Zoom G7.1ut

Not the easiest of products to get your head round, but once you get going and have a good fiddle around, things become a lot easier. Like anything of a tecnical you buy really, you just have to be a bit patient at the start and read the manual.
There are a multitude of diffent amp simulator settings, effects etc but like most equipment of this type, you will probably only use a few of them.
Editing a patch, once you've got the knack of it, is very easy. The best way to do it is to grab a sound you like from the preset patches that is the closest to what you want, have a look at the settings it has in edit mode, ammend them to meet your taste, then store it as a user patch. Simples!
If you are technically minded, you can can grab patches as downloads off the internet (Zoom website) and if you know someone who sounds great using one of these G7 units, you can ask nicely (or buy them a beer!) and nick his/her patches by linking your device with theirs via a midi link.

I'm using it with two session(ette) 75 combos and my guitar is an Ibanez JS100.
The Zoom G7 has a plethora of effects, but like me you'll probably settle on just a few of them. Some like the Peavey Drive can sound too "processed", you know that metally wasp in a can noise, but some are sweet like the MS drive pre amp. The expression pedal works well (once you've worked it out).
Some of the the heavier distorted pre amp settings do required you to use a fair bit of noise gate (eg 14 out of 16 setting) which can cut off a singing sustained note attempt quite abruptly.
I use it as a volume pedal and a WAH, although the WAH is not as good as say using a dedicated pedal like a CryBaby (even though it has a Cry Baby simulated effect).You have to be fairly heavy footed to activate it as well. There isn't the feel or the audible click when activated that you get from a CryBaby.
The twin outputs are good for stereo amp set ups like I use and the output volume control on the unit itself means you can easily adjust your overal output volume depending on the gig venue/size without touching your amp settings. The clean settings, like JC amp emulator, acoustic emulator etc sound very good on my set up, esepcially with my JS100 in single coil mode.

I am using it for gigging.
It is a sturdy device and stays put on the floor well, which as you gigging musicians will know, is a very handy feature, especially when you have a clumsy footed bass player leaping around next to you!.
It looks the part as well.
The only trouble I have had was at an open air daytime gig when the strong sunlight made it hard to see the LED display on the Zoom G7.
I have an old Zoom effects pedal (Zoom 3000) to fall back on but have never taken it out to a gig as a back up. I trust this unit.
I have had only one problem with it in the year that I've had it and that was at a practice when it suddenly started going up the sound banks by itself.
It must have been a bit of dust or dirt that made its way into the bank switch because a quick blast of switch contact cleaner cured the problem.

I haven't had to deal with ZOOM to complain so I can't comment on what they are like, but I did send a general e-mail question about the device to them and they did respond fairly quickly.

I play in a rock covers band (have been for 13 years) doing anything lierally from A to Z (Aerosmith to ZZ top) and require sounds ranging from clean rhythm eg Doobie Brothers, cleaning picking and acoustic sounds eg the softer Metallica stuff, classic rock sounds eg Thin Lizzy, right through to the heavier stuff like Van Halen, Satriani, Guns n Roses etc.
The Zoom enables me to reproduce these sound fairly accurately without undue hiss or noise. I've even managed to get my Yamaha APX4 electro acoustic to go through it without booming feedback.
Overall a good, sturdy and capable unit for the money. That is why I choose it. The Boss GT10 looked a good unit but was double the price. The next Zoom up, the G9, looked overcomplicated and bulky for gig usage.

The G7 Zoom has everything the gigging musician could need i.e it is effective sounding, reliable, sturdy and doesn't take up half the stage.
If it were stolen I would buy the same again.

I got this "new" (must have been a demo) for a good price. It takes a while to get through the manual and to dial in the sounds you want but it is fairly intuitive and easy to edit patches. I was surprised how much you can find online as mentioned in other reviews. I like it that I can edit patches quickly on the fly in a live setting with the knobs and unless I save it, the original setting is not effected. I did not get the cables or cubase so no editing was done with the computer. I imagine it's faster but not really necessary.

I bought this to replace my amp and large analog pedal board because the stuff is just to labor intense to carry around. So when I go to an open mic, or show up to jam with musicians or are traveling I just take my Zoom 7.1 and plug straight into the PA, run the PA channel flat and I'm ready to play.
It is easy to change the tube. I have tried JJ Tesla, NOS Ratheon, Hughes&Kettner, 12AX7 and 12AU7 and 12AX7a but liked the Electro Harmonix 12AX7 the best of all of them. It wasn't too bright, yet gave my sound the sparkle I was looking for. It broke up nicely and gave warmth to some of distortion patches and handled the heavy distortion well also.
I don't think there is any sound that I can't get with a little bit of time tweaking using the booster, the air effects, the delay, chorus, and many pre-amps models. It takes a while to figure out how to get the wah to sound good and the switch on the expression pedal is a little difficult.
I love this multi-effect and the variety of sounds that are possible. It really nails Brian Setzer and Lynrd Skynrd, Boston and the Eagles. Nice quiet also!

I have had it for three or four months and gigged with it several times with no back-up. I have nothing else to say. Has worked great so far.

Haven't needed to even attempt to contact them.

I play a lot of Classic Rock, some Country, and a lot of Contemporary Christian music. I can get any sound I want. It plays clean really well. The multi-effects that I have heard others play, the Digitech RP series, the Boss ME-50, the Vox Tonelab SE, or POD XT Live, can't do the clean stuff as well.
If this were lost or stolen I would check out the newer 9.2 version with two tubes or find another one of these.
I love the ability to adjust on the fly, if the room I'm playing is too bright I can reach down and take away some Treble or presence or even Mids and/or boost the Lo Mids or Bass. I can also quick reach down and add gain or level. It's flexible and fun to play with. I'm always tweaking the sounds because it is easy to do. It inspires me to try new things and to spend more time playing my guitar.
I have been playing guitar close to 30 years now. I have a Pedal Pad Pedalboard with two tiers and I spent $2,000 trying to find the best effects possible and I love the sounds I get out of that into my Ampeg 1-12" guitar amp, but it is really heavy to carry around. I was surprised that I liked the Zoom Multi-effect and that the digital sound with the tube isn't bad at all. I will continue to use it whenever moving the pedal pad is a problem.

I have had this nearly a year and gigged about twice a month with it. Given the huge range of parameters features I have found it fairly intuitive but you need to study the manual. The thing which took all the pain out was the library editor software. I play in a diciplned way - set lists are preset. All I need to do is rearrange the set list in the software and down load to the G7 and then use them live in sequence. Also, when setting a patch up I do it connected to the amp but using the software to set and save - EASY. The ability to export / import set lists makes it a joy

I have tried this straight to a powered speaker and it is usable but better using my amp (class A tube combo). I am constantly tweaking and finding new things. If you play in a covers band as I do - you need a big range of sounds and with a decent amp this will cover the ground (be prepared to do lots of tweaking). The EQ and Zoom noise reduction are great. I was once proudly an analogue only pdeal user. I can't remember why I suddenly changed to the zoom unit. I recently tried my old pedal board thinking I was missing something. I am now back to the zoom G7.

The expression pedal torque adjustmentis a really stupid design which broke (stripped the adjustment screw which is in a really anoying location). However, shoved some wood wedges between the underside of the pedal and its axel - works fine. Apart from this - not a problem

The web site is good and download updates worked fine. I asked a question about the software once and got a quick helpful response. I would love to know what the potenial is with this unit interms of reprogramming. Apart from the Zoom software - I have not seen much on Mods or tweaks on the web. If anybody sees this review and has some info please let me know

Great for Covers Band with a big range of sounds required. A guitarist used to a good tube amp can hear the tone problems but this would lost on an audience. I have not tried any other MultiFX. I think if you are prepared to put the time in on the patches - you would not be disappointed - i.e. I don't see as many G7's on Ebay as I do Boss / Vox other multi FX.

It takes some time at first to get used to this wonder... but once you understand it and take the manual seriously you are set. Look on-line for tricks and patches.

Ok, here is where things can go down hill for you if you are not patient. PICK THE CORRECT AMP when you are setting up your sound (or editing a patch).

You can get any kind of sound you will ever need. The pre-set patch for Kurt Cobain is just insane... (try the song lithium)... just unreal. Play with it, U2 fans? you are up for a treat!

Iron Maiden sound from all eras... you can have them all down.

GNR!!! just sick with the very first patch (A0)... chunky and dirty.

This thing is heavy duty, period. Forget Digitech ****! this is the real thing!

Great updated software on zoom's website

I've been playing for 15 years, I've tried many so-called "multi-effects"... brother, they ain't got nothing on this real tube pre-amped monster... Just hook up you computer and record/edit your own material. Get it ready to distribute it to your bandmates and make the most of your expensive jamming session.

Not the easiest in the world to use but once you spend some time with it, it's user friendly. editing patches can be time consuming if you are fickle. It can get passable tones out of the box but you have to spend time tweaking it to get "good" tones. The manual is ok and you should definitely use it. I've had it for about a year and am pretty fast editing it now.

I have used mine in several different amps ranging from a 1976 Fender Twin to a Red Stripe Peavey Bandit and it performs well with both tube and SS amps if you adjust the settings to fit your ears. I do not use any modulation or time based FX but the reverb isn't bad at all. My guitars range from a Epi SG to USA Fender strat and a few in between.

It reacts to picking dynamics better with a tube amp but it's still there with a SS just not as pronounced. I do mostly high gain stuff but I have a patch that nails Angus Youngs tone to a "T". Fender clean stuff is very good and blows away any Line6 stuff I've tried.

I use it mostly for high gain stuff in the stoner/sludge vein. As others have mentioned be careful with the noise gate. I believe Zoom/Samson has the best digital noise gate in existence but adjust carefully.

If you gig this unit it can take the rigors of the road but be careful with the DC jack. It seems to be weaker than some other MFX units I've had. I had to reseat and reinforce the DC jack 6 months into using it but then again I am rough on my gear so your mileage may vary.

Never had to deal with Zoom/Samson on the phone or e-mail but I've read mixed reviews. N/C

I play mostly Stoner/Sludge stuff but also am in a typical covers band that I use it in and I can get any tones from Iommi, to Angus to Gilmour with tweaking. I've been playing guitar for 25 years. If it were stolen or lost I'd buy the G9 because it's an excuse to upgrade.

I've directly a/b'd this unit against the POD XTLIVE, Digitech GNX3000 and a Boss ME30 and it's better than any of them in my applications and amps. When I compare units for reviews I spend an entire day doing it taking breaks from ear fatigue every couple hours or so.

Look the bottom line is this.. If this review was based solely on "bang for the buck" I'd call it the greatest MFX on planet earth! However it's not based solely on that so my conclusion is this: If you are on a budget and you want to get "close" tones to the big boys then this unit will do that better than anything I've tried. From Fender Cleans to High Gain Recto's and lot's in between.
No it's not a "pro" unit but you won't find anything in my opinion that get's as close to so many different amps and tones as this thing does without spending 15K to have various amps not could you fit those amps on one stage. I guarantee you if you do buy this unit and take some time to tweak it, you will be laughing all the way to the bank and the stage.

This model is like that old boardgame Othello: Seconds to learn, lifetime to master. That is, you can get great tones with the presets just by plugging in. But it has so much flexibility that you can really fine-tune the sound you want.

Editing patches on the console is not too difficult, but using the patch librarian on your computer (connects via standard MIDI) is really a breeze. And you can audition the patches before you save them.

The manual is pretty good--a little clunky (I am guessing it wasn't written by a native English speaker, but it's not too bad). The really valuable piece of information is the model list--the list of which amp and effect models are represented by which codes.

I use this with: American Standard Stratocaster, MIM Telecaster, Epiphone (China) Standard Les Paul. I run the output to a Hughes&Kettner 15 watt combo (that has a 10' Celestion speaker) or to headphones. The unit sounds fantastic through the Celestion. And OK through the headphones

This unit also has a 12AX7 tube preamp, which makes the whole unit really sound like the amp models--more so than the digital-only modelers.

The unit itself isn't noisy (although the single coils on the Fenders can be...). I don't really try to mimic my favorite artists, but there are certain "types" of sounds I go for. I like the Vox AC300 sound with the Telecaster, and I like the HK Triamp setting with the Les Paul and the Strat, Marshall stack settings with the LP and the Strat and semi-clean chorusy settings on the Strat. Also, the acoustic modeler is, actually, rather good--it's really hard to tell the difference between the modeler and an acoustic-electric.

Also, the unit has a foot pedal--which works pretty well on controlling volume and wah-wah--and is adjustable via parameters on the console or via the patch librarian.

It's got a metal chasis--very solid. I would gig without a backup.

Web site is very good. You can get the firmware, librarian, patch sets, etc. Have not spoken in person with them, though.

I play a lot of progressive rock and progressive pop. This unit gives me just about all the kinds of sounds that I'm looking for. And you do get real tube overtones from it. I compared it with the similar level Digitech and Line6 products, and I really did like the feel that the tube circuit added, and I had also been very interested in the Hughes&Kettner Triamp model, and I've been very, very happy with the unit. The only drawback, when recording, is that if I'm recording through the mic'ed cab, and I've got the unit in the same room with the mic, the mic can pick up the sound of stepping on the switches to change the patches and turn effects on and off.

I bought this unit about two years ago after trying many different multi-effects units. I do not use anything else, just this, straight into the amp with the lower db setting on, master volume at 3/4, and R2 amp cab simulator on.

Some sections of this unit are easy to get around, like changing the tone, and volume, saving patches, etc. But if I am on a gig and I dont have the manual, I have a difficult time editing the pedal, for instance. Or changing the name of the patch. There is not a button labeled 'Name'. maybe it is just me, but I do get frustrated with the way that the menus are structured.

I use a Godin Freeway SA (synth Access) H/S/H configuration (with two Rio Grande pickups in it. Amplifier is a Tech 21 Trademark 60 (Transistor) with 2 12 " Celestions in it.

Trying this unit in the store I was impressed with the tone right away. I did not like the Vox, the Korgs, the Digitechs, and the Boss effects that I tried. Perhaps it was the tube that sold me on it. The stock patches are not great, but I have tweaked this unit for the last two years, mostly in between sets on stage.

The distortions....I have gotten some great distortions out of this thing, and really good chorus. I also use the tap tempo quite a bit, and the Wah, and the Whammy Pedal. (Great for Rage Against the machine stuff or Satriani) Fast Chorus for SRV songs, Tremolo with Reverb for Old time Country. I could go on.

Switch stopped working after a few months. had it replaced. Then another switch is intermittent. This is a known problem with G7 an G9. Those big metal switches? Well they actually make contact with a little switch mounted on the circuit board. Supposedly they have fixed them, but I am stuck with an old model. Some people say, twisting the button helps, because there is a spring under there, and it somehow helps it make contact. Frustrating to say the least, when you are stomping and stomping away to try and get the patch to change. The switch for the Volume/Wha/parameter sweep with require almost all your weight on it to get it to switch. But that is better than having it switch off in the middle of your wha solo. :-) I live with these annoyances because I like the sound. A chrome knob fell off too, lost it. Very durable otherwise. I dont think dropping it will break it, lets put it that way.

I dont have a backup, but if I cant get a certain sound, I just switch to another. Will have to get it fixed one day.

The music store Long And McQuades did fix the switch promptly. Also right after I bought it, I upgraded the patch editor software online , connected to the unit, and the unit stopped working. Took it back and got another one. Wrote a letter to Zoom. Never got a reply. There is now way I am going to upgrade this one!

I play Rock/Pop/Funk/Country/Blues. been playing for 32 years. I love the sounds, but the switch problem annoys me. I do get compliments all the time on the sound that I am getting with this thing though. If it was lost or stolen, I would get something else but probably a Zoom or a Roland VG-99 because I have the synth guitar. But not this model. If you can get one used, I think you will like it if you are a casual player. I play every single weekend though.

I like the fact that you can name the patches instead of a number. I hated that about my Korg A11. Wish there was a global Volume editor. I know that one of the new pedals has that.

re: buttons stop responding - zoom used a bad source for these micro switches.

ok now that I have ownwed it for 2+ years now I must say I love it other than the fact I have now replaced (2)two of the circuit board mounted momentary switches - ones under the foot switches, lucky I am a certified electronics tech and had some on hand.

need yours repaired call me Jimmy at 7027621222
(Chiles is my stage name here in Vegas - incase you get the message)

great sound

yeah over all it is reliable and when a microbutton goes out it ussually can be pressed harder to get to work prior to complete failure

never delt with'em direct however the download page is handy other than the japenese lauguage prompts

great pedal at a good price too bad the microbuttons are sub-standard

Well... first of all.. i think is really easy to use... just push onebutton, move the parameters and you can make watevet you want.. i think all the efects is easy to make... comencing with the first button, Compresor its really helpful to make your sound, Wah and fx1 s great too... but only i think the wah it didnt sound so good but is really sound decent (in a 10 to 1 scale ill give it a 8.9). the znr is a miracle my good!!!, pre amp i think all the simulations sounds prety good, except for the marshall one and the Hudges and ketner, the eq is veary usefull, cabinet do mariacles too!!!, i think is really handy machine :)

I have a kramer 100st (my god im so lucky!!!) with a seymour duncan, and a ibanez... i think the sound... my god is amazing... i dont know why the people says that this thing didnt sound good and takes time bla bla bla... FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!! is an multiefects!!! is not a plug and play machine!!!! you need to take your time.. if you think that you dont need to take your time to make a patch sound good... so even with a gt-10 (or 6 or 8 o whatever) youll complain... every multifects takes time... when you take your time ohh my god you can make miracles... my favs are the mesa, de zoom stack, diezel, extreme ditortion souynds very very great!!!! the tube do miracles too.

well... reliability... i think i can have more in this machine that in my girlfriend xD!... when you have setu-uped you don need to have worried. Its metal construction is just really hard and is very efective.

Well i dont have too much to said here... maybe that when youre equalizing just take the treble in almos -6 and the presence and harmonics rond 6 :)

i play... metal (heavy, thrash,), Hard rock (Velvet revolver, Guns n roses, The cult), Clasic rock (deep purple, zeppelin, Sabbath(i think is more metal than clasic but bla xD)), Spanish rock (soda stereo, Heroes del silencio), Grunge (pearl jam, Nirvana, Sound garden, Creed, Bush), and so on, and for all i have the sound that i want, iv been playing for 3 and a half years and my teacher 7 and h have a gt-6... and when he hear this beauty says wow it sounds very amazing...

handle position of eq isnt comfortable - this is the first and last defect
g7.1 - very handy unit

dont listen default patches - they are awful
if you have hands and ears in right place you can get a beautiful sound. i dont know what about hard-n-heavy, but it's right for blues, artrock, funk etc - tube works

>Can you get the sound of your favorite artists? Who are they?
http://giasso.s42.eatj.com/ZooM/home.jsp

i've changed microbuttoms inside for more reliable - its the only problem with it

dont know

i like it

holy crap this thing was enoying after about 2 hours of reading the manual and playing with it i still couldnt figure out how to work it properly. was tempted to smash it.

very poor it sounded realy cheap and tinny

not sure it seemed sturdy enuf.

pain in the ***. brought it back to the store i got it the very next morning and exchanged it for some stomp boxes!!!

I have had this this unit for about 2 years. It was a bit difficult to figure out at first having never used a multi-effects unit in the past. The G7.1 has some nice effects however, there are basically 2 effects chains available and if you want to use 2 effects at the same time that happen to be in the same effects chain....your outta luck. For instance, if the "Wah/effects" chain is set up for wah pedal or volume pedal then you cannot use the "Tremlo" patch at the same time as it is in that effects chain. Not a major problem......just a little inconvenient.

When gigging out with my band I have a couple of "patch banks" set up for the styles of music that we do. Don't need to make many changes other than an occasional EQ tweek. However when I am playing with my Church band, I get a number of different styles of music thrown at me and making patch or effects edits on the fly gets a bit challenging. Not impossible but usually requires pulling the users manual out. The user manual is not great but if you study it you can figure out how to make the unit do what it is capable of. Just takes time.....and time usually does not permit.

This unit is capable of producing just about every kind of guitar sound known to man. It will just take some time for you to get it dialed in.

My usual rig consists of 2 or 3 different Strats, a Tele and a "boutique" Tele with humbuckers. I usually play thru a Boogie Studio .22 cal or a Boogie MKIIB or sometimes both in stereo. At the Church gig I plug into the house thru a direct box. I gave up trying to emulate other artists a long time ago and now just try to sound like me. I get good results with all my different set ups. Of course the Humbucker guitar is quite a bit "hotter" than the Strats or Tele and is alot louder than the single coil guitars as one would expect. The unit has an "output volume" on the back panel and compensation for the difference in volume is easy. However, the hotter your pickups are the more emphasized your effects will be. Nice warm distortion with a Strat turns into Big Time distortion with the humbuckers. Set up patch bank for each guitar and your all set. Turning your guitar volume knob down is ok down to about half way. The G7.1 starts to get very "digital" with a low guitar input signal.

As far as sound quality of the amp simulations and effects go......your own ears will have to be the judge. In a live stiuation, the average person in your audience will probably never be able to tell the difference between the G7.1 and "real" analog effects. It is my experience that the digital emulation of the effects are not quite as good as the "real" thing....but close. I am basing that on side to side comparason with a "real" TS-9, TS-808 and an old vintage Hammond Organ Co. Wah-Wah pedal.(before Jim Dunlop bought the rights to produce them.)

All of that having been said......The beauty of it is this......for a little more cash than a Boss Delay pedal you get a unit that will do practically everything.

This unit has never left me stranded at a gig. I usually go to the gig and leave my back-up analog pedal board at the house because I am tired of schlepping gear in and out of clubs. One day I will probably be sorry. My only gripe with the reliability is this......do not be fooled by the "Big Metal Switches" on this unit as I was. The "Big Metal Switches" are nothing more than spring loaded "plungers" that press a tiny 6mmx6mm PCB mounted "TAC" switch underneath each plunger. After two years of stomping in these "switches", a couple of mine have become very intermittent. Makes it a bit difficult to jump between a rhythm and lead patch in the middle of a song when you have to STOMP on the thing 8 times to get it to react. Not quite a solid a unit as it appears to be.

I did not have a very good experience with Zoom, Samson, Sam Ash customer support. I spoke to their Tech Support three times concerning the "Switch" issue. The T.S. rep acknowledged that the "switches" were an issue that they had seen with many units. (all ZOOM pedals that uses those switches.)My unit was past its warranty at the time. I begged them to take my money and send me several of the tiny TAC switches and a replacement power supply to have as a back-up. They could not come up with a part number for the power supply and lied to me about sending me switches free of charge. Got tired of calling them and waiting on hold just to be lied to. I will just order some replacement switches from Mouser and find a replacement PS somewhere else.

I believe that if this unit were stolen or lost that I would probably replace it with the new Boss GT-10. The G7.1 is not a bad effects pedal. It works well for me both in stage and recording situations with the exception of the switches. The reliability issue with the switches makes me wish I had coughed up the extra $200 bucks and gone with the Boss unit in the first place. I have a few old Boss pedals that I bought in the early 1980s that still perform just like they did when new. I compared this effects unit to the other brands that were out there at the time such as Digitech, Boss, Tone Works, Vox Tone Lab, Line 6 and what have you. Based on the perceived level of solidness of the unit and sounds it produces I felt this was the best value (at the time). I mainly play Classic 60's 70's Rock (oldies to you younger guys), Blues and Praise music. I have been playing guitar for about 30 years and have collected an assortment of guitars, amps and effects along the way, mostly Mesa/Boogie, Boss, Ibanez and Fender products.

Right, I've had this 3 weeks, gigged it twice in that time. It is easy to use and I've been very happy with the sounds I have been getting. The manual is worth keeping around to refer to, as there are a lot of useful functions that you may not use every day.

Unlike probably most owners, I use this unit with the cabinet simulator into a keyboard amp (I'm primarily a keyboard player but double on guitar in a couple of situations). The guitar is a Patrick Eggle Berlin, twin humbucker. I've also used it with a mandolin.

The sounds I am after are either clean or on-the-edge overdrive, I don't use the heavier sounds at all. This is the only multifx I have used that nails these mild overdrive sounds (I've tried line6, korg and digitech stuff too). The "boost" parameter is very useful in getting these sounds, as is the tube (set about 1 o'clock and not moved). The Zoom Overdrive is particularly impressive, as are the fender and vox amp models.

Other effects are of comparable quality. One issue I did find was that if you have the ZNR (noise reduction) at high levels it can suck notes in a strange and unmusical fashion. But for humbucker guitars you can safely leave this on the lowest setting, the unit is very quiet.

This is a very full featured bit of kit, I've not found a weakness yet and sonically it seems to do whatever I ask of it

Seems solid and not had any issue. I did hard-case it immediately but I do this with all of my kit.

No dealings.

I've been using multifx since the mid 90s. This is the first one that has genuinely impressed me, particularly with milder overdrive sounds (which is where most of them fall down to be honest).

It has a lot of features and sounds (and feels) pro quality, despite actually being quite a bargain. There is a perception of Zoom being for beginners, but I would urge people to try this out... I was very pleasantly surprised.

It's quite easy, if You get to know it. At first glance its tricky, but after one day You'll know everything about this one. Editing patches is easy, the manual is very handy<since the G7.1ut doesn't have to many knobs, some of them have multiple functions>. This unit wasn't upgraded in any way.

<read the whole review:) 2 opinions here for you to know>This effects sounds flat and devoided of character, when You plug it directly to the amp. I'm using a Laney VC30<wonderful amp by the way>. When you plug it directly, it lacks bass and middle frequiencies, and has to much treble. This is whith the factory patches. Fiddle a bit with EQ and You can get a decent tone, not a rich one, but one with which You can get by at, say, a church with people who never played on good rigs, or, even better, never played any instrument at all. I was really dissapointed, when I heard this. It sounded nothing like the demos on the net.

But.

I plugged it to the amps effects loop. ****! This thing's came to life when I mixed the amps signal and this one. I don't use the distortions and overdrives provided, I think that my drive channel on the Laney is superb and adding the zoom distortion only makes it muddy. When mixed, the tone I get is rich, the modulations sound really good - I can get everything from sweeping phaser sounds, rock flanger effects, to Mars Volta and King Crimson strange sounds. You can make short loops<5s max>, so You can try doing Robert Fripp-like soundscapes. When recording, You can adjust the delay time to ms, so that everything fits into place, and when playing live, You can use the tap tempo function. With the expression pedal<looks solid and trustworthy> You can also adjust the settings of anything, from level of distortion, the speed of some modulation effects, feedback on delay, volumne... Amazing.


Plugged directly - sucks. I'd give it maybe a 6.
But because God gave us people, who invented the effects loop, I'm giving a 9. It deserves it. The effects are rich, theres no sterility in them as far as I can hear<I've never used the legendary, vintage stomp boxes and thus, I compare what I hear with what I can hear on various records.>

The other good thing is, that You can get both a minimalistic, hard rock sound with maybe a touch of delay, and You can create fantastic innovative new, trippy sounds which can make Your music more interesting.

What more do You want?

Had it for a year now. I wanted to wait before writing this review. Very reliable. The only thing is that the pedal got loose, and didn't stay in place<sucks, when You found, say, the right rate of a phase effect>, but that was easily repaired by adjusting the screw underneath.

I would gig without backup with this zoom. No worries.

Never dealt with them.

I play rock, jazz, electronic music, sometimes I mix'em up. It's a perfect match. I've been playing for 4 years I think. I won a Laney VC30 and a Epiphone Del rey guitar. If stolen, I'd replace it, or, if I had a bag of money, I'd buy a lot of better stompboxes. But for now I don't need anything else. What do I love about it? It's everything I need and more. I don't really hate anything about it. I compared it with some PODs, and it sounded fuller. The only thing I wish it had would be tap tempo for the tremolo.

slightly confusing, but easy over all. patch editing is lengthy, due mostly to the sheer number of parameters. there are A LOT of tidbits to tweak. the manual is straight forward, but for the most part you don't really need it. i perused through it once or twice and have actually lost the manual due to its lack of use, and that was almost a year ago. i don't refer to it anymore. the specification catalog got me so "amped" that i couldn't contain myself (sorry for the corny pun).

i use ibanez and bc rich guitars, namely an rgt42, an xpt700(xiphos) and an rg7321 7-string from ibanez (the xiphos has dimarzio d-activator pickups) from ibanez and a 2005 platinum virgo from bc rich. i run one output of the pedalt through the efx return of a hartke gt100 head/marshall mg412 cab and the other through the pwr amp in of a 100 watt peavey 212 efx combo. all my guitars have d'addario stings. i would say about a third of the effects feed back really bad, and an effect will feed back on one patch and not on another (i suspect codec conflicts). HOWEVER, the znr loop has a noise gate and a dirty gate, and enabling one of these and plugging through the back of the amp as opposed to the front fixes this 100% of the time. the amp select feature lets you choose the voicing that suits your sound/amp best. some of the distortion emulations sound better than the original (in my opinion). the zoom originals sound amazing, especially the extreme ds and distortion +, as well as the z-stack z od and z clean. the modulations are good; some could be a little better but most are high end.

as i mentioned before, i have had this thing for almost a year. it has been dropped, tripped over, and even heavily drooled on by my baby cousin. i have taken it for use in my guitar class it my high school and now i'm a music major in college and i lugg it to and from school every day.

n/a

i play most types of rock music from classic rock to grunge to modern metalcore. i listen to and play songs from bands as diverse as creed, lamb of god, dimmu borgir, trivium, dream theater, mastodon, van halen, lynrd skynrd, molly hatchet, korn, incubus, greenday, goo goo dolls, etc. i listen to just about everything that is rock, blues, and jazz, all but country. it matches all of these well. if my *pride and joy* were lost or stolen i would buy the same thing over again. you would have to pay ME to get me to buy something else. i have friends and neighbors who have digitech, boss, ad pod multi's for similar prices and i honestly like mine best.

-- it took some time for getting a good distortion sound.
-- editing patches is as easy as drinking water.
-- u dont need manual for editing, storing, transferring patches... cos its real easy. USB connection, Midi connection etc are clearly discussed in the manual........

-- fine
-- no noise at all with ZNR on
-- sometimes effects are weak.... as i said u have to spend some time with this box to get good sound
-- iam not using any amp now. just my headphone
-- no i dont hav any fav tone of any artist... i make my own
-- Clean tone is awesome....

-- ya i depend on it 100%
-- i just use a shoulder bag to carry it... no other hard casae

-- no idea, never tried....

-- i play death metal
-- 3 years iam playing, i hav a ibanez GRX40
-- if its lost or broken i wud must buy it or g9.2tt.
-- i love its look... hate some distortion tones
-- i tried Boss GT6. which is great but costs more......
-- it helps me making music a lot... i record a lot with it.
-- never make any comment about this pedal unless u spend some time with it.... cos its factory presets are too bad.

if youre into multifx.. this ones easy to tweak... press a module... control the parameter knobs... voila!!... :) tube intensity and the Energizer (Boost) works fairly good getting the grit to blend into the output of the fx... some editing especially using the Tap switch and the EXP pedal is a bit confusing... all in all easy to use...

ok after using this Unit for almost a year, on a pc recording theme, and on live situations ive come to a certain point that this is not the unit i was looking for...

im not after having a nice SIMULATION of a brand of amp... instead i look for the ones that will suite my taste... the thing here is that i use this as my main Distortion unit... so to tell you my story here goes... i wanted to buy the G7 because i have the G2 once.. and wanted to have a bit more of pedals to push (patches to be made).. plus the added tube and other stuff im willing to upgrade my mfx.. of course you can dial in a nice MS Drive and get its natural saturated sound but the fact of the matter is you have to COOk the damn drive to get what you want.. i know some enthusiasts will get mad because they'll say that its a multi for christ sake!! but for me the true color of the distortion is by itself... nothing more... maybe a little eq'ing will help but its simply is the ability of that drive to stand alone... and guess what... it DIDNT...

in order for you to get that nice chunky feel is that you have to either add a BOOSTER (included on the G7), and/or a bit of Compressor, a bit of over eq'ing!!! and thats gonna be your drive... to mee its just damn too much.. really... the only drive i was happy to be playing with is the Big muff emulation... of course with the added Booster option to chunk up the tone...

as far as the distortion goes (or preamps on others) there are nice and there are not good ones... let me enumerate a couple... starting from the clean ones... fenders doesnt do well,

but the Vox and the Hiwatt is very very usable...
going to the crunch mode... Bg crunch is great + the booster
High gains... MS is just fucking Muddy, Bg + booster works for me, DIEZEL + booster, good... some are pure Muddy i tell you!!!
stompbox... the DS-1 and Od-1 are good copies but not really excellent maybe a rating of 9... the ts808... passable... Fuzzface... never tried one... Big Muff + booster probably the MOST NATURAL OD in this unit... Metalzone??? is not not not good... Guvnor, Hothead passable...

ZOOM's distortion however is really usable... and the Zoom Clean?? is remarkable good... and did i mention the Zoom OD? its really dynamic!! .. like a guitar driven on a Sonic Maximizer.. Zoom Drive... is a hybrid of like a marshall and a fender... good for new age metal... Acoustic is somewhat like an electric acoustic guitar... the Extreme dist is the meanest and very close to DIMEBAG'S Sound...

there are other od's and preamps in this unit that i havent mentioned because i never have used it...

now comes the good parts... and i dont want to ellaborate them all coz i was into the preamp of this thing... Modulations are excellent!! and the delays are superb... also the reverbs... nice blend of wet and warmth... Delay can be tap tempoed (also reason for buying the thing)... the chorus especially the Ensemble... is fascinating... phaser has 4 colors... which is very versatile... Harmonized pitch shift is nice and sounded much better than on the GFx8... The Whammy is thin sounding... its just a bonus added feature i guess... as this one really is not useable... but for the poorman that i am... i still use this as a substitute...other than that some dynamic delay and flange that is pick-responsive... good :) The tremolos are very basic.. and has a nice float on them.. the Wha's are great and now as close as the Crybaby's... forgot to mention that the COMPression are nice and thick...

THE THING IS SO DAMN QUIET!!! and this is a plus for the UNIT even in its fullest gain... but when a Wah or a booster is added it cant control it... obviously.. (booster cranked + preamp cranked? NOISE MAYHEM!!!!)

Ive used it on a peavey bandit 112, peavey studio pro 112, on a marshall valvestate 50w, and my altec speakers and other cheap sounding Guitar amps... each amp has a different tone.. so if not tweaked right.. it will emit that digital highs

heres the thing after a year of using it..some knobs and footswitches wont work... one button died with it... its not realiable i guess even if it was made of metal... the damn buttons are flimsy... jocks and the pedal is sturdy though... always brought (and the reason for selling) is a damn cheap behringer GDi21 for backup

mine is an upgraded one...

i have forgotten if ive already posted my comments here from some time now but the point is... if you really wanted an all in one pedal that is cheap and dont want to argue whether you want to over process your sound.. then go with this one... it can sound good with a few COOKING... my only gripe was that the OD's and Preamps doesnt feel natural... and it is seriously bothering me... compared to the GDi21... damn...

This doesnt feel right... i know its a processor but why did the Gt-3 has that nice analog feel? the Gdi21 is better (but with a lot of noise though) try it...

im gonna have both the GT-3 and Gt-5.. i prefer this units as they both have Nice clear and better sounding distortions than the GT-6 and they have EXTERNAL LOOP Options so if you dont want their od's or somthing.. yuou can patch in your favorite pedal to the effect chain... :) sorry but i guess if im going to buy a zoom product maybe a cheap g1 or g2 just for practice...

This is really a follow-up review to a previous one of mine. Scroll down a bit for the original.

I said before that this unit sounds terrible in front of an amp, and it's no good through a PA. Well, I can take back some of that. It can sound good in front of an amp and into a PA, but it takes A LOT of tweaking and perfecting. In the end, you can get a good, usable sound (good for live gigs that don't require top-notch tone), although good stompboxes in front of your amp will still sound a lot better. That shouldn't be surprising - this unit costs under $300, and it gives you everything. Of course a $100 overdrive pedal will have a better overdrive sound - that's all it's made for. This can give a respectable overdrive sound along with a host of other respectable sounds. If you put in the time, this can be a worthwhile purchase. But like I said, it takes a whole lot of tweaking to sound great.

Some tips are to use the booster effect and the air delay effect. Both can round out rough edges that you can't tailor with the EQ (one of the disappointing things on the G7). Also, try cutting gain in the EQ rather than boosting to get the tones you want. For instance, if your tone is too fat, cut the bass rather than boosting the treble. Usually, you get a better outcome. That may be rookie advice, but hey - not everyone's a pro at working an EQ.

Fairly easy to tweak. Includes software editor which makes it easy and fast. Also comes with Cubase LE which is nice.

Now, for the price this unit sounds pretty good in the area of amp modeling, overdrive, distortion, etc... But for other types of effects it is pretty weak, like tremolo sucks, wha is tricky to use, reverb is totally awful(as with most pedal boards)
Also, tremolo and phaser are in the same section, so can not be used together:(

Overall this is a very good board for the price and for rock and blues styles of music. For a more modern and... effecty sound, boss or even korg can be a better choice.

It is not really complicated but it is not exactly a walk in the park either. Once you look at the manual for specific functions it is easy to follow and you can make your own slots within minutes. But particularly for beginners or players who don't know anything about processors, I guess it would be quite difficult to get the sound they need. Manual is pretty clear and understandable 'though. Also there is an information sheet showing the amp models and their patch numbers, so you can use this as a good reference to create your own sound.

I am still having difficulties with the wah/volume pedal. Although I have my Ibanez WH10 (the best wah pedal ever!), I wanted to give this unit's wah a shot (several times), but I wasn't able to do so. It works fine with the preset slots but I couldn't make it work with my personal ones. This is although I read the related section of the manual several times and I did everyhing it says, still nothing.. :) This is probably just me but I am trying to tell you that mastering in this unit is not so easy as it looks.

I don't have favorite artists in particular, I play all kinds of music from blues to heavy metal; any kind of guitar based music.

Currently I am using the unit with a ESP Horizon Custom (Duncan SH-13/ESP Hot Blade) and a Schecter FR (EMG85/EMG81), plugged into a Marshall DSL401 Combo. I was about to buy a Marshall 1959SLPX Vintage 100W tube head, but I changed my mind and instead I bought this G7.1ut because obviously this is the cheaper way and you still get the tube :) I am really happy with my decision.

The effects are smooth and transparent but I don't find myself using al 45 of them too much because the amp models are so good. But I should say, this unit has the best noise gate I have ever used and believe me I've seen a lot of pedals, including many Zoom's.

I would definitely use this G7.1ut on a gig without a backup.

The chassis is metal, buttons are really solid; the whole unit is built like tank.

I bought this unit online (brand new) and when it arrived it was in it's original packaging and it was sealed. Everything was perfect until I decided to use the bundled USB cable to connect the unit into computer for direct recording. Unfortunately the software/driver CD was broken during postage.

I contacted Exclusive Distribution Limited (they are the main distributor of Zoom products in UK, located in Hertfordshire). I sent them maybe 10 emails with the pics of the broken CD attached. No replies, not even a single word, nothing! Can you believe that? I paid 150GBP for this unit and they don't even reply.. They are basically worthless.

Not sure about the support in US or in other countries but I am giving 1/10 for the UK support. They suck big time.

Pedal is quite flexable in sound and amp simulations are great. You can really get very high quality tones out of it. It is silent, very solid and looks nice too. 80 total patches (40 for user) is way too many for me but that's OK. Noise reduction is perfect as usual as in most of the Zoom guitar pedals. Analogue knobs are always my choice and this one has good knobs.

High gain and high volumes are not an issue anymore with this unit. There is a preamp tube (Zoom names it as "the energizer", it is a real tube) which you can use it to adjust the amount of tube signal you want.

This is a really good pedal for the money and a fantastic value imho.

Pretty intuitive - I only had to refer to the manual a couple of times for things like naming patches

Great sound quality - particularly the crunches! Digital effects all superb.

I play through a Rivera M60

I still haven't made up my mind whether to have the unit in front of a clean channel, going straight into the power amp (loop return) or in the effects loop - if doing the latter I am careful not to use any of the unit's distortion preamps, as lots of feedback happens!

Have used it plugged straight into PA with great results.

The plastic cable tidy at the rear has snapped. big deal. The unit itself is built like a tank, great feel to the footswitches

Emailed them once about usage within fx loop, got a very speedy response and useful answer

I can't believe this isn't mentioned often in these reviews but apart from the sound quality and ruggedness the best thing about this unit is that THE PATCH CHANGES ARE INSTANTANEOUS! NO 1/2 SECOND DELAY WHEN CHANGING!! apologies for the capitals, but this is a big plus when gigging! compare with Boss ME50...

well.. no .
mine has some sort of processor problem. the rotary encoders wont ascend unless you go reeeeal slooow.

stunning results with carefull tweaking.
ring modulation at low freq. with big speakers is awsome
i find it difficult to get a clean sound (-4db)
the octaver gets a bit confused.

something seriously wrong with mine. encoders are almost unusable, tap tempo switch not funny enough to be a joke, blank screen or gobldegook on startup. basicly the only switches that work properly are the bank switches. mind you i bought this secondhand...

? not yet

Considering how many features it has its easy to use (Manual really easy to use).
It DOES however take some time to create nice sounding patches.

The manual mode is great. You can switch effects on and off within patches very easily

Sound, as mentioned below, is very amp-sensitive, but generally if you're playing through an amp that sounds sweet, the pedal will sound good. Simple, really.

Some of the more usable amp models are the BG Crunch, Fdr Clean, US Blues, UK Blues, JC Clean, PV drive and the overdrive pedals (OD-1, Centaur). Generally, the 'Drive' distortions (Marshall JCM, Dual Rectifier, Hughes & Kettner TriAmp) are a little messy and hard to use.

Great tone when tube is set to about 1 o'clock

The effects (in my inexperienced opinion) are good and usuable but again, the preset effects are too dramatic and need a bit of tweaking. The delay is very good and the tap-delay is great, especially for gigging.


The great thing about this pedal is that the sound cuts through very well in band situations. We play alt/Incubus/Muse-y kinda stuff and this pedal is great.

I use an Ibanez Artist and also own a cheap strat knock-off.

What I like about this compared to the old Zoom 505's etc. is that it seems to be much more solid. Heavy and sturdy.

Footswitches have become a little less responsive and the expression pedal's a bit serious but nothing major

Haven't dealt with the company

Great Pedal. Been Playing for over 7 years and this doesn't disappoint me. If it were stolen/lost, I would probably consider single effects (mostly because of financial situation) but I would take this over any other multi pedal easily.

Very helpful in a band/gigging situation. Only thing I can say I dislike is the heavier 'drive' sounds. Other than that, its great.

First of all, with all multi-effects pedals, I expected this to be relatively hard to learn. Even then, I felt that the manual was rather confusing at times.

However, once I read through the specification of all the sounds, i then began to get the hang of it. The learning curve on this is pretty long cos I keep learning new things about it the more i use it. However, this is not to say that it gets incredibly easy to use once you're familiar with it. I still think there are some design flaws (like some important footswitches are inconveniently placed). Other than that, this is a pretty good pedal and quite possibly one of the better ones out there for this price range.

I like playing a lot of old school rock/blues. Stuff like gary moore, thin lizzy, gnr, poison, hendrix, santana, etc. I find that the presets are good... but not good enough. After some tweaking though, I got the sounds that I wanted from the Hendrix patch. Then it was sweet bliss.

I also relived my old school grunge rock day by using the boss ds-1 preset and it sounded exactly like the boss ds-1 that i sold to buy this effects unit. I think there's value right there.

The tube sounds sweet, even though I;ve heard much better tubes, but I'll probably replace it for a much better tube at some point once I'm really familiar with this unit.

So far so good. This looks like a pretty reliable set especially if you ensure that you take care of it.

I havent tried gigging with it yet, but I think its reliable enough to hold out at a gig. Its a sturdy metal build and is pretty heavy hence is unlike to get flung about by mistake while on stage. I think the weakest link on this thing is probably the tube though and as i mentioned earlier, I would like to replace it at some point.

Overall, this a good unit. However, inexperienced players may find all the settings and options a bit daunting. It is a great learning tool though as it helps you to hone in to all the settings and effects and sounds that you enjoy the most, hence making your next guitar/amplifier/effects shopping trip more well informed.

However, I think that there won't be any need to shop for any more effects once you have this unit.

Its great that this can connect up with Cubase to do recording, however, the same can be done by mac users with garageband, so for mac users, this wont be an eyebrow raiser. It is however, annoying that editing of patches cannot be done via USB and only through MIDI. Everyone has a usb, but not everyone has a MIDI and hencce this very important tool should be usable through usb as well though not necessarily the case.

Like most modellers/multi fx it takes time to learn how to use it. Once you figure out how it works you can do quite a bit with it.

Manual can be a bit confusing, I found alot of answers to my questions at http://forum.thestompbox.net/forumdisplay.php?f=18 which is dedicated to the G2/7/9 series.

The worst thing about this unit is the pc editor uses a midi cable and not usb cable which would be much easier. I have learnt to progam it directly because the cable is expensive but it would be alot easier to do it via the pc.

Design wise the channel A/B switch is in the DUMBEST position. I dont use it because of this. Instead I program the sounds I want to different patches and change amps/boost lead that way. Works for me.

I give it a 9 because this is the closest I have heard a modeller come to a real amp. I owned a v-amp pro and tried other modellers and this is the best. I am selling my Mesa F50 because I just play the G7 straight thru my pa now. With its 15" drivers I get so much bottom end its awesome.

When I first hooked it up I thought it was crap - the preset sounds are lame.

What I did was turn everything OFF and then turn things on one-by-one til I got the sounds I wanted.

You MUST use the cab sim AND the AIR effect which can be found in the delay or fx2 bank when you play. If you dont it will sound flat and digital but with these on it sounds so real I dont think any body could tell the difference.

The EQ is great for getting scooped mids for numetal. Personally I only use a few of the amp models - the Fender clean, the mesa drive, the 5150 drive and the extreme distortion. To my ears these are the best but I'm sure others will prefer different sounds.

The fx are great. Stereo ping-pong delay sounds awesome!!! The chorus is great as is the pitch bends (tho not as good as digitechs Whammy which has a sound all of its own but this gets close). I also like the slow attack. Phaser/flange and several delay options incl tap tempo timing. The Wah's arent as good as the real thing but theyre good enough unless youre an absolute fanatic and some people are.

I think this unit is worth the prics of the fx (and tuner) alone.

Seems sturdy enough with the metal casing. Time will tell (had it 4mths yet to gig with it).

No opinion.

I play rock covers, been playing for 27years. Selling my valve and solidstate guitar amps now to concentrate on using this direct into my PA. So many tones and sounds are possible, Marshall/Mesa/Fender and I can actually play it quietly without having to annoy the neighbours with my cranked valve amp.

Havent tried it thru headphones or pc yet.

Best feature is the quality of the sounds and the stereo fx. For the price it is a great buy.

It is easy to use if you read the manual first. For me, it is too complex to use at first without the aid of the manual (unless you want to screw something up accidentally and sit there for hours until you figure it out again). The knob layout could have been a bit better, but overall, it's fine. The footswitches are nicely placed, feel good, and the A/B (or whatever you want it to do) switch is a great feature. The expression pedal feels solid. The tube and tube boost knobs are easy enough to use - set and forget. I have them both at 12 o'clock.

This pedal can sound great, or it can sound like crap. When it comes to this unit, the tone isn't all in your hands; the amp or PA you are using will make a huge difference in how it sounds. It's not the best at letting your guitar's character shine through, but if you're heavy into organic tones, you're probably not even reading this review. But after all, you could be like me - I love natural tones, but I needed this for applications when my little tube amps just couldn't be used. The amp sounds are all pretty good, the only real standouts being the Boogie crunch and maybe the Vox and Hiwatt cleans. The pedals are likewise pretty good, except for the Metal Zone sim. That one is embarassingly bad. I'm not huge of effects, but all the effects in here sound good (I'm not sure about the ring modulator, but I think that's meant to sound terrible).

I'll separate the rest of this sound quality bit between applications.

Through headphones - This was a big factor for my purchase. When I bought this, the roommate I had absolutely hated the guitar. Sucks for me, but I still had to play. This sounds pretty good through headphones, and if you've got a decent set, it's a good indication of its direct recording abilities (another reason for buying this). The amp sims are pretty good, especially compared to my Line 6 Pod 2.0, and the clean tones are actually good (the Line 6 can't do a decent clean tone for anything).

Through the front of an amp - I have a Fender Blues Jr. and a Vox AC 15. Of course they're both modded to my liking, but I won't go into that. They sound fantastic when going straight in, or with overdrive pedals up front. With the Zoom up front, they sound like the tubes were ripped from their innards and repalced with sterile digital simulations. I couldn't really get a satisfying tone like this, even with tweaking.

Through the efeects loop of my BASS amp - Suprisingly, this is where I got my best sound. These types of uints are really meant to go into something with no EQ or anything - just a speaker to push its sound out. My bass amp, a late 90's 25-watt Fender model with a great range, reacts well to this in its loop. If you don't know, plugging something like this through an effects loop is like bypassing everything in the amp but the speaker. The unit produces almost all of the tone. Anyway, the tones sound the most natural here, and you don't need to do as much tweaking to get a usable sound.

Direct to PA - This can sound okay, but it takes forever and a day to get a sound that doesn't suck. More tweaking than most people have the patience for, and it's not that impressive even at its best.

Overall? No, this isn't the greatest thing ever, but it's not the worst either. Honestly, I was more impressed by the cheaper Zoom G2.

Sturdy build, and I've been using this for months. Seems reliably to me!

I emailed them once, and they replied quickly.

First off, don't base your purchase soley on these reviews. Some guys are so frustrated by the learnng curve that they just trash the thing, and others are so amazed that so many features are crammed into one box, and very few of them outright suck. Test this thing out through as many applications as you can before you plunk down the money for one. It could be your best gear purchase ever, or it could be your biggest waste of money. It's definitely not versatile enough (across amp/PA/whatever platforms - it can handle many musical styles) for me to recommend to everyone.

On the plus side, the manual that goes with the G7 is excellent - but it has to be!

It is very easy to use the presets, tuner, manual mode etc but it took a while for me to get to grips with editing and saving patches. A couple of evenings later I am getting some fantastic tones together - and the two channels per patch feature is excellent for providing a lead boast or overdriven/clean contrast at the touch of a switch. You do need to be prepared to spend some time getting to understand the pedals workings (with the excellent manual) but once you do it is worth every second!

If I have a criticism it would be that the damm thing does too much! Being able to assign 4 (yes four!) simultaneous functions to the expression pedal for every single patch is mind blowing in itself!

One of the reviewers below ranted about this pedal because the presets suck. To be honest they mostly do, but so does the ranting reviewer because he is really missing the point. The presets demo the unit - to use it seriously you need to build up your own patches.

Frankly, I am astounded at the sound quality and versatility of the patches that you can build up. For the price of 2 Boss compact effects (maybe less than that even) you effectively have the whole Boss compact range in one sturdy box! I gigged with this for the first time on Saturday and using 4 custome patches (2 channels per patch) I was able to get every sound I needed for a mixed 2 hour set. That leaves about a billion other possiblities free for exploring!

All of the effects perform to an acceptable standard and Crybaby will be on eBay within the week!

No owned this long enough to comment but my other Zoom experiences have been good.

The Japanese language thing on the website is a pain, other than that no experience.

I have surprised myself with this unit, up to now I have been pretty much an fx free zone - tube amp overdrive and reverb has been about it. However, this thing has opened up so many possibilities that it will change the way that I play. Up to now I have used this with my (excellent) Peavey Classic 50 & ESP Ltd EC-1000 Deluxe for mostly classic rock styles of music. This unit though will cover all genres of rock. pop, country etc with ease.

It is also ridiculously cheap - I paid ??146 (British Pounds) new from a web dealer (not eBay). By UK standards that is an absolute bargain. I rate this pedal a 9 out of 10. It would have been a 10 if it were not quite so complex to get to grips with!

Overall this is an easy pedal to use but first of all you need to read the manual. After reading the manual and understanding the pedal and all its functions you will be prepared to access the billions of tones the Zoom offers.

Many people either love or hate this pedal. At first I wasen't so pleased with it, after selling my Podxt. But them i started reading the manual and actually got a desent tone. In order to get the most of this pedal there is only one thing you need to do (beside tweaking alot) and is to change the stock 12ax7 tube it came with. I replaced mine with a 12AX7EH hign gain Electro Harmonix tube. I thought i purchased a new pedal after installing the tube. It sounds amazing, could get any tone i could ever imagine with the help of my 100watt all-tube custom made head and 4x12 cab/2x12 cab and my gibson les paul and semi-hollybody.=)

This thing is built like a tank. I "accidently" have droped it a couple of times and nothing has happened to it. The tube stays in position and all the knobs too.

Don't need it.


=)

Overall this pedal was made for me. It's easy to use. Has everything i need including outstanding effects and marvelous amp models. When connected to my other gear it sings like a quoir of angels. I play any style of music and i needed a pedal that could cover a wide range of tones including: jazz, gospel, metal, rock and many many more. I had a podxt and digitech pedals and this things knocks them all out in a single round.

Unit is quite user friendly once you get the hang of it, manual is well put together.

American Stat with a hot Rail in bridge, JCM 2000 and a Fender stage 1600 for smaller gigs. Unit works well only when used in the rear preamp in/effects in. Sounds dreadfull through the front IMO. By the way the JCM2000 also sounds terrible without this unit?

Clean SRV sound fiarly easy to obtain

As first was very disappointed with the unit, tried for ages to get the sounds I wanted. Greenday/ZZ crunch Rythmn, Gary Moore,Eddie lead just to name a few. All the distortions sounded kinda flabby without any bite to them, real bassy, I eq for days, gave up, put it ont he shelf for about a year. Still unhappy with the raw sound of my 2 amps I tried once again but luckly I had a break through.... The key to getting a better bite (if thats what your looking for) is to turn on the booster effect which is contain in Effects 1, Its made such a difference to my sound, more clarrity, more sting. Using the JCM 2000 patch (yeah funny how I am using a simulation when I have the real thing, but the real things sounds crap)with 50 % gain and the US blues setting with gain at 100, and booster on 5 for both, try it and see if it helps. Now it does not really matter what amp I play with I can pretty mucg get the sound I am after. BTW as I own both tube and solid stat i can say that the solid state distortion is not so great, is may sound ok in the shop at low volume but when you turn it up sounds kind of blatty???

Not Noisy at all

has not missed a beat , very strong casing

no need thus far

Playing since 7 , now 41, also own 50watt Wasp head, unit works pretty well with the wasp. Previously owned the 707, this unit is far more advanced than the early model. It is unbelievable quite , which I think is a great plus. I did not think this unit was of much use to an old guy like me until I found the booster switch. I also use a Sonic maximier at the end of the effect loop to add a bit of clarrity.

I read all these reviews before I bought this pedal a couple days ago. Many of these critical ads on on the sound may have had the tube turned up to get too much distortion, or on the back you may be using the +4db when you should be using the -10db output gain. Its easy to edit patches when you connect it to your computer via midi cables and down load the free software to use your computer. The manual is in light blue so you cant make copies for the wall easily. came with ver 1.05 firmware. The toe switch on the expression pedal takes 100lbs to activate for some reason? - like some of the other reviews state.

I love the sound quality! if you dont your doing something wrong.

I have stepped on it with half my weight and it seems solid.

the web site always asks me to download Japanese, but other than that verygood. I dont know if Cubase LE it comes budled with is better than N-track studio I currently use. So I havent installed the Cubase

I play rock -all types, verygood match. I've played solid for 10 years. After two days love it, except it didn't come with a USB cable. My ME-50 sounds great thru old tube amps, this sounds great thru solid state and recording and PA. This is also a better sound card replacement if your computer needs a high quality super quiet line in and line out. (requires USB cable)

It is easy to scroll through all of the effects and to get to any place in the menu that you need

To put it bluntly, the supplied effect patches suck. Most are repetitious, mundane copies of each other. There is nothing, or perhaps I should say little, that is usable. Two individual pedals, a distortion and reverb or echo unit will surpass this unit hands down. I think overall the Zoom G7.1ut sucks.

I suppose the unit is reliable. If you never use it it hard to know.

Have not used it.

I would steer clear of this piece of $##@. I am highly pissed off at dropping $300 bucks on this junk.

The abundance of footswitches on the unit (7 total) is one of the reasons I chose this unit. It's not as linear as my old RP200, and that's very helpful, because I don't always want to switch to an adjacent sound effect. I found the factory settings to be very close to what I wanted. It is very intuitive to edit these patches after some light manual reading. (It's not as bad as some have said.) I needed to tame some of the distorted sounds since I lead a worship band at church. (We play to a highly diverse age group.)

The manual is intelligible for the most part. I'm keeping it close at hand for now since I've never used something as complex or versatile. I'm LOOOVING it!

I upgraded from my old Digitech PR200. I was immediately impressed with the improvement of tone quality from the RP200. The best way for me to describe the difference is in presence. I didn't adjust it to be louder or grungier. It just has a fuller, meatier presence. What really impressed me was when I put my acoustic guitar through this pedal with the Bypass engaged and even then it warmed up the sound significantly, which is great because I don't need tons of effects on acoustic guitar; just a solid sound. I want folks to hear my playing, not my sound effects. Now with the electric guitar it's a little different story because the amp modeling and effects create the tone. Zoom came through with flying colors in these areas. My main desires for usage with electric guitar follow:

1 solid clean sound

1 chorus sound that's not too syrupy but has more reverb than the clean sound

1 light distortion sound that doesn't get too fuzzy (I lead our worship band in church, so I'm looking for something pretty tame here)

1 versatile delay effect that I can adjust by the millisecond
In the course of about two hours of wading through the manual and programming I was able to achieve all but one of these objectives. I still am going back and forth on the best clean sound to use for the electric guitar. I'm going between the Fender and the Hiwatt models. Kudos to Zoom on producing an excellent product that is complex enough to allow me to grow with it and user-friendly enough to allow me to use it the same day it arrived. God bless you guys.

I upgraded to the Zoom G7.1ut from the Digitech RP200. Now don't get me wrong, I love my little RP200...on the inside. It's got heart, but the hardware has been driving me nuts. The buttons wore out after a year and I need equipment I can RELY on!

Right out of the gates, I was impressed with the rugged construction of this unit. The box is sturdy, the buttons are metal (thank the Lord), and they are spaced out enough where my 10 1/2 shoes can press one at a time with no problem.

Strengths: exceptional sound, rugged body, sturdy buttons, versatility in programming, good collection of i/o, easily visible LCD readout-helpful in tuning and when I forget what patch I programmed on button 4.
Weaknesses: complex programming takes some study, bank switching is a two-button op where it ought to be a one-button op. Having said that, the reason they programmed it that way was because you're not always going to want to come back to the same patch in Bank 1 (let's say) as you left in the previous song. So by pressing the Bank button AND the Patch button, you have more control. I'm ok with that. I'm just lazy is all.

One of the trade-offs between the Zoom multi-effect units and the Digitech GNX wizardry is that Zoom doesn't include any phrase-training gizmos to slow down an mp3 file. That would have been nice, but it wasn't critical to me. Since I have not used the recording software or capabilities yet, I cannot comment on them yet. However,
I am very excited to make use of the Cubase LE software that came with it! It's like Christmas.

Well, I got good sounds out of it immediately. Some of the presets sounded excellent from the moment I plugged in. Some sounded like crap, too, but... Editing patches isn't too difficult, but will require reading the manual the first bunch of times you try. The manual could be better, I guess, but I think all the info you need is in there if you have the patience to look for it.

I'm not really shooting for the sound of any particular artist, but I would think with some tweaking you could get CLOSE to just about any sound you wanted within reason. Of course, you will never get the sound of a 100 watt stack through a 4x12 playing this thing through a 5 watt solid state practice amp with an 8 inch speaker.

I think the effects all sound pretty natural, again with a little tweaking, and it is virtually noiseless. Sometiems though maybe you have to sacrifice a little of that noiselessness to avoid unnatural decay effects. Most of the time that's not a problem though and you can get great sound without noise.

One thing, I still haven't quite gotten all the fizz out my sounds when direct recording. The sounds are pretty natural, not bad, but there's always just that little bit of fizz. Maybe it's me, but...

I've never gigged with this. I haven't gigged in years actually, but I would expect it is plently reliable. It's certainly of sturdy construction. I'm guessing it should get a high number here.

I play mainly roots rock and a little 60's psychedelic type stuff. This box can get me the sounds I need.

I play an Ibanez "law suit" Les Paul copy with a Bartolini in the bridge and Seymour Duncan in the neck. I forget the models, but they are vintage type pups.

I also play a Shadow, strat-style, electric with SSH, with an EQ5 active pup in the bridge position, which I use if I want a more Fender like sound.

I run the G7 into the power amp input of a Fender Deluxe 85. For low volume playing, this unit sounds great (with cab sim on) through my computer's speaker system, which includes a sub woofer.

I think this unit would be ideal for playing through a stereo power amp. However, the unit seems to be set up so that it could be used in many different ways. For example it has different setting for recording (or playing through system with flat response) or for plugging into the front or back of a standard guitar amp. I think that some preamp settings (amp models and stomp box amp combos) are probably more intended for flat response systems, while others (stomp boxes) and maybe zoom clean are more intended for amps that already have a distinctive sound.

Anyway, this mfx may not be for everyone, but I think anyone who is willing to give it more than an hour (yeah, I'm referring to the guy who panned the unit) to figure out how it best interfaces with the other gear it's being used with, will be rewarded with some great tones.

Out of the box its not clear how you switch between patches. Unless you have used a pedal with banks of 4 effects each then you may need to check the manual to see how its done. My previous pedal was a zoom 707 in which you just went up and down the effects. I suppose the 7.1ut is a bit quicker in selecting patches but theres a lot of buttons with multiple functions which can be a bit confusing. I would heartily suggest reading the manual as you go otherwise you could get stuck and accidently save over good patches with garbage that you have keyed in. Heres a tip that the manual only really makes clear in the small print.**** A or U before a patch means for live use. **** small a or u before a patch means its set up for direct recording.
Editing is pretty easy once you know what all the buttons and knobs do the only annoying thing is working the channel A/B function, takes a bit of trial and error.
The manual does explain everything but its quite a read.
I think the best way to learn is to experiment and then check the manual for reference.
Using the free cubase programme is also quite difficult. From installing and setting up to actually recording is pretty nerveracking. I would suggest getting a friend to help with the setup to get a second viewpoint and to avoid frustration. Once its done though you can get very very good results from it.

I give it a 7 only because I am familiar with zoom effects and interfaces. It would be lower for a newbie but then what newbie buys something like this.

Presets are fairly basic and a lot of them sound quite similar. They dont make use of all the effects that are available and i think quite a few are over equalised so if you are actually using a good guitar and amp it sounds muffled and unpleasant. However it offers more than enough scope to match the pedal to your guitar and amp you just have to establish a start point to work from.
I felt that many of the amp and pedal simulations were pretty bad and wholly unnecessary. I use maybe 2 or 3. Peavey drive (5150), Big muff, and the fender clean one. Maybe at a reach i would use the marshall stack one but i sounds a bit clunky.
General effects like delay chorus etc are good quality, theres lots of novelty ones like ensemble and reverse stuff but I aint here to play a party piece so I will leave them to gather dust for now.
The noise reduction is exceptionally good but dont bother will the noise gate or the dirty gate: they stink.
The tube control is not gonna make a huge difference, just set it to 3 and leave it. As for the boost control just leave that at about 1.5 and you are good to go.
The expression pedal is unfortunatley not easy to use. There is no preset with a wah pedal except the santana one, which is crud anyway so dont bother using it as a reference. To get a good wah pedal just select vox wah: frequency, and then under pedal settings change the values to a mid setting. This will get you a standard wah otherwise if you just turn it on you get a fruity autowah type sound, think adult movies and you'll understand what i mean.
The function key is very handy, it doesnt have to be a channel A/B selector, instead it can be very useful for switching on and off certain effects or for setting the time for delays.
The sound quality is very goood through the usb interface if you record onto a computer. I think the cabinet and microphone simulations are ideal and you can even adjust them quite a bit.

Overall i felt this pedal was setup for people without much of a good sound or technique. Dont let this put you off as it sounds great if you just ignore the rubbish presets and over the top effects.

I have to give it and 8 for sound quality. I would have given it a 9 or 10 but since it takes so long to get to 9 or 10 level of quality I felt that these 2 extra points would only be from my input and not the pedal.

Yeh seems reliable, if it breaks within the year I have a warranty anyway so I'm not that bothered. Not so easy to gig with since it can't take batteries and you always need the adaptor. I use it mostly for home recording and practice which i feel it is perfect for. It think its gonna be my mainstay for a long time and I cant really see myself buying any more effects for the next 10 years or so.

Overall its very sturdy too.

Dunno I dont have any reason to call them.

For the moment this suits perfectly, i was gonna but the smaller version but I am very glad i did not since this one has opened up so many possibilities for me and I am finally satisfied with my setup. If it were stolen I guess I would be stuck with my old zoom 707, urgh thats a grim thought.
I think that it is great value for money and better quality than the big boss pedals of similar nature. The pedal up from this one is the g9 thing. Not really necessary as this one does everything anyway.
I wish it had a metronome and a greater range on the expression pedal.

Definitely try one in the shop before you buy it and see if it suits you. Dont buy it on a whim.

Bad user interface. not logic enough.

Sorry boys !!! this unit could have been made in the 1990, the sound quality is quite bad. If a sound unit like this dosent sound good after max. 1 hour of tweaking, and you havent made any setup mistakes.....then it will never sound good, in worst case, you will get used too a bad sounding unit. Not good enough, too bad. My Micro cube from Roland has more tone than this unit...says alot.. dont it....

I have come a long way. Been playing all the rack and digital preamps and pedals in the past 25 years, This unit is far from accepteble, for live use. all this knobs and so on are ok, but the sound and tone is just bad.

Easy enough editing patches and the manual is clear, but it still can take a while to find the right sound.

Sounds great after you tweak the patches. You can emulate the sounds of many different artists - Brian May, Van Halen, Hendrix etc. - very versatile.
I'm playing through an Ibanez Artist into a cheap Zoom amp - the effects console sounds way better on my mates Marshall Mg50.
It does tend to get noisy on certain amp types, but is realtively good, especialy using the noise reduction.

Tonnes of usable amp types. Sounds great.

Built like a tank, although the pedal is a little squeaky.

A very versatile pedal, great for all styles - Blues, Jazz, Classic Rock, Metal etc.
If it were lost or stolen, I would definitely replace it.

Some decent sounds right out of the box, but do read the manual.
What I like about this unit (had the Line6 Floor POD and returned it) is you can grab the most needed parameters (EQ, level, etc..) fairly quickly. Good control over most of the effect parameters you might need. I really like that you can have 2 totally different amps/gain pedals per patch (A and B channels). Very handy of you want to kick a solo sound in with just a bit more gain.

Using this for practice with the band, going into a Bad Cat Hot Cat 30R 1x12 combo. Variety of guitars, but mostly Suhr Standard (S/S/H).
Great for a cover band where you have to hit a lot of tones, but as someone else said, if you REALLY want to nail the Marshall sound, get a Marshall.
The ZNR (Zoom Noise Reduction) helps quiet some of the higher-gain settings. Most of the effects (chorus, reverb, delay) are decent.

Built very well, we'll see over time. I like that you can edit the patches via USB on either a PC or a Mac.

Did not need any.

For what I need this for (cover band rehearsals) it fits the bill.
Blows away the Line6 FloorPOD that I purchased first, worth the extra $100
Still learning the editing and saving process, but seems to have quite the pallette of useable tones.

Muy f??cil de usar , muy intuitiva, no se necesita tener el manual en la mayor??a de las operaciones.

Esto se podr??a dividir en dos partes, las distorsiones y los limpios.
Primero voy a decir mi equipamiento: Cabezal valvular de 50 Watts , caja de 2x12 , guitarra squier japon 93 con un simple en el mango Dimarzio virtual vintage blues y un fred en el puente ( doble bovina ).
Las distoriones en la mayor??a de los casos , tienen demasiado fuzz ( cosa que me molesta bastante ). A ese nivel , la mayor??a son practicamente inservibles para usarlas . Solo dos las pude equalizar y sacarles el fuzz , el dieze y el HK.
Los limpios son de lo mejor que escuche. Son claros y cristalinos. Y los efectos en general son de muy buena calidad.
Lo m??s notable es que esta pedalera respeta el tono y la din??mica de los equipos valvulares.

Todav??a es demasiado nueva para usarlo

En lines generales es una buena pedalera , pero si uno la quiere para distorsiones , se deber??a buscar en otro lado.

It takes time to get on the programs.. but the console is self explanatory... the only problem about editing is that some parameters can be found on the other section of the console... like the eq. wherein the other 2 parameters were located at the control section... not good i guess.. the manual is organized well (though you really need to read for like 15 mins to get into this console).. mine is an upgraded version 1.05

I always go for my certain tone.. and technically it nailed my sound (i go for the non-chorus sound, no delay or reverb, just dry crunch sound)... almost all of the amp/stompbox simulation were great. the rich harmonics in this console is unbelievable that even the stompboxes were realistic!!.. and i still havent turned the tube notch to even 1.. i like the DS-1 and SD-1 simulation, but i abuse the BG Drive.. the aco simulation is ok.. but it needs a lot of tweaking... the WAH's was overall great!! and the delays are very natural

There is no noise on this effects except if you have a very noisy guitar. almost all the modulation were great but the pitch shift wasnt that great and the octave effect were wobbly.. but overall all it is all useable..

its metal... ill buy a small effect pedal for replacement... like a g1 or g2

not yet... but they'd given me 1 year service warranty on this one

i play different style of music... now im into fusion and i am being inspired by this effect... but you can check out what kind of music i play.. www.soundclick.com/sidpablo

This unit is very very easy to navigate and get around on.
I am still learning how to get into the more advanced features but simple edits are easy as can be.

I dont know why people complain so much about Zooms manuals but I find them helpfull and do exactly what you need them for.

Not sure of what firmware is curently installed, I havent upgraded it.

I have to say for experiance of owning many multi fx this unit blows them all away sound wise.
I have had a:
Boss GT-3, POD 1.0 and 2.0, behringiner v-amp, Zoom 505 and 505II, Korg toneworks ect ect. And it still stands on all of them.

I am never realy concerned with getting the sound of my favorite players, so no coment.

The distortions are plentifull and very useable. The modualation and delays are by far the best I have owned.

I am curently using it with a Yamaha AES620, Fernandez Dragonfly and a VOX AD30VT amp.
This unit is very quiet.

Once again I love the effects, full and useable.

I have owned a few Zoom multi FX and they help up great, just like any unit you cant go trowing it or running it over(though I did run over my GT-3 and it still worked like a dream).

I would rely on it.

Never delt with ZOom but have delt with Samson tech the USA distributer of Zoom and they are quite helpfull.

I play rock/alt/metal/experimental music this fx works well for what I do.
I have been playing for 16 years, and listed the gear I use above.
If it was stolen(I would never be an idiot and loose it) I would get a new one definatly.
I have already posted what I love about it.Dont realy hate anything.
By far my favorite feature is the seamless patch change.

I did compare this with the Vox tonelab, a digitech and a new boss and found it to be best for me.
I do wish it had and fx loop and extra jacks for more expression pedals or foot switches though.

I use a multi fx because pedals are far too distracting for me when I am trying to focus on writing playing or whatever is going on. So this does help very much.

Buy one its great!

This is the first Zoom product I have bought, and after an hour or so in the shop the guy selling it had shown me enough to get me started and upon getting it home and flicking through the easy-to-read manual it is a dream to use. Being the first Zoom product I have used at first I was a bit over whelmed, but nothing a bit of a read can't fix!

I needed a pedal that would on Saturday night play anything from Country right through to metal, however I am using this for mainly church worship music, so I needed to have clear cleans and one of the things on my list of criteria for a new pedal was that it had tremolo. I don't own a tube amp so I am very impressed with the clean tremolo-reverb kind of sound that can be produced, infact, I will just cut to the chase and say that I am very impressed with all the sounds I can get out of it.
Some of the amp modeling made my jaw hit the ground! I have fiddled with a Line 6 a bit and I reckon that the Zoom definately does a better job with some of the amps, especially the Mesa Dual Rectifier and some of the clean amps. Like one of the reviews says about the marshall, I would agree with it not being too close, but it is a good base to use when setting up your own sounds.

Heck yes I can! Metal casing! I like a product with a bit of weight in it, it makes me feel safer. And the fact that it has a tube in it and it is well incased makes me feel safer too.
Gigging without a back up? Well, it's all I have now and I think it will be my only for awhile yet.... Like i said, I am very impressed with it.

If the manual counts as customer support then it is very helpful....

I play anything musically, I have been playing guitar for 15 years and play anything from country right through to hardcore, but my main use is for worship music. I play a chambered telecaster and when I am leading have to get a more rhythm kind of sound, so the cleans and light distortions are great for that, then when I am on lead gat, the options are endless!
I love the look of it! It just looks so mean sitting there, kind of like a Mesa rectifier but at your feet, the buttons and expression pedal feel chunky and look like they can last along time.
Favourites would have to be the modeling on the amps and stomp boxes and the built in tube. Hates? Well I will get back to you on that... I don't have any yet.
I didnt get a chance to try a Boss ME50, which was the other pedal I was interested in, but compared to the Line 6 POD I like this better. Sounds better, and having it all in one unit rather than the pod and floor board is much more convienent!

As always, Zoom's aren't wery easy to use... Well... if you ever had one of their products, than it might not be so difficoult, but still editing patches could be a lot easier. The usage isn't so bad afterall, but editng patches is the thing that might get on your nerves.
The manual is like 4/5 for me. Nothing special to add here...

I'm using a Ibanez Rg370Dx (with Evolution & PafPro pickups), connected to a Marshall MG15CDR (and tried it on Fender FM something, but it was like 75 Watts). I sometimes put there my own stompboxes like Dunlop's Crybaby 535Q or Ibanez SM7 distortion.

So I'll start from the beggining... The factory presets are good enought, and very versatile. They arent noisy, but if you add a bit more gain, or feedback, than there might appear a small "buzz", but the noise gate might "kill it" quickly. The noise is really delicate. Belive me... this part of it is truely great !!

The effects sound nicely. You have such a range of options... But be shure to test all of them with turned on max - "tube" knob, and turned off (to the minimum). The sound difference is very hearable with clean tones. But i'm not saying that the tube muddy "crunch" is bad. It's awsome, and for me - the best part of this effect !

I must say that it works well with transistor amps (at least these 2, wich I've tested). I don't know how does it look with a tube amp, but probably great too...

Getting the sound of your favourite artists? Well... I was lloking for a sound that would be close to Joe Satriani's of Steve Vai's guitars. And i must admit, that it's very close to some of their sounds... Im sattisfied !

The distortion effects are completely awsome !! Really! For example... I'v tested the DS-1 option there. It is suposed to imitate the sound of a Boss DS-1 pedal. And it's so "true", and still you have a much wider range of options to it, like 5-point EQ... That was grat. The crunchy tones are good, but might be a bit better... If it was at least as good as Marshall Valvestate series crunch, than I'd might be sattisfied completely. The moudlation effects are graet - as always... nothing special to add here...

The overall sound is really at a very high level. I suggest everyone at least to take a look at this thingy... You won't say that it's "crap".

I must say that it is very well done. The aluminium/metal body seems to be ok. The switches, knobs, etc. seem to be done ok too... You, know, like for a real "tough-guy" ;)

I would certinly take it for a gig, without a backup. Becouse it looks as it wos done just for this one purpose- gigging.

I Play some kind of blues, blues-rock, rock, hard-rock, ska - music, so the effect matches me perfectly. If you are looking for an effect for playing death-metal, than start looking for a different one, because it hasen't got enought gain. For plain' fast solos, like Satriani or Vai, it's almoast perfect.

If it was stolen or lost I'd propably buy another one of these... maybe the G9... but I don't know...

What I love about it is moastly the price, range of options, and of course - the tube !!!

I was thinking of buying a POD XT, and buing a floorboard with 4 swithes, and a expression pedal, because Live was to expensive. Zoom has the same options and sound as XT, is cheeper, and has a tube. The answer was just so obvious... ;)

It helps me a lot in creating music. The USB port is so engenious! The quality of recording is on a very high level, and that makes me proud, and happy!

I have never used a zoom pedal before but it was fairly straightforward to start. Read the manual for about 10 minutes and then went straight into fiddling with the dials and buttons. Its all fairly easily laid out and editing each of the patches is easy with the simple push of a few buttons. The manual is extremely helpful, i admit i would have been lost for a while without it although with time you would be able to work it out yourself. Only real problem i had was using the bundled software because i wasnt familiar with the interface.

The quality of sound out of this unit is amazing. I am running a cheap monterey arch top through a kustom 100watt twin combo. This pedal stopped me from selling my guitar because i was begining to think i could never make it sound good. It has a massive variation. I can be playing with the softness of Tommy emmanual one second and switch to the massive fuzz of hendrix the next. I especially like the tube that is built into the unit, makes that nice feel when playing the blues.

Haven't had any problems, mind you I've only had this zoom pedal for a week. Its made out of fairly hefty metal, and i tend to stomp fairly hard, no trouble yet but time will tell

Haven't had any dealings with zoom but their website is very good and the downloads seem to be working well, also very easy to find unlike some other manufacturers websites

I used to use individual pedals but i kept misplacing them and they would turn up weeks later, i wanted to keep everything in one and with this pedal i havent lost any of the quality that i would have gotten from my individual pedals. I've been playing basically my whole life and i dont think i have ever seen better value for money. If it were stolen or lost i would buy two more just to make sure it didnt happen again.

If you've used zoom before it isn't too complicated, but there are a LOT of options on this unit. As with all of this kind, the best way to approach it is to find a preset that is close to your desired tone and tweak to taste. The manual is comprehensive, and full of tips (if you can be bothered reading it!)

Using Bareknuckle equiped ibanez, Parker Nitefly, and also my bass. going into the effect returns of my marshall, sennhieser 'phones, and recording via USB onto my imac.
I replaced a zoom gfx4, this is in a different league, preamp/modeling is exellent, 30 odd different amps/stomps. highlights are 'twin reverb', 'recto', 'diezel', but all can sound convicing if you put the time in.
effects are quality, 5 second delays, good wahs (never that good on past zooms) chorus' revererbs all top notch.

solid metal and heavey too boot! much improved over older units.

downloads/upgrades on website
other than that, not needed.

Bought to replace ageing zoom gfx4, initially daunting because there is so much more in it. But quite intuitive.
Fantastic sounds, great construction, recommended

This unit has many features but once you learn the interface it is very easy to tweak and find your tones, without the need for the available software editor (which is needed for patch backup). No multi-layer menus to get lost in, easy to tweak on the fly...

I'm using the G7 through a variety of guitars for direct to PA/direct recording purposes. The sound quality of the G7 is huge and natural. The effects are smooth and transparent but I don't find myself using them too much because the amp models are so inspiring. This unit feels great and reacts amazingly to the different sonic character of each of my guitars, pickup changes, guitar volume knob adjustments... You can get so much variety out of one patch/sound just by adjusting your guitars pickups, volume knob, just like a real amp. The unit is amazingly quiet and the state of the art specs really do make a big difference to my ears. I'm honestly blown away by this unit and I'm spending much more time playing my guitar. The Energizer tube adds some nice hair to the pristine sound, adding punch and definition to your attack (I like the Energizer tube set at 10 O'clock). The Energizer boost function works like a loudness contour, boosting lows and highs for when you are playing at lower volumes (no need to re-tweak your pre-sets) It's a quick global tweak to help you adapt to different environments/gear. Be sure to check out the reverse delay, vibrato, chorus ensemble, spring reverb... The Boost effect in the FX1 module is my favorite tool to sculpt the tone before hitting the pre-amp. This makes a big difference in the bluesy and heavier tones.

***Go to www.thestompbox.net ZOOM forum to hear some quick MP3s I recorded to show the range/quality of the G7 (look for the "ZOOM G7.1ut Test MP3s" thread). There's lots of info and discussion going on as we learn and help each other maximize this cool new tool.

Looks very high tech and rock solid but only time will tell... The other ZOOM gear that I own has never let me down yet.

I have no personal experience with ZOOM/Samsontech support (which means that the products were very well made and/or I'm just lucky :) Zoom's Web site www.zoom.co.jp has improved with more info, MP3 clips (although not very impressive...).

***FYI: There is a cool new ZOOM forum at the www.thestompbox.net
Go there to learn more and get real world info/MP3s regarding the G-Series from a growing community of users.

I've been playing for too many years have owned more gear than I would care to admit, looking for a great direct recording/direct to PA solution. My musical tastes run the full spectrum of tones and I need a tool that can cover all of the bases. The G7 hasn't let me down. I've owned or used most of the MFX available (some much more expensive...) and the ZOOM G7.1ut is the clear winner for me. I'm doing more playing and less tweaking and the G7 feels/sounds like I'm playing through a real amp. From my experience, in my opinion, I can't give less than a 10, there is nothing else out there compares to the sound quality and real feel of the G7 (except the ZOOM G9...). Don't judge this box by the pre-sets...

Check out the www.thestompbox.net for more info...

Keep Rockin'
~MPH

It was not easy to use at all, without the manual it would be hopeless. No clear methodology for patch editing. The patch numbering scheme was misleading and difficult to use. By the way I know others will put the time and effort into learning to use this device, but I love to play and not to program a box.

I found that the sound quality wasn't as good as my POD 2.0 and the effects were cheesy, but then I expected that. I ran it directly into my mixing board and studio amp.

Sent it back to the store within one week.

This is the main reason I rejected this unit. Both of my Windows XP SP2 laptops were tried and both would not recognize the USB connection, making the unit worthless for direct recording ( a feature I specifically wanted in this purchase). The Tech at Zoom could offer nothing other than "It does work!". Perhaps I received a "Bad" unit that didn't work, I don't know. This will be however my last Zoom purchase.

I play blues, jazz rock fusion and a little Metal.
Been playing 31 years and toured for 15 years.
My gear are Marshall JCM900 amp, Fender Champ, Les Paul, Strat, Ibanez RG480, Taylor box guitar, POD.

There's a lot of twaeking to be done on this unit. Similar in operation to other Zooms I've owned, it's not helped because the controls are all over the place. It's got a 6 band EQ, four controls in the preamp section and two somewhere else, which is a bit silly. You'll need the manual(which is quite a good one)to do all but the simplest tasks.

I use this with headphones, DI'd into a PC, in front of a Marshall JCM2000 amp and I've gigged with it front of a Peavey Valve King, similar to the Marshall. It souns good through the amps and the PC, headphones a bit dodgy (my 'phones are good ones).
This isn't as good as a Pod, (I had a Pod, sold it to finance the G7.1) there's just a generic cab setting to simulate speakers when DI'ing and you remove this setting when you amp it up. It doesn't model amp type tone controls, instead you have a 6 band EQ which is very versatile. The stompbox models sound great through the amp but need a modelled amp when DI'ing, so Zoom have included such simulations.
In the past I've found Zoom's distortions to be quite harsh but some of these here are very good, especially the exotic amps they've modelled, but that may be because I've had no first hand experience of Deizel amps etc, unlike Marshall, Fender and Vox. The myriad other effects are fine too, sometimes too many parameters when all you want is something simple.

It's built like a tank, all metal, good quality jacks and switches and even the expression pedal feels solid. I wish my car was built like this, I really do. Dunno what it'll be like in future but for build I'll give it a 9

n/a

I've had lots of multiFX in the past and it's definitely worth paying the extra for a good one. I use this in a covers band so I can get lots of sounds. I'm not into exactly replicating someone's tone, just somewhere in the ballpark and this unit has versatility in spades. The function switch is my favourite feature, it can be programmed to switch amps or do all manner of switching and it saves on patches, and it's patch specific which is brilliant. together with the expression pedal it makes the G7.1 very friendly indeed.
The Cubase software that came with it is excellent, but the USB connection is pretty useless, the latency and functionality is impaired. I just DI the output into the PC soundcard and its fine.
The PSU is good, just wish it ran on batteries so could get mains power away from potential beer spillages.

The G7.1ut is a great muilti effects box. Editing takes time to learn but as soon as you get the hang of it, goes real fast. The manual is OK but not great. I updated with verison 1.05 with no problems. The software editor works good too.

I have a 1994 Strat Deluxe Plus with Lace Senor pickups and Epi Chet Atkins going to Bose PAS. There is no apparent noise. The effect sound good to me but don't use them very often. I normally look for a good warm, bright clean and overdrive channels. The cool thing is the Tube Energizer I put the Tube and Drive on about 6 or 7 and warms up my PAS not like Pod or Digiteck boxes didn't.

I have called them and they have help me with any questions. I called the distrubutor in the US, which is Sam Ash.

I play classic rock, one man band, using midi backing tracks. I have been a single act for 11 years and been play professionally for 25 yrs. I would replace this if it was stolen. I have tried many procucts, always went back to my Pod 2.3. I have been playing with the Pod sence it came out. I love the Pod but I aways wanted something warmer. This might be the unit I have been looking for.

Having used a few other multi-pedals it was easy to figure out everything is labled but a good reading of the manual which is full of good "hints" is urged. And the manual is a cut above. Now that I have edited a few patches it's all intuitive. Upgraded last night to firmware 1.05 without a hitch.

My setup is guitar ('72 Gibson ES347,'72 Telecaster Custom (modified with Seymore Duncans), Mexi Strat) to G7 to BBE Sonic Stomp to Peavey Ultra Tube into the effects return. Not noisey at all and I'm just running the noise reduction as it comes up in the patches which I then edit to my liking. The ZNR is pretty transparent. The effects that I have used so far are as good as they get, still tweaking though. Many options as to color and tone. But to tell the truth I have been so blown away with the tone I'm getting so far I haven't done much with modulated effects. If you can't get the tone you are looking for here I don't know where you will. First with each patch you have an overall Tone control, this just to get you started. Then you can fine tune with the 6 band eq which is VERY effective, then you have the Tube, yes the TUBE, here you can really dial in a natural crunch and it also has a tone control. If it ain't in this box it ain't anywhere. The overdrives and gains are natural and responsive.

From what I can see it is built like a tank, I have used Zoom in the past and still use an old 5 series acoutic pedal and never had a problem. Would I use in a gig without a backup, yep.

Not had to deal with them, but found the website with upgrades easy to use.

I play blues, blues rock mostly, devel into jazz although I usually get lost in the process. Mostly play at home now only a few gigs out each year. Been playing over 30 years. Right now if I lost it I'd cry and plead with my wife to let be get another and I haven't even begun to explore all this thing can do. I had a Behringer X-Stomp I picked up because it was cheap and found it had some interesting things and lots of options and liked it, but came across some bonus money, don't anyone tell the wife, and wanted something a little more and this is it. Can't spned enough time with it. If you are looking for a multi-pedal/modler do not buy anything until you check this one out.

This Unit Is Very Easy To Use,
& Quite Easy To Get A Good Sound Out Of.
There Is A Manual For It, & Easy To Understand..

The Sound Is Great, My Setup Is A 100 Watt Laney Combo Amp,
with A Ibanez 570.
It Is Only Noisy On The Factory Presets, But There Always Crap.
Easily Fixed With A Little Tweaking.
You Can Most Sounds You Want, There Are Heaps Of Different Amp
& Pre Amp Models. Not Hard To Get A Satch Or Petrucci Tone.
The Tube Energizer Makes A Huge Difference, A Big Improvment
On The Boss Gt-3 That I Had.
Dosen't Sound Digital Like ,Boss,Digitech,Line 6,etc.

This Thing Is Built Like A Brick,
Like A Boss,Very Reliable...

I Play Prg, Rock , Blues, Christian Rock.
Its Perfect For What I Do.
I've Been Playing For 13 yrs,
Do Occasional Gigs..
I agree With The Other Guy That The Noise Gate Is Brilliant.
The Distortions Are Excellent On This.
Metal & Rock Players Will Love This, But Suitable For Most Styles.

Easy to use if you have had zoom products before. Could be hard if your not fimilar with zoom's train of thought. I have had it for a month used it right out of the box. Only have to refer to the manual to use the USB or change patch name. Other than that you can figure it out quick by just being a button pusher.

They have really improved on the distortion comparing it to the gfx-8. The effects are good but don't care much for the wah. I was blown away by the noise gate. It's the best I have ever used! High gain and high volumes are not an issue anymore with this thing. They also use a preamp tube they call the energizer. You can adjust the amount of tube signal you want. I don't know if i like it yet but I always play around with it to change the tone. The amp sim. works well when using the recording software that came with. The eq section is great, it allows you to see it as if it was a graphic eq pedal. There are so many option on this unit it could be hard to find a good tone until you get fimilar with it. As with all factory presets they always suck. Every thing the factories preset in there mulit pedals is always over the top. I hate when somone just uses the factory presets and gives a bad review on the product. Do some tweaking and use your ears and you can find some cool tones.

You can never replicate a marshall amp with out having a marshall amp. Some of the rep. of the amps sound close while others missed by a mile, but it still has great tone.

If I were to complian about anything is that it dosen't handle the Seymour Duncan live wire Metal (18v) active Humbucker very well, but niether does most multi processors.

FINALLY!! somone used metal instead of plastic. Solid as a Tank!

Never had to deal with them. I have owned the gfx-8, and the 505 (BTW: the 505 was on the floor in a flooded basement for a week and still worked!) There products have never given me any problem to were I would have to contact them.

I have been playing guitar for 16 years now. Im not a tube freak or a digital all the way guy. I try new stuff, and if I like it I like it. I mostly play hard rock/Metal. I have used this with many different guitars and amps and im very happy with it. It's worth it's weight in gold. I have spent $330.00 before and have been disapointed so getting this turned out to be a good idea.

After spending some time with the manual it is not too hard to figure this unit out. There is quite a bit of capability that wasn't apparent to me at first. The preamp and effects section have their own edit knobs that activate the associated LCD screen. There are two preamps available per patch with one assigned as the default.

It is easy to get a good sound once you decide that a review of the manual is a good idea. I think the manual is well written. Overall it is easy to set this up for your application.

I've used the settings that are designed for plugging into the front of the amp as well as into the effects return/power amp in. Considering the capabilties of the preamp I think the best option is to either use this as a preamp into the effects return or into a unit like a Tech 21 Power Engine (like I use as an alternative/backup). I would use this into a guitar amp input as multieffects only with the preamp settings disengaged. In this case it would be into a Two Rock Onyx using a MIDI switcher to change channels. There is no effects loop in the G7.lut to allow for the "four cable method".

Sound quality overall is extremely good and the claimed transparency seems to hold up. The ZNR noise reduction is one of the better ones I've used on the high gain patches.

Kudos to Zoom for making the pedal out of metal and overall the switches and controls seem to be more solid than the competition. Altogether the unit seems to be fairly sturdy. It seems to be built to be reliable with the exception of the flimsy AC adapter. At least is is an inline transformer and not a wallwart.

As it stands right now this IS my backup/practice unit. I plan to set up one bank for direct to the board just in case I need it to get through a night in that mode.

I don't know on this. I have had one other ZOOM unit (GFX-4) and never had a problem. The website seems well done and only time will tell if I ever need service/support.

I play a good range of modern to classic rock and the G7 covers the ground very well. I've got 25 years + of playing/gigging and have an extensive gear collection.

I would likely replace this if stolen because I think it offers great value for the quality of the unit (both sound and construction). I really like the extensive EQ's and quality of the amp models. Too bad they didn't include a relay activated global bypass like they had on the GFX-4.

I have a TC Electronic G-System as my main effects unit, but if I had the G7 to start with, I might not have made that purchase.