Zoom G2

Quick update: Finally this morning I "put" the Zoom G2.1u in my Christmas list! :)
I hope to receive it the next Saturday!

Last week I was comparing both multi-effects in situ and I preferred the Zoom. Moreover, I heard it while I was traveling on the Metro (Underground) in a long corridor of a station. There was a man playing some blues with an acoustic guitar connected to a G2 and it sounded... :o

Thanks for your help! :)

Fantastic! Of course, if you don't like it I'm going to have to go into hiding :wink:

Can't remember if I mentioned it before or not, but you can (if you're eager!) download the manual in PDF format from the Zoom site here. There's even a Spanish version too :)

Fantastic! Of course, if you don't like it I'm going to have to go into hiding :wink:

:lol:

No, no, I'm sure I'll like it. Yesterday I was playing in the store and the sounds are great. It's true that some patches must be adjusted and also the acoustic modeler is not an acoustic guitar, but it is nice! The rhythm box is very funny!
Can't remember if I mentioned it before or not, but you can (if you're eager!) download the manual in PDF format from the Zoom site here. There's even a Spanish version too :)

Thanks! I downloaded the English and Spanish versions of our G2.1u and also several models (including the A2.1u acoustic model) a couple of weeks ago. I don't know if due to our job but I like to read the owner manuals and compare features! :)

Usually I read the English versions because the Spanish ones are not so good translated and I have to read the English to understand they are saying in Spanish :? But I think the translation is enough good in this case (it is also a good test for quality control).

(Note: I agree too, the rubber has a very strong smell!)

Thanks! I downloaded the English and Spanish versions of our G2.1u and also several models (including the A2.1u acoustic model) a couple of weeks ago. I don't know if due to our job but I like to read the owner manuals and compare features! :)
Yeah, definately a programmer thing :mrgreen:

I made a quick reference in Excel as well, managed to get the main details that I tend to look up down to two pages. Another programmer thing :) g2ref.xls The bold 'P' means that a setting can be assigned to the pedal, and the bold 'T' means that a rate can be set with the tap key - other than that it's all self explanatory once you've read the manual.

I love Excel, I use it continuosly! :lol:

Great summary sheet! The manual is good but I think they should include a summary like this. However, they put complete reference to the amps and models, a commented patches list and also explain the newer effects. Your summary is very useful because you get all the effects and parameters.

Great work! Thank you very much! :D

The Zoom G2.1u is a really great tool. It has taken me some time do get my own sound that I'm happy with, but now I'm very satisfied with them.

Today (6 month after the purchase) I realised you can actually lower the pitch of the guitar succesfully. The trick was to put the Mix to 1.0 so the dry and wet signal don't mix together. Now I can actually play along with recordings in Eb without messing with the tuning on the guitar. It makes an ok temporary bass if you lower the pitch an whole octave.

Even the pedal pitch shifter works ok for playing Tom Morello solos (Audioslave/Rage Against the Machine).

I'm having problems recording succesfully, but I think that depends on the user being to lazy to work with it.

I just got a G2.1u for Christmas too. I really like it so far, but now I'm having a little bit of second thoughts.

I play mostly acoustic guitar when I perform and figured that if I was going to ever use effects, using an electric guitar pedal will give me more versatility over an acoustic multi-effects pedal (like the A2). Was my logic wrong or flawed? Anyone have any insight? I've never really used effects before, but wanted to get a pedal just to familiarize myself with them and experiment a little.

I do also own an electric so I have the option of using that too.

I use mine with my acoustic all the time, just a lot more subtly and steering well clear of distortion :)

Just off the top of my head, the A2 has sacrificed some of the effects that generally go with an electric (distortion etc) to fit in more effects that generally go with an acoustic, and some extra EQs (may as well if you have space :)).

There's still some crossover though, so I'm still glad I got the electric version. Compression, EQ, cab simulation, chorus, reverb, echo etc. are more than enough for me and my acoustic at my level, so I may as well have the benefit of all the extras for the electric. :mrgreen:

The trick was to put the Mix to 1.0 so the dry and wet signal don't mix together.

Good idea! :D

On the A2 versus G2:

The man who I saw was playing an acoustic through a G2, probably he used the "Carlos Santana" patch or so. He was playing blues and sounded great (the amp was a small Peavy... I think the natural reverb helped).

First I was looking for "something acoustic" but comparing the Misanthrope's samples I understood these things are mainly for electrics. However, as Misanthrope says, you can use all the "neutral" effects for both guitars. The G2 has a very good EQ!

I read the A2 owner manual and they include several acoustic models. Really I don't know if they are enough to make the decision on the A2. I mean, if you heard the Misanthrope's sample in which he uses his acoustic, it sounds great and I don't know if modeling that sound with a Martin or Taylor modeler will sound different or much better.

Sorry folks for the brief hijack here but Misanthrope can you describe your recording set up for me? Are you using USB or just direct line in to the pc from the zoom? I'm wanting to do some recording (using Audacity) along with some of the jams posted here and I'm trying to keep it as simple as possible.

Thanks

Sure, no prob... Guitar into Zoom, Zoom into computer via USB (with ASIO4ALL drivers), and Audacity... that's the essence of it.

In a little more detail:
When you plug the Zoom into the computer it takes over all the input and output settings automatically - you'll no longer get the sounds from the speakers, it'll all be through the amp or headphones you have connected to the Zoom. This is great, because you don't need to worry about latency - each track is recorded with a little latency, but it's always exactly the same amount so they are all perfectly synched. You just have to make sure the track you're recording is not played as you record it, as then you'll notice the latency and it'll put you off. It's an option in Audacity called 'software playthrough' or 'hardware playthrough' depending on your setup. When you unplug it again, it puts all your settings back to normal.

Shout if there's anything there that doesn't make sense, or anything I've not covered.

While I'm in this thread, I'll post this little beauty I found the other day. It's a site for Zoom G2 patches. It's just started out so there's not a lot there at the moment, but there's a couple more each day and the ones that are there are really good.

I didn't connect the Zoom to my computer, neither install the Cubase, yesterday I was checking the patches and the rhythm box (sometimes I'd need days with 30 or 32 hours :( ).

I like the Audacity and I used to digitalize old cassette or MiniDisc recordings. Is Audacity better than this Cubase version? I think I was using an old version with a friend when I was learning keyboard some years ago...

While I'm in this thread, I'll post this little beauty I found the other day. It's a site for Zoom G2 patches. It's just started out so there's not a lot there at the moment, but there's a couple more each day and the ones that are there are really good.
Great site! Again, not only for the patches, also for the comments on patches! They give advices to understand and use some effects!

Cubase does more, I just haven't outgrown Audacity yet :)

I think there's a few threads knocking around that compares the two, and quite possibly Reaper (which is also free and does more than Audacity) as well. Audacities handling of VSTs seems a bit suspect though, so I'll probably make the change when I start needing them. If you're going to be using VSTs very soon it might make sense to just skip Audacity and use Cubase or Reaper.

Really interested in the comments about G2 vs A2 for acoustic guitar.

I mainly play acoustic guitar and occasionally want to add some distortion to a song to give it some punch, part way through the song.
After talking to the sales guy at the local guitar store he led me to believe that the frequency range and accuracy in a dedicated acoustic pedal will be much better than that found in an electric guitar pedal, for reproducing that acoustic sound. Is this true or does it come down to fine tuning the settings to match the guitar being used?

Really I don't know. I think the A2 has more effects and amp emulations that an acoustic player could need, the G2 is more appropriate for electric guitar. Both have many similar effects such as delays, reverbs, etc. I don't think Zoom does specific changes for acoustic or electric on those effects.

Now, on distortion? I don't like so much those tones in the G2. I never used it with the acoustic (it has not a mic installed) but I saw other people that used it (mainly buskers).

I could be wrong but the frequency range is very similar in both guitars, isn't? A bass is different, but for guitars... did he mean the frequency of the harmonics?

But it is a pedal effect, the store should allow you try it before purchasing. In fact I always do it (at least I had a very specific idea on the pedal or I already know its response).