Zoom's forgotten compact multi effects pedals: 505, G2, and G2nu
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- Опубліковано 1 сер 2024
- Zoom's mini-sized, square multi effects units have had many incarnations within the basic design parameters. Here are a few we might have forgotten about.
I knew a guy in 1990 who was friends with the developers of the first Zoom effects box. He got me one before they were released, and it was much smaller than the 505, etc. It was the size of a boss stomp box, and had buttons, not foot switches. I don’t remember the model number of it, but I’ve never seen another one. This video reminded me of it. Good video as usual!
I had a 506ii bass pedal and a B1. I have a B1 four now but I love the simplicity of the older models.
love my G2 and use it almost everyday and because of its small size i can take it everywhere!!! ❤
And its superb clarity :)
I’ve had one for over 15yrs, I put it away about 12yrs ago; it is time to get reacquainted, I’d forgotten about it until I saw this😊.
👍👍
I'm getting old! Something that I remember each setting (505 also the BFX708) are already "forgotten". Great video!
haha me too. I remember seeing a 505 for the first time (maybe in 1994 or something) and thinking "Wow that makes so much sense! Genius!"
I still use my G2 on my live board. Mainly for compression EQ and reverbs. Its built like a panzer tank and does not let you down
Yep, lots of these little pedals have individual effects that are virtually indistinguishable from the real thing. Even if there’s just one effect in there that you love, makes it worth owning :)
Man....these take me back. Spent time with almost every zoom multi made before 2010. Like most Multis, the effects were hit or miss but zoom always had decent modulation and pretty great delay/reverbs. Compared to effects these days these old zoom boards might sound harsh and crappy...but they were always reliable, easy to use and most importantly tons of fun.
Actually you raise a good point there about Multi-effects these days. I think that the drive sounds and modelling have got better, but the delays and modulations are often not as good. Age doesn't seem to mean all that much when it comes to multi effects. Just gotta go with what you like, I guess :)
I had a Zoom 505. It was very cool when it came out. I sold it recently on Ebay. People still want them!
Yeah this is the "2000" re-release edition. I think it was just the exterior color that was different. The "Champagne" hue was fashionable at the time.
I bought the zoom 505ii seven years ago for $25 and it's still going well.Whats funny is I still use it😀
Still using the G2Nu every day. Just incredible all the things it can do. Anyone thinking of buying an I/O to connect to their computer should buy one of these instead.
I'm also still using my g2. 1nu. I used to play live with it as well.
I just bought one,,,I hope I made a wise purchase,,,I am not into the crazy effects so much, but like that it is very versatile,,,I will see. ! It's always cool to experiment,,, 😎✌
Thanks....i ve got g1u and 505 and happy with that 💥💥👍
I just found a G1 locally for a bargain. I was amazed at its luscious overdrive tones. Will have to post a separate review. Thanks for watching :)
My first multifx was a zoom G1 I think. I still have and use 3 different Zoom G2nu pedals for different reasons and they’re great!
I have had a 2007 G2.1u on my board forever. It takes the place of 10 additional pedals on my board including tuner, eq, compressor, noise gate, a second wah, my delays, and a couple of others I don't use enough to justify discreet pedals taking up additional space on my board like trem, chorus, octave etc.
It's such a part of my sound I picked up a used one on ebay as a backup. It's easy to program for an old dude like me, built like a tank, and has never let me down!
Man I think that pedal was a quiet REVOLUTION in guitar multi-effects!
Zoom 505 changed my life!!....hahaha...not even joking, me and 3 freinds all got one (our bassist buddy got the 504).....And the rest is History. The fascination with multi--fx/modellers has never stopped.That's why I love it when you take us down memory lane like this. I STILL have my old gear....and no matter what some say, with the right amp/P.A, cables and guitar they STILL sound great. Cheers Gearfacts.
That’s cool, there’s not much correlation between age and quality when it comes to guitar effects. :-)
@@gearfactsOla Enlund (Will it Chug) brought out an old Line 6 POD 2.0 from the year 2000....plugged it into some Modern IR's...WOW!!!...even he was surprised. It makes you ask, how far have we truly come with amp modelling and how much of it is marketing?....Either way, I will continue to collect the old gear for cheap and use Gearfacts as my guide. Cheers!
I had a chunky Zoom 4040 back in 1997. Had bigass volume and expression pedal on the right. I am cleaning it up to try out after more then 20 years. Adaptor is long gone so I will connect it to iso-brick and it needs only 200mA 😁
Ah yes I had the 4040 for a while too. I preferred the wildness of the 3030 but the 4040 was definitely more professional
Great video as always 💅
Thank you! 😊
If I could get my hands on a good 505, I'd definitely get one again (and will be my 3rd). I currently settled with a G2.1u (2nd one) after selling my G1Next. I would have gotten a BOSS ME50 or ME80 but I feel at home with ZOOM products.
Yep, there are some genuinely good capabilities in these peds. And the fun-factor is unbeatable!
I used the 505 as an "always on" reverb pedal for my mesa boogie subway rocket amp. It was reliable and provided nice hall reverb effects. The modulation effects were cool, but I wasn't into chorus and flange much then so I can't recall how great they were. Now I love me some shimmer. I've mentioned this before but I was always put off by the octave effects. There would be a slight delay between the original note and the octave notes which was a little distracting. Just a few milliseconds but enough to notice. Most multi Fx pedals had this issue. I don't know if its been fixed
All valid points :)
loved my 505II in the early 2000s...😂
now all you need is a cab sim pedal at the end of the chain for these zoom pedals to come out alive
Absolutely true.
Zoom pedals are really realiable, ive seen a working 1010 recently, i have a soft spot for them, my favs are the multistomps, they have the gold and black limited edition
Agree. Out of the dozens of Zoom pedals I've owned I've only ever seen one with a fault, a really old Zoom 3030 (another excellent pedal!)
AWESOME !!!!!!!!!!!!! I HAVE RECORDED OVE 50 ORIGINALS SONGS FROM THE ZOOM PS02 PALM STUDIO GOT RADIO PLAY IN EUROPE BACK IN THE DAY LOL WOULD LIKE TO SEE zoom g1 four VS NUX MG300 !!!!
PS-02 is such an incredible piece of kit. I still use it today
Thank you so much for the videos. I'm considering buying the G2 nu to use it's audio interface. Which audio interface would you compare it to?
Not sure what I'd compare it to as such, it's in a sort of class of its own. It's only 44.1khz 16-bit with mono input, but it's super-clear with no noticeable latency.
Interesting comment @3:40 with the downgrade in sound quality going from G2 to G2NU. Why do you think that is? Didn't they use the exact same A/D converters, Z-FX3 chip, same effect algorithms?? Thanks.
I think it's an entirely different set of effect algorithms. I'm open to be corrected but the two pedal just have a different flavor to my ears.
Been using my first MFX, a G1 in bands for 10 years. Been buying other pedals in an attempt to 'upgrade'. I've had Boss, Line 6, Mooer, Digitech, Vox. money no object but yet nothing matches my G1 for sound quality so they've all been sold and I continue to use the G1. However just acquired a GFX 1.Very similar sound in a quirky heavy metal case.
Zoom all the way.
Yeah that G1 is great.
Anyone know how to get this G2 to sound like a ProCo Rat?
Settings? Parameters?
The earliest Zoom multi effects I've tried was the 707ii and my current multi effect I own is the Stomplab. I'm about to retire it as I move on budget pedal board project🙂 Did you try to stack all 3 of them? 😁
No, but I did stack two G1on pedals (similar) in another Gearfacts video
ahh I had a G2,the USB recording function is really useful...shame that ZOOM's cheaper pedals don't have this feature anymore
Yep and it's crystal-clear. Nice pedal.
can i use all effects on G2.1u as a G2.1Nu
Hello Mate! Great video! I bought the Boss Br600 as per your recommendation and I am grateful for it. I am likewise looking for the guitar fx equivalent of the br600, and am presently looking at the Line 6 Pod 2 for “in the mix” home studio use. Can you advise ? Thanks
Glad you like the videos! The line 6 sound is very different to the Boss sound, but if you’re looking for a multi fix system me personal favorite would be the Boss GT6 or any of the ones made by Nux, which are ugly but cheap and always excellent. Hope that’s helpful :)
@@gearfacts are those units geared toward Classic Rock like the Pod 2? I hate distortion and only like semi-distorted sounds that sound like they are compatible with Soft Rock/Hard Rock? More Noel Gallagher and less Colin Greenwood post-Ok Computer. Y’Know what I mean? (Pun intended)
@@MrSeeker42 Hmm if that’s the sound you’re after then there’s there’s one problem - the chorus effect on Line 6 units is very over-powered. Even at minimum it sounds kind of crass. A real shame. For those those kinds of tones I really suggest the latest NUX, the model is mg300 if I remember correctly, it’s in my videos anyway :)
@@gearfacts thanks, I will check it out. I saw a few videos on the NUX but I’m wondering if it is too computer-dependent? I’m trying to have a mostly DAWLESS studio and use my computer sparingly. Is the mg300 still worthwhile apart from using a computer screen?
@@gearfacts I understand what you mean about the Chorus. I'm not crazy about Line 6 "wet" effects at all. Forget the wet fx. But the dry fx are excellent. The Pod 2 is the only all-rounder unit I have heard NOT geared for metalheads or numetalheads. Its 90% classic rock sounds with a Shred and Soldano effect at the end of dial for the metal fan boys but that's only 5% of the sounds! The rest is Tom Petty, Bryan Adams, I hear Journey, Southern Rock/Mellencamp, Americana...not to mention all the factory patches sound great and are usable right out of the box. I would use the wet fx from the Br-600 or my Boss dr-880. Wet Fx Problem solved.
Is there a Chorus setting close to the Boss CE2 Tone?
Yes, I think it’s just called mono chorus in the manual.
@@gearfacts thanks
these things work with a standard 9v like a normal pedal?
yep
So if i plugged a keyboard into one of these do i risk damaging the keyboard or the pedal?
No, it's extremely unlikely that any damage could happen.
@@gearfacts okay thanks i cant wait to try it. (At my own risk) things go wrong on equipment that is meant to work together all the time. Im not one of those guys that will be like "well gearfacts said to do it" 🤓 have a good one!
@@cam-inf-4w5 haha well thanks for that! But yeah, it's only 9 volts running through these things, they'd have a very hard time damaging any other machine.
Some of the algorithms are unparalleled, especially the glitchy distorted ones. I wish they could just pack those in one pedal and leave out the rest :)
I hear you. And there are some really old zoom effects that never re-surfaced, like 'Ghost' and 'zero resonance step', each of which only ever appeared on one device. I wish there was a database of those old effects that could be loaded into the newer models.
@@gearfacts exactly my thoughts. this is one of things that only diggers could excavate... i'm hopeful but i guess plugins will take over eventually. these oddball efx could be incorporated to a plugin efx pack at some point. idk, i'm just being sentimental here over a piece of code :D
@@gearfacts Ghost and Zero Resonance sound cool. Which Zoom products had those?
@@discgolfpancho The only place I ever saw "ghost" (which WAS awesome, yep!) was on the 7010 mini amp.
@@gearfacts you are awesome! And of course you have done three videos on it lol
Saw a g2 in a charity/junk shop for £15 two days ago, should I get it?
Yep I would have bought it