Members Bobby D Posted December 25, 2011 Members Share Posted December 25, 2011 ZOOM G3 -- a really cool unit for $199 -- ZOOM has outdone themselves. first video is just a romp thru the amp models with no tweaking or polishing [video=youtube;dUcPYgdMYmk] and this second video features the UNIVIBE model -- to my ears, the ZOOM G3 has the best univibe model of ANY modeler i have heard yet, no matter how much they cost for someone who wants a nice univibe, pick up a used G3 for $150 -- cheaper than most vibes -- AND get tons more sounds. [video=youtube;rLobImduvS0] this is my fave piece of ZOOM gear since my much loved 9050S half rack processor -- those little units are still KILLER, and are pretty pricey still when they show up for sale. ZOOM has an all new proprietary VLSI cpu chip that is really quite powerful. this is the BEST amp modeling and analog sounding overdrives and distortions they have ever done. i am pretty damn sure i could dial in this $199 box, and put it next to every other modeler all the way to the AXE FX, behind a white curtain......and i think most guitarists would be hard pressed to really tell the difference between the ZOOM G3 and other units that cost 10 times as much Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members seifukusha Posted December 25, 2011 Members Share Posted December 25, 2011 like i said, only from the minds of the japanese. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bobby D Posted December 25, 2011 Author Members Share Posted December 25, 2011 like i said, only from the minds of the japanese. when it comes to high end integrated circuit design, the japanese have it GOING ON. and i have been getting into some of the higher end Japanese vintage guitars like Tokai lately -- the guitar in the video is a 1981 ST-60 springy sound Tokai strat that someone re-badged with an FMIC logo (boooo!!!!) -- and that strat plays and sounds as good or better than many FMIC "custom shop" guitars i have played over the last ten years.... Zoom has always had some cool effects -- another part of this unit that works GREAT at live shows is the ZNR noise reduction circuit -- they have improved that as well, and it even allows you to use true single coil pickups with STUPID amounts of gain and play live gigs with it....without too much noise gate weirdness or artifacts..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members seifukusha Posted December 25, 2011 Members Share Posted December 25, 2011 when it comes to high end integrated circuit design, the japanese have it GOING ON. and i have been getting into some of the higher end Japanese vintage guitars like Tokai lately -- the guitar in the video is a 1981 ST-60 springy sound Tokai strat that someone re-badged with an FMIC logo (boooo!!!!) -- and that strat plays and sounds as good or better than many FMIC "custom shop" guitars i have played over the last ten years.... Zoom has always had some cool effects -- another part of this unit that works GREAT at live shows is the ZNR noise reduction circuit -- they have improved that as well, and it even allows you to use true single coil pickups with STUPID amounts of gain and play live gigs with it....without too much noise gate weirdness or artifacts..... thats one of the things i took away from my living there in the 90s, when all those things were cheap (I got some tokais, etc for like 200-300 then). one thing is japan had a full fledged hippie movement , like the us, but coupled with the japanese sense of work pride and detail mindedness. So, the gear coming out after the 70s and 80s and on even was made by those guys. Why do you think Ive always touted Guyatone/Aria/Pearl and other mij stuff? Its because its some of the most wild/flexible stuff made out there. zoom has always had some cool designs. That noise gate is maybe the one from the old Zoom Driver 5000, the first analog dealyo they did, high gain dirt, its really great. Luckily for me, MIJ stuff i getting cheap again, even in Japan, the younger guys dont want it. [video=youtube;w8VUuHmd-h8] not to hijack, but i found this demo for weird sounds. i was in japan when it was released, but i didnt play it, its really small. I may pick up a used one now though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members seifukusha Posted December 25, 2011 Members Share Posted December 25, 2011 WOAH! BASS VERSION JUST OUT http://www.digimart.net/amp-eff/inst_detail.do?instrument_id=DS01510236 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members juri Posted December 25, 2011 Members Share Posted December 25, 2011 Welcome back Bobby, haven't seen you in a while... missed you around here... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gorebuc Posted December 25, 2011 Members Share Posted December 25, 2011 Agreed. The G3 kicks ass. I used the software and cleared off all the annoying presets, which in no way indicates what this unit is capable of. I've got one set of patches that feature just modulation and delay that I use with my analog dirt pedals. I'm tweaking some patches using the surprisingly dynamic Two Rock model that I'm gonna use straight into the house @ church. Finally, I've got a series of presets optimized for headphone playing. The Twin, Orange, and Marshall models are probably my favorites. The dirt pedal models have a little too much gain and volume initially, but once you get the hang of it there are some good tones in there. I think the Dist + model is the best of the bunch. We took Amtrak up here to the in-laws yesterday, and I brought my Tele as a carry-on and threw the G3 in the suitcase. I'm set for the next week, especially with the looper and drum machine. The best thing about the G3, however, is its ease of use. No menus, no "save" buttons and a real knob for every function. So far, the three effects limit has done nothing but make my life easier by limiting options. Anyway...I love mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bobby D Posted December 25, 2011 Author Members Share Posted December 25, 2011 the G3 is really quite amazing -- one thing it does killer as well is all the STEP FILTER stuff -- like seek wahs on steroids. ZOOM has always had really lush and beautiful time based effects -- the G3 really has some NICE chorus models and delays, and also includes some handy chorus/delay and delay/verb dual effect blocks, so that you can use only one slot for two effects. having just three effects slots can be somewhat limited, but having those dual effect models helps a lot. i really hope ZOOM takes TWO of those new SFX-4 chips, and makes a unit with double the effects slots -- a G6 model. the XLR out sounds great thru the PA system. oh yeah -- it's got a decent 40 second looper AND it's got a pretty decent drum machine in there too and it will run on 4 AA batteries if you wanna rock out somewhere away from AC power and it will fit into your gigbag..... the G3 seems to me to be the best bang for the buck modeler/effects unit on the market today. it's easy to use, sounds great, and it made of METAL not plastic. WIN! and actual metal in and out jacks that are not board mounted! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members d4rk0 Posted December 25, 2011 Members Share Posted December 25, 2011 Damn its good to see you again Bobby D! Thanks for the review and clips. I will definitely be checking it out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gorebuc Posted December 25, 2011 Members Share Posted December 25, 2011 Only once has the processor limitations kept me from doing something I wanted to do. I wanted a setting with the Dist +, the Twin amp model, and the combo Delay/Reverb. The amp model and the combo effect were too much evidently. Somewhat annoying, but when you consider that this thing can run for quite some time on 4AA batteries or USB phantom power, and the processing limitations are understandable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Aristotle Posted December 25, 2011 Members Share Posted December 25, 2011 Is there a vibrato sound like the m5? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Fusion1 Posted December 26, 2011 Members Share Posted December 26, 2011 I might be interested in the next gen version of the multi fx boards like the G7.1ut or the G9.2TT. I need to have presets. I still use my G2.1U multi and it's still useable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DaveinLondon Posted December 26, 2011 Members Share Posted December 26, 2011 Bobby, how could you do this to me? Now I'm GASsing for this thing. Software editor takes it over the top. How is the bypass? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members triviani Posted December 26, 2011 Members Share Posted December 26, 2011 Thanks for the demo, every time I checked youtube searching for a demo of it I had to give up, it's flooded with metalhead demos playing high gain stuff. I think it's not much popular around here just because the beginner-metal-noob-videos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members IRG Posted December 26, 2011 Members Share Posted December 26, 2011 Sounds great Bobby D! Glad to see/hear you back. Have you compared this to the Line6 M5? Seems like the obvious competitor, but this one seem a lot more flexible, more like the M9 without the looper. Or maybe it has a looper? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members the Dodo Posted December 26, 2011 Members Share Posted December 26, 2011 It has a even "better" Looper. I think it slays the M9 in sound but lacks a few cool things like MIDI, expression with picking dynamics (Vibrato) etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members IRG Posted December 26, 2011 Members Share Posted December 26, 2011 It has a even "better" Looper. I think it slays the M9 in sound but lacks a few cool things like MIDI, expression with picking dynamics (Vibrato) etc. Tell me more about the looper. Midi was never anything I needed or cared about on the M9. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members fly135 Posted December 26, 2011 Members Share Posted December 26, 2011 Several songs in my link below were done with the G3 and it's looper/drum machine. Jelly Jam, Baldwin Park, Some Bird, Bug Walk, Orange Chimera, and Outta Town. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members the Dodo Posted December 26, 2011 Members Share Posted December 26, 2011 You can dial in any number of bars youd like to record. You can choose a click or drum track to guide you or you can loop freely without any quantizing. Handles odd meters too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sleewell Posted December 26, 2011 Members Share Posted December 26, 2011 i want one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members macadood Posted December 26, 2011 Members Share Posted December 26, 2011 Bobby Deeeeeee!!!! good to see you back Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members macadood Posted December 26, 2011 Members Share Posted December 26, 2011 ZOOM has an all new proprietary VLSI cpu chip that is really quite powerful. this is the BEST amp modeling and analog sounding overdrives and distortions they have ever done. some forumites complained that the processor wasnt powerful enough and the unit pooped out when they tried running like 3 effects at once and amp modeling or something so you really like it more than the m9? and what strat are you using in these vids? looks just like mine, sexy as hell Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gambit Posted December 26, 2011 Members Share Posted December 26, 2011 Nice to see you bobby d! So how massive can the reverb get? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gorebuc Posted December 26, 2011 Members Share Posted December 26, 2011 Reverb gets pretty big. Pretty much every effect, including reverb, has a "mix" knob, which I think is really cool. Every 'verb also has a pre-delay parameter. I just like a splash of reverb here and there, and it provides me that aplenty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gambit Posted December 26, 2011 Members Share Posted December 26, 2011 Cool. Good to know about the predelay too.. I hate when the predelay is fixed/too much! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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