Zoom G2.1u Guitar Multi-Effects Pedal

USB interface. Built in drum machine. Includes Cubase LE. Includes adapter.

Overall User Ratings

Overall:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * * . . . 7 out of 10
Support:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10

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"Former or current users of the 606: read this!"

Overall:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * . . . 7 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * . . . . 6 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * . . . . 6 out of 10
 
 
 
zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.
Feature:
Something that users may find useful that I didn't see in the manual-- You can switch different parameters (chorus, overdrive, wah, etc.) on and off in real-time by turning the knob to the desired parameter : then you can use the patch changing footswitches to turn that module on / off. I like that there are two wah pedals to choose from, but the Vox beats the Crybaby a lot. The drum machine is a waste of time. I could have saved 20 bucks if there was no drum machine. The patterns aren't really useful for recording so for me its crap. The 606 had a cry modulation effect which was great but they took it off. Shame on you, ZOOM. All the other modulation sounds are great: there's a stereo chorus--(you need a stereo cable in your output jack to complete the effect) and phaser and flanger are good as ever. Again, the cabinet simulator is great with the Peavey 5150 and Marshall drive simulators.

Quality:
Seems pretty solid to me--I only use it in my home studio, so it never goes on the road. It'll last long enough for me to get sick of it and buy the next version of it.

Value:
Great value, there's a lot of stompboxes packed into one unit. Some of them aren't great, such as the Boss od-1 or the acoustic simulator, but i would have purchased this product having known it anyway.

Desirability:
It's a practical addition to my setup and I couldn't rock hard without it. other than that there's really not much else to say.

Sound:
Sound is great: the Zoom noise reduction really helps eliminate fret chipping and string squeaking so the guitarist gets a hard solid drive, rather than squeeling messy sound. This product was supposed to be a step up from the ZOOM 606, which I had before. The sound quality is about the same but the addition of the cabinet simulator and the new overdrive sounds is great. I wish they would have kept some the old ones though.

Ease of Use:
Using it is easy to fiddle around with, so you can use the different knobs to mess with the sound before you even read the directions. Having the knowledge of the zoom 606 helps, and the general process of editing and patch saving is mostly the same. The addition of Cubase could be confusing but I already had cubase for about a year now, so i couldn't give you any advice about it.

Support:
Haven't needed it so far so I cant review this section.

Overall:
One of these days I'll upgrade to one of ZOOM's more expensive products, like the one with all the on / off switches--it'll be more easy to use, i can see alreay. I won't get rid of this one, knowing what I know after letting go of the 606 before this one came. If you already have a 606, get this one and use them both to satisfy your desires of rocking out.

6 of 6 people (100%) found this review helpful. Did you?

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"great for beginners,if your just starting out this product will make you practice more and think outside the box but i wouldn't"

Overall:
* * * * . . . . . . 4 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * . . . . 6 out of 10
Quality:
* * . . . . . . . . 2 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * . . . . 6 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * . . . . . 5 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * . . . . . 5 out of 10
 
 
 
Feature:
well it came with a power chord and cubase software, but since it didn't have a usb cable I never got to try the software.it was supposed to come with a usb , but it was probably snatch by one of the ppl that I bought it from,not that that would help the sound quality any.

Quality:
this is the worst part of the pedal,not long ago the down switch stopped working so now I can only switch up.any presets I had became useless so now i have to go from clean to dirty to clean,dirty,clean. you can imagine the frustration.since i bought it over a year ago the warranty was out so I took it apart and looked at the switches , they are so tiny its no wonder why it stopped!!from the outside it looks durable but the problem lies within the control switch on the board. any twisting on the switch can cause serious damage and when you play hard like me you need sturdy buttons.sadly I traded in a metal zone and chorus to buy it and I'll be kicking myself for another year!!!

Value:
only complaint is that I wish it had lasted more than the year I had it!who knows had it lasted longer I may have felt better about the product.

Desirability:
It looks sleek enough but the buttons are to close together, found myself switching to bypass to often because of this,not good while playing live.

Sound:
at first I was very impressed , but after owning it for over a year my attitude has changed. the acoustics effects are wonderful, i have to say the only upside to this pedal.being a metal player I need the best of both worlds and sadly this just doesn't deliver, the distortion effects are week and crackling, not much clarity no mater how much I tweak on it.I have had it for over a year and I still can't get my sound right.to be fair,it may be the combination of digital running into a valve king tube amp,but I have tried to use it as just a volume boost with an analog pedal and that really killed the signal!I tried to record with it direct also but sadly with the same result poppy crackly.if zzounds has zany zuggestionz I would appreciate it!!

Ease of Use:
it is complex but not complicated.the interface is easy but tweaking is a nightmare.like I said before the acoustic settings are some of the best I've heard but switching to dirty it all falls apart.it does incredible effects like pitch shifting,scoop and step but that's only appealing if you like live on mars!!

Support:
can't really comment on support seeing as how the warranty is out.

Overall:
don't expect to use it much more than a toy.the sound is not great for live or recording!!sorry zoom. guess my standards are to high.

2 of 2 people (100%) found this review helpful. Did you?

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"SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL..."

Overall:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
 
 
 
Feature:
The main reason I bought this unit is because it uses battery for its power. And it's compact and small too for loads of sounds. Just don't want to bring my plenty-lbs amp here and there. I put a lot of hopes to make it function on stages/gigs with little to worry on stage hassles. I've done three and the result is nice.

Quality:
The solid build is indeed great.

Value:
This battery/AC powered device is great for practicing with my guitar (it's drum loops are helpful). But a stage-scorching compact guitar rig demands more tone than this unit provides. Maybe tube-powered ZOOM floor products answers?

Desirability:
Small is beautiful... until the guitar solo part comes out.

Sound:
The hi-gain distortion sound of this unit was introduced to me nicely over my tube amp. On the other hand, to make your solos sing well this unit just isn't enough fabricated. My Boss OS-2 Overdrive/Distortion pedal shows that the gap of sensitivity over my playing style is massive comparably to this unit. My disappointment on the 32-bit processor.

Ease of Use:
The simplicity of the interface makes it quick to adapt on stages and/or studios where other player's condition matters on the atmosphere. The compact design is very much at guitar effect's best.

1 of 2 people (50%) found this review helpful. Did you?

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"zoom g2.1u proof that dynamite comes in small packages!!"

Overall:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * * . . . 7 out of 10
 
 
 
Feature:
i've owned several multi-effects units and i have to say by far this is my favorite..the amp sims are amazing and the effects are sparkling..

Quality:
so far so good..like i said only had it a day...

Value:
for the price and all that's included you can't get any better

Desirability:
the sleek design and productivity is awesome

Sound:
i just bought it yesterday,but i have already just in the presets found every sound i could want.i have crated some of my own too..if you have owned multi-effects pedals before than this one shouldn't give you any trouble figuring it out.i bought it to use for recording at home so i'm not sure how it would work out live since you only have 2 switches and they just go forward and backwards through the channels so if you had 4 different channels you used and they were far apart you could run into trouble.but for me it's perfect..if you're looking for it it's in here

Ease of Use:
not the easiest in the world but if it were easy it wouldn't be great..you get what you pay for and if you want something easy to use you're gonna get big peddles less effects and less quality..for example if you want simple and less get a "korg"

Overall:
i'll be using the g2.1u for a long time..i don't see a reason for anything else.for recording it's top notch..for playing out it could pose a few problems..

3 of 5 people (60%) found this review helpful. Did you?

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"Pretty high-quality simple/basic multi-effects pedal worth the price."

Overall:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * . . . . 6 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * . . . . 6 out of 10
Support:
* * * * * . . . . . 5 out of 10
 
 
 
zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.
Feature:
Excellent. Most of the multi-effects pedals i have messed around with are a very obvious 'generic solution' in that they all try to pack in as many effects as possible, but leave out the details (effect parameters, etc). This thing is great in that there are a good selectin of parameters for all the different types of effects. Also, the drum machine is pretty fun to play around with...but probably pretty useless for anything other than just that or maybe as a fancy metronome. There are 40 pre-set beat patterns that take a while to browse through...but i suppose some can be inspirational. haha.

Quality:
Excellent. Ive had countless beers/food/crap spilled on my pedal and it cleans off easily. (granted, I still get mad when people spill stuff on it). Its very nice looking, and VERY robust...i was surprised at how robust it is when i got it as compared to what it appeared in the pictures online. Casing is all very sturdy metal ready to withstand lots of abuse. Even the hinge on the foot-pedal looks like it could take a direct hit from a Jet Li flying kick and be unphased.

Value:
Worth it. For the robust metal frame and features together (bad interface design aside) this thing is worth the price. The USB audio features means...if theres something the pedal cant do that you need, you can always do it on the computer. Also, since its USB audio you dont have to really worry much about losing quality in the process of recording to your computer...so no ridiculously fancy sound cards needed in addition.

Desirability:
Good for a simple multi-effects pedal. If you need something quick and easy, but not cheap in quality, this is your best bet.

Sound:
Great sound.

Ease of Use:
The interface really is kinda confusing at first. After a few days of playing around, you'll understand it pretty well...however its still not ideal for fine-tuning, IMO, because two of the knobs are 'generic adjustment knobs'...so adjusting a specific effect means memorizing what each of the knobs do for EVERY effect. I always have to play around a bit to figure out how to make a specific adjustment that im looking for. Other than that, the rest of the interface is very basic, and (as i said) kinda confusing, but you get the hang of it quick.

Support:
Havent had to use customer support.

Overall:
I will probably add to it in the future. I dont see any need to replace it as of right now.

2 of 4 people (50%) found this review helpful. Did you?

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"It does have sex appeal which is probably what conned me into it"

Overall:
* * * * * * . . . . 6 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * . . . . . 5 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Support:
* * * * * * * . . . 7 out of 10
 
 
 
Feature:
Everything you need except the power adapter. Believe me it causes horrendous noise when you don't have the correct power adapter. Learnt the hard way.

Quality:
No trouble with this little device. I have owned it for about 6 months and its tough. Not a boss but definitely not a plastic behringer pedal.

Value:
For the price it is great value for money. Honestly I would probably never give up my stomps but your talking the price of one stomp that can give you so many hours of fun... I do not feel at all ripped off.

Desirability:
It does have sex appeal which is probably what conned me into it.

Sound:
I bought this thinking it would hopefully clean up my lot of pedals and give me some space but alas it does not do this. What it does do in all fairness is give me a toy to play with when I am feeling bored. The sound is far too superficial for my liking but it is good fun to play with the drum machine and I am particularly fond of the ring modulator. There is some other sounds such as Tape Echo, Blues driver etc that I enjoy however I can't seem to take it seriously.

Ease of Use:
The really fun part of this is you can add and subtract so many sounds and adjust the parameters for them individually. So you can make beautifully subtle wah with a whack of tape echo for example. So I wouldn't use this professionally however I have had countless hours mucking around woth it.

Support:
Not bad they reply to emails.

Overall:
I think I am being a little harsh giving it only a 6. I guess I am not jumping up an down that I have it but it does give a lot but the sound really isn't for me, I would probably be better off getting a moogafooga. If you have analogue ears well then this isn't probably going to make you go giddy inside however if you are on a sound quest well this will definitely aid you towards some worthy exploration.

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"some praise, a gripe, and some advice on how to use it"

Overall:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * . . . . . . . 3 out of 10
Support:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
 
 
 
zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us.
Feature:
Came with adaptor. I wish all companies were that sensible. Again, the expression pedal being assignable is a real plus. The drum machine is kind of a joke, but at least its there so I couldn't give it a 10 but it gets a 9. It's good to practice with or lay down a metronome for recording to be recorded over later with real drums or a programmable drum machine (I ordered the Zoom MRT at the same time with this in mind). CuBase is a nice addition too. It is not an easy learning curve, but patience will let you at least use it as a simple multitracker even if you don't want to figure out all the mastering and sound editing stuff. The USB port is handy too because I plug my Mic or bass or drum machine into the pedal, bypass all the effects, and then I can USB my them into CuBase too instead of just the guitar.

Quality:
I haven't had it for long. But it is very SOLID. heavier than I expected. The interface buttons are all recessed so you don't have to worry about stepping on them accidentally, and the 2 main footswitches look pretty indestructable. I have yet to find out if the internal circutry will hold up over time, but my old 9000 from 1993 still works (kind of) if thats any indicator.

Value:
For the price, plus you get CuBase (which is difficult to get the hang of but if you are patient it is nice) it is a great deal. If you are just getting started (or rebuilding a setup from the bottom like me) it can do an awful lot and spare your money to invest in other gear that you will need. No gear can exist in a vacuum, so its nice to have something with this much stuff going on in it for what some single pedals cost.

Desirability:
Zoom has a knack for making cool little compact things with way more stuff than you thought stuffed in there. It's very sleek, very 'efficient' looking. Much sexier than a big tetris-puzzle looking giant pedal board (harder to use, but definitely more stylin). Yeah its pretty sexy.

Sound:
There's a lot of options in the drive module, and being able to assign the expression pedal to anything is really useful. I don't like many of the presets but I usually don't with these kinds of pedals, but it is very clear and a couple of them, especially the MesaBoogie MkIII and the Marshall Guv'nor are very responsive and can be used for very slight crunch to roar just by setting the expresion pedal to 'drive'. I didn't like the wah very much but all the modulation and reverbs etc are nice and clear and have enough parameters that you can saturate or just touch the tone with. It's good, but not as convincing as an amp simulator as I would like. It will do for a good demo plugging direct but there's something kind of brittle or sterile or something I just can't put my finger on makes me want to use it through an amp and mic it instead of plugging direct. But my amp sucks and so does my mic so direct is better than nothing.

Ease of Use:
Here's where I have issues: Its easy enough to program. The big beef I have with it is that you can't cycle through to the patch you want and THEN click to engage it. It's just UP or DOWN... so if you use it live you have to store all the sounds you use in one song in a sequential order... if your song goes from 'clean' to 'dirty' to 'dirty wah' to 'clean' for instance you have to save the 'clean' sound twice so you can jump straight to it from the 'dirty wah' sound without having to back up over the 'dirty' sound first. This isn't a problem if you just go clean to dirty and back in your music but if you like adding more textures it takes a while to store them all in the right order. I was not very happy about this, but it is just a hassle not an insurmountable obstacle.

Support:
I only ever had to contact zoom once, in the days before prolific internet PDF manuals,I called their U.S. distributor because I lost my manual and they sent me a new manual. No charge. No questions asked. Simple.

Overall:
Again the only problem I have is in the UP or DOWN effect switching. It's definitely worth the price. All the stuff you have in there in single pedal form would cost a couple grand, then add in CuBase and it's a pretty nice little package. I recommend. There are a few similar pedals by digitech and behringer and boss and korg but this one definately does a lot more, isn't made of plastic, and comes with CuBase and a USB port, which none of the others I looked at had.

1 of 3 people (33.33%) found this review helpful. Did you?

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Zoom G2.1u Guitar Effects Customer Review

Overall:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * * . 9 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * . . 8 out of 10
 
 
 
Feature:
great analog style knobs make editing patches on the fly a breeze!

Quality:
rugged steel chasis suprised me. feels very sturdy.

Value:
great value for the money!

Sound:
like any multi-effects pedal, you have to sit down to dial in the right sound for you, but for the price its great!

4 of 8 people (50%) found this review helpful. Did you?

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"Wowee!"

Overall:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Features:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Quality:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Value:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
I Want It:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Sound:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Ease of Use:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
Support:
* * * * * * * * * * 10 out of 10
 
 
 
Feature:
Plenty of effects to keep you busy a long time. Drum machine isnt too bad. A better screen should be included though. Cubase is also really fun to use.

Quality:
This pedal is tank. Very sturdy.

Value:
a great buy

Desirability:
id marry it if i could

Sound:
unbelievable. with a little work u can find exactly the tone ur looking for.the reverb is really good and the wah is amazing.

Ease of Use:
Easy as pie.manual is very helpful. Its all verry straight forward.

Support:
N/A

Overall:
its all i imagined it to be. realistic sounds and cubase LE is a great bonus.