Equipment
Reviewing the Zoom G11 Multi-Effects Processor Guitar Pedal

Here at Lensrentals, we cover a lot of production equipment for photo and video productions. But as you start diving into audio equipment for TV and Film, you then start bleeding into the podcast industry, and before you know it, you’ve dipped your toes into the music side of things as well. And so, that is how we got to where we are now, and I wanted to tell you about one of my favorite recent adds to our inventory – a multi-effects pedal for guitarists, the Zoom G11 Multi-Effects Processor.
The Zoom G11 Multi-Effects Processor is a multi-effects unit aimed at all levels of guitarists and bassists. The idea is to take all of the greatest amp and pedal tones and pack them in a convenient, midrange package. The Zoom G11 Multi-Effects Processor has 22 cabinet emulations plus 70 preloaded full impulse response data that were captured with various microphone positions, providing a wide spectrum of cabinet sounds to choose from. Zoom has been designing guitar multi-effects units for the past 30 years and they claim the Zoom G11 as the “culmination of our engineering and passion” (zoomcorp.com). Does this claim hold up? Let’s find out.

To start, the Zoom G11 Multi-Effects Processor is very nice to look at. It features a sleek, metal design that seems very durable. The unit comes in at about 6.2 pounds, or 2.8 kilograms, so it is lightweight enough for a touring musician to take to shows. The touchscreen controls are easy to use, allowing the user to drag and drop presets, name their patches, and drag and drop banks with ease. Selecting different effects and amp sims is as easy as drag, drop and play. There is little to no latency when plugging in patches and amp sims, and there is no latency between separate patches. The expression pedal seemed to have a very good response but was a bit stiff when pressing down. The Zoom G11 Multi-Effects Processor has a mono input and a mono and stereo output. It also has a USB-c port along with five-pin MIDI in and out. Compared to other models of amp sims and multi-effects units, I think this may be the most user-friendly of the ones I’ve used. Alright, let’s get into the fun stuff. The Zoom G11 Multi-Effects Processor has every effect a player could ever need, and then some (it even has an explosion sound effect). They have truly made an effects processor for every type of musician, everything from soft ambient to the heaviest of metal tones. Some of the effects can take some work, but in general, they are fairly easy to set up as long as you are familiar with other pedal designs.

As a bass player, I was a bit hesitant plugging into the Zoom G11 Multi-Effects Processor since guitar pedals typically don’t match the frequencies a bass guitar produces. I was sorely mistaken. This product not only has its own bass effects and amp simulators, but the guitar effects also sounded great mixed in. I didn’t notice any drop in the bass frequencies while I was playing, and I didn’t notice any muddiness in the tone. I frequently use delay effects with my bass and have had trouble with lower frequencies coming a bit muddy in my mix, but with the Zoom G11 Multi-Effects Processor’s TapeEcho Delay effect, I didn’t notice any of that. I also use an Electro-Harmonix Bass Muff for some fuzz tones, and I replaced it with the NYC Muff on the Zoom G11 Multi-Effects Processor and I didn’t notice much change. There was the tiniest bit of bass frequency loss, the NYC Muff is focused towards guitars and not basses, but honestly, I liked the tone a bit better. As a replacement for the standard guitarist’s pedalboard, I think the Zoom G11 Multi-Effects Processor is a great choice for all musicians.
Let’s talk about a few minor negatives real quick. A few of the distortions and overdrives had a very thin tone to them. These might be able to be fixed if given enough love and care, but can be a turn-off to someone who wants a quick plug-and-play tone. A few of the individual effects, such as the delays and reverbs, didn’t seem to have a lot of change in tone or dry/wet when knobs were adjusted. Again this is just something that needs a little love to figure out but could cause some frustration for any player wanting that quick setup. Lastly, the design seemed a little cluttered, I found myself hitting some foot stomps I wasn’t aiming for. All in all, these are very minor gripes that may just need some getting used to or figuring out.

The price of the Zoom G11 comes in at $799.99 new, and I absolutely think it’s worth the price. Most of its competition come at a price tag that’s $1,000 or more, so this makes the Zoom G11 Multi-Effects Processor a genuine steal considering what you’re getting. Lensrentals.com also offers the ability to rent this unit for just $15 for a seven-day rental. For this price point, I don’t think you will find anything better.

The Zoom G11 Multi-Effects Processor delivers on ease of use, playability, professional tones, and design. I highly recommend giving this unit a try if you are looking for an amp simulator or multi-effects unit. Does the Zoom G11 Multi-Effects Processor hold up to the “culmination of our engineering and passion” claim? I believe so. You can tell a lot of love and knowledge went into building the best unit Zoom could produce. With enough time and a bit of tweaking, this unit could be an absolute powerhouse to any guitarist’s setup. Give it a try.