Zoom G1 Four Multi-Effect-Pedal

I wasn't happy about it, but it's not bad

I bought the G1 as to have an all-in-one pedal after several pedalboards (both traditional assortment of pedals and a MultiFX GT-100 from Boss).

After playing with it for a while, I sold it :(

It's not that it's bad, but the sound coming from it doesn't sound like "the real deal", it's over processed a bit like with the Boss GT-100 I had before, it sounds like everything is "excessively digital", with the downside of being very clunky to program without a computer.

In the end, I'd say that if you're on a budget and want one pedal to do it all, specially for playing at home, it will suit you. But don't expect it to replace single pedals or even a large MultiFX.

A perfect practice tool!

Build quality: Except for the bottom of the unit, which is made of metal, the Zoom G1 Four is made entirely of plastic. However, the plastic seems sturdy and unlikely to break. Judging by how it looks and feels to the touch, I would say that it is probably polycarbonate, which is one of the most durable thermoplastics. Surprisingly, the footswitches do not feel flimsy at all and are not as easy to press as I had expected, which gives off an impression of quality. To sum up, considering the low price of the unit, it is built very well.

Handling: The Zoom G1 Four can be used in either the Memory Mode, which allows the user to switch between different patches, each consisting of up to five amplifier and speaker cabinet emulations and effects (this mode works similarly to the MIDI switchers), and it can also be used in the Stomp Mode, which allows to separately switch on and off any one of up to five emulations and/or effects. Each emulation and effect has its own icon, designed to look like the thing being emulated. I have heard some people complain that they make the user interface look unprofessional, but to me, those “childish”, as they say, icons are much quicker and easier to identify from a distance than the more mature looking black squares and hexagons used by Boss and Line 6. Also, to someone who was born in the early '90s, the icons and the pixelated screen remind me of Tamagotchis. In any case, I think, Zoom has the best UI by far. In fact, it is so intuitive, that I managed to figure it out without opening the manual once! I think, it says a lot. Also, the settings are highly customizable, but due to the way, in which the menus are structured, the amount of available options does not overwhelm a first-time user. However, what I love the most about the G1 Four is that it is completely self-sufficient: it not only has a built-in tuner, a headphone port, and an auxiliary jack (for playing backing tracks from your phone or laptop) but also dozens of rhythm patterns in various time signatures and a 30-second looper — all you need to practice, jam, or compose! To maximize convenience, I downloaded the free Zoom Guitar Lab software, which allows for an even easier patch editing on my laptop.

Sound quality: While the G1 Four might not be able to emulate a holy-grail vintage tube amplifier absolutely perfectly, to me, life is too short for “chasing phantoms” anyway. I used to own a Fender '65 Twin Reverb Reissue, and when I selected the corresponding setting on my Zoom G1 Four and turned up the spring reverb, the emulation was accurate enough to bring back from a distant memory the smell of my Fender's vinyl covering. When I closed my eyes, I could have sworn that it was standing right beside me with its tubes warmed up and glowing. To someone who mostly plays jazz, most of the default presets sound horrible, but the emulations and effects themselves are, as I have previously alluded, convincingly accurate. It simply takes some time and effort to dial them in just right, carefully adjusting the parameters to your individual style of playing and your instrument of choice.

Summary: To me, the Zoom G1 Four is a perfect practice tool. I have neighbors who watch TV at full volume, so I turn on some rain or ocean sounds on my phone, and plug it into the G1's auxiliary input. Then, when I put on my headphones, I can hear not only what I am playing but also the rain or the waves. I then lay back, close my eyes, and it feels as if I am jamming on a warm sunny beach somewhere in Hawaii...

Final note: Keep in mind that the G1 Four comes without the power supply (instead, four alkaline AA-sized batteries are included), so I would advise to order the Zoom AD-16 power adapter right away because it is more environmentally friendly and a lot more convenient.

For the price it's excellent

For home use it's excellent. To be able to loop with drums and overdub (with different fx) on the fly is amazing. Highly recommended and brilliant for those starting out.

Great for on the go playing, not recommended for using in professional recordings

This is the perfect FX processor due to its versatility and variety of effects, though its absolutely not useful to use in professional recordings due to its relatively low dynamic range and distortion on the high end.

Does a lot of stuff well

I bought this thing to use it as a vocal effect and it works very well for rehearsals. I also use it to record guitar and bass for quick demos all the time. It also has a headphone output, so it's fitting to be used a practice amp, when you don't want to wake anybody up.

It offers a lot of different effects and amp simulations which sound very good for my needs.You get a tuner, a looper, a drum-machine, and an infinite amount of options for customizing effects patches.

All in all it's a very fun device for a hobbyist like myself. The only drawback is you don't get a power supply with this one, but it works well on my generic 9V adapter.

For the price, it's an amazing little thing.

Very nice

It even has a "brian may" effect, i just love it

Go buy this now!

This review is based on two gigs over the weekend with this little plastic toy looking device as my main source of sound, direct to PA and to my wedge monitor. And 30 years of gigging experience... :)

Excellent clean sound, OK overdrive sound, excellent hi-gain sound.

...FOR 80 €!!!

Yes, it has delays, reverbs, etc... but simply considering the fact that this toy can fit in your guitar pocket, and still provides completely usable, professional sounds stops any further need for explanation. Go buy this now. Even if you use this as a back-up, or for home recording, this is worth every penny. Did I mention it also runs on batteries? :)

Niche

I use this as a catch all pedal on my board that covers most of the niche modulation that I might need. This is probably a little different than the intended use but it fits the bill perfectly for me.

I did consider the multistomp but ended up with this one as it's cheaper, tiny bit bigger and I've heard Zoom use all the same algorithms through all their devices.

In my use I have a patch set up for Vibe, Flange and a couple of other things that I don't use much but it's handy to have around, this is also my tuner and can do backing tracks+looping so it really adds so much utility to my rig.

I also have used it as a solo device while travelling and I've found it pretty convincing, the amp and drive sims are really decent, I'm just not a massive fan of headphone playing.

The interface with PC is really handy and gives a nice view of the editor and can add in some really cool effects, plus it allows me to remove all the effects that I wouldn't use so that the interface is easier. I also like the processor usage indicator which is really handy when building patches as.

Wow!

Amazing little device! I can get very good sounds out of it, it's unbelievable for this price. The perfect tool for writing songs and practice with inbuild drums and looper and good tuner. You can use rechargeable batteries or an external USB power battery for quiet playing. Even my p90 is dead silent this way!

Half a year with zoom g1 four

I use

this zoom is already half a year, before I had zoom g2 and zoom g1xone, so I have experience using processors.

The Zoom g1 four is very different from the previous models, the sound is much better, the drum machine patterns are more interesting.

The native presets were not particularly pleasing, mostly this is a bold distortion for schoolchildren. But no one bothers to set up exactly the sound you need. There are tons of videos on youtube with instructions on how to set up the sound of a particular group.

ZoomLab software works decently, but there is not enough memory on the device. Sometimes you can't download everything you want.

In terms of effects:

The emulation of the cabinets is at the level, the delay and chorus are also beyond praise, the autowah is weak, a little lacking in warm overdrive, but maybe I haven't figured out how to get it yet. In terms of distortion and fuse, everything is ok, Metallzone does not differ from a real pedal.

On power supply and connection. The pedal is powered by AA batteries, power bank, usb or power supply. PC connection via micro-usb. There is an aux.

I am very pleased with the product. I recommend to buy.