Zoom G1XN Guitar Multi Effects Pedal

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $114.99
Sale Price: $79.99
Today's Bonus: 30% Off

• 8 effect modules and 54 effect types
• 80 patches (40 user defined and 40 preset patches)
• Advanced ZFX-3 processing engine
• 96kHz sampling, 24-bit A/D/A Conversion and 32-bit signal processing
• Frequency Response: 20Hz-40kHz

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Ok, so I bought this because my friend had an old Zoom multi-effects pedal and he recommended getting one. It's a solid pedal, but has a few drawbacks. First the positives:

Pros:

-Has a lot of room to store custom presets (up to 40, with 40 factory presets you can't permanently change). These are fun to create.

-Has many effects that are decent in quality, and gives a fair amount of control over them.

-Easy to use, came with wallet card explaining the readout, but this is unnecessary after a few days.

-Sounds very good through headphones.

-Comes with AC adapter.

-Pretty well priced. Definitely a good value.

Cons:

-The drum machine sucks. Boring and quiet, even at full volume.

-You can't run more than one effect from each section, which means you can't layer a lot of effects.

-The noise gate is really crappy. It does remove the noise while you're not playing (as a noise gate is supposed to) but when you stop playing the noise comes through for about half a second before fading out, and sometimes it dulls your pick attack. For those who know noise gates, the attack and release are pretty slow, with a hold that's too long for most of my guitar playing.

-The distortions are pretty lame. Many sound very similar and they're all a bit muddy, even when you adjust the EQ.

-The pitch bending effect is pretty poor, but not useless. It sounds shaky and poppy when you bend the pitch more than half an octave.

It'd be much better to get a different pedal for each effect this pedal creates, but that'd be really expensive. All in all, this pedal is great for beginning players or advanced players on a budget.

UPDATE: 7/13/11

After playing with this pedal for over a half year, it's still going strong. I'd like to add to my original review that the EQ is a bit disappointing (I hadn't really played with it until recently). You end up with a very "digital" sound when using it, especially when boosting frequency bands. Also, I've been using the reverb a lot lately, mostly through headphones, and it sounds great. I'd like to give Zoom credit for putting a very good reverb effect.

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For sale price this pedal rocks! ITS GOT TREMELO!! When I bought the first Zoom 505 gtr pedal back in like 98 it didn't have tremelo or the built in expression pedal. That's rightdon't call it a wah pedal because with the Zoom G1XNext you can assign the pedal to control one of 6 different parameters FOR EVERY PATCH regardless if it uses the wah fx-including volumeor drive!or delay etc etcthis is very useful! its also esaier to make your own patches with the two added knobsyou can also TAP the tempo of your delay and many other FX!!!! I plan on doing some street performances and this pedal can run for hours off 4 AA batteries!!(the digitech ones I looked at with built in expression pedal didnt have battery option and cost more) The tones sound good to meif they're good enough for Bon Jovi's guitar player they're good enough for me. My only complaint so far is that the compressor isn't a stand alone FXmeaning that you cannot use the compressor with any other fx in it's category (there are several categories of fx this pedal uses)dont have the manual with me at the moment so I cant remember all the fx it shares the category withi think wah tho. With compressors so widely used in modern recording Im suprised they didnt have a separate knob or setting for itbut you cant expect everything for ! And they give you a lot! I like the tuner better on this than on the first zoom. Also THEY GIVE YOU A BUSINESS CARD SIZE CARD FOR YOUR WALLET THAT LISTS WHAT ALL THE DIGITAL DISPLAY CHARACTERS MEANso you understand what fx/parameter your setting without needing the manual for every gignice touch!!

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This is a really terrific effects pedal. The individual effects are not quite as good as a dedicated pedal would have, but you get so many in such a compact unit that it is a great value and a lot of fun to play with. It also has a good tuner, a basic drum section, and it will drive a set of headphones, so you can use it instead of having a separate tuner, metronome, and practice amp. The pedal works smoothly and has stood up to fairly vigorous use. It comes with a lot of premade patches and room to store a lot of your own.

Weaknesses are the complexity of the interface (significant learning curve to use all of the features, though this just reflects how powerful and flexible the unit is), awkwardness of the drum interface (you can't push the tiny drum button with your foot, and it is hard to adjust the drums while you are playing), and weakness of some of the effects (I was especially disappointed by the octave/pitch shifter).

I heartily recommend this pedal. You should think about whether you would be better with this model or the one with the separate pedal you plug in, though. This one is less expensive and more compact, but you can't adjust any of the settings without bending down to the floor, though you can run up or down through your patch list with the two large buttons. The unit with the separate pedal would allow you to have it up on a table while the pedal was on the floor, which would be a lot better for programming in the patches.

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This is a fun pedal that has made just messing about at home a LOT more fun. The range of sounds you can create is just about endless. I don't know what the other reviewer was using for equipment, but I can barely turn the volume up to 25% of max before the drum machine and guitar sounds are unbearable. It's plenty loud. the direct headphone out is really useful. You don't even need an amp just plug your guitar into it and go.

The hardware itself is so-so. It's solid plastic and the pedal is well made (but frankly, not that useful. Mostly I just leave it ON or OFF, rarely in between). I'd would have rather they'd made the two foot switches bigger and easier to use. The digital readout is easy to read but with 40+ presets, it's sometimes hard to remember. That's kind of a good thing, as there are a near infinite number of sounds you can produce with this.

The selector and volume knobs feel cheap and I worry they may not last, though I have no evidence that they won't last.

Overall, I'm glad I have it, it's good bang for the buck.

This is my first pedal and already i love it. it's the best for the money and value sure it's not tops but on a limited budget it does the trick for me. I love all the presets including the british hiwatt setting since i play alot of floyd and gilmour's music it does everything i want. I would recomend this for anyone on a limited budget for a good all around pedal.

UPDATE:

After using this for a couple years now I love this pedal. it rocks and saves me from having to buy multiple pedals after figuring it all out I can now just tap and I am ready for the next song. I highly recommend this pedal for any guitarist on a tight budget. it works great on all amps I have tried it on. sounds best on the peavy's I use at home and on the road. Good bang for the buck.