Line 6 Bass Pod

Dialling up a few sounds is easy. Tweaking the one is easy. Digging into what it can do is harder. That means that most people, I suspect, will be like me and never have the energy and enthusiasm to grapple with detailed tone shaping. I've used it for five or six years and there are still some things where I could never really tell what it was doing or figure out the tonal fix I wanted.

But the low rating of I'm giving here is thoroughly deserved over the ancient but fundamental complaint about the original POD and bass POD. Line 6 couldn't be bothered to put a simple jack input for a footswitch. A few pennies worth of jack socket and wire would have increased the useability HUGELY. Good heavens - I''m getting quite bothered as I write this, reliving the frustration. Few deep breaths should do it ... that's better.

Instead they made their own very expensive floorboards the only way to control anything. I didn't buy one. Seriously, with a jack input for basic switching and another for a standard, off the shelf expression pedal to assign to parameters, this would have been a world beater, and a true classic. The absence of those makes it somewhat of a toy for me.

I was so excited way back, when I bought this. The first multi functional preamp and fx box for the bass. Wow! What I'd been dreaming of for years. Initially I wasn't dissapointed. Lots of silly noises to play with, lots of things to tweak.

It didn't take too long for me to realise that almost all of the sounds were pretty naff, though. The bassman clone is good, the sub bass setting is good. The classic marshal sound is good. But then there are dozens of other gutless tones that just sounded like minor variations on a plastic rock theme.

Worth saying that this wasn't necessarily a problem. It's the same with most multifunctional boxes. If you find two or three things you can use then that's usually good enough.

But it did get to me after a while, for these reasons. I was carrying around a fragile plastic box that did a hundred things I didn't want, but didn't do simple stuff I did want. The tuner on it is really not very good (and not footswitchable) so I was carrying round a separate tuner anyway. I wasn't using the effects because you can't switch them in without the proprietary cost-you an-arm-and-a-leg floorboard. The one effect I would have left in all the time would probably have been a little reverb. But ... oh dear, it doesn't do reverb, or delay. So basically I was using it as a preamp.

It dawned on me that my sansamp bass driver sounded better, was smaller, less noisy (the POD is a bit hissy sometimes)and did everything I was using the POD for. It took me many months of gigging to realise this, which was worringly dim of me. I think I was just really keen to use it.

Let's be fair and give a few positives. The compressor is good and also simple to use. The RAT style distortion is pretty good - nice and thick. Chorus/phase/flange stuff is not my thing at all so I have no opinion. The octaver is nice enough.

On the other hand the mutron and synth bass fx are toytown, mostly because of poor tracking of your notes. And where, for god's sake, is reverb and delay? Half a dozen types of chorus but no delay. Weird, isn't it?

A fair summary would be to say - some good tones, lots of indifferent ones. A bit noisy. Some nice effects. Sadly not suitable for gigging or expressive performance because of lack of control. OK for recording but, again, can be surprisingly noisy and hissy ( and I mean the clean settings, not the fx or overdriven ones). It does some things well but there are lots of other products that do these things just as well. There is no 'killer application' for the Bass POD.

It's never broken, I've had it a long time and I've used it a lot (though hardly ever this last year or so. It's reliable.

No experience.

It was the first of it's kind, so it has it's place. But it was quickly bettered. Some nice sounds but, as I said above, no 'killer app'. I've ended up using the Sansamp bass driver for recording and live instead of the POD. The sansamp, simple though it is, beats it in every respect. It just sounds better! I've been through loads of modelling effects and now I'm back with separate, analog pedals for effects. Easier to control and no compromise - you can choose the best of everything.

If I was looking for a bass preamp, multifx now though I wouldn't reccomend the POD. Stuff like the Behringer equivalent does the same job for less.


My background: I've been playing for 25 years. Alt Rock, funk, folk, psych (different bands, different times) 1974 Ibanez Rickenbacker, Vox Standard, Hohner headless fretless Steinberger copy, Burns Flyte, Status Shark 5 string (high C, none of your flapping low B nonsense).

My bass playing heroes are Paul McCartney, Jimmy Lea (Slade), Geezer Butler, Bootsy, Chris Wolstenholme (Muse - because he wants to be a whole orchestration but also knows how to play one note), Hannu Rananten (plays bass for Finnish trad/rock band Varttina, looks like a middle aged geography teacher, plays like a monster. Saw them live and he actually scared me). is that enough? And they're all alive.

10 at what it does any fool can work it out and the manual is written by a human. Perfecting the thing could take a long time.

Disappointing. Got some really nice distortion but have had difficulty getting a really deep clean sound evn from guitars that produce this quite well linked straight to the amp. (By the way various guitars and Peavey TNT 130)
Some of the effects are useless especially sunth but also about 4 or 5 others.
I like to play heavyish punkish rock amongst other things and can see myself using this possibly solely for the distortion effects.
I would say that the amp models are probably more usable and nicely diverse than the effects models.

No problems and I have dropped it a few times. seems pretty tough

N/A

Very little experience of other effects pedals but i would have to say that this has not really lived up to my expectations of what I thought it would do tonally. I would hate to put someone like myself (been playing less than two years and low budget) off the thing though as these are nevertheless good value (even if only as learning toys) for the price they can now be got second hand.
Very reluctant to upgrade to XP or Pro or get a new one but like mine as a toy and distirtion.

it needs just 30 minutes to understand the manual.

there are many amp & cabinet models but nothing gives me satisfaction. i want to give Line6 a peice of advice. YOU SHOUD MAKE PERFECT SOUND THOUGH THERE IS ONLY ONE AMP MODEL.
compressor is very poor. i cannot control the threshold and ratio seperately.
the only thing that works perfectly is VOLUME knob.

don't buy this shit!!

finish can be wiped off by scratch.

i don't know. it works.

What style of music do you play? heavy metal, blues funky music.
Is this a good match? not at all.
How long have you been playing? 10 years
What other gear do you own? fender deluxe jazz
If it were stolen or lost, would you buy it again or get something else? of course not
what do you love about it? only volume knob
What do you hate? everything
What is your favorite feature? i like the color of it
Did you compare it to other products? no
Why did you choose this one? cheap
Anything you wish it had? no
Does it help you make music, or does it get in the way? it can makes me angry
Anything else you'd like to share? never buy this shit..you better enjoy you amps

not great, you can't see what any of the parameters are before you edit so it can be hard to know exactly what's wrong with the preset you've just turned on.....and they're mainly wrong.

i expect this is remedied by controlling it via midi with something like soundiver, tho i've never tried.

the thing is, when these came out, everyone was raving about them. i bought mine in 2002 and i was slightly disappointed then and slightly disappointed now. the problem is i have never actually put a very good bass through it so it's hard to know whether it's capable of making a precision bass sound GOOD. i generally like just putting my bass through a bit of compression then a marshall, relying on the "drive" to supply any distortion so i have no need for the effects. i've often dabbled with them and found them to be useless.

although it's built out a metal shell, my friend still managed to break it by standing on the power supply input when it was plugged in. this broke the PSU input barrel but.......

.....Line 6 UK replaced the part free of charge (ofcourse, i had to solder the part myself) last week,oct 2005, after replying to my e mail 2 weeks after sending it,

which was nice

the original e mail i sent to Line 6 in america was answered in 8 hours.

It's not great, but if you can pick one up cheap, it will be a damn site better than just D.I.ing your bass into a desk or soundcard.

You'd think that after messing with this thing for over 2 years you'd get the hang of it... I never really felt like i had a handle on it. The controls are easy enough, but the way that they effect the sound is not really what is exspected.. which leads to....

Sound! I bought this unit (The bass pod pro mind you) after i saw how much my guitarist loved his guitar pod. The guitar pod seems to be able to reproduce almost any tone out there... on the other hand you have the bass pod. The sound out of this thing is in one word frustrating. I never found a sound that i really liked. Every tone that i could get to come out of this thing was plagued by a sort of wah like noise that I can only describe as an aftertaste.
The amp models are weak, they sound little like their real life counterparts and the sound is frail. I spend a lot of time trying to get a thick rich tone out of this unit and was always disappointed.
The effects are useless. I admit that they are fun to play with for awhile, but if you plug your axe in and select the synth you?ll know what I?m talking about.
On the plus side this unit is 100% silent, no added noise, no hum. The DI is fantastic. The compression offered is some of the best I?ve used. I?ve actually considered keeping this guy for the compression and DI, but in the end I believe that we will be parting ways rather soon.

Never had a problem, kept it in a SKB roto-rack since day one.

No need as of yet, though I am frustrated that Line6 took the tone library down from their website with no explaination.

This unit is like many like it. Do you really think that you can spend $600 and replace thousands of dollars worth of gear. There is a reason that they still sell bass amps and effects separately. Bottom line is that you get what you paid for.

Easy enough to use.

This thing should be called the Bass POS. So far all of the line 6 products just don't cut it and everbody's who's bought one is afraid to admit they've actually been burned on it. Anybody who has a semi-trained ear can spot this garbage in a mix from a mile away. for all you guys who think this is great sounding unit I've got some beach front property on Mars I can sell ya. The bandwidth and dynamic response from this unit is nothing short of a joke. God help ya if you've got decent active electronics on your bass, this thing farts and chokes like there's no tomorrow and the resulting disrtion sounds like an AM radio. Hey if you're one of the suckers out there who thinks Mackie mixers have nice pres on 'em and the Native Instruments B4 sounds like a Hammond this is for you!

I wouldn't use it at a gig at all, a well placed fart in a microphone would do a better job.

Look, if you buy cheap you're gonna get cheap and all the hype in the world ain't gonna change that fact. Do yourself a favor, try comparing this box with the amps it's supposedly modeling head to head; use really good mic pres (Like a Great River NV for example) through an actual mixing console that isn't a toy (Mackie & Behringer need not apply) and the shabbiness of this product is undeniable.

The Contorls are intuitive, if you can't see them you just press the 'cans and eq' button and it lets you use the dials' second function, theres tones fo upgrades on the web for it, which you upload with the supplied software

The amp models are all overdriveable so don't be put off by only 3 actual distortion effects. All the amp models have authentic eq settings, and those which do have sweepable mid's, have be given the full treatment. A very good compressor keeps the tone whilst a usefyl fx low cut filter lets you keep low end harmonics and definition. Suprisingly different cabs make almost as much difference as different amps, and you have a wide selection, ampeg svt 810 to a 4*15 marshall (or something insane). Some times the on/off switching noise gate doesn't work to full effect on some amp models. Although only one dial control effect including phaser and flanger and chorous it works very well, and the full settings are midi accessible with assigned channels. It handles low b's very well (fender us deluxe 5-string p-bass player!)

It is in a sturdy aluminium case, and although designed with recording in mind it can with stand gigging easily, you can get a mic stand bracket which is very useful, along with the footswitchs, for gigging!

non need to use

An outstanding piece of equipment, even if you own a top notch tube amp it models it is awesome for headphones practise (sounds like a gig). It really beefs up your sound, adds depth and colour, I don't think i could live without mine anymore!

After understanding, whow it works, it is easy to use.

MusicMan and Yamaha, both 5 string. Via POD direct into PA- Mixer.
Is is not noisy
The effects are of no use. They sound weak. But I was more interestet in the basic Amp- and cabinet- sounds.
You can get a lot of overdrive- distortion- und fuzz- sounds, but nearly no warm-but-clean-pressureful-fat Funk Sound. Everything sounds flat, weak and poor. Sorry to say.

The first 2 PODs didn't start working at all. The third one made no problem for about 1 year. Then I gave it awy via ebay and I still got a quite good price for it.

My dealer twice gave me a new POD within the first week. Line6 had nothing to do with this support.

Maybe it is of use for some other music styles.
For my Funk, Rock and Pop Music it was very disappointing. I dindn't succeed in getting a warm&clean&fat sound withing one year of trying. With a much cheaper Zoom 708 II, I got "my" sound withing some days of experimenting.

The programmable preset system is a bit cumbersome, and tonight's preset won't work in tomorrow's room. The manual mode is easy to use and entirely adequate.

Great results with a variety of basses - Fender Jazz, Danelectro DC Bass, Warwick Corvette, Hofner Club bass, Modulus Quantum 5...

Effects are not useful to me. Amp models are. I have owned a number of the classic amps modeled here, and while no model is perfect, they are generally close in sound and character to the originals.

The compressor, based on the immortal Teletronix LA-2A, is worth the price of admission. Absolutely terrific bass compression.

Run the input volume all the way up and the output volume well up for a strong output and good signal/noise ratio.

Used it 4 years, 250 nights a year without incident and without backup. (If the Pod blows up, just plug your bass into your amp and proceed like you did before you bought the Pod.) Unit recently developed a loud, clipping buzz when turned on. This was repaired by performing a "hard reset" - clears all memory and resets unit to factory settings - to do this, simply press "up" and "down" buttons while turning power on. You lose all custom stored presets when you do this, but as mentioned above, I don't find the presets useful.

I've e-mailed Line 6 several times and never gotten a response. The goobers at Guitar Center know nothing about the Pod or anything else they sell, so that's a dry hole. I went to Line 6's factory authorized repair station in Dallas, "Audio Electronics", when the buzz developed in my Pod. They quoted up to $80 just to look at the Pod, and for that price they would get around to looking at it in 2 to 3 weeks. Or, for an extra $50 they would look at it the next day. Ooooohhkaaaayy... we just put it back in its box and walked out of there. Came home, got on the Line 6 website and eventually found the tip about the "hard reset", and that fixed the box. I can't help it if I'm lucky...

Blues, R&B, jazz, a corporate showband with covers of everything under the sun, diverse session work, a broad range of sounds and styles. The Pod will accomodate.

33 years professional exp., Carvin PB-500, 4 x 10, 2 x 10, 1 x 15, 1 x 18 - I mix and match for the room. Korg D1600 HD recorder in nice project studio. Pod is as useful recording as it is live. On paid sessions, engineers and producers love me for a fast happening sound.

If the Pod dies, I will replace it. I am bothered by the number of folks who claim the Sansamp Bass Driver DI sounds even better. I will eventually get one to see if it's true. But the Pod is happening as far as I'm concerned.

The controls on the BassPOD are easy to use, but can be a bear to figure out if you don't read the manual. The manual is great, albeit, I think it is too brief for the guy that wants to get into it. The SoundDiver tone editing software allows the user greater tone control but is a little confusing at first.

The sound was amazing. If you are trying to find a particular tone of your favorite bass god I suggest you give it up and try to find the tone you like with your bass. Many people that buy the POD think they can sound just like so-and-so, they forget that much of the tone comes from the bass itself. The POD is a great tool for giving a bassist with one rig the versatility of having several bass rigs. The POD has some of the best distortion and drive that I have ever heard, and by using the SoundDiver software can be fine-tuned. I suggest using the software so that the noisegate can be tuned for the effect desired. The Chorus effect is deep and rich for bass. Some of the effects like tron-up and tron-down I really don't care for. The bass synth is hard to control and I'm not thrilled with it. Over-all, however, the tone control the Bass POD provides is second to none in the for the budget user. The Bass POD has solved all my bass recording woe's; the direct in option allows me to record two tracks simultaneously so that I can have greater tone control in the mix, one track with amp modeling and the other direct from the bass with the option of sending the FX to the direct line in.

The construction of the POD is built better than any stomp box I've ever owned, I'd take it anywhere.

With a product this well built I doubt if I'll ever have to complain to the company about anything.

I play heavy rock, jazz, blues. No matter the style the POD has a setting to complement any style I play. I particularly enjoy the gritty overdrive I get for heavier stuff that I used to just saturate with loud low tones. I can now use more treble in my tones because the grit can take over where the bottom end left off. My bass is custom made and is wired for ultra low end, the POD has opened up a new frequency for my bass that I didn't have much control over before, the mid to high ranges. I thought about rating it a nine but because of the cost verses what you get I give it a 10.

You can store your presets but the sounds take time to find(or not in my case).

I put this into my headphones via a h/p amp.The sound -in clean settings -was of poor quality.Not in that warm way -but in the "cheap di" way.The amp models were all too subtle and not warm.I dont like ampegs, p-basses etc and like modern cabs basses etc.I hoped this would warm up my sound-it ruined it.I prefer the sound of NO preamp to this.

I had this on loan for three weeks from a friend.

I wanted to check this out because the guitar pod is brilliant-I envy my guitar player.It looks like all my money for the next three years has to go on really expensive tube gear.This preamp really dissapointed me.

facile da usare grazie ai 'manopoloni'che permettono di variare anche aluni parametri simultaneamente.per avere un completo controllo sui parametri disponibili ,occorre un pc ed il software fornito a corredo del bass pod.Il manuale e chiarissimo..ho avuto l'impressione che pensino di avere a che fare con un adolescente senza troppa voglia di imparare a capire il significato dei vari parametri comuni a tutti gli altri effetti sul mercato...sara un'impressione? Credo si possa fare un upgrade quando verra pubblicato sul sito ,come e successo per il pod per chitarra.

non e che mi abbia proprio entusuasmato.per esempio attualmente possiedo un swr sm-400s e eden410t.Beh posso dire che l'idea la da',ma tra essere e far finta di..c'e' la sua differenza.Per il resto direi che il suono e accettabile ,se uno vuole portarsi tutto...in una borsa.Altrimenti ,specialmente dal vivo...io lascierei perdere

grazie al sito web si puo avere un 'cordone ombelicale' con line6.Il che non e male ,anzi...

suono da 15 anni...un sacco di roba!Ho provato il bass pod per un po'...ed alla fine mi sono fatto una gt-6b di BOSS ,che costa molto meno del bass pod + la pedalierona dedicata di line6 ,e alla fine ,e non solo a mio parere, suona anche meglio!!

Very easy to use and I know you all read the manual first right??The manual is fine and fun to read although they purposely omit certain details in cases where they modeled stuff differently from amp in reality.

Ok Let me start by saying that originally the BassPOD was ,and I quote ?Your direct recording solution for BASS?.Bear in mind that it was not meant to be used LIVE as much as for recording but it is your option to do so. I myself got it for recording purposes and find that it does the job quite well TONE wise .The amps are all very realistic if compared to recordings. Live is another matter all together. I run mine out to an ampeg 350 av head and 8x10 cab. I used to slave a Peavey kb 300 to it and found it worked well with the horn to get some clarity in the high end. Now heres where you must really pay attention to what Im going to state. If you expect to recreate the feel of any type of tube based equipment with Basspod in a live situation PLEASE SHOOT YOURSELF NOW!! This is a great piece of gear for the most part. The blended effects could have been better and somebody should have shot the guy who picked or modeled the synth (yes Im puking right now). I mainly use the ampmodels without effects or use the effects from my Yamaha aw4416 in the mix. The mutron wah will only work with heavy attack or active circuitry.The distortions are fine but the effects that are slapped together (as I mentioned before) SUCK, but thats my opinion. I would have liked this unit to be more tweakable (think Pod XT).

It fell of my svt and head once and the program chip came loose.Im an automechanic so I take things apart before having them serviced (thank god I save money sometimes when i can repair it myself).I pushed it back in and BAM I'm back in business.Never had any trouble with it.

line 6 customer support is hit and miss .Ive dealt with them a few times and generally they are very nice and courteous.

My overall rating comes from a common sense point of view. Its a TONE BOX for RECORDING !! Use it live if you want it does a decent job delivering tone.If you want FEEL write up a check and call up your dream gear supplier(s).I tried the Peavey Bam 2x10 cause I wanted a Bass modeling amp and may I say that for the relatively same amount I got an AMPEG svt 350 av and matching 8x10 cab with cool blue silver vintage looks which I slave to the Basspod.It does a way better job. I use bass pod for recording and thats what it was meant for . Stop complaining people we are still a long way from that magical machine that will do it all but meanwhile theres BassPOD LAWD HAVE MERCY!! PERIOD

Navigating is a bit awkward, but no worse than say, my dear ol' Roland 303 - Seems like a good compromise re No of knobs and degree of control, but people unused to digital hardware could get kinda lost.

The supplied patches, well some of em were a bit lame for me, but I've been overwriting 'em merrily (I got version 1)

OK, now I'm a pretty primitive player, but so far, for PC and clean channel recording it really rocks - I'd been using a VOX AC30, driven into a dummy load (neighbours, y'know), with my vin ordinaire Yamaha (SBX200 - with new bridge & EMG bridge-end p/u)

At first the drive knob seemed a bit 'all or nothing' distortion wise, but after a while in manual mode, I got some INSANE settings, which were very tasty, and I'm still exploring

Intended to use it on my (project) tube amp I'm building, in an FX loop - but for some people here say it aint the right tool for live use (and some dont?); I figure maybe theres a few milliseconds 'latency', of the sound going thru the box, that might mean it dont sound right for some, and I guess acoustic feedback thru the bass, which might augment a 'natural' sound, wont be the same with this in line ? You tend to hit an amps more 'extreme' dynamics I guess, kicking it live, which maybe doesnt quite emulate...?

- (gonna try it anyway - will report back)

Overall, many nice clean sounds, and nice dirty sounds are in there....

Only a 7, cause I took a look inside, and as the pots arent mounted on the metal, a bad bang on the knobs (eg a dropped bass !(*)) COULD break it - that notwithstanding, nice construction & build quality !

(the bags prob a good idea!)

(*)--> Re bass-drop, straplocks are very cool things to have-
I knew this tame rock star, and now I've got straplocks on mine, just like he did - so I'm just as good as he is, right ???

( And dropping it on your foot aint that cool for pose !)

going for vers 2 upgrade

For my thrashy stuff (and twangy/gentle, which I am occasionally) it realy does have a lot of range - manual mode rocks... The interface (used without pedalboard or PC) is kinda fiddley, but just spending playing around can get some wicked sounds.

Thoght I'd lost it (with bass!!!) this very week - considred getting the 'pro' version, but I like a 'rapid deployment' rig.

Maybe more 'stereo' sound options would be good (my project amp has 2 tube power amps in)

Found I was doing a lot more tricksy playing (tricksy for me, anyway !) when I had it in line.

Easy to use - trivial to get up and running with minimal hassle.
There is no need to read the manual except to obatin an explanation of what the different models and effects are based upon. Presets are
decent starting places to customize your sound which I feel is a necissity since I was unable to locate a single preset that , without alteration, was acceptable for use in recording. They are not bad - just need some work. Your mileage may vary. I note that others are
completely in awe of the presets so this is no doubt a matter of personal taste and application.

Well like all amp modelling technogloy there is a brittle sound which does not improve with increased volume and might in fact become slightly worse. I perceive no ambient noise or obvious pops and clicks though I must say that by using my 10 year old Scholz Bass RockMan I can get a warmer tone which is truer to the natural sound of my bass.
Clearly the Scholz unit is very limited relative to effects and emulations but it (the Scholz Bass rockman) has served me extremely well in my studio career.

My primary application is direct recording in the studio so
I normally do not insert the signal into an amplifier except
perhaps a practice amp.

My goal with this device was to be able to accomodate requests
for specific amp/effects combinations from the various artists
and producers with whom I record and collaborate. With this in
mind the unit is successful though as I said previously I had
to tweak the presets significantly to acheive what I feel to
be an acceptable sound and tone.

I tend to stay away from the bass synthesizer preset which to me
is sort of a one-trick-pony type of effect which doesn't have
general application in studio situations. How often is it the case
that a producer asks one to reproduce the "tom sawyer" sound ? Not
very often I assure you. the mutron emulations are somewhat usable
though not necessarily a good substitute for the real thing.

The enclosure is solid, but the knobs are a little fragile.
I don't particularly like the shape of the unit and yes I realize
that one can get the rack mount version albeit for $100 more.

cannot comment since I have yet to use them.

I use this purely in the studio and as a direct box. My primary motivation in buying the unit was to become expert at using it since many pro level recording studios have these units as part of their
stock equipment. So when I go to studio X and the producer makes reference to the POD then I have no trouble dialing up the sounds they
want. However I still bring along my Scholz Bass Rockman and SansAmp
Bass DI in case they need something more (which they frequently do).

I've been playing about 22 years with the larger bulk of that experience as a studio musician and producer. As such I have good experience in all musical styles but specialize in R&B funk lines
a la J. Jamerson, Jerry Jemmont, Nathan Watts, and Rocco Prestia.

I double on guitar so my studio time is very involved
and I do not have much time to play around with equipment which is
why I tend to develop sounds and tones at home so I will not be
an impediment to creative process in the studio. So becoming
familiar with standard equipment, like the POD, at home saves time and money in the studio.

Is the POD the greatest thing since sliced bread ? No. However it is
adequate for professional application in the studio. Just spend
some time with it to produce the sounds you need.

He currently plays an Ibanez GR-100 with a P&J pickup configuration. He runs the POD out into two amps: a Crate BX-100 (has a 15 inch. used for the low end) and a Peavey 100 watt combo (12 inch. used for high end). He mainly uses it for distortion purposes, not really for effects. With his current setup, it sounds killer!! He uses just the right amount of distortion and his sound really cuts through our sound. I'm one of two guitarists and our drummer is really loud, so you can imagine how powerfull the bass needs to be. I think he uses the Pigfoot distortion model. He bought the POD pretty much for the distortion. When I was at Guitar Center with him, we both tried out about 4 or 5 different distortion pedals for the bass and the POD sounded the best.

This POD belongs to my friend who is the bass player in our band. I went with him to Guitar Center when he got it. The features are great. Not as many as the Pro version, but great none the less. The EQ features on the POD are better than those on the guitar POD. We play hardcore metal and the Bass POD works perfectly. It has 4-channel switching just like the guitar POD and it has a headphone jack. No effects loop, but it does have MIDI IN/OUT.

He has used it for a few gigs and we practice at least once a week for about 3-4 hours. I guess we'll have to play some more shows to see if it really holds up.

He has never had to deal with Line 6 before, but his first POD stoped working after a few weeks. I went with him when he took it back to Guitar Center and they were very helpfull. They replaced it without any questions asked.

I've been playing with him since I started playing, which has been 6 years. I personally think it sounds fantastic. I play guitar and bass. I don't own a Bass POD, but if I were to get more involved in playing bass, I would problably by one. I would go for the Pro model though. If I had one and it got stolen, I would buy another one. Now, i have only heard the Bass POD through solid state amps and they sound awesome. I have a guitar POD Pro and I play it through a Mesa/Boogie tube power amp. If you play the Bass POD through a tube power amp, my guess is that it would sound phenominal!

Plug & play. An absolute doddle with a wide variety of usable presets which can be edited to taste in mere seconds. Creating your own patch is pretty simple too, once you're confident with the dual function of some buttons. I wish other manufacturers (Behringer particularly) would provide manuals like this, Actually a pleasure to read, and funny too. (I can't believe I wrote that about an equipment manual!)

This POD thing is an absolute lifesaver for recording as well. Great big lively sounds straight from the off. Also the re-amping function , although I haven't needed to use it yet, sounds cool.

I use it live with a powered 300W sub bin from a Trace Elliot PA, and the FB-4 switch. This allows the POD to speak more clearly without being coloured by another pre-amp. I have also used it into the FX return of a combo which was fine too. I have also used it as a super-DI stright into a 20K PA without backline. That was a risk that paid off really well; I'm just lucky the monitor guy was good!

I have two minor gripes with the unit. Firstly, some of the effects are a bit limited. The OC-2 does not sound like an OC-2 at all. The Mu-tron fx are great but sometimes a little difficult to squeeze enough level out of. And there are too many fuzz boxes: remember you can virtually overdrive the amp models too. A reverb and a delay would have been more useful.

Secondly, you can't "lean into" this amp like you can a regular (particularly valve) amp. It's headroom is limited by its digital nature. Not uncomfortable, but it makes you realise that these are very good models of the amps, not the genuine article.

No problems at all.

Never needed to. The website could do with a few more bass patches to go with the literally hundreds of gtr patches, though. If they're as nice as they sound in the manual, I'm sure you'd be happy to introduce them to your mother.

I do a wide variety of gigs from full out rock to jazz to acoustic gigs to sessions to weddings etc etc just like many of us who have been playing long enough. This little fella can cover it. End of story.

Simply could not be easier. I am a pro user and have yet to need to go further than the many presets for great DI bass sounds. If you are a tweek head or need tha t certain sound that the presets dont provide I found editing to be easy and intuitive. The manual is clear and written by actual human beings. More like a freind guiding you than a manual.

AWESOME! I run bass directly into my board and into the mac. Fat focused great bass sounds with Soundcraft boards built in pre's.

Perfection

Havent needed it.

This unit along with myt guitar pod has transformed my studio. Nothing to compare this too. I love it !

This thing is a piece of cake. I was at first a bit intimidated by the gigantic manual, but it was an easy read and very helpful. I give it an eight in this category because the software that comes with it is very confusing and hard to figure out. ( It will say that the program cant find my bassPod, but it will allow me to edit and store patches. go figure ) but as for the actual unit itself, its incredible. Its SSSSSSo easy to get a great sound out of it. It is somewhat confusing that when you edit a patch you have to move the knob to activate its current physical setting...those who have the bass pod know what I'm talking about.

Again, the sound quality is very good. I must confess though, some of the amps at high settings do sound very digitally distorted, and the distortions when set ver high sound equally fake. But OH MY GOD this think has Post Parametric EQ where you can single out a frequency and boost or cut it within a customizable range. Its impossible to not be able to get a lovable sound out of this thing. I've actually found an application for all of the effects.( although I would have given up a couple of the distortions for a nice delay and a reverb) I play a late 80's SquireII (my "squirrel") Precision Bass with EMG pickups, and this thing sound great through anything. as far as amps, I use whatever I can get my hands on for rehersal, but mainly I use the POD for recording/personal practice.

I'm sure I can depend on this thing not to crap out. I don't think I would need a backup(yea, like I'm going to spend 300 dollars on another one just in case). My last guitarist ( Hi Nick!) had the guitar version ever since I knew him and it was a tank.

Wow this is the section where I get to rant and rave and you get to listen. I have only had the Pod for 3 days and I love it. I must confess(again) that my opinion is biased in the sense that my opinion is unbiased. I am only 18 and have not heard MOST of these amps and cabs emulated...'scuse me, modeled. So I think they all sound great in their own way. I've owned a digitech BP-8 and it bit @$$ for the most part. The only thing it had over the Pod is the delay and reverb, but I am planning on getting the Line 6 delay modeler. I love the fact that there is SSOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO many possibilies. You have a sound, and you says to yourself you says;"what If I had this cab... no this one yea... and now the eq... nice. ah the parametric eq.. mmmm sweet. haw about some distortion. Too much mid.. more drive less compression... this amp might sound better... there we go!" all in like, 30 seconds. its so easy! all the knobs are there. No pushing buttons and scrolling through endless menus. Oooooh girl! Don't even get me started on the deep editing. You think you know what this thing can do? wait til you hook up some midi cables baby. Believe it or not, you actually will spend more time playing than programming! No really! Seriously guys! dude, I'm not kidding! Okay okay... for the first day or so this doesn't apply, its just so much fun seeing what this thing can do. Email me with any thoughts or comments or questions. No bass player or studio buff should be without one of these.

P.S. I gave it a 9 because midi cables are so expensive ha ah aha hahahahah aha aha hh ahha eh..........

this is so incredibly easy to get the right sound. i've never had to edit patches as easy as this device either. The manual is not only funny, but answers every question i thought of.

i'm using a standard ibanez bass, nothing to professional, but i have tried many different basses with this and the sound was great. this isnt noisy at all, and was easy to change if it was at any time. i've gotten the sounds of Rush from the synth, which i get best w/ full compression and effect tweak(just mess around w/ it), ans any old bassists like john paul jones or paul mccartney. i cant compare the distortion w/ anything, because i've never had it before, but it seems to be perfect for any hard rock fans

this is great for gigs, i dont have the foot pedal yet, but it seems fine for what i used it for, and would never use a backup

no problems yet! but i'm sure its good!

i play prog rock, jazz, and the pod has matched my needs very well. Ive been playing for about 2 years, and if my pod was stolen i would certainly track the guy down and beat him!

I had to figure out how to hook it up for live performance, but once I got it dialed in it works well.

Great sound, clean and crystal clear. I use this with a QSC amp, 600 watts bridged and a Bag End 15"bottom. Lots of headroom and no distortion at higher volume. It will shake the walls.

So far, no problems

Haven't had to deal with them

I have always had problems with the bass being too loud. The amp where I play is a Hartke with a 15. In order to get any tone out of that you have to push it. At low volumes it just doesn't do it. With the pod I can get all the tone I want and not have to be to loud.

Real easy to use. Intuitive. It's one of the easiest pieces of equipment to use that I own. Like everyhting else, the more time you spend with it and its manual, the easier it gets and the more obvious the controls become. Still, you can be up and running out-of-the-box with good sounds in no time using the quick quick startup pages.

I've used this live and in studio. But as with the Pod Pro for guitar (which I also have), I use this primarily as a recording tool. You can get good results live, and it has a built-in direct box and mic level out for input into a mixer/sound board/stage mic snake, etc., but if you want the true thunder and punch of a large Ampeg SVT on stage, then get an Ampeg SVT. This is an adequate substitute for the modeled amps, and it is very versatile, so if you're playing a lot of different types/styles of music and venues, and especially if you are recording, then this is a must have product. For live play, if you have one particular style and use few settings outside of your effects, I'd recommend buying your favorite amp and cabinet instead, because as with the guitar Pod Pro, the sounds of the amps modeled are not a perfect clone of the original and always seem to lack the real power and punch of the originals. In short, it's a very good simulator, but the simulations can never be the real thing. It's not going to sound "just like" a Mesa stack live -- but it will on a recording. Recording is a different story altogether. If you are a studio musician or home recordist, this is a must have for laying down bass tracks (and drum tracks--I've used it with great success in improving the sound of a Roland Dr770's (drum machine) bass drums; and, by-the way, the Pod Pro for guitar can help the snare some. What I like is the fact that what you hear on the monitors during recording is exactly what comes out as the recorded sound. Sounds simple enough, but as everyone knows, getting that to happen with live mics is no easy chore. With this unit, the mics are eliminated. To sum it up, the the Bass Pod Pro, like the guitar Pod Pro, sounds incredible recorded. Hearing it over your monitor speakers and home stereo system speakers is amazing. But also like the guitar Pod Pro, the Bass Pod Pro can be disappointing heard live in a bass rig setup. The modeled amps simply don't have the true power and punch of the originals.

It hasn't broken down yet. I'd use any amp without a "backup" because the backup of last resort is always a direct in from my effects to PA board.

Haven't needed it yet.

I play a variety of styles, but I guess for want of a better category, you could call it hard edged pop/rock. I've been playing a very long time. I own too much gear. Ask my wife... I use this almost exclusively for studio. For live I use a Boss floor effects through an Ampeg B-25 with Peavey bass enclosure (w/1-18" and 2-10" speakers). I'd definitely get another one if lost or stolen. I also use it (in a limted way) to process bass drums.

Some of the factory patches are pretty good. I found it extremely easy to tweak sounds and get exactly what I was going after. The dials are all clearly labeled and everything behaved as I expected. I've hardly looked at the manual but what from what I did see, I'd say the manual is well written.

These are the sounds I've been looking for. I've been able to dial in any sound I've tried for so far. So far I've only used it plugged into a board and with headphones so I can't say what it sounds like for live use. The amp and cabinet simulations are very cool -- they come pretty darn close and at a mere fraction of the cost.

I haven't had it long enough to say. It seems to be built very sturdy. Seems like it would stand up pretty well.

Never had to talk with support so I can't say.

I play a lot of different styles of music and am pleased that the Bass Pod is at home in any of them. This is definitely a versatile and fun piece of gear. I keep finding new sounds -- very good value.

I use an Ibanez Rb600- Two custom built bases with Emg's (one frettless)and a fender P bass. I have found every sound I have looked for so far. The distorion options are great - but I am learning to tame them to my liking. The thing is quiet.

After just 5 days i sold my SVTIII cause I copped that sound tight enough plus! Lotsa soup here- loaded with chunk funk and spunk. Make sure you use the cabinet options. I use it live through an old crown DC300a (bridged mono) into an Acme Low B-2. I use the 18: cab setting and a brit amp to get a full range sound with a really hot low end.

I feel secure about it -it is very well built.

Allways good - I have a guitar pod as well and a floor board - which I highly recommend.

Been playing bass since I was 14 and I am now 46.

I was about to get rid of it, to be honest but then I read some reviews...
The trick is to run the Bass POD at the highest volume (Output Level) as possible.
It did at first sound "dull, dark, and muddy" to me just like some people complain it does to them as if I had wax in my ears... but that was then...
I run it to a MosValve amp before going to a Mackie mixer and the sounds coming out are amazing - clean and punchy!

Looks strong