Zoom 9150 Valve DSP

This has been a great pre amp effects unit . I have been using this for 13 years , Never had a problem with it . Distortions and delays are
above average. easy to use, (manual covers the basics) It's very dependable, & good sounding, what more could ya ask for ? the only thing, I have upgraded, is the tubes! never had any no noise issues.

I use this with Marshall 9200 mono block, I have a lot of other rack and effects pedals and amps. Including several multi effectors and assorted preamps. The manual isn't to big on midi , but you can figure it out easily . most of the effects are useful and require minimal tweeking .

never had any issue with it ~ 13 years and counting , on the same battery . im looking for another battery now~!

never had to deal with them as thius unit is rock solid.

Id say this one of the best processors, I have ever owned !

I've waded through all five pages of reviews on this old unit (which I bought new a long time ago - maybe 13 years or so), and have found conflicting reviews.

Some found it noisy, some didn't. Why is that? Well, the answer is:

Those who've found it too noisy didn't know how to use it! If you turn up the input volume too high, and the led stays lit, then yes, you will certainly get a crappy sound.

All amps that don't use a noise gate are going to have some noise. That's life. The trade-off is tone. Does this unit have it?

Yes. It does.

First off, much of the presets are too over the top with effects. Initially, someone might like hearing themselves with all that going on, but it gets tiresome fast. Effects are like spices. Too much, and they aren't so good.

That being said, editing the existing patches to create new, useful ones isn't difficult, and it has been described here several times.

The manual is helpful in regards to editing patches, but may be a bit short on the midi end.

Each preamp and effect have mulitple pages for editing, and they're not difficult to edit, even without the manual. For that, I'd say the unit is fairly easy on a user.

Most important: prior to editing/creating patches, setup the input and output volumes - especially the input (from the guitar). That's where the "horrible" sounds come from. Keep it to where the led clipping light may light for a fraction of a second, and the horrible sound is gone.

Editing is done by pressing edit, and pushing the right button until the preamp or effect is selected. From that point, it's a case of a combination of the scroll knob, and the up/down buttons to select different pages, and scroll through the parimeters.

Easy as pie.

When I purchased this unit in the mid-nineties, I ran it through a Peavey Renown 2x12 combo. The Renown was LOUD, but it lacked t o n e.

Basically, the Zoom became the preamp (I unplugged the preamp cable on the Renown, and plugged the Zoom in), using the Peavey's power amp and speakers.

After taking the time to equalize the volume on my patches, and any patches that I thought were worthy (there were some!), I was able to get some great sounds out of it, and actually make that Peavey sound good!

Any high gain amp is going to have some noise. You're only going to hear it when you're not playing. Turn the guitar volume down. During playing situations, it's a non-issue (like with any amp). There is no noise using clean settings. If someone is going to use lead two, with turbo, color, and high gain settings, yea, there's no getting around the noise factor. That has nothing to do with this product, though. Use ZNR to bring the noise down a bit. Or, just don't use so much gain. Too much will muddy up your sound, anyway.

The effects are fairly good. They were very good when the unit was first marketed. They're passable today. Considering that effects shouldn't be overpowering, they are still quite useable.

The tube distortions and clean tones can be very good! I'll give it an 8, just because the effects are no longer as good as one could get.

I've had this thing for many years. I've replaced the stock tube with a groove tube (because I also had noise problems - due to my own ignorance how to set this device up - NOT because of any hardware issues, or even the tube, which I've still got). The battery has never been replaced, and it's still working.

The only gigging I do is play at worship services. It works fine. I never did get a midi pedalboard for it. One of these days...

In any event, I'd give it a thumbs up for reliability.

Never dealt with them.

That could be a testament to their product, or that I was able to get a good one.

When I bought this, I was playing what is now classic rock - from Hendrix to Van Halen. This thing can cover those bases just fine.

I've been playing for 30 years or so, and have several other amps/guitars, etc...

Getting a true tube tone is great. I really loved that about this unit. I would've paid another $150.00 for a good midi/expression pedal, if there would've been a whole package deal. The only other things I think it probably needs is another tube, along with more power going to the tubes. It would really scream, then!

I really love this thing. I couldn't and wouldn't sell it.

Prety eazy managed to get a manual off the internet. Prety straight forward as most preamps thesedays are in that sence.

Good sound i use this as a loop effect for my mesa boogie recto recording preamp. and mostly play extreme metal

I suggest removing the Telekfunken EC 803S tube out (as its not to goodfor metal) and puting in a Tungsol which are amazing! better than any tube i have used.

Also the telekfunken tube i ahve seen been sold on ebay for $US400+

Seems good i am the 2nd owner, previous owner posted a review of this item on here somewhere on the 4th page. He got it sometime in late 90's so its still going.

Havent had to be their website is crap.

good sound. i wouldnt recoment it as a normal preamp. but get a wicked sound with a tungsol tube.

If you have never used a rack effect, this might be a challenge without a manual.
I have years of experience with racks so for me it was a breeze to begin editing patches and conjuring up my own sounds almost right away within 10 minutes of powering up that first time. That's not to say I don't need a manual. There are some things I haven't figured out yet but I will say for the experienced, this thing is simple.
And frankly a beginner with a manual should be able to climb this hill easily.

I am just playing it thru headphones right now and can only judge the headphone tone.
I bought this thing on a whim because It was cheap. For practice this is great fun but it is nothing compared to a real amp with 2 or 3 12ax7's and a set of power tubes.

As always, I was stunned at what a difference a replacement tube can make (for better or worse). I took a 12ax7 from my marshall amp and replaced the tube in the unit and wow what a difference. The distortion sounds a little more defined now but still nothing like an amp. Much better than that original tube. I would love to try some NOS tubes and other current production tubes and probably will.

The effects are ok for the price I paid for it but this is nowhere near the best effects rack ever made. But its usable.
Overall a nice sounding unit but it wont replace my marshall anytime soon.

This can not do death metal. Don't even think about it. I'm getting mostly 80s style metal out of this thing.
With my old Peavey guitar I'm getting a sound close to the Ozzy "tribute" album. (If I imagine hard enough).

I bought it used and either the previous owner never used it or this thing is very durable. Everything works as it should after all these years of service.

unknown

I play hard rock. if you play 80s style hard rock... the tones are there. Because I own real amps, I can never think of using this as my main tone generator. It can not compare to a marshall or dual rectifier head.
But for recording it does have some unique signature tones of its own that might come of use. I like this thing much better than my modeling devices for practice because nothing beats a real tube.
I like it.

TURN EVERYTHING DOWN BEFORE YOU TURN ON THE AMPLIFIER!!!

The Zoom 9150 has alot in common with other earlier Zoom units, so if you have previous experience getting the sounds you like out of it, it will feel like home to you. However, there isn't anything quick about getting the tones you like. Sometimes the sequence that you edit the effects can cause an effect to stop working. When this happens you have to begin all over editing the patch to correct it.

The sound quality in comparison to it's more expensive brothers: Such as the Digitech 2110, TC Electronics, Line 6, etc. is obvious, this unit wanes in comparision. But as an inexpensive (used) all in one box, it is a very versital tool. The tube that comes with the unit, seems very noisy, when I swapped the tube out with one that I had, the sound quieted and was much improved. The ZNR (Noise Reduction) does work, and the compression although it is very rudimentry, is a nice to have lion tamer, taking the roar out of the attack. The distortion improved drastically with a better tube in the unit (So consider changing the tube, it will be worth it). The sound effects when trimmed down sound much better as a sublte overtone than a swooshing Chorus, Flange, Phasing, that it is set up with as a default. The time involved increases when setting the volume levels with a guitar amp that already has wonderful tube distortion. The patches with distortion when put on top of the amp gain, can scream like an old girlfreind. So turn everything down first, before you turn the amp on!

I have owned a Zoom 9030 & now own this unit and haven't had a day of trouble with either one. Not being a rich man, I have always gigged without backs and so far . . . so good.

I bought this unit without a owner's manual, by the way there are not any Zoom owner's manuals available for download, however when Zoom support was called they return the call almost immediently, and mailed out the manual without charge.

I play mostly rock, blues, & 60's pop. I've been playing for 35 years & I use a Crate VC5212 with 2 Celestion AC30's & retubed with better valves. I use a Fender Strat Plus with Lace Sensor pickups & a Parker P44. I had borrowed one of these Zooms years ago and liked it but thought it was too noisy, and bought the Zoom 9030 instead for $850 new, but later bought a Digitech 2110 and found it so be unfriendly in comparison to the Zoom. So I came back to this unit because, I have found Zoom units be versitile enough to warm the tones to my liking. Don't pay more than $150 for this unit, nowdays there are so many units to choose from.

Ease of use? Well, it took me about an hour to start getting good sound out of it. I'm a person who perfers knobs to buttons, though -- if you put a guitar in my hands my mind switches to a different mode altogether, and it's hard to do computer-like tasks. Still, I got where I needed to go.

I'm using this with a custom built tube preamp and a TubeWorks mosvalve power amp. It sounds wonderful. People here are complaining about noise, but I don't have that problem at all. Don't know why.

I don't like the metal kinds of distortion it has. Some of the OD sounds are nice. I've found that I get my best sounds using a combination of my pre-amp, the zoom, and various OD pedals.

The effects sound good so far. I haven't mastered how to get a good reverb sound, yet, but I know it's in there. I just have to dial it up. The delays are very nice. Simple, but nice. The chorus sounds good although I don't use that much. The phaser's also pretty good.

I don't really like how they set up the preamp section. In an effort to make it simpler, they've made it more complicated (at least for me). I can get my sound out of it but it looks like I should be able to do that in 15 seconds rather than a minute and a half. No big deal, though...once you program it, it's instant. I'm going to try to put a groovetube in it and see what happens, although it really does sound good as it is.

The factory pre-sets are way over the top and completely worthless. If you want to sound like glam metal or something, go for it. But I have a more mature sound so I've had to program my own patches. It's kind of funny to go through the other ones now and then. I can sound like the dudes who are always at guitar center every time I go, churning away endlessly on bad metal riffs with pointy guitars.

But again, noise isn't an issue. I think you have to know how to use this thing to understand how to deal with that. Mine's silent.

I've only had mine three weeks. It's been alive for at least ten years, so I guess it's durable but I can't really comment. I'd gig without a back up since I do have a preamp and poweramp already.

There are manuals online at their website. Google it. I found it in under one second. They seem to have manuals for every product they've ever made, in fact.

I've never contacted them, though.

I play sort of experimental shoegazer noise rock, I guess. Think of strange combinations between Spiritualized, Spacemen 3, Swervedriver, Ride, etc. There's also a lot of Stone Roses in there, too.

I found this thing cheap and decided to give it a shot. $75 for that and a big footswitch kind of thing. I have something called an expression pedal coming in the mail which, if I understand it properly, will allow me to change the sounds on the fly.

Anyway, I didn't expect to keep it, but it did it's job well enough that it's allowed me to get rid of some other stuff and simplify. That's always a good thing. A lot of these processors seem to rob your guitar of its sound, but this one DOES NOT. I can't stress that enough.

This is a follow up, from my last post in 2001. I finally killed it. After 11 years, nearly 1000 live gigs, only $50 spent last year for a minor repair, and valve replacement. It died on the NYE gig. Luckily a friend down the road had the same unit, which got me through the night. The next day I sourced another one out and bought it. The serial on my last one was 775, the new one is 773. I was lucky to get 2 years out of stomp peddles. What a Unit!
The new one looks as though it has never been used. It also came with a Behringer FCB 1010 foot controller. All for $400 AU

Excellent

11 years. Cant ask for much more.

never had to deal with them

Takes a few minutes..read the manual..another 10 minutes...pay attention...a lifetime.

Has some of the best rock with delay sounds I've messed with. I have some of the best gear...Eventide GTR4000, tonelabs SE, GT-8, Pod XT Live, Zoom GFX5, Boss GTPro..on & on...and I am still drawn to this unit for some recording needs. Maybe a tad of hiss on some settings, but some people just don't know how to use EQ to squash hiss..or use the noise gate or a hush pedal..it's really easy to quiet down and you can change the tube to a groove tube or something. I give it a 10 because in it's day (which is still today), it was one of the best units out there. I'll always have one.

Never a problem ..zoom tough.

Never needed them.

I'll say 9 simply because of some guys whining about the hiss that is on a FEW of the banks...well, that tells ya, it's in the settings you have..duh. Otherwise it would be on all the patches..that's common sense. Distortion with hiss..imagine that!

I love it,can play with patches forever

Seems to be hissy,but am looking at other makes of the 12ax7 tube to see if this will improve.

Never had any bother,i also have the 1204 and 9050.

The Manual for this and other older Zoom 9000's are here.
http://www.zoom.co.jp/archive/Previous_Model/
The link is not on the front web page.
The Firmware in my own is # 039-0001-091696.
I believe there were some updated versions,#'s unkown
I am able to burn this to eprom,or eMail the file as a .bin if yours is corrupted.

Love it to bits and would buy a replacement any time

Preety hard due to the fact that all effects are noisy when combined. Patch editing is very simple, logical and easy to learn. Manual on the other hand only confuses the user.

I am using a Jackson Kelly with Seymour Duncan Sh-10 on the neck and EMG 85 on the bridge. I also use Behringer's Composer PRO 2 because of the noise it creates. Using the Expander nad Limiter will very nicely fix the noise on Distorted effects, but on the Clean nothing really helps. Chorus is especially noisy and all the other preamp effects aswell, but as i said when playing distorted it is ok. All Preamp effects are practicly useless and i sugest to other users if they want to play something near the accoustic sound they shouldn't leave the Preamp button alone. A really good thing is that you can get really powerful distorted sound by using mods and setting reverb and delay to ping pong delay with a 0 ms delay. Flanger and Phaser can also be used with distorsion to get some really good tones by setting all their settings to zero. Equalizer Enchancer option is preety ok and so is the 3 band EQ which allows the user to get a large variety of sounds. Mods are preety much uselles due to noisiness, you really can0t get a good phasy or chorus sound on clean....noises ruin everything. Delays are nothing special but ok, there is a lot diverse reverbs but i rarely used them anywhere.

Since i used it i never had any problems.

Never had any contact with ZOOM ppl.

For Metal this Effect works nicely, specially for distorsions, but don't expect to play any cleans with it...you'll get a bettter sund if you plug the guitar directly to the speaker.

Ease of Use, well there are 2 kind of users. One wants to turn less buttons possible to get a good sound. Next wants to have plenty of options do make fine tuning. I would be last of those 2. So I have not as many options I d like to have. On the other hand it cant be as perfect I d like to have my sound due to missing options. So let me tell U this way if U find a patch and adapt it to Ur requirements it is easy. The Sound is at least good. No probs if U play overdrived or distored, the valve will give U the kick. Much harder if U want a clean warm or even hot sound. Do not expect to get sound like a valve running on 300V! But U can take the small path at borders to been overdrived (a compressor between the guitar and the Zoom 9150 will help U to stay in this path without missing the dynamics of the guitar). OK I m already talking about sound quality...

The manual is OK even if it doesnt explain all options to 100% but it will get U started.

Rating overall fot this passage would be 8. A bit more options for me or a bit easier for the other type of user.

I have several guitars, nothing special. Most I customise my self. Mid or lower price rank. Perhabs the PUs I still use are the reason why I have a bit noise. Amp is a real transistor crap with a good Roland speaker. I have more equipment but due to I make first a strong clean sound and add effects later on I m able to judge without mentioning these. The valve of the Zoom 9150 gives life to my sound. The valve is part of the preamp (main part for me). Of course there are many better ones at "affordable" prices. But I d get a bit more and I d pay much more! Reverb is good. Some are ok. Others like Phaser are crap. It can do all but sound quality may get poor.

Now how to judge? Sound or sound/price? My kind of sound or all sounds? What for it is used or all it could be used for (with all poor effects)?

Let me give U the sound/price here for me what would be 8-9 but rather a 9 due to I know what I have to spend to get better.

Well I had on the years I use it never problems. But I m rather pesimist, I had a screwdriver ans a valve on me. Ok, OK I had backup patches on other mutlis (without valve!!!) I d use for the modulation effects that I could directly use. So no real backup. the case of the Zoom 9150 is plasic but I trust it. But not realy the valve or the electronics.

Here the judgment is hard. It never let me down so 9

What kind of notes I see here? LOL sry but LOL again. It is the same for so many other bad reports I read. I can imagine the native english speaking guy which writes a letter to these poor japanese guys and they trining to find out. He simply expects they would understand. :D Futhermore he doesnt have a idea of the japanese culture, very polite but it would be a shame to accept they dont understand. So the reply is "I appologize but I cant help U". Keep Ur letter simple, very simple! And be polite, much more as U usualy do. If U know some japanese words insert them!

I had no manual and they send me it totaly for free!!! From Japan to Germany with airmail!!! Hello THX and bye where in japanese. Sry but those bad votings reflects at my opinion only Ur self.

Here without doubt full 10 pts!

But if some1 needs a Zoom manual check here:

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

Well a hard job to addapt it but it fits real good now. Kind of music would be Pink floyd and others around 60-80's. If it was stolen and I d get it that cheap anytime again. If not I d hope to have the money to buy next better one (-> 300 to 400 Euro!!!). I had a GFX-8 with amp sim i could compare with. Shure nice sims, but only sims. Dont try to sim a valve if U can have a real one. OK sims are getting better and better but compare prices to a used real. It may be a hard job to adjust those but u will be paid out. I love the valve!!!

Anything you wish it had? More options ^^

Take the Zoom 9150 as it ist and U will be happy with it!

Feel free to send me Ur non distored or overdrived patches (even if U use that preamps... THX ^^) or to ask me for help related to Zoom 9150 patches.

Judgement same questions like for the sound quality...

quite easy to use with a great display. about 100 full-editable presets. the manual is good. I bought a BEHRINGER VAMP and the difference is unbelieveable. ZOOM 9150 IS REALLY EASY TO USE.

-- german -- deutsch --

Einfach zu bedienen. Grossartiges Display. Rund 100 vollstandig-editierbare Werk-presets. Das Handbuch ist informativ. Ich hab mir vor einiger Zeit einen Behringer VAMP gekauft und der unterschied ist unglaublich. DAS ZOOM 9150 IST WIRKLICH EINFACH ZU BEDIENEN.

GREAT TUBE SOUND, with a little bit noisy in some settings. The ZNR (Zoom Noise Reduction) does it's job "okay". I use the L/R Outputs direct to desk, the headphone out goes into my simple 50 Watt Park Series Marshall. Sounds great. I record that sound, just how it cames from the backside of the unit, with a little (external) compressor assorted. I can play with my band, hear a great sound on my AMP, while the mixing table record the stereo signal without a microphone. Sounds wonderfull.

pretty easy, pretty good!

-- german -- deutsch --

Grossartiger Rohrensound, mit leichtem Rauschen in manchen Einstellungen. (wenn Gitarre nicht voll aufgedreht ist, od. extremer compressor effekt aktiviert ist) Die eingebaute ZNR (Zoom Noise Reduction) macht ihre Arbeit "ganz okay". Ich verwende den linken / rechten Ausgang an der Ruckseite um damit direkt in's Mischpult zu gehen, Den Kopfhorerausgang verwende ich als Output fur meinen
einfachen Transistor-50 Watt Marshall aus der "Park" Serie. Das ganze klingt sowohl am Mischpult, als auch (gleichzeitig) uber den Marshall ausgezeichnet. Im Mischpult habe ich noch einen einfachen
Kompressor eingeschleift der das Rauschen in leisen Passagen dammt. Ich kann live mit meiner Band spielen und gleichzeitig mit einem Stereosignal direkt ins Pult gehen, ohne Mikro. Und es klingt
wunderbar.

I own this thing since 8 Years, bought it USED at that time for about $200,- I played it for 3 Years and then it gets dusty in any corner... it survived 3 relocations and many more. Found it a week ago and it works still! All my presets are there, everythings fine.

-- german -- deutsch --

Ich besitze das Gerat jetzt seit rund 8 Jahren, hab es gebraucht fur ca. 2.200,- OS (160 EURO) gekauft, 3 Jahre lang dauerhaft verwendet. Dann ist es in irgendeiner Ecke verstaubt, hat 3 Umzuge uberlebt, und noch so einiges mit gemacht. Vor einer Woche wiedergefunden, und siehe da: es funktioniert immer noch. Alle meine Einstellungen sind da. Alles Super.

The support is like hell. Look at their Website. You will never find a PDF, Handbook, Data Sheet,
OR JUST ANY INFORMATION. Notice: THIS HERE, on Harmony Central are the all-out most information about this unit that you can get. What a bummer!

-- german -- deutsch --

Der Support ist die Holle. Schau auf die Website, Du wirkst kein PDF, Handbuch, Datenblatt, oder auch nur IRGENDEINE information daruber finden. BEACHTE: DAS HIER, was Du gerade liest bei Harmony Central sind sicherlich die umfangreichsten Informationen die es da draussen uber dieses Gerat gibt. WIE SCHADE, eigentlich!

if you are searching for a cheap 19" effect preamp unit and you find it at any corner around, in your local store, used, maybe on ebay. if the price is about 150 Euro / Dollar get it. You will not get any better unit with this sound and value for that money. very recommendable!

-- german -- deutsch --

Wenn Du auf der Suche nach einem gunstigen 19" Effekt PreAmp bist und Du siehst das Gerat zufallig irgendwo, in einem Musikgeschaft in Deiner Nahe, gebraucht, vom Flohmarkt oder Ebay, wenns nicht mehr als 150 Euro kostet und in Ordnung ist: Zuschlagen! Fur das Geld gibt's auf dem Markt kein vergleichbares Gerat welches eine solche Vielfalt und einen derart warmen Klang bietet. Der VAMP von Behringer kostet 175 EUR und ist das (im Vergleich) bei weitem nicht wert.

This is a follow-up. I had a unit very noisy, hence useless with clean sounds, and I found out why: the psu that came with was not powerful and stabilized enough. Beware when you buy on ebay...
Now I have a proper psu, and the noise is gone!
Dead easy to use, especially with MIDI, it has the easiest/cleverest assignation function I've ever seen. I use a yamaha mfc5 (clear design, what other units seriously lacks) and I couldn't be more satisfied.
The numerous insert capabilities of this zoom makes it absolutely future-proof. Go on...

I use this with a sans amp classic in insert (parallel mode) so the zoom provides powerful eq, delays, reverb and so on, as well as volume settings. When I need a clean sound I just have other patches which are stand-alone settings.
I go then in a rocktron velocity 250 power amp ,then in your generic 300 watters 4x12.
Let's face it: KILLER sound. Since the zoom is lacking in the drive department the sans amp provides perfection here.
But the zoom has some of the best clean sound around (in overdrive mode, low on the gain it is), and the effects are very correct for live use.
And no noise.
Of course you have to work your settings correctly, but after a while it's natural.
In my very set-up (dead simple, no?) and for the price I paid, it gets a ten.

Absolutely reliable, and my yamaha midi footswitch is of the same kind.
Hey, my unit didn't die when abused with the wrong psu! Try that with a digicrap dod fooltrap...

I didn't have a manual for it, asked directly to zoom in tokyo and you won't believe, as I didn't: One week later a full-paper manual came via air-mail in my mailbox!
Hats off, full ten again.

I am very happy I found out about the psu issue.
My set-up sounds killer, but the rocktron power amp is a very fine thing I must say. As is the Classic sansamp...
What I like most is that all my stuff is contained in a 3-unit rack, and I only have a small midi controller at my feet. That's very appreciable, and tough to break/unset. When gigging that counts much than anything else, given the crowded tiny stages we more often than not get.
There is a slight timegap when changing presets, but very manageable. In fact it is less an annoyance than a pod or v-amp , they tend to be very mute when changing sounds...
I like to play/gig with this set-up, nothing can go wrong since everything is sealed in the rackcase.
I play a lot of things, no jazz nor numetal though, and 10 good presets are all I need to cover it all. At least I can relax hence improve my performance, and I can't forget that I am a guitarist, not a dancer...
Thanks for reading, have fun

This is my 2nd review and after owning this now for 3 yrs I can give a proper evaluation.This unit can take some time to get used to and I still have some trouble with patch levels.I use it with a Peavey TG Raxx preamp and am currently using a Peavey classic 60/60 poweramp.This unit doesnt really sound that great on its own BUT..... in combination with the TG Raxx preamp its frigin awesome.

In my system this really cooks Period!I dont understand some of the other reviewers noise problems (I must of got a good one)I think the Efx are Good, not great but I only use a little delay and some pitch shifting and chorus on some clean patches.My honest opinion is that if Hendrix or Page had come across one of these things back in the early 70s these things would be HIGHLY ACCLAIMED!and worth some $$$$.After tweaking this thing for 3 yrs I can get just about any useable tone that I WANT.

So far so Good 12 yrs old!

Nada

I really like mine----It is a part of my rig for as long as it holds up.After owning a 1973 Marshall jmp 50/wtt head(for24yrs) and a 63 Fender Deluxe I Can make it sound Better than those amps at any volume including LOUD!!My speakers by the way are Celestion V 30s in an old Fender Bandmaster 2/12 cabinet.The down side of this unit is the delays,a little brash sounding but as I stated I really dont use much.Oh by the way the Tube does make a difference,Ive used 4 different ones and Im sticking with a Groove tube 12ax7 rated at a medium gain that a freind gave me.One word of advice!! ThIS IS NOT FOR THE PLUG IN AND PLAY kind of person,or any one with less than a 110 IQ.

Not so easy. Too much parameters, so you can get f***** in many places tonewise. EG for the drive you have turbo, tone, and after that para-eq, go find the right setting that lasts...
Editing is easy, given the parameters crowd in there.
The midi board I hve , a yamaha fc5 which works perfectly with my dod g10 , simply doesn't work here. Whatever the manual says to do.
Simply put, I really don't like the thing, the DOD g10 is way easier, you never get lost, and it has good tones.
The valve-whatsoever zoom doesn't.

No no no. Far too noisy to be usable. The znr noise reduction is in use only in the drive module. So with clean sounds you're stuck, shhhh. You also get a poor definition of the sound, like a slight fog, must be the old technology but the newest models do that too...
I find the drive sounds absolutely ****, get a tech21 gt-2 instead.
The valve? A big big joke, the best sound I found was in the transistor mode! Of course I tried to change the tube, nothing that I could hear.
I like the tremolo though, but the noise is too loud. Whatever you do it is too noisy to stand it more than five minutes.
Because of this the unit is basically worthless. Sorry Zoom.

Very reliable, for the good it does.
I wouldn't use it at all period.

Great. I purchased the thing on ebay without manual nd the folks at zoom in japan send me a manual within a week! All I hd to do was to give them the serial number and my adress.
Now if that's no customer support. They even didn't charge me!
Thank you again zoom

What a disappointment! Not that I did hope much. But I wanted this if only for electro-acoustic guitar(comp, para-eq, reverb, effects) and man I tell you forget about it. Too much noise.
I hve old 9002 and 9002pro and they are way better than the 9150 (especially the pro since it has a fine noise reduction and a switchable speaker sim) so I don't see the point except from a marketing view.
The GM200 from zoom is way better for electric sounds, and drive capabilities. It is noisy but the znr works well there. This is the way to go if you have few money to spend on ebay.

Nothing comes much easier than this to program!! After 10 minutes, it was almost second nature and I achieved the sounds that I was trying to get with very little effort. The manual is very good in general, but some of the MIDI functions such as Control Change mode could be a little better explained.

My set up is Strat Plus Deluxe and Columbus Les Paul Copy, Zoom 9150, Behringer FCB1010 MIDI Foot Controller, Marshall 8008 Valvestate Stereo Power Amp and 2 x Celestion 100W Gold Speakers.
Compressor is a little noisy, but what the hell!, at least you can get that nice punchy Compressor sound which I certainly couldnt on my RP7. Pre Amp tones are superb as are the digital effects. Only small issue is that if you want to use Stereo Delay you are unable to use Reverb at the same time, as it uses its processing power.
Play in a band that covers Blondie to Pink Floyd and this set up gives me all that I require. The Floyd clean tones in particular are to die for!!!

Can't really comment yet. Had it for one week and have first gig with it next weekend

Contacted Zoom (Japan) reference MIDI control of the unit and although it is long discontinued, found them to be excellent.

Definitely need a MIDI foot controller to get max potential out of it and the FCB 1010 works a treat with it. Programming the two together could not be easier. Only adverse comment is lack of Tuner. Value for money, although used I honestly dont think the Tones can be beaten.

i have had this unit since it was new . and its an over all pretty good sounding digital processor. i have only just recently replaced the tubes . an i need battery info as well
if anybody could help me find a manual i would greatly apreaciate it .

it have some cool sound banks and some of the features are very useful as well its not the quietest unit in the world but it does have some interesting presets and with a little programming its easy to get the sound your looking for effect wise & (within reason)
all of these multi effect processors and have their limitations
but over all it has some decent patches

I never had a problem with it and. I have had it since it was new .
have played over 500+ shows with it in my rig . (didtnt always use it )

sucks i have needed a manual for a while now i have called and emailed them numerious times. and to no avail !
LET ME PUT IT TO YA THIS WAY, AFTER I BOUGHT IT. IT WAS MINE AND
THEY DID NOT OR WOULDNT ANSWER ANY QUESTION REGARDING THIS PRODUCT !

IT'S BEEN A PRETTY GOOD PRETTY GOOD PIECE OF EQUIPMENT

This thing is as easy to use as any other effect processor. I've been at this game since the mid - eighties. If you can't figure this thing out, 1) You didn't bother to READ the manual, 2) you have zero experience with DIGITAL processors, or 3) You shouldn't even be thinking of this or any digital product. (oops, there's THAT word again!). If you can't PROGRAM a VCR, stop reading this and any other reveiws here. You need to immediately sell all your digital products (microwave, alarm clocks, t.v., vcr, wrist watch, etc... Translation: this Zoom 5150 is no, I repeat, no different than ANY other digital proc. I've had this for years now. I suppose any
tone - deaf person could get it to sound good. I, however have a pretty trained ear, and could not. The manual is just that, a typical little booklet.

I have had the dreaded "Gear Lust Syndrome," from the very early days of playing. I have owned and/or played just about every brand and style of equipment available to us mere mortals. Currently, I play a Fender Tele Deluxe with the Lace Sensor P.U. (Dual Red in the bridge and Blue single in the neck. Also have a very old, as in the late eighties, Hohner Headless Steinberger copy. Other tone gear includes: Hughes and Kettner Blues Master, Sholz Sustainor, (2) Zoom GM 200 Modelers, a 30 watt solid state practice amp, Ampeg G-4 and B-25 heads, a mid 70's Fender Bassman head, and a Musicman HD 130 head. There is also a Fender Hot Rod Deville w/single twelve in the house. Have other "classic" pedals from Boss, Ibanez, Digitech, etc... Have Digitech TRS-24s and DHP-55. Overall the sound quality of ANY Zoom product is middle-of-the-road. Anyone who says otherwise is, quite frankly, TONE DEAF!!!! Zoom CANNOT make a product with low noise. Do not believe the ads, the hype, or any person who says otherwise. There are as, on any other device with pre-sets, very few usable sounds. But, in the hands of a good programmer, it can sound better than presets. But, as anyne who ever owned a Zoom knows, you must scrap all hope of quiet, pristine, and overall good sound. With Zoom it is pure fantasy. The effects are cheesy, the thing can double as a pink noise generator, and one or two presets are usable ONLY while practicing. Other than that..... If you like or want a Zoom, pick up the GM200 or the original 9002 or the 9000s. For recording these sound good ON TAPE, not while you record. This thing is a PREAMP not an amp: It WILL not sound like any other thing on the planet exept another Zoom. Think Peavey sound and you get the picture. For practicing loudly in the front yard, it sounds O.K. When you're PRACTICING who cares what it sounds like? It's more important for you to be honing your chops than worrying about how ANYTHING sounds.

Seldom used it out, but I take care of my stuff. Had a couple of jacks break loose inside but I am a n electronic repair tech. I've fixed the FEW things that went wrong, but they were all my fault. If you take care of your stuff, it won't break. It ALWAYS turns on; never failed.

Never had a bone to pick with them, as I've always fixed it myself.

I play all original material, exept for praise and worship at church. Even so, it doesn't fit the bill, most times. This stupid thing only has 9 volts on the tube. Anyone who knows anything about tubes knows that HUNDREDS of volts are necessary for them to be freed from the confines of horrible sound. Thus, it is very muddy and constricted. I tried to sell it, but I was a fool for letting myself be talked into buying it. I don't follow anyone elses path to tone. I don't want to be or sound LIKE anyone. You won't find anyone elses tone locked in here to be freed by you. Don't worry so much about being someone else. You are not; you are you. Why bother sounding like this record or that artist. Who cares? stop COPYING them and be the one COPIED! I've been playing for going on 23 years, now. I've seen all the trends come and go, all the gear become "the bomb," then fade away. I don't care about trends. When you give in to the hype and buy this or that because some superstar uses it, all you do is make the companies rich. They GIVE the stars their products! Us mere mortals have to BUY our gear.
This product cannot be compared to anything else. IT IS A ZOOM. Unless you get it for free or close to it, don't buy this. It HAS to have a speaker emulator to sound any good. In the hands of a programming "GURU" it can sound O.K. But the noise kills any incentive. It is average, in the exreme.

Piece of cake! Within no time it's possible to understand almost everything. I bought mine used and without the user guide. It wasn't hard to figure out how to start programming patches.

This unit rocks! The distortion effects are a bit noisy in highest gain settings, and even more if the 'Turbo' parameter is set to 'on'... Sometimes even ZNR can't hold it. By setting your distortions to average gain, no problems at all.

The tube clean sound is simply delicious. It gets even better with the right EQ settings and a little bit chorus (great chorus!). In general, the effects are great, except the 'PdlWah', that sucks so bad when used with distortion. This wah sounds bad, but DigiTech's Valve FX wah is even worst... ;)

As I said, i bought mine used, I dunno how old is it. But it is working perfectly.

I contacted'em by email and got answers to everything I asked!

I found this unid perfect to hard rock and heavy metal. It sounds great, is reliable and is very easy to operate. And it's cheap! :)
I'd buy again if mine gets stolen/destroyed/abducted/dead/etc.

Hard to use... even with a manual. It's a bit tedious having to scroll thru the menu, then select then flip the dial. But I guess once you're used to it... it's fine.

Unreal. I use the 9150 for my electric, acoustic and have even used the chorus/delay for voice effects. I've run it thru many different amps - Fender, Marshall, Yamaha - all with good effect (no pun intended!).

I've had my unit almost since it came out... let's see... probably close to 10 years now. The face place is coming off a bit, but that's because it's been gigging almost weekly. It gets thrashed around a lot - but never dropped yet - and I don't exactly keep it in its case all the time. It spent the first 5 years moving around stuck to the magnetic speakers of a Fender Pro 185. That was the road case...

Pretty easy to use for a menu-driven interface. General blocks of effects can be turned on or off on a patch on the fly. So I would say that's a bonus vs. the other gear of the era (Digitech's GSP or ART SGX, etc)-example, on a certain patch, if you don't want the delay, hit the "delay" button and it's gone until you change presets. Manual is pretty easy to get around. They explain things pretty well.

I have/had a love/hate relationship with this. Didn't like it at first, but after I got tired of the Digital distortion from my Digitech RP 100, I've started liking this. One great thing is that it works better at pushing the signal through my rack of gear (Digitech DSP256xl-DOD D12-Lexicon MPX 100) either clean or distorted. I found the digital signal from my RP100 just didn't cut it. Plenty of presets (99) for user and factory. I really only use a couple of presets: the stevROK for distortion, and SILK for clean. those pretty much cover a lot. Editing the effects: chorus, flange, step, pitch, etc can give some nice sublte to weird effects. So this unit is pretty flexable. It's a bit noisy, but the ZNR keeps things sounding good, and to my ear the distortion it produces whether clean or dirty just sounds really good. Funny to see some of the preset names: Yngvie, Steve Stevens, Jake Lee, etc. Unit is from early 90's remember.

seems reliable. Hate the wall-wart.

never dealt w/ them. don't know.

Like I said, I've had a love/hate thing w/ this. If you're looking for a tube distortion sound-which I was-I think this is a good option. It sounds warmer than my digital RP100--the digital has its place, but at times I think, seems cold/sterile/flat. The Zoom has a wide range of sounds, and when I kick in a heavy distorted patch, it makes my old 50 watt amp sound real good. Not sure how it compares to someone's tube amp, but it gets the job done for me. I see them pop up in the 75-100$ range, and I think it's worth that. Only wish I had the pedal that goes with this to make some of the other parameters work in real time (wah-pitch, etc).

This unit is very easy to learn and creating patches is very simple with a little common sense.The patch levels are tricky but if you use bypass to judge your true level you shouldnt have much problems.

I use the 9150 with a Peavey tg raxx preamp (the front end of their classic series amps) into a TubeWorks MV962 poweramp,I also use an ART X11 midi foot controler and a Dano Daddyo to boost gain on a couple of my overdrive patches.Im a classic rock/blues influenced player that also likes some pop and alternative tunes and tones.Ive been playing since 1968 and have been on that pathetic tone quest for nearly 30 years.Guess what?If youre a musician instead of a wanker then no one or even two or three amps is going to satisfy you--!,forever.Ive owned Fenders MusicMans Acoustics Sunns Carvins and a Marshall jmp mk4 for over 20 years and none of them have given me the satisfaction and fun that this unit has given me.The overdrive1 and rythym1 are dead on great guitar tones.If a Marshall jmp or a 66 Fender DeLuxe as well as Sunn Model T rate 9s and 10s on tone then I guess Ide have to give this a 9 or a 10 as well, not only for tone but for diversity.The efx are very good sounding to me and on par with the TC electronics G major.

This thing is 6 years old and keeps on a tickin--used it for 6 months gigging and no probs whatsoever!

really dont Know

Ive been Playing since 1968 and owned nearly a boatload of equipment incl guitars amps efx pedals etc and none has delivered the goods as well as this unit.One could get ingulfed into the various tones and efx so much as to loose some guitar skills if not careful.I pick a tone of the day and stick with it so as to not spend all my time tweaking buttons.This is an incredible tone tool for both live and studio applications and i have been able to get as close as i really possibly could to a number of tones that would just not be possible on any one amp head.I have tried a few other preamp dsp units but they were way more complex to use and I really didnt like the pre amp tones as much.One thing to be aware of is volume patch levels--- this can be a bit of a pain but like all tools it takes time to learn.

Easy. Once you get used to the handling, you will generate good effects in notime. the display is a little small, but ok. I don't have the footswitch, so it is a little bit annoying to change the patterns.

Well, sound is great, once you find your right settings. Don't try the bybass without an amp. That sounds crappy. The preamp tube is performing a great job, though a little noisy. All I can say is, with this baby I played the greatest Six Feet Under distortion and a grand sex pistols OD! Keep away from delaying efx, that's something the people of ZOOM are not capable of.

Dependable, robust. Well, the dialknob doesn't seem to overdue a heavy handling. I don't have a clue what about the tube or the battery inside, but it fell for two times and never broke a leg. I think it is a little weak without an amp to play on a gig.

Didn't need it so far

I guess you can play anything with it...almost: Keep away from the clean bypass. I played in a metal band for three years and in the last half I played it wiht this effecter. Great sound if you like a fat distortion. I use it for home recording right now, and the dist and OD are very great. Now I am playing Punk and Rock Music, with an Ibanez S-Classic and a Fender twin Combo. I guess, if I had the 8050 footswitch, I would use it much more on live gigs.
I would buy it again, I guess, but since it is out of production, I would rather buy another. Compared to other Efx I know, it has a great sound and ease of use.

I bought this unit from a pawn shop with no manual and no power cord. I have found it simple to dial around but many of the presets have different values and I can't wait to get a manual to find how to change that. I have a Fender tube amp but I hate carrying it to my acoustic gig only for a couple of songs. I also get too loud with it. This unit was exactly what I was looking for.

I have played Fender tubes for years and have a bad back to show for it. If you want that sound buy a weight belt. If you want the closest thing this unit is it. I have tried amny different ways and many different dollars to create this same concept. This unit give me the warmth and options I want and need.

Cranks on everytime I use it. Thinking of replacing the tube cause I have no idea how old it is.

Don't know how to get a manual.

I play Beatles, Van Morrison, Santana, Clapton, Robben Ford, Stevie Ray Vaughn and Jazz standards. I have been playing out for 7 years. I have been playing for 20. I do not use distortion I use overdrive. I like to keep it simple but I will do the work if it makes me sound better than I am. I love to play guitar and this makes me want to play more!

This unit comes with a lot of pre programmed sounds most of which are not very good. However, with a bit of persistance some real good sounds can be dialled in. Very easy to call up patches via the 8050 foot controller and easy to arrange patches into logical groupings. It takes a little while to get used to the editing menus but nothing is too hard. The manual is easy enough to follow.

I use a Jap Fender Strat into the Zoom and then go into the PA. I find some good equalising gets rid of any of the usual buzziness that goes with this type of unit. Most of the pre sets are too loud ( patch level ) and are therefore noisy, if you turn them down a lot of the noise disappears. All of the effects work well enough, however the distorted sounds are not as good as real valves ( of course ! ) I am going to try using a SansAmp for my driven sounds and use the Zoom for all the effects/levels/patch switching etc... There are some very cool unusual effects that have their place in some types of music too.

I bought this unit in a hurry second hand after my Roland GP-8 died . The unit itself has given me no problems at all. One switch on the foot controller gave up one night so I could not easily change banks but a quick trip to my tech and it was fixed easily. I have my sounds grouped in banks anyway so I used the front dial to change banks between songs so it was not a big hassle. The rack mount brackets are a bit loose, so you will need to figure out a better way to make sure it is held solidly in your rack. I use long pieces of trusty gaff tape to hold the brackets more firmly to the unit. Works for me!

Never had to contact them. The website has no reference to this unit at all.

I have been playng for around 15 years. I currently play in a duo/trio that caters to a wide range of audiences so I need a very versatile set up. This unit lets me program sounds to cover everything from jazz to early rock and roll to 70's disco to 80's rock and even a few Van Halen type sounds. I even put my acoustic through it. The clean, jazzy and slightly driven sounds are great, the hard driven sounds could be better but will pass the test for most punters when playing live. Using an expression pedal to control patch parameters is a very handy tool also. ie fatten a sound up momentarily without changing patches, or change EQ on the fly, set up a Wah effect etc... good stuff.