Zoom B2

Just a quick look into the manual and I was able to start my own preset. Manual is done well, pictures with clouds showing what is what button/pot for, though the B2 is not so complicated to use.
Some of factory presets are very good and usable for me.
I use it for 2 weeks now.

First of all I'm guitarist and I've allways wanted to have my own bass. Now I have it and I bought zoom B2 to add some cheese to make my practise more fun. I have 87 Westone bass and no real bass amp, that's why I decided on FX unit with amp modelling. I looking forward to do some home recording directly trough B2 and USB audio interface. If it will sound so good when playing from hard disc I will love this BB even more.
Most of all I love this machine for the amp modelling.
My bass only have one pickup and volume/tone pots and this FX expand the limits of my bass enormeus. From metalic, distorted to smooth puffy bass.
I havent noticed any disturubing noise or glitches jitter.
My monitoring sistem is : Yamaha NS10's and Bayerdynamic DT 990 pro.
Preety much a bedroom/home studio with lots of grooveboxes and other electronic noisemakers.
I tryed B2 on my Roland JX8P analog synthesizer and all I can say WOW.

When I bought it it wouldn't run on batteries but all I had to do was to solder a wire leading to battery compartment. Chinaman was saving on solder I guess. Otherwise the unit works N.P.

never needed it so far

I thing this will be a long term relationship. For the price I've paid,
this thing is monster. I'd bought another if lost/stolen.
Good thing it is it runs on 4 AA alkalines and it has built in rhytm machine. For me it is very inspiring.
I've decided to purchase B2 because of all the good reviews here on Harmony central. I've made right choice.

Once you figure out the basic controls, the B2 is very easy to program. I have no issues with it in live performance, where I am frequently changing sounds in mid-song.

I play a Rickenbacker bass through Ashdown MAG 300 amps (stereo). I only have one channel running through the B2. I get very little hum out of the unit. I tend to go with Marshall amp modeling, and make extensive use of the effects settings (fuzz, chorus, tremolo, flange, envelop filter).

I have two issues with the pedal: the tuner seems to be off (flat). Not sure if this can be adjusted or not, but I have to use a different tuner now, which is very inconvenient, since I love having the tuner in line. Also, when I add an octave above to my sound (for that 8 string bass effect) it sounds like its not in tune up and down the neck. Frankly, I've had the same experience with other inexpensive multi-FX units, so its not a problem specific to the B2.

Since I don't have a backup unit, its always worked well for me, other than the tuner problem. It seems to be much more sturdy than my previous unit (a Digitech BP200, which I really liked, but had cheap plastic inputs that broke easily).

Tried to contact them about the tuner problem by email and got no response. I tried calling them, got put on hold for 10 minutes and then disconnected. Not good.

I play progressive rock, so I love to use many different effects and sounds. By far this is the best inexpensive bass multi-FX unit I've played. If it died or got stolen, I would probably buy a new one (or possibly upgrade to the B9. I love all the built in effects. I only wish the tuner was working properly.

My setup is a Morley Volume pedal to an ABY switch, the A side to the Zoom B2 and then to a Morley Bad Horsie Wah. The B2 fits in nicely.

Easy to progrsm once you read the manual

I cleaned out the user patches and started from scratch. I was able to get the sounds I wanted (I am only running one at a time). Since I play contemporary Christian I can get the subtle effects I need. I like the mild grit I can get, or the warm tube pre. Very quiet even with the znr off.

It gets pulled out for weekly rehearsals and worship, and daily practice with headphones. Tough made.

No

I play contemp Christian, which has subtle tone changes. I play a '98 Carvin LB-70. I would buy another.

Given that the display is 2x 7 segment LED, it doesn't look very explainative, but once you read the manual and start tinkering with the knobs, you'll get the hang of it. Patch editing is quite easy once you learn which knob does what.

I'm using a Schecter Omen 5 and and old Hohner Professional PJ, sometimes with a Trace Elliott 115 Combo, or a 350 Watt Laney R4H Richter with an 800 Watt Laney cabinet. This little thing is marvelous! I even tried it with flat-response systems and it really shapes the sound! I am no big effects-tinkerer, I usually have about 7 effects. This effect gives me all, Opeth-like warm bass sound or roaring metal sound. It's all in there! I don't prefer all those phaser and flanger ones, I rarely use it. It has a lot of effects, but the distortion isn't very satisfying. But as I told you, I don't like it that much. I programmed some synth stuff as well, it's quite fun but I don't think I'll ever use it live. And it's also noiseless! With a 32-bit chip and 24 D/A conversion at a sample rate of 96(!!) kHz, you can't go wrong!

This thing is made out of metal and thick rubber, you can punch it and throw it if you want to (I certainly wouldn't), looks very solid. It already has 5 gigs on record. You can use it without a backup. One little flaw: the red paintwork gets scratched off easily so watch out for that!

Never dealt with them.

I play in a Metal band and in a folk-rock group, so I need a lot of variety on my bass sounds. I wanted warm, mellow-like bass sound and a very punchy one. This little red box has given it. I play bass intensively for 3-4 years now, switched from guitar, I own a Schecter Omen-5 and a Hohner PJ Professional, and I used the pedal on both basses. If it were lost or stolen, I would probably buy it again or the B2.1u, or maybe the new Zoom 9.1ut. You can definitely depend on this thing. I know older Zoom products looked and behaved kind of fragile, but they've done it with this one, with higher processing power than a Boss GTB processors!

I'm using this device in a way it was not designed to be used -- as a guitar modeler. That means issues with EQ'ing, especially since the B2 does not have quite the same interface as the G2.1u, which I own and love (see mpy review). You need to read the (excellent) manual to see all the ways you can shape the frequency response, notably with the built-in limiter, which knocks back peaks. That done, you'll get a very good sound, IF you like a powerful bass end... which I do, because I play finger-style and like the infamous two-guitar effect.

My style is Delta modern, slide and partial chords over heavy thumbpicked bass, in open D, G, A, E and dropped D. I bought this specifically to get the Bassman 100 model; I own a Bassman 100 (the vintage one), and to my delight, this box nails it. I've run it for the past week through a Kustom Tube 12A -- don't sneer, it's a dynamite small amp that I use as a stage preamp (line out) with great results, using Reverend USA and import guitars, excellent axes. They work very well with this device. The gain is thick, the bottom end is incredible. There are two octave divider settings on the unit in different places, and one of them makes the low strings on my guitars sound exactly like a bass -- this is a longtime bassist talking -- but still lets the top strings come through. The choruses and flanger actually sound better to me than on the G2.1u, less tubby and scratchy. The three onboard reverbs (room, hall, spring) are OK -- they get muddy and/or metallic quick -- but they're useable. I prefer the slapback delays, warm and punchy. The B2 also has a TubeScreamer setting, which the G2 does not, and it's very cool for blues. Really, I've been trying for years to get a very rich low end below my slide lines and partial chords (I even strung the bottom of my guitar with bass strings), and this box does it. The only issue is a tad of midrange peak, but I've been pretty successful at tweaking it out. I've also tried the onboard Hartke and Boss OD models; the former sounds Marshall-ish, the latter very dark. In my view the box is worth the bread for the Bassman model. I'm giving it a 9 only because, OK, it isn't really a Bassman. But for a pocket Bassman, WOW.

I'm assuming this one will hold up like the G2.1u, which is solid as a brick. The casing is metal, the stomp pedals feel solid. It also runs on 4 AA batteries for five-seven hours. I have done gigs where I walked onstage, put down the G2.1u, plugged and played, no hassle with finding an electric outlet. I bought this one to do the same. It's small enough so you could carry two easily; I may bring both the G2.1u and B2 to shows and switch between them.

No experience with customer support. I have a LOT of faith in Japanese products. Japanese consumers do NOT like to return stuff, and Japanese manufacturers try to sell stuff that won't get returned.

I've described my style above. I've been doing it over 40 years, live, road, studio, now do parties, sit in with pro bands, play an occasional concert in France where I live. I've owned Fender basses, guitars and amps, Gibson Les Paul, some garbage gear, and now have a range of reliable stuff to give me setups in different situations -- Pignose, Microcube, Tube 12A, Powerblock with Laney cab, Bassman 100. I also own a dozen guitars, most bought used (mint) or as closeouts, all sweet pieces. And I have four modellers -- Digitech RP200 and 100, and the Zooms. They're key to my sound, because the lightweight gear I prefer needs help to get good tone, and because they give me the same sound whatever I use to amplify them. In other words, I can practice and perform on the same gear.

My experience is that different modellers are better for different sounds. If you want a Fender tweed sound, go with Digitech; they really get it well. But for overall ease of use, flexibility in performance settings, and rich tone, I think the Zooms are superior. I may get the B2.1u just to have the USB interface for recording. In the meanwhile, the B2 makes me happy every time I plug it in. In fact, it extends the possibilities of my guitars; there are lines that just sound a lot better going through the device. Boss makes a Bassman modeller, but the Zoom gives you a first rate model plus the effects you'd want over most evenings, and it costs less. For $100, what I paid, I'd call that a 10.

Some of the factory presets are pretty good, but they still need some spicing up. Many of the presets are total crap!
Thankfully the editing process is easy, but it takes time.
I programmed 5 patches the other night and it took me close to 3 hours. The good thing is once you get the sound from your head to the pedal, it's awesome! This pedal has lots of rich tones and a palette of effects. It justs takes some time to get them the way you want.

This is the bass pedal. No noise due to the ZNR noise reduction.
Effects all sound great. The preamp simulation and modulation effects are terrific! I use it with a Crate BT-50 and a Peavey Combo 115, it sounds good with both. I also use it through a P.A. for practice and it sounds good as well. You could get any sound possible with this pedal, but you have to know how to use it. Make sure you read the manual. Some of the overdrives, distortions, and octave effects are nothing to brag about, but it has an awesome fuzz effect, go figure! All other effects are Cherry however!

I owned zoom products before and since this is made of metal over plastic, I'll kick it up a notch!

Never had to deal with them!

I play everything from rock, blues, disco, funk, and some fusion jazz. I had many digital effects from all the major companies and Zoom has the best sounds for the money!

I'm not keen on multi fuction buttons on units such as this but after going through the manual once you kinda get how to use it.

Sound quality is brilliant. Not sure of how well they emulate them all but it certainly gives you loads of tonal veriety. I didntuse thepresets, just strated playing and finding which amps and stuff I like. The distortions are ok but with some being mainly guitar pedal (tube screamer, fuzz face) they are lacking in low end. The synth stuff is brilliant. Dont believe what everyone else has written. It may be sloppy and hard to control but simulates old anaolgue synths well in that respect and was a real bonus on finding out just how well the synth works. The cab simulations are a bit pointless really, a bit of a waste of a button and time.

Havent had it long enought, but hasnt shown any signs of being a problem.

A bargin for the price and has loads of options to help you perfect your bass sounds. Even if you just use it as a tuner, eq and pre amp booster then its worth it but then you'd only be touching the tip of the iceberg.

It's easy after spending a bit of time with the manual. I should mention that the maunal isn't always translated well - Zoom is a Japanese company, and it's apparent that their manuals are not witten originally in English. Using the EQ can be tricky, but I've never used this style of EQ before.

First off, I'm a guitarist. I usually just play bass for home recording and demos. I've got an Ibanez Soundgear 5-string. I forget the exact model, but it's got active pups with treble and bass controls.

That said, this box gets the most usage direct to recorder. Before, I was using a Line 6 POD 2.0 (not the bass POD, the guitar one). I could get a GREAT crunchy bass tone through the POD's Bassman clone, but I couldn't get clean, punchy, bass amp tone. The models in this thing can definitely give you that. All of the amp models are usable, but as others have said, I can't comment on how well they emulate the real thing. The overdrives are not so great... they're either too messy or they don't have enough low end. My POD does a better job. The synths are no good at all. The effects are okay, but bass effects are not really my thing. I use the chorus a bit, and the auto wah sounds cool though I don't think I'll ever use it in a song.

This unit gets an 8 for great amp models, but I can't give it a 10 on account of the lame overdrive and synth sounds.

Looks to be built well, but I only use this on the desktop. No stomping for me.

They respond to emails pretty quickly.

This little box gives you some great sounds for not a whole lot of money. It can even work reasonably well direct to PA. If you're buying this for distortion, you'll probably be disappointed, but if you just want some multi-effects, this is a cheap way to get some good sounds.

The manual is very straight forward and easy to follow so getting to know the unit is a fairly quick process if you have got the time. Editing isn't too difficult, although it did take a little bit of work for me to dial in the right tones because I do not know a lot about parametric eq and there are so many different amp choices it is kinda hard to pick.

First of all this is a good little rig if you've do not have many features on your amp, me I have an Ibanez Soundwave 65 (sucky, i know). I like a wide variety of playing from slapping to hard rock distortion and i can usually find it an this thing. It does take awhile to figure out what sounds the BEST, because many of the patches can sound ok, but i wouldn't expect to find what you like right away. I also like the SWR patch, very versatile, and the tube screamer is a great boost/distortion. The chorus, phaser, and synth I thought were very weak.

I haven't had any problems and I don't expect too. It is a solid little box.

I like the distortions on this pedal and it can also produce a very CLEAR and pristine tone with great mids, unlike most i have seen. The compression and limiter are also very handy.

If nothing else, the beat box on this thing is really nice if you are playing alone. I use it every time I play to write sweet licks and what not.

I??d been an analong pedal whore for quite some time, I??ve owned Dunlop, BOSS, MXR, EHX... however I had problems with most of my pedals! So I got tired and sold them all (except for my compressor, which is a lot better than the one the B2 has), and about three weeks ago a friend mentioned this pedal, I read positive reviews and I got it, let me tell you it wasn??t easy for me to get good settings right away, cause I never had a multi fx unit before, but the manual is quite good, you will have to read it to get the max out of this pedal.

I play a Luthier made 5 string bass, with EMG J style active pickups, I go into an MXR Dynacomp, and then into this ZOOM B2. Right now Im playing in a three piece rock band (Chevelle meets Incubus kinda thing). I was surprised by the quality of the effects. This thing is practically noiseless! and the modulation and delay effects are excellent! The only downside is the synth/drive section, only a few are usable, in my opinion, the only good distortion I found was the fuzz face. But still, for this price, you can??t getter better effects, and let me tell ya, you can fool a lot of people, making their ears think you use analog pedals.

Hell yeah I can depend on it! This is a quality pedal! Not like the old Zoom pedals I??ve seen... the switches are very strong and resistent, so is the metal case. I was surprised by the quality of the construction... Zoom has made an excellent product. I will use it live, and I??m not gonna use a back-up, I really trust this pedal.

Never dealt with them

This pedal is a great match for any style! You can get that Palladino tone, you play jazz, you can play funk... and you can definitely play rock... for the Tool fans out there, you can now play practically any Tool song, and with great sounding effects. It also brings drum patterns, which is another cool feature, although I don??t use it much. I think every bass player out there should give this pedal a shot, hay man, you even get an awesome floor tuner in the package.

Read the manual!

It's just a few pages and it explains everything clearly. Once you get how to turn modules on/off and what the different symbols mean (only 2-digit display... every effect is represented by two letters) it's damn easy to use.
Editing and storing is a breeze.

But... read the manual! Really!

It is not the quietest unit out there, but it's reasonable, and the ZNR noise reduction works.

The sounds are pretty decent. I don't really rate the overdrives, I haven't found a single one I liked, but then I don't like most overdriven bass. The amp simulation part gives me enough tonal variation and I get enough warmth (without overdriving) from there. I can't tell how close to the models they simulate they are, but I think that's the wrong approach anyway. I look at modelling as a source for tonal variation. The models they represent should give an indication of the type of sound, but not necessarily reproduce every nuance. In that respect I am satisfied.
I got it mostly for FX. I am a guitarist turned bass player and enjoying it a lot, and playing without FX (at home I use a V-Amp, and for rehearsals I am using an Ampeg that was already there). I knew I wanted some chorus and/or flanger and wanted to investigate other possibilities without spending much money for now, and the Zoom seemed to fit the bill, as it gives me:

A bright floor tuner
Decent EQ capabilities
Passable compressor
Chorus/Flanger

and much more, all in one small package at low price.

As a tuner alone is worth keeping!
The EQ seems good enough to me. I use it mostly as a 6-band graphic, but you also get the parametric if required. A dedicated pedal like a Boss (or Behringer) has the advantage that all teh frequencies are visible and accesible immediately and easily... so this is a compromise, but there's not usually much reason to tweak it once you get the setting you require.
The compressor works, it's nice enough, but I'll probably end up getting a multiband compresor at some point.
Chorus, Phaser and Flanger... they are a little "grey". they work. they're not rubbish, they're not amazing... I'll probably end up getting a dedicated one, once I figure out which effect(s) I *really* want for bass and find out the one that gives me the sound I am looking for. Meanwhile the Zoom does its job well.

This unit has other FX, like delays (I like the echo, vry Pink Floydish), reverb and pitch shifting (including intelligent harmonizer) but I don't need those much for bass. The pitchshifting is bad, there's a noticeable delay in teh effected note, but it can have its uses if using it in a low mix with the uneffected sound.

The wah/envelope section is fun, but not the best... There are so many dedicated pedals out there, I have no idea which one I'll end up with, as it's the sort of effect I really want in a bass (occasionally) for some funk forays... It's good to have this in the Zoom.

The synth I don't like. Not very inspiring.

The build seems reasonable, but get a backup, always have a backup.

I play pop/rock/funk... and I am currently in a black metal band. Eclectic is the operational word. I play a J-type bass.
This Zoom is a good unit, it covers many bases in a copact inexpensive form, but it doesn't really excel at anything. The way I look at it is: I need a floor tuner, for a little extra I get a whole array of FX and it's programmable, so I can use this as a backup in the future. So top marks for that. Also, the amp simulations, they're useful for recording as they provide a nice palette of sounds... all direct to computer or mixing desk. They also make it easy to design patches with a bright sound, a dark sound... so that you can go from one type to another without even touching the controls in your guitar, let alone your amp. That freedom is great.
I have been playing guitar for over 15 years, and owned countless FX pedals... and I think this Zoom is a great introduction for bass FX, or one to keep for somebody who's not too bothered about FX but wants to be able to use them occasionally.
Great value for money.

About as easy if not easier than most mult-effects pedals. Its always hard to cram so many features into a small unit and still make it usable. Zoom did a pretty good job on this pedal.

As far as the comments about it being hard to put the unit in bypass/tune mode by pressing both pedals at the same time... How small are your feet??!! I wear a size 9 and have no problem doing this while playing.

Great sounds, very quiet. The amp sims sound great. I have no way to know how accurate they are, but they sure produce a variety of very usable tones. Effects are top notch. The noise reduction does its job without creating any artifacts or removing any overtones.

Seems solid. I haven't had it for long. Its certainly sturdier than its plastic counterparts (including previous zoom models)

I love it. I want to say it is a great pedal for the money, but the truth is I'd have paid more for this kind of quality.

I was surprised by the drum machine. I actually almost didn't buy it because of this feature. It seems so cheesy and gimmicky, but once I used it, I love it. It sounds good and it is a lot of fun to put on a beat and practice to it. Excellent for working on timing.

This red little beast sounds good from the second you turn it on. Everything is very well thought out. Some things need to be checked in the manual. For instance: who knows that Sb stands for a Marshall superbass amplifier? The manual tells you all you need to know and you learn fast because the B2's so easy to use. I won't give it a 10 because the two-digit display limits it. You have to read the manual at some point.. In a live situation you have two footswitches that takes you through the presets. (I use an external pedal to toggle the tuner/mute-function.) This requiers some planning since you don,t want to stand there toggling through five presets in the middle of your cool solo. It's a matter of cost and size i guess.

My setup is: P-Bass - Wireless system - B2 (with external pedal) - DI-box(direct to mixer) - Peavey TNT 150
The 96hz 32 bit blablabla seems to make a difference. The sounds you get just gives you the feeling that this is a very high-quality item. (The price-tag tells you different.) There is absolutely no niose what so ever. If there where the built-in noisegate would remove it. My main sound is based on either the Marshall SuperBass simulation or the Hartke HA 3500. If you need more effects than you have here you need to see a doctor. It can do anything. I mean.. who uses TWO delays?? Highquality wah, highquality chorus and so on... Everything has the same highquality sound to it. The only thing that troubles my mind is that the distortion simulations lack volume. It makes no sense. It should be the other way around.

One of the things that lead me to buy the B2 was the fact that it's made of metal. Two highquality metal footswitches. I'm taking this baby out on the road. No need for a backup. At this price you won't find a more solid effectunit. I am a touring bassist so I need things that are reliable.

No problemo

I play in a pop/rock group. The bass is a dominant instrument and the B2 lets me have both a really good standard sound AND every wacko-effected sound I could ever want. I am very satisfied with it.
The best thing about it is the quality of the sounds it makes. I compared it to the Boss GT-6B. That would cost me about four times as much and not give me anything that the B2 can't do. GT-8 has 44hz and 24 bit, B2 has 96hz and 32 bit and it's not just numbers. It really seems to make a difference. There's nothing digital about the sound that the B2 makes.
Add to this the low price. Even the plastic Behringer V-amp costs more.

very easy to use. editing patches is a breeze.the manual is good, no jinglish!

basically i am using this for my drum machine ..the effects sound great for my type of music,there are a couple fx that give me pause but they might become usefull with the right amount of tweakage ..i mean for a pedal at this price point it rivals my rack fx,this unit was a good buy on my part.

this little devil is built solid..looks and feels the buisiness.

who needs em!

overall if lost i would buy another..actually i am going to buy another one for my other gear....i own zoom 505II and a zoom 506 ..THIS ONE IS WAY BETTER..Just my opinion!

You get great sounds out of this right away!! Currently, my favorite is the SWR patch. Zoom includes a handy reference sheet (as well as a more detailed booklet that shows all the 'how-to's' of all the effects contained within) of all the preset patches that you can scroll through, but it's almost more fun just hooking it up to your favorite bass and trying them all! It also has a jack for an optional foot controller to adjust the effect parameters on the fly. ANd one nice thing about it is that an AC adaptor is included!!
My favorite effect thus far has been the DEFRET one, which made my bandmates actually think I was playing a fretless bass when they heard it.

Most of the patches are really quiet (except for the distortion ones, naturally) and the sound quality is awesome. But it does contain ZNR (Zoom Noise Reduction) in case some patches get a bit noisy for you. Right now, I'm only playing it through a PA system at my church, with a small 10w amp used as a monitor, and the sound is amazing for something this inexpensive.

I haven't had this unit long, but I feel I can really depend on it. The housing is made of a nice colored red metal, with rubber sides. The foot switches are made of metal and feel very sturdy underfoot. Even the dials are metal, and the red LEDS are pretty bright, considering the color of the unit. I take really good care of my gear, so I know PHYSICALLY this thing will last a good long time. I definitely would replace it if something happened to it, since it's really affordable. Heck, I'm sure these things will even go down in price after a couple of years.

When I was researching this unit before I purchased it, I found the website with info about it, but no sound clips as to the quality of the product. I happened upon one once at a guitar store, which led me to try it out there, but samples would have been nice on their site.
Other than that, I haven't had a reason to contact them, so I have NO OPINION on this subject.

I've been playing over 20 years, with both studio and stage experience. Currently, I'm playing in a progressive hard rock band and my church band, in which this unit has really shined for me. I own a Line6 Bass POD, which I still use from time to time, but this unit just seems more user friendly and has way more effects in it than the POD. It's kinda like a POD-light!! Definitely more affordable and quite attractive in it's own right.
This little treasure has gotten my creative juices flowing as of late. It's really fun to play with and quite addicting. It's a fantastic value and I highly recommend it's purchase, just for the FUN factor.

It isn't too difficult once you read through the manual. But, it isn't very intuative. I have a Korg PX4B bass pandora which sounds about as good but is much easier to program. This is a pedal though so much more usable live than the Korg.

The amp models are really, really good. And, most are pretty good imitations. The effects are hit and miss. Most are compentent but not very editable. So, if you don't like the basic chorus sound you are out of luck. One exception is delays. Delay is available in two different blocks. So, by combining you can get some great polyrhymic stuff going. Lot's of differnt types of delay too. Ping-pong, tape, etc.

Looks pretty well made. Solid metal with extremely thick rubber sides. Bet you could drop it quite a bit but I won't be testing that out myself.

I think Zoom is distributed by Samson in the U.S. Never delat with them. I don;'t use a lot of Zoom gear, but if this piece is any indication they are moving out of the low cost market into some serious quality gear.

goof piece overall.

Using the Zoom B2 is fairly simple. Scrolling through the presets is done with the footswitches and a couple of buttons. Editing patches is done by using the selector knob to dial in the effects module, then using the buttons to scroll thru the effects within the module, then use the three knobs to tweek the parameters. Although you can dial in several effects at once, you can only select one effect per module. There is a two-digit numeric display, which takes some time to learn what all the abbreviations stand for, as well as what the parameters are for the effects. There is some text printed beside the knobs that will apply to most of the effects, but not all. The manual is simple and to the point. Bypassing the unit requires stepping on both footswitches at the same time, which usually results in a patch change; a dedicated footswitch for bypassing would have been a nice plus.

I mainly use this unit with my bass, but it also has some nice sounding effects for guitar. The amp models are pretty good. They won't make a practice amp sound like a high end tube stack, but between the modeling and the detailed EQing you can do, you can program in a nice variety of tones. I found some of the modulating effects (chorus, vibrato, tremolo) to be a little on the weak side, but they are fine for dialing in generic effect sounds. The flanger and phaser sound better to me. The auto wah and auto resonator are responsive and sound better than anticipated. It has up to 5 seconds of delay (tape echo has a nice warm decay to it). The 3 reverb settings sound ok, but I don't like tons of reverb. It has some overdrive/distortion sounds, but I prefer a clean bass sound so I won't comment on those. Some of the synth effects are pretty cool and track well, while I find that one of them tracks sloppily and can only be used with slow passages. There is also a ring modulator, which most people won't like, but it seems to do what it is supposed to do (although you can't get pulsating sounds like you can on the Moog which costs 3 times as much). There are a few speaker cabinet simulators so you can use this as a direct box or headphone amp. There is also a built in drum machine, which isn't much to speak of, but it is fine for practicing. There is also a tap tempo button which is nice for doing things like syncing up a modulating effect's speed to a delay. For the most part it is quiet, but I have experienced some unwanted noise when dialing several effects at once. I am giving the sound quality a 9, not because I think it's the best sounding precessor on the market, but for the price range, it may be the best. I've been playing for over 20 years and am still impressed with the quantity and quality of effects for $100.

This is my first product I have purchased from Zoom, and haven't owned it for that long. It is housed in metal with rubber on the sides, which is a step up from the plastic, but doesn't feel like the "built like a tank" construction of some pedals. I'm a studio musician, but if you're going to take this to gigs, it would be advised to take care of it and not throw it around.

Never dealt with them.

Overall I rate this product a 10; IMHO it is a hands down winner for it's price.

Believe it or not, some of the presets on this unit are very useable! That's rare, because usually the presets on a multieffects unit are extreme, showing all you can do. There are some classic amp models in there, like the Ampeg SVT, Fender Bassman, Acoustic 360, SWR SM-900, and a great sounding tube amp. Unlike other multieffects processors I've seen they put a good preset for each of these amps. However, if you don't like the presets you can quickly change them.

Editing the patches is easy and done with rotary controls on the front of the unit. The manual explains it very well and it's a snap once you know how. You can quickly change the amp model, the low frequency 3-band eq, the high frequency 3-band eq, and add any effects you want. When you switch back to "play" mode (the far left knob all the way to the left) you can use knob two to adjust the level of cabinet emulation in your sound, knob three to adjust the tone, and knob four to adjust the distortion/overdrive level.

I have patches saved for the tube amp, SVT, SWR, Bassman, and Acoustic 360. Last night I hooked it up to my recently purchased Carvin RC210/115 amp by plugging my bass into the input and the output to my amp. I found that by boosting the cabinet emulation all the way that they all sounded great except the Bassman, which sounded tinny/thin. I quickly adjusted the high/low eq's and found the "Bassman" sound I was looking for. Now I've got it all set up and my amp sounds amazing!

Are the amp models true representations of the modeled amps? I don't know, but they sound pretty good! I'm sure that others will try this and say, "this stupid thing doesn't sound like my SVT! This thing sucks!". An imitation will never sound just like the real thing. I can tell you that right now I have five distinct and great sounding bass tones I can get at the tap of a footswitch! Another cool thing is that the processor chip is so fast that there's no noticeable silence, like there is on older processors.

I give this a 10 in comparison to other multieffects processors.

Check out this website for a detailed look at the B2: http://www.zoom.co.jp/english/products/b2/, or you can download the manual here: http://www.americanmusical.com/brandmanual--d-Zoom_Manuals--br-290.html.

I'm using this with a Carvin LB70P and a Carvin RC210/115 amp. I've never found this to be noisy on any setting since you can control the noise gate function in the unit. I'm really only using this for amp modeling and the models of the actual amps are really good. I don't like them all (some of the amps aren't my sound), but they're all useable sounds. There are some stompbox sims included that aren't so great. They've got a TS5 Tubescreamer sim which is pretty good, but the Boss OD3 sim is just fuzzy sounding. It is possible to adjust the blend of wet/dry sound so you can add more of your real bass sound which should give more bass to the thin fuzz.

If I were to use any of the effects I would probably use the flanger, phaser, choruses, and reverbs which are all pretty good. The defret sim is pretty good as well.

For amp modeling it works really well!

I almost forgot! There's a great sounding and easy to use drum machine included with 40 different patterns and you can easily adjust the tempo etc. It also includes a tuner that you can use with sound or in bypass mode.

I've only had it for a few months, but I do gig with it. If it stops working I'll just go to bypass mode and use my amp. It runs off four AA batteries or with the included AC adapter (which I use).

The unit is made of aluminum with rubber bumpers on the sides, and the switches are metal. They've really built this thing to be used live! I have no worries about stomping on it or dropping it at all.

I haven't dealt with them, but if I have to I'll talk to my friend Mark who's a Zoom rep.

I've been playing bass for six years now. I have owned a Behringer Bass V-amp, and that's what I'm really comparing this to since they're about the same price. I play classic rock and Christian worship music and this fits perfectly. The amp models they chose are classics or modern favorites and they did a great job of giving useable sounds.

The Bass V-Amp was useless for playing live, and the B2 has become a permanent part of my rig!

If this got lost or stolen I would definitely buy a new one. My understanding from what I have read is that the sounds are similar to what a Bass Pod does and they're three times as expensive. This thing is an amazing value!