Zoom G11 at Winter NAMM 2020

[jimfist]

Zoom is showing their new G11 pedal at NAMM. It's like the G5n on steroids with a lot of new features, and arguably the UGLIEST looks in recent memory.



Key features: IR loading, Amp section with dedicated tone knobs separated from the stomp effects (up to 9, and 5 visible at one time), MIDI in/out, stereo send/return)...etc.

What makes this viable for bassists is the 3rd party IR loading feature to load bass cabinets. Assuming no bass models are included (or will there be a B11 pedal?), a good bass cab IR can work well when paired with a guitar amp. These updates are long overdue IMHO.

The price????

 

[jimfist]

FWIW, the G11 is evidently still in development, no sounds produced that we know of, no release date, no price. I guess it gave Zoom a reason to show their new ideas, but that's about it. If the G11 actually does make it beyond the white board to the market, I'll update the thread, but until then....

 

[BrentSimons]

Zoom is showing their new G11 pedal at NAMM. It's like the G5n on steroids with a lot of new features, and arguably the UGLIEST looks in recent memory.



Key features: IR loading, Amp section with dedicated tone knobs separated from the stomp effects (up to 9, and 5 visible at one time), MIDI in/out, stereo send/return)...etc.

What makes this viable for bassists is the 3rd party IR loading feature to load bass cabinets. Assuming no bass models are included (or will there be a B11 pedal?), a good bass cab IR can work well when paired with a guitar amp. These updates are long overdue IMHO.

The price????

Huh...it is a bit odd looking isn't it?

 

[jimfist]

Huh...it is a bit odd looking isn't it?

yeah. not going to charm many with those looks. hopefully a prototype, but if Zoom kicks things up a notch and delivers a great value for the $$, I'll have a close look. Looks physically bigger than anything I've ever seen from Zoom. The G5n is the biggest footprint I want. I guess that's why I have the POD Go and the Neural Quad Cortex (+$$$) on my watch list.

 

[Al Krow]

I'm interested to see they have taken the touchscreen UI route, which should make editing on the pedal itself a whole bunch easier, particularly if the Quad Cortex demos are anything to go by.

Sizewise this seems to be pitched squarely at Helix LT users, who want a single multi-fx 'board' to meet all their needs.

Knowing Zoom, I suspect the B11 won't be far behind.

 

[BrentSimons]

Looks like a couple of months. I wonder if there will be any bass related amps or effects?

 

[jimfist]

I saw a video where the zoom rep was asked directly about bass in the G11...no dice, so this remains to be seen. I've never let lack of bass models get in the way, and with 3rd party IR loading or EQ/filters I can get a fine sound anyway. I'm actually more concerned about what the price wil be and if the improvements are justified.

 

[Chrisk-K]

It's not aesthetically pleasing to me.

 

[jimfist]

It's not aesthetically pleasing to me.

Yeah, that was the first thing a lot of people said who saw it. I tend to agree, but I care more about features & performance...and price. It would be nice if ZOOM took the hint and reconsidered that color scheme when released.

 

[warrplayer]

Fingers crossed the B11 is right behind it.

 

[primussucks9126]

I really hope that they take the cue from nearly every other company doing multi-fx and just put out 1 model that caters to both guitar and bass. There are definitely some effects on the G3n that I wish were on the B3n as well. It seems like that would be more cost effective to manufacture anyway.

Either way, I'm really excited about this. I think Zoom's stuff is really great and punches way above its price point.

Also, I went to college with the dude in the Sweetwater video.

 

[ga_edwards]

I really hope that they take the cue from nearly every other company doing multi-fx and just put out 1 model that caters to both guitar and bass. There are definitely some effects on the G3n that I wish were on the B3n as well. It seems like that would be more cost effective to manufacture anyway.

Exactly this. We're at the point now with large screen interfaces and scribble strips per footswitch that the only differences between guitar and bass multi-fx units are largely software only.

 

[jimfist]

Saw this release on the Zoom Japan website (I used google translate in Chrome):
Zoom G11 Multi-Effects Processor

US street price is still not known, but soon enough I guess.

Has some interesting features but not sure how much this will interest bassists. IR loading, touch screen editing, dedicated controls for the amp section (but no bass amps, of course), additional footswitch, effects loop, etc.

 

[primussucks9126]

I ordered one. 799. I'm not sure how well it'll work on bass either, but I've become a Zoom loyalist since they treated me so well.

I haven't seen an effects list, but as long as it has a decent compressor for bass and maybe the EP stomp and Rat models, I'll be ok. I don't use the amp sims on my B3n, so I won't be missing those.

I'm excited by the increase in processing power. I'm not sure if I read it right, but i believe you can do 9 effects plus the amp? Not to mention the loops. Between me and my guitar player brother , It'll get a lot of use

 

[Zymba]

I ordered one. 799. I'm not sure how well it'll work on bass either, but I've become a Zoom loyalist since they treated me so well.

I haven't seen an effects list, but as long as it has a decent compressor for bass and maybe the EP stomp and Rat models, I'll be ok. I don't use the amp sims on my B3n, so I won't be missing those.

I'm excited by the increase in processing power. I'm not sure if I read it right, but i believe you can do 9 effects plus the amp? Not to mention the loops. Between me and my guitar player brother , It'll get a lot of use

I'm curious to hear your review. I've used the B3n for a couple of years on a mini board and find it really good...great for the price. That said I've decided to build back up my PT-2 with a HX Effects and the new Atomic Bass Box plus a few other pieces.

I think I saw an effects list for the G11 several weeks ago and if memory serves me right it had no dedicated bass effects/modeling. That's a complete non starter for me, especially given the price, but you don't necessarily need that to get a good sound. Plus it seems the amp/cab stuff isn't a necessity for you. It's loaded with additional features for sure. Congrats on the new kit!

 

[primussucks9126]

I think the glam comp and PEQ are the only things I'm using on the B3n that isn't on the G3n as well.

Glam Comp
EP Stomp
OptComp
BassPEQ
Exciter
Squeak
ZNR

I'm eager to hear the drives. There are some decent mid-high gain drives on the B/G3n but I want a low gain drive that keeps the tone natural and just adds a bit of crunch. The EP stomp is the closest for that to my ears.

My favorite pedal for that is the Emma Stinkbug.

 

[jimfist]

I'm eager to hear the drives. There are some decent mid-high gain drives on the B/G3n but I want a low gain drive that keeps the tone natural and just adds a bit of crunch. The EP stomp is the closest for that to my ears.

My favorite pedal for that is the Emma Stinkbug.

Try the Gold Drive.

When I use the G5n for my bass, I run the Gold Drive into the LMT 76 compressor, then for tone shaping, I run this into the GT GEQ 7 (7 band EQ) and then the Marshall 800 amp set fairly clean, and then finally, the Exciter. But since the G11 has IR loading, that could be something worth investigating, using some good 3rd party bass cab IRs. I prefer using the EQ instead of cab simulation on the G5n because I'm not terribly thrilled with most of the (non-bass) cabinets included.

I also had good luck with the HW 100 (HiWatt) amp model. I haven't yet seen a documented list of all G11 effects yet, but that's always interesting.

 

[primussucks9126]

The gold drive would probably make sense for me. That's a Klon model, right? I believe the Stinkbug is a Klon clone or at least Klon inspired. My brother has my G3xn, so I haven't gotten to mess with it too much.

What really sets the Zoom apart for me is the stomp boxes. It's incredibly user friendly, straight forward, and easy to adjust on the fly. I have the Helix software, but I don't find it to be as intuitive. I'd even hesitate to say it sounds objectively better.

I'm pretty confident I'll be writing a positive review for this whenever it comes in.

 

[jimfist]

The gold drive would probably make sense for me. That's a Klon model, right? I believe the Stinkbug is a Klon clone or at least Klon inspired. My brother has my G3xn, so I haven't gotten to mess with it too much.

What really sets the Zoom apart for me is the stomp boxes. It's incredibly user friendly, straight forward, and easy to adjust on the fly. I have the Helix software, but I don't find it to be as intuitive. I'd even hesitate to say it sounds objectively better.

I'm pretty confident I'll be writing a positive review for this whenever it comes in.

Cool. I wish I had room in my wallet and on stage for a pedal that big, but it's a lot more than I can manage in a gig bag and on small stages. Looking forward to hearing what you think. Yes the Gold Drive is Klon-based, and I find it to add just that right amount of harmonic distortion that helps it punch through a mix. I agree, one of the best features is having all of those stomps and parameter controls right there, along with the amp controls. My G5n and B3n have been good to me for a number of years.

 

[Al Krow]

Have Zoom indicated that they are using an upgraded chip set for this?

I've had the B3N and still have the B1X-4 on my board which have their latest chips and the one thing that lets them down is the digital artefacts noise which is more noticeable on some of the effects patches than others. But given the price point and versatility of the B1X-4 that's something you can comfortably think "fair enough". The Helix pedals, with their more advanced chips, don't suffer the same digital artefacts noise and given that this G11 is pitching itself squarely into Helix territory, I hope that the Zoom chips are of comparable quality.

The other feature on Helix is the ability to parallel route effects e.g. to blend in clean signal which is a must particularly with effect sims such as Rat drive that suck out low end. I manage that issue with my B1X-4 by using a Boss LS2 to allow clean blend. If the G11 (and the B11 when it comes out) doesn't allow parallel routing, at $799, it's going to be an opportunity missed for Zoom to successfully move its tanks onto Helix territory.