For those who might be interested on this unit, but don't care about the layout interface, it has a computer editor to manage and modify your presets called Guitar lab. And also an unofficial patch editor too like tonelib, that already worked with the previous g1o(x)n
@@socialdef3 this thing does the cleans and verbs,delays and mod best. The high gain sounds gets a little noisy at times. I use it at the end of my board for modulation and the looper. To me that alone makes it worth the money. But to answer your question, the amp models are pretty good for $100 pedal. Especially the clean ones.
@@tonyfoster986 Thanks, I've had the pedal for a bit over a month and I can attest that this little pedal is overwhelmingly awesome. It has more effects than I will ever use, but the amp and cab simulations, reverbs and drives I use are nothing short of amazing for the price I paid. Plus the looper and drum machine add more practice and fun to it. I am enjoying mines quite a bit, and recently began experimenting a bit with the acoustic sim, which is also pretty neat sounding. You can't go wrong with this pedal. edit: the cleans I use and like most are the JTM45, Twin Reverb, Deluxe Reverb and the Bassman models
The great thing about this unit is it has drums AND a looper that works together so you can be your own band, most other comparable devices only has drums OR a looper!
I own a GX1on and to be honest it's a lot of fun and helped me a lot to get to know effects and effect chains, and lately I've been using it live, nothing fancy but gets the job done
I think it gets it done, especially live. For the drive sound, pedals are def better. One can have a very compact 2 pedals + zoom thing going. No need for a pedal board as well. Most of the guys around me use these units.
@@charlesmagno28 best thing for direct recording is guitar--> an audio interface-->laptop with Amplitube 4 software. I use it, sounds very professional. Also monitor speakers / headphones, it does not use the laptop speakers for output.
Been playing through a GX1on and B1on for over a year now, with enough tweaking those are absolutely stellar. Glad to see they're continuing development in this direction. Not really sold on the interface changes, but maybe it's just habit.
Long time Zoom user here since the 505 days. Zoom has progressed by leaps and bounds over the years. Currently I am using Zoom MS multistomps on my pedalboard. The MS are very versatile, but based on what I hear here, the cab sim on this G1 unit is pretty impressive. Better than the MS to my ears.
Had to subscribe. Most people who do these kind of videos usually sound rehearsed. Obviously youre talking to the camera and your verbiage will reflect that, but it still feels natural like Im there hangin out with you. I really enjoyed your video. ROCK ON!🤘
I use it for the road to jam with a looper and dum machine and fit it in my backpack when I travel.. I have also used it as a delay and reverb only in fx loop
yes! That's what I'm looking for. So the delays and reverbs are decent eh? I was considering the MS-70CDR and I was going to get a good looper so I was looking at $300 - $400 bucks. Looper works well?
Great demo - I dig the way you make it fun and funny...showing both the good, bad, and the ugly of the effects pedal! Keep on ripping' and rockin'...thanks,
I’ve been looking for an IR loader because my amp’s headphone output didn’t have a cab sim but bought this instead because it was locally available, on sale, and cheap. I’m very pleased with all the sounds I get - made a few clean patches to make a pedal platform plus a cab-only patch. I think that my favorite stock patch is the Orange amp; and I didn’t even think that I liked those. I’m just blown away by this thing. Especially because it can even drive my insensitive AKG k240 headphones so I don’t need anything else for practice.
3:18 .... cab simulations were part of the amps ... you could choose various cabs in any amp ... so in these products now an amp and a cab take up two slots instead of one
I bought the bass one for practice and ended up really liking it. I think the interface makes a lot of sense considered that it's a 2-switch operation during a performance. It's great for home practice AND as a back up pedal for gigs coz it's so cheap and useable.
I have a a Zoom G3n that I use just for the tuner, drums, and looper for practice. This looks like an even cheaper solution to do the same thing. Good value even if you don't use any of the effects. I agree that it is annoying that you have to turn off the drums after you record them in the loop, but it is just a minor annoyance.
Good Review...I Bought one of These Units....And Found it easy to navigate the various In's and Out's of it ...Trust me as a Retired old Geezer pushing on 70, I had no problem's getting a Lot Out of This Zoom Unit...£85 A bargain I feel.
Great review! Thanks so much, very entertaining too! Please tell me that is a shop or a studio you filmed in, and not your house! Looks like a guitarist's heaven! Cheers from Manchester, England.
I have the G1 four sitting on my desk since yesterday, but I can't play with it yet because I only brought 1 cable to my parents house *facepalm* This review came at the perfect moment! Thanks for the tip about the cab sim, I wouldn't have known!
I too use the MS50g, followed by the MS70cdr to simulate an effects loop before going to D.I. I play clean or with a little breakout mostly, and the MS series work just fine. I am still not impressed with Zoom's distortion effects, but for its price and size, it is an uneasy compromise for that occasional 1 or 2 songs.
Nice. I'l thinking of putting one at the very end of my pedalboard to have a cab sim that could eventually moonshine as a chorus, tremolo etc. Are you still using it? Still happy with the solution of already changed?
Thanks! Great review and tutorial. I recently picked this pedal up and appreciated the very clear instructions to help me get started quickly (especially the cab on/off tip). You just gained a new subscriber. Thanks again
I see your concerns, but this is the exact reason why the G1 series have software available to make this changes on the spot using a computer (Zoom software or ToneLib). You can drag and chage your chain how you like with a click of a mouse. Very few effect pedals can do that. And btw the presets are kinda useless. Have fun and make your own patches.... Even at a beginner level is super easy to do 😊
@@socialdef3 I have the G1on... I can say it is decent... bear in mind it is a cheap piece of gear. which for the money is quite good... but dont expect to have pristine valve sound out of it.
@@Nicklowend I have the G1 four and have replaced my trusty old Vox Tonelab for good with this zoom pedal I am more than happy and it sounds great no matter what situation I throw at it, with people constantly telling me how good the guitars sound whether it's a recording or live.
Son is getting one of these for Christmas, can see how the menu system could confuse someone, personally, made life easier, ditched effects a long time ago.
Thanks for an informative demo. I own this unit and was wondering why the cab blocks didn't do much. Apparently mic off is supposed to mean it's "optimized" for use with an amp (instead of DI or headphones). But most users (well me, at least) expect that if the cab block is turned on, you get a cab sim (which INCLUDES the IR) and not just a slight EQ. Really should be a global setting. The UI suffers from the small number of manual controls but the sounds are pretty good -- works as a headphone practice amp, as a "pedalboard" in front of the amp, I also like to run it as a pre amp, guitar->Zoom->FX return. There are better multi FX units (which mostly cost much more) but as a portable practice amp this is hard to beat.
I remember when I was going through the presets on this thing thinking how bad they sounded. I almost returned it before figuring out the cab mics were turned off by default. They really should have included an option to enable/disable all cab mics in a single setting. Since I use it DI only, I have to go through each one and turn them on, and presets that don't have a cab assigned by default I have to make a decision about which block in the chain to sacrifice for a cab sim.
@@davidedmunds By 'DI', I mean plugging the pedal directly into the audio interface on my computer to record instead of plugging into a guitar amp. In this case, 'DI' stands for 'direct in'. You get the same DI sound through headphones plugged into the pedal. Since I'm not plugging into an amp and cabinet, I have to simulate and amp/cab combo to make it sound right when plugging directly in. This pedal has a built-in amp simulator and cab simulator (think of the amp as the head on a combo amplifier, and the cab as the big speaker or speakers you see on a guitar amp), but the cab simulator is turned off by default on the presets for this pedal. When editing the presets, if you turn on the cab simulator options (which has to be done for each individual preset, separately), it immediately sounds much better when connecting directly to a recorder or listening through headphones. Hope this helps! :)
As this is gonna be many peoples' first pedal ever, mixing presets with and without cab sim is a good idea. You can just plug it into an amp, a PA, acoustic amp or use headphones and flip through a couple presets and every other preset will sound alright. If they were grouped by cab sims, people would give up after a couple presets and never consider a Zoom pedal ever again because e.g. that other brand with the same guitar and amp sounds fantastic in the guitar store.
@@HikerDave57 that is what I though when a friend of mine started playing around with those buttons the day I when to his house to jam for a bit. hehehe
Great review Henning! Much prefer listening to your opinion on gear than the sounds of a product. That's why prefer your videos on gear though I don't buy a lot.
I use mine in the effects loop for just effects. It also provides a d.i option that sounds ok for the one time the amp breaks down. I find the effects quite useable for me. I play in a covers band and use delays, phaser, trem, flanger and vibrato. So for £65 I get 5 useable effects, cab Sims and a DI option plus it fits on my pedal board. Can't go wrong with this option at this price range!
This pretty basic unit is actually very, very Easy to navigate once you see a proper usage Tutorial for it. Super easy. Definitely worth the half an hour to watch a simple tutorial and after that everything makes Perfectly simple sense.
Been using zoom for 12 years now and i love them both for bass and guitar and i think they are great! Congrats for the review! The best i ve watched! 🤘
Yes, but the modeling technology is inferior. DSP for G1 four is much more advanced, the amp and cabs are amazing for the price, steal of a pedal for the cost.
Hello, Just my 2 cts, I own a Headrush Gigboard, Full Bias FX2, 14 guitars, MusicMan Majesty, JP , Ibangez Signature etc... and...I have a G3n ( planning to buy a G1 four instead ). why ? 5 slots effects : noise gate, comp, amp, cab, delay 1 looper 1 drum track. all this in my flightcase, with a powerbank, and a 9vUSB cable and with a headset... i can go ANYwhere, practice on weekends, vacation, in the garden, in train, at work during the meal break, and even downstairs on the couch, while being with my wife. detail, why "downgrade" from the G3n to the G1 four ? in fact, it is an UPgrade. on the G3n we have 7 slots for the effects, BUT Amp take 2, with cab, it makes 3 drum takes 1 Looper takes 1 .... that is already 5 so only two left, so gate and delay for example... AND, the looper is contained IN the effect, so when you loop something, and want another effect to play along, is you switch, the loops stops... plus, I don't need the extra buttons etc... SO I should have taken the G3n that is for me under the G1four.
I just don't know why they messed up the cab sim selection on the G1On, G3n, G5n, G1Four .... really, they already nailed it with the old G5, where you could change the output setting in the menu it belongs to: *the* *main* *menu* , not the preset. This is great as you don't have to change any presets, you just change the selection once when going from e.g. headphones to cab, and all presets use that option from that point on. Why on earth did they have to change that?
Yup no direct master vol unlike the old gfx4/8/g7/g9...but this g1four had master vol when in preset mode,which is better than g3/g5 which u have to go to global setting😞..sample g1four,knob 1-bass,knob 2 - mid,knob 3- high,knob 4- vol...😊👌
I love my g5 and g3. I was sad to see that the new series wouldn't use the expression for every parameter for every effect (I use mine for the mix knob on an effect to go from dry to wet). Also I agree henning it'd be nice if there was a global setting to turn all the cabs on or off. Also i was sad they didn't have an expression input for the ms series.
The original Line6 POD from 1998 has this done right: there's a PHYSICAL amp/direct switch that turns the cab/mic simulation on and off, and this is completely separate and independent from any other settings and presets. Though I'm sure that many users didn't know what that was about anyway and had the switch in the wrong position. I'd recommend not to use factory presets, that's the only way to learn and get the sounds under control. Guitars don't come with preset songs. ;)
Having had a boss me 25 for quite some time when I was younger, I’d have to say that these two button units really just need that third switch. It really eliminates having to make the exact same patch over and over again taking up preset spaces so that you can just add in simple effects like phaser, Flanger, or even a delay for a solo. Then you also have to setup the presets in a specific order to try and use it live and I feel like that hurts the real world applications quite a bit. Even though this seems to sound better, I would still recommend a used boss gt-1 over most 2 button units because you can do so much with that third assignable switch.
There is the Zoom G3n model which has 3 buttons. It sounds the same way, but it is more suitable in live playing. G1F is ok as a desktop device. Those 5 buttons can toggle 5 effects in a chain using fingers instead of feets.
Hey! I got to the end without wincing! What I saw and heard was a well-balanced review and I enjoyed it. Having said that, I've always been confused by multi-effects units like this or the Digitech which I own but never got used to. In fact, my Fender Floor has only been tried out 2-3 times. I guess if you have nothing else, it's good to fool about with these, and as Mr Eytsch says, the amp/cab effects should be on from the start. Liked the drums, BTW!
The looper don't record drums (same as g1. Looper record only your In and loop it over drums. That's why you have to stop them separately from loop. I think the idea behind this is to be able to stop drums mid song (which don't work because if you stop loop you will always have metronome start before).
On the g1xon that doesn't happen and it's nice to stop and start drums at will The real problem is using the switches that go from loop to drums to presets with your feet :D
Disagree that anything about this unit is confusing. Every box with this level of function is going to have it's quirks, and you have to suss them out to get to the point where you're used to them. It's a great unit for hobbyists/home recordings. I do agree that having the MIC off (in effect the cab sim itself off) as default is pretty dumb but not hard to fix. You can edit the crap out of ALL the presets, so, I don't see a subjective opinion on how it's set up out of the box as terribly valid. The only other thing I wish they'd update is to have the expression pedal be assignable to any effect that you might want to have live control over, instead of having to select a PDL (Zoom shorthand for pedal) effect that has expression control. If you dig a little deeper, there are many effects in the library that are categorized as PDL but are really just standard stomp boxes (no actual expression control). In short, the unit isn't perfect, but its sounds are good, it's easy to use, and can be bought on the cheap. I made an offer through eBay and got it for $85 w/tax and shipping, new.
Finally a coherent comment. A lot of whining babies on here, but that happens to the majority of people who only use factory presets, don't tinker or program their own patches and don't read the manual. Figures. For those who do like to make their presets from scratch: this is an awesome tool! The amps are top notch and my ears and mind are constantly being blown! I have the G1 Four and it is good enough for practice, recording or gigging. Sounds great through amps and headphones and I assume the same goes for cabs and PA's. I also love that you can power from desktop/laptop/cellphone adapter/power bank through a USB cable or 4 AA batteries that last up to 18 hours. A fine and mighty multifx pedal for the price it commands - I love mine and may get another for backup :)
My main sound comes from a Mooer preamp live. I’m looking for a good effects unit to hook into its effects loop. Would you consider the G1 as a good option? I’m also contemplating line 6 M5. Which one do you find better?
At the first glance, I thought Henning played the Guthrie Govan signature Charvel. I have the previous version of this pedal. It was cheap and if you need something for your practice with headphones, then , it is ok. But if you run it through an amp, even valve amp, the signal is so compressed and thin, I could not dial it out, I tried taking the compression fx out of the chain and also turning the tube emulation down in the amp fx emulator stomp. Even with every fx stomp turned off on the zoomG1, just to use it as a buffer and/or use the noise gate stomp, the compression and thinning of signal was still there. It might be over 2 years since I put it back in its box. The only good thing I remember was the zoom noise reduction stomp on zoomG1. The new zoomG1 in this video sounds very compressed and thin as much as I remember about my older one. I need to hear and feel a bit of dynamics to enjoy playing guitar.
Hi, I'm one of those beginners who don't know anything about "cap" that you just saved from those horrible sounds. I now suddenly can use a lot more of these effects than I could before watching this video lol.
A late comment I know but I found this unit way more intuitive than the 3Gn! Totally agree about using Guitar Lab to edit the presets - much easier. By the way I never use any of those patches which are preloaded. I make own from scratch.
I don't understand why on the G1 Four, like on the G3n and G5n, you always have to turn on the cab sim while on the G1on, the cab simulation is always on by default. I gave the G1 Four a try. While it has a better interface, by having more knobs, and the amp simulation section had a needed cleanup, the sound of it doesn't reach the sound of the G1xon. Using tonelib anyway, I don't care about the knobs. Still a good device. Just don't know why they did it worse than the predecessor.
@@mercedesescobarmusic Not easy to answer. The old version is half the money of the new one. Compared to the much better G3xn, I think the G1x Four is too expensive (€55 vs €100 vs €160) I'd buy the G1Xon and safe the money for when you want "more". I bought a G5 (previous generation "flagship") used for less than a new G1x Four (!) later on. Still using the G1Xon for traveling. It looks flimsy, but is sturdy.
@@ssm445 Sorry but you're way out of context... to be honest the G1 Four has the same amp modeling as the G5n/G3n series, and is leaps and bounds better sounding in every way than the old technology of the G1on/G3/G5.
OMG! I see you now have the Boss Waza Tube thing. can't wait to see your take on it! 🤔🤔🤔 PS: Oops! I forgot that this is supposed to be a Zoom Video. my bad. 😅😅😅
I'm thinking of getting one of these, been playing guitar for 30 years and I've had everything from analog to digital, but now I need something cheap and very portable, I've had the Zoom MS-50g and I loved it, but it's one button form factor turned it into a one trick pony on live situations, but it had a lot more effects than this unit, would you guys recommend the Zoom G1X Four or the Mooer GE150, I've read the Zoom has terrible cab and amp simulators and distortions compared to the Mooer, but the Zoom has really great reverbs, delays and modulation effects, on the other side the Zoom runs on batteries and USB power (so it could run off a power bank in theory) while the Mooer has a lot more effects but doesn't run on batteries, has better cab and amp simulators and can combine more affects at a time
Marked for watch later (I'm at work) but I am really looking forward to Henning's opinions on this. Don't laugh, but I really like Zoom's guitar devices. I had a G3 for years, until I dropped it :( . Plus, I always trust Henning's opinion on guitar gear.
In developing countries, units like these (Zoom/ Digitech) are very popular & they make sense. The last gig we organised (Thrash), ALL the guitarists were using a Zoom G3 into an amp & one guy used a cab sim pedal (Mooer Radar). I've played through a Line 6 Pod HD400 for a week & learnt that for clean sounds, it's amazing. For really low volume solutions, nothing can beat digital gear. But there's the pain of tweakability & the drive sounds are lacking, even in the 300 $ range. I would rather have a few pedals for 150$ & be happy with them; so easy to change settings. Having your drive sounds as analog & effects through a G1 on is smart.
I would recommend the g3x or g3xn if you want an expression pedal. The interface on the pedal is so much easier to use and is excellent. I owned one for a few months and finally managed to get the actual pedals I needed to replace it. Its a great unit, solid build and definitely worth the extra dough.
Still a bit weird that ZOOM have set the Cabinet Mic setting standard to OFF on this great practising device the G1(x). Well maybe Zoom will set it in standard mode to ON position in a new firmware version. For now you can easily set the setting all to ON in Guitar Lab and save quickly. Again... great practising device! Thanks for the Vid!
Yep, I played through a friend's Digitech Rp90, a unit identical to this one, to get an idea of what I want. Then ordered budget pedals & I'm totally satisfied with the sound. One can toy around with these but for good drive sounds, only expensive digital works or cheap analog pedals.
Help me understand.. what does "DI" mean and isn't this always 'in front of an amp'? I mean, what else are you going to connect it to? Sorry for the dumb question. I just ordered one and getting into mixing/recording after a long hiatus.
DI means "direct input", as in output goes directly into a recording device, mixing board, headphones, PA or anything like that. "In front of an amp" means the output goes into a standard guitar amp/cabinet first, then (if you want to record) is recorded using a mic, not directly.
AMAZING TOYS For the price it can be use it as a Stomp or manual the quality of the sound is very good u can use the Looper and the Rithm separaly and came with a EQ outside that is ver very Important i higly recomend it cheerss !!!
Hi, Hennig! Have you ever checked out the NuX Cerberus? Bought it at Thomann for 216 Euro, so i think the Cerberus is right in the middle of the range of the Zoom G-thingies. But the Cerberus has analog distortion and overdrive cirquits, a lot of knobs for direct access to the effects AND it has a built-in cabinet simulation with IR. You can store up to 128 presets, it has MIDI integration and a lot of more features... Small and easy to handle - a perfect option for beginners, i think! Would be great to see a video of you fiddeling around with the NuX Cerberus. - Maybe this could be more a product for you, than the Zoom G1...
For those who might be interested on this unit, but don't care about the layout interface, it has a computer editor to manage and modify your presets called Guitar lab. And also an unofficial patch editor too like tonelib, that already worked with the previous g1o(x)n
That is awesome, but are the amp models worth it? I care more about fender cleans, if that helps.
@@socialdef3 this thing does the cleans and verbs,delays and mod best. The high gain sounds gets a little noisy at times. I use it at the end of my board for modulation and the looper. To me that alone makes it worth the money. But to answer your question, the amp models are pretty good for $100 pedal. Especially the clean ones.
Thank you
@@tonyfoster986 Thanks, I've had the pedal for a bit over a month and I can attest that this little pedal is overwhelmingly awesome. It has more effects than I will ever use, but the amp and cab simulations, reverbs and drives I use are nothing short of amazing for the price I paid. Plus the looper and drum machine add more practice and fun to it. I am enjoying mines quite a bit, and recently began experimenting a bit with the acoustic sim, which is also pretty neat sounding. You can't go wrong with this pedal.
edit: the cleans I use and like most are the JTM45, Twin Reverb, Deluxe Reverb and the Bassman models
And that makes it pretty badassed. Got one from Amazon today for $86 free shipping/free returns.
Reverb made me appreciate Amazon so much more.
I just got my G1x Four and I'm glad I found your video. Especially the information you gave about cabinets' being off. Appreciated man!
The great thing about this unit is it has drums AND a looper that works together so you can be your own band, most other comparable devices only has drums OR a looper!
I own a GX1on and to be honest it's a lot of fun and helped me a lot to get to know effects and effect chains, and lately I've been using it live, nothing fancy but gets the job done
I think it gets it done, especially live. For the drive sound, pedals are def better.
One can have a very compact 2 pedals + zoom thing going. No need for a pedal board as well.
Most of the guys around me use these units.
The ms50g multi stomp is quite good too.
If you want convincing drive, just add an analog drive pedal such as Mooer Hustle Drive before the Zoom and your sound would be vastly improved.
Can this do direct usb recording? Im torn getting multistomp ans this. Is sound quality the same?
@@charlesmagno28 best thing for direct recording is guitar--> an audio interface-->laptop with Amplitube 4 software. I use it, sounds very professional. Also monitor speakers / headphones, it does not use the laptop speakers for output.
You should have read the instructions before making this video. All of your complaints are addressed and can be resolved by reading the instructions.
Been playing through a GX1on and B1on for over a year now, with enough tweaking those are absolutely stellar. Glad to see they're continuing development in this direction. Not really sold on the interface changes, but maybe it's just habit.
This is why you should always read the manuals.
I feel like most of "pro guitar" channels that did reviews on G1 Four were not aware of the cab sim thing
@George Eugene Sounds pretty beta male to me.
What's a cab sim?
@@Ikiya69 cabinet emulation, its a feature on G1 Four
Long time Zoom user here since the 505 days. Zoom has progressed by leaps and bounds over the years. Currently I am using Zoom MS multistomps on my pedalboard. The MS are very versatile, but based on what I hear here, the cab sim on this G1 unit is pretty impressive. Better than the MS to my ears.
I was wondering how much better this sounds than my old 505?
But remember it's in combination with the speaker plus the wattage.❤
Had to subscribe. Most people who do these kind of videos usually sound rehearsed. Obviously youre talking to the camera and your verbiage will reflect that, but it still feels natural like Im there hangin out with you. I really enjoyed your video. ROCK ON!🤘
I use it for the road to jam with a looper and dum machine and fit it in my backpack when I travel.. I have also used it as a delay and reverb only in fx loop
yes! That's what I'm looking for. So the delays and reverbs are decent eh? I was considering the MS-70CDR and I was going to get a good looper so I was looking at $300 - $400 bucks. Looper works well?
Whats the Looper record time?
Sounds like a Kemper ✌️😍✌️
If you're playing in front of the audience. They won't care if you're using a Kemper or zoom 😊😊😊
Cj Naotda yeahhh
Well, that's because the he's recording in a real cab
Great demo - I dig the way you make it fun and funny...showing both the good, bad, and the ugly of the effects pedal! Keep on ripping' and rockin'...thanks,
Love it. I pre-ordered it when I first saw it. Small package, convenient, and works perfectly for what I do.
Sometimes the goofiness of Henning makes me forget what a great player he actually is...
Apostolos Papadopoulos then we have Devin Townsend
Manny Fragoza omg lol that got me!
The only review I've found which talks about the cabs being off by default! Zoom, you need to pay this guy!
I’ve been looking for an IR loader because my amp’s headphone output didn’t have a cab sim but bought this instead because it was locally available, on sale, and cheap.
I’m very pleased with all the sounds I get - made a few clean patches to make a pedal platform plus a cab-only patch.
I think that my favorite stock patch is the Orange amp; and I didn’t even think that I liked those.
I’m just blown away by this thing. Especially because it can even drive my insensitive AKG k240 headphones so I don’t need anything else for practice.
3:18 .... cab simulations were part of the amps ... you could choose various cabs in any amp ... so in these products now an amp and a cab take up two slots instead of one
I bought the bass one for practice and ended up really liking it. I think the interface makes a lot of sense considered that it's a 2-switch operation during a performance. It's great for home practice AND as a back up pedal for gigs coz it's so cheap and useable.
I have a a Zoom G3n that I use just for the tuner, drums, and looper for practice. This looks like an even cheaper solution to do the same thing. Good value even if you don't use any of the effects. I agree that it is annoying that you have to turn off the drums after you record them in the loop, but it is just a minor annoyance.
Good Review...I Bought one of These Units....And Found it easy to navigate the various In's and Out's of it ...Trust me as a Retired old Geezer pushing on 70, I had no problem's getting a Lot Out of This Zoom Unit...£85 A bargain I feel.
Great review! Thanks so much, very entertaining too! Please tell me that is a shop or a studio you filmed in, and not your house! Looks like a guitarist's heaven! Cheers from Manchester, England.
I have the G1 four sitting on my desk since yesterday, but I can't play with it yet because I only brought 1 cable to my parents house *facepalm*
This review came at the perfect moment! Thanks for the tip about the cab sim, I wouldn't have known!
Does it not have a headphone out?
@@williamwest6307 Only a big 6,3 mm Instrument cable, But I have adapters now, so it's all good!
They are even hard to get in my country
Good insight on how they perform, best vid i've seen on this product.
I played it for the first time i was impressed by all the sounds
A great use is for amp/cab sim at the end of the pedalboard, I've used my MS50g for this in the last 5 years and is great for a small rig to go D.I.
I too use the MS50g, followed by the MS70cdr to simulate an effects loop before going to D.I. I play clean or with a little breakout mostly, and the MS series work just fine. I am still not impressed with Zoom's distortion effects, but for its price and size, it is an uneasy compromise for that occasional 1 or 2 songs.
Nice. I'l thinking of putting one at the very end of my pedalboard to have a cab sim that could eventually moonshine as a chorus, tremolo etc. Are you still using it? Still happy with the solution of already changed?
Thanks! Great review and tutorial. I recently picked this pedal up and appreciated the very clear instructions to help me get started quickly (especially the cab on/off tip). You just gained a new subscriber. Thanks again
I have a small piece of yellow tape with MIC written on it in between the expression pedal and body as a reminder.
I see your concerns, but this is the exact reason why the G1 series have software available to make this changes on the spot using a computer (Zoom software or ToneLib). You can drag and chage your chain how you like with a click of a mouse. Very few effect pedals can do that. And btw the presets are kinda useless. Have fun and make your own patches.... Even at a beginner level is super easy to do 😊
I found the interface and button operation 'friendlier' than the G1on. Personally that's a big plus.
How about the amp models, are they better sounding than the G1on?
@@socialdef3 I have the G1on... I can say it is decent... bear in mind it is a cheap piece of gear. which for the money is quite good... but dont expect to have pristine valve sound out of it.
@@Nicklowend I have the G1 four and have replaced my trusty old Vox Tonelab for good with this zoom pedal I am more than happy and it sounds great no matter what situation I throw at it, with people constantly telling me how good the guitars sound whether it's a recording or live.
That thing is awesome and I can't wait till the FedEx truck arrives. Thanks for the awesome review and inspiration, you rock!
Son is getting one of these for Christmas, can see how the menu system could confuse someone, personally, made life easier, ditched effects a long time ago.
Thanks for an informative demo. I own this unit and was wondering why the cab blocks didn't do much. Apparently mic off is supposed to mean it's "optimized" for use with an amp (instead of DI or headphones). But most users (well me, at least) expect that if the cab block is turned on, you get a cab sim (which INCLUDES the IR) and not just a slight EQ. Really should be a global setting. The UI suffers from the small number of manual controls but the sounds are pretty good -- works as a headphone practice amp, as a "pedalboard" in front of the amp, I also like to run it as a pre amp, guitar->Zoom->FX return. There are better multi FX units (which mostly cost much more) but as a portable practice amp this is hard to beat.
I remember when I was going through the presets on this thing thinking how bad they sounded. I almost returned it before figuring out the cab mics were turned off by default. They really should have included an option to enable/disable all cab mics in a single setting. Since I use it DI only, I have to go through each one and turn them on, and presets that don't have a cab assigned by default I have to make a decision about which block in the chain to sacrifice for a cab sim.
Joseph Holliday thank you that is critically useful information for some of us that would have been hard to figure out on our own.
@@davidedmunds By 'DI', I mean plugging the pedal directly into the audio interface on my computer to record instead of plugging into a guitar amp. In this case, 'DI' stands for 'direct in'. You get the same DI sound through headphones plugged into the pedal. Since I'm not plugging into an amp and cabinet, I have to simulate and amp/cab combo to make it sound right when plugging directly in. This pedal has a built-in amp simulator and cab simulator (think of the amp as the head on a combo amplifier, and the cab as the big speaker or speakers you see on a guitar amp), but the cab simulator is turned off by default on the presets for this pedal. When editing the presets, if you turn on the cab simulator options (which has to be done for each individual preset, separately), it immediately sounds much better when connecting directly to a recorder or listening through headphones. Hope this helps! :)
@@DocHollidayGames it helped me for sure, thanks!!
The intro solo sounded awesome. Great playing and sound .
As this is gonna be many peoples' first pedal ever, mixing presets with and without cab sim is a good idea. You can just plug it into an amp, a PA, acoustic amp or use headphones and flip through a couple presets and every other preset will sound alright. If they were grouped by cab sims, people would give up after a couple presets and never consider a Zoom pedal ever again because e.g. that other brand with the same guitar and amp sounds fantastic in the guitar store.
20:38 whenever I need a good laugh I come back to this video and watch this exact reaction
Always get a laugh out of your demos… well done
Good news. The transparent little pieces of plastic on the foot switches are buttons, so you don't have to press the big button when editing.
Wait what? I’ve been using this thing for a month and never noticed!
@@HikerDave57 that is what I though when a friend of mine started playing around with those buttons the day I when to his house to jam for a bit. hehehe
16:00 thank you for those words. As a beginner you just don‘t know about that things.
If you think that is complicated try navigating through a Fractal Ultra where nothing is just a button or two away but usually four or five pages 😮
Reminds me of the Zoom 505 but I never knew if those sounds were any good or not! lol
Great review Henning!
Much prefer listening to your opinion on gear than the sounds of a product.
That's why prefer your videos on gear though I don't buy a lot.
I use mine in the effects loop for just effects. It also provides a d.i option that sounds ok for the one time the amp breaks down.
I find the effects quite useable for me. I play in a covers band and use delays, phaser, trem, flanger and vibrato.
So for £65 I get 5 useable effects, cab Sims and a DI option plus it fits on my pedal board. Can't go wrong with this option at this price range!
This pretty basic unit is actually very, very Easy to navigate once you see a proper usage Tutorial for it. Super easy. Definitely worth the half an hour to watch a simple tutorial and after that everything makes Perfectly simple sense.
Been using zoom for 12 years now and i love them both for bass and guitar and i think they are great! Congrats for the review! The best i ve watched! 🤘
Zoom stuff has always been awesome to me.
bummed about the cab thing...
BTW. You're the funniest version of Robert Englund..Just kidding ,but you are funny.
Thanks for this review. I have the G1on and was wondering about the G1 four. I think I'll stick with the G1on. Simpler and cheaper.
Yes, but the modeling technology is inferior. DSP for G1 four is much more advanced, the amp and cabs are amazing for the price, steal of a pedal for the cost.
Hello, Just my 2 cts, I own a Headrush Gigboard, Full Bias FX2, 14 guitars, MusicMan Majesty, JP , Ibangez Signature etc...
and...I have a G3n ( planning to buy a G1 four instead ).
why ?
5 slots effects : noise gate, comp, amp, cab, delay
1 looper
1 drum track.
all this in my flightcase, with a powerbank, and a 9vUSB cable and with a headset...
i can go ANYwhere, practice on weekends, vacation, in the garden, in train, at work during the meal break, and even downstairs on the couch, while being with my wife.
detail, why "downgrade" from the G3n to the G1 four ? in fact, it is an UPgrade.
on the G3n we have 7 slots for the effects, BUT
Amp take 2, with cab, it makes 3
drum takes 1
Looper takes 1 ....
that is already 5 so only two left, so gate and delay for example...
AND, the looper is contained IN the effect, so when you loop something, and want another effect to play along, is you switch, the loops stops...
plus, I don't need the extra buttons etc...
SO I should have taken the G3n that is for me under the G1four.
I just don't know why they messed up the cab sim selection on the G1On, G3n, G5n, G1Four .... really, they already nailed it with the old G5, where you could change the output setting in the menu it belongs to: *the* *main* *menu* , not the preset.
This is great as you don't have to change any presets, you just change the selection once when going from e.g. headphones to cab, and all presets use that option from that point on.
Why on earth did they have to change that?
Things change buddy, get over it!
TY, I'm dithering between this and the more expensive BOss ME-80 to use in front of an acoustic amplifier. This was very helpful.
You are such a great reviewer keep up the great work
Hi which model are u useing for demo Zoom GXI four or just GX four you are a pretty Funny guy...Lol thanks keep it up.
I love your tee-shirt !
Why did you take the camera away at 5:25..that was where the focus should have been on the screen
I have been complaining about the lack of dedicated master volume since the original G2. It's been a decade, and they still don't put it in :-(.
Yup no direct master vol unlike the old gfx4/8/g7/g9...but this g1four had master vol when in preset mode,which is better than g3/g5 which u have to go to global setting😞..sample g1four,knob 1-bass,knob 2 - mid,knob 3- high,knob 4- vol...😊👌
I love my g5 and g3. I was sad to see that the new series wouldn't use the expression for every parameter for every effect (I use mine for the mix knob on an effect to go from dry to wet). Also I agree henning it'd be nice if there was a global setting to turn all the cabs on or off. Also i was sad they didn't have an expression input for the ms series.
It is a confusing piece of gear, he's simplified it alot, great job, great player too 👍👌😎
The original Line6 POD from 1998 has this done right: there's a PHYSICAL amp/direct switch that turns the cab/mic simulation on and off, and this is completely separate and independent from any other settings and presets. Though I'm sure that many users didn't know what that was about anyway and had the switch in the wrong position. I'd recommend not to use factory presets, that's the only way to learn and get the sounds under control. Guitars don't come with preset songs. ;)
learned a lot with this video, thank u so much, great review, perfectly explained
Having had a boss me 25 for quite some time when I was younger, I’d have to say that these two button units really just need that third switch. It really eliminates having to make the exact same patch over and over again taking up preset spaces so that you can just add in simple effects like phaser, Flanger, or even a delay for a solo. Then you also have to setup the presets in a specific order to try and use it live and I feel like that hurts the real world applications quite a bit. Even though this seems to sound better, I would still recommend a used boss gt-1 over most 2 button units because you can do so much with that third assignable switch.
There is the Zoom G3n model which has 3 buttons. It sounds the same way, but it is more suitable in live playing. G1F is ok as a desktop device. Those 5 buttons can toggle 5 effects in a chain using fingers instead of feets.
How was the ME-25? Your thoughts?
Hey! I got to the end without wincing! What I saw and heard was a well-balanced review and I enjoyed it. Having said that, I've always been confused by multi-effects units like this or the Digitech which I own but never got used to. In fact, my Fender Floor has only been tried out 2-3 times. I guess if you have nothing else, it's good to fool about with these, and as Mr Eytsch says, the amp/cab effects should be on from the start. Liked the drums, BTW!
thanks man, this vid helped me make my decision to buy the pedal!
The looper don't record drums (same as g1. Looper record only your In and loop it over drums. That's why you have to stop them separately from loop. I think the idea behind this is to be able to stop drums mid song (which don't work because if you stop loop you will always have metronome start before).
On the g1xon that doesn't happen and it's nice to stop and start drums at will
The real problem is using the switches that go from loop to drums to presets with your feet :D
Can I use boss looper with this...
Disagree that anything about this unit is confusing. Every box with this level of function is going to have it's quirks, and you have to suss them out to get to the point where you're used to them. It's a great unit for hobbyists/home recordings. I do agree that having the MIC off (in effect the cab sim itself off) as default is pretty dumb but not hard to fix. You can edit the crap out of ALL the presets, so, I don't see a subjective opinion on how it's set up out of the box as terribly valid. The only other thing I wish they'd update is to have the expression pedal be assignable to any effect that you might want to have live control over, instead of having to select a PDL (Zoom shorthand for pedal) effect that has expression control. If you dig a little deeper, there are many effects in the library that are categorized as PDL but are really just standard stomp boxes (no actual expression control). In short, the unit isn't perfect, but its sounds are good, it's easy to use, and can be bought on the cheap. I made an offer through eBay and got it for $85 w/tax and shipping, new.
Finally a coherent comment. A lot of whining babies on here, but that happens to the majority of people who only use factory presets, don't tinker or program their own patches and don't read the manual. Figures.
For those who do like to make their presets from scratch: this is an awesome tool! The amps are top notch and my ears and mind are constantly being blown!
I have the G1 Four and it is good enough for practice, recording or gigging. Sounds great through amps and headphones and I assume the same goes for cabs and PA's. I also love that you can power from desktop/laptop/cellphone adapter/power bank through a USB cable or 4 AA batteries that last up to 18 hours.
A fine and mighty multifx pedal for the price it commands - I love mine and may get another for backup :)
I belief you can turn on cab and save it.
My main sound comes from a Mooer preamp live. I’m looking for a good effects unit to hook into its effects loop. Would you consider the G1 as a good option? I’m also contemplating line 6 M5. Which one do you find better?
Is it worth to buy in 2024 December as beginner ? Or please suggest any other model.
I saw g2x four for beginner which is better ?
Hey bruh, love ur channel and reviews! Any chance u can lay your hands on Zoom G2X four would be appreciated.🎉
At the first glance, I thought Henning played the Guthrie Govan signature Charvel.
I have the previous version of this pedal. It was cheap and if you need something for your practice with headphones, then , it is ok. But if you run it through an amp, even valve amp, the signal is so compressed and thin, I could not dial it out, I tried taking the compression fx out of the chain and also turning the tube emulation down in the amp fx emulator stomp. Even with every fx stomp turned off on the zoomG1, just to use it as a buffer and/or use the noise gate stomp, the compression and thinning of signal was still there. It might be over 2 years since I put it back in its box. The only good thing I remember was the zoom noise reduction stomp on zoomG1. The new zoomG1 in this video sounds very compressed and thin as much as I remember about my older one. I need to hear and feel a bit of dynamics to enjoy playing guitar.
Appreciate it I had the Moore GE 300 craptastic hated it but I plan maybe on getting a zoom 3xn maybe you could do a review
Hi I watch a lot of your videos I really enjoyed, can you please tell if the zoom g1 four is good for keyboard 👍
you gotta check if it takes line level
Hi, I'm one of those beginners who don't know anything about "cap" that you just saved from those horrible sounds. I now suddenly can use a lot more of these effects than I could before watching this video lol.
Could you please also make a demo with the Line 6 Helix Lt?
i hope the distortion sounds like the old g1
That was a very helpful review. Thanks
Which is better the zoom multistomp or this?
The older units had 5 to 6 effects available at once but the unit was smaller and the menus more difficult to use. I doubt its a different engine.
A late comment I know but I found this unit way more intuitive than the 3Gn! Totally agree about using Guitar Lab to edit the presets - much easier. By the way I never use any of those patches which are preloaded. I make own from scratch.
I would love this if it had more blocks.
I don't understand why on the G1 Four, like on the G3n and G5n, you always have to turn on the cab sim while on the G1on, the cab simulation is always on by default.
I gave the G1 Four a try. While it has a better interface, by having more knobs, and the amp simulation section had a needed cleanup, the sound of it doesn't reach the sound of the G1xon.
Using tonelib anyway, I don't care about the knobs.
Still a good device. Just don't know why they did it worse than the predecessor.
I've never had either one before. I want to buy one soon. Which of the two (G1 Four vs G1on) would you recommend?
@@mercedesescobarmusic Not easy to answer. The old version is half the money of the new one. Compared to the much better G3xn, I think the G1x Four is too expensive (€55 vs €100 vs €160)
I'd buy the G1Xon and safe the money for when you want "more".
I bought a G5 (previous generation "flagship") used for less than a new G1x Four (!) later on. Still using the G1Xon for traveling. It looks flimsy, but is sturdy.
@@ssm445 Great, thanks! That really helps :)
@@ssm445 Sorry but you're way out of context... to be honest the G1 Four has the same amp modeling as the G5n/G3n series, and is leaps and bounds better sounding in every way than the old technology of the G1on/G3/G5.
Nice sweeping in the intro mate! :)
OMG! I see you now have the Boss Waza Tube thing. can't wait to see your take on it! 🤔🤔🤔
PS:
Oops! I forgot that this is supposed to be a Zoom Video. my bad. 😅😅😅
I'm thinking of getting one of these, been playing guitar for 30 years and I've had everything from analog to digital, but now I need something cheap and very portable, I've had the Zoom MS-50g and I loved it, but it's one button form factor turned it into a one trick pony on live situations, but it had a lot more effects than this unit, would you guys recommend the Zoom G1X Four or the Mooer GE150, I've read the Zoom has terrible cab and amp simulators and distortions compared to the Mooer, but the Zoom has really great reverbs, delays and modulation effects, on the other side the Zoom runs on batteries and USB power (so it could run off a power bank in theory) while the Mooer has a lot more effects but doesn't run on batteries, has better cab and amp simulators and can combine more affects at a time
Marked for watch later (I'm at work) but I am really looking forward to Henning's opinions on this. Don't laugh, but I really like Zoom's guitar devices. I had a G3 for years, until I dropped it :( . Plus, I always trust Henning's opinion on guitar gear.
In developing countries, units like these (Zoom/ Digitech) are very popular & they make sense.
The last gig we organised (Thrash), ALL the guitarists were using a Zoom G3 into an amp & one guy used a cab sim pedal (Mooer Radar).
I've played through a Line 6 Pod HD400 for a week & learnt that for clean sounds, it's amazing. For really low volume solutions, nothing can beat digital gear. But there's the pain of tweakability & the drive sounds are lacking, even in the 300 $ range.
I would rather have a few pedals for 150$ & be happy with them; so easy to change settings.
Having your drive sounds as analog & effects through a G1 on is smart.
@@vaibhavjoshi9141 totally agree
Is it better than the g3? Was thinking to buy the g3 until this came up XD
I would recommend the g3x or g3xn if you want an expression pedal. The interface on the pedal is so much easier to use and is excellent. I owned one for a few months and finally managed to get the actual pedals I needed to replace it. Its a great unit, solid build and definitely worth the extra dough.
I have a G3. From what I'm hearing here, get the 3G. Not impressed with this one.
How difficult is it to see the display at your feet, with old eyes?
What speaker do you have in the amp, and what wattage is it ?
Still a bit weird that ZOOM have set the Cabinet Mic setting standard to OFF on this great practising device the G1(x). Well maybe Zoom will set it in standard mode to ON position in a new firmware version. For now you can easily set the setting all to ON in Guitar Lab and save quickly. Again... great practising device! Thanks for the Vid!
maybe they considered a lots of players using it with an ampli, instead in a mixer or into a pc recording board.
@@littlebritain64 yeah, maybe you're right.
Brilliant, thank you. Fun and informative.
Played around with earlier Zooms but found out pretty fast that a real board was better for me, combined with a Trio+ it makes a great practicing kit.
Yep, I played through a friend's Digitech Rp90, a unit identical to this one, to get an idea of what I want.
Then ordered budget pedals & I'm totally satisfied with the sound.
One can toy around with these but for good drive sounds, only expensive digital works or cheap analog pedals.
Help me understand.. what does "DI" mean and isn't this always 'in front of an amp'? I mean, what else are you going to connect it to? Sorry for the dumb question. I just ordered one and getting into mixing/recording after a long hiatus.
DI means "direct input", as in output goes directly into a recording device, mixing board, headphones, PA or anything like that. "In front of an amp" means the output goes into a standard guitar amp/cabinet first, then (if you want to record) is recorded using a mic, not directly.
Thank you that exactly review i need it
Great job
How can be make a new tone
AMAZING TOYS For the price it can be use it as a Stomp or manual the quality of the sound is very good u can use the Looper and the Rithm separaly and came with a EQ outside that is ver very Important i higly recomend it cheerss !!!
The sound is plain on speakers QSC K12.2 but on audiotechnica headphone frim zoom i hear exact effect. Pls help
Hi, Hennig!
Have you ever checked out the NuX Cerberus? Bought it at Thomann for 216 Euro, so i think the Cerberus is right in the middle of the range of the Zoom G-thingies. But the Cerberus has analog distortion and overdrive cirquits, a lot of knobs for direct access to the effects AND it has a built-in cabinet simulation with IR. You can store up to 128 presets, it has MIDI integration and a lot of more features... Small and easy to handle - a perfect option for beginners, i think!
Would be great to see a video of you fiddeling around with the NuX Cerberus. - Maybe this could be more a product for you, than the Zoom G1...
I played it and it’s great!
please do a review of the Zoom MS100BT 😁
This better or zoom g1 x on ??? And why
I have the same question ...
@@fabioa.565 This one has better sounding amps and effects than the G1xon.
@@Steven-kj7xq thanks