Zoom G1Xon

The Zoom G1Xon is a compact guitar multi-effects pedal with a built-in expression pedal, made by Zoom. It packs 100 guitar effects and amp models into a foot controller about the same width and length as an iPad, with up to 5 effects usable at once, a 30-second looper, 68 built-in rhythm patterns and a chromatic tuner¹²³. Zoom has since discontinued it³.

Effects and amp models

The G1Xon's 100 effects and amp models break down into five groups, with 22 of them being amp simulation models²¹:

You can chain up to 5 of these at once¹, which is enough for a basic patch of, say, a drive, a modulation, a delay and a reverb with room left over. The built-in expression pedal is what separates the G1Xon from the otherwise similar Zoom G1on: Zoom says it "allows you to add subtlety and refinement to your performance"³, and it drives the Pedal group's wah and pitch effects. There is also a preselect mode that lets you set up a second patch while continuing to play the first⁴, useful for switching sounds mid-song without a gap.

Beyond effects, the unit includes 68 built-in rhythm accompaniment patterns³ for practice, a looper that records loops up to 30 seconds long², and a built-in chromatic tuner with settings for standard tunings, including seven-string, and five open or alternate tunings².

Guitar World's reviewer found the sound held up: "The sound quality of all of the effects is impressive. The amp models deliver rich clean tones and dynamic, expressive distortion," with each effect offering a wide variety of parameters tweakable in fine detail².

Controls, footswitches and connections

Two large footswitches handle the stage-facing work: they scroll up and down through the entire preset library, and the same switches control looper functions like record, play, stop and clear². Editing happens through a rotary selector knob, four switches and four cursor buttons, with banks selected using the up and down cursor buttons².

The enclosure is black and dark gray plastic with a heavy duty feel, a metal baseplate, and bright blue knobs and buttons⁴. It was made in Japan and assembled in China⁴.

Connectivity is simple: mono 1/4-inch input and outputs, plus an auxiliary input for connecting external audio sources, like an iPod, for playing along². A mini USB jack handles firmware updates only, not audio².

Power

Zoom claimed 20 hours of running from a set of four alkaline cells, with an optional power adaptor available⁴. The battery option is what made the G1Xon practical as a couch and travel unit as well as a board piece.

Where it sits in Zoom's range

The G1Xon was the expression-pedal version of the Zoom G1on, and part of a long line of compact Zoom multi-effects units that includes the earlier Zoom G1X and Zoom G1Xn, with the bass equivalent being the Zoom B1Xon. After its discontinuation, the Zoom G1X FOUR carried the same format forward: a small multi-effects unit with a built-in expression pedal at a beginner price³.

Videos

Click to load

Click to load

Click to load

Questions