505
Reviewed by:
Soad/rhcp/gnr, on august 05, 2004 3 of 4 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 126
Purchased from: midlands sound equipment, athlone
Ease of Use: It is vey daunting at first but after about ten minutes of readind the maual I completely under stood it. It is very loud when you first turn it on but that can be easily altered. I know there is a #2 model of this but I read the #2's reveiw and it's practictacally the same except for the colour. // 8
Sound: I use this with my new Vintage Metal Axe Sg and a Fender 15watt amp but with the distortion out of this anyone would think I was using an amp twice the size and price. I can get the soung Kirk Hammet gets out of the Enter Sandman solo with the wah effects. I can get that Jimi Hendrix feel out of this. You can also get the Welcome To The Jungle delay effect. // 8
Reliability & Durability: Personaly its a little bit too small, like my frieand almost stood on it today. The wires are a bit messy, but I could depend on it. // 6
Impression: This is my first effects pedal. It has really improved my soloing with the distortion and wah. I play hard rock and metal and love shredding and this helps. As I said it really get the absolute best out of my amp. If it were stolen Id buy the same one. I loved all of the features they all were great. I wish I had the expression pedal though, I feel as if I'm missing somethig without it. In Brief Great qaulity especially for the price. Get it. // 10
505
Reviewed by:
ScruffMcGruff, on november 15, 2007 1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Ease of Use: This little pedal may pack a lot of effects for you to use, but it can be a bit tricky trying to figure out what all the two charactered digital readings mean on the screen. It's easy to get confused, wondering "Woah, what the hell did I just do" and having to look up in the manual how to set something back. However, once you've taken in everything in the manual you get the hang of things a lot easier. One thing One thing that's kind of ridiculous is the fact that there are different equalizer preset numnbers, not a full equalizer where you can customize it's lows, mids, or highs, it's all presets to choose from, no fine tuning at all. Whenever I find the effect I want to turn on, it simply just gives me a number representing how extreme or subtle the effect is. For example, in delay, it just gives you nine settings, one with long delay, one with short delay, no fade outs so you always here the same echo at the same volume, which is really lame. // 6
Sound: None of the patches that were originally assigned to the Zoom 05 I seemed have found useful. So I had to edit the patches so they'd fit what I wanted to play, but even with fine adjustments, the sounds I get out of it are really digital and fake sounding, not natural at all. The worst of it is the distortion settings, none of them feel right, except for acoustic or rythmn cause those hardly distort at all. If you're looking for a heavy metal sound, it's not gonna come out pretty through this thing. // 4
Reliability & Durability: I haven't done any stress tests to figure out how durable the Zoom 05 really is, but it certainly isn't built like a tank, that's for sure. After a few days of use, the small buttons on the sides began to get stuck down whenever I press on them while editing a patch, screwing up any settings I have set up. The entire thing is made out of plastic so it feels really flimsy and I imagine it would be possible to break it under my own weight if I just stood with both feet straight on it. // 4
Impression: For beginners, this is good starter pedal to have fun with and experiment with different effects you can make with your guitar, but after a few months of having this pedal, I can surely say, that it's not something I'd want to be using on a stage or even at a small gig, you're better off buying combinations of different Boss pedals, that specialize in one thing effectively, rather than buying one multi-effect pedal that can do everything but with a half ass effort. // 5
505
Reviewed by:
Cam Dude, on january 04, 2007 1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: Arties World of Music
Ease of Use: It is an easy device to use simply plug it into the amp, into the guitar and into the power supply and play through the different effects. It has editing patches so you can edit and customize effects to suit your liking. The manual is easy to use and can help you a lot if you didn't know what to do. It also explains how to customize effects on the pedal. // 9
Sound: I use a Stratocaster and a Marshall amp and have also played on an Ibanez guitar while using the pedal. The effects pedal can have it's volume adjusted so if you don't like it loud then you can lower it. Some of the effects can be weak but usually they produce quite a good sound. // 8
Reliability & Durability: I can depend on the pedal and wouldn't expect it to break down for a while even though I've had it now for 2 years. I'd use it in a gig without a backup as my amp contains effects which suit the style of music I play (rock) so if something did happen to it I could just use my amps effects. // 10
Impression: I play a variety of music and the effects pedal seems to work with it. If none of the effects worked with the music I could always modify them. If I had to buy the pedal again I probably wouldn't as it was only a starter while I was learning guitar basics, I'd probably look into a more expensive effects pedal. // 9
505
Reviewed by:
ManuShaalya, on june 03, 2010 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: Rhythms, Bangalore
Ease of Use: It is easy to set good patches on a good guitar. But if you have a single coil pickup guitar, you'll need to spend more time. This is absolutely very easy to use and to set patches..considering that it doesn't offer you many options! It comes with a manual but you won't touch it..unless its your first processor. // 9
Sound: I have used it with ESP SC 207, ESP EC 50, Ibanez RG 350, Jackson RR and many other guitars. You can set good patches on any setup as long as you are willing to spend some time with it. I didn't particularly love the distortion sound..it didn't sound heavy enough..or may be I didn't set it properly? But some of the clean-acoustic sounds preset are wonderful. // 6
Reliability & Durability: I used it for around twenty shows..then I sold it and bought a Zoom g2.1u. It is durable..but the more you play, the more you'll find the need to buy a better processor just for the sound..not because it feels like it'll break any day! This lasted over two years of horrible handling and was still in a good shape when I sold it to a friend! // 7
Impression: This is the best processor you will get for that price! I play everything from classical to Death Metal and initially, this felt just perfect but later I was unable to set the different sounds I wanted. This was my first processor. I felt it was a good 'first' processor due to the ease in using. You'll learn a lot in this and eventually find the need to buy a better processor. Buy it if you have a low budget or if if you're buying your first processor! // 9
505
Reviewed by:
hekainu, on october 06, 2009 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: Music Market
Ease of Use: At first glance, this pedal is an absolute maze. Reading through the manual is quite daunting but I stuck with it and after a while you realise that it isn't so bad after all. There are two buttons as well as the two pedals and you use these to cycle through the options and save your shiny new tones.
It is easy to get the sound you want out of this thing and I had 4 very good tones lined up in a row so I could easily Switch between clean and distortion or distortion and clean with phase etc. The sheer range of tones and effects is incredible in such a cheap (underpriced) pedal.
Pressing both pedals at once brings up the tuner which is pretty accurate and easy to use. The only problem with this, is that if you are trying to press both, you can miss and Switch between effects before you manage to press both pedals in at once. // 7
Sound: I have an Ibanez ART running through either a Spider II or 20 Watt Marshall. I love a dirty, noisy distortion and this pedal really nailed it down. Playing black metal with it is a joy. It can also do a really beautiful clean sound with a nice slow phase and chorus.
The patches that come pre-programmed aren't very good in my opinion, but with a pedal like this, it is well worth sitting down for an hour and working out your own sounds. I think I sat with it for nearly 3 hours, going through all the range of mad effects which you can create. I even managed to get a weird didjeridoo noise which is damn near brilliant. // 8
Reliability & Durability: This pedal is made of plastic so it is never going to be as robust as a Boss pedal, but then you shouldn't be stamping so hard on it. I never run pedals through a battery so I can't say what the battery life on it is. You could definitely depend on this live and you won't need a back up. As long as it is looked after, there is no reason why it should break.
My own pedal has started experiencing problems, effects not changing when you Switch pedals etc, but then it has been through 4 house moves and has been somewhat battered about so I don't hold it against the pedal. // 6
Impression: I have had one of these for 3 years now, bought second hand and the poor thing has reached the end of its days, so I have just purchased a 05 II off ebay, hoping that it will be just as good as this, with perhaps a few upgrades. The thing I like best about this pedal, is the sheer range of sounds you can get out of it. It will ace any kind of distortion or Overdrive and makes your rig sound much bigger and more expensive than it really is.
The only reason I have replaced mine with a 05 II is that I would like to try the upgraded one and see if it is just as good as the Original, and I am hoping that they have improved an already great pedal.
If this had a metal body like a Boss pedal, it would be one the best damn pedals you could ever hope to buy. // 8
i got mine at a pawn shop for $10. it really sucks. i think the behringer v-amp is better than this thing, and thats a shame because all behringer products suck (aside from a few mixers)
i got mine at a pawn shop for $10. it really sucks. i think the behringer v-amp is better than this thing, and thats a shame because all behringer products suck (aside from a few mixers)
I'm glad you added the part about the mixers at the end, 'cause you wer egoing to get falmed, lol. My band runs a behringer 9000 something, its the big 24 channel one with the meters, kicks ass.
I had one of these around 1998, 99. Thought it was the greatest thing ever, but after a while I realized it wasn't worth a dam for anything other than practicing at home with your headphones. HOWEVER, the pedals that Zoom makes today sound phenomenal. Huge improvement.
You can say it´s an old timer´s talk, but I don´t give a damn.
I played with one these things. Not bad, but I stil prefer separate pedals. You don´t have lots of options, but you can swap the ones you have much more easily, like stomping in the middle of 2 pedals. It´s also easy to change the settings in between songs.
I think if you apply the Zoom´s reverb into the distortion it gets too artificial, since everything is digital. Instead of playing a guitar, it sounds like you are playing an mp3 from your computer. : /
i'm on my 2nd one. 2nd hand again. You need a stereo to 2 mono lead (15 bucks)to get best sound out of this unit. True stereo effect. Try finding something cheaper? Boss stereo chorus or flanger etc. start at 170 here in Aus. A fine pedal on a low budget...
Yeah, I know what ScruffMcGruff means by being half assed. I kind of feel the same way in wanting exact control of just single Boss pedals with better fading delays & more enhanced sounds. However, I have had my 505 for quite some time, and I am hear to tell you that it has a way better sounding distortion than you could ever possibly get from a Boss single pedal. Yes, the Delay does not fade out as long, BUT WHO CARES! For the money, Like I think they are only $79.00 now new, you just cannot beat the Zoom 505. The distortion is way killer, so I don't know where Mcgruff is coming from. I even compared it to a Boss DS-1 with the Monte Allums Rectifier Mod, and even that does not come as close as a frogs ass to 505. Go figure. The plastic is way strong, I've had it & stomped on it for over 10 years now, and never did it break. I used to have a board with 20 pedals on it & I got tired of that shit. When you can have just one unit with over 50 killer effects. Not only does it sound killer, but it also saves gobs of pedal board space. Truth be told.
WAY BETTER Than the 505II or the G-1 for sure. Nothing compares to the little o'l 505. I play mine, split stereo with an ABY switch into a Jackson 50 Watt Tube Amp, and a Fender M-80 300 watt head, both running 412 cabs and let me tell you all something right now, This little pedal blows away most of the boss effects. The only thing like I said is yeah, the Delay could be more enhanced, but sounds good nevertheless. Enuff said.
Yes, you have to customize your own patches. The original ones are lame except a few. But great sounds can easily be had. I know all the setting by heart now. It's very easy to understand if you read the manual a few times. Bought mine back in 98 or so for $100.00 and it is worth every penny. Low budget, yes. High quality, Yes, you better believe it. The older Zooms did have steel chassis & sounded just as good.
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