Zoom MultiStomp MS-200D+

The Zoom MultiStomp MS-200D+ is a digital gain pedal in a single compact stompbox: it packs 200 drive and distortion effects, which Zoom describes as "the most ever in one stompbox"¹. The library spans overdrive, fuzz, distortion, preamp and boost effects, plus EQ, a noise gate and a tuner, and you can chain two effects at once in a patch, in series or in parallel²³. It was announced at NAMM 2024 in January of that year and shipped between April and June 2024⁴.

Where a normal drive pedal gives you one circuit, the MS-200D+ gives you a menu of them: 164 Zoom Original drives and distortions plus 36 emulations of classic gain pedals and amps, according to Guitar Pedal X's launch report⁵. MusicRadar's review called it simply a "Digital overdrive/distortion/fuzz pedal"³, and Guitar Pedal X described it as "a compact digital gain workstation"⁵.

What it does: 200 digital drives in one pedal

The core idea is gain as a library. The 200 effects break down into 164 Zoom Original flavors and 36 emulations of classic gain pedals and amps⁵, covering overdrive, distortion and fuzz voicings along with preamps and boosts³⁵. Because the effects are fully DSP⁵, each one is a modeled circuit rather than an analog clipping stage, and each patch can hold two of them running together, routed in series or in parallel⁵³.

The screen helps you navigate that library. The color-coded LCD changes its backlight hue based on the selected effect category, and MusicRadar's review maps the scheme: overdrives get a yellow background, boosts blue, fuzz red, distortion orange, preamp purple and EQ green³. There are also two screen brightness modes².

Preset capacity is reported differently by two launch sources: Guitar Pedal X's launch report listed 250 user patch memories⁵, while MusicRadar's review lists 240 preset slots³.

Zoom's free Guitar Lab software works with the pedal and delivers additional effects: in November 2024 it added 10 more effects to the MS-200D+⁷.

The controls: four encoders, footswitch and buttons

The face of the pedal centers on a dot-matrix LCD surrounded by four Cross Key switches, a central footswitch and four control knobs, supporting Memory, Scroll, Add, Delete, Library and Menu functions⁵. MusicRadar's reviewer noted the four encoder knobs are pushable and set in a slight dip in the pedal, which saves space and keeps them out of the way of your foot³.

Holding down the central footswitch gives access to the onboard chromatic tuner³. The tuner uses the color backlight for visual feedback and supports all standard guitar tunings as well as open and drop tunings².

Power: 9V DC, USB-C or two AA batteries

The MS-200D+ runs on 2 AA batteries, or via USB-C or AC power, as Zoom states on its product page¹. MusicRadar's review specifies the AC option as 9V DC with a 500mA current draw³, and Guitar Pedal X's launch report gave the same figures⁵. Connectivity is simple: input, output, power in and USB-C³.

Battery life, as reported at launch, is approximate but generous:

• Lithium AA cells: about 14 hours
• Alkaline AA cells: about 7 hours
• NiMH rechargeable cells: about 6.5 hours⁵

A follow-on to the MS-50G+

The MS-200D+ is a second-generation MultiStomp. MusicRadar reported at launch that it "follows on from the MS-50G+, which was unveiled a couple of months back, and boasts a similar design"⁴. The original MS-50G line combined a multi-effects device and an amp modeler in a single compact stompbox, and the "+" generation carried that format forward with the same four-encoder control scheme⁸⁹¹⁰.

The difference is focus: where the MS-50G+ spreads its effects across all types, the MS-200D+ concentrates on gain, with its 200 drives and distortions¹⁸. Guitar World's budget multi-effects buying guide, reviewing the MS-50G+, found the MultiStomp format approachable: "The Zoom MS-50G+ Multistomp is really intuitive and easy to use, though you do have to be quite precise with your feet."¹¹

What reviewers made of it

MusicRadar's review found the build solid: the pedal has a sturdy metal casing, and while the reviewer felt "it doesn't feel quite as indestructible as a Boss pedal, but it's good enough," the footswitch seemed able to withstand heavy-duty stomping³.

Guitar Pedal X's launch report framed the concept against a familiar comparison, likening it to a stripped-down, miniaturized Boss OD-200, "a concept I can really get behind," while noting that how usable the 200 flavors prove to be is the real test, and that unlike the OD-200 it lacks separate footswitches for a boost and the main gain channel⁵.

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