This is the first and only effects pedal I have purchased. I bought this in 2015, shortly after joining a band where I needed an all-purpose pedal for gigs. Specific effects were needed for certain tunes, a tuner and mute were needed at the mic, and this fit the bill.
The overall build quality is good, but some of the small push-buttons don't engage very well and you have to be careful how you push them in order for them to work. The dials and stomp buttons are solid, though.
The effects are, for the most part, good. I have been able to find an effect for all the songs we do, but some effects are better than others.
The Octave effect is one that falls a bit short. It is a bit synth sounding, and depending on string volume, may cut in and out, which is quite annoying.
Compression effects seem to work well.
The paraeq effect is ok, but is too clunky to adjust, so I ended up getting a rack-mounted unit to work with my amp.
BassMuff works well. I use this in conjunction with Mono Pitch to create a pretty good bass sound for Muse's "Uprising" and alone for a Green Day tone.
Reverb is good. I use Arena Reverb.
Flanger is good. I use that with Mono Pitch for a good approximation of the bass tone in U2's "Elevation"
There are a ton of other effects available that I don't use, and they probably really shouldn't be used unless you have a specific song that really calls for it.
Having to press and hold the middle stomp button to go into mute or tuner mode is annoying. Would rather have one button that you can quickly press to go into tuning mode that also mutes. Adds an extra layer of frustration that is not needed when you are trying to get ready for the next song during a gig.
The user interface is pretty unintuitive. From what I have read, the B3n, Zoom's newer version of this unit, has improved the interface. But, the B3n doesn't have a built-in DI, so that should be a consideration if you need that. I have never used the DI in the B3, since my amp has one. If I were in the market for one today, I'd probably go for the B3n.
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Item Details
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- Pedal Type:
- Multi-effects
- Batteries:
- 4xAA
- Features:
- stereo and mono output
balanced output
- 99 effects, including distortion, compression, modulation, delay, and reverb
- 12 amp / cabinet models
- 3 backlit LCDs with contrast control
- Intuitive user interface
- Ultra-fast (1ms) patch change speed
- Up to 3 effects can be used simultaneously, chained together in any order
- 100 memory locations for the storage of user-created patches
- 50 factory preset patches, including personally designed effects by Victor Wooten (Béla Fleck & the Flecktones), David Ellefson (Megadeth), Frank Bello (Anthrax), and Doug Wimbish (Living Colour)
- Store and Swap functions make patch organization a breeze
- Auto Save function for automatic saving of all patch parameters
- Onboard chromatic tuner supports all standard bass tunings, including open and drop tunings
- Looper feature for the recording of up to 40 seconds of CD-quality phrase recording
- 41 built-in rhythm patterns which can be used in conjunction with the Looper
- Easily integrated into any existing pedalboard
- Input jack accepts standard mono guitar cable
- Active/Passive switch
- Dual output jacks for connection to amps or headphones
- Balanced XLR output jack with ground lift for DI connection (pre- or post-effect) to line-level devices, mixing boards, and recorders
- Control input for external foot switch or expression pedal
- Runs on 4 AA batteries, with alkaline battery life of more than 6 hours
- Included AC adapter
- USB port for bus power and firmware updates
- 2-in/2-out USB audio interface for PC/Mac computers
- Compatible with Zoom Edit&Share software
- Includes Steinberg Cubase LE recording software
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