JosephMartyn Posted October 25, 2022 Share Posted October 25, 2022 Right...thinking of getting a small multi effects pedal to dial in a few tones. Does anybody have experience with zoom pedals? Looks like a lot of pedal for the money! Where does the quality suffer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geek99 Posted October 25, 2022 Share Posted October 25, 2022 I have a zoom b2.1u and whilst ancient it does everything I could possibly want and is fairly easy to use 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewblack Posted October 25, 2022 Share Posted October 25, 2022 They are way better than their price point suggests. The B1-ON is where I started and I've used so many multi effects since, but I still have the B1-ON. Unlike many of their competitors there's no lag when changing patches, they have very useable synth sounds, an excellent tuner, run on batteries, a looper, drum patterns, aux in. Great for home practice and plenty good enough for live work 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Japhet Posted October 25, 2022 Share Posted October 25, 2022 Incredible value for money and I've had zero issues with build quality. I currently have the B3 and B1 Four. The B3 is much more user friendly in my experience but the B1 Four packs so much into a smaller footprint but is a bit tricky to work out how to programme it to start off. Buy with confidence in my opinion. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted October 25, 2022 Share Posted October 25, 2022 I've got an old Zoom 509 that I've had for more years than I care to think about... I think I probably bought off Noah. It's all plastic and at first sight might appear flimsy, but I've gigged the hell out of it and use it at home a lot as a headphone amp. It's taken a licking and keeps on ticking, as they say. No qualms whatsoever about their build quality. I'm using an MS-60B now and it's built like a bomb shelter. I would sooner buy Zoom gear than Boss, quite honestly. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulWarning Posted October 25, 2022 Share Posted October 25, 2022 I've had a Zoom B1on for about 5 years now, use it at all my gigs and practices, no issues at all 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulThePlug Posted October 25, 2022 Share Posted October 25, 2022 (edited) Zoom B1on... loves it. So much so that i've had another of here for a mate, and another of here for my eldest's other half! They don't realy work from a Stomp Box / Individual pedal perspective... more a collection (100 Patches!) of pre programmed 'sounds' each consisting of a variety (upto 5) chosen effects. So build patches per vibe or song... name em and store em via Tonelib_Zoom. B1Four is an eveloution of the B1on Edited October 25, 2022 by PaulThePlug 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted October 25, 2022 Share Posted October 25, 2022 Spent a bit of time with the B1 Four and even though it's their bargain unit it didn't feel or sound like it. Felt much nicer than the 708 I used to have which to be fair never missed a beat and was still working perfectly when I sold it years ago. They used to have a bit of an empty feel about them, plastics are better now IMO and they sound much more organic/convincing. Probably all a lot of people would really need tbh. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Krow Posted October 25, 2022 Share Posted October 25, 2022 18 minutes ago, lemmywinks said: Spent a bit of time with the B1 Four and even though it's their bargain unit it didn't feel or sound like it. Felt much nicer than the 708 I used to have which to be fair never missed a beat and was still working perfectly when I sold it years ago. They used to have a bit of an empty feel about them, plastics are better now IMO and they sound much more organic/convincing. Probably all a lot of people would really need tbh. Another big fan of the B1-4. I gig it all the time - have one at the heart of my pedalboard, and another as a standalone pedal which provides all the fx I need for many gigs, plus a lit tuner which is great for dark stages. The free ToneLib software makes creating, editing and saving patches pretty intuitive. Ridiculously good value for the money. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abar121 Posted October 25, 2022 Share Posted October 25, 2022 I have a Zoom MS60B which I really like for modulation, delay, reverb and compression. Decent pedal and a good starting point 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JosephMartyn Posted October 25, 2022 Author Share Posted October 25, 2022 Awesome info! Thanks folks! Looks like I'm going shopping 😁 To keep my motivation as I get back into playing, I'm thinking of keeping an online practice log 🤔 Feel free to join me on my journey! Any tips greatly appreciated! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abar121 Posted October 25, 2022 Share Posted October 25, 2022 Have a look at the free editor for effects for these models: G5n, G3Xn, G3n, B3n, G1on, G1Xon, B1on, B1Xon, MS-50g, MS-60b, MS-70CDR. Gave my unit a 2nd wind and I was also able to put my favourite patches from the MS50G on there too. https://www.tonelib.net/tonelib-zoom.html 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted October 25, 2022 Share Posted October 25, 2022 3 hours ago, Al Krow said: Another big fan of the B1-4. I gig it all the time - have one at the heart of my pedalboard, and another as a standalone pedal which provides all the fx I need for many gigs, plus a lit tuner which is great for dark stages. The free ToneLib software makes creating, editing and saving patches pretty intuitive. Ridiculously good value for the money. I'm probably gonna pick one up as a secondary/standalone practice device, it does too much in such a little box for me to not want one! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trueno Posted October 25, 2022 Share Posted October 25, 2022 I think everyone should have a B1-4, whether they want one or not. I’m more “set and forget” myself, but I have two or three patches for practice… depends on what mood I’m in. I would def use for rehearsals or gigs, if I didn’t have my EBS Microbass pre-amp. Crazy value for money. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Franticsmurf Posted October 25, 2022 Share Posted October 25, 2022 I have a MS60b which sits on the board to provide me with the odd spot effect (currently delay, flange and a couple of specific EQ settings). In the event of a problem with one or more of the other pedals, or a lack of space (it has happened) it would give me all I needed to complete the gig. Be warned that the batteries (2xAA) don't - I had a low battery warning from a fresh set after about 60 minutes of intermittent use. The unit prefers a high current (500ma) power source. Solid as a rock and great sounds. I also use a B1Four - mainly for home/headphone practice with a set of sounds that loosely mirror my main board. For a big and/or remote gig, I'd take it as a back-up. Feels a bit more flimsy but I've had no problems. The editing software for both (Zoom Guitar Lib or ToneLib) is a must. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JosephMartyn Posted October 25, 2022 Author Share Posted October 25, 2022 Thanks again bassbods! I'm very tempted to take a punt on the b1x four now! A little bit of expression added in the mix! 😎 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elfrasho Posted October 25, 2022 Share Posted October 25, 2022 Had many zoom pedals over the years. Always happy with the build quality and, to be honest, the sounds! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andruca Posted October 26, 2022 Share Posted October 26, 2022 (edited) I own both a G1Xon (guitar model, but hacked with added bass FX, virtually making it a B1Xon for bass purposes) and a B1Xfour. My suggestion is get the B1on/Xon. Even tho' both can be tweaked to sound great, the fours sound boxier and noisier. The ON models sound fuller/rounder out of the box (and can be had for 40€/$/£ or less used). No Darkglass emulations on the ON models, but you can fake it decently enough with the BA SQUEAK (blendable RAT) emulation. I own many other previous gen models (B3, G3, MS-60B, MS-50G) and they all sound the same. Also owned many previous models (BFX-708, 708II, B2.1u) and they were all great and I never had a problem with it. My G1Xon in particular took a dive from 2m high, hit a desk (where it punched a hole) and then fell to the floor. Not even minor damage to it, really tough plastic I guess. Edited October 26, 2022 by andruca 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JosephMartyn Posted October 26, 2022 Author Share Posted October 26, 2022 7 minutes ago, andruca said: I own both a G1Xon (guitar model, but hacked with added bass FX, virtually making it a B1Xon for bass purposes) and a B1Xfour. My suggestion is get the B1on/Xon. Even tho' both can be tweaked to sound great, the fours sound boxier and noisier. The ON models sound fuller/rounder out of the box (and can be had for 40€/$/£ or less used). No Darkglass emulations on the ON models, but you can fake it decently enough with the BA SQUEAK (blendable RAT) emulation. I own many other previous gen models (B3, G3, MS-60B, MS-50G) and they all sound the same. Also owned many previous models (BFX-708, 708II, B2.1u) and they were all great and I never had a problem with it. My G1Xon in particular took a dive from 2m high, hit a desk (where it punched a hole) and then fell to the floor. Not even minor damage to it, really tough plastic I guess. Excellent! Loving the info! ...curve ball before I take a pint ok zoom...what about Line 6? Also looks like a lot of functions for the money on an older live pod board?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andruca Posted October 26, 2022 Share Posted October 26, 2022 3 hours ago, JosephMartyn said: Excellent! Loving the info! ...curve ball before I take a pint ok zoom...what about Line 6? Also looks like a lot of functions for the money on an older live pod board?! I've always felt meh about the old POD (and floorboard version). OTOH, with only minor insight into recent (Helix range) Line6 products I take my hat off, awesome tones, awesome layout/operation. Pricey tho'. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JosephMartyn Posted October 26, 2022 Author Share Posted October 26, 2022 (edited) And for those who may be interested...or just filling time! I plugged in this avo to try and get the dust off/ blow the cobwebs away! After I hurt my left hand I got back into music with my acoustic guitar, so my facebook is mostly covering my summer acoustic gigs I've just set up instagram, I'll post more clips as I try and remember how to play! 20221026_140011_1.mp4 Edited October 26, 2022 by JosephMartyn 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cato Posted October 26, 2022 Share Posted October 26, 2022 I've got a B1ON and a Helix Stomp. I genuinely think certain effects, such as the envelope filters and the synth, sound better through my bass and amp on the Zoom than the Stomp. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartinB Posted October 27, 2022 Share Posted October 27, 2022 In my experience, a B1Xon can also be used as an emergency stand-in for a drummer who doesn't turn up for rehearsals 😆 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JosephMartyn Posted October 27, 2022 Author Share Posted October 27, 2022 3 minutes ago, MartinB said: In my experience, a B1Xon can also be used as an emergency stand-in for a drummer who doesn't turn up for rehearsals 😆 Love it! I just snapped one up on ebay! 😁 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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