I've been using my PODxt for a year now.
Before that I had tried the POD 2.0 and thought it was kind of weak.
I am a Marshall guy, for years giged using 4 JCM 800 100watters and 6 4x12 with 65watt celestions.
2 strait cabs had the 75 watt celestions, I liked the 65's better.
Then switched to the rack Marshall stuff with the JMP tube preamps and the 100/100 EL34 Dual Channel power amps.
I am a Gibson guy, so you know where my tone of choice is.
So to switch, I was very impressed with the modeling of the JCM800 in the PODxt.
The sound is almost identical to my original Marshall sound, only change is the signal is cleaner
when it comes to line noise.
I don't gig anymore and only do digital recording so this thing is really sweet.

I just upgraded the firmware and flash memory last night and am really digging the new argus amp model.

~ s0ulzer0

The samples sounded great. What's this thing cost anyway?

I'm still using my same rack constructed in the mid-90's : ADA MP1/Quadraverb 4/BBE sonic maximizer, and am long tired of the tones.

Uh, that is some serious geek speak that is definitely NOT computerese.

When did they let you out of the GA forum? Careful, that ball of fire in the sky is called the sun, it burns.


ByteTheBullet  (-:

That there's Guitar speak...  

I'm spoiled on my Mesa Boogie MKIV when it comes to tone.

That said, I wouldn't mind getting one of these for late night recording.

I don't have one, but I've been thinking about getting one for about a year.  $199 is the average price for one of these.  They are very cool indeed.  I'm trying to decide between the Line6 POD XT and the Digitech GNX4.  It's a $400 difference in price though!!  

they really are a brilliant product.   i have one and love it.

but having said that i don't think anything will ever match the sound of warm glowing tubes.  there's something about the attack and sustain, the tactile "chewy" "chunky" feel of a tube amp that just has not been replicated.

Quoted: The samples sounded great. What's this thing cost anyway? I'm still using my same rack constructed in the mid-90's : ADA MP1/Quadraverb 4/BBE sonic maximizer, and am long tired of the tones.

POD 2.0 is $199, PODxt is down from $399 to $299.
I've owned both and kept the PODxt. It's got the newer models/tones.

Quoted: they really are a brilliant product.   i have one and love it. but having said that i don't think anything will ever match the sound of warm glowing tubes.  there's something about the attack and sustain, the tactile "chewy" "chunky" feel of a tube amp that just has not been replicated.

I thought that too when I tried the regular POD 2.0, but the PODxt seemed to mimic a tube fairly well.
It's a hell of alot lighter to carry than all my old Marshall gear too!

The main thing I like about it is the ease of recording with it and the deep editing that can be done on the computer.
I edit  wav files &  soundfonts, do samples and such, so I love sound I can manipulate with a computer.
I agree that it doesn't give the same "feel" as feeling the air move when standing in front of a wall
of Marshalls, but I've got the same tone I did with my old amps. I overdrive the shit out
of my signal, so maybe that loses some of the "tube" characters a less driven blues player tone
might have. Not sure tho, because I'm a huge Iommi head and I've got a Black Sabbath sound that
is dead on for Master Of Reality.

Quoted: I thought that too when I tried the regular POD 2.0, but the PODxt seemed to mimic a tube fairly well. It's a hell of alot lighter to carry than all my old Marshall gear too! The main thing I like about it is the ease of recording with it and the deep editing that can be done on the computer. I edit  wav files &  soundfonts, do samples and such, so I love sound I can manipulate with a computer. I agree that it doesn't give the same "feel" as feeling the air move when standing in front of a wall of Marshalls, but I've got the same tone I did with my old amps. I overdrive the shit out of my signal, so maybe that loses some of the "tube" characters a less driven blues player tone might have. Not sure tho, because I'm a huge Iommi head and I've got a Black Sabbath sound that is dead on for Master Of Reality.

don't get me wrong these things sound better with every release.  but my biggest problem with them is always with the responsiveness.  not sure really how to explain it.  they "sound" right but they don't react the right way to my fingers.  there is something so alive and reactive about playing through a good tube amp.  i really have no idea why that is but i like it  

Quoted: don't get me wrong these things sound better with every release.  but my biggest problem with them is always with the responsiveness.  not sure really how to explain it.  they "sound" right but they don't react the right way to my fingers.  there is something so alive and reactive about playing through a good tube amp.  i really have no idea why that is but i like it

LOL - I know what you mean.......it took me awhile.

I'm still getting used to being a "used to" guy. I swore I'd be in some kind of band forever.
I laughed at all those who went for a "real job". I've been a "used to" since 1997 now......

My Marshalls (JCM 800's) have been living in the spare room for almost a decade, unused. After using them for gigs and then buying an ADA MP1 and midi rack system, I decided the rack was by far better and more flexible for live use. I'd still use the real thing for serious recording, but I don't see any more of that in my future. Hell, I haven't even picked up a guitar in almost a year! I've been thinking about getting one of the new POD's though, just for recreational playing. After so much time not playing, I'm starting to get the urge again. One of my old bandmates has one and it does sound pretty damn good! $299 eh?....


ETA:  Ditto on the Iommi tone!!!  Petrucci too....

Crank up your tube Marshalls and forget about the tinkertoys.
I played all solid state for years before I could afford a decent tube amp. I am never going back.

Musician's friend was offering the POD Pro (non-XT) for $299.  I almost bought it, as it's a great deal, but right now I don't even own an electric guitar anymore.  I had to sell my Ibanez RG450 back in 2002 when I was unemployed for a few months.

Remember the Alamo, and God Bless Texas...

Quoted: Crank up your tube Marshalls and forget about the tinkertoys. I played all solid state for years before I could afford a decent tube amp. I am never going back.

That's great.  Where I live (in a house with my wife and 3 kids), it's impossible/impractical to play through a large amp turned up all the way.  I used to play solid state, and I have to say that the Pod stuff is leaps and bounds above a lot of the stuff out there.  It's not a tube amp, but it's damn close and highly flexible.

Remember the Alamo, and God Bless Texas...

IMO if you are gonna get a POD or POD Pro, get the PODxt or PODxt Pro. The XT is better.
Trust me, it's worth the xtra cash.

Quoted: IMO if you are gonna get a POD or POD Pro, get the PODxt or PODxt Pro. The XT is better. Trust me, it's worth the xtra cash.

Duly noted!!!

Quoted: Crank up your tube Marshalls and forget about the tinkertoys. I played all solid state for years before I could afford a decent tube amp. I am never going back.

It's not like I haven't cranked them, believe me!!!  I've always had tubes, and even my current rack has 12AX7's in the front end. I used an old (by today's standards) Roland processor only for time delay effects (reverb, echo, flange, etc). The MP-1 sounds a LOT like a Marshall if it's set up right. For some things, it's far better.

A guy at work swears by his POD. Myself, I'm undergoing a homebuilt tube amp, the P1 Extreme CBR over at ax84.com.

I like the PodXT.  When I gig, my main amp is a Vetta Combo (with v2 upgrade), but I also use the PodXT for acoustic sounds (my Carvin guitar has two outputs... one for regular p'ups, one for the Fishman piezo "acoustic" bridge).  Sounds great!  It also serves as a backup in case my amp ever dies during a gig, and also as a place for me to plug in when another guitar player sits in.  Lastly, I use it during rehearsals.

In short, I'm quite pleased with it!  Aside from the acoustic setting (2C, I think) for the piezo bridge, my favorite patch for the mag p'ups is "Satch Boogie."

--Mike

I checked out modeling units a short while ago.

Narrowed it down to the XT or the vox tonelab.

I thought the tonelab sounded better, but the tube lit up by an orange LED was a little hokey, and the tonelab was much less likely to have software upgrades available. line 6 is really good about supporting and updating their products.

I decided not to buy one at all, since I use a clean sound 99% of the time.

One modeller that I do own, and enjoy quite a bit, is the yamaha AG stomp, which is for acoustic guitars. It attempts to make a piezo pickup sound more like a mic sitting in front of the guitar. It doesn't pull off the miced acoustic thing, but it greatly improves the sound of the piezo. I use it with both my larrivee acoustic, and with the piezo pickups in my electric guitar.

I have Boogie Quad Pre with a Velocity 300 amp, and Marshall JCM 800 amps, but %98 of my work now is done with a POD. Its been that way now for the past 5 years. Its just too easy, and super versatile. The XT is a great unit, but I was holding off buying one till they're shipping it with the update. Plus the riginal units used to heat up something feirce, so I was waiting patiently. But they're great in the studio, and live you cant really tell its not a true tube when its connected up to a FAT amp and a couple of 4x12's! At least no one ever did at the gigs I'd play.

I like POD products for practice, every program upgrade does improve the quality of sound and given another couple of years they may replace tube amps, but until then, the POD/guitar port are for apartment practice only, and the Rectifier is for fun.

Quoted: I like POD products for practice, every program upgrade does improve the quality of sound and given another couple of years they may replace tube amps, but until then, the POD/guitar port are for apartment practice only, and the Rectifier is for fun.

I never was a big fan of the rectumfire. Now the Mark IV (Head) was nice!

Yeah, the top tube amps are hard to replicate.  After playing drums in touring bands for a couple years, I started a new band with a guy who had never played out before.  He asked me "what do I need?".  Haha.  We went shopping, my ear and his wallet.  We bought mainly used gear.  The band was nu-metal.  Wound up with a Mesa Quad Pre/footpedal, Marshall 8008 rack mount for power, Intellifex for processing, a Vox wah pedal, and diversity wireless, in a 12 space on wheels with rack drawer, Korg rack mount tuner, thru a celestion loaded Laney 4x12.  For guitars he played Washburn special edition Les Paul type fixed bridge, Hamers, and a Musicman.  The heavy distortion sound was the thickest, phattest, chunkiest and most harmonically rich and detailed sound I ever heard.  The only gripe with it was on dropped D tunings there were a couple freqs that were a bit sloppy in the very low end.  

We recorded him with an SM57 on the cabinet and a small condenser about 6 feet away and it sounds like a phatter/crisper version of the guitars on the song "To Hell With the Devil" by Stryper.  

Synwep....lemme know if you want to deal out that Quad!!!!  My buddy picked his up at Music Go Round.  They had two of them at $199 each.  I didn't have the cash at the time.

I have also filed away the recommendation for PODxt.  I am looking for something for the demo studio.

Quoted: But they're great in the studio, and live you cant really tell its not a true tube when its connected up to a FAT amp and a couple of 4x12's! At least no one ever did at the gigs I'd play.

How do these modeling preamps do with feedback effects in a live setup? Can you get the same sounds as with a normal setup?

are you guys talking about the little red kidney bean shaped things?  i wouldn't mind getting something that i can plug headphones into and has a bunch of effects.  right now i play a ibanez 7620 7 string (with active emg707 pickup) through a mesa dual rectifier.  i love my set up (still need a cab, i sold my 4x12 a few months ago) but when my amp is at my drummers house i have nothing to play through.  also have a korg rack tuner and a rack power (bar) supply in a skb shallow rack.