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Zoom 707 II Guitar Multi-Effects Unit
Description & Review
Zoom 707 II Vintage Guitar Multi-Effects Unit Description & Review

Zoom 707 II

Finding a Zoom 707 II
Please note that the Zoom 707 II is not nearly as common on eBay as the original GFX-707. That's not to say that it is particularly rare, just that people seem to hang on to them.



Some background ...


The Zoom Corporation of Japan (founded in 1983) has a long and illustrious history of providing musicians with high-tech guitar/bass multi-effects units (and more recently recording and mixing gear). All at very reasonable and/or competitive prices.

Zoom products feature robust construction and a level of electronic sophistication that has seen even their older products retain substantial resale value. In some cases more than a decade after their initial release.

Broadly speaking, Zoom products are up there with the best of them and are often better value for money. They can however be quirky, which makes them questionable in professional applications.


Buying a Used Zoom 707 II

Aside from cosmetic wear and tear (or outright abuse), there is not a lot that will go wrong with one of these units ... it is either functional or it's not.

Like its predecessor though, the Zoom 707 II has issues with its 6mm (1/4") input and output sockets which are mounted directly onto the PCB.

Over time and use, the solder joints will weaken and break causing a 'crackling' during use and eventually total failure. I have had several 707s, a 707 !! and a BFX 708 and they ALL shared this problem.

Fortunately, resoldering of all the socket connections to the circuit board is a quick and relatively simple fix.

Price:
A resurgence of interest in 'old pedals' is probably keeping 707 II prices higher than the technology deserves.

It's not unusual to see the Zoom 707 II listed for over AUD $100 or generally $20 to $40 more than the 707. Since I happen to prefer the original 707 for a number of reasons, I find that extra cost difficult to justify.

At between AUD $80 and $100, a Zoom 707 II is probably reasonable value, if only for the extra User Patches you can store.

People flogging these on eBay who expect to get over $150 are kidding themselves. You can buy the latest generation Zoom equivalent (new and far superior) for around twice the same price.

The GFX series were around AUD $350 to $450 new, back in the early 2000's. Keep a look-out for a Zoom 707 II loaded with a 128MB SmartMedia card for a full 8 minutes of looping capability.

The now obsolete Toshiba SmartMedia cards have become as rare as hen's teeth.

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The Zoom 707 II is a powerful guitar multi-effects unit, even by today's standards, released in the early 2000s (estimate). Compact, versatile and sturdy like its predecessor, it is substantially different in more than just appearance from the original Zoom GFX-707. I got my 707 II not long after buying the GFX-707, so I was using them both side-by-side for many years (... about 10 years actually).

With the 707 II, Zoom technicians completely revised the analogue effects section. They also redesigned the controls and improved the operational functionality, while also adding support for up to a 128MB SmartMedia Card, for storing patch information and/or for storing recorded playing (up to an 8 minute loop! but without DSP).

Technically the 707 II is a better device in just about every way, when compared to the original GFX-707. But the truth is, I tend to like the original 707 better. Apparently so do a lot of other 707 users, judging by the price that the original 707 still commands relative to the 707 II.

It is important to note that this is not a fault of either the 707 II device, it's maker or designers. Just an acknowledgement that the original 707 has a particular or perhaps peculiar combination of attributes that guitarists seem to really like. For one thing, the chorus isn't quite as rich on the 707 II (something that baffled me), suggesting some changes were made to the DSP (Digital Signal Processor) circuitry as well.

(See also Zoom GFX-707 and Bass Guitar Zoom BFX-708).


An Overview of the Zoom 707 II

Like its predecessor, the Zoom 707 II is nothing less than an effects rack in a box. Again divided into two main effects sections, being Analogue and Digital.


 GFX-707 II Modules 
 Click to View Larger Image

The Analogue (and first) section includes your basic Compression, Limiting, Noise Gate, Gain, Distortion, Sustain, Fuzz and EQ functions. The optional Cabinet Simulation (which affects all patches and is really just more EQ'ing) is also analogue.

These analogue elements allow you to create your basic guitar sound or 'flavour' for a patch. Again the diversity of possible sounds is impressive. One can recreate most popular guitarists' sounds and/or amazing and totally original sounds in minutes. Importantly, the analogue section has been completely redesigned.

The Digital section features the full range of old-school (Delay and Modulation) DSP functions including: Chorus, Flange, Phase, Tremolo, Wah, Pitch Shift, Ring Modulation, several Delay / Echo options, various Reverb / Room settings and more. The Pitch Shift option includes a range of steps from -2 to +2 octaves, making for some great harmony effects. The tracking is awesome and mostly flawless (depends a little on playing style).

For control over sound ambience, the Reverb options include a simple Tone Control to increase/reduce the Brightness of reflected sounds, while offering a useful array of (what are now just standard) Reverb environments like: Room, Hall, Plate, etc.

Note: These Delay and Reverb effects are not a shade on the sophistication that one can currently get from a couple of $100 stompboxes, like the Behringer RV600 Reverb Machine and Behringer EM600 Echo Machine, just to keep this all in perspective. However in the 707s, it's all in the one box and all available at the same time.

All DSP options can be set up individually and may be used in combination (e.g. Chorus + Delay / Reverb).

The pedal can be assigned to perform various effect parameter control functions (e.g. modulation depth, delay length, pitch frequency, etc.), as well as the expected standard Volume and Wah. The Volume Pedal function can also be assigned as Pre or Post delay effects.

The Zoom 707 II also has a built-in Rhythm function (a rather simple drum machine) that provides a selection of useful beats and patterns in various styles for practice or jamming. While these are factory presets with only Tempo and Volume controls, the quality is generally respectable and some are even adequate for jamming.


PROS (Listed in order from Best Feature down):



CONS (Listed in order from Worst Feature down):


Using the Zoom 707 II

You can edit any existing patch and save it as a new User Patch. The User Manual includes relatively easy to follow instructions for creating and saving patches. As with all things, it gets easier once you have done it a few times.

Once set up, the Zoom 707 II is relatively simple to use, if you have arranged your patches wisely. The difficulty with almost any multi-effects unit is that you can't apply/remove individual effects 'on the fly' as you can with a Pedal Board that contains discrete effects units. This means that you really need to organise your patches carefully for live performing.

Editor's Note: A notable exception is the Zoom G9.2tt, which has a 'Live' mode that allows individual effects within a patch to be turned on and off as if they were a bunch of individual pedals - amongst other amazing features.

And yet another note:
Detlef over in Germany has the smarts to create a software converter for translating Wav files to a format suitable for storage on the Zoom 707II. You may find out all about it here: WAV to Zoom 707II guitar effect sample converter.


Creating a Start-Up User Patch


When the Zoom 707 II first boots up it switches to patch A0 (the first User Patch). From experience, I would strongly recommend that you make this what I call a 'Clean' patch. This means turning off all compression, distortion and DSP effects. Essentially this is the Zoom 707 II equivalent of a 'bypass'. If the Zoom 707 II boots to a high gain patch, it may lead to an unpleasant audience reaction, particularly if your amp is already cranked way up.


Organising Your Zoom 707 II User Patches



There are two recommended approaches to organising your User Patches for best results.

The most important aspect of setting up your User Patches is to come up with a system you can firstly work with, and secondly remember. Getting organised and documenting your patches will greatly improve your ability to get the most from the Zoom 707 II.

Of course, if you really need to store more patches, you could just get a second Zoom 707 II. Given the average price, this is a realistic option.



Naming Your Zoom GFX-707 User Patches


It is strongly recommended that you take advantage of the extensive User Patch naming capability of the Zoom 707 II. Creating 'User Friendly' patch names can make using the Zoom 707 II a whole lot easier.


IMPORTANT:
Due to some very fundamental differences between the available analogue effects options on the GFX-707 and the Zoom 707 II, it is (very unfortunately) not possible to simply copy settings from the GFX-707 to the Zoom 707 II. The DSP sections of the two devices are however very similar, allowing most digital effects settings to be more readily (manually) copied from the 707 to the 707 II.

Zoom 707 II Overall Performance:

The following assessment of the Zoom 707 II takes into account the age of this device and is not an attempt to compare it to Guitar Multi-Effects devices currently on the market, which are quite obviously way more sophisticated.


Overall Average Score 9/10.



Thanks to all those who left comments about this page and the Zoom 707 II over the years. Your contributions have been greatly appreciated. However, I don't use the Zoom 707 II and other discrete pedals any more and will eventually be selling my collection.
- Thanks to All! - Ed. Jan 2023.




Was this page useful ratings (Historic)

This article has been online for years and accepted ratings for 8 years.
Comments and ratings are discontinued as of January 2023.

Page Ratings ...
  Excellent 20
  Very Good 2
  Useful 0
  Not Useful 0
  TOTAL 22

 



Your Comments (Section Closed Jan 2023 - Last comment Jan 2022):


220116 - (Excellent) - I was thinking of going to Vox but discovered this product I never before heard of before now.

Editor's Note: Zoom have had skin in the guitar effects game for many decades now. Their range/collection of pedals is really quite amazing. They even design their own analogue and DSP chips. That said, most of the newer pedal releases are just upgrades and refinements of previous models. Sometimes however, new Zoom gear has perfectly good features removed. Just to say that with Zoom, feature comparison really does matter!



220116 - (Excellent) - Very informative.

Editor's Note: Thanks!


220116 - (Excellent) - it's good to brush up and read on some retro's. Good reading. Excellent.

Editor's Note: A very different world to the one where there is an app for everything.


181231 - (Excellent) - I agree. Great value for money. BUT, you do need to read the manual. There is so much available; if you don't you'll miss so much. The cab simulation makes my Fender Deluxe 90 sound even better when used on live gigs.

Editor's Note: I'm glad the Cab Sim has proven useful. It's the one thing about these Zoom pedals that I have never taken to or found a purpose for. The manual (which is a bit of a pain) is absolutely worth the trouble of reading.


181231 - (Excellent) - I own a 707II which was given to me by my cousin and its great. I am searching for any reviews online just to know how others appreciate the effects and yes, this review is a fair review of the zoom 707II.

Editor's Note: Thanks! - A lot of the actual product reviews for this particular guitar tech have been taken down over the years, leaving mostly spurious comments to be found in forum posts. Often these are by people who (in my opinion) have little to no understanding of how the device actually works, or just couldn't be bothered taking the time to find out how to set it up properly. Just something I've noticed over the years. If this 707 II article has been useful, then it has done its job


161125 - (Excellent) - Excellent review .. I have this unit too & love it.

Editor's Note: Your contributions are appreciated.



Incept Date: Wizard - 150501
Major Update: Wizard - 180812

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