All user reviews for the Zoom 505 Guitar

At the time, Gibson e347, Peavey 100w transtube, 2 505 in serial connection.
In my opinion you can't beat that effect. I used it professionally in NY for years.I play Jazz Brazil Funk stuff. I had 2 of them connected in serial, the sound coming out of those things was out of this world, and it is very light weight which is very important when you perform all the time.
Technically everybody can have fun with it, musically it was perfect for me especially the adjustable OD bank, reverb and EQ, after that depends on what you are looking for. But that pedal has so many possibilities, I probably used only a small fraction of its potential. I still own one today. I got lucky I bought one a year or so ago for 25 bucks. As today am still a fan.
The fact is they are difficult to find and although discontinued the price went up.
I give that little monster 5 stars because the Japanese signature quality is there, and for the price you can beat it.

all the basic effects of a multi.ce is not an amp simulator pod type. It therefore time no usb, noon and others.

UTILIZATION

Easy to use when we understand the manual. With two buttons in navigating presets and especially the changes we not have a "industrial" sound.
for every effect there is only one parameter, "more or less". Damage.

SOUND QUALITY

Distos not top, I personally am satisfied with "overdrive", otherwise it hums to death, at least if you like hi gain drop.
Do not use food to equalize the sound.
The auto-wah: corner corner.
modulations, normal.
The harmonizer is no third!
The reverb beyond a: Cathedral.
the delay,

OVERALL OPINION

I have since the late 90s, at the time it was top to learn the effects, from the modeling has been there.
should be to train at home.

Multi-effects prize at ZOOM digital.
The footswitch broke down after a week.
A shot soldering iron and no problem after ...

UTILIZATION

2 footswitches to walk in the bank patch, 4 buttons to edit patches. Rather simple.

SOUND QUALITY

To quickly: despicable.
The distos / overdrive porridge are no dynamics. Other effects are caricatures.

OVERALL OPINION

We can get an idea vaguely effects to sort those that we will use later.
There may also have a perverse effect: disgust us an effect while it is rather pleasant on real hardware.

I do not even know where it is: cellar? lost? given?

Multieffect digital amp simulator, distortion, delay, compressor, flanger and other drive ...
Between classical output jack.

UTILIZATION

Setup could not be simpler but limited (8 "presets" of memory effect).
PAs need manual is edited by bearing (one or no distortion, delay, chorus, a verb, etc.) and is recorded in a config patches. (Factory ones are not all terrible ...)

SOUND QUALITY

Some effects are nice (chorus and delay) the digital distos too (the overdrive go again ...) but for whom it tankard in secondhand, beginner, this is a good product (mine date Methuselah and still works!) I remember discovering the world of effects with this machine, I was in heaven!

OVERALL OPINION

I've had a good ten years, purchased the 700 francs (yea it is already far ...) used on an old transistor amp.
Oh it was great for the beginning, I trippais not wrong with my recordings houses (micro drive k7 is to say the side roots!).
Today I intend to keep it, it is the first effect that I owned as a guitarist and it emanates nostalgia and moments of my life ... post teen
He made great service, and I spring from time to time because it still want the road.

not bad effects in the classics and we'll say indispensable

UTILIZATION

use not too difficult. There is little choice for a given effect, but often they do not ask for more.
Not very strong, very plasticky on stage so be careful if you ever take him there.
Reliability side, mine made the soul overnight, and considering the price it cost, there are no plans to repair it, sure.

SOUND QUALITY

Sounds pretty violent if I remember correctly. The distortion is particularly difficult to ring for those who want to escape the nag.
The machine has a tendency to blur the qualities of a good guitar and a good amp to not be heard as the first generation grain Zoom, cheap enough for my taste.

OVERALL OPINION

I used the machine a few years in addition to a small tube amp (Peavey Classic 20, see my review), whose qualities were largely erased by the sound of the zoom. I have not abused, especially as the reliability of the faulty machine has settled a day for me: Zoom 505 down, you move on.
The price was low, but we did not have more than value for money.
I replaced the 505 with a Korg Pandora still works, he is better and, independently (with small rechargeable batteries), more convenient editing, sound quality and more respectful of your channel sound listenable with headphones, best short, even at the time.
But hey, sometimes have to go through something that satisfies you only half to find what suits you best!

I bought this at a guitar shop in little Rock AR for about $100.The manager told me it was the best pedal out there and he was right.

This is the best guitar multi effects pedal i have ever played on.It has the best distortion i have ever heard and it is really easy to use.The tone of it sounds like a pedal board with single effect stomp boxes.

The only thing I would change about this pedal would have to be the phase but that is it.

Its preaty good but most of it is made out of plastic so you wouldnt want to do anything to dramatic.

It doesnt matter what kind of music you play from death metal to soft rock or country this pedal is perfect for anything. And its probably the cheapest multi effects
pedal you can buy.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Bought at a small music store on 48th Street in New York City for around $80. This was my first pedal.

Sounds, sounds, sounds. Although using the Zoom presets does give a slight generic quality to your tones, the sounds are so good that I end up using them more often than my single-effect pedals.

This problem was alleviated on the Zoom 505 MkII, but the MkI had tweak buttons that are not only impossible to use, but the ones on my 505 got stuck in the "down" position and created lots of problems for me. Also, the built-in tuner is inaccurate.

Fair. The pedals remain responsive after over three years, but those tweak buttons are a nightmare.

I love the sounds I get from this pedal, but the construction problems prevented me from exploring the editing options fully. Thankfully the MkI is now obsolete and the MkII is better at this department, so I may upgrade.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I bought this pedal at a place in London, Ontario called John Bellone's Music. I bought it a couple of years back when it was a fairly new release and paid $199 for it. I bought it because I had screwed around with it abit in the store when it first came out and I liked it.

EFFECTS EFFECTS EFFECTS!!!! It has an endless supply of effects, and if ya get bored with the ones pre-programmed, you can make yer own. Crystal clear sound too!!!

I dont like that you have to plug it in, that's probably me just being lazy though. It has a battery option, but the battery life is like 4 minutes, which is understandable. ITs a mini computer.

One word will sum this up nice and easy...ya ready...hear goes...SOLID

The Zoom 505 Guitar Processor is an amazing pedal, if you got some cash and your not afraid to experiment, grab one. I gaurantee you that you wont be dissapointed.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I bought this pedal at a local music store 2 years ago for 200 dollars. I got it for the effects and multiple distortions and EQ settings.

I like how you have access to a lot of different sounds and effects. The memory bank is also handy if you plan on having a lot of favorite settings.

The pedal is made of plastic and if dropped many times would break easily. When you switch between settings in your bank there is a short milisecond delay and this is horrible if your playing live with a band. One more dislike about this unit was how you can't combine all the effects together.

The pedal is pretty easy to figure out but the durability isn't the greatest.

For any intermediate pedal wanting a different distortion and some effects all in one i'd recomend this pedal. Anyone in a band don't buy this pedal if you plan on some serious playing.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I got this great pedal of of my freind for $50 US.

I liked everything about it. I've heard many people say the distortions are fake, but I think they just need to marry this bad boy with the right Guitar and amp. I use it in a Vox Cambridge 30 Reverb and it sounds fantastic. The step effects are crazy. Anyone can get inspired by this thing. It has a mass abundance of effects. The doubler is combined with the distortion overdrive makes for a great Randy Rhoads. I like how small it is because unlike other multi effects pedals I can actually put it in my pocket, or in my amp. Another person on here said its good for beginners, but he "disposed of it" He also stated that he spilled soda on it several times and it still worked. I wouldn't take someone too seriously if they make a habit of spilling things on their eqiopment. It sounds to me like he's a beginner.

Nothing really. Except that it does have a short delay when you switch effects. You gotta learn to be creative. I just have the drummer do a fill or something while I change effects.

Great! has taken lots of Beating. The buttons stick occasionally.

I love this, and recommend it to anyone who hasnt tried it. I think any level musician could find a use for it. Its great for band use and live shows. It makes some impressive noises

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I bought my Zoom 505 at Ward Brodt Music Mall for about $120 or $130. I probably could have gotten it cheaper if I'd waited, but I was anxious to start playing it. I wanted a bunch of effects, so instead of getting many different pedals I went for the versatile Zoom.

I like being able to create my own settings and save them. It's hard to create a really cool distortion, but it's pretty easy to find a nice clean sound. I like the hall/room reverb effect, the delay, and the step effect. It also has noise resistance so you don't get all the fuzz and hums coming through the amp. It's got a chromatic tuner too, which works pretty well.

The auto-wah doesn't sound very good, but there's an optional expression pedal you can buy for pedal wah, I haven't heard that so I have no idea how it sounds. The B-load and D-load features are kindof confusing, you have to remember what does what, but it's not too big of a deal.

It's still in good condition and I've owned it for a while now. I always use the adapter, so I'm not sure how long batteries last in it. Good quality and durability.

The Zoom 505 is a good unit to buy if youre looking for versatility. If you want to concentrate on just one effect, like disortion or blues, I'd reccommend a simple single foot pedal, but this is cool for playing all genres.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Back in the day 199? i decided to buy this multi-effects device beacuse i couldn't afford a rack mounted effects unit.
I kept seeing the add in gutiar mags and it seemed to have everything i could ask for, that is to say everything the larger rack units had.
Also i lived in the same city as the company and i felt a little loyalty for them.
So one day i said to my self i'll buy it!
Stopped into my local music store and paid $99.00 for it. The power supply cost $15.00 witch was a deal.

Very important was it's cool looks, as a beginer i wanted to impress my friends.
The factory presets are a great start.
You can get a good overview of what this little black box can do, and you will get a lesson in the world of effects and what they do.
When you get more adventurous the easy programing method is actually fun to play with.
Great manual comes with it. Easy to follow flow charting makes it simple to change any parameter.
Earphone output makes it an exellent practice amp /w effects.
Great for reacording direct.
Very durable, stomp away!

Allthough this unit is very handy it is not for the pro.
You will have to spend many hours of programing to play an important gig.
I never liked the two footswitch up and down style of switching.
Must have power supply to use on reagular basis, battery's drain to fast.

I have had the 505 for many years and have used it every day for rehersing and practice.
I have never had a problem with it!

Buy it!
I kid you not it is the single most useful effect i have ever owned.
With it i have learned more about effects for the guitar than i could ever have from some book.


This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I baught my ZOOM 505 in Moscow 4 years ago.
That time it was a perfect unit and i liked it very much.
I payed for it 150 USD.


Most of all i liked that i didn't need a lot of cables to use 5 or even 7 effects.
Before i had 4 BOSS pedals and You could immagine what a trouble it was.
I always took it along with me, when i was mooving a lot.

Of course its sound is the weakest point of it.
Its distortions are not so "natural".
And even after BOSS pedals it is a bit noisy.

As for me the construction of ZOOM 505 is O.K. but it is not very convinient to use it.
Quality is very good.
It cerved me for 4 years with no problems.



For its price and for beginner in playing guitar it is a perfect unit.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I got this poop from Musician's Friend for $99 duckies. I thought that I needed some more sounds and instead of buying a full size processor, I thought I might as well try out this small one. I figured why not, it has tons of effects doesnt it? must be good enough. Well, I was in for a suprise.



Actually, when I first purchased this creative little box, I loved it. I mean it has almost every effect that you could hope for. Pitchshifters, phasers, distortions, tuner, etc. I "finally" found a distortion that I liked and a phaser sound that was almost as good as my EH small stone. The pitchshifter was cool because it was the first time I had ever dealt with guitar harmonies and it blew me away. It was like having a orchestra behind you. My friends were also amazed at the little gadget that could produce big tones with ease. On to the next story>>>>>>>>



Even though I loved this unit when I first bought it, I quickly grew a deep hate for it. First off, If you plan on using a 9 volt battery to power this baby, think again. My battery would run out in five minutes flat. I ended up having to purchase a adapter because of this. Second of all, If you ever plan on playing with this pedal live, think again. If you were going to use more than one setting, you would have to pan through the other settings to get to the one you are looking for. This is what made me hate this pedal. It was just way too much trouble and I guess that Im not quite as fast a foot tapper that must be required for using this thing. Third of all, if you think this pedal switches between setting in realtime mode, thing once again. If you are going from clean to distortion, then you will hear a small delay betweed going back and forth. This is something that is not a problem with analog pedals (the main reason i still use those handy little gadgets). This is reason enough not to buy this, stay away unless you are a newbie without a band.



It was built tough, i must state that. I stomped on it pretty hard a few times and no breaks. I spilled coke on it a few times and nothing happened (except the pedals sticking together). Zoom makes good, tought pedals, for newcomers to guitar. This pedal would have broke eventually im sure, but it showed no signs of it when i disposed of it.



Dont but this pedal if you plan on using it with a band, bottom line. If you just began playing guitar or you dont have a band, go for it. You can get some really great sounds from it. Great to experiment with. If you are in a band and think this pedal will work in a band situation, you are dead wrong (unless you are using one effect all through the song). These things are pretty cheap now and arent bad for their price. But remember, you get what you pay for.



This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Two years ago the pieces finally fell together, and I had the right group and a steady place to play. That's when I realized I needed more umph than I was getting from the simple pedal effects boxes I had. Multiple pedals where hard to keep track of, and I was constantly losing those power adapters they use. That's when I turned to the zoom 505. At the time $100.oo bucks for a stomp box multi-effects processor was a deal.


With a single purchase, I was able to set aside all of my other effects pedals and still have a plethora of sounds to choose from. Fact is, with the zoom 505 I had more effects from that one box than with all of my other pedals. When you compare the price of effects pedals, the zoom 505 gives you the most bang for your buck.


The zoom 505 does have its drawbacks. If you haven't used a multi-bank type effects processor before, you might be a little intimidated with the instructions. I thought I was going to need an engineering degree to use it. But thanks to the pre-set configurations, and a little time exploring the unit, I was soon configuring my own settings.
As far as sound quality, well it's not exactly rack-mount, but it does offer line out to your recorder, and when you consider the price, I don't think you can beat it.


When I first took the zoom 505 out of the box, I had my doubts about its plastic type construction. I thought it was too flimsy and it would never stand up to the constant stomping my old boxes had endured. That was over two years ago, and my zoom 505 is still my go to stomp box. I don't know what its made of, but that little box hasn't let me down yet.


All in all, the zoom 505 lives up to its press. It's inexpensive, and has proven itself to be both durable, and versatile. For the price I believe the zoom 505 is the best value in a multi-effects processor.




This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com