Line 6 Bass Pod XT

It??s easy to use and to get good sounds from it, especially with the line6 editor software, wich makes editing patches very easy.
It has execelent synths, reverbs and delays. not so good with distortions, overdrives or fuzzes, once it sound to digital.
the bad things about it is that it??s not possible to use some efects together, like octavider with fuzz or good compressors with other efects cause they??re all in the same pedal. it also doesn??t have a wahmmy and the wah its week. It??s excelent as a modulation tool for studio, but i dont think that i??ll use it on stage. i prefer my Boss ME50B.

good sound, not noisy. the tube preamp emulator is week, does not sound like a tube preamp at all. My Hartke bass atack its much beter.

its solid and robust, i think it can handle a gig.

never need it.

i play rock and funk and some jazz.
I make some home recording for local bands and the pod xt live made my life easier for recording basses, but i think the bass pod would had been enough for me, cause the xt live is not good for playing live at all.
i use yamaha and fender basses, hartke head and 2 4x10 warwick boxes, a Boss me50b and a hartke bass atack DI.
I play for 13 years.
if you want good efects go for --- Boss --- ME50b, Gt6B ... wahtever... or the original pedals.
Line6 shouldn??t call it LIVE...

Line 6 pretty much sets you up for success with this unit; most models already have "standard" EQ settings (except in Manual Mode, where the settings mimic what the "analog" knobs are set to). Same with the onboard effects, cabs, and mic models. If you're not a big tweeker and just want to get going right out of the gate, you can easily find options to fit your needs. And you can easily make minor EQ tweeks or the like without going through a plethora of menus or button-pushing.

Getting deeper into the capabilities of this thing requires a bit more time and patience, but as you become more familiar with it it becomes second nature. After only two or three days of use I could figure exactly where I needed to go and what I needed to do to achieve what I was looking for. I think the most time-consuming aspect is getting familiar with what sounds like what. For instance, what models will naturally give me a gritty, driven sound or what cabs will enhance the lows or give a model more twang...things like that. But that's actually fun, rather than a chore.

I look at it this way: If you're concerned with getting the most out of the Bass Pod, you're not going to be bothered spending time trying to find it.

I really like the variety of tones available here, and they all sound great. At first glance, many of the models sound very similar to one another, but one aspect of the whole modeling thing is that all of the models represented have different drive characteristics, respond differently to effects and have tone controls that interact with one another differently...not to mention the variety of cabs and mics available.

I have not played live with this yet and don't plan on it...mine is purely used for recording and frankly it's amazing what you can do with it. Pretty much any tone I can think up is lurking somewhere in the Bass Pod. It's very quiet as well.

One thing this unit does real well are fuzzy/overdriven bass tones. It's got a nice selection of stomp box models, but I find just cranking the drive, particularly on the UK amp models, sounds excellent. You can get just about any range of breakup, and it sounds brilliant recorded. I really like the Fuzz Face and Big Muff models.

My favorite models are the Marshall Major and Super Plexi, the Hiwatt 100, the Ampeg Flip Top, the Acoustic 360, the Sub Dub model and the Tweed Bassman. I love getting the tonal foundation using the model and then tweaking the cab and mic settings. I have played around to some extent with pretty much every model and find all of them extremely usable and high quality.

The effects patches are generally good...I think the fuzz/OD models are the best. I haven't goofed around with any of the delays or choruses or anything too much (though the Space Echo model is supercool) because I generally use an uneffected bass signal, with the exception of some occasional dirt. I do like the option of having them.

This resides comfortably in a home studio, so I doubt it will ever be truly road-tested. Seems very well put together though.

The manual is excellent. Other than that, couldn't tell you.

I'm primarily a guitar player that plays a bit of everything. My lone bass is a Fender Precision that I've owned for probably ten years or so at this point. I've played guitar for 18 years.

I chose the Bass Pod because my recorded bass tones were pretty crappy (my playing is bad enough as it is), but I don't have the need nor the room for a proper bass amp. Line 6 has a great reputation in terms of modeling, and the Bass Pod looked awesome. I really like being able to experiment with all the different amp and cab models, and I've found it a great way to kickstart my creative juices. In the past, I pretty much just wrenched the best bass tone I could out of whatever I was using (guitar amp, EQ off the mixing board, comp pedal straight into the board...whatever sounded better that day) and went with that...but now I can actually sit down and put a tone together that makes sense for the song and sounds and records great to boot. I've written one or two whole songs around particular bass tones I've discovered. It's also really opened up the bass as an instrument for me, rather than a tool I bought because a band I was friends with needed a replacement for their original bass player.

I can't recommend this product enough.

I've seen a lot of people complain about having trouble getting good sounds out of it. Reading the manual is one thing, however after using it for a while I've found that the best thing is to stick with the direct inject setting if I'm using it with an amp. By default this has the amp emulation turned off and I just use the eq and effects, sounds great with my amp. I play around with the amp emulation when I want to hook it up direct into my computer. Knobs and controls are pretty simple to use, try it all out. Hope to get a shortboard controller eventually.

The only serious complaint I have is that for some reason the Bass Pod XT is NOT compatible with Gearbox!!! It's ridiculous because without it hooking it up to your comp via USB is basically useless. There is the line 6 edit software however it doesn't even hold a candle to gearbox... big dissapointment. I hook it up analog to my computer when I want to record direct which works fine though.

Totally pleased with the sound, really can't even think of anything else for bass that's worth using on a day to day basis. I'm using this with a BC Rich Warlock bass and a SWR 12" combo amp. All the effects and distortions sound great and lead to some interesting ideas when you start playing with them.

Feels very solid... I carry it in a gig bag made for pods where I keep cables and stuff. It should last a long time.

The rating here is mostly for their website support and help files.. which are about useless. If you're having problems getting it working with your setup or getting the usb to work you're basically on your own. Never tried calling them however after reading most of the comments here I doubt I'd want to.

I play mostly metal and alternative and this is about the best out there. The only thing keeping it from a higher score is the gearbox compatibility which I was really looking forward to when I bought it. Still I'll be using it at home to record and live for quite some time.

Well, it's easy to use alright but I must admit at first I found it very difficult to tune this thing to my taste before I realised that it's impossible to get this thing to sound like a real amp.

I use active basses. One runs EMG J the other Basslines MM. THe unit isn't noisy at all with most effect (perhaps it would sound better if it was, dunno.) It does get strong feedback with fuzz-pi effect. I use it for recording and I'm quite happy with it. It sounds quite poor with headphones and totally rediculous with amp. I wouldn't use it live.

I use it at my home-studio so it's ok.

I got the software update from the website. The sound of the unit has changed slightly with some effects. Can't say it improved, though.
I think it didn't get worse.

If you need to record your bass and have to mind the noise in your flat,
If you have no room for a practise amp consider buying a good amp and record the tracks in a real studio.

Very simple. I can not believe the sounds that are coming out of this thing. I will be the first to admit, there are some sounds that I dont like, but it is mainly... they are not for my type of music. And I have to admit there are some amp, effects, that seem to eat some highs and some lows etc. But I only approached this Pod xt with a simple mindset... find a couple of great sounds, and that is it. Most bass players use little to no effects anyways. So I was looking at it for one or two amp tones(which I found easily), a chorus or flanger that I like(which I found easily), and distortion-nooooo problems there, and of course a compressor. I have an old Polytone mini brute III and let me tell you... you cant tell the difference between the model and the real amp. If you bypass the mic and speaker emul. it is unbelievable to hear how close they sound. I am tickled to death that I can hook this up to my computer via usb and record the sounds that I have been working on for twenty years without getting kicked out of my apt.

Not noisy at all! The effects are great overall! I dont use or like the synths etc. and I dont really play music for those effects,so I dont want to bash them. However, the flange and chorus are very impressive. The distortions are very appealing, and I love the wah setting( I just park it and use it to shape my sounds)and the EQ is right there man!

My set up for the last twenty years... A bass guitar(many over the years) right into my polytone, and sometimes a carvin disortion pedal.

Now... it is a bass, the pod xt, and the polytone. I am in bass heaven, and cant believe this podxt sounds this good. I am running the first version software, I just got this podxt and havent upgraded yet. I may not... I think it sounds amazing as it is.

I was going to buy the podxt live and thought... I cant see that far down there,and when its dark??? I bought the pod xt, and I am going to buy the mike stand assembly and the four channel fbv board. This way I can mount the podxt and have it face level and a small pedal board to store the four sounds and have a wah pedal. Very Cool! Thanks Line 6.

Not sure yet.

Not sure yet. Havent dealt with them.

I play 80's metal ranging from Metallica, Megadeth, and even some of the hair bands that rocked like Motley Crue. And of course BLACK SABBATH of every era. Geezer Butler, Dave Spitz, the sounds are all hear in this freakin box. I dont know if I am happy or sick to my stomach! Lost or stolen? I would buy another one. I compared this Bass pod xt to many products and this thing was the best. I dont get caught up in the whole its not tube thing. It sounds so close it isnt funny, and it sounds great, and if you find someone to work on your tubey,... the price might stop your heart! This is the future, and my back will thank me.

I suppose it all depends on how deep into the program you want to go. Easy enough once you read the manual. I A B'd this thing against my SGX Nightbass SE. I was hoping this POD ( my new name for it is the POS- piece of shit) was going to meet and surpass my expectations after reading all of the other reviews here. I was left quite dissapointed. The amp modeler is the best thing about this unit. If you are playing a shitty amp, this is a step in the right direction for you. Simply put, this thing sucks the life right out of your tone. No head room at all! I tweaked the EQ's, Amp settings, and cabinets, and got a few somewhat passable tones. So in my opinion, at the very least you will be able to send a decent direct signal to the board/sound man. What the hell, it's live and the flaws in your sound fortunatly will be covered in the mix. The effects seem alright.All except the the synths- the tracking is terrible. If your looking for a versatile stomp box with programable presets, try the Korg(Toneworks)G5. You can find them on Ebay occasionally. The Chorus, Flanger, Phasor, verbs and delays aren't bad except for the fact that they are mono. But they just can't quite seem to get there. Stereo outputs would have increased the quality by %100. I can't understand why the Line 6 design team opted to shave a few bucks off of the retail price instead of adding this feature. Big mistake boys! Glad I bought this thing from Guitar center instead of ebay. The Bass PODxt is a POS, and is being returned tomorrow for a full refund... The only upside I can think off is that it's a low priced unit for someone that is just breaking into the Pre amp/ multi effects realm. I might consider picking one up again for $75 or so, because it is very portable, and is easy enough to drag to a buddies house to jam... SAVE YOUR MONEY guys, maybe the POD xt pro rack mount sounds better.

Seems solid enough. Just don't drop it.

Who knows. I just hope that Guitar Centers customer service department takes this back with out any hassles...

I have been playing live and recording for 20+ years. Gig's? Somewhere in the thousands I guess - (big deal, blah blah blah). If it were stolen or lost I would file a claim with my insurance company, and blow the money on booze and stripers, before dropping 3 bills for another one. For those of you that are looking for great tone,and efects--- this ain't it. This thing BLOWS monky nutz!

There are so many tweek options in the unit that you have to read the manual to access all the functions. takes a little time to get used, but I can't see any better way to control so many things in such small unit. Line 6 did a GREAT job if we compare XT with the original POD.

Some presets (like "SoCa Metal", "It's Sabotage", "Sub Machinegun" and "Union Jack") are so good that I could stick to them forever and won't ever miss any tone. It's just PERFECT for recording.

Never had any problem with it.

I recommend this unit to any bass player (it's suitable to all genres of music). Even simulating few amps for my style (modern metal), the ones in the product are incredibly good. Everybody knows that 3 or 4 "godlike tones" are way better than 300 "ok tones", so I give it a 10. This product is really a 'stand alone' (just like the guitar POD XT). You plug your bass guitar into it and you're done. Couldn't expect any better.

ps: I used an ESP Ltd F-104 with active EMG 35DC pickups.

O.K., here we go! Just used my Bass PodXT for the first time Sept. 4, 2005 (my birthday). Played an outdoor gig at a private campground. I ordered the unit from AMS and only had it 2 days, with only an hour to go thru the presets before the day of the gig. I set the Bass PodXT up the morning before heading out to the gig and programmed in 4 basic settings to try out. Added another 4 presets that I thought COULD be usable as well. I went thru and changed all the CHANNEL VOLUMES, so that all the presets would come up without a big difference when called up for use. In the past, this has been the biggest problem setting up processors to use "live".
Before I even plugged in the unit, I spent about an hour READING THE MANUAL! I find it helps out a great deal to at least have a clue what you are going to be dealing with. Electronic gear is NOT my forte, if it's not "plug in and play", I'm usually in trouble! I don't have the patience to fiddle, twiddle or tweak to a great degree. I found the manual to be easy to read and understand, and answered all the questions in my worried mind about trying this unit out "live".
So, I started looking for some decent presets to use "as is" or to try and tweak to my liking. I found several presets that had the basics of what I was looking for in a "good" bass sound/tone. I am a very "basic" player (played lead guitar for 35 years and wanted to try something "different"). I don't "pop", "slap" or even wrestle with my bass. I just "try" to play the best I can, within my limited ability. I ended up "tweaking" 3 of the presets that I chose to a sound that suited my ears and saved them. After going back to the manual, I was able to move the changed patches to the first bank of presets on the unit, thus, all my programmed presets were at 1A, 1B, 1C and 1D and I can all them up via the four buttons under the display. The next four presets I moved to 2A, 2B, 2C and 2D locations. One twist of the select knob and I had an add'l. four presets at my disposal. I don't have any of the floorboard units, so having all my usable presets in the first two banks is VERY convenient!
I set my presets up using my gigging rig to adjust the tones, effects, etc. This consists of a Peavey MarkIV 400 Series Bass Amp, a SteelSound 1x18 Sub and a SteelSound 4x10T cab. With my presets saved, I unhooked the Bass PodXT from my amp and ran direct into the rig to see what kind of difference it made. I was amazed at how dull my rig sounded! And up to this point, I had what was considered by my bandmates and musician friends as a pretty sweet sounding rig! I play an Ibanez SR405 Bass w/active electronics, and play direct into my rig via a Samson VLX-TD wireless unit. I use no effects.
Since the unit is still new, I have not been to the Line6 website for any downloads or upgrades.

So, the journey continues! Loaded my gear and headed out for the gig. One of the local "Bass Players" from the area went along for the gig, as he is friends with everyone in the band. I figured this would be a good way to find out how the Bass PodXT actually sounded to a "real" bass player! We got everything set-up and I plugged in the Bass PodXT direct into the P.A. system. Let the games begin!
I turned up my Output Volume and we turned up the P.A. and the bass tones started flying! I WAS IMPRESSED! and so was everyone else! I had told them I was going to try one of these units and they were all wondering how well it was going to work/sound. It Sounded AWESOME! My bass playing friend could not believe how it sounded, and this guy is the local "bass guru". Even tho my tones were different than what he likes, he couldn't believe how it sounded.
So, I thought I would use it for a few songs and then switch to my rig. Not Tonight! Used the Bass PodXT the whole night without a hitch! Since I'm wireless, I'm able to go out front to actually hear what things sound like. Sounded just like I wanted them to! WOW!
The whole idea behind buying the Bass PodXT was to NOT have to use an amp rig, especially during the winter months. I didn't want to have to load in and out my rig in the snow and freezing rain of another Indiana winter.
The unit has a built in noise gate, so there was no noise at all, while playing and while not playing. I didn't buy the unit for the effects, but the chorus that I have programmed into two of the presets sounds wonderful and full. Chorus is the only effect that I think sounds good with a bass, as long as it's not over-used.
With all the different amp and cab options you have, there shouldn't be ANY kind of sound you can't get out of this unit! Surprisingly, the 1x15, 1x18 and 2x15 cab settings sound better than most of the other options you have available, but this is just my opinion and these settings give me the tones/sounds that I prefer.
I could not have been more pleased with the sound quality/tones that I was able to get from this unit, with only spending about an hour tweaking a few of the presets. Using the unit "live" was easier than I thought it could be, or would be.

I will have to update on this issue after I have used the unit for a while. I take EXTREMELY good care of my gear, and with the padded gigbag for the unit, I don't see any problems keeping it looking like new.
The real test will be if the electronics will hold up during regulare gig use.
Until the weather starts getting bad, I'll probably take along an amp of some kind. Otherwise, I can't see myself needing to take along a back-up. If I feel I need one, I will probably get another Bass PodXT and program them both the same. Better than taking 2 full amp rigs, huh?

When I ordered the unit from AMS, they were offering a FREE padded Line 6 Pod gigbag with purchase. When I received the unit from AMS, No Gig Bag. A call to AMS customer service and they told me I had to call Line6 directly to get it. So, with the Line6 phone number in hand, I called. Talked to a real person, who didn't seem to have a clue what I was talking about. So, another call to AMS, and turns out it was a REBATE OFFER thru Line6 MARKETING.
AMS was supposed to e-mail me a rebate certificate to send to Line6 for the bag. About 30 minutes later, the AMS rep. called me back and said they were just going to send me a padded bag from their stock. It's on it's way and I should have it in a few days. No charge to me, even for the shipping!
When I called Line6, I got to speak to one of their customer service reps. Even tho it wasn't who I was supposed to speak to, they were very friendly and as helpful as they knew to be. My hat's off to American Musical Supply for the way they treated me on this purchase.
Maybe Line6 should at least clue ALL of their employees in on what is going on, when it comes to specials, rebates, etc.

I play in a 4 piece band that plays Country, Classic Rock and Southern Rock. The presets I found/tweaked on the Bass PodXT suits all the styles that we play.
I have been playing in bands and gigging for the past 35+ years. I have owned/used everything from cheap junk to the best that my money could buy. Have been a band member and a band leader. I own a whole housefull of gear, guitars, basses, sound equip., etc. Always looking for that "perfect" piece of gear!
If I don't have any problems with functioning/reliability with this unit, I will probably buy another one to use for rehearsal/back-up. So far, it's just what I was hoping it would be, and then some. I don't really like using processors, but I don't consider this to just be a "processor". Used one of the original Bass Pods to do a demo tape and that's what got me interested in the Pod to start with. To be able to use this "live" or in the "studio" or with a set of headphones for silent practice. This is a very versatile piece of gear!
I'm hoping I can talk the two guitar players into getting Pods, so we don't have to haul as much gear to gigs as we do now!

fairly easy to shape sounds, but making good sounds will take some time. I like the 4 buttons wich allow you to skip between your favorite sounds. there is a big manual diliverd with the pod, wich is very helpfull if your willing to read it all.

I give it a 9 because it will always remain digtal sounds, other than that its produces great tone en effects for a frickin steal. its perfect for recording use and late night jamming.

it seems solid, that's all I can say. I only use it at home so I don't know how it holds up during gigging.

didnt have to deal with them

for me it works great, tons of good quality amps and effects at a good price. plus it doesnt take much space. has to be sad that purists might find the sound to digital, but cost/quality wise I think this thing is hard to beat.

Addition to previous, after a few months
easy to use

sounds quite good as an amp modeler, but the effects are poor, very often they eat lows, and some of them are unusable (oct, synths)
comp is not bad, but don't even compare to an EBS Multicomp
though the OD isn't bad, there's a lack of a crossover to save your low end /every amp overdrives the same
flanger eats low end
wah tron, too loses all your texture
octave makes an horrible "shbwoiiiiirngwahgllll"on the upper notes
chorus is quite good and tweakable (but expensive!)

yes, I think so

never answered, F*** them

I play a kind of bassicaly simple flower power heavy groovy rock I'm trying to invent
if you use it for recording/home studio or with a P.A, it's very good, but if you already have a good amp like my ampeg, maybe you will find it unnatural quite soon (first, you find it better than your amp, but it's far less subtle spite of the Big sound, except maybe 2 amps models -mesa and eden that are really good)and get rid of it like me.
I only regret the great useability with my PC via usb
DON'T buy this for the effects
buy it used, as all digital stuff it loses value very quickly