My Secret to Great Guitar Effects - Zoom Effects Processors!
When I was younger, my musical preferences were quite heavy. Not by the standards of today’s music by any means, but heavy for the time. To this day I am still a huge fan of Kiss, Van Halen, Scorpions, Motley Crue and Iron Maiden. I also loved the obscure bands and spent countless hours learning songs like Highway Star (check out the version by Metal Church), Born to be Wild (the version performed by Lizzy Borden in “The Decline of Western Civilization) and “Swords & Tequila” by Riot. Today, I favor guitar heavy bands like Godsmack and have always been a fan of Pantera (R.I.P. – Daryl). And unlike my younger days, getting the sounds of my hero’s guitar to blast from my rig is much easier.
Guitar Gear – Then and Now
When I first started my musical career I played violin and piano. It didn’t take long for me to fall into the world of guitar. I started playing on acoustic, bass followed shortly thereafter, yet I always seemed to gravitate towards the instruments that put you “out front.” It wasn’t for several years that I finally found that I liked playing in support of the music as much as in the audience’s face.
In the beginning, I used MXR guitar effects and a small Fender guitar amp. I tried other guitar effects – DOD, Digitech, Boss, Roland – and in the early 1990’s a company I had never heard of produced a tiny, palm-sized multi effects processor. The company was Zoom and the processor, though small, had one of the biggest sounds I had ever heard.
Multi effects processors have evolved over the years into powerful tools that let musicians and audio engineers produce the finest recordings anywhere. Yes, it is possible to create an incredible recording in your garden shed – I’ve done it. The days of the garage band dominating the music scene are now. With the right equipment, you can make your stage sound and your recorded sound very similar.
Boutique effects and the Electric Guitar
Boutique effects are fast becoming a strong niche when it comes to creating effects for electric guitar. Top selling artists are using and promoting these obscure devices, even for bass guitar. It’s easy to see why. Owning one of these effects puts you in an elite category. Not everyone can afford these effects and they sound great. Then there are the classic effects like the MXR Phase 90 – used by Eddie Van Halen on the first VH album. There are also companies like Danelectro guitar effects, that have been around for years whose effects are coveted, but are now somewhat mass produced. The powerhouse Digitech, guitar effects manufactured in Utah and owned by Harmon Professional are by far one of the most prolific effects processor manufacturers in the world. Where does that leave Zoom?
Powerful Guitar Effects in the Palm of Your Hand
Zoom is a company born from the Japanese company, Samson Technologies. Samson is known for their quality wireless units and it was natural that they compete in the very lucrative effects market. However, rather than enter the market with a simple effects pedal, they decided that they would have better success entering the market with a device that was small and contained many of the favorite effects of the day. Enter the Zoom guitar effects units.
Zoom guitar effects, while state of the art, aren’t for the faint of heart. Don’t think you can get your Zoom to emulate an Ibanez guitar effect like the Tube Screamer. The overdrive is too heavily saturated – not that this is a bad thing. If you love to play rippin’ scalar runs or use heavy distorted tones, you can expect an awesome performance from your Zoom processor.
Zoom’s latest incarnation of devices sports the ZFX-3 chip. This is where the magic is. Sweet sustain from the dual channel preamp, coupled with all of the classic guitar effects make standard guitar effects pedals from the other guys obsolete. Zoom guitar effects processors stand out for their clarity and versatility. Now you don’t have to own Vox guitar effects, DOD guitar effects or any other manufacturers effects pedal. With the advances in amp and cabinet simulation, your new Zoom guitar effects processor can handle all of the sounds with ease, at a price you can afford.
A Final Word on Zoom Guitar Effects Processors
Anybody who is involved in creating great music is constantly concerned with their tone. A guitar effects pedalboard is one way you can define your signature sound. Effects processors are another way. Still, it is important that you understand where true tone comes from. In the analog days, your tone was created by the wood your instrument was built from, the way the speaker cabinet was built, coupled with the way you play your instrument. Purists will argue that using a digital effect will alter your signal and that you will never be able to replicate the tone of an analog device. With the technology available today, we can now easily reproduce the tones of our heroes. And emulation leads to imagination leads to creation, which is what music is all about.
