Zoom G2

OK

Guitars - Jackson, Charvel, Mighty Mite project guitars
Pick up - Ibanez's INF 4 Humbucker and based on Alnico magnet
COMBO - I don't use COMBO ! Combo = Vomit, Combo is not actual for me ! You can play "IN LINE" with ZOOM's G2 "CABI & MIC" Very nice Combo's Simulator !And I even don't want to hear from old rock losers about 'combo is wauh' I'm Modern Boy and I know better ;)
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OK, NEXT, Lets talk about FX
"CABI & MIC" is fantasic as I told You !
"Noise reduction" is wauh, very satisfied
Distortion - I like "Extreme Distortion FX" and "BG Drive"
"Auto wauh" - OK ' plus - minus' I heard much better, BUT Cabinet emulation plus distortion = OK, I can make a really 'vintage hard ' and modern sound !

Reliability = OK ! processor's quality is OK !
No one bug or problem with this ZOOM, even at the dust room

I don't know, because I don't need it

I'm Electro-Rocker 'DJ&El guitar' But I Love 'Hard Rock' And 'Hard Core' too. So this very flexible processor ! just turn handles EQ and distortion level !
Price and sounds = OK !But presets = crap !!! Hey Zoom You must invite James Hatfield or Eddie Van Halen for making new normal presets ;) If they are too busy, so no problem, I can do it ;)Think about it!And Last and I.M.P.O.R.T.A.N.T. ! "CABI & MIC" ! Very nice Combo's Simulator ! Wauh ! I don't need Combo ! Combo Good Bye ! I can play "IN LINE" and it's Amazing !!!
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I love this Guitar Processor and I don't want to lose it ;)

IT'S EASY TO USE BUT BELIEVE ME!CHANGE THE EQ AND EXTRA EQ SETTINGS IT MAKES A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE

EVEN IF I PAID $300 FOR THIS IT WOULD HAVE BEEN WORTH IT.I CANNOT STRESS ENOUGH ABOUT THE EQ.

VERY STURDY

YOU MUST CHANGE THE EQ AND EXTRA EQ SETTINGS TO GET GREAT SOUND AND YOU WILL IF YOU DO.

My first digital piece of equipment, I expected some hard times, but it's quite easy, though you may get a little confused when editing certain effects parameters.

I have a shitty samick guitar fitted with dimarzios, running through a lame brazilian made small cube (warm music, stay the fuck away from it). I'm not really a fx guy, so I can't say much about delays and reverbs, they just seemed OK to me. There are lots of useless stuff, pitch shifters and the like. You may have fun with it for a while, but, really, it's just crap.
The amp simulations, the actual reason for which I bought this unit, are quite cool, especially the MARK and JCM800.The 6 way EQ (bass, mid, treble, bass-mid, presence, harmonics) is very responsive. I avoid those ultra-gain rectifier sounds, but I've heard some interesting dream theater sounds from it in some youtube videos. Noise is tolerable, and features a noise gate as well, but, as you know, at the cost of some sustain. The tuner should be your last resource, it's quite innacurate. The drum machine is a nice feature.

Now that's the problem with this dog turd. As soon as my warranty expired, this shit went all schizophrenic. Sometimes it gets irresponsive and I can't choose any path nor edit anything. Nothing works and I only get the sound of the patch the unit was left on last time I used it. Then, a few hours later, I switch it on again and everything is perfect. There's no way on earth I would gig with it. As a matter of fact, my buddha-like level of patience and love is the only thing that stands between the g2 and a sledgehammer.

I didn't get in touch with zoom, but I may, eventually. At least to tell them to fuck themselves all the way back to japan.

That would be a very nice unit for the sound and features, but, despite it's steel case, it's nothing but a lame, fragile chinese-made crappy toy. It has a line-out recording feature, but I neve even tried it. My tip for a not so lame yet cheap guitar tone is a solid state laney, crate, peavey or whatever combo with an EQ pedal. Stay away from digital gizmos (ok, maybe a POD) and you're safe.

Pretty easy to use, other than the limitation of a 2-digit LED display. I wish that the bank switches were larger for stage use; jumping from A2 to D9 is a bit of a pain. I wish it had a dedicated bypass switch: pressing both of the Up/Dpwm buttons accomplishes the same thing, but it's hard to do with one foot when standing up. I almost bought the A2.1u for that feature (plus the expression pedal), but I like the size of the A2, and DISLIKE to puny little expression pedal that the form factor allows. An extra switch for bypass is mandatory if this is your main/only effects box, in my opinion. The display is nice and bright, and easy to read.

The manual makes it easy to get at functions, but doesn't always display the nuances of some of the settings. The built-in tuner is a nice touch. I haven't found a use for the rhythm box yet.

One of the things that I really like is how fast the unit switches from patch to patch. On many multi-EFX boxes, there is a noticeable glitch when making changes. Not so on the G2: I can change patches during a ringing chord, and it sounds like I'm using an A/B box to go between amps.

I'm using this with an Fender Tele with Rio Grande pups, an electric 12-string, and occasionally, a Danelectro '59. All of these go directly to a Traynor YCS50 upgraded with a Celestion Gold. Thus, I'm not as concerened with the "tube tone" of the Zoom box as some players might be. I like the sound of the YCS50's clean channel way better than the drive channel, and the G2 allows me to get a good crunch without losing the great bottom end.

There are a pretty wide variety of Drive models, so clean or dirty, there's probably a sound that can start you off. I rarely record direct-to-board, so I have not played much with the cabinet simulations. The effects aren't especially imaginitive, but I would expect that most players buy this box to cover the standard bases, and this box does the trick. The Vox AC30 model turns my YCS30's clean channel (with 5881's) into a very passible copy of George Harrison circa 1965, and the JCM 800 model provides either a third alternative clean sound, or a nice rhythm crunch. The Peavey 5150 has good lead-tone roots, and the "Fender Twin" model can morph into a '59 Bassman with the drive on 100 and a little EQ. The Fuzz Face makes a pretty good approximation of Satisfaction, and the OD-1 is close enough for my needs.

The overall sound is very quiet, and I don't hear any noticeable tone drain compared to a direct-to-amp connection. The delay is good, the reverb a little less so.

What don't I like? Both the Marshall Plexi and Fender Tweed Deluxe models only seem to run from pretty-overdriven to very-overdriven; there is no way to get a clean tone, other then to turn my guitar WAY down. (I mean, even the 5150 cleans up better!) The Fender Twin, on the other hand, can't get very dirty at all. The adjustment of the Flanger and Chorus are pretty limited. The Wah tone will never replace my Clyde-modded Cry Baby.

It's got a metal case that looks pretty rugged. It feels "substantial." If an '80s MXR stomp box is a 10, this is probably about an 8.5 or so. I'm not sure about the footswitches: they LOOK like old-school on/off types, but they appear to be more like a ruggedized momentary switch. I would gig with it without a backup, but I'm something of a risk-taker by nature.

I haven't had to deal with Zoom (or Samson) Support yet.

The G2 gives me access to 95% of the sounds that I need for rock gigs. (My wah and the built-in spring reverb in the amp take care of the rest.) The sound is clean and natural, and the response to patch changes is phenomenal.

Much of my critique takes the cost into consideration: This is not a top-end multi-EFX box, and obviously some compromises have been made, but generally, $100 gets you ONE effects box these days, and the G2 covers the ground of 3-8 of them. Looking at it that way, it can't be beat. If it were lost or stolen, I would gladly pony up another $90 for a new one. I also have an A2 (acoustic guitar model), so the learning curve was shared.

I considered simlar boxes from Digitech, Korg, and Boss, but I liked the Zoom's size and metal body, which is hard to find in this price range.

Not the easiest multi-effector to use, but to make it any easier, it would have to be bigger..and I don't want that.

For $100, I'm very pleased. I use this unit for chorus, vibrato, tremelo, octave divider, and a tuner..basically to replace 5 separate pedals which would make my board unweildy..that I would only use on one tune each, respectively. It's inconspicuous on my board and covers almost every base that my Boss gt6 used to. I love it.

The stomp switches are starting to fail...they had to cut corners somewhere, and it's probably in this area. The exterior are nice looking metal switches, but I'm sure what's going on inside is corner cutting.

Overall satisfied with this product. Even if the switches fail, I'll fix them or buy another one for $100. I'd pay that much for each individual pedal.

You have to read the manual to fully understand the potential of this pedal!Once that's done it's pretty easy to get a good sound.The knobs are great to work with and the footswitch buttons seem like good quality.

I can get some great sounds with this pedal.The effects really sound quite good! Some sounds in there are not for me but the reverb - trem - phaser - and delays all are pleasing to my sound. The pitch harmonizer is a plus and it does it well. I even get a great blues distorted sound but I had to work at that one. Some people say it doesn't have one but you can find it in there.It took a few days for that. I wrote down my settings so I don't lose that sound! NO NOISE! that's what I love about this thing it's QUIET! I'm runnig it thru a modded EPI Valve Jr. This pedal made my amp sound great! I had a PodXT and it sounded so digital but this thing is warm and so much better to record with than my Pod which I sold on Flea-Bay.

No problems - seems well built

never needed them yet!

I play mostly blues and R&B. Been trying to play for 20 yrs. I use a tele and my Epi. I'm glad I bought this and if I needed another I do it again! This is one of the best deals out there.it's stereo output-4AA batteries for portability which is a nice feature.

I have owned several processor based effects units. The most recent being the Boss GT-8. This is WAY easier to use...not really much harder than a stomp box. You need to keep the manual handy to know what all the abreviations mean though. The only knock I have is the display...it is hard to tell what you are doing from two digits. Once you get where you want, tweaking is very easy. It is just the right amount of tweaks to make it your sound, but not overwhelming like some of the other processors.

I don't go for artist sounds, I go for my sound. I own a very nice all analog pedal board with Analogman, Barber Electronics and Fulltone pedals. It really sounds good. I find my self using this all the time instead of those. I originally bought this to record on the computer with, but started messing around with it directly into my amp. I have a 5-watt Valvetrain tube amp with only a tone control, 8" speaker and nothing else on the amp. This works great with any effects, since there is not a preamp per say, other than the tone control.

I get some great sound out of this thing. You need to send it to a tube amp...it really smooths out the sound. The secret to getting good sound was written a couple of reviews ago. Keep your settings at a minimum. Keep the gain on the amp modeling below 20. I keep mine below 10...normally use the Boss OD-1 and I get a GREAT blues tone...breaks up very nice. If you keep the settings on the amp modeling way up in the 50s, it really does not sound smooth.

The same applies to all the setting...I keep the compressor on but at "0". Very slight compression, but enough to even out the sound. Same goes for any of the modules...less is better.

Can't say...I have had other Zoom products last a long time...

Never had to deal with the company, so anything I told you here would be untrue.

I play in a church worship team and tour with a Christian singer/songwriter. This fits the bill perfectly for me. We not professionals, but good sound is important. I am very anal about the sound I have. I like tight distortion or overdrive...get into an occasional Santana sound, and lots of cleans. I can use this effect for any sound i am looking for. Remember, less on the gain and the settings will give you a better, smoother sound.

For $99, I like this much better than my Boss GT-8. It sounds better and provides just the right amount of tweaks to get my sound, but not require a college degree. Go out and get one...$99, I spend that much on a night on the town...

Moderately easy. About 15 - 30 minutes with manual, then it's easy and intuitive.

Excellent. Varies by effect, but generally, amazing how well it captures sound spot-on or very close to the original. I A B'ed it against original pedals and it nailed most of them.

Seems moderate. Wish they had a more robust version for a few shekles more.

Nice. Helpful.

Much better than POD-XT and easier to use. Excellent sounds: Auto-WAH, distortion, clean Fender. Will use it to play live, with added TC Nova delay. Generally, I've played with tube pre-amp (Groove Tube Trio). Play articulated style (e.g., Garcia) for 40 years. Picky about finding great tone. This is amazing IF you send output into a POWER amp and NOT a PreAmp.

The G2 is as easy to get a sound out of as any other multi effect unit.

Amazing for the price. The chorus, delay, tremelo, vibrato, auto wah that I use this unit for are as good as any stomp box that individually would cost this much.

Stomp switches are crap and are failing after having it for about a year. $99..you get what you pay for, I guess.

Excellent sound quality, lots of usable effects, crap stomp switches.

I've had this unit for about 6 months, and just wanted to post a little info based on my experimentations with it. As far as ease of use I'll give it a 9, as it's very easy to use for a effect in this price range, plus it gives you some real knobs to play with, and those knobs serve logical and easy to remember functions. It loses a point because you have to keep the manual around to remember what all the exact abbreviations are for. That's not a big deal though.

Here's what I really wanted to say... I first tried this unit into the front-end of both tube and solid state combo amps, and was not impressed. I was going to sell it. THEN.. I plugged this unit into a Behringer Keyboard amp (which is like a guitar amp, but with no built in pre-amp) and was in love. Duh. This unit only requires a clean power amp as it already is a preamp. When I used the combo guitar amps, the distortions on the G2 weren't very good. Straight into the keyboard amp, and all of the distortions are exceptional. I can get Megadeth tones, VH tones, Vai tones, etc... that are just fantastic. I'm really floored. So... never one to leave things alone, I then routed the keyboard amps output to a Celestion Greenback in a 1x12 and it just got better. So, even thought it's just a conglomeration of cheap stuff, I honestly have never had better tone in my life. Just in case you're wondering, I'm using a Behringer KT108 as the keyboard amp. It has some VTC (Virtual Tube Circuit) that seems to add a little warmth, but at 15 watts I can finally get cranked tube tone at home. The effects on this unit, the G2, are really good for the price. I mean, come on, a 5 second delay on a $99 effect, that's awesome. The reverb could be a little bit better, but so what, don't use them at 100%... more like 10% reverb is what you hear on records. Anyway, before you ditch this unit, run it straight into a good keyboard amp (take a little treble off the amp as they have full-range speakers), then make your decision. Used in this manner, this is an incredible deal.

I've used it alot over 6 months and it still works great. I'm very happy that Zoom put an on/off switch on this. They seem to care.

I've never dealt with Zoom customer service. But the place I got this from has always treated me well.

I really want a couple of good clean sounds, a couple of decent crunches, and a couple of good distortions so that I can play a variety of styles. I love Country tones, but I also love Heavy Metal tones. This one device has given me exactly what I want in terms of tone and feel, so I'm pretty happy. I think that if you used a more powerful keyboard amp, or maybe straight into a powered mixer, you could easily gig with these tones. I'm very pleased with it.