Zoom G1XN Guitar Multi Effects Pedal Review

Getting an economy multi effects guitar pedal can be a tricky endeavor these days, considering the great amount of cheap, yet very low quality and basically useless devices on the market. But there are still devices worth purchasing that deliver a good bang for the buck or even more.

One of those devices is the Zoom G1XN, a compact device featuring as much as 54 effect types for as little as $70. If you’re a beginner looking to experiment with guitar effects, this is the device you were looking for.

The G1XN is fairly easy to use and comes with a detailed, practical manual that will get any aspiring young guitarist easily acquainted with the intricate world of guitar effects. As you might have expected, it’s not all fine and dandy with this device, but when the final line is drawn, this Zoom pedal earns our top recommendations for beginner guitarists. We’ll elaborate more on that soon, so scroll down and join us for a detailed full review below.

Sound

Within the given price range, Zoom G1XN delivers pretty much the best audio quality on the market. The device features 8 effect modules and 54 effect types, which is plenty to go around with. Most of them are quite decent or even great, especially the basic ones. This will allow you to genuinely master the essential effects and get a solid knowledge or scratch the surface of the advanced stuff. It will also give you a clear picture of what you want next in terms of guitar effects, helping you direct your musical journey.

Of course, not all effects deliver top quality, but with 40 user-defined and 40 preset patches, the musician has plenty of room for clever maneuvers to get the maximum out of the pedal. You can check out more details in the features section below.

Features

Let’s focus on some of the key features straight away, shall we? As noted, the device features 8 effect modules and 54 effect types, along with 80 patches, 40 user-defined ones and 40 preset patches. Furthermore, an advanced ZFX-3 processing engine is also included, allowing 96 kHz sampling, 24-bit A/D/A Conversion and 32-bit signal processing, along with a frequency response from 20 Hz to 40 kHz.

We’ll stress once again that the pedal offers plenty to chose from, so stick to the manual if you don’t want to get lost in the guitar jungle. Many users recommend using headphones while practicing for a better sound. Zoom G1XN comes with an included power adapter, featuring a 13.2 x 3 x 7 inches (33.5 x 7.5 x 17.78 cm) size and a light 2.1 lbs (950 g) weight, mostly due to the plastic casing.

Speaking of which, the plastic casing makes the pedal prone to damage, so you’ll need to make sure to take good care of it. But back to the features, let’s focus on some of the effects the device has to offer. Most users praise reverb and delay as G1XN’s top-notch features, whereas distortion and EQ are ranked among the low-quality ones. The noise gate feature typically receives mediocre grades, whereas the rest of the effects mostly fetch positive remarks from different users. The drum machine is also included and can be used as a metronome during practice.

As far as effects layering goes, it is supported, but only to a certain extent. Specifically, players can run only one effect from each section, making complex layering an impossible task. But the layering is still an option and comes in quite handy for basic sonic experiments.

Durability and Reliability

We’ve already mentioned that the G1XN features a plastic casing, and as with most plastic guitar products, this one’s also more prone to physical damage. But it’s not fragile either. Just make sure not to drop it too often or stomp it too hard and it’ll come a long way.

The product’s knobs and buttons are well mounted, turning this Zoom into a sturdy device within its own league. While transporting, make sure that the pedal is properly protected.

As far as reliability goes, the device scored a solid overall grade. It doesn’t have a tendency to break down too often and requires a fairly low amount of maintenance if treated properly. After all, it’s a budget pedal we’re talking about, so proper handling comes as a definite must.

Overall: Pros and Cons

To sum it all up, Zoom G1XN is a perfect multi effect guitar pedal for beginners and a solid one for advanced users. It will get the beginners well-acquainted with most of available guitar effect, while the more advanced crowd will still be able to take advantage of some of this product’s top effects, specifically reverb and delay.

We’ll end it with a rundown of the pedal’s pros and cons to give you Zoom G1XN in a nutshell. Overall, we can say that it scored positive remarks from us. Within the given domain, this is the product you need. Make sure to check out full details below.

Zoom G1XN Pros

• Price – The pedal can be found for as little as $70 and hardly crosses the $120 mark, so it’s clearly a good value. Whether you want to stick to a few effects or fully exploit what the device has to offer, $70 is more than a fair price. A good bargain by all means.
• Sound – When compared to similar products on the market, G1XN ranks quite high in the audio department. In all fairness, you’ll hardly find a better multi effects guitar pedal out there.

Zoom G1XN Cons

• Not all effects rock – As noted, this is a budget device, so certain cuts clearly had to be made. Specifically, users mostly aren’t thrilled with overdrive and EQ effects the device has to offer. Reverb and delay on the other hand, are often rated top-notch.
• Effects layering – It’s not possible to run multiple effects from various sections, making the player unable to get involved with complex layering. Basically, only one effect from each section can be used.