Overall User Ratings

"Zoom B2 - lots of fun in a small, rugged box"

Feature:
Had to buy an AC Adapter, when it should be included for a slightly higher price. The fact that it can run on batteries is great.

Quality:
Never had a problem with it. Only negligence could break it. It's feels like a quality piece, not a toy.

Value:
Awesome value. This thing does the work of a suitcase worth of pedals all neatly wrapped in an indistructable box.

Desirability:
An aesthetic beauty. The model with the pedal is even nicer looking. Looks great on the floor and the LED's can be seen from far away.

Sound:
A few of the amp models (TE, Ampeg) are a bit synthetic sounding, but the effects are superb on this pedal. The Wahs are great and all of the echos/delays are great.

Ease of Use:
Very intuitve set of knobs - the selection abbreviations make sense and are easy to read. The cheat sheet instruction page helps a lot.

Support:
The nstructions/setup guide were good. The cheat sheet is great. Never needed to call Zoom about any of their products that I own.

Overall:
I'm always looking for newer stuff, but I have no plans to change out the B2, unless it was for the B2.1U

"This. Is. The One!"

This reviewer purchased this item from Same Day Music.

Feature:
In reading through the manual, I can see it will take a few hours of playing with the unit to get really fluid with adjusting the parameters, but I can already see that the flexibility is surprisingly high. The control input is useful in that it serves dual purposes. Unlike the Behringer Bass V-Amp (which I also own), the B2 has a power switch! How/why Behringer overlooked that I don't know. Finally, the drum pattern feature is great for practicing, or as I already said just sitting in front of my amp alone, blocking out the entire universe and just letting go (I know a few too many drummers who can't keep a steady tempo, so this is a real plus). About all I would wish for would be a 4-character display (too many abreviations to learn with only two), and an AUX input for like a CD player or something.

Quality:
Construction is solid, in both looks and feel. This model is made of metal, but the finish makes it look a bit like something else, like a very rigid plastic or something That's not a complaint, though, I actually like it. The ultra-quiet switching, bright LED panel, nearly no-click switches and of course the sounds, combine to make this a most satisfying device. Unless I try to use it for a train brake, I can't imagine it getting damaged beyond serviceability from anything I am likely to subject it to.

Value:
The price I would have paid (before I stupidly decided to go with the Behringer Bass V-Amp instead of the B2) was ten bucks higher than what I got this for, and given not only it's own merits, but comparing it to the V-Amp, it's a more than terrific value.

Desirability:
When an FX box, or anything that colors my sound, is so impressive that just playing through it makes me come up with new compositional ideas, that means it has pretty much blown me away. To say that I was blown away by the B2 is almost an understatement. It looks good, it feels good, it works wonderfully and it makes me more creative. That's top-notch stuff right there!

Sound:
In a word...awesome. In a few words, very awesomely exciting! Although the differences between a few of the factory sounds is rather subtle, overall, this unit packs the best batch of sounds and colorations I have heard in anything in this price range, or even in slightly higher-priced units. Switching patches is unnoticeably quiet (and fast). The range and quality of the sounds brings back the sheer joy of sitting in front of my amp and just playing.

Ease of Use:
It's not blood simple to operate, but then no device of this type is. You have to learn how this particular product does its things. The manual does a great job of explaining it all, and it's not hard to LEARN to use it effectively.

Support:
I rate support at 3. I usually rate support at 5 if I have never used it, but I have had to use Zoom (SamsonTech) support for my HD16CD multitrack recorder, and that has been an absolute nightmare! If their support is common for all their products, I dread having to need it, and I feel very sorry for you if you ever have to. You'll want to consider than when making a purchase decision. The quality of the B2 makes me doubt I'll even need support for it.

Overall:
I pondered whether to get this or the Behringer Bass V-Amp, and decided to go with the V-Amp because it had more adjustment capabilities and more patch locations. However, I was very unimpressed with the sounds. To be fair, I didn't get to play with it for more than a couple weeks before it was damaged in a flood. But even so, it never WOW'ed me like the B2 has. When I got the B2, I was mad at myself for not going with it at first (which was my original intent). Right out of the box, the B2 wiped the floor with the V-Amp. I'm looking forward to expanding on its great capabilities.