Zoom G1U Guitar Effects Pedal with USB Interface Review

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(More customer reviews)I was looking for a decent headphone amp because I live in a crowded apartment in a crowded city and my marshall stack would get me either arrested or beat up.
First of all, the zoom g1u package DOES include an AC adapter. I say this up front because all the literature I read on it indicated it did not ("optional" ac adapter, is the reference everywhere).
As far as the zoom itself, its a remarkable and very very fun piece of technology.
--the presets ("patches") are great, you get a huge variety of tones and sounds and effects pre-set so its easy to just jump in with it and start playing different genres of music. Many of the presets are explicitly modelled after famous guitarists and their famous tones (srv or randy rhoads for example) and are labelled as such. If you want to create your own tones you can do that too, obviously.
--amp and cabinet models - they sound just fine to me. I havent compared the zoom models with, say, those on the digitech rp series, but the zoom models (from distortion to clean to jazz) all sound lovely to me.
--huge set of effects are available.
--drum machine is a blast, much more fun than I expected, having never played along with a drum machine before. Most of the drum tracks I probably wont use, but I think anyone can find a few favorites to play along with. Of course preset drum tracks are not as versatile as being able to play your own drum track, though. At some point i'll probably buy a separate drum machine. Its definitely a fun thing to have included though, I think.
--includes software - zfx tools (create patches) and ableton live (record and edit your music): ability to record directly to computer via usb is a blast too, and works well.
Is it worth a hundred bucks? Absolutely, its amazing how much technology they are packing into these tiny boxes (5"x5" approximately) and it will keep you entertained for quite a while. The g1u is a great introduction to these things - drum machines, effects, amp modelling, and recording software - it makes certain things easy particularly for a beginner (like giving you presets with descriptions and not forcing you to build common tones from scratch). Similarly the recording software is simpler and easier to grasp and use than the much more complex Cubase software that you get with higher and more expensive models.
I did compare the g1u with a couple of higher models (g2.1u and digitech's rp255). These are the only other two models right now that have both usb connection AND drum machine tracks built in. Both are considerably more expensive than the g1u. The main thing both add is the 'expression pedal' (which I didnt need). Other than that they dont add much at all in features. In fact the g1u I believe has a lot more models and presets than either, and is a more recent and updated product than either.
Pretty happy with it so far. Loads of fun. I'm not missing my full size amp at all, and this box lets me play to my hearts content without bothering my neighbors. The convenience and value you get with these boxes is truly amazing.

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