Really thorough review! I've had my G11 for a year now and its great interface, power and sounds are truly professional yet underated ... truly a secret weapon!
Thanks for the info. I tried the GT1000 but it was Version 1 and was not good at that time. It's likely better these days. For me the G11 was interesting for sure and at £499 it was good price... Also its an important point about 'bonding' with gear. I agree with you that if its not right for the player, then (at least in my case) I tend to play on reviews with less spontaneity because often with the 'wrong' gear it is actually uninspiring. Find videos with me playing well, and you'll generally know what I really liked :). Its a very good point and thanks for posting it. The plastic really is not a problem and I doubt you would break that from my examination of the internal structure. Thanks for watching.
great review as usual. soooo glad you chose to highlight the G11. EASILY the most underrated and underexposed multi effects out there. maybe not the absolute best, but decently the most overlooked.
Of the devices that have gone 'over my desk' so to speak, its pretty much up there no matter what many might say. I found the ease of use, operability, factory presets, connectivity, build quality, price and tones all pretty excellent. It beats the GX-100 for sure. I agree the unit IS overlooked, and from what I think that's a bit of 'clannish' or 'snobbery' over other brands. I'm sure that many brands want to keep ZOOM down on the list of effects units - and I can see why they would want to do that once I tried one. Thanks for watching.
Hey Tony, great review (wow, literally the most "in depth" I've ever seen). You say it beats the GX-100, but you also score that at 9/10. N what aspects do you think the Zoom beats the Boss? How would you compare then tonewise? Thank you!
I’m a big advocate for this unit - I purchased mine for full price a year ago; after considering a Boss GT-1000, Helix LT and even a Fractal FM3. So glad I saved the few hundred $$ and got the G11. The tones, flexibility, UI are *superb* . I believe it’s wildly misunderstood because of its avant garde appearance and ‘weird’ price point. Yes, the lack of XLR outs is a bummer. Otherwise, this thing is a solid 9/10 for me. Love it 🤘
Thanks for sharing and I have to agree that many simply 'don't get it' in more ways than one, but I found it to be very good value for money and contrary to many out there it sounded fine. Great points and thanks for watching.
I also wanted to follow up after having watched your full review - the software thing has been a non-issue for me. Maybe I lucked out 🤷🏻♂️ but the very first time I plugged it in, I got it running flawlessly, no issues on my PC. I’ve also used it numerous times as an interface into Cubase for tracking guitar and bass - been wonderful in that regard as well!
Ha great point... it does load a little slow, but I love the light show... that's pretty rad really. Best one I have seen on a pedal. and thanks for watching.
Before I watch this - thanks and I have been waiting for this one. I bought it when they had a $200 off sale. I really like it and don’t use it much. The layout and touch screen are what drew me. I got some good sounds out of it but it took some tweaking. Thanks in advance. Now on to the show!!!
I know what you mean there. I bought this one for about £479 which was a great price. Typically here about £650. I spoke with distribution (at a show) and they said the smaller units sell really fast, but these larger ones are slower to sell, maybe the price at £650 end user. But at the price I (and you) got there's little to not like :). I really liked the touch screen too! Thanks for watching...
Ah... well its always there... some tell me I'm like Paul McCartney, some say I can't speak English, but as you say it IS a dialect. I tried to lose it historically but it remains likely forever. Written local dialect like " cos kik a bow agin a wow n yed it" might be harder to get :) Thanks for watching.
Just discovered the channel and plan to binge watch Zoom, Boss and Headrush videos. Just the beginning of this video is a gem. Years ago, I used a borrowed Zoom 4040 and loved that unit, then I purchased a small 505. They were great in their respective realms. Now on the market of a multi fx unit, it's hard to determine how genuine reviews are - I bought a NUX and sent it back and it was supposedly great. For some reason, people dismiss Zoom straight when the name gets mentioned. I may go for the smaller G6 unit as G11 is an overkill for my needs but then... it's being discounted now so I may give it a try.
I like Zoom. I don't like their UI, some effect choices and design overall. I would love to see them with more streamlined design and intuitive UI. Also, better DSP to prevent process overflow errors and the ability to stack effects (two ODs, two delays, etc).
Great review Tony! I've been going back and forth with Boss, Helix and Zoom. Sometimes simpler technology is better and when you said it was designed and manufactured in Japan instead of China, that's what sealed the deal for me. I want to use it with the effects loop and 4 Cable Method. Thanks again!
The insides of this unit are very well done….excellent smt solder and clean pcbs….well split apart pcbs as you mentioned. I have been very impressed with the Zoom sounds from my ms-50g pedal, especially the Krank Rev model…I bet this thing is terrific. Excellent insights and review
I sold my Helix Floor and bought one of these. the Helix was excellent but I found I was only using a tiny fraction of what it was capable of. I bought the Zoom for a third of what I sold the Helix for. I bought it mostly for the user interface. The combination of touch screen, amp controls that show you where they are set, and physical knobs to adjust multiple blocks/stomps at once is a winner for me, and I'm totally happy with the sounds and range of amps/cabs/effects. The ONLY thing I don't like is that the expression pedal does not toggle between volume and wah (or other effect) - it's only on or off. So if you want a volume pedal and a wah in one patch, you need an external expression pedal. Oh, and the presets suck big time - but dialling in good sounds is easy.
Thanks for this post on your opinion and experience with the G11 - its great to hear. I also own a Helix rack and each has its own thing going on I think. But great points and thanks for watching.
Outstanding review Tony. I'm especially impressed by the overall simplicity of the user interface for the gobs of effects and things it is capable of. I am currently using a Boss ME-80. I have a Zoom B1x-four for bass and love it. I'm seriously thinking of upgraded to this unit for guitar now. Thanks for all the time and work you've put into this. Cheers from across the pond.
Yes this G11 did impress me, and as I work through the filming stuff, you sort of get to know much more about the unit (I never used this pedal ever before filming the review) and then I want to include this point, that point etc. and soon you have 2 hours of footage! Generally that happens on the good stuff. :) Try a G11, I was surprised at how good it was, and bear in mind the Boss IR-200 costs £350 in the UK ($450 probably) then for the £150 difference there really is no competition the G11 wins hands down. If you try one (the G11) do let me know your thoughts - just try the presets even... they sounded pretty cool to me. Thanks...
Ok. Just watched the whole thing. Nice job and I agree with the rating. I’ve had other modelers and I like this one, especially for the price. I really appreciated the view of the boards and chips. I think people don’t like the aesthetic (I like it) and initial reviews didn’t really show it being used properly by some people (you have to turn on the IRs, mics, and cabinets. Also, the expression pedal has a switch underneath it like other modelers. Mine had a piece of foam blocking it so I removed it and all is well. Nice job and thanks for this one!
Thanks for the info. I have heard many talk down this pedal, like the 'presets are cr*p', its cheap, well you name it. But to be honest this cost me about £479 brand new recently and no matter how I looked at it, the unit was sleek, it had reasonably good sounds, the build quality was fine, and there was little to not like. Sometimes I do think ZOOM get a bit of a bad press so to speak. But I just relayed the opinion I formed as I reviewed it - completely unsponsored BTW and I have seen so much gear I should by now have a clue :). Thanks for watching too.
Ha that's a very long time ago (I think about 11 years or so)... and yes I still do the reviews. I slowed on guitars because TBH I have too many :) (is that possible) wife moaned a bit (strike out and put 'a lot') but also seems Warmoth are not quite what they used to be IMO. Slower and not quite the same choices/tops/etc that they had before 2020 sadly. Warmoth are one of my fave companies, but I found it hard to find the level of gear that I bought prior 2020 and very sad. I home they recover as they should. Thanks for watching in any case...
Fair cost on that arm micro….I did a flowmeter and a digital pressure controller with an arm cortex just like that…..the TI is probably for the DSP core that offloads the math and IR convolutions from the mcu functions….excellent information and review tony….this thing is a beast
Tony, this is a great video. Probably one of your best. I’m finding this hard to say but….my hip has gotten so bad, my buddy dropped off a Fender GTX 100 and I’m using a boss ms 3. And like this huge beast you are reviewing….the price….here I go. They did it. You don’t need tubes anymore. For my taste, this huge monster loses a point for size. But the tones…. Great review.
Hey Thomas, sorry to hear about your hip... be careful my friend... it all creeps up on us over time. I was surprised about this G11 multi-effects unit. UK £499 was the cheapest I could find, and not sure of USA prices but if you find them cheap post it for me :) It is a bigger unit I agree but not as big as a Helix floor pedal - that one was for me too big and I changed that for a rack unit (I think you know). But I can live with the ZOOM G11 for size. I purposely only used presets in then tones part of the video and direct to the desk... ropey playing :) but that's OK, the tones that recorded IMO sounded very good and I tweaked nothing. There was feel to it too, often variable on so many simulators I have checked, it made the GT1000 (at least the one I had back in version 1 of that) sound really bad at the time. Glad you liked it... and I'm sure you'll hide the odd tube amp somewhere :) - great to hear you and watch that hip - you don't want major aggro with that. Regards and thanks for watching. I'll make another video about the accessories I showed and create a much better playing bit I guess :).
Glad it was helpful! Many seem to ignore the ZOOM stuff (even I did!) but not any more - this was a great unit and sounded good, easy to use too. Thanks for watching.
Professor, what a great review. I was quite confused searching for a multi-effect pedal after having tried a Valeton G200 which I sent back after 2 days. The G11 seems to have the right compromises for me and I'm hoping that they'll update the drivers to fix the connectivity soon. I think I'll be ordering one today but I'm going to check out some of your other reviews first. Thank you, Tony.
Yes thanks for watching. Some have suggested its picky re the USB cable... and that could be so, but I never had issues with that cable on other gear. In any case thanks and do let me know what you eventually get and why...
@@tonymckenzieofficial I went to my local Guitar Center here in Alexandria, VA and traded in my GR55 for a G11. It's going to take a few days to ship to me. I'll let you know how it goes.
Hey, how are you? Can you PLEASE help me and a group of friends with some thing? The "L" output of Zoom G11 is for mono, but manual said that you can use it for Stereo unique plug output too, so its trs, i tested and the L for mono are stereo too BUT, it's balanced too? or do i need a direct box?
I can't go and check it was sold to finance other gear to review... that's how it is when I finance it all myself... but thanks and thanks for watching.
For me, the good part is having lots of actuators. It makes it easier to tweak a tone on the unit. About the rest, it's definitely one of the multi-fx in the market.
I agree - this G11 offers a huge and SIMPLE interface with great results... and no one at all paid me to say it :). The controls are really well thought out, thanks for watching.
Great video!! I seem to be having trouble connecting it successfully to a physical guitar cabinet. Using the mono output but the volume comes in super super quiet no matter how loud I have the device. Any thoughts? Thanks!
There is no 'real' power out - its really like a pre-amp level... Use it to connect to some kind of power amp and it will then be fine... thanks for watching.
Looking at Sweetwater today and the G11 lists for $799.99. I wonder why they just don't say $800? Psychological marketing i guess. Excellent review, as always. Thank You
Senior :) only by age... :) While my body, brain and all the rest slowly fades... honestly I'm still in the playground :). Did you see the review? It's here: th-cam.com/video/C4WLh0vYaIs/w-d-xo.html and man the amp is incredible. This one was made for me by PiereAngelo :) and he made a brilliant job - its hardware is nigh on perfect and the tones are (as you will see with three guitarists) just wonderful rock tones. Thanks for watching.
The GE300 was harder to use in general. The G11 I thought was a very good effort overall. The GE300 IMO suffered a little because of that. Hope it helps... and thanks.
What is the cost to component ratio compared to other multi-effects (dsp power)? I noticed that with a better usb cable there is no problem with communication with the computer. I had Boss GT1000, later also Core - I sold and bought G11 and I liked its sound more (the bottom plate heats up a lot in the place of the radiator)
Honestly I did not go further re the ratios of cost/power etc. as I could have made this review two hours :) This alone took a week to make. I get to the limit of available time and honestly, this stuff can absorb what little spare time I do have, but I have to say I love doing the vids... :) my review of the GT1000 was not good and three or four guys never got any decent sound from it (it was version 1) and I sold it. The CORE was better and offered up to 26 effects but that included the I/O ports weirdly enough. The bottom plate is in fact part of the heat sink for the main processor. If you take off the bottom plate you will see the conductive patches on the bottom plate directly to the alloy heat sink. I guess its one way of getting good heat dissipation :) a small fan might have been better internally maybe. I like the G11 tones too and one of the demo ones has this huge bottom end that sounds incredible... thanks for the info.... and for watching.
Tones might be a little better on the Headrush... but do make sure it all works... and buy from somewhere that you can send back if you don't get on with it... Thanks for watching.
Yeah Zoom make solid multi fx pedals... I used their G3X for several years and I always thought most of the FX were as good as any Boss pedal etc that I've owned. As far as amp simulations though... I don't recall being very impressed.
Great info and thanks for that. On this one (I don't know the others) they really do seem very good. Some of those amp tones even from the presets really sounded very good indeed and right up there with many others I could name. If you get a chance plug in a G11 - honestly, I was surprised and I come from tube amps! :) Thanks for watching...
Im thinking to pair it with marshall dsl 40cr and the zoom g11. But im confuse if it needs to turn off/on the button in the amp to make the effect loop to work.
I did mention the 'plastic' body in the review, but to be honest, it seems fine and is built in a way that creates stability within the unit. You can assign an expression pedal, its just that I am going to make a different video of that and the Bluetooth section. Good points and thanks for watching.
Nice clip Tony. You go the extra mile by looking under the hood. That unit would probably be more than enough for many guitarists from a starter right up to a pro. I've messed with pedals and multi-effects for longer than I can remember and there was a feature of most multi-effects that got me down. That bugbear was the fixed order of the effects and that you could only use an effect once. I might be wrong here but I think that Zoom was one of the first to allow a player to move effects around as though you had the physical pedals and to use multiple variations of the same effect in a chain. I've always been a noodler, a bit of a shoegazer and I often do things like putting modulations post reverb or having multiple delays that are out of sync to create different vibes. Zoom multi-effects let me do stuff that I'm sure alot of players would never consider. When you add up how much it would cost to get all of the gear emulated in a unit like this it soon becomes obvious that they are actually amazing value for money and great space savers. Zoom do this stuff right down to a single pedal sized box, the MS-50G. I'd recomend Zoom. You don't seem to be paying a premium for the brand but you get a product that stands up to most for not much more than some of the trash doing the rounds. Nice to see you. Keep up the good work!
This was the first ZOOM pedal I have looked at and to be honest, I was impressed with this unit, firstly because of the actual sounds direct in to the desk, but also because at the £499 ($600) I paid for it I doubt any other pedal offers what this does in such a great user friendly package. I have reviewed pedals costing over £1100 and those were generally not as good as the G11. Your comments are very fitting IMO for the ZOOM I have seen here. Thanks for this post of yours because I know its a really genuine one and from someone using the gear... and that really counts - especially on the stuff like simulators and that sort of thing. Of course there are some guys that tell me brand X is 'awesome' but sometimes I have bought, looked very close, and found very different results to those guys (Fractal was one of those sadly) but I agree with your comments here for sure. Thanks for watching too. This video took me literally a weeks work to make...
Too bad it only has one mono input... I was interested in using this device with my keyboard. Aux in (stereo?) is probably not an option due to static noise / ground loop hum, as that's not balanced.
It's somewhere else :) More like Smoke on Stench :) with some Irish and Scottish mixed and the result is me :) I guess a mongrel :) but aren't we all? I did smile at this one and thanks for watching.
Well I have to say I did not consider that point. Seemed OK to me, but there again I'm sitting in the studio... Thanks for the info and of course for watching.
Levi is currently working towards his pilots license and studying daily for months and of course flying when he can. I asked about the playing as he has not been around while doing that and he said he was still playing etc. We go to a guitar show Sunday and no doubt I'll ask him - he's clearly still interested in guitars etc. as he's coming the show... When his stuff is out of the way I'll get him play something and post it :). Thanks for asking...
Hey Tony!!! Tony here from Miami, Florida! I own a Zoom G11, and to be honest I'm still learning how to get the most of it. Currently my setup is Zoom G11 + Marshall DSL40CR, and something that I still don't understand when you are customizing your banks is, when you add an effect (not necesarilly a drive/distortion) the sound comming out of it is extremmely loud forcing me to change lower the volumne on that particular effect, like dastrically lowered to 2 -3. I found this a bit of annoying since lowering to much the volumen for a given effect then you don't get the most of it. Have you noticed this too? Is this normal? I really appreciate any suggestion on this. Thank you for your very detailed review. I will explore the 4 cables method and see how that goes too.
A great place to be... been there a number of times... not sure about the 'master' settings for the effects (if you get my meaning) and I really don't know the answer for that - but anyone... come on guys if you're reading this help @tonymarrarocks out! and thanks for the info... and for watching.
An excellent review, but my now ancient G3 does all I need, by the time I buy the G11 plus new Shadows patches the cost is just mouch for playing at home. Re DPD I have had very few problems, Anderson's are not in my good books after sending me a damaged used guitar that was supposed to be brand new in a sealed box. Never again will I buy from them. Hope you are keeping well Tonye
Yes I get that for sure Allan. Frankly I have far too much gear from reviews (I bought near enough all of it) and after a point much is (sort of) similar. But there are some things that stand out and some that absolutely don't stand out. I try and keep the stand out stuff and sell the other stuff to buy more gear to review. I too have suffered with particular music retailers from time to time - Thomann can be good, or particularly bad. Andertons off and on I have bought since about 1975 (must be) but the recent DPD aggro makes me want to look elsewhere for my buying side of things. It can be a real pain chasing stuff around. Ultimately, Andertons employ DPD so sadly they get tarred when DPD screws up and that is VERY common these days. Frankly I don't mind saying that we dumped DPD near Christmas at work because they were incredibly bad and had literally (I'm told) a mountain of parcels for next day that were taking far longer than my company is prepared to put up with. We switched to Fedex and they are cheaper and better service. It's sad when that happens re damaged or second hand (sold as new) happens. My PRS acoustic video showed that happened to me - its painful and there is massive aggro to get goods that you paid for. I have sympathy for anyone suffering in that way and whoever it might be I do think that getting others to know of that sort of thing really can help them to change their ways... well at least sometimes. Yes I'm OK here and trust same there too... and thanks for watching... this one took me a week to make...
@@tonymckenzieofficial Re DPD, they remind me of Parcelforce, they can be very good or very bad, mostly they are bad! Couriers have massive problems retaining staff, multidrop is thankless work with very long days and many issues to deal with. Re Andertons, what upset me the most was that i phoned before placing the order to ensure i would receive a brand new sealed box, they told me they had 12 instock, so why send out a damaged one in a resealed box? It took many weeks and a Paypal case before i was refunded by Paypal not Andertons. I can understand when something goes wrong, but when you are treated like something stuck to their shoe when you dare to complain is never acceptable. The only safe way to buy, is to put up with the hassle, and make a long journey to collect the box in person. Couriers will always loose, delay and damage parcels, shop staff tell lies, rip off britain is still waitng to kick us in our wallets.
Lol it is proper power supply for Europe. I wonder if zoom starter doing this after brexit or their cheaper stuff have dedicated UK power supplies because their are made in bigger amount.
Well I buy power supplies myself, and generally the IEC type connector is so common, and that allows for a 'proper' input lead with the proper connector for the country on the end. Sadly it costs us about $1.50 difference including the cable. The UK plug is actually used in the UK, Singapore, (used to be Hong Kong but might now have changed) and 'maybe' Australia among other places so I do think the cost factor did come in to the choice. Personally I would have standardized the PSU and opted for differing fly leads for the input for the pittance of the difference in price... but you know some companies see things differently. But you made a good point also... so thanks.. and thanks for watching.
@@tonymckenzieofficial thanks for doing the videos, its good when you know someone isnt doing revews for money, I'd really like to see someone showcase these gadgets live in a Band, thats the real test for me, how they sound live in a crowded soundscape in an average venue.
Blimey Tony, you must have been paid for a positive review. £400 for a plastic pedal with fake carbon fibre and cheap A/D D/A chips. No proper musician is ever going to use one on stage, especially the awful presets you demonstrated. Doesn't sound anything like the 'real' amps you hold in high regard. I use a second hand BluGuitar Iridium and two analogue FX pedals. Total cost £550 including the built in 100w power amp. No contest. I generally love your in depth reviews, however. Miff.
In fact I bought the unit out of my own money and was paid NOTHING to create the review. It was my own opinion and to be honest for a simple pedal design it worked very well, the layout was very good and it made the thing so easy to use for even someone without any experience. I do think BTW that 'proper musicians' are not the target audience for ANY of these low(ish) end pedals and the guys in pub bands (no disrespect to them) or bedrooms or maybe even (at a push) home studios are actually the customers for them. You're right it does NOT sound like the real tube amps and I would never suggest that, the feel is completely wrong and the tones are what someone might expect for the money... I can name (and have reviewed) 10's of similar pedals (and some more expensive ones too) that all claim to be for 'pro' use but in reality, I don't believe that for one moment... they are all pretty much consumer goods. BluGuitar gear IS good, I reviewed the standard one some years ago and I remember 'Awesome John' RIP Asim, telling me the blues tones I had from it were really great. I agree they were. So no problems with the Thomas Blug gear at all, and he's a very friendly and affable guy. Check my video out of him at the Musicmesse from some years back... he was really good at the playing :). But equate the ZOOM G11 for what it is... a consumer product. :) Thanks for the post and for watching.
A proper musician? A proper musician would use in a gig whatever pedal in the nearby, regardless of the price or quality, and would make it sound good. I know LOTS of great musicians that use ANY gear they like (from Nux, to kemper, and anything in between). Years ago, unit were way worse than today, and music legend gigged the existing gear. And by the way, making the statement that the reviewer had to be payed for his review is one of the most disrespectful posts I've seen here. Congratulations.
Ha its actually quite easy when you use it. I never saw ANY ZOOM gear before and honestly it was good as far as the use for a new user :) like me! Thanks.
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Really thorough review! I've had my G11 for a year now and its great interface, power and sounds are truly professional yet underated ... truly a secret weapon!
Exactly - I agree too! and thanks for watching.
Hi just wanna ask, Does it have a turn off/turn on fx simultaneously in a patch? I mean like boss multi fx it has ctl button that can do that.
@teebone333 How are you liking the G11 nearly a year out?
Does it have any latency when you change patches?
Had one. Didn't bond with it. Too much plastic to break. Sent it back and got a GT-1000. Great review Sir! Best Regards and Best Wishes!
Thanks for the info. I tried the GT1000 but it was Version 1 and was not good at that time. It's likely better these days. For me the G11 was interesting for sure and at £499 it was good price... Also its an important point about 'bonding' with gear. I agree with you that if its not right for the player, then (at least in my case) I tend to play on reviews with less spontaneity because often with the 'wrong' gear it is actually uninspiring. Find videos with me playing well, and you'll generally know what I really liked :). Its a very good point and thanks for posting it. The plastic really is not a problem and I doubt you would break that from my examination of the internal structure. Thanks for watching.
@@tonymckenzieofficial That's why I watch you and subscribe. In depth discussion whether in the video or on reply! :). Best Regards and Best Wishes!
great review as usual. soooo glad you chose to highlight the G11. EASILY the most underrated and underexposed multi effects out there. maybe not the absolute best, but decently the most overlooked.
Of the devices that have gone 'over my desk' so to speak, its pretty much up there no matter what many might say. I found the ease of use, operability, factory presets, connectivity, build quality, price and tones all pretty excellent. It beats the GX-100 for sure. I agree the unit IS overlooked, and from what I think that's a bit of 'clannish' or 'snobbery' over other brands. I'm sure that many brands want to keep ZOOM down on the list of effects units - and I can see why they would want to do that once I tried one. Thanks for watching.
Hey Tony, great review (wow, literally the most "in depth" I've ever seen).
You say it beats the GX-100, but you also score that at 9/10. N what aspects do you think the Zoom beats the Boss? How would you compare then tonewise?
Thank you!
I’m a big advocate for this unit - I purchased mine for full price a year ago; after considering a Boss GT-1000, Helix LT and even a Fractal FM3.
So glad I saved the few hundred $$ and got the G11. The tones, flexibility, UI are *superb* . I believe it’s wildly misunderstood because of its avant garde appearance and ‘weird’ price point.
Yes, the lack of XLR outs is a bummer. Otherwise, this thing is a solid 9/10 for me. Love it 🤘
Thanks for sharing and I have to agree that many simply 'don't get it' in more ways than one, but I found it to be very good value for money and contrary to many out there it sounded fine. Great points and thanks for watching.
I also wanted to follow up after having watched your full review - the software thing has been a non-issue for me. Maybe I lucked out 🤷🏻♂️ but the very first time I plugged it in, I got it running flawlessly, no issues on my PC. I’ve also used it numerous times as an interface into Cubase for tracking guitar and bass - been wonderful in that regard as well!
I guess the best workaround for the lack of XLR is to buy a separate DI box, or do you have a better suggestion?
Your mates finished the gig while you were waiting for your zoom to load up😂😂😂 great review as usual Tony big thumbs up.
Ha great point... it does load a little slow, but I love the light show... that's pretty rad really. Best one I have seen on a pedal. and thanks for watching.
Before I watch this - thanks and I have been waiting for this one. I bought it when they had a $200 off sale. I really like it and don’t use it much. The layout and touch screen are what drew me. I got some good sounds out of it but it took some tweaking. Thanks in advance. Now on to the show!!!
I know what you mean there. I bought this one for about £479 which was a great price. Typically here about £650. I spoke with distribution (at a show) and they said the smaller units sell really fast, but these larger ones are slower to sell, maybe the price at £650 end user. But at the price I (and you) got there's little to not like :). I really liked the touch screen too! Thanks for watching...
Zoom never let me down, I had a recorder, G3 and G5n.
Very dependable.
Like you !
Thanks for sharing these comments. I liked the G11 as it was a no nonsense product that worked. Thanks for watching.
Best regional English dialect on TH-cam. Makes these a joy to watch. 😁
Ah... well its always there... some tell me I'm like Paul McCartney, some say I can't speak English, but as you say it IS a dialect. I tried to lose it historically but it remains likely forever. Written local dialect like " cos kik a bow agin a wow n yed it" might be harder to get :) Thanks for watching.
Just discovered the channel and plan to binge watch Zoom, Boss and Headrush videos. Just the beginning of this video is a gem.
Years ago, I used a borrowed Zoom 4040 and loved that unit, then I purchased a small 505. They were great in their respective realms. Now on the market of a multi fx unit, it's hard to determine how genuine reviews are - I bought a NUX and sent it back and it was supposedly great. For some reason, people dismiss Zoom straight when the name gets mentioned. I may go for the smaller G6 unit as G11 is an overkill for my needs but then... it's being discounted now so I may give it a try.
Yes I too have noticed that Zoom gets just dismissed without guys really checking them out IMO. And that's a pity. Thanks for watching.
I like Zoom. I don't like their UI, some effect choices and design overall. I would love to see them with more streamlined design and intuitive UI. Also, better DSP to prevent process overflow errors and the ability to stack effects (two ODs, two delays, etc).
Great review Tony! I've been going back and forth with Boss, Helix and Zoom. Sometimes simpler technology is better and when you said it was designed and manufactured in Japan instead of China, that's what sealed the deal for me. I want to use it with the effects loop and 4 Cable Method. Thanks again!
Made in China.... designed in Japan ;-) Thanks for watching and certainly it seems very good for the money...
恐怕你会感到失望了，中国设计的multieffect恐怕已经挤占了所有zoom效果器的生存空间。
this huy is pure gold
Hopefully... and thanks for watching.
The insides of this unit are very well done….excellent smt solder and clean pcbs….well split apart pcbs as you mentioned. I have been very impressed with the Zoom sounds from my ms-50g pedal, especially the Krank Rev model…I bet this thing is terrific. Excellent insights and review
Thanks for the post and your opinion - which does matter. And thanks for watching too.
I sold my Helix Floor and bought one of these. the Helix was excellent but I found I was only using a tiny fraction of what it was capable of. I bought the Zoom for a third of what I sold the Helix for. I bought it mostly for the user interface. The combination of touch screen, amp controls that show you where they are set, and physical knobs to adjust multiple blocks/stomps at once is a winner for me, and I'm totally happy with the sounds and range of amps/cabs/effects. The ONLY thing I don't like is that the expression pedal does not toggle between volume and wah (or other effect) - it's only on or off. So if you want a volume pedal and a wah in one patch, you need an external expression pedal. Oh, and the presets suck big time - but dialling in good sounds is easy.
Thanks for this post on your opinion and experience with the G11 - its great to hear. I also own a Helix rack and each has its own thing going on I think. But great points and thanks for watching.
Outstanding review Tony. I'm especially impressed by the overall simplicity of the user interface for the gobs of effects and things it is capable of. I am currently using a Boss ME-80. I have a Zoom B1x-four for bass and love it. I'm seriously thinking of upgraded to this unit for guitar now. Thanks for all the time and work you've put into this. Cheers from across the pond.
Yes this G11 did impress me, and as I work through the filming stuff, you sort of get to know much more about the unit (I never used this pedal ever before filming the review) and then I want to include this point, that point etc. and soon you have 2 hours of footage! Generally that happens on the good stuff. :) Try a G11, I was surprised at how good it was, and bear in mind the Boss IR-200 costs £350 in the UK ($450 probably) then for the £150 difference there really is no competition the G11 wins hands down. If you try one (the G11) do let me know your thoughts - just try the presets even... they sounded pretty cool to me. Thanks...
Ok. Just watched the whole thing. Nice job and I agree with the rating. I’ve had other modelers and I like this one, especially for the price. I really appreciated the view of the boards and chips. I think people don’t like the aesthetic (I like it) and initial reviews didn’t really show it being used properly by some people (you have to turn on the IRs, mics, and cabinets. Also, the expression pedal has a switch underneath it like other modelers. Mine had a piece of foam blocking it so I removed it and all is well. Nice job and thanks for this one!
Thanks for the info. I have heard many talk down this pedal, like the 'presets are cr*p', its cheap, well you name it. But to be honest this cost me about £479 brand new recently and no matter how I looked at it, the unit was sleek, it had reasonably good sounds, the build quality was fine, and there was little to not like. Sometimes I do think ZOOM get a bit of a bad press so to speak. But I just relayed the opinion I formed as I reviewed it - completely unsponsored BTW and I have seen so much gear I should by now have a clue :). Thanks for watching too.
Transformers! Optimus Prime! Zoom makes good products! Very good video!
Yes they do and thanks for watching...
Glad to see you are doing well
I remembered watching your older videos "Best Stratocaster (my specs)"
Best wishes to you
Ha that's a very long time ago (I think about 11 years or so)... and yes I still do the reviews. I slowed on guitars because TBH I have too many :) (is that possible) wife moaned a bit (strike out and put 'a lot') but also seems Warmoth are not quite what they used to be IMO. Slower and not quite the same choices/tops/etc that they had before 2020 sadly. Warmoth are one of my fave companies, but I found it hard to find the level of gear that I bought prior 2020 and very sad. I home they recover as they should. Thanks for watching in any case...
Fair cost on that arm micro….I did a flowmeter and a digital pressure controller with an arm cortex just like that…..the TI is probably for the DSP core that offloads the math and IR convolutions from the mcu functions….excellent information and review tony….this thing is a beast
Thanks...
Awesome review as always Mr Mackenzie love the part that sounds like children of the sea
Thanks! and thanks for watching...
Tony, this is a great video. Probably one of your best. I’m finding this hard to say but….my hip has gotten so bad, my buddy dropped off a Fender GTX 100 and I’m using a boss ms 3.
And like this huge beast you are reviewing….the price….here I go.
They did it.
You don’t need tubes anymore.
For my taste, this huge monster loses a point for size.
But the tones….
Great review.
Hey Thomas, sorry to hear about your hip... be careful my friend... it all creeps up on us over time. I was surprised about this G11 multi-effects unit. UK £499 was the cheapest I could find, and not sure of USA prices but if you find them cheap post it for me :) It is a bigger unit I agree but not as big as a Helix floor pedal - that one was for me too big and I changed that for a rack unit (I think you know). But I can live with the ZOOM G11 for size. I purposely only used presets in then tones part of the video and direct to the desk... ropey playing :) but that's OK, the tones that recorded IMO sounded very good and I tweaked nothing. There was feel to it too, often variable on so many simulators I have checked, it made the GT1000 (at least the one I had back in version 1 of that) sound really bad at the time. Glad you liked it... and I'm sure you'll hide the odd tube amp somewhere :) - great to hear you and watch that hip - you don't want major aggro with that. Regards and thanks for watching. I'll make another video about the accessories I showed and create a much better playing bit I guess :).
Many thanks for another great video. I will add this to my list as I am yet to choose a quality home use unit.
Glad it was helpful! Many seem to ignore the ZOOM stuff (even I did!) but not any more - this was a great unit and sounded good, easy to use too. Thanks for watching.
Professor, what a great review. I was quite confused searching for a multi-effect pedal after having tried a Valeton G200 which I sent back after 2 days. The G11 seems to have the right compromises for me and I'm hoping that they'll update the drivers to fix the connectivity soon. I think I'll be ordering one today but I'm going to check out some of your other reviews first. Thank you, Tony.
Yes thanks for watching. Some have suggested its picky re the USB cable... and that could be so, but I never had issues with that cable on other gear. In any case thanks and do let me know what you eventually get and why...
@@tonymckenzieofficial I went to my local Guitar Center here in Alexandria, VA and traded in my GR55 for a G11. It's going to take a few days to ship to me. I'll let you know how it goes.
Hey, how are you?
Can you PLEASE help me and a group of friends with some thing?
The "L" output of Zoom G11 is for mono, but manual said that you can use it for Stereo unique plug output too, so its trs, i tested and the L for mono are stereo too
BUT, it's balanced too? or do i need a direct box?
I can't go and check it was sold to finance other gear to review... that's how it is when I finance it all myself... but thanks and thanks for watching.
For me, the good part is having lots of actuators. It makes it easier to tweak a tone on the unit. About the rest, it's definitely one of the multi-fx in the market.
I agree - this G11 offers a huge and SIMPLE interface with great results... and no one at all paid me to say it :). The controls are really well thought out, thanks for watching.
Great video!! I seem to be having trouble connecting it successfully to a physical guitar cabinet. Using the mono output but the volume comes in super super quiet no matter how loud I have the device. Any thoughts? Thanks!
There is no 'real' power out - its really like a pre-amp level... Use it to connect to some kind of power amp and it will then be fine... thanks for watching.
I love zoom products. Great bang for the buck.
Indeed at this price of £499 (discounted to anyone) I agree... a veritable bargain.
Looking at Sweetwater today and the G11 lists for $799.99. I wonder why they just don't say $800? Psychological marketing i guess. Excellent review, as always. Thank You
Surely if you look around you might find one cheaper... I got this for £499 which is about $700 INCLUDING 20% tax! Thanks for watching.
Excellent work! It’s hard just to find an inside picture of a Zoom unit.
The zoom was not bad really... thanks for watching.
Awesome review as always Tony!you go down deep,Cheers!now get out of here!!Pow!!lol.
Thanks 👍this took such a time to make.... a week of work! so thanks for watching. I'm gone... :)
Damn, and I thought you where just a nice senior doing family home videos! Tony, I wanna hear that Mezabarba with this unit doing delays only.
Senior :) only by age... :) While my body, brain and all the rest slowly fades... honestly I'm still in the playground :). Did you see the review? It's here: th-cam.com/video/C4WLh0vYaIs/w-d-xo.html and man the amp is incredible. This one was made for me by PiereAngelo :) and he made a brilliant job - its hardware is nigh on perfect and the tones are (as you will see with three guitarists) just wonderful rock tones. Thanks for watching.
Hi Tony, great review. How do you compare this to Mooer GE300? Which one do you prefer?
The GE300 was harder to use in general. The G11 I thought was a very good effort overall. The GE300 IMO suffered a little because of that. Hope it helps... and thanks.
I always liked ZOOM products.
Easy to use is the key... Thanks.
What is the cost to component ratio compared to other multi-effects (dsp power)? I noticed that with a better usb cable there is no problem with communication with the computer. I had Boss GT1000, later also Core - I sold and bought G11 and I liked its sound more (the bottom plate heats up a lot in the place of the radiator)
Honestly I did not go further re the ratios of cost/power etc. as I could have made this review two hours :) This alone took a week to make. I get to the limit of available time and honestly, this stuff can absorb what little spare time I do have, but I have to say I love doing the vids... :) my review of the GT1000 was not good and three or four guys never got any decent sound from it (it was version 1) and I sold it. The CORE was better and offered up to 26 effects but that included the I/O ports weirdly enough. The bottom plate is in fact part of the heat sink for the main processor. If you take off the bottom plate you will see the conductive patches on the bottom plate directly to the alloy heat sink. I guess its one way of getting good heat dissipation :) a small fan might have been better internally maybe. I like the G11 tones too and one of the demo ones has this huge bottom end that sounds incredible... thanks for the info.... and for watching.
G11 or headrush Prime considering price and quality? Thanks
Tones might be a little better on the Headrush... but do make sure it all works... and buy from somewhere that you can send back if you don't get on with it... Thanks for watching.
Could you test the Poly Shifter with Clean sound so we can see the quality? compared to HX's PolyCapo
I have noted that. I am creating a short vid for the accessories and I'll try and include that somewhere in there... thanks.
Professor, which is better gt100 vs g11. Tnx
G11... GT100 is very old?
Yeah Zoom make solid multi fx pedals... I used their G3X for several years and I always thought most of the FX were as good as any Boss pedal etc that I've owned. As far as amp simulations though... I don't recall being very impressed.
Great info and thanks for that. On this one (I don't know the others) they really do seem very good. Some of those amp tones even from the presets really sounded very good indeed and right up there with many others I could name. If you get a chance plug in a G11 - honestly, I was surprised and I come from tube amps! :) Thanks for watching...
anyone use the G11 for 4 cable method? is it working correctly?
I believe it works.... thanks.
Im thinking to pair it with marshall dsl 40cr and the zoom g11. But im confuse if it needs to turn off/on the button in the amp to make the effect loop to work.
Hi Sir.
How did it fare after a year of use?
I sold it before the year of ownership but it worked perfectly all the time I had it. Thanks for watching.
Fantastic
Thank you so much 😀and for watching too
Plastic body is not a safe design for floor base effect units .. expression assignment like line 6 or GT products expected..
I did mention the 'plastic' body in the review, but to be honest, it seems fine and is built in a way that creates stability within the unit. You can assign an expression pedal, its just that I am going to make a different video of that and the Bluetooth section. Good points and thanks for watching.
Nice clip Tony. You go the extra mile by looking under the hood. That unit would probably be more than enough for many guitarists from a starter right up to a pro. I've messed with pedals and multi-effects for longer than I can remember and there was a feature of most multi-effects that got me down. That bugbear was the fixed order of the effects and that you could only use an effect once. I might be wrong here but I think that Zoom was one of the first to allow a player to move effects around as though you had the physical pedals and to use multiple variations of the same effect in a chain. I've always been a noodler, a bit of a shoegazer and I often do things like putting modulations post reverb or having multiple delays that are out of sync to create different vibes. Zoom multi-effects let me do stuff that I'm sure alot of players would never consider. When you add up how much it would cost to get all of the gear emulated in a unit like this it soon becomes obvious that they are actually amazing value for money and great space savers. Zoom do this stuff right down to a single pedal sized box, the MS-50G. I'd recomend Zoom. You don't seem to be paying a premium for the brand but you get a product that stands up to most for not much more than some of the trash doing the rounds. Nice to see you. Keep up the good work!
This was the first ZOOM pedal I have looked at and to be honest, I was impressed with this unit, firstly because of the actual sounds direct in to the desk, but also because at the £499 ($600) I paid for it I doubt any other pedal offers what this does in such a great user friendly package. I have reviewed pedals costing over £1100 and those were generally not as good as the G11. Your comments are very fitting IMO for the ZOOM I have seen here. Thanks for this post of yours because I know its a really genuine one and from someone using the gear... and that really counts - especially on the stuff like simulators and that sort of thing. Of course there are some guys that tell me brand X is 'awesome' but sometimes I have bought, looked very close, and found very different results to those guys (Fractal was one of those sadly) but I agree with your comments here for sure. Thanks for watching too. This video took me literally a weeks work to make...
Too bad it only has one mono input... I was interested in using this device with my keyboard. Aux in (stereo?) is probably not an option due to static noise / ground loop hum, as that's not balanced.
Good points... and thanks for watching.
How ya, is your accent Scouse or somewhere else? I can't place it and Ive always wondered. Great vid btw
It's somewhere else :) More like Smoke on Stench :) with some Irish and Scottish mixed and the result is me :) I guess a mongrel :) but aren't we all? I did smile at this one and thanks for watching.
The G11 is too light. I’ve decided to Mount it to a pedalboard. I think it needs to have a better angle so it faces me more.
Well I have to say I did not consider that point. Seemed OK to me, but there again I'm sitting in the studio... Thanks for the info and of course for watching.
不能并联回路，只有11个模块，电源有噪音，作为旗舰机，很差劲。另外你没有提到的是，2.0版本可以用bass效果器，拓展了使用范围。
好的，謝謝你的意見。 我的單位真的不吵。 但我總體上報告的是，該裝置是一種選擇，當然值得我為它支付的錢。 我顯然不能創建每個最後的選項和更新，所以感謝您的帖子和觀看。
Hǎo de, xièxiè nǐ de yìjiàn. Wǒ de dānwèi zhēn de bù chǎo. Dàn wǒ zǒngtǐ shàng bàogào de shì, gāi zhuāngzhì shì yīzhǒng xuǎnzé, dāngrán zhídé wǒ wèi tā zhīfù de qián. Wǒ xiǎnrán bùnéng chuàngjiàn měi gè zuìhòu de xuǎnxiàng hé gēngxīn, suǒyǐ gǎnxiè nín de tiězi hé guānkàn.
Oh!Tony by the way how's your Grandsons playing going?Cheers!
Levi is currently working towards his pilots license and studying daily for months and of course flying when he can. I asked about the playing as he has not been around while doing that and he said he was still playing etc. We go to a guitar show Sunday and no doubt I'll ask him - he's clearly still interested in guitars etc. as he's coming the show... When his stuff is out of the way I'll get him play something and post it :). Thanks for asking...
Hey Tony!!!
Tony here from Miami, Florida!
I own a Zoom G11, and to be honest I'm still learning how to get the most of it.
Currently my setup is Zoom G11 + Marshall DSL40CR, and something that I still don't understand when you are customizing your banks is, when you add an effect (not necesarilly a drive/distortion) the sound comming out of it is extremmely loud forcing me to change lower the volumne on that particular effect, like dastrically lowered to 2 -3.
I found this a bit of annoying since lowering to much the volumen for a given effect then you don't get the most of it.
Have you noticed this too? Is this normal? I really appreciate any suggestion on this.
Thank you for your very detailed review. I will explore the 4 cables method and see how that goes too.
A great place to be... been there a number of times... not sure about the 'master' settings for the effects (if you get my meaning) and I really don't know the answer for that - but anyone... come on guys if you're reading this help @tonymarrarocks out! and thanks for the info... and for watching.
An excellent review, but my now ancient G3 does all I need, by the time I buy the G11 plus new Shadows patches the cost is just mouch for playing at home. Re DPD I have had very few problems, Anderson's are not in my good books after sending me a damaged used guitar that was supposed to be brand new in a sealed box. Never again will I buy from them. Hope you are keeping well Tonye
Yes I get that for sure Allan. Frankly I have far too much gear from reviews (I bought near enough all of it) and after a point much is (sort of) similar. But there are some things that stand out and some that absolutely don't stand out. I try and keep the stand out stuff and sell the other stuff to buy more gear to review. I too have suffered with particular music retailers from time to time - Thomann can be good, or particularly bad. Andertons off and on I have bought since about 1975 (must be) but the recent DPD aggro makes me want to look elsewhere for my buying side of things. It can be a real pain chasing stuff around. Ultimately, Andertons employ DPD so sadly they get tarred when DPD screws up and that is VERY common these days. Frankly I don't mind saying that we dumped DPD near Christmas at work because they were incredibly bad and had literally (I'm told) a mountain of parcels for next day that were taking far longer than my company is prepared to put up with. We switched to Fedex and they are cheaper and better service. It's sad when that happens re damaged or second hand (sold as new) happens. My PRS acoustic video showed that happened to me - its painful and there is massive aggro to get goods that you paid for. I have sympathy for anyone suffering in that way and whoever it might be I do think that getting others to know of that sort of thing really can help them to change their ways... well at least sometimes. Yes I'm OK here and trust same there too... and thanks for watching... this one took me a week to make...
@@tonymckenzieofficial Re DPD, they remind me of Parcelforce, they can be very good or very bad, mostly they are bad!
Couriers have massive problems retaining staff, multidrop is thankless work with very long days and many issues to
deal with.
Re Andertons, what upset me the most was that i phoned before placing the order to ensure i would receive a brand new
sealed box, they told me they had 12 instock, so why send out a damaged one in a resealed box?
It took many weeks and a Paypal case before i was refunded by Paypal not Andertons.
I can understand when something goes wrong, but when you are treated like something stuck to their shoe when you dare
to complain is never acceptable.
The only safe way to buy, is to put up with the hassle, and make a long journey to collect the box in person.
Couriers will always loose, delay and damage parcels, shop staff tell lies, rip off britain is still waitng to kick us
in our wallets.
Lol it is proper power supply for Europe. I wonder if zoom starter doing this after brexit or their cheaper stuff have dedicated UK power supplies because their are made in bigger amount.
Well I buy power supplies myself, and generally the IEC type connector is so common, and that allows for a 'proper' input lead with the proper connector for the country on the end. Sadly it costs us about $1.50 difference including the cable. The UK plug is actually used in the UK, Singapore, (used to be Hong Kong but might now have changed) and 'maybe' Australia among other places so I do think the cost factor did come in to the choice. Personally I would have standardized the PSU and opted for differing fly leads for the input for the pittance of the difference in price... but you know some companies see things differently. But you made a good point also... so thanks.. and thanks for watching.
The power supply sold it for me, er nope....
I was not too happy with the PSU either. Hey thanks for watching.
@@tonymckenzieofficial thanks for doing the videos, its good when you know someone isnt doing revews for money, I'd really like to see someone showcase these gadgets live in a Band, thats the real test for me, how they sound live in a crowded soundscape in an average venue.
Zoom G6 anyone ?
:) Classic... and thanks for watching.
You said nothing about the looper
Fancy that... I did in passing if you watched it all... thanks.
Blimey Tony, you must have been paid for a positive review. £400 for a plastic pedal with fake carbon fibre and cheap A/D D/A chips. No proper musician is ever going to use one on stage, especially the awful presets you demonstrated. Doesn't sound anything like the 'real' amps you hold in high regard. I use a second hand BluGuitar Iridium and two analogue FX pedals. Total cost £550 including the built in 100w power amp. No contest. I generally love your in depth reviews, however. Miff.
In fact I bought the unit out of my own money and was paid NOTHING to create the review. It was my own opinion and to be honest for a simple pedal design it worked very well, the layout was very good and it made the thing so easy to use for even someone without any experience. I do think BTW that 'proper musicians' are not the target audience for ANY of these low(ish) end pedals and the guys in pub bands (no disrespect to them) or bedrooms or maybe even (at a push) home studios are actually the customers for them. You're right it does NOT sound like the real tube amps and I would never suggest that, the feel is completely wrong and the tones are what someone might expect for the money... I can name (and have reviewed) 10's of similar pedals (and some more expensive ones too) that all claim to be for 'pro' use but in reality, I don't believe that for one moment... they are all pretty much consumer goods. BluGuitar gear IS good, I reviewed the standard one some years ago and I remember 'Awesome John' RIP Asim, telling me the blues tones I had from it were really great. I agree they were. So no problems with the Thomas Blug gear at all, and he's a very friendly and affable guy. Check my video out of him at the Musicmesse from some years back... he was really good at the playing :). But equate the ZOOM G11 for what it is... a consumer product. :) Thanks for the post and for watching.
A proper musician? A proper musician would use in a gig whatever pedal in the nearby, regardless of the price or quality, and would make it sound good.
I know LOTS of great musicians that use ANY gear they like (from Nux, to kemper, and anything in between). Years ago, unit were way worse than today, and music legend gigged the existing gear.
And by the way, making the statement that the reviewer had to be payed for his review is one of the most disrespectful posts I've seen here. Congratulations.
Wonderful piece of equipment. I'd need a classroom and an instructor to figure it out or about a series of 10 TH-cam 30-minute videos.
Ha its actually quite easy when you use it. I never saw ANY ZOOM gear before and honestly it was good as far as the use for a new user :) like me! Thanks.