So.... it looks like my age-ing, much abused , but much loved and relied upon Zoom 8080 multi FX may not be much longer for this world..... it's been cutting out randomly , no visual fault, all the lights and so on are there , but sound just stops.... dead.... then comes back, usually , if i give it a kick..... i will open her up and check the sockets, but that's about as far as these things tend to be repairable....

and there are none on fleabay.... or anywhere else i can find at present.... and they'd all be as old as mine anyway.... and may have had even harder lives....

with this in mind, i need to start looking for alternatives , fairly quickly... can't be let down when playing with the band.....

so here's my shopping list.


Must have
1) Midi out, able to send patch change data to control my babelswitch./
2) External Loop pre-amp option.... to patch my Laney Chromezone's pre-amp in

signal path should be

guitar> input, Compressor ( or assorted dynamics) wah and octave fx > pre-amp out (external loop) >Laney> loop-rtn > time based FX (pitch, harmony, delay, chorus flanger etc) > reverb > main out back to laney powerstage.

3) 2 pedals , or inputs for them, is an absolute must.,... 1 dedicated for volume, the other assignable however i like.... but more than 2 would be nice (8080 effectively had 3 )


most of the time, only really need simple delay and chorus and a bit of reverb, but i do like to get silly with minor third harmonies,(8080 had a basic, but functional intelligent harmonizer reverse attack envelopes, multi tap delays (with tap tempo) and so on.... and be able to programme the loop send level settings on a per patch basis, to change how hard i drive the amp's front end....

the 8080 was basically a Zoom 9050 in a floor mounted unit.... (sadly my 9050 died earlier this year)

i need to replicate it's abilities..... and it's bullet proofness... bear in mind this thing has lasted about 15-16 years.... of frequently quite hard use.... done tours, festivals pub gigs and so on, and survived unscathed....




Nice to have bits.

a bit less noise wouldn't hurt...
multiple assignable pedal controls for Wah, volume, and say, delay time or delay mix, and other real time control options,


and maybe an amp footswitch out, (for when i use something other than my laney babel switch rig)


so, start telling me about your wonderful toys ....

Boss GT-10 should be able to do all that but you'll need second expression pedal for it as it has only one.

TC G system but will need expression pedals.

Alternately you can buy something rackmounted and get a midi controller, like a Rocktron Prophecy with a Behringer FB1010 or one of the other midi controllers out there.

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www.descentintomadness.com

I'm very happy with my new Boss GT10. It will take an extra expression pedal if you need one.
I have found the pre-sets a bit too rock-biassed for my use, but programming your own patches is delightfully easy. I play everything through it, guitars, mandolin, steel guitar and even bass.
I bought it because my old Zoom started cutting out..... Well, you know the story.
The Boss sounds wonderful, and that is what it's all about in the end though, isn't it?
Cheers
Dave

hi idris,

i have experience with playing on the boss gt6, gt8, and gt10. they're all quite nice and seem well made. nice diversity of sound. my mate swears the gt6 is the best o/t 3, that roland jiggered the chips in the 8 and 10 and that the roland purist forums are full of complaints about it. can't say i noticed myself.

but solid kit, no doubt..

d

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"Patsy had the drug tolerance of Keith Richards and the moral rectitude of Brian Jones." - Dr. Walter Bishop, "Fringe"

How about a Zoom 8080 for 50 quid.

Put "zoom 8080 for sale" into google, it throws up 2 on Gumtree. Or are you after something new and shiny?

Dan

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Two interesting facts about me: 1)My Knob is the length of two Argos pens 2)I'm banned from Argos

thanks dan, hadn't yet looked at Gumtree, having been depressed by finding none on fleabay, or SOS readers ads, or gearslutz, and the google searches clearly hadn't used quite the right wording....



might be time to change any how.... update.... ultimately, any 8080 is still going to be a very old piece of hardware by anyone's standards

but i may buy these if they're still available.... just to be sure.......

What about Zoom G9.2? That one got stellar reviews. I haven't tried one myself and actually gave up on the whole Zoom family of products after having a 505 II and them not honoring the warranty after one of the pedals started sticking on me while within the warranty period.I think it might be easier to transition within the same brand if the sounds are what you are after.

I personally also loved Korg for a while but haven't been able to find anything as flexible as the Boss GT-10, except maybe the TC G System but that is just too expensive.

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www.descentintomadness.com

Bought some later Zoom units on ebay this weekend.... a G9.2tt and a Gfx-8

see how i get on with them ,

it's already not looking great for the GFX-8, i tried it just thru the Hi-fi at home today , and was unimpressed by it's own sounds, but i'll be fair and give it a whirl programming it up the same way as the 8080 in my Laney rig and try it in the studio live room to see how i get on....


but it appears not to be as flexible in it's implementation of the external loop idea.... the one on the GFX appears at first inspection to be intended solely for use with external stomp boxes, not an entire pre-amp, and it does not seem to have the switchable nominal operating level the older unit had, so it may not cope well with the return level from the front end of my Laney .

(whereas i note that the level switching makes a reappearance on the G9.2tt, so will be awaiting delivery with some anticipation .... even if the GFX8 does cope.... )

i've another 8080 on the way as well, just in case the newer units don't cut it...

going by internet gossip, i'm expecting the G9.2tt to be the winner in the end....


of course , in the long run, i can see myself going for one of those delicious TC systems.... but the difference is, the two of these units cost me less than £200 inc Shipping.,...

whereas the cheapest TC i've seen so far was ITRO £700

which is probably excellent value, i just don;t have it spare..... having spent north of £1500 on the car in the last month...

readers should note, this is for performance purposes..... NOT recording....



recording is another thing entirely.... then the ALL FX go on my headphone feed , derived from the studio hardware..... and the guitar signal is recorded "dry" as well as a clean DI.

seeing as i'm no longer playing live professionally, it's much harder to justify to the wife, spending over a grand on the TC system , which is , admittedly, very lovely looking..... I'm not even going to try one out in my own rig just now... because i have a sneaking suspicion i'd have to sell a kidney to own one on the spot....