Zoom B2 Four Bass Multi-effects Processor Reviews

This pedalboard sounds incredible, I had previously bought the Boss GT-1B pedalboard but I honestly didn't like the sound and I had to sell it, and I bought this zoom b2 four, it was the best decision, this pedalboard sounds incredible and very easy to understand the functions, I can connect it to my iPad or laptop and use the functions, I already used it on stage and it sounds incredible playing live with the Band, I actually highly recommend this bass pedal board, you will not be disappointed!

I've been using the B2 four for several months. It's a great DI box plus effects. It's so effective I don't use an amp anymore. It's very user friendly I've made my own presets this is worth every penny. Trust me you'll be glad you got it I've used another multi pedal from another competing brand It's not even close to competing with the b2 four. I'm a professional player I've used it for recording live demos it's quiet and powerful.

I had been using my Line 6 Helix as my bass rig either direct to house or run through my QSC 10.2. It's an awesome bass rig but I'm a pretty simple man when it comes to bass and I didn't need that many options and I also wanted to see if I could find something smaller.

First I tried the Tech 21 Bass Fly Rig. I just didn't click with it. I had looked at the new Zoom B3n but it didn't have an XLR out which was a deal breaker for me. Then a friend and bandmate said she had the Zoom B3 and loved it. It's the older, now discontinued version and in my opinion (and others I've read) superior to the newer B3n, and it has an XLR. I was looking at used B3s when I decided to search "bass multi-fx" here on Sweetwater and see if anything else looked promising. The Zoom B6 looked great but again, way more than I needed. Then I stumbled upon the B2 Four. PERFECT.

Small, simple, yet still LOTS of options, and it had an XLR out. I was also very impressed by the design in that the navigational buttons are on a raised corner meaning you can use them fairly easily with your foot too. Looks sleek. You can "only" have 5 FX at a time (that includes amp sims) but that's plenty enough for me.

Today I went through all 250 presets and was very impressed. They sounded great and spanned lots of sounds and genres and most were very usable. It's fairly intuitive and if I have one complaint it's that the manual is pretty sparse and basic but has all the information you absolutely need. My first impression is that there are tons of great emulations and a huge variety of ways to run it. I'd be surprised if you couldn't find many sounds you like and cover anything you would want.

There's many varieties of all the different kinds of FX, plus a great selection of preamps, amp/cab emulations, and a dedicated switch that steps through 6 different modeled DI boxes, 3 tube varieties and 3 SS versions. Or you can just turn it off, which I do since I run amp/cab sims so it seems weird to put a modeled DI after an amp/cab sim.

I also wasn't exactly sure how the preamp models should be used. It seemed strange to me to put a preamp in front of an amp/cab sim, but some of the presets definitely did that, and I mean there's really no "rules." If it sounds good, it sounds good. I might just be too mired in old analog thinking of "Bass into amp/cab." I mean who knows, maybe a preamp into an amp/cab and running one of the DI models might produce something cool. I haven't tried yet. The presets also serve as a great way to learn the unit by analyzing them and seeing what's running verses what you're hearing. I remember one preset that was running the pitch shifter module but not actually doing any pitch shifting, but the unit itself definitely drastically changed the tone just being on. Another one used that same unit with a pitch shift of 1 cent to get a pretty good "With A Little Help From My Friends" sound. I never would have thought to use it in those ways.

I'm very happy with it and can't wait to give it full run at next week's gigs where I'll probably run XLR straight to front of house. I have a simple patch set up with a noise suppressor, compressor, drive, and chorus, into an amp/cab, and I can use the 3 footswitches to toggle the compressor, drive, and chorus on/off. Your mileage and needs may vary but this unit was EXACTLY what I was looking for.

Since retiring recently, I decided to pick up the bass guitar, as I had in my teens and 20's. To enhance the sounds of my Sire bass and Fender Rumble 100 amp, I purchased the Zoom B2 Four as my first pedal. I went into this knowing that, given its huge palette of sounds, there would be a bit of a learning curve. I imagine its user interface would be more intuitive for somebody that's familiar with pedals, but not for a rookie like me. True, there is no hard copy instruction manual and I had to download the PDF file from Zoom's web site, but that's practically the case for EVERY product nowadays!

I look forward to creating new effects but I really like several of the 250 presets that are included. The only downside I have encountered so far is that the accompanying phone app (Handy Guitar Lab B2 Four) seems to be compatible for only iPhone but not Android. Other than that, this product was a GREAT bang for the buck!!

I purchased a Digitech bp200 over 20 years ago and I can remember selling it just days later due to it sounding too cheesy and having no real practicality for a live application. After selling that multi effects unit I thought I would never purchase another one again. Took a chance on this Zoom B2 four unit and it has really impressed me with the sound quality, build quality, size, I/O placement and price. I purchased this unit solely for the effects, pre-amps, and drives (RC Drive) is definitely a hidden gem. I don't use any of the amp/cabinet modeling, as I prefer the tone and sound out of my Fender Rumble 500, but the IR 3 technology Zoom put in simulating the amps and cabinets is quite brilliant. I do agree with the previous reviewer on the screen being a bit overcrowded but as a 41 year old I didn't find it difficult to navigate through the menus and start adding my own patches. I highly recommend the B2 four to any bass players looking for inspiration or to expand their sound on stage!

I wanted to get started with a pedal board. I watched all kinds of YouTube videos and blog posts about which pedals to get first and what pedals EVERY BASS PLAYER NEEDS to the point that I had overloaded myself with information and wound up just buying a tuning pedal and later a compressor pedal.

Then I saw the announcement video for the Zoom B2 Four. I figured "hey, if I can't get every pedal there is, I can at least get a simulation for every pedal type there is." The day it came in stock at Sweetwater it was ordered and on the way to my house.

When it finally showed up, I was completely overwhelmed by it. The documentation was extensive, the factory presets were vastly numerous and I still found myself not really knowing where to start.

Eventually, after connecting the iOS app to it, I was able start getting a better idea of how it's put together. I eventually found a few presets where I really liked the sound and, with the app, moved them to the beginning of the list for easier access.

And I was happy.

Then, I was having some sound issues with one of my basses. Be it the bass itself or the location of the speaker or Tzeench toying with my destiny, whatever the root cause I eventually created my own presets for each of my guitars to correct the issue while making each one sound as good as I can make it sound on my setup in my space.

No more fiddling with knobs each time I swap between my Fender and Spector. Just a click of the button and everything is optimized.

So my thoughts after a year with the device...

Pros:
- Lots of simulated pedals to play with. Saves a bunch of money, especially when you're as indecisive as I am.
- Not just pedals but amps as well. Want a vintage Ampeg? Just add it to your chain.
- Looks nice. Simulated carbon fiber. I love carbon fiber to an almost unhealthy degree.
- Once you get the hang of it, it's very easy to create new pedal effect chains on the fly.
- Built in looper. Loads of fun there.
- The bypass switch is great for when I need to tweak the raw sound coming out of the bass or when I want to just use the dedicated compressor pedal.
- The sounds are good. The pedal sims work exactly like you'd expect them to work and they sound fantastic.

Cons:
- If your pedal chain has more than three options and you will be activating and deactivating various pedals throughout the performance, I can see it being a pain. Easier to swap between presets than to activate and deactivate stuff. Haven't really run into that myself but as I've been messing around it's been on my mind.
- The built in tuner is ok but the screen doesn't feel responsive enough for me. I much prefer my Polytune for that side of things.
- It needs to be powered on for bypass to work. Otherwise it's a brick wall in your audio signal.
- The app needs to be directly plugged in to manage it. Would be nice to be able to manage disconnected then just sync the settings. Nitpicky but it still annoys me to the point that this is my biggest gripe about it.
- The power inlet is heavily recessed. Wasn't able to use the right angle power cable to connect it to my power supply. Again, nitpick but aesthetics are important to me.
- Some of the presets that are obviously trying to recreate certain sounds are…wishful thinking at best. For example: the "GoodTimes1979" preset sounds less like Chic and more like "booming muddy mess".
- The companion app is another $0.99 after paying $250 for the pedal and that bugs me a bit on principle.
- The compressors are...odd. I debated mentioning it because I can't really articulate what I don't like about them. I'm just not fond of them.

Final thoughts: I don't see myself going beyond bedroom bass player hobbyist. As such, this multi-effect pedal is perfect for me. Doesn't take up much space and allows me to instantly try new sounds and tones without having to fork over any more cash. Even if I wound up playing some small shows, this pedal would work just fine. Heck, I could see it working with with some medium sized performances as well if I ever decide to give that a shot. At some point you'll probably want to replace it with your favorite individual pedals if you are going actual pro performing as this is more of an "eggs in one basket" thing that could bite you at some point.

This product is not user friendly and does not even come with a real product manual. Had to dig online to find the rhythm instructions. Effects sound tinny and actually muddied my signal playing through a rumble 500. Overcrowded LED is too busy and frustrating to navigate. What a disappointment. I will be returning it.
Victor