Some of you asked for my review of the Zoom B1 Four (I got the B1X Four with the added expression pedal, but it’s basically the same thing). I’ve now had it for several days and have been spending a lot of time with it, so here are my thoughts.
** DISCLAIMER: I’m no expert on pedals or effects, so take this review for what it’s worth. **
I give it 4 1/2 stars out of 5.
I love everything about this pedal: It works great, and for someone like me who’s unfamiliar with creating effects, I appreciate the 40 pre-installed patches which give a nice array of different sounds without having to quickly learn how to create them (a couple of the effects are downright scary!). The manual is very lucid, and it didn’t take long for me to grasp the concept of this device and begin using it. The quality is good, even though the body is make of plastic, it seems to be a very durable plastic. I love the drum tracks that are built into it, which make for great practice sessions. I love everything about it, and I’m very pleased that I made this purchase.
So why only 4 1/2 stars?
There’re a couple things I think they could have done better:
(1) I wish it had an on/off switch. I generally leave my bass plugged in with the amp turned off when I’m not practicing. The Zoom just stays lit up and eats up batteries even if I unplug it from the bass and the amp. It has an ECO mode (which I use) that turns the unit off after 10 hours of inactivity. I wish I could change that to a shorter period, or just turn it off manually. I use an AC adapter, but still, I wish I could just turn the thing off when I’m not using it.
(2) The looper leaves much to be desired. Yeah, it works fine and it gives me 30 seconds of feedback on how I’m playing… and yeah, I can play around with over-dubbing, which is kind of cool, but it would be so much more useful if I could save the loops and export them to another device, such as my laptop. It would also be nice if it would allow me to import backing tracks to play over.
Other than those couple of things, I am very pleased with the product and would recommend it to anyone.
effects pedals never have an on/off switch. on most pedals, it’s in fact the input jack that acts as an on/off switch : when you unplug it, the power supply is cut (and it doesn’t suck batteries).
but I agree with you, on an all-purpose device like the B1x it would be cool to have a power switch !
Per this post Zoom effects processors - #57 by Sachelis, I bought a power switch on eBay for $5.74 to turn on/off my B1on. Unplugging the 1/4" jack was a pain for an otherwise static setup. And FWIW, it took me a few tries to find a cable that would fit in the small-ish opening on the B1on.
Thanks, I think I’ll order that. I’m thinking you’d have to remove the batteries though, otherwise it would just switch to battery power and drain them.
not sure, as long as the switch adapter remains plugged. in general the plug for the external power supply has an integrated switch and deactivate the batteries when it’s plugged, so when the power is off but the plug is still here, it should not drain the batteries.
haha, not sure I’m a genius but I’ve had litterally hundreds of pedals (and still have way too much to tell how many), I’ve repaired and modified a lot, and I even designed from scratch the electronics of two pedals (an overdrive and a treble/clean booster) for a french brand called Custom 77, so I know more or less how those things are made
I’ve just been on the Zoom website and discovered that they have today announced a massive “change in terms & conditions” - which in this instance means ‘we’re now charging you for the previously free software’.
I personally only use ToneLib Zoom (no word yet on a change to its status), and haven’t really delved into it much, but the amp modelling “ToneLib GFX” and practice “ToneLib JAM” software have both jumped from free to $50 EACH, with no concession for existing users.
My initial recommendation is; don’t take the latest upgrade! It appears the the version available up til yesterday will still work, but the moment you upgrade you lose access until you pay up (there may be a short free trial period).
It depends. I’ve done a lot of switching-things, including 3-channels all-tube guitar amps with the corresponding switching pedal. But now with more and more digital protocols, it may be very tricky as we often don’t know much about the protocols used. So, it depends from one case to another.
“As we really appreciate all the users who helped us to develop our products during all the time it was free to use, we would like to thank you with a special offer on ToneLib Jam and ToneLib GFX . You will get 25% off discount if you purchase our products up to October 31st . All your support, your feedbacks and your attention really means a world to us, so it’s the less we can pay you for it. All the users who registered before October 7th will be able to gain their discount coupons within couple of days. Do not forget to check your email!”
The way they went about the change was unfortunate and seems poorly thought out, but they have now clarified matters, and even established a discount for existing users. They’ve also stated that ToneLib Zoom is not slated to become a paid software.
My newly acquired Rumble 100 has a dedicated jack where I can plug in a foot switch to turn the overdrive on and off while playing. The switch is not overly expensive, but I’m wondering if it’s really necessary with the Zoom.
Your thoughts?
Edit: Just saw your Rumble 100 thread - yes, tell us how you like it after playing with it for a few days, I’d be interested in another review. I’m liking those Rumbles too over at Guitar Center!
This entirely depends on if you want to use the overdrive on the amp or not.
I personally like overdriven bass and the analog overdrive on the Fender amps sounds better to me than most or all of the modeled overdrives on the Zoom.
but I’ve had litterally hundreds of pedals (and still have way too much to tell how many), I’ve repaired and modified a lot, and I even designed from scratch the electronics of two pedals (an overdrive and a treble/clean booster) for a french brand called Custom 77, so I know more or less how those things are made 