Zoom G3X review

The handy multi-fx gets a foot pedal

  • £169
  • $339.99
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Zoom has added a treadle to the G3 mult-fx unit to create the G3X

MusicRadar Verdict

For just £20 more, the addition of the treadle increases the sonic versatility of the already handy G3 by a far greater proportion than the extra outlay suggests.

Pros

  • +

    Robust metal chassis. Instant switching for three effects, treadle.

Cons

  • -

    Not enough onboard DSP to run certain effects combinations.

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Last year's Zoom G3 multi-fx featured 100 effects patches built from three modules, each with its own footswitch to make its effect active or bypassed within a patch. Foot control over the effects, however, required a separate expression pedal.

But now Zoom has added a treadle to the G3 to create the G3X, which can also be a USB audio interface for recording, and sports a 40-second looper plus 40 onboard rhythms.

"The treadle means you get instant access to foot-controlled wah, Whammy-style pitch shifting or dynamic control of any assigned parameter"

Recently, the G3 has had a firmware upgrade to allow six modules per patch and the G3X has this from the off, each module being home to one of 94 stompbox types or 13 amp simulations.

You can easily assign any three consecutive modules in a patch to the three footswitches/displays with instant tweaks available via three knobs per display.

Sounds

With an impressive array of effects and some decent-quality amp modelling, the G3X offers plenty of sonic options as a standalone unit or an add-on to your existing pedals.

The salient point about this new release, though, is the treadle, which means you get instant access to foot-controlled wah, Whammy-style pitch shifting or dynamic control of any assigned parameter.

We previously concluded that the G3, at £149, was the most practical multi-effects pedal around for under £200, but the G3X is even more practical.

Trevor Curwen

Trevor Curwen has played guitar for several decades – he's also mimed it on the UK's Top of the Pops. Much of his working life, though, has been spent behind the mixing desk, during which time he has built up a solid collection of the guitars, amps and pedals needed to cover just about any studio session. He writes pedal reviews for Guitarist and has contributed to Total Guitar, MusicRadar and Future Music among others.