ZOOM G11

97
DECEMBER 2020 GUITARIST
review
ZOOM G11 ZOOM G11
ZOOM G11
PRICE: £699
ORIGIN: China
TYPE: Amp and effects
modelling floorboard
FEATURES: 4-in/4-out audio
interface, tuner, looper, 68 onboard
rhythms, MIDI, 240 preset slots,
70 impulse responses
CONTROLS: Touchscreen, Master
output, Gain, Bass, Middle, Treble,
Presence, Volume, 20x effects pedal
knobs, 5x effects pedal footswitches,
6x footswitches, treadle
CONNECTIONS: Standard guitar
input, stereo mini jack aux input,
standard stereo phones output,
standard Main outputs L (mono) and
R, standard Send outputs (1 and 2),
standard Return inputs (1 and 2),
Control in, Remote, MIDI In, MIDI Out,
2x USB
POWER: Supplied Zoom AD-19
12V adaptor
DIMENSIONS: 495 (w) x 253 (d) x
64mm (h)
PROS Lightweight; good ergonomic
footswitching arrangement;
instant amp and effect tweaks;
USB recording facility; rhythms
for practice/songwriting
CONS Could have better factory
presets; no parallel signal paths
8
speaker system. Alternatively, you can set
up patches that purely contain up to 10
effects, providing a range of fully loaded
pedalboards for use with your own amp.
To this end, the range of effects is
extensive. There are plenty of different
types of dynamic and filter effects,
modulations, delays and reverbs. There
are also some special effects such as the
‘hot spice’ sitar simulation, and 28 effects
in the drive category including models
of well-known drive pedals and even a
decent-sounding acoustic simulator.
We also get some pedal effects, although
assigned to a footswitch like the rest,
these can make use of the treadle to adjust
one specific fixed parameter. There’s the
obvious volume pedal, wah or whammy-
style pitch shifters, but you also get options
such as drive with pedal-adjustable gain, or
a rotary speaker with speed change via the
treadle. A second added expression pedal
can be assigned to another pedal effect.
All of this works well as a closed effects
system, but for increased flexibility you can
integrate your own pedals: the two mono
or one stereo effects loop can be anywhere
in the signal chain, footswitchable from the
G11, with positioning saved with the patch.
Verdict
Get beyond the pretty naff presets and
the G11 provides a comprehensive set of
facilities for home recording, practice
and onstage use, where it can supply
perhaps all the effects you’d need in a very
practical format. When we looked at the
G5n back in issue 410, our verdict was that
it was a worthy bargain at a street price of
£229. However, while the G11 is a definite
upgrade on the G5n, it’s three times the
price, something that will probably make
some potential users think twice about a
purchase, not least as an extra £100 could
snag them an established performer such
as the Line 6 Helix LT.
Fundamentally, these are a
connected chain of pedals,
each with a footswitch and
four parameter knobs
GIT466.rev_zoom.indd 97 24/10/2020 13:16