Zoom Effects

The Zoom Corporation - manufacturers of Zoom Effects pedals for guitars and basses - is a relatively new kid on the block. The company was formed as recently as 1983 in Tokyo, Japan and within 25 years has emerged from nowhere to become one of the most serious players in the guitar and bass effects market.

Zoom Icons

Although Zoom had released other products previously, the product that caused the music retail market to stare wide eyed with mouths agape was the worlds first "Guitar Belt-pack Processor". Only marginally bigger than a cigarette packet the Zoom 9002 effects processor combined digital effects, pre-amp circuitry and analogue compression to create a "go anywhere, play anywhere" micro effects box that would literally strap to your belt.

Another important milestone for Zoom was just a few years back when they created the G1, which at the time was the first true multi-effects processor priced under a hundred pounds.

Zoom Differentiators

So what are the differentiators that convince musicians to purchase Zoom products? Well almost certainly the most important difference is their pricing; Zoom have focused their attention on producing budget-friendly products aimed primarily at the entry-level consumer market.

Whilst this has made Zoom effects popular with starter musicians and those on a fixed budget such as students, it has undoubtedly taken away some of their credibility as a manufacturer of high quality effects.

A secondary and important differentiator is the fact that Zoom design and produce their own micro-chips that sit within the effects units. Zoom's ZFX-3 Microchip is a 32-bit processor that is capable of processing digital audio at 96 kHz with 24-bit A/D/A conversion. The latest version released in 2006 allows the Zoom Corporation to be a Micro-chip generation ahead of their closest competitors in the industry and gives them a significant advantage over big industry players such as Boss, Yamaha and Line 6; hence the company's marketing slogan "Catch us if you can".

Zoom Today

Today Zoom have taken a significant amount of guitar and bass effects processor business away from their competitors, mainly due to their aggressive pricing strategy and value for money products; such as the Zoom G2, B2 and G2.1U and B2.1U Guitar and Bass Multi-Effects units -
which are still enormously popular with the entry-level consumer
market. A full range of Zoom effects units for guitar and bass
are available right here at Nevada Music.