's a practice and home (no professional) recording tool.

It works very well. This unit is a replacement for one that I sold years ago. I don't have the manual however, I remembered how to use it.

When I bought the first one I had a difficult time trying to use it at the first live gig that I took it to. I gotta tell you...using it through my roommates high quality stereo was the best thing that I ever did. I used some RCA adapters and the sound in the house was like heaven. I was playing in an acoustic band at the time...just the singer and I. The sound improved our sound tremendously. So many options. We never needed anything else...just the two of us, a guitar...and a ZOOM 9002. I had the foot pedal and that was pretty cool. Remember...my outstanding rating was through a stereo! Not live shows...just practice...and recording.

I never had a problem out of the original or the replacement. I gave up on it for live performances...you can't have everything...

N/A

I'm a rocker. Works great for practice...I used to take it everywhere.
My replacement one has all the problems mentioned by others...no battery charging...yadda yadda yadda. I have and would replace it again...in a heartbeat!
You can't beat it for sitting around writing music...I use it through the guitar in on the "DR-5 Rhythm Section". The best home recordings that I've made were with this set up. I'm a professional musician and I have all the cool guitars (Les Pauls, Strat, etc etc.) rack mounted effects and Marshal Amplification. When I'm sitting around jamming it's much easier to just flip the switch on and jam through headphones.

I've used other 'stomp' boxes in the past and this one didn't take long to figure out. Don't have a manual, but would love to get my hands on one just to learn what the manufacturer intended.

Having good quality, low noise cables really makes all the difference in sound. Some of the pre-defined patches seem a bit week and a couple of the sliders seem a bit dirty. Adjusting them slightly helps. I'm using a LP studio with DiMarzio Humbuckers running into a Fender Deluxe amp. It's noisy on the clean side, but when I switch to the gain channel and turn the amps gain down, it works great!

Haven't had it long enough to take it to a gig, but I did resolve the battery issue so it's not going to be an issue now. Write to me and I'll tell you what I did to resolve the problem.

Wrote to Zoom.jp and got a response fairly quickly. They made the suggestion about the battery alternative.

I play 70's, 80's rock, some jazz fusion and some heavy metal tunes. I've been playing for over 10 years now and yeah, i'd replace it if I lost it. I like having something light and easy to take along. Plus it works great for running into my Tascam 4 track.

Fortunately I bought one when they first came out so I have the manual (two of them with the cards that show preset #'s and descriptions of sounds for each) even though it's so easy to figure out anyway. I bought another complete unit ( from Ebay auction) just to make sure I'll always have one.

Straight to my sound card or through my Fender Blues Deville. The sound is great through the soundcard with the built in amp simulator. Here it here:
http://www.mp3.com/thebluesking

I dropped it once and it became intermittent. In general, a prety tough unit for a plastic housed item.

Once I found out who serviced them, I got it taken care of in a reasonable amount of time by Samson. A bit expensive though.

Various styles from blues to heavy metal. Been playing for over 30 years. I already bought an extra so yeah I'd replace it if lost or stolen. Easy to use, great presets / sound quality/ options ( headphone use / output options / i.e. stereo / mono. All in all a fine unit for the money!