Zoom G5 Guitar Multi Effects Pedal

IN PORTUGUESE: Recomendo a pedaleira ZOOM G5 , tem a melhor relação preço/Qualidade do mercado !!! Os japoneses são mestres nisso!! É uma excelente pedaleira para usar em casa, nos ensaios de garagem com bandas e para usar em palco. Faz o que fazem as melhores a um preço acessível. É a pedadeira nº 1 em PORTUGAL e no BRASIL !!! Recomendo a compra através da music store. Não a vais encontar mais barata em lado nenhum. Se a comprares não te vais arrepender!!

I have a nice plexi-style tube amp, but I havent had an opportunity to run it a lot lately, because of the volume it delivers)
So I bought this thing for practicing with headphones and its just perfect. I used to borrow Line6 POD HD500 for a couple of weeks. With Pod, getting a decent clean and a classic rock sound took me a couple of days and I had to read the manual.
With Zoom G5, I got my perfect cleans and drives in under 5 minutes after the unpacking. I just loaded the stock fender and marshal amp models and turned a few knobs to set the EQ the way I usually set it for my guitar with real amps.
And thats it. The cleans are absolutely astonishing, especially for fender twin reverb, matchless 30 and VOX JMI (AC15) models. They have great detail and definition, the highs are sparkling and in the lows you can actually hear the roar of the wounds on the lower strings. Its very touch sensitive - finger picking, soft and hard picking with a pick changes the sound a lot, so you actually feel like youre playing a living instrument, not a plastic controller.
Compared to a fender-style all-tube preamp that I once tried Zoom G5 sounds at least as good, but is much more flexible.
In terms of drive sounds, I only tried some classic ones - like Marshall Plexi (59) and Orange stacks driven hard and boosted with a tube screamer or a booster. These amp models sound and feel very authentic. With the Plex modeli, I felt like i was playing my actual tube amp. Even with amp gain on 100 with the booster off I could get a really great marshalls "almost clean " clean sound with finger picking, which turns into a classic hard rock drive when you pick expressively with your pick.
Id also like to note cab modelling, which is brilliant. It authentically reproduces the punch and low end thump of a big marshall cab, which sounds just like my real amp. Other models are also very good, and unlike with HD500, with zoom you can change a cab model for any amp very quickly and in most cases get a great sound.
In terms of the effects, i have not tried all of them yet. Delays and reverbs sound very good, I especially liked adding a touch of Air effect for clean patches. Crybaby Wah model is also nice. Booster and tubescreamer models work great combined with Marshall models, never tried them with others yet.
A built-in tube booster is worth mentioning. I dont know how they managed to make it work, since the 12AX7 tube in the Zoom unit obviously does not run at 450 volts like in a tube amp. BUT it actually works. Adding a little bit of boost (gain slightly under 9 oclock) with tone on full, does make the sound fuller and warmer, especially for clean sounds.
I also like the built-in drum machine. I know you can always play a backing track from your PC or player, but its just much more convenient to tap one button at Zoom G5 and start jamming along. The built in set of drum patterns is decent and you can easily find something to suite your needs.
I gave this unit 4 out of 5 on features, because it does not contain dual signal path (dual amp modelling) of HD500, which I personally dont miss at all but some people like it.
SUMMARY: I can absolutely recommend this unit for everyone who is interested in home practice and recording. The price is unbeatable. The sound quality is great, often better of HD500, also much easier to dial in the sound you want.
Not sure about live use, cause I dont play gigs, but i think it should be fine.

Easier to use than Boss GT100 and Line 6 HD500. Great displays and good layout. GT100 only two displays and HD500 a not clear one. Here you get 4 displays. Built like a tank. Near half the price of those.. I would have wished to have dedicate switches for bank up/down, reason why it does not get 100% rating on all. Great tone and in some specific simulations the tone can be better than the one you get with a HD500 and/or GT100. Tweaking is a breeze. Mine was a return order in perfect conditions including cosmetic. So I got it even cheaper! Come on! Can you bit it for this price? I do not think so. I recommend it as an auxiliary tool for professionals, all-in-one device for amateurs, small bands and church bands as well as practicing tool & recording tool for small and home studios where price and volume (size) are to be taken into account.