G11 Multi-Effects Processor with Expression Pedal Review

Why I Bought A Zoom G11

It's no secret that among the current crop of premium multi-FX/modeling devices, the Zoom G11 is controversial. There's really nothing else quite like it on the market. From its retro-future, 'carbon fiber' appearance, to its 'limited' number of amp models, dedicated (un-assignable) controls, lack of XLR outputs, and emphasis on touch screen editing/workflow, Zoom seem content to… read more carve out their own niche with this unit...heck, even its 'in-between' price point seems to be a point of controversy within the guitar community. So why did I decide to pick one up - at full price? Well, as a professional guitarist with ~20 years of experience gigging, recording, and teaching with modeling gear, I'm here to tell you: the G11 is a legit, pro-level unit that's well worth the asking price. It's true that the G11 'exists in its own space' among premium modeling devices. When you take into consideration its aesthetic, features and price point, where does it really sit? Is it competing with the Helix LT, or the POD Go? The Boss GT1000 or the GX100? Is it a viable alternative to something more pricey, like the Fractal FM3 or Neural Quad Cortex? In my opinion, the answer is "all and none of the above at once". It really comes down to your priorities as a musician. The reasons I LOVE the G11 - intuitive user interface, simple touch-screen editing, dedicated (hard-assigned) switches and controls, and limited but *fantastic* selection of amp/cab models and IRs - may not be a priority for you. If you're a "tweak-aholic", demanding page after page of editing functionality for you amp's sag, bias, output voltage, specific cab/mic placement, etc. this is probably not the unit for you. If you demand the ability to reassign the function of every footswitch or encoder per patch, have nested 'scenes upon snapshots upon channels' per preset, or three sets of parallel chains running at once, this is not the unit for you. But in terms of creating high-quality, usable, flexible tones quickly with minimal fuss, I don't think there's anything better on the market...and if you *want* to create massive soundscapes with cascading reverbs, ping-pong multi-delays and LFO filters, you're only limited by the very generous DSP and the total number of available blocks per patch (10). Here's a few awesome things you might not know about the G11: 1) It has a *5 minute* stereo looper with syncable drum machine 2) Patch switches are instant and seamless - no need for "scenes", "channels", "snapshots" or other 'features' that are actually gap workarounds in disguise 3) Five of the footswitches (and their respective knobs) are always dedicated to "pedals in the chain", allowing for real-time adjustment of any/all parameters with no menu diving - just like on a real pedalboard! 4) A recent firmware update *doubled* the amount of patch memories (now 500), added a number of bass amps, cabs & effects, and a bunch of great additional factory presets 5) The BIG feature no one (including Zoom!) is talking about: You can use the twin external FX loops as *discrete outputs* with separate send levels and the ability to decide which, if any effects you want to send to those outputs. In essence, this give you up to THREE separate outputs: stereo main outs to FOH, and either stereo send split between two additional amps/sources, or mono sends to two additional amps/sources. For me, this is a Big Deal, as it allows enormous flexibility for: wet/dry/wet rigs, FOH + amp(s) and/or FRFR cabs, 4-cable method, and more. In my view, these dual FX loops and their fully assignable/controllable nature make the lack of XLR outputs a moot point. Bottom line: The Zoom G11 is powerful, flexible, incredibly easy-to-use and has a number of surprising and 'sneaky' features which set it apart from its peers. Well worth the money!

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Zooming

Stopped using stomp boxes in the 1980's and switched to multi-effect processors. Mostly Boss, but some Digi-tech and most recently GT 100, GT 1000, Line 6 Pod Go and Helix. Resold or returned all of them. Always the same issues, volume settings and most presets have way too much of everything leading to spending hours upon hours trying to find or create a good, use able sound. Purchased… read more a Zoom G-11 on a whim as I had never owned a Zoom product before and as stated above I had tried everything else and they sounded bland. I've also used power amps (tube and solid state) with speaker cabs, the original Tech 21 Power engines, Head Rush powered speakers and I was still unhappy with my overall sound. The Zoom G-11 provides a clean, realistic sounding modeling platform and it is easy to tweak given the operating system. I am running through two Tech 21 Power Engine Deuce amps and play in a Classic Rock band. From the minute I turned it on and started fiddling about,I was happy and relieved as I had finally found the sounds that I have been looking for in the Zoom G-11.

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Zoom G11 has won me over!

The question you are asking, why would I buy the G11 when I could save a little money and buy the Pod Go? The most important thing with any of these is the tone and sound quality. If you have played a Helix and weren't happy with the tones, (or it took you endless tweaking to get what you wanted), then you should give the Zoom a try. This is all subjective, but to my ears, the… read more Zoom retains your playing dynamics, and it is strong in all categories, from clean, to mild drive, to high gain. There are several new "flagship" models on the G11 that take 30% of the processing power. They sound like they have more air or "space" around them which you may notice when playing without effects. The other major reason to consider the G11 is the touch screen! Before buying this, I didn't care about having a touch screen, but it makes naming and organizing patches a breeze. Its not a gimmick. You can type in patch names like its a smart phone. You can drag/drop patches between slots, you can also drag/drop banks. This is absolutely the easiest MFX processor I have ever used. You will have your banks/patches named and organized exactly how you want without having to connect to a computer, without even reading the manual. You will literally have this set up and ready to use at gigs within a day of owning it. Another thing the G11 does that most others do not, is it allows you to load/mix multiple IRs in a patch. While it doesn't have tone matching on board, its possible to use your computer to develop a tone match EQ, then load that into your patches. You can have multiple IRs and cab sims active at the same time. Another reasons to spend a little extra for the G11, it support nine FLEX blocks plus amp. All the effect slots can be used exactly how you want. You can have multiple delays, boosts, or whatever you want. The Pod Go only has a few flex blocks. Each effect tells you exactly how much processing power it takes, although unless you are running multiple IRs, you will reach the nine effect limit before you hit the processing limit. (This is my only real complaint, it seems like it could support another 1-2 effect slots.) While the G11 doesn't have "scenes" or "snapshots", patch changes are very fast. The G11 supports 5-pin midi I/O, has two independent FX loops, bluetooth app control, great sounding drum machine, five minute looper, and of course the killer feature: dedicated amp controls and five stompboxes with four encoders each. There is absolutely zero learning curve. You drag/drop everything how you want it, and if you need to edit, there is no menu diving, everything has its own encoder. Its hard to describe the overall experience other than to say this is the most "Feng Shui" of all guitar modelers. Being a long-time Boss GT user, I was strongly considering exchanging this for a GT1000, but then I realized I wasn't willing to give up the touch interface and dedicated amp/stompbox controls for all the Boss "tweaker" features. The G11 is about the overall experience, it frees your mind to enjoy the creative process.

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