Zoom G2

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.

I'm only giving this pedal a 9 out of 10 because it takes a little getting used to. This isn't a bad thing at all. This pedal is worth the time it takes to get used to programming it. The fact that it has three knobs instead of the one that's on the cheaper ZOOM pedals makes it really easy to program once you're used to it.

I'm so happy I bought this pedal. For $99, which is the price of some distortions or chorus' ONLY, you get a ton of good useful stuff. I opted to get the one without the expression pedal because I made my own out of an old volume pedal so I can put it anywhere I want on the stage.
The effects in the G2 sound great. I wasn't happy with the flanger, but I made my own flanger sound with the vibrato voice with the speed at zero and the mix at less than half. Try it, it makes a pretty good flanger sound. I also liked hooking up the expression pedal to control the rate of some of the effects so you could ramp them up or down with your foot. The wah is also controlled with the expression pedal and the wah's in this pedal sound good, believe it or not. I like using the Vox Wah voice.
Something else I love that doesn't seem to be available on the lesser ZOOM models is the fact that you can virtually set the Phaser or Wah to be Before or After the distortion, just like in a real rig. I really appreciate that feature because I always liked my phaser and wah before my distortion so I didn't have to give that up in this pedal.
A lot of other people here have gone into more details about the pedal so I'm not going to waste my time doing that. I'm just here to convince you to give it a try. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

I've gigged with it and no problems yet. I doubt there will be.

I've contacted ZOOM before for about other products of theirs and they've been good enough to send me spare parts and manuals at no charge. Even on parts for some discontinued items.

I originally bought this pedal for using at some gigs where the stage is small and my normal 8 pedal chain doesn't fit very well. I normally use a BOSS Tuner that daisy-chains to power a Bad Dog Phaser into a DOD Milkbox Compressor into a CryBaby Classic into a Crossroads Distortion into a DOD FX75B Flanger into a Line 6 Space Chorus (that I swap the modules onstage to be a TapTremolo or a RotoMachine) into a Ernie Ball Volume ending with a Ibanez DE7 Delay/Echo. Whew.
Normally I don't have a problem having all of that in front of me, but I needed to shrink my rig for smaller gigs so I researched the G2 and it seemed like the trick and it is. Now all I need are the BOSS Tuner, the Milkbox Compressor (the G2 has a compressor but I prefer mine), a Voodoo Lab Micro Vibe (the only effect not in the G2), the G2 and a Volume pedal. Also the expression pedal.
I really like this pedal. Plus it's made of metal so it's sturdier than other ZOOM pedals. Try it.

Sound quality is very good except for reverb (decent) and cabinet simulation (although tone is good, you don't get "punch" like from real thing).

At first glance it looks reliable (metal and rubber), but then after a month or two micro-switch mini buttons starts failing. First was one under "patch down" foot switch, but after a year I had to repair most of them (didn't want send to shop because repair takes 30 minutes and sending takes box away for period of days or weeks). Thankfully it's easy operation, but nevertheless -2 for using cheap buttons.

I play mostly metal stuff, and it suits me very well. I have been using it for over a year now, and if it were stolen I would check before buying new one if there is something available without it's shortcomings but in this price and compactness class. Namely: more user programmable banks (well, I don't use all 40 of them, but I use groups like Ax for hifi/phones, Bx for bass patches, Cx for Laney amp, Dx for Line6 amp, and I'm out of banks regarding that I play on two or more amps in different places and this requires different settings; also you cannot insert or move groups so it's better to have spare placeholders around), "LOW inverted" option in CONTROL module ("LOW" lets you modulate effect from n% to 0, meaning that after engaging patch it starts from n%; inverted would start from 0% [yes, "UP" option works from 0 to n%, but n equals 100%, so it is different scale of adjustment]).
I also had Zoom GFX-707 and Digitech RP50, and G2 is way better (i.e. unnoticeable patch switching time and low noise level).

I wouldn't say this is the easiest unit to navigate. Yes, there's lots of flexibility built in. However, getting good sounds take time. You really have to understand the unit and how all the parameters interact with each other.

This is my main reason for writing the review. I'm using the G2 as a stomp box directly into the input of my Ampeg J12-R tube amp since it doesn't have an effects loop. At low volumes, the G2 sounded decent. But using it live was a different story. At gig volume, almost every amp module was either fizzy, mushy or very harsh. The cab sims were off, as the manual suggests, and I tried EQ-ing every which way I could think of. It didn't help. Then I got a tip off a forum that changed everything. I lowered the Gain in the amp modules to almost non-existant levels. Instead of 40-50 (out of 100) they're now between 0-15. What a difference! All models now sound tight, warm and alive without being harsh.

I've had a little problem with one of the bank button sticking, but it seems to have corrected itself.

n/a

For the money, this is a great unit. I've never used it for recording, so I can't comment there. Most people should be prepared for a learning curve, though, to really dial in their sound.

I reviewed this unit a few months ago and I loved it then and I love it now. I am submitting this "review" just to mention that this unit has a feature that many other fx/digital amp modelers dont have. The ability to TURN OFF the amp simulations. My amp already sounds great so why should I lay a digital emulation of some other amp on top of it. I use the G2 for all the nice effects it has, but I like to use it with the "amp" settings off. Oh, by the way, it lasts maybe 6 hrs on 4 new AA batteries.

The G2 has too many features to really drill down into for this review. Here's the simple, basic lowdown:
There are several effect suites-all accessible using a simple rotary knob in conjunction with three multi function (assignable parameter adjustments per suite) knobs to adjust effects for depth, time, etc. Scroll through the various suite parameters using two buttons. The patch select buttons are stomp-box types; one for patch up and the other for patch down-only one patch at a time, either up or down. Store button to save the patch. About 40 patch locations for user patches in 4 banks of 10.
Delay tap function and drum machine built in. Drum machine shuts down the reverb suite when actve. There is a jack for a footswitch that can be assigned to perform various, limited functions with a momentary switch or a CC pedal. No MIDI. Stereo or mono output. Sturdy construction. For the price paid and the physical dimensions of this unit (about the size of two BOSS pedals) this is the most feature laden box on the planet, at this time. Versatile in the extreme. New, FAST computer processor and very, very high quality sampling / processing speed.
Takes a while to get the hang of creating superb patches. Well worth the time spent experimenting to find your sounds.

In terms of achieving the sounds of various artists we know and love there are enough tools here to mimic any genre, style or artist. For example, using a Jay Turser Les Paul copy with Dream 180 pickups I can faithfully recreate anything from a wicked Telecaster clean tone for Surf and Oldies; early British Invasion jangly cleans; Cream/Hendrix/Zepplin-era overdrives/fuzztones/fat woman tones; hard rock ala Lynyrd Skynyrd / Santana / Ted Nugent / ; and modern Metal tones from 80s hair-band metal to Metallica / Creed / Shredmiester (Satch, Vai etc) artists and beyond. NuMetal / Death Metal-the VERY hard stuff....it's ALL in there somewhere and it all sounds good! I mean SURPRISINGLY good!
You can EQ any guitar to sound like many different guitars, provided you start with a decent, clear sounding set of pickups. As mentioned, my LP can mimic a Telecaster well enough to fool Brad Paisley.
Once again, it's just too deep to explain all the "sound" possibilities so here's the short version:
I have 3 Les Pauls...two Jay tursers (both have upgraded electronics and GOOD pickups) and a Gibson with 498T and 490R pickups. I have a modded Telecaster and an Ibanez S-series Fat Strat clone. They all like the box and the box likes 'em back.
My favorite amp models are: Fender Twin (called FC), the BOSS OD-1 (called od) Roland JC 120 (called JC) and the Peavey 5150 (called PV.) These model designations are reference points. You have to work the amp models to suit yourself. To work them you have a TON of EQ options, delays, modulation effects, pitch shifters that track VERY well, reverbs...you get the picture.
I run the G2 in two ways:
1. As a mono stomp box, using a Roland Blues Cube. Sounds killer! All EQ knobs on the Roland are set to 12 o'clock. I have 4 basic "live" patches: Super clean for jangle / surf / some blues. Clean with a bit of hair for blues / British Invasion stuff. Heavy overdrive for the Marshall Plexi-era tones / heavy bluesy stuff and a very heavy distortion for hard rock stuff . Charming, to say the least. Add a bit of delay, 'verb and chorus.
2. As a stereo processor through a Dynaco SCA-35 tube, integrated amp with 20 watts per channel through AR reference monitors. I have lots of patches using lots of amp models, drive levels, mod effects, pitch shifters, delays and more delays on top of delays. Sky is the limit in stereo. WooHoooo.

The stompbox / Roland amp thing works well for live shows. No worries.
The processor / Dynaco setup is more spacious sounding and takes full advantage of the formidable stereo effects.
So...very versatile box that works well with guitar amps or reference / home stereo amps & speakers. I even run this through a stereo boombox from Wal Mart and it works just fine for jams and composing. I don't like using headphones for guitar but you could.

Okay...for the rest: It's quiet, even at high gain settings. The effects are pretty darn good. Pitch shifters (there are several) track very well and sound unbelievably sweet in stereo...not as great in mono (duh!) but still quite useable. Drum machine is cheesy and one dimensional but it works and keeps accurate time. Believe it or not, we used it for a gig when our drummer couldn't make it. It got us through the night. I wouldn't recommend it...but I was glad we had SOMETHING for drums, which is better than nothing...y'know?

Looks pretty tough to me. Built from steel. Switches are right. No worries. I use batteries and DC adapter to run it. No wories.

I've been around guitars pretty seriously since the 80s. Like most players, I went through my woodshedding years. At this stage in my career I think i know what good sound is. I know good tone and good effects. This box is a winner.

The enclosed patches are pretty good and form a good basis for generating your own.

Editing patches seemed a little daunting at first but it's soon easy enough. I think it'll take a little while to learn what all the options are.

Manual is short and to the point, doesn't really need any more.

Through my amps this sounds good at room levels, haven't tried it loud yet.

The effects sound fine to my inexperienced ears, doesn't seem to generate any noise.

I use a Yamaha pacifica, and play through a home brewed Marshall 18 watt, driving celestion vintage and g12h30 speakers.

I find it a bit dead using headphones.

NO problems yet, had it a whole 24 hours so.....

NO problems yet, had it a whole 24 hours so.....

This is my first effects box of any type, I wanted a reverb but was also interested in experimenting with other types of effects and this seemed a cost effective way forward.
I've only been playing a few months so have a lot to learn regarding effects. Would I replace it, at the moment yes but would probably buy the G7 or G9, as I always like to move forwards.

Very friendly interface

Wonderful sound, imo.
I'm a novice so, no special needs. Just G2 and headphone.
I purchased Zoom G1 too.
I'm writing this not as a review, but as a resource to make
you all know the center frequency wich are boosted with the..
ehm the BOOSTER, selectable in the 2nd module of G2.
In fact, i wrote to ZoomJapan which kindly answer to my inquiry
in just one day. Should be nice to find this information in the
manual, but it's no.
so, here they are those center frequency

1: 100 Hz
2: 500 Hz
3: 800 Hz
4: 1.5 kHz
5: 3 kHz

Strong, made of steel.

Very good, they reply to my answer about the booster
in just one day since my e-mail was sent

Very very good.
Again, i don't really want to review this wonderful product
'cause i feel all has just been said about it.
I just would like to make you all know an information which
is not reported in the manual, about the frequency which are boosted
in the BOOSTER effect, 2nd module of G2.

Wonderful sound, imo.
I'm a novice so, no special needs. Just G2 and headphone.
I purchased Zoom G1 too.
I'm writing this not as a review, but as a resource to make
you all know the center frequency wich are boosted with the..
ehm the BOOSTER, selectable in the 2nd module of G2.
In fact, i wrote to ZoomJapan which kindly answer to my inquiry
in just one day. Should be nice to find this information in the
manual, but it's no.
so, here they are those center frequency

1: 100 Hz
2: 500 Hz
3: 800 Hz
4: 1.5 kHz
5: 3 kHz

This unit is fairly simple to use. The manual is very helpful and shows you exactly what each twist of a knob does. You have a limit of 40 patches to edit for yourself, alongside 40 preset patches which you can't edit. Very large variety of options for such a small unit and at such a low price.

I use either a Gibson SG Special Faded or a Dean Razorback with this, through a Line 6 Spider II. Starting with the clean tones, I tend to use either the Roland Jazz Chorus or the Fender Twin Reverb models. These both work well for either sparkly or warm clean tones, and if you like boosting the treble for a spanky, country style twang with a little grit. The Marshall JCM 800 model also provides a sort of dirty, sharp clean which is useful for the rock 'n roll clean tone.

As far as distortion and overdrive go, there are not many useable models in the Zoom G2. The overdrives are often either too thick and flabby (Dallas-Arbiter Fuzz Face and MATCHLESS Hot Box) or too thin and useless (Marshall JCM 800 and Boss OD-1). This is very disappointing, as it is hard to find a good classic rock tone or punk tone.

However the unit somewhat redeems itself with the distortion. I am partial to the Zoom Extreme Distortion for Dimebag's (Pantera) scooped sound. But when the mids come in it sounds a little too digital for my liking. The Peavey 5150, Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier and ESPECIALLY the Marshall JCM 2000 are not very useful, as without the booster they are far too flabby and farty, whereas with the booster they have a lot of feedback and unwanted noise. Not to mention the fact that all of these models sound very digital. The JCM 2000 model disgusts me beyond belief. It's just UNUSABLE. Even with the bass turned down to -12 (yes, minus 12) and the booster in, the bottom end is chubby and annoying.

There are a few other effects which I don't use very often such as the Zoom Dynamic Fuzz, Marshall Guv'nor and Fender Tweed Deluxe which all sound okay as far as digital modelling goes, but do not often suit my needs.

Last but not least it the Mesa Boogie Mark III model. This is probably my favourite of all of the models on this unit. It has a warm, valve-like response which sings beautifully when driven hard, and a sweet trebley crunch when the gain levels are lower. Not so good for metal as I like to play, but nice for rock and punk.

The effects on this unit are quite good to my surprise, and work well with the better models on the pedal. The chorus and delay especially add together for a lush clean tone which I do enjoy, and the vibrato sometimes creates a nice surf or funk tone. I have used the vibrato for one tone which I do like, however, which is the clean sound from Pantera's 'Floods'. The noise reduction is good on this pedal, but when the booster is engaged it all gets a little too much for the ZNR, which means using the gate which I don't like (cuts off the sustain). The compressor/sustainer helps with sustaining distortion and the reverbs are pretty good, but echo perhaps just a little too long on most models.

This unit is very dependable. I've never had any problems with it, and I have gigged with it four or five times. Definitely a sturdy pedal.

For my main style of music, metal, this pedal is not brilliant. The best distortion available for metal on this pedal only sounds good when scooped, which is a disappointment. If it were stolen or lost I'd get another one because I'd use the effects on it (once I get a better amp, valve next time). I only wish that this thing had a more useable metal distortion model.

I had no problem, so if you're as smart as me you'll be fine.

I used this multi for a little while, but I have since removed it from my pedalboard. The thing about the G2 is that the effects are pretty good, it doubles as a tuner and replaces several single function boxes taking up less room. Unfortunately, the bypass is not true, and it sucks the life out of your tone if you're using a good tube amp. For me that's a 78 Fender Deluxe, a great amp with an excellent sparkly yet warm clean tone. Running the G2 in line basically takes away the sparkliness, which for me is really not a good thing. A lesser amp like a marshall or something probably wouldn't suffer but I'm not going to use this anymore.

I should also mention that it is a little bit noisy. But then again my telecaster is noisy and i've never complained about that.

If you're using a solid state or digital amp it should work well. They don't sound that good to start off with so you're not losing much. sorry but i'm just over pretending that solid state amps actually sound good.

It's well made, and doesn't look immediately breakable.

One of the reasons I still enjoy playing guitar is because i've invested in some real quality gear and can get an amazing sound. The G2 gives me some new effects to use, but decreases the fundamental richness of my sound, hence i've decided not to use it anymore. It would be a great pedal for beginners or those who are not using absurdly expensive equipment.
I'd actually reccomend it to some, but not all. It's a good pedal overall and it's inexpensive, so i'm still giving it a 7.

Muy muy facil de usar esta pedalera, y el manual explica todo muy bien. ademas que muchas pedaleras nisiquiera traen manual en espa??ol, y estas zoom nuevas lo traen. una vez que la tienes solo te toma poco tiempo entender el funcionamiento de la pedalera.

En la parte de las distorsiones le falta mas a esta pedalera, la cual a mi modo de ver suena muy digital en cuanto a distorsiones. estas suenan un poco filosas en amplificadores de transistores. sin embargo si tienes un buen amplificador esto te ayudara mucho. lo que si le encuentro bien a pesar de esto es que puedes hacer distorsiones con bastante gain.

Los acusticos suenan bastante bien, creo que esta es la parte mas fuerte de la G2, si te tomas un buen tiempo en hacer acusticos bien estilizados lograras muy buenos sonidos acusticos los cuales sonaran limpios y transparentes. estos acusticos suenan muy bien tambien cuando usas la pedalera en modo de (simulador de amplificador) y te conectas con audifonos (auriculares), o al conectarla directo a un equipo de sonido, a una PC o a una consola.

en cuanto a los efectos el Chorus, el Chorus Stereo, el delay, las reverbs, y el Phaser suenan bien, pero mas que todo los Chorus, con los cuales puedes colorear muy bien tus acusticos. de las Reverbs solo me gusta la Hall, y la uso en poca intensidad solo para dar color a mis acusticos.

los simuladores de amplificador son mas o menos, te sirven para gravar ideas en el PC, tocar directo a un equipo de sonido, a una consola, auriculartes, etc, pero no son lo suficientemente buenos como para hacer una gravacion profesional, y en cuanto a la parte de simulacion de amplificador la pedalera suena mejor en lo que respecta a acusticos. Si realmente deseas gravar algo semiprofesional o algo profesional directo a una PC no debes usar el G2, para eso esta el POD2.0 de Line6.

no opino.

no opino.

La pedalera brinda buenas posibilidades en cuanto a su costo, a pesar de ser economica no perderas tu dinero si la compras, pero lo malo es que no trae transformador de corriente y esto al comienzo me dio problemas por que cierto tipo de transformadores generan ruido al momento de tocar. el transformador tiene que ser de polaridad positiva pero con polo central negativo, si no es asi te generara un poco de ruido.

en cuanto a que usa pilas esta bien, si te compras unas 4 pilas AA recargables puedes tocar durante unas 6 o 7 horas seguidas sin problemas.

La encontre facil de usar, al primer momento que la usas tal ves te enrredas un poco pero ya en cuestion de pocos minutos se entiende muy bien el funcionamiento de la pedalera para hacer tus presets.

Las distorsiones suenan bastante digitales, es lo malo que le encontre a esta pedalera. en cuanto a cantidad de Gain, puedes hacer distorsiones con bastante distorsion. Estas suenan un poco asperas y filosas, por mas que ecualizes los bajos altos las distorsiones no dejan de perder el caracter filoso, en otras palabras les falta un poco de cuerpo.

He provado esta pedalera en amplificadores de transistores. Influye mucho el tipo de amplificador que uses, si tienes un buen amplificador puede que te suene bien. aunque solo la he provado en dos tipos de ampli Marshall y Crate de esos peque??os tuve mejores resultados con el Crate.

Normalmente la uso con auriculares (audifonos), y el 90% de mis presets tienen seleccionados la opcion de (Simulador de amplificador). Los simuladores de amplificador en realidad no son muy buenos pero si te sirven para tocar directo a una PC o con auriculares.

los limpios o acusticos: en esta parte la pedalera si tiene fuerza, puedes hacer exelentes acusticos que sonaran transparentes y nitidos siempre y cuando pases unas cuantas horas dandole premormance a tus presets acusticos. no es muy facil hacerlos buenos pero si te lo propones lo logras, esta pedalera tiene ciertas ma??as en la configuracion de los acusticos con lo cual tienes muchas opciones para provar acusticos simples o acusticos coloreados con Chorus, Reverb, etc.

En la parte de efectos me gusta como suenan los Chorus, tanto el normal como el estereo Chorus, el Phaser tambien anda bien, el Delay esta bastante aceptable, y las reverbs tambien. sin embargo algunos de los efectos adicionales de la pedalera simplemente suenan de juguete, pues esto es un contraste dentro de la pedalera por que le puedes encontrar buenos efectos y malos efectos.

en cuanto a sonido la pedalera se come un poco el tono de las guitarras, yo tengo una Legend Les Paul y una Legend tipo Strato, y un amigo mio tiene una Joe Satriani JS-100. la JS la provamos en la pedalera y resultado fue que la guitarra sono practicamente igual que la Legend Les Paul la cual es una guitarra economica que es una imitacion de las Les Paul.

la zoom G2 esta util para tener en casa pero no la veo como una pedalera para usar con una Banda, tampoco para gravar en estudio ni para gravar por linea directo a una PC. en todo caso para provar ideas pero no para gravacion profesional a exepcion de sus acusticos los cuales si me han parecido buenos.

en la parte de acusticos la pedalera se defiende muy bien. Tomando en cuenta que la G2 es economica pienso que no vote mi dinero, le he sacado algunos buenos sonidos.

A las distorsiones les falta calidad, suenan muy digitales.

Otra cosa que no me gusto es que estas pedaleras bienen sin transformador, tuve algunos problemas a la hora de conseguir el adaptador indicado.en algunos casos cierto tipo de transformadores pueden generar ruido a la hora de tocar.

Una ventaja de la pedalera es que puede usar 4 pilas AA, y puedes usarla unas 6 o 7 horas sin el transformador.

el Manual de la pedalera a mi parecer biene muy bien explicado y esta todo facil de entender echandole una simple leida.

i was looking for a good multi-effects pedal as i was becoming bored of only really having 'one' sound when using my marshall all valve amplifier 50w combo. i wanted a small multi-effects pedal though, i didnt want the typical large heavy awkward thing. i was reluctant though as ive always seen multi-effects pedals as the jack of all trades, but master of none. the zoom g2 is small so this is why i chose this model. it is also cheap to buy used on ebay so i felt there was no harm in giving it a try. im very glad i did. it takes some time to learn how to use the many features of this pedal, but the manual is good so it is not too difficult to learn all of the features.

i love this pedal but i think the sound rating really does depend on what amplifer you use! i am putting my zoom g2 through an all valve marshall 50w combo, so what happens is you have a digital pedal going through a valve/analog circuit. the sound from the pedal is going through 3 mullard preamp valves and then coming out of the two larger output valves. what does this mean? it means the digital sound from my zoom g2 is really fattened up going through my valve amp! you could say it is changed from digital to a more analog/valve/fatter sound, and due to this procedure it sounds GREAT! the distortion sounds i get from the zoom g2 sound much better than my marshall amplifier's built in distortion. it just sounds much clearer, more focused, less mushy and raspy, and has more life. if you put this pedal through some cheap basic digital aplifier though theres no way it's gonna sound as good as the sounds i am getting through my valve amplifier. sorry!

i would give the zoom g2 a 9 out of 10 when used with a decent valve amplifier, but if you use a crappy thin sounding weak digital amp maybe the sound is gonna be a 7 out of 10 in my opinion.

finally i get a huge range of sounds from a nice small compact multi-effects pedal, while still retaining my valve tone. i get a nice range of clean sounds, through to standard rock, overdrive, fuzz and hard rock sounds, and finally now also i can get really high gain huge sounding metal tones, which i could not achieve just using my basic marshall valve amplifier on its own. i can finally do the maiden/metallica thing properly (ie. a huge sound and plenty of bass in there too), so now im very happy!!

the pedal has many effects built in such as flanger, phaser, delay etc. i would say these effects are quite standard, dont expect absolute perfection here. the delay/echo i quite like. it's just good enough to warrant me sticking with it rather than having to use some analog or valve based echo/delay unit instead. the built in noise reduction is excellent, especially when using the high gain metal tones! there is a built in drum machine which is fun, but you have to use the preset patterns, you cant program your own beats (still good for jamming/practicing/metronome though). the built in tuner is very good but it is a pain to turn it on (you have to press and hold both footswitches at once at the same time, which is awkward). sustain from the pedal in general is excellent. i have never gotten so much sustain from any other pedal, and i've owned a lot. im really impressed here!

seems fine, it's tough and well built, solid feeling, weighty not cheap, with tough casing and rubber 'bumpers' on the side

the zoom website seems ok, but i have never asked for support so do not know how they rate on that, so i have no opinion here.

i think this is an excellent pedal. in the past i have had several different distortion and echo/delay pedals, as well as a noise reduction pedal before i bought this zoom g2 pedal, but now i sold all of the other pedals and only use the zoom g2 to do everything. im very happy and dont bother looking on ebay for effects pedals anymore as now i have everything i need here!

dont forget the important thing though. if you want it to sound really special, use a decent amplifier!! it might still sound ok with cheap equipment, i suppose it all depends on how fussy you are.

Yes, you do have to read the manual, but you'll catch on.

I can hear the analog qualities of the guitar strings better with this
unit than I could with either the Line6 pod or Damage Control womanizer
evidently due to the sampling frequency of 96 kHz. A previous reviewer
hit the nail on the head ... all amp sounds are good, but the Marshal,
Boogie, and Peavey models sound real good! The reverb and the EQ functionality is excellent. Good to very good clean, crunch, and distortion tones are achievable with the unit. Patience has to be applied, when using the flexibility of the EQ options, but the results are very satisfying. And for $100 you get many other effects, such as a very good tuner and a drum machine.

Looks reliable, but I have only had mine for 4 months.

I have never used their customer support.

Like I said earlier, the unit shapes the sound, but allows the analog string subtleties to shine through. It is the best $100 that I have ever spent on musical equipment.

After reading the excellent manual by 13 mins I was ready to use completely ; nothin bad to say bout it. as with the stompbox like controls it's really very easy to use

Although I rate this item with an 6 because I found the Dual rectifier , the MT-2 , Zoom Extreme's , and the Peavey's one very usable and it's sampling of 96Khz and 32 bits Proc. ; this thing has very major features that makes an owner of high input humbuckers like me dissapointed. this thing is not ready to handle such kind of high power humbuckers ; the emulations of JCM2000, Guv'nor, HotBox just SUCK !!, they all sound exaclty the same 4 me and have no use because those distortions sound just horrible; I play many styles but I wouldn't know how to use them (if you don't use the booster with them they just sound like a damn fuzz (unusable and horrible). and 4 getting an usable sound you always have to use the booster 4 the freqs the Humbuckers eats that way ya can't use other effects like the tremelo together with the distortions. The reason for the 5 points is that the usable models sound quite good once you have spent enough time tweaking them and you get no noise at all when you record even with the higher gain settings and also 4 the modulations.
but if it's gonna b your first multieffects, you'll be the happiest guitarist around your block.

Although with the usable sound you can record with good results
Im gonna sell it right now to buy a real effects processor like a POD XT. if there's not something better I would use it , maybe you can say your cables we're working bad...

Couldn't find in their site where to leave your questions like in other sites of other companies

I play rock , jazz , metal , Industrial and everything I want.
been playing by 8 years; own an old PS1 with Duncans.
I wouldn't buy this again. I hate that you have to use the booster to get something sounding acceptable. the favorite feature is that you can make it sound almost good everywhere.
I would buy an GNX1 instead of the G2. with other products in its range of price its acceptable.

Factory presets are pretty useless but that goes for every multi fx I've tried so far.

Don't fool yourself that this thing is going to replace a great sounding amp. It could have worked great for practicing and recording though if Zoom knew how to engineer things with life expectancy of more than a week (see below).

Ha! That's the reason why I am spending valuable time of my life to write a review about this P.O.S. To warn you my friend. One of the only two switches died within two days! Yes you read it right. TWO DAYS OF USE IN A NON SMOKING STUDIO ENVIRONMENT. Now, if that was a 60 switches 30 knobs complicated machine I would have understood it, but this is an as simple as it gets only two switches crapola. To last only a few hours...
Here is the best part. After I returned the unit I decided to not be very critical about Zoom and purchased a few months later the G1 model.
Ha! again. This one had a noise gate with phsycological problems. It was trying to refuse its exsistance as a noise gate and was trying to act as a volume pedal! It would give a volume swell effect even when it was set at 1!!! Never experienced anything like that with any other noise gate and believe me I have tried a few. Needless to say that the G1 went back to the shop too.

Yeah, right.....

Overall rating? Just save your money and buy something else. Actually just buy anything else but Zoom. As the text for rating mark 1 reads: What a hunk of junk!

I bought this unit to solve on problem. I play guitar and sing lead in a gigging band and I do not want to futz around with a bunch of pedals to get different tones and effects for different songs on stage, let alone setting it up. So for on-stage ease of use, I would rate this box an 8.5. Just get to your "home" bank, and switch back and forth with your feet. Easy.
As far as setting up and editing your banks, once you get over 15 - 20 minute learning curve (and RTFM), it's pretty easy to use.

If you have the ear and the patience to get the tone you want to get, I think you will be pleasantly surprised with what you can achieve with this box. If you already have a good sounding amp, go in with the attitude less is more. Use the modeling lightly or turn it off altogether. Use a bit of EQ. A touch of a chorus. A mid-boost in the beginning of the "chain". Go to the extended EQ. Back to the modeling tone parameter. The overall mix. It's all there, and it's all ganged together, and you can get the sound you want. It's actually alot of fun to do if you have the time.
The alternative use is as a the main tone-maker in your rig (you have a cheap amp and your gonna try spend a $100 to fix the sound.), or using the box to record to your computer. You CAN do this, but I have to drop the sound quality number down a bit. The modeling is adequate and not as good as Line 6 or Roland, and the more you rely on the modeling and EQ to MAKE your sound, the more your gonna hear the $100 band-aid.
For computer recording it's a very fun tool, and the cabinet/mike modeling is O.K. - good for noodling around, but not much more.

ADVICE:
-If your try this device in the store, realise that the sounds are examples of what can be done. Some are OK starting points, but you won't get the idea of the power until you go into edit, turn every effect OFF, and start from scratch. Ask to see the manual.

-The compression is AWFUL. Turn it off.

-There are 2 different settings for 'live' and 'recording'. Use the right one! Live settings opens up 3 more EQ bands, while recording is an cab/mike modeler.

I'd be lying if I said I thought this thing could take a beating. It's got a good weight to it, but I'm treating this thing with kid gloves for quite a bit.

I play in a band where I need to be able to go from a country-twang with a fat slap-back delay, to a mid-scooped metal sound, to a bachata lead dripping with chorus, and then back to MY AMP! sound with out a cumbersome and goofy pedalboard. Ok, maybe they're just not me, but I know when I see some dude setting up a huge pedal board with boutique pedals and vintage gear, he BETTER blow me away - and I know I'm NOT that kind of player! I like the footprint, the price, and there is a quality sound to be gotten with patience.

I recommend this product. If you can afford something (you think is)better, get it. If not, just know that your not throwing your money away. It's fun to experiment with guitar sounds. It's just a little more requisite with this product.

Pretty easy right out of the box, but...
If you really want to tweak and get the most out of this unit, you have to sit with the manual and hack at it. Editing is a bit of a trick, but attainable with patience & practice. The manual is NOT as user-friendly as (let's say) a Line 6 or Mesa Boogie or others. After going over the manual with my students & other players, we all agreed that we've seen better.

On one hand: this thing sounds pretty fat & massive with great parameters & relative "tweakability". The amp sounds and FX are admirable with a great sampling rate and 32-bit sound. But remember tubemeisters and tone freaks: it's still synthetic. This was purchased to add to a Crate Powerblock Head loop to provide extra tones & wet signals. Very quiet and has NR capability. All the FX are good for the most part, but don't expect TC Helicon or Lexicon sounds. Just know that the line out CAN handle headphones, 1/4" mono AND stereo Y-cords so you can use two amps/stereo recording: nice feature. BUT THE BYPASS IS NOT TOTALLY TRUE! There is a slight bit of smudge to it.

It's made well: solid metal & plastic casing with clickless switches. Seems better made than most pedals under $100.00. So good so far.

Zoom is overseen by Samson, and wit a pair of glasses on you can sleuth out their toll-free number. They answered and a pretty sharp tech answered my questions. But this is a Chinese company that could have hired some normal gear nuts from the USA to help make the manual's word-usage a bit more "real world" and less complicated.

Just another lazy old-timer who needed a small, well-made piece to add to a head that has no FX whatsoever. Playing for many years with a vast array of amps & rack gear. On the plus side: compact, feature filled & well made for the cost. Negatives: the manual just does not fully explain an E-Z route to tweaking & maximizing FX and boosting presence/EQ/tone shaping.

I know there are a few people out there who may be looking at this unit from the same perspective as me. I basically wanted a unit which handled all modulation and reverb effects, just to keep things simple and replace a whole lot of individual analogue boxes. I have what i believe to be the greatest OD ever, and yes i've tried them all.

I'm also using this thing as a kind of "poor man's" EH HOG/Whammy. The octave effect on this unit is really something. Also, the mono pitch shift effect actually sounds better that the octaver, but tracks SLIGHTLY less well. If you're into these effects, you absolutely must try this unit. It really blew me away how good these effects are.

The main reason i wanted a HOG or Whammy was for single octave up effects, similar to what Matt Bellamy from Muse has been using as of last year.

As a cheap substitute HOG it does the job very well. You only get 1 voice at a time but that's ok i only wanted 1 at a time. The big plus is that you get presets, in addition to a whole lot of other FX.

Actually it was mrmojo's review two below prompted me to write something about this unit.
Firstly I'd have to say i totally agree with him. I use the volume knob on my tele as pretty much the primary tone modifier while i'm playing.
I'm running from my guitar to an Ernie Ball VP, MI Audio Tube Zone Overdrive (best OD EVER!), Boss DD-20, Zoom G2, into my amazing 72 Fender Princeton Reverb.
Basically my idea was to replace a whole lot of pedals on my board. The G2 would cover modulation effects and reverb, and also give me a reasonable tuner. The effects themselves are really quite good. The only problem is that while this unit is in the chain, it pretty much destroys the 'natural' vibe that i get from my amp. The touch responsiveness and amazing sparkly shimmery Fendery goodness is gone. GONE!

If you don't play through a good tube amp, then really you can probably ignore my review.

Even with all effects switched off, this thing just colours the sound a little bit and makes it sound somewhat "not as good". I have considered buying a true bypass looper to use with it. As i mentioned, the sounds are really very good (especially the pitch shifter). Only problem is, most loopers are made by boutique makers, and the looper would cost as much as the Zoom!

I tried out the OD/distortions, they weren't to my liking, but then again i wasn't going to use them anyway and i'm comparing them to the best overdrive in the world! You may like them just try it out first.

It's metal with rubber bits. If i wanted to make myself more durable i would TOTALLY cover myself in metal with rubber bits.

It could be good. Dare someone to call them.

To those who are pretty careful about their sound: This is a great unit, the effects are very good, BUT your sound may get a little bit messed up. If you don't use your volume knob (you absolutely should btw you're missing out big time) you'll probably have less of a problem with this. Also if you use a tranny amp, it'll probably actually make your amp sound better so just go for it!

Pretty easy to use if you can read instructions. There is a section in the manual that shows how to make your own patches step by step. Its alot like the old zoom 505 processer but it has more control knobs.Someone on here said that it took three months to fully tweek the parameters in each effect. I could see that if you turned every effect/drive ect off and started with the first effect(compression) and worked your way to the end. The way to do it right is to start with the Drive Module then dynamic effects like compression/Eq/noise gate then reverb/delay then post amp modulation fx, wha/front of amp effects last. I wont go to far into ease of use because its pointless. If you can use a multi function remote for your tv you can use and program this pedal.

When i first got the pedal i pluged it into a crate xt 120 combo amp on clean chanel all eq's on 5.The first thing i noticed is that the preset levels were to loud.Even when i turned them way down they were still higher than they should be.Also the tones were muddy even when i adjusted the preset EQ...also the effects like reverb/delay sounded like they were all coliding together.I changed guitars from my homebuilt strat with a distortion pup to my epiphone LP standard with a REAL gibson 57 paf pup.This helped clear up the sound a little but the level was still to high and the effects like verb were sounding to lush-thick.What i found out is that when you plug a mono 1/4 inch jack into the STEREO 1/4" outpute, the ground of the jack dosent shut off the right side it causes the right side signal to go to the left or mono side increasing the level and blending the stereo effects.This sounds crapy. What you have to do is buy a stereo 1/4' jack that y's to two 1/4" female jacks and plug into the left if you want mono and plug into both if you want stereo into two different amps.
ZOOm should have pute in two rca outpute jacks and included a y cable to two 1/4" female ends if they wanted to save space on the unit.They dont tell you you CANT use a mono jack from the outpute but if you do the sound will suck.
As far as the sounds went...well its digital and you can easily tell just like every other modeler out there.When i got the first problem figured out i turned off all of the fx on a patch and turned on the PV drive (peavey 5150) added some eq and........was disapointed.It sounded like a muddy distortion pedal.I played this unit through the combo mentioned above a marshall dsl 2000 clean-rythm-poweramp, a crate powerblock, crate bv 120 clean-rythem-poweramp and it never sounded good at all. The best sound was through my crate xt120 combo but even that wasnt that great.Also if you use the outpute for headphones like it says you can, it wont be loud enough...not even with earbuds.

Havent had it long enough...had other zoom products that held up well and it looks solid so...

-na-

After i played this on my friends amps trying to get a good sound i came home, pluged into my crate on the lead chanel, and ohhh sweet analog distortion!!!! No the crate aint the greatest amp but it beats the digital crap anyday.No more amp modeling stuff for me unless its analog like the Tech 21 sans amp.I mainly bought this pedal to play around with as an addition to my combo and as a headphone amp but it failed at both.Oh well ill get my $99.00 back that will go to the eventual purchase of a peavey xxl.

Its fairly easy to use given it limited user interface.
Manual is easy to understand.

My setup: Fender standard strat, Morley Wah, Peavey Valveking 112.

I did not find this thing lending itself to my particular setup and needs.
I am very much into SRV type blues and as such really use and rely on the guitar volume (that is the volume control of the guitar) to get the right drive and tone from song to song from my tube amp. This thing only really sounds good when the guitar volume is at the full.
I bought solely to add some reverb and delay???now I know what you???re thinking???SRV did not use delay, but us mere mortals have to cheat a little. The point is, It still very much ???colored??? my tone to a very cold, edgy, digital sound even using nothing but the reverb effect. This, added to the extreme lose of dynamics when I cut back on the guitar volume makes it pretty unusable to a blues guy with a tube amp. I tried it in-line and through the effects loop, still had much the same results.
But I will say this for it???I ran it through and crappy realistic power amp and a 1-12 enclosure I keep around the house and it sounded pretty good. There is actually one patch (with some tweaking) that had a fairly good SRV dirty sound???think ???Tightrope???. It also had a somewhat better ???feel??? to it also when using the guitar volume. It seems to be much more suited to this type of application.
Patch changes are fast and seamless. The Boss DS-1 and the MT-2 are pretty closely reproduced. The rest, to my ear anyway, was not too good of a ???model???. They can be tweaked to sound pretty good as a sound in general, but do not live up to their namesakes.
I could go on boring you with the details???but I???ll Just give it a rating of 7???all things considered.

dont know...am gonna either send it back or trade it off after only two days of useing it...

Again...won't know