Zoom G9.2tt Twin Tube Guitar Multi-Effects Pedal/USB Interface  

This is for traveling professionals and working musicians that need MAX versatility in a small package.

It has ALL the basic effects and a few weird extras for "spacey" or "unreal" guitar sounds.

Most what is here is musical, useful stuff like we hear on famous records. If you play in a cover band, you can create any famous sound. If you're into creating new sounds, this thing has a bunch!

Z-axis pedal control is unique and can do cool stuff. For instance, I set one patch up so that the forward/back motion is wah, while the right/left motion adds delay. You can also get crazy feedback sound with octaves (up or down) that imitate classic Hendrix tones. I keep the left-side pedal for volume only. That makes it great for boosting solos & hands-free volume adjustments. You don't need a boost pedal with this feature.

The sound quality is AMAZING for this price-point! TWO main things stand out:

1~ The super-high sampling rate (96kHz) makes this unit "feel" and behave like analog.

2~ The extremely LOW-noise makes everything else in your rig sound better.

It works with my single-coils and humbuckers very well. Be sure to set input volume!

I should point out that it has decent noise-reduction for distortion-mad metal heads. ZOOM NR is not nearly as easy to adjust as the venerable ISP decimator units, but if you spend some time with your rig and the manual, you can get 85 to 90% of ISP performance. That is fine for most situations.

Most of the LOW-noise quality comes from the unique circuit design and quality components in the front end. If you understand ADA conversion, you will know why this is the most crucial area of audio design. Once a signal is converted to digital, you can manipulate it easily and cheaply. But the crucial first step is the initial conversion. ALL the ZOOM products do this VERY WELL.

Really amazing everything you get with this for 3 bills. That double-axis pedal can do very subtle musical things or crazy wild sounds not possible with any other rig I know. HIGH sound-quality and LOW noise STEREO operation is fantastic at this price.

My only complaints are few and small:

The manual is complex. That's not all bad. It's just that this thing is DEEP and has so many functions. Be prepared to spend time reading and tweaking. I think this system could be a little better with a larger screen and a simpler, more intuitive interface.

The STEREO outs are a must for quality recording of modern tones, especially when playing with brutal high-gain sounds and pitch-shift or chorus.

Without STEREO, pitch or chorus effects sound muddy and weak.

WITH STEREO, distorted sounds with pitch-shift or mild chorus are MASSIVE & MANLY.

The only problem with this is the outputs are not balanced line-outs. With balanced line-outs you can run long cables without any degradation. Honestly, the low-noise is so good here, most people would never notice that though.

The unit seems rugged and I've had no problems yet, but I also baby my gear. It probably would not stand up to rock-star antics or drunken roadies.

HEY ZOOM! I'd GLADLY pay an extra $50 bucks for a bigger screen and balanced line-outs!

YES! I would buy another one in a heartbeat if you offered those upgrades!

nice layout, tube pre-amp - post processor exciters are nice & add a lot.  Volume controlls are a pain to get leveled sometimes - to many choices.  Extension works well and have nice flexible routing options.  Delays are really quite good, as are the reverbs, and the modulations.  Way more analog controll of your tone that any other digital processor.  the 2 assignable Function buttons are a nice touch.  Everthing works well is intelligently layed out for maximum signal, no tone complaints here, and I am very particular, and have played this unit thru multiple US made tube amps with my american made "big apple cherry daddy" custom strat.   Z pedal can controll up to 8 parameters in real time, nothing is off the table and it still retains a quality sound while being used - doesn't degrade the signal.

I've had mine for about a year and a half - no problems.  I've managed to keep the beer off it so far.  It does have little vented openings in the top to let the tubes breathe, and if a little beer fell in there - which happens in clubs we play at from time to time - I could imagine it being the end of it - but so far so good.  Buttons are solid, pedals have good sweep and are resposive and any opti-electric pedal (I prefer real pots).  Wha's sound really good for digital, but my crybaby staight into the input on the amp sounds better.  Feels solid - heavy - looks like a f---ing spaceship, which I like, when it's lit up on stage.  Tubes are cheap but sound fine.  No complaints on quality here.

I don't know how you could possibly do better for the money.  I gave away my digitech rp500 after 6 months because I thought it sounded like digital garbage and got this.  I've never looked back. 32 bit processing - two tubes - two expression pedals - multiple opperation modes - flexible routing options (use ext. loop input for extra guitar etc.) great sound - what more do you want?

It is a little overly complicated, but the layout, and more importantly the sound/response is very good.  I plug it in the effects loop on my fender Blues deville and it sounds great.  That way, I can still drive the front end of the amp with my favorite stomps and get the most out of my amp, and be able to use the Zoom for post-preamp proccessing.  With the preamp models disengaged it tracks absolutely flawlessly, and is completely transparent.  I really can't hear any difference (except better EQ!) when the processor is engaged and I've used true bypass boxes just to make sure I was really getting the best analog clean tone to compare.  The models sound fine if you mess with the EQ long enough - be careful, the high end on this thing if ferocious.  I have to lower the last three bands by 6-8 decibels just to get it back to normal.  The z pedal comes in handy for some some wacky stuff.  If you're wondering if it's a gimmick it's not, I use it every show.

Tons of features. I should note that different amp/dist. pedal models will work differently going into different amplifiers. You need to just find out which ones work with the amp you are using at that moment. They will also sound differently through headphones or to a mixing board, etc. Find the right settings for whatever you're plugging into at that moment. I have separate patch banks for this.

The factory presets are useful if you turn the delay off first. They are good starting points for dialing in your own patches. I like the amp ones, plus the Brian May, Santana, and Cream ones.

My favorite effects:

Dynamic Delay -- absolutely brilliant with Sense on -3 to -10

Reverbs -- Nearly all of them are awesome (Recommend a low Tone level or it is overpowering)

PedalWah -- I leave the pedal alone and use it as a filter; adds beefiness and character to my distortions.

Models: HotBox, FuzzFace, DigiFuzz, Guv'nor, MS Drive, DZ Drive, ENGL Drive, Acoustic Sim., HiWatt Clean, Fender Clean, Rectifier Clean, and PV Drive.

EQ -- The built-in EQ is very effective and won't destroy your tone like cheap ones will

Accelerator/Energizer -- An integral part of your setup. Tube/Tube for distortions, and SS/Boost for cleans. You can get some interesting OD/dist using the tube energizer on a clean model, though. Definitely play around.

The only downfall to all the features is that it has a bit of a learning curve. Once you have made up a patch bank or two, it's easy to go into manual mode and select modules on/off and switch patches, though. It's getting to that point that will most likely take some time. Once you're there, you're golden.

It is built very rugged all around with the one exception being the z-pedal. It feels somewhat flimsy when I play with it--if anything could possibly break on this thing, it would probably be the z-pedal. Everything else is solid and sturdy.

The sound quality is great, but as mentioned above, some models will not work as well with certain amps as they will with others.

The left volume pedal is not very useful because its sensitivity is on a very poorly chosen curve. It has a very tiny useful range, making it nearly impossible to use as intended. I suggest you set the minimum value to around 30-40, this will make it easier to adjust volume on the fly. However, you do lose the usefulness of having another "emergency" switch to drop your volume in case of feedback/whatever.

This has a lot to offer. I've had it for a year and I haven't run out of new things to discover.  It was definitely worth it, given the number of effects present, the quality of each effect, and the tweakability, not only of the effects themselves, but the behavior of the board as a whole.

Overall, I'd give this a solid A. Tube-driven distortions, amazing versatility, 2 "usable" expression pedals, solid construction, and great tone all make this a very decent product.

I as well bought it just to have a tube preamp/eq thing going on before going into the amp...that alone to me was worth the price! I run mine through the front of a JC120 Head into a 4x12 stereo cab with a Classic Lead 80 and a K100 on each side...I may someday change out the tubes to experiment, but it was able to dial up "my sound" right away...used to use a Digitech RP7, and being 12 years since I bought that thing, this blows it away.  I don't use a ton of effects, so this has everything that I would ever need..2 pedals are nice...preset sounds are cheesy as always....this thing is so flexible that it will take some time to really work it, but the potential is there and that's what counts

So far so good!....The thing is built like a tank and the knobs feel good as well...it actually looks flimsier in the photos than it really is..I thought that even the 3rd expression pedal was rugged enough for my uses, and I will use it live, though I don't know how much I will use the 3rd pedal anyway

I got a phat deal from Musicans Friend, so I went with the purchase....it's a keeper!  For the bread, it's got all that I need.

I really like it so far...out of the box, it is a bit digital, but it does have a great overall sound quality, and the tubes really do the job. I don't really have anything to compare it to as far as the other multi effects out there, but I can say that this really works for my needs

I'm still playing with it. But so far, I think it's the best for the money.
So here's some things I've noticed. It's got many ways to fine tune the sound. Input and out put buffer amps, with the input having a blend between solid-state and tube. ( like some bass amps ) You can remove the modeling pre-amp if you just want to use the effects with a good amp. ( That's why I got it ). However, the the flexibility also makes it a bit complicated at first. So it's geared towards the tweaker, semi-pro.
One thing I noticed, it had an annoying buzz after a note was decaying with the modeling and most effects. After turning the boost knob on the energizer all the way up, that got rid of it and everthing sounded MUCH better.
like all modeling, they don't sound EXACTLY like what it's supposed to be. But I think some things, like the tube screamer and Fender setting , sounds even better.
It's got a lot of potentiometers so it's BIG. ( like 2 foot ) Consequently, I've heard people complain that the pre-amp aren't programmable. But if you hate playing with bank buttons like I do, that's the trade off.

It's pretty well built.
Solid metal-click footswitches like the old pedals. Metal chassis, cast aluminum x-pression pedals. It even has rubber pads on the ends in case you drop on the ends. ( nice touch! )
Having said that. I can't believe Zoom doesn't make a carry case for their flagship model, and makes cases for their cheaper ones. Maybe a small keyboard case will do the trick.

For me, this is just what I was looking for. A one piece pedal board that can be used just for the effects when using a nice amp, and have the amp modeling capabilities when practicing on a small combo. ..oh. For those who don't know yet, there's 2 pre-amp, modeling channels per patch. ( that's kinda' cool too )

A few beefs.
They used chome "Rectifier-like" knobs on the pre-amp controls. And like the Rectos, they're a pain in the butt to see unless you're right ontop of them. Would be difficult to see in a club. The other knobs are black with red cursors and a bit easier to see. They sould have used all black knobs.
ALSO...
I'm not too skilled in PC recording, but the Cubase software is a REAL PAIN for me to register.
When using it on the PC, it's not like using a GuitarPort. You still have to connect the output directly to your speaker system or amp. As people who are familiar with playing guitar on a pc know, there's a drastic latantcy.