Re: What do you think of Zoom effect pedals?
I have a 505 II and I absolutely love it for home practice and even for a small bit of recording. The best part of it, and the reason I have it, is that it's battery operated and I use that with my little portable amp or sometimes even some computer speakers. For about a year, literally, I really really hated it. I couldn't get a good sound no matter how hard I worked with it. As time went on, however, I began to get very good sounds out of it. In my opinion most cheap Digitech pedals (i.e. RP20) are worse with tone than a Zoom 505 II. I've had it for about 3 years now, the first year I hated it, the second year I used it all the time, and the 3rd year I was in a huge no effects phase so I only used my Marshall. Also just recently, I bought a used Digitech RP2000 (equivalent to, say, a GNX2 or 3) and it blows away any other pedal I've used. The ironic thing is that I paid less for the RP2000 than I did for the Zoom. Ah well. Anyway, my major beef with the 505 II is that it's made out of cheap plastic. I dropped it on the road one day and now it craps out if I accidentally bump it while playing. Thats no good. The bottom line is that the Zoom 505 II is good if you're going for cheap, portable, and practice, but if you're going for studio or live opt for Digitech (always get the highest up model you can afford, the difference is huge from model to model.)
~Jim
