Zoom G1Next Guitar effects pedal

The Zoom G1Next is a combination effects pedal for the electric guitar. Zoom is a Japanese company but this particular model version was manufactured in China. In contrast to many traditional effects pedals that are devoted to one kind of effect such as phaser, overdrive, wah-wah, or reverb, the Zoom G1Next can replicate and imitate many kinds of sounds. The Zoom comes with two options in terms of power sources, a mains power cable or the use of four batteries for more portable ease. It does not come with any short quarter inch jack leads to connect it to your amplifier and so you will need to buy these separately. The Zoom also comes with an on-board tuner which is an invaluable addition.

Ease of use

The Zoom is very simple to use. Though there are hundreds of variations that can be made to sounds and effects, it has as few controls as possible. There are two dials, four buttons, and two pedals. This helps it keep its pretty classic look and also prevents it from appearing too technical and thus intimidating to slightly less experienced guitarists. Furthermore, If you are intimidated by the controls, you can simply twist the left dial to "play" and then you get the sounds labelled A, B, C, D 1-9.

Rhythm Machine

The Zoom has an on-board drum machine. This can be accessed and cycled by twisting the left dial to "Rhythm" and then using the left and right pedals to cycle through them. The tempo of any one of these beats can be adjusted and personalised by clicking the "bank up" button and then turning the right hand dial as desired. All beats are default set on 2.0 and the right dial allows for an almost unlimited adjustment of the tempo allowing the display to go down in decimal places, then, once you hit zero, from 100 down, and then into the negative minus numbers. Of course you are also able to speed up the tempo by turning the right hand dial the other way. You are also able to program the pedal to store the newly created rhythm beats and place them under their own patch name so that you may easily use them again.

Quality of sounds and Patches

The sounds produced from the Zoom G1Next are very high quality. There is a wide range of sounds that are available to use. These are all based on the sounds of famous artists but there is also the relatively easy option of creating your own patch through the use of the left dial and the two pedals. The available sounds range from heavy metal, to heavy reverb, to wah wah effect, to classic Brian May sounds, to Hendrix fuzz and so many more. The patches are all clean (respective to their effect) and the grounding static hum is minimal with a decent guitar.

Verdict
Overall, the Zoom is a smart investment and will allow you to replicate and imitate the sounds of particular artists or genres. It is relatively reasonable in price, ranging anywhere from £55-£85+ depending where you source it from. I have one of these and would recommend it to anyone considering getting a combination effects pedal.