Zoom 504 Acoustic

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If the Boss is defined by simple charms, the Zoom 504 hangs its hat on sonic versatility. Eight guitar modes are earmarked for electric guitar input, while another 16 are designed to work with a conventional electro-acoustic guitar. Both high- and low-gain 1/4" input jacks are offered, allowing the Zoom to interface with a range of active and passive pickups and preamps. A single stereo output jack can feed a mixer or set of headphones.

The plastic housing sports four edit buttons, two footswitches for patch selection, and a large LED display. There's even a control pedal input jack for an optional footswitch or expression pedal. The manual does a nice job of explaining the unit.

Tone-shaping parameters include guitar type, body contour, top resonance, preamp mode, and direct box configuration. The AIR setting emulates the sound of a mic picking up an acoustic guitar. Zoom gives you plenty of body types to choose from: I really enjoyed the Studio Strum model, a decent acoustic-like sound that's great for a strumming guitar part, and the appropriately named Studio Finger was effective for finger-picking. The Zoom's piezo pickup model type was perfect for laying some clean, open chords over a fairly muddy rock mix, and I was able to produce some startling harmonics when playing chimes on my Gibson through the Acoustic Master model and modulation effects.

The onboard effects do a lot to enhance the Zoom's tonal palette. The lush-sounding digital effects include limiter, chorus, modulation, reverb, and delay. Settings can be stored as part of a preset. Used correctly, the effects can do much to enhance the realism of the acoustic models, though I found the majority of the factory presets overly processed.

Cut To The Chase: The Zoom 504 Acoustic

The Zoom 504 Acoustic's ability to edit, save, and recall acoustic body, top, and resonance settings makes it a great choice for studio and stage. Add the built-in effects, a built-in feedback suppressor, and an automatic chromatic tune, and the Zoom is a great value, to boot.

While I found that the 504 handled upper frequencies better than low -- and could at times distort too easily -- I was very pleased with the overall quality of its sound. It's a valuable tool for emulating an acoustic guitar with an electric, enhancing an existing electrified acoustic guitar, and exploring the tonal possibilities that lie between.

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