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

I tried to get acceptable sounds out of this thing. I went through every switchable option on the thing, called Line 6, went back to the store to listen to other units, and even bought a real bass amp and used the POD as a front end and insert without any satisfaction. My issue was the sounds were dull, dark, and distorted. The system I ran it through was not lacking in response so I am positive it is the unit
itself that is to blame.

In summary, don't waste your money. This unit has the same form factor as the popular Guitar Pod, which I also own and am very happy with. The Bass POD has one input and two outs (direct, modeled). There are a lot of controls and switchable redirect of these controls. You can manually select an amp model from many and an effect from many or, just go with some factory presets which you can reprogram to your liking.

I never had a problem with the unit working. In fact the other Line 6 products I own have never gone down. If they do scramble, you can easily reset them with a two button reset.

Customer support was standing behind the product or else why would you release it. They were limited in what could be done.

I had the unit for 9 months. I bought it based on my satisfaction with the Guitar Pod. Well I learned and expensive lesson and hope that this will benefit anyone else who reads this review.

Take yourself 15 Minutes to read the excellent manual, 15 Minutes with the POD in a quiet room and thats it. Everyone can use this (quick and dirty) interface. If you want more control, hook it up to a PC.

Very good quality. I tried it in studio situations first, directly into the mixer. Very good. You get a good sound very quickly. No more miking problems...good. After some days I took it to a live situation and it worked fine. Played it into the effect return of my trace elliot stack with 2x10+HF and 1x15 trace cabinets, speaker simulation of. Very fine...I only need one sound per song, so I have no need for any switching device. As for the sound...COOL...don't think, it can make your 300$ rig sound like a 5000$ Ampeg Stack...heh...nono, this baby gives you so many different sounds. I don't care if it should sound like an ampeg and it does not, as long as it sounds good to me.
Be sure to crank up the "Output Level" as high as possible, to get all the punch from that beast...it's got lots of it.

Ah one thing...use good cables, like klotz. It's worth the extra cash.

Very hard case and stable knobs, no problems should occur with that. As far as I have used it....no problems.

No need for support so far. Good website.
Visit www.podforum.com for help.

I am playing for 13 years now and have always sticked to my good ol' trace gear. This is a very good addition, givin' the versitality that the clean trace sound lacks. I am playing modern/alternative rock in one and punk rock in another band, and this little beast served me well in any of the two. Also tried it a at funky style session and it worked too.

This Baby rock for my, PERIOD!

I own both the POD Pro and Bass POD Pro.
The Bass POD Pro is easier to use than the POD Pro because
the you do not need to press *and hold* a button while
simultaneously twisting other knobs to change many of the
the alternative functions on the front panel.
As a possible improvement to the design, I would prefer the
'Studio/Live' switch (which determines the functionality of the
rear panel IO) to be placed on the front panel, not the rear.
I switch between direct line SPDIF recording and live mode
often without placing or replacing cables, but I need to
reach around my rack space and fell with my fingers for the switch.

The Bass POD Pro is a must have for digital direct line
recording. The deep bass punch and consistent compression
are very good. I am disappointed in the noise gate.
When using the POD Pro, you can DEFINITLY hear how well the
noise gate is ...this is not true with the Bass POD Pro.
When using the Pig Foot or Rodent (overdrive effects),
there is an excessive amount of background noise that the
noise gate *should* get rid of.

I just let it sit in a rack...

There hasn't been a need for contact

I'm a guitarist who uses the Bass POD Pro for home recording
as the primary function. I don't go hauling it around with
me for playing gigs, so I can't rate it in that regard, but
for my purposes, it is unbeatable. I'd recommend it
for any band with a digital home recording system.

this is an update to a previous review. I bought the Bass POD last year, after lusting for it for a good while. My conclusion is that it makes a very efficient and effective recording tool. But for live use, it is very limited. I tried using this with a high volume prog-rock trio, and was sorely disappointed (it was a like a bad dream! I had just burnt all this money on it and the pedalboard, and then it fell so short of my expectations). It worked pretty well for simpler settings, when I wasnt really all that concerned with tone or much else. But mostly I found it to be lacking in dynamics and punch. (I ran it into a 300 watt solid state Fender bass amp.) I much prefer my analog rig (Rickenbacker 4003 -> Sansamp Bass Driver -> Fulltone BassDrive II -> MXR Phase 90 -> Marshall Vibratrem -> Fender BXR 300C amp) to the Bass POD for most live use. The Bass POD makes you feel like you are hearing a tape of yourself, theres not this dynamic analog interaction. Very disappointing. But for recording, its EXCELLENT! It works great for getting just about any sort of bass tone you need or want. Its very versatile, and it is so much better sounding than going straight to the board, and so much easier than mic'ing an amp (and often it sounds better than that too). So take my advice if theres anybody out there like me who has been bitten by the Bass POD bug. If you only want it for recording, and practice at home, go for it. Its an excellent tool and a fun toy. But for live use, pass it by. Seriously. I've tried and I can not get it to match my analog rig. BTW the bass Sansamp is unparalleled in my experience, I would heartily recommend it, for BOTH live and studio uses. Not as many bells and whistles, but it warms up a signal so well.

This is my kind of easy.. it has 10 great big knobs on the front that do exactly what you think they`d do. Perfect. The Soundiver software that comes with the unit is great too, it allows easy alteration of all the sounds from your PC via midi.

I bought the Bass Pod because I've never managed to get a decent bass sound on my home demos, problem solved. I use a '79 Precision and coupled with the Bass Pod I now get "that" sound, you know the "classic" fender growly thump that I`ve been lusting after for years, I love it. I don`t do gigs any more, but even if I did I don`t think I`d use the Pod live, after all, it`s an amp & cab simulator, live I'd have an amp & cab, the Pod is here to let me record and it does this brilliantly.

Built like a tank, I can`t see it breaking anytime soon..

Line 6 have one of the best instrument manufacturer websites, any questions I had were answered there.

Until now I`ve been unimpressed by any "modelling" software, they all claimed to have solved amp simulation & effects generation but they all sounded like bees trapped in a tin can, the Bass Pod however really does get it right, sure it has its share of useless sounds (The bass synth sound.. ugh..) but overall it's quite remarkable, if you do a lot of recording DI'd straight into the desk I recommend you go get one of these right now... It's a life saver. :)

I am a guitar player and use a Johnson Millenium amplifier. That unit has very easy and intuitive control over parameters. You can save your presets, and recall them at any time and see ALL of you parameters.

I bought the Bass POD to extend the range of voices for my bass work in my home studio. The Bass POD interface doesn't cut it. What was my EQ settings on preset "5b"? Why can't I name my presets? What cabinet did I use? Let me change the cabinet now... how did that work again? Wait, is there a difference in sound?

Interface just sucks. Pure and simple.

OK, I bitched about the interface... and that is a situation I would have lived with had the tones been there. After all, it's all about the tones, right?

Well, I kept my BASS Pod almost a month. I tried and tried to get a good tone out of it. My bass is an Alembic, and I got great sounds out of it using my BP-8. What's going on here?

I tried all teh different amps, played with the "Drive" setting, compressors, and cabinets settings, but I always, and I mean ALWAYS! got a fuzzy breakup on the low "E" string. And it was a gritty noise too, not at all pleasant. I don't know how some of the other reviewers on this string got "fantastic" tone out of this thing... either they are tone-deaf, or I am an idiot, because this thing just sounds VERY sub-par. What an immense dissapointment.

So, even if I'm an idiot, I traded this POS back in (the rack-mount version is $600.... why is it 2x the Pod version?) and got a Johnson J-Station... which is almost a redundant module to my Millenium. However, the three bass amp models on the J-Station sound MUCH MUCH better than the POD. MUCH!

Didin't keep this POS long enough to establish a reliability opinion.

N/A

I give this thing a three. I should give it a "1", but I'm feeling generous today. Here's how I would improve it:

1.) DigiTech buys Line 6
2.) DigiTech throws away the schematics and firmware for the Bass POD!
3.) Johnson comes in, models 20 different bass amps correctly. Use the Millenium interface for chossing amp models and effects. Allow for 100 user presets, with teh ability to assign names.

Well, before I owned the basspod, I already had the POD2 (I am playing the stick, so I need 2 different kinds of amplification) and I have to tell that Easy to use should be printed in gold over the line6 models.
Getting started is no problem since the manual (sometimes hilarious)is crystal clear; I know that some people don't get acustomed to the emagic soft.though u don't need to be a computer engineer to use it.
Finally, getting a good sound out of it is no pain in the ... since the presets are gorgeous (sometimes a little bit over the top) and thanks to the user library (on line6.com) you can get a good basic sound where you can start from.The criteria described above applies both to the BASSPOD and POD2.The only "setback" is that fumbling through the different amp models without the soft is not that easy.hence I won't give a ten.

I used to swear that Marshall were the best amps for guitar and trace elliot the best bass amps (T.Levin).
My stick being a stereo instrument, I had to have a versatile sound system (that gives me a maximum choice of sounds).
Thanks to the bass pod, I have finally found the sounds I was looking for (I used to play a custom hand made 6 strings bass with a trace elliot and was quite disappointed by the coldnest of the overall sound): warm, well-defined, plenty of parameters that help you to customize your sound.
I only regret that there is no reverb (instead of that non-sense synth -bass..beurk! they should have tried to emulate a moog taurus pedal sound instead).
The other effects are quite good (the chorus especially)and once again easy to use.Too bad you can't link more than 3 in a row.

Is it necessary to remind my fellow musicians that you have to use the BASSPOD with a PA or a full range keyboard amp.?

Cos if you don't, there is no doubt that you 'll be tempted to throw the device in the trash bin...regardless of the price you paid for it.

it seems to be armoured against the worst contengencies

so far so good; their site is very helpfull. and since I only have the BASSPOD for a month,I did not experince any problems..yet.

I am playing prog rock (Dream Theater oriented) mixing dance, hiphop sounds; I am a guitar player (playing on custom made fretless) and a bass player (STICK); You already guessed that I'm a schizophrenic musician so I have to have the best of both worlds.
The BAsspod has fulfilled my desires to get a more than decent bass sound; of course, don't expect a miracle from this unit: it won't turn your 300$ bass into a 3000$ one; My tap guitar (12strings) is made out of the finest exotic woods (bird eye maple- padouk-asian , ebony), so even on a "regular" mixer, without anything, it souds great; let just say that the BASS POD enhances the inherent qualities of you instrument

When I got my Bass POD home I first tried it through my Hartke 5000 head thru 2 4x10's. I set the EQ flat and set the solid state preamp on half, not using the tube preamp on at all. Using Hartke cabs is great because they are very crystal so the tones of the Bass POD really come through well. I used two very differnt basses. My old 72' Fender P-Bass and a Tobias Toby-Pro 6-string. I used the same basses when recording also.

I used the P-Bass with the retro amp models and cabs to start off. I played the Sunn Colliseum amp with the 8028 1x18+1x12 cab. Instantly I got the classic sounds of John Entwhistle. I had so much fun just playing with this setting. I mixed the cabs with a Fender Bassman cab and even a SWR Goliath and the tones were still very good. Then I went nuts (after playing with the retro settings for almost 5 hours!) by using my Tobias bass with the Mesa Boogie, Ampeg and SWR models. Using the complimentary cab models I was truly blown away! I have previously owned a Mesa Boogie Bass +400 and I could not tell the difference. Made me wonder why I should the rig in the first place! The Ampeg SVT-1 and SWR SM-400 models were equally authentic and a pleasure to hear.

The unit in general is very noise free no matter if I put on some slap or gentle chord playing. All the amps, cabs and FX worked very well no matter what sort of concoction I was plundering with. I used the same settings with some minor tweaks here and there through my Mackie mixing desk into a pair of Alesis Momitors and the sound was great, if not better. The true colours are definately shine through when hooked up for studio use.

For the past year or so, I have seen many guitar players (including my own!) buy and use the now illustrious and indespensible Line6 Guitar POD v.1.0/2.0. Being a guitar player as well as a bass player myself I have found no better amp and fx simulator on the market as of yet. So impressed was I by the constant flow of rich, mind blowing guitar tones coming from my guitar player I also bought a Guitar POD for my home recordings. The ease of use for both live and studio is childs play. Dare I say, if the guys at the Line6 labs took one of these things into a Zoo and let the apes fiddle with it we would find a guitar tone virtuoso!

The Bass POD was under a lot of scrutiny on my part. Being more favorable towards the Bass as an instrument, I put the unit under the microscope in some what could be unfair comparison against the Guitar POD. But I bought ths Bass POD without even testing it at the store. I thought my analysis could be concluded better at home, with my own amps and basses and studio equipment. Bit of a gamble, but I thought the Line6 name would give me the pay off as it has done with my Guitar POD.

The technical features presented are identical to the Guitar POD. 36 programable and editable patches, 16 amp models (including tube preamp bypass), 15 cab models and 16 fx models, input/output jacks, D.I. output port, MIDI in/out ports (more on that later!), direct out/A.I.R mode switch (more on that later too!), footswitch port. Almost all of the EQ controls have been maintained - Drive, Bass, Treble etc..., but the "Input Level" control has been compensated for a "Compress" control. Headphone port inculded for silent use. All of this held inside a kidney shaped die-cast metal shell! Powered by a 9v power supply provided with the unit.

This unit uses the same Line6 patented 'Tubetone' tube emulation software as the Guitar POD. This enables the bass player experiment with solide state and transitor retro and modern amps and cabs with accurate results. Famous names include SWR, Mesa Boogie, Ampeg, Vox, Eden, Marshall, Fender, Gallien Krueger, Versatone, Acoustic and Polytone. Enough amps to last any bass player to his grave and without the expense! But I am a tad dissapointed not to see other names such as Trace Elliott, Hartke and Ashdown there. I expected at least one of these name to be there, although there is a Hartke cab model, but seems a little pointless without the Hartke head model. Also, there seems to be a misbalance of retro and modern amps. Though it is great to have a realistic emulation of amps such as the Vox-100 not many bass players would really use these model types unless they were in a caberet or covers band. Heck, even the great Paul McCartney has ditched his Vox-100 for a Mesa Boogie rig! It could be possible that the guys at Line6 took a nostalgic approach to the Bass POD, great, but not needed in some cases.

As far as the cab models, this is where the fun starts to happen! the 15 cab models give you 6 15" cabs, 3 18" cabs, 4 10" cabs and 12" cabs. You can combine any amp with any cab thus creating your dream rig! There is a good selction of closed back and open back models, but I could only hear the noticible changes when I put my Bass POD through a desk the into a pair of stereo monitors. Unless you are a coniseur as far as cabs are concerned, you could loose the plot a little here.

I was please to see some very useful FX on the Bass POD. Lets face it, there is not a lot of good FX out there for a bass and a lot of previous bass FX units has fallen down in this area. But the Bass POD really shines. I was glad to see some of the pedals that I use currently too such as the ProCo RAT, Big Muff and Boss OC-2. Pedals I have used for yrs...and guess what? There is very little difference to the real thing! Not that I can hear. All the pedals emulated on the Bass POD have the same EQ and other tweaking capabilities as the real McCoy. There are some o

I have yet to use the unit in a live situation as I am curently working as a guitar player for a solo artist. I use the Guitar POD i have all the time and it has not let me down yet. I trust the Bass POD will be the same.

The customer service and technical support for any Line6 product is second to none. I have not personally use their services, but my tech clumsey guitarist has emailed them on several occasions and hae always fixed his problems in no time.

I have used, abused and shit-canned a lot of bass equipment over the years, but this unit will stay with my for life. I have never, and probably will ever, heard a product like this. Its flexibilty and mind blowing tone quality is truly masterpiece. I am just pissed off that i have spent the past 10 years spending thousands on gear that I could have got in this very simple package.

The lack of other well known and used amps such as Trace Elliott is a bit shamefull, but this fact is quickly over shadowed when you play with one of these for a couple of hours. You would be insane not to go to your local guitar store and bring back home a Bass POD....period!!!

just to start off, i do alot of studio work with alot of well known artist in the music industry and i have to say that i have played and tried just about everything that has been made for bass guitar and what i have found is this... less is more. i use only three effects i never use chorus pedels i just have never liked them. i use an envelope filter an octave pedal and a sans amp bas driver di, thats it. i play all music man basses and use swr 900 amps and goliath senior cabs..... i tried the bass pod and found it to be completly dissapionting to the piont that i asked line 6 to release me from my endorsment contrct because i could not endorse a product that i didnt beleave in.... any way to make this short keep it simple. the san amp bass driver di is awesome for recording... and the cost is around $150.00 to $175.00. if you have'nt checked it out do so..........

This is a follow-up to my previous review, since I feel like I didn't address a major issue and may have given a lopsided and misleading impression of the Pod's capabilities. The issue is live vs. digital recording applications. My praise of the Pod is centered around it's uncanny versatility and musicality *in the recording sphere*, particualarly in the company of other bass direct-recording resources. I've experienced sizeable frustration in the past with D.I. for bass, finding even a good, well voiced bass preamp can sound murky and undynamic going straight into a board. My experience so far has made me feel that, with the help of some good warm tube preamping, the Bass Pod works wonders at getting over this hurdle and laying down a direct bass track with much of the punch, warmth, and definition, as well as the substantial low end, of a good mic'ed bass rig.

That said, I have to stress that I have mooney eyes for this product mostly just as it fits into this troubling and limited area of music making. In that context it is unique and amazing. However, I can't necessarily support the promotional claims made about the live applications of the Bass Pod. I think if you have experience with high quality bass rigs, particularly with some of the fine old vintage pieces represented on the Bass Pod, you are likely to be disappointed with it as a tool for live applications. Remember this piece is not only not analog, it's not even an amplifier---it's more like a very subtle and complex "sketch" of one executed solely within the realm of software. I think people who are taken aback at how far short of their actual SVT or Eden heads and cabs, etc., the Pod falls are not being fair. This is obviously partly the fault of the advertising blitz, but come on, what else do you expect? Every manufacturer known to man hypes it's products, particularly innovative ones, from here to Pokatella and back (some may remember the ads for the Tech 21 XXL distortion pedal, which was promoted as going from "Highway to Hell to Bohemian Rapshody at the twist of a knob" Mmmmhhhmmmm....). I think, hype or no hype, all one has to do is look seriously at what kind of technology this is, even if you haven't heard it, and intuitively it's not hard to understand that this thing has too many "virtual strikes" against it to be expected to measure up to real'69 Marshall Major bass amps or SWR Goliath cabinets. But if it is only intended for use in the virtual world, then we're going to get somewhere.

At any rate, I would strongly suggest looking at this unit *not* as a bass preamp or effect unit for use with an actual bass amp in a live setting, but rather always as a "virtual amp/cabinet" box which is to be fed into a hi-fi (p.a.) system to faithfully translate it's output into high volume applications, and not to add anything of its own. The Pod loves a good clean tube preamp in front of it, but other than that, it really wants a transparent sound reinforcement system with soild bass response to make it useful for live applications.

because each knob serves more than one purpose, it is very confusing to recreate settings.the postion of the knob also does not give visual indication of the knobs actual setting. the software crashed my computer, and the cable for the computer was another 20 bucks.it did not handshake with my pod so i finally gave up.
so until i can utilise the patch transfer capabilities i don't want to waste time creating new patches and delete factory ones.the manual seems to have been written for a child. not that it is particularly clear or organised, just a juvenile writing style. the web site is just lot more of the same spin.my pod didn't come with a cd, explained in the literature as an enhancement, because then you're sure you got the latest revisions off the web. that's a lot of crap. i have not seen any updates in the bass pod library yet.there ain't any patches at all for the pod that i've noticed on the website.about half the patches were put together at the last minute, and don't use all possible knobs. there is no 'mix' switch or fader, so you cannot bypass.the bass synth effect is so overwhelming that it's pretty much unusable in my band, they told me to lose the pod, but screw them this thing cost me a few hundred.
there is ostensibly a control which allows the user to keep the effect processing above a certain frequency if you want to keep your bottom tight, but it is not that apparent nor useful to my ears.
there is a 'send efx to output' button which lights up and everything, and is supposed to give you a choice between dry or wet, but it has no control over whether the effects are on or off on my pod. they remain on.
the controls do not all work as described in the manual either. this is supposed to be a direct box and a preamp, but unless i put the pod in an effects loop, neither of my basses could get the tron effects to gate consistantly, or the synth either.
but when used in the effects loop of my sc-40, the trons at least gated consistantly, and the pods low output at full on stopped being a problem since there is plenty of gain available in my instrument preamp. getting sound out of the pod is very easy, just getting good sound is tough.although this is ostensibly a modeling unit, don't expect it to make a poor sounding amp or speakers better. it can be used to enhance a crappy amp if you work at it, but only in a very limited number of settings, forget using all the effects.it was remarked in another review that since pod will only 'do one effect at a time, you still need outboard effects if you're that kind of player. and this is true, and besides, the onboard effects are no match for my ebs octave, my dunlop bass wha, and my old all-test-devices theta phaser. although the on board phasing sounds are pretty good, there is little ability to control parameters. a call to line6 tech support yielded the explanation that if one of the effects sounded crappy, it is because the effect which was modeled sounded crappy. this is the kind of dreamlike spin i feel surrounds this product. i love the concept of dsp, especially for bass, but this thing does not deliver adequately as far as i'm concerned.it is as far as i can determine, essentially a one of kind in many respects, nothing else out there now has a ambitious a feature set or controls, and pod is way better than this lesser competition, but does not reach its own potential or line6's stated mission, and up until this point,the tech support has been real bad compared to other musical manufacturers, as certainly weker than competant computer tech support available if you look for it and demand it. so bass pod is an underachiever with dim prospect of improvement. i gave up waiting for the bracket, so i designed my own, only for mounting on a mike stand where you can tweak pod without turning you back on the audience, or show your crack if you are dumb enough to park it on the floor next to your other door stops. if i get a mo bass or an aquilar, i'll probably

i use a schector 5 string (a j-bass style with superb passive pickups) and a ibanez fiver with active emg p/us and eq.
i go through my ashley sc40 preamp because the bass pod can't cut it without preamplification. the choruses are pretty good, but the rest of the effects suk, and cannot be mixed or adjusted with same degree of control avaialable on a similar discrete effects unit. how anyone can predict how a modeling effect will sound without knowing what form of amplifier the musician will use baffles me. most guitarists, and many bassists, rely on the interaction between the instrument the pre-amp/amp and the speakers for their tone.with effort you can use the bass pod to find the sweet spot and get your speaker cab to ring. i never go thru a house PA, and do not think this is that great as a d.i.box. i saw blue oyster cult two weeks ago, and they had pods on stage, but not using them.
when i get the pod set up in a room so it cuts, i stay with that setting the whole night because if i go to a different channel i can't go back and tweak for 20 minutes while the band stands there.
when used in the effects loop, it is easy to overdrive the pod, and then it sounds bad. also having a little eq after pod is necessary to avoid the brittle digital sound. once all settings are ok, then it is clear and well defined sound, the eq doesn't seem to be able to create as dramatic an effect on the signal as one would expect based on what is theoretically being swept and boosted. the zippering effect and the popcorn noise are not as bad as the manual warns, the pod has more serious defects than these things which makes me think it is put in the manual as a distraction.
i seem to go back to the svt model most.

my pod only crshed once, and was easily reset. i think it is solid and reliable as far as that goes; it will power up and function everytime. it is also well made, although i have not popped the top in case i decide to go back to mars music and bitch until they give me a refund

i think tech e support is spaced out and running on empty. the website is just ads for newer and more expensive products, and a portal to promote their endorsers. the software suks, and the company who makes it are aliens and alienating.

pod is in a class by itself, so comparisons do not present a clear picture. i am not a computer geek, so some of the magic and novelty of the unit are lost on me. i am a gear head, and this piece only has one foot in the winners circle. if it is purchased on the stengths of the line 6 hype, i got to belive there are a lot of other disappointed bass pod owners out there who feel stupid because they don't love their pod like everyone else on the lune6 site says they do.

This is a mixed bag because, on the one hand, the practically nonexistent readout and shared knob space make the manual an everpresent companion until you've really had a number of hours on this thing and can remember what's what. There are 16 distinct amplifiers modeled, but each can use one of 15 cabinets, and one of 15 effects. There's an eq section (bass, mid, treble), but in an alternate mode the same knobs become a parametric mid. It gets confusing because when you enter a certain mode and make an adjustment, then change modes, the previous adjustments stay and are then added on to, so you have to keep track of what you've done, either in your head or on paper, unless you constantly have it hooked up to a computer with the Sounddriver CD, then everything is comprehensively displayed. There's also only one knob, called "effect tweak" on the Pod itself for changing the effect sound, and it has a different function for each effect, so you have to learn those.

BUT, there are so many great tone combinations available at the experimental twist of a knob, and a number of good presets, that if you aren't too picky it's actually quite easy to get up and running with a solid bass sound right away. I didn't even look more than once at the manual for the first couple hours with it and was experiencing little frustration and much pleasure.

Now, here's the deal: this is also a hard category to rate. When I first got the unit I plugged my high-end bass (semi acoustic; alder, walnut, rosewood body, mahogany neck, Lane Poor passive pickups) straight into it and used the headphone out with high-end studio phones, and was immediately impressed. All the models had distinct character in their overall tonal structure, dynamics, and cabinet response feel. The tube amps had tubey warmth and gloss, and the solid state amps had smooth, compressed tone.

However, everything shot through the roof when I set up the Pod in the chain I had set aside for digital recording. It was bass--->Hughes & Kettner Tube Factor preamp, clean channel, with RCA blackplate 5751 tube (extremely high quality lower gain 12ax7)--->Bass Pod--->Joemeek studio mic preamp/optical compressor/exciter--->mixing board.
Astounding! I'll put it this way, if the Pod on it's own captures 70% of the mic'ed sound of the amps/effects/cabs it emulates, the high quality tube preamp at the input and the studio pre/comp at the output push it to 95% realism, easily. I can't even express how lifelike, tubey, punchy, and well-voiced the presets sound on my hard disk recorder. And I'm picky picky about tone. My guitar amp is a Victoria (point to point, highest quality components, etc.). I record my Carvin and PRS guitars through Weber VST and '50's Celestion speakers with a large diaphragm microphone and I can tell you that the Bass Pod in a chain with the other units I mentioned puts a bass tone down that has NO PROBLEM sitting neatly in a mix and reinforcing the excellent guitar sounds I already have down. If you already own a nice tube preamp and you plan to record with the Bass Pod, I am willing to almost guarantee you will be quite pleased with your mixes, provided you start with a good bass.

Now, to the sounds. There's a nice spectrum of amps, both tube and solid state, modern and vintage. There's an SWR, Mesa/Boogie 400+, and Polytone among the modern amps, and a Marshall Super Plexi, Ampeg SVT, and Sunn Coliseum among the vintage amps. There's also obscurities like the Versatone Pan-O-Flex, a small session amp used in the '60's, classics like the Ampeg B-15 (which is all over the old Motown recordings) and the Vox AC100 (think Paul McCartney at Shea stadium) and a neat rack-derived sub-harmonic amplifier called Sub Dub for floor shaking fundamentals.

So far my favorites are the Marshall Super (awesome vintage tube tone with heavy duty low end and sweet sparkle), the Acoustic 360 (a huge Zeppelin style tone coming from a 1x18/1x12 cabinet), and the Vox, which has the smoothness and warmth that Vox is known for and also it's high end chime (in a bass version, that is).

There's also 15 useful and highly varied cabinet models that can be assigned to any amp, including 4x12 Marshall with vintage Celestions, 4x12 Eden, 8x10 Ampeg, and 2x15 Vox cabs, among others. All the cabs have distinctive tones and resonse, not just varying degrees of low and high end. They also each have their own "spread", which brings me to the next feature on the Pod, the A.I.R., or "acoustic integrated recording". This is a catch-all for a final tone-shaping model which combines the effect of cab type, mic type and placement, and what Line 6 calls "spread", which is like a subtle form of room reverb, all of which help make the direct sounds more "live" and less sterile and "D.I." sounding.

There's also 15 effects, including awesome Boss and T.C. chorus emulations, a great MXR Phase 90, and adequate Mu Tron up and down simlations. A number of people have complained about the Mu Tron, but I found that it needs a good strong signal, in other words heavy pick attack, and then it starts to quack more like the original. Same with the bass synth, which can be a trip. My only complaint is that there are four driver/fuzz effects, which to me is two too many. A nice dela

I've just received it but the overall impression is one of quality and close inspection. It's got strudy pots and buttons and I think, for studio use at least, it will last a long time.

I've only heard good things about the people at Line 6, but have had no dealings with them yet. I can say that the manual is the size of a short novel and is exhaustively written, but also entertaining.

I really have to repeat myself and say, with the help of a higher end tube preamp and studio compressor, the Line 6 Bass Pod blows doors down. After a little tweaking my recorded bass sound is really much more amazing than I could have expected considering what it's coming out of. This is like the magic "stack in a box" for bass, and with almost endless variety for every kind of recording application. Once again, add that tube input stage (which is critical for helping along the modeled sound with richer harmonics and a more dynamic feel), and you will have a little secret weapon for recording that will never let you down, and will inspire new ideas and accomplishments in your writing and recording process.

I think it's pretty easy...most of the presets that Line 6 included with the unit are useful and/or cool. I was up and running at a gig with a great sound without ever editing a patch. It's plug in and play...I love it!

I play Fender Jazz basses and a (don't laugh) Kramer Baretta 522s, and despite the differences in electronics, they both sound GREAT! I haven't had a single hum or buzz from the unit (I run it direct to our PA with a 1/4" TRS to XLR adapter). The effects are pretty cool, especially the choruses and the fuzzes. I really like the phaser, too...it totally nails that Phase 90 warble. For my own stuff, I try to get a tone that is a cross between John Paul Jones' and Geddy Lee's...fat bottom, crunchy midrange...and I have had absolutely no problem finding infinite variations on the theme, using all the different amp models on Bass POD. The only complaint about the effects I have is that the Mu-Tron effects are too quiet and not editable enough. Seems like some half-assed programming on Line 6's part (which is TOTALLY out of character).

I hate to complain, but I'm really sick of people who slam Line 6 stuff without really giving it a chance through an appropriate sound system. One thing that people who buy PODs (both Bass and Guitar) tend to forget is that they have to make sure they're playing the stuff through a full-range system. I know that Line 6 provides instructions for using the stuff through amps, but it never sounds as good (to my ears, at least) as sending it directly to a PA system or a pair of studio monitors. The key that I've discovered about getting a good sound out of Bass POD is making sure that you have the output level cranked (as high as you can without distorting)...you really get much more detail out of the amp models. Getting to know SoundDiver is a good thing, too, since it puts all the controls for the different effects and amps right in front of your face.

I have not had a single problem with Bass POD in 4 months of weekly gigging. I have used it on gigs without backup probably 30 times without fear.

Line 6 sets the bar for Customer Service in the guitar world. I had a question about the mounting bracket and the rubber feet (I lost one and wondered how to get new ones), and I got new ones in the mail in less than a week. There was an EPROM upgrade for the unit (a bug in the early Bass PODs that made them crash when you turned it off with a patch that had the "Analog Chorus" effect on it) and I got a new EPROM and info on how to install it less than a week after I notified them of the problem...these guys are great, and the Line 6 Utilization Party Patch Exchange (their discussion boards) are very helpful as far as getting inside info and helpful tips from other Line 6 users.

I play in a cover band, and I have been able to get every sound I have needed, from the funky Mu-Tron sound of the Red Hot Chili Peppers' version of "Higher Ground" to that huge, round thump that Paul McCartney had on all those Beatles tunes. There are so many different bass tones in the unit...I've been able to get everything from melodic and trebly to fat and funky for my original music, too. If it were stolen, I'd buy it again in a heartbeat. It's a very inspiring unit, and I just can't understand why anyone wouldn't see it as a useful tool...besides, it beats carrying around a 100-lb combo amp (or a truckload of vintage amps that'll blow tubes)!

Plug and play, if your bass sounded good to start with it will sound even better with the available selections of amp setups here. I like that even though this modeller works in the virtual world Line 6 has provided old fashioned knobs for tweaking. Editing patches is pretty easy and even more in depth if you hook it up to a computer. The manual is probably one of the best I've ever read it is entertaining and intuitive(almost every question was answered in the next section). The included effects are hit and miss to me, They are handy and reasonably faithful but not replacements for the "real" units. The tuner is OK but I'll still carry my Korg BT. I give it a 9 because I would have liked a 1/4" and XLR for both outs luckily I had a good stereo tube direct box already.

I haven't used it live yet but have made several recordings and used it for practice with headphones and it just sounds great. It retains the character and sounds of my different basses from a short scale Harmony with flatwounds, to a modern 5 and several neo-vintage 4 stringers. All of the amp models sound like the originals (I have or am familiar with most of these amps). There are some real surprises (Motor City) and jewels(Flip top, Brit Major and my fave California)here. Trying the different amps with different cabinet combinations reveals some cool variations with out speaker damage or getting the cops called. I would have liked a little more ambience on the AIR but it is a true sounding reproduction of an amp close miked in an iso booth and it is esy to add a little reverb if wanted. The effects are usable and noise free except for the distortions when cranked. I'm not really sure why some of these effects were chosen over others out there. Sample & Hold just flat sucks and it has 3 spots. I would have liked it if the distortions started a little less crunchy, like from warm to hair on fire. But I did not get it for the effects so I don't hold it against the POD. This also has one of the best sounding headphone outs I've ever used.

It is really built well and everything seems solid and the jacks are good quality, I wouldn't really worry about it on a gig and haven't any problems so far. I give it an 8 because it is too soon to declare it bulletproof, we'll see in a couple of years.

I have e-mailed several inquiries and have gotten adequate response, it took a little longer than promised but they were really hard and specific questions. I do like the web site and value that it is possible to get direct answers with out going through a dealer or a bunch of channels.

I do session work in home/project and professional studios in styles ranging from jazz to rock, blues country and folk and was looking for a way to improve my recorded sound and get more authentic tones and the BassPOD is working out really well. I am going to try it in performance when I get a Floorboard and see how that works out. Considering it's price, portability, usability, sound quality and just goddam fun it's a 10 to me.

I give it a 6 because the knobs have just a little to many functions
to my taste...but of course if you are computerized thats not a problem.
Anyway you'll learn your way around this thing fairly easy as you
work with it.

Because this is THE ANSWER i've been looking for.
So many years have I tried to get a good bassound ,and there it was.
Not at first though ,when i unpacked it and hooked up in my mixer
i made the wrong connection(using only the D.I output,not that it
was a bad sound ,but switching models didn't do anything much..)..
...so i began reading the manual and boy I'm glad I did.
Blending D.I output and AMP model output made all the difference
in the world.
There they all were , the sounds from my records...

I've had this thing for a month,and no breakdowns yet..
(I also own a guitarpod,one of the first that came out,
and i've never had any trouble with that one either except
from midiproblems but thats been taken care of,something in the
upgradechip and the new software I think...)

I live in Sweden and it feels pretty sour to read about
all the goodies on the line6page only to able to get
your hands on them 5-8 months later,as with the upgradechip
to my Guitarpod...I waited and waited and waited....
Maybe Sweden is a to small market,we have to wait until other more
importent markets have gotten their demands fullfilled...
Nevertheless..if I've got anything but a general breakdown on one
of my PODs I can always visit the line6page on the net 24 hours a day..doesn't get much better then that does it?

I listen to and play any form of music with a little more
focusing on pop/rock , I truly admire a good song In ANY genre,
be it Cyprus Hill or Mahler.
I have a Compuerbased homestudio, LOTS of guitars ,mics,syntherzisers
a 32 channel board ,drummachines,etc,etc..
Over the years I have tested many preamps and other solutions
to get a good bassound directly in to my board.
(I dont talk about micing up the real thing here)
So for me, that has been a homestudioguy and audiofiliac for
25 years this is a Quantum Jump towards the solution of good
homerecording of bassounds..
It inspires me and i would by it again,and again,and again if
it was stolen.
I really have to thank the Line6 people.
I dont have any objections on them making a lot of bread
as long as they supply me with things I have dreamt of..
BUT I think the BassPod is better than the GuitarPod
mainly because it has a separate Compressor AND I would
rather have had a rackmountable standardversion than the beanshape..
When it comes to SOUND as i value as the important thing
it is a 10.


M.Sjoberg in Sweden

Not easy to have great sounds out of this box. There's many functions using the same knob (like compressor ans noise gate). But I most say that the manual is very good.

I'm using a SM-900 from SWR with two Goliath III (4 x 10"). The sound of the "session" amp (which is suppose to be a SWR) does not sound as great as my amp. The input clips easily and the EQ don't seems to work like a "real" one!?! Some effects (like the tron or the phaser) sounds great but not as those they're modeled after (Mu-tron and MXR). Another problem for me is that it cannot be use only as an effect processor because there is no bypass for the amp model, and it changes the sound of you're amp (even with flat settings on the POD).

I use it for only 4 days so I don't know!

If you want a lot of amps model and effects, maybe it is for you. Considering all the stuff you get for only this price, this unit is a good choice if you don't want to spend a lot of money. But if what you're searching is pure sound, buy something else.

Most of the good controls are hard to find. Very easy to use the computer to fine tune effects

Not able to combined effects. Not able to adjust the input volumn. It distorts easy. But if you get the effect to work it sounds great.

Too many bugs. Wouldn't relay on it with out a back up

Very disappointed with this product. Used it for about 2 weeks then returned it.

I found that you can have a fair amount of fun just playing around on manual and get some groovin' sounds. For 90% of the stuff I play live, running direct into the PA only, it was a breeze to find really good sounds. For recording I got a bit more particular with my selection of sounds. This took some getting use to. After I finally got the right version of Sounddiver, and figured out that I need to install a seperate instance of it unique from my guitar POD's sounddiver, things got a bit easier... kudos to the website user's message board for helping with that. Anyway, it took a while to get where I could manipulate the controls with the software to the point where I cold dial up whatever I wanted. This is mostly the fault of E-Magic and the sounddiver software itself. It is basically not that good. I hear Johnson's J-station software is much more intuitive. Many people have mentioned that on the message board, hopefully Line6 will listen (they usually do) and get either a better software package or make some major improvements to Sounddiver. I thought the unit itself is as straightforward as they come, just read the manual.. its all there in B & W.

I am not using a particualrly great bass with mine. I have owned some really great basses in my time and pretty much know what kind of difference the quality of the bass makes. When it comes down to it, there's a huge difference between the sound of a great bass in a great bass player's hands playing through a great rig, and the sound of a cheap bass in a novice's hands being played through intro-level gear. But that gulf is narrowed quite a bit with experience and know-how... I promise you a great bass player can find a way to make just about any bass sound pretty good. So I'll take the quality of my axe out of the equation (not that I am that great, but I am good enough to not need a 3K$ bass to get a good sound). All that said, I have played through about a third of rigs modeled by the BOD, and like its brother, the POD, I think it does a pretty good job. Some models are better than others. Overall, the quality of reproduction its good. After I got over the notion that this was not going to be a panacea for all my needs, and that it was not going to have 100 different versions of the perfect bass sound, I started making some progress. I think if you know how to make a GK 800RB sound good (I always had a tough time with that one), you can probably make it sound good (in a similar way) on the BOD. Some models are just easier for me to get the sound I want, but I think that is because I just like the sound of that particular amp. The BOD does a good enough job on plenty enough of those amp models to make me happy, and feel like I got my money's worth, especially considering I would be out about 10 grand if wanted to buy the amps and cabinets I am using on my current recording project. Thinking in those terms I can't see how anybody could be dissatisfied with the product given price.
I do have some things I wish it had that it doesn't. I could live without about half of the effects they choose to model. They could have put more compressor options (the ones it has are good, but I would like to see more). An effect I would like to see, for which they made a half hearted attempt on the guitar version is the Leslie cabinet. You can get a great sound from the 15" woofer slowly rotating in a Leslie cab. Also, as someone else said in one of these reviews, its hard to get the drive function to really behave like it does with a good portion of the amp models. I don't think you can really get the BOD to sound, if you desired it, like you are really overdriving the hell out of the amp. I guess it is a fault of digital technology, despite the best efforts of Line 6's Tube Tone Technology. The FX most of us would typically use a majority of the time do sound good, they don't sweep out the lower frequencies like your cheaper stomp boxes and rack mounts often do.
I haven't tried it running into an amp... I go straight to the board and get my sound through full range cabinets. It usually sounds great. This is probably the best way to run the guitar version as well, from what I hear from others and have experienced with mine. If not through monitor mixes from out front, at least through an amp and some full range cabs, wedges or keyboard boxes would work... I havent tried this with the BOD yet live on stage, but from what I hear through our rehearsal gear, it seems to be the way to go. It also just makes sense. This isn't so much a "preamp" as it is a direct recording tool. As much as they claim it can do it, I think sticking with the AIR funtion (the cab + mike models) on gets the best reproductions of the amp models overall, and the best "sound" overall, which is what we are all after, isn't it?

I have had no problems with the BOD so far or with my POD which I have had for about 9 months. Nor has the two or three people I know that have them... there are some bugs in early models, but Line 6 will take care of it, promptly, from what I hear.

Except for having to wait a while to get the Sound diver software, no complaints. The web site is a good resource, and I particularly like the "LUP" message board.. you can get a lot of info off that, as well as get direct communication with the designers.

For me and what I do, I don't think there is anything better on the market. Nor has there ever been anything close to date. It is an enourmously resourceful tool to have for project studio work. I would take it in to a big time, big bucks studio with a fair amount of confidence. If the studio had the rig I was using on the BOD, I would probably use the rig, if I could get the sound I wanted... goes back to that whole problem with "drive" function not really sounding like you're pushing the amp hard...
The only serious complaint I have, is that Line 6 introduced the Bass POD PRO this week at Summer NAMM, which I probably would have bought instead, had I known they were going to come out with it so soon. They weren't even shipping the Bass POD till Spring, I think they could have let us know it was coming...
They did this to me with the guitar POD too, not two or three months after I bought it, they break out this bad ass rackmount unit with SPDIF I/O and other nice features for recording. Not to mention it is just better as a rackmount. I like it alot, but the bean shape is just an awkward thing to have on stage.

It is very simple. Nothing to it.

The Bass Pod input stage clips much too easily. Even a
moderately hot signal will cause the device to distort.
In this case, it's a really ugly, unmusical distortion.

Although I will admit that my bass output signal is hot,
it is very clean, and isn't that much hotter than any
other active bass. The bass itself is a Fleishman custom,
with a proprietary on-board preamp, pickups by Bartolini.

The Bass Pod is also quite noisy when it shouldn't be.
By that I mean that additive noise is context sensitive:
When a distortion based, high-gain effect is active, I would
expect that there would be noise. When the "Session" model is
active with "Drive" way down, and "Compression" off, using
no effects, I would expect that there would be minimal noise.
This is not the case.

(BTW...the SWR amp model isn't even REMOTELY close to the
real thing.)

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

At the time I purchased this unit, none were available locally
to test out, so I purchased it via mail-order.

The decision to do so was based on favourable experiences with
other Line6 gear.

I worked with it for a few weeks. Different environments,
different styles of music. I really wanted this thing to
work out.

I shipped the unit back.

I wouldn't give it a "hunk-of-junk" rating, because it seems to be well made, and the user interface is nice.

The concept of it is pretty cool, it's a shame that the actual
implementation isn't on par.

I have had a guitar POD for over a year so, so it was very easy to use. The interface is as easy as it gets.

I was amazed at the accuracy of the modeling on the Bass Pod. I regularly use and Ampeg SVT with 8x10 cab and previously, a Gallien Gruger 400 RB with Hartke 4x10`s. It was uncanny how it does all the things I love about the SVT, (with the exception of moving your pant legs from the pushing air), and all the things I hated about the GK, like the toneless clinical pick sound.

I found for headphones I had to boost the bass to get the bottom end only a lot of power can give you, however, for recording I?d trim it back.

I briefly tried it through my SVT with all the Tone controls on the Ampeg set to 12 noon.
The sound was tight, concise and powerful. Using the effects didn?t water down the punch at all.

I don`t really use effects on the bass but after playing around with the Bass Pod I pulled all my old Boss pedals out of my kitchen drawer to see if I could duplicate the Pod effects with the SVT. The distortions on the Pod blew away my Boss Bass Overdrive pedal (which tends to sound a little `nasal` through 10 Inch speakers, It works better through 15`s. Chorus?s and Flanger?s were better on the Pod as well. I couldn?t even find an Electro Harmonix ?Bass Balls? box in the city of Toronto. Although the Bass Pod was fairly expensive in Canada ($568.oo CAN incl. Tax), It sure beats the post of a couple of effect stomp boxes and a pretty good compressor ? which by the way is excellent as well.

I recorded bass last year using the guitar Pod (tube ?pre-amp with Marshall 4x12, treble completely off, mid one quarter, mid three quarters) It was - by Far - the best direct bass sound I have ever had. And I have spent a lot of time in the past with Sans Amps and speaker emulators - not even direct - it blew away the sound of a good microphone on an Ampeg Portaflex!

I haven?t recorded with the Bass Pod yet, But I?m looking forward to it, especially with the feature of a second line to the board direct. How may times in the past has there been a recording situation where the engineer says ?we?ll just get a flat sound for the recording then put it through a tube amp during mix?.... and they never do. It`s a joy to record your parts with a `finished` sound.

I can?t say enough good things about it ? Yet in my situation, my Bass Pod froze and died (most likely due to some of the bugs mentioned on this page) so I returned it, waiting for a new one to arrive at the store. (after reading this page I realize all I had to do was re-initialize it. I went back to playing bass through my guitar Pod with out missing it at all. I think if you already own a guitar Pod, buying the Bass Pod may be a bit excessive.

I keep pulling my pod off the Line6 mic stand bracket and it hasn`t borken yet. A lot of the red paint has chipped of my guitar Pod but that just makes it look better

I felt the bass Pod was released a little early. It has two known bugs, and they haven`t made Emagic work with it yet which was quite disappointing.

I play Rock and Roll using Fender Precisions and an SVT. Before I could afford a good tube amp I used a Sans Amp to `dirty`up solid state amps. I did some recording a couple of Years ago using a VS880 Hard Disk recorder. At the time I was using a MusicMan Stingray and wasn`t very happy with the direct Bass sound. THe Bass Pod makes home porcticing a joy, however,I wish the effects included one analog Delay.

Pretty Easy to use. Most features can be accessed using the panel controls. The manual (which other manufacturers should use as an example of how manuals should be written) details every aspect of the POD. A few extra knobs to control certain parameters (for example, a second midrange knob to select frequency for the models with selectable midrange boost/cut or two midrange freq's) would be nice, but it's understandable that the logic used was that not every amp had these parameters; therefore, the knobs were not included. I like that i can twist a knob with the unit instead of wading through menus on an LCD, and the MANUAL feature was a great idea. I do get the feeling that they tried as hard as possible to make the unit logical.

I use my MusicMan 4-string and my Pre-Gibson Tobias 5-string with this unit. When i practice, i use headphones. I'm very pleased with the quality of the signal produced. If i turn the amp model to the SWR setting and the cabinet model to the Eden 410XLT setting, i can make the POD sound like my rig. I can also get the sounds of my friend's rigs as well, just by spinning a few knobs and eq'ing the amps just like they do. I've tried the POD running through a power amp and i've been very pleased with the output, though i haven't been able to test it at a show yet.

I'm not into using a lot of effects on bass, but the POD's effects sound good enough for me. They've included the ones i would normally use (chorus, flange) and a few that i don't. It's nice that there are two kinds of chorus, several distortions, etc. And that they do sound different. Everyone seems to whine about the S/H, but i just solve that by not using it. I did notice that those effects vary GREATLY in response from bass to bass and need to be "tweaked" to be in harmony with your bass.

Bottom line, if you blindfolded me and changed the settings, i could probably play "name that amp" or "name that cab" with the Bass POD. It was above and beyond what i expected; i'll give it a 9 because the next version of the Bass POD will probably sound even better.

Too soon to tell. It's only been a month... how can i guess whether or not it will fail?

Right off the bat, the Bass POD had a bug where it would not initialize properly if the Analog Chorus was being used when the unit was last turned off. A hard reset would let you use the POD again, but the presets were lost. However, Line 6 immediately acknowledged this problem and sent me the v1.06 firmware chip. Very prompt, very nice. The web site should be updated more though, and the SoundDiver software just flat sucks... they should write their own software.

The 8 is because of the website and the SoundDiver problems... If they fix them both, make this a 10.

After reading the other posts about the Bass POD, there were a few things that i didn't agree with. One reviewer was upset that the Bass POD couldn't change the fact that his Ibanez bass doesn't sound good. Another reviewer complained that it's harder to get a good bass sound on the Bass POD than the guitar POD.

The Bass POD can't change aesthetical problems with your instrument. It cannot make a cheap bass sound like a good bass; it can make a cheap bass sound like a cheap bass going through a really expensive bass amp and cabinet.

The Bass POD also makes dialing up a good tone EASIER... but Bass is already harder to get a good tone out of than guitar. When you play bass, you are in most cases playing clean. There's no distortion to hide behind, etc.

I feel that the Bass POD very accurately represents all of the amps and cabinets that it sets out to replicate. I've been playing for 8 years and this unit is like a dream come true. I wanted a Music Man bass for 7 years and i finally bought one. With the Bass POD, i can have the tone of quite a few bass amps that i've wanted for years, as well as few that i would have otherwise never even tried. If Line 6 follows a similar path to their guitar product line, they will eventually include even more effects and amps to the unit. I look forward to the future.

Now, I have only to wait for them to make Bass Heads... and for the love of God, they need to go down to 2 Ohms!

Relative to the guitar POD (I have the "original"), the Bass Pod is a difficult beast. There are quite a few features which take some time to figure out. Fortuantely, there are plenty of knobs and very little button pushing. Getting a good sound is a much more tricky process than with the guitar pod and, like another reviewer mentions in his review, the character of your bass matters much more than the guitar running into guitar pod. One little complaint: when the unit is turned on it defaults to a preset (9c) rather than manual mode. It's a small inconvenience.

I run my Fender p-bass lyte into this thing and initially was listening to the output through my good headphones. I was disappointed, though I've never had a very positive experience playing my bass through headphones. Then I plugged the pod's output into my SWR Workingman's 12" with the amp's eq knobs minimized. This turned the Bass Pod from a bit of a disappointment into a bass flexmaster deluxe. The range of tone coming off this thing (for the cost) blows my mind when put in this arrangement. This is a sharp contrast from guitar pod, which is a much more mixed bag when plugged straight into an amp. Everything from smooth and deep to crunch-pop. I agree with the other reviewers that the effects range from good (distortions) to undependable (synth) to utterly useless (s & h). A reverb and a delay would have been nice. I take only one point away for the weak effects, though, since the real purpose of the pod is amp emulation, which it does well enough for me.

Steel body, beefy plastic knobs. I wouldn't play football with it, hammer nails with it, etc. If you treat your $300 gear like crap, it will crap on you. Still, my experience with guitar pod is good. My pods live on a shelf in my room, so I'll leave it to musicians on the road to rate this.

Line6 should be the standard every other company strives for. Their manuals are available on line and I recommend reading the Bass POD manual before you buy it (even if you've tested it). Everything I've heard tells me these guys are committed to maintaining their reputation.

The bass pod is a useful tool for making your bass stand out. It works well with my amp and for direct recording it is handy. I recommend trying to test it with your bass before you buy it, however, because the bass really matters here. If you already own a guitar pod and are using it to direct record your bass like me, I don't think bass pod is all that necessary. Still, for shaping your tone, this little bean is pretty damn good. It's not as instantly thrilling as guitar pod, but it's a very solid purchase. Line 6 makes great gear for the hobbyist musician who can't afford (or can't deal with) the big rack stuff.

Really easy to use as the Guitar Pod model. With all the buttons you can use directly on the Pod and besides the software SoundDiver which help you to go further with the editing functions, what do you have to say. Let's go play Bass...
The manual is only in english at the moment and is not quite better than the one of the Guitar Pod ... They've got to make it better, I think using more examples. The firmware revision is 1.0 at the moment. I'm one of the first buying the machine in France ant the latest so no upgrade at the moment.

My bassguitar is an orange (ouch!) music man StingRay which is a real good bass as it is known. I'm using without an amp but directly in the homestudio. The sound is perfect (gorgeous). I'm putting all the level on a normal position (center for equalization) on the musicman bass. But you've better turn the "output level" on the pod at more than 7, the dynamic is better.
My prefered bass artist are Jaco Pastorius, Stu Hamm and Robert Trujillo (infectious groove).
All the effects are very good and even better for that price.

I can completely depend on it.
What is interesting with the SoundDiver (on a PC or Mac) is that you can save all your new user sound.

Very Friendly when you ask question and very helpful.
No problem at this time of upgrading, repairing this machine.

I'm composer and I like to mix different type of music (rock, funk, metal, jazz, trip hop, ...) and the pod bass is doing really right his job.
I play bass for 4 years.
If it was stolen, I will buy another one. I don't hate anything. I love the easy use of it, the dynamic of the sound, ... the result on a record. When it's not good, it's my own fault, I'm not as good as I've got to be.
I tried the other product and they're not at the same level. I choose it also because I've got the Guitar Pod and I knew what are its performance.
I want to thank all the people helping the musicians to realize their dreams using such machine,... Many Thanks to Line6, they're doing good jobs and their goods are not too expensive for the quality.

Pretty simple. Most features are accessible from the from panel, which is a good thing because, as of this date (June 27, 2000), Line 6 still hasn't released the SoundDiver editing software. Download the manual from the Web site to see what a really well-written user manual looks like.

You're probably not going to be as blown away by this as you may have been by the original POD. With a few exceptions, the amp and cab models are far more subtle in their differences.

The fundamental tone of the bass that you plug into the Bass POD has a huge impact on your sound. I own an Ibanez Soundgear which I've never really liked the sound of, and I'm a bit disappointed with the fact that the Bass POD doesn't have the capability of changing the sound a little more than it does. However, I shouldn't fault Line 6 for releasing a product that lets the natural tone of the instrument (good or bad) through.

I bought the Bass POD hoping to have the flexibility to dial in a wide range of tones. Everything from Victor Wooten's ultra-clean and articulate to Geddy Lee's "Moving Pictures" midrange honk to Rex from Pantera's distortion to Trevor Dunn's warm and punchy sound on Mr. Bungle's "California." It an extreme understatement to say that I expected a lot from the Bass POD. I'm sorry to say that it doesn't really deliver.

Having said that, I still think it sounds good, just don't believe the hype about being able to dial in whatever sound you want. Remember that you are ultimately limited by the sound of your bass. If you own a bass that you love the tone of, by all means, buy the Bass POD. Just don't make the mistake that I did in thinking that the Bass POD will "fix" the sound of the instrument you own.

There's pretty good EQ and compression. Simple, but relatively effective. It ain't gonna sound like a dedicated studio-quality EQ or compressor, but it does a decent job. Certainly good enough for the home hobbyist or for demo recordings.

Some final comments on the effects--just as in the original POD, they are OK, but not really a substitute for a dedicated effects box. In particular, the Bass Synth is weak. I can't get it it track notes accurately. And the "Sample + Hold", while interesting for a few minutes, should have been left out in favor of a delay, or reverb, or both. I appreciate having the four different choices for overdrive/distortion, though.

I've owned the original POD for about a year now, and I haven't had any problems with it. It seems well-built to me, but I wouldn't be careless with it.

Line 6 has great support in my experience. They have a fabulous, friendly Web site, and go out of their way to serve the customer. The only time I ever needed anything from them--a software upgrade for the POD--it was delivered quickly and at no cost to me.

I wish I had better things to say about the Bass POD. I think I expected too much. I'm not unsatisfied with my purchase. I would have returned it if I were. Like I said above, it sounds good, just not what I'd hoped for.

I'm not sure if I'd replace it. We'll see if I'm happier with it over time. I've only owned it for a week or so. I'd love to get the chance to play a great bass through it to see what it sounds like. But, alas, I'm stuck with an Ibanez.

As I already have a guitar POD, I am familiar with the setup of the unit. having saud that, one of the best features of the POD system is that they use knob layouts which are instantly familiar to guitarists and bassists. i.e. the controls are of the volume, bass, middle, treble, rotary type.
The unit is extremely versatile and therefore requires some exploration to get the best out of it. USE THE MANUAL!! The manual is easy to read and understand, so no problems there.

The unit is fantastic for recording with. It saves such a lot of hassle messing around with mikes, or trying to get pre-amps to sound "warm". With bass POD you can select your favourite head, combine it with a choice of cabinet layouts and, ir required, dial in some effects.
The main reason for my utilising this unit is to obtain great tones at the touch of a button. Does it do this? In a word, YES!!

As I only use it in the studio at present, I can't comment on it's suitability to a live setting. The sound generated would be dependant upon using a quality PA and backline system. In the studio I have had no problems (although to be fair I have only had it for three days so far).
I have a guitar POD, and if the Bass version is as reliable, then I should have no problems.

No problems, the guys advised me as to when the unit was appearing in the UK, and I had the first one in my country reserved for me - pretty good service I think you'll agree!!!

Playing and teaching various styles from rock, blues, reggae, pop, funk, soul, gospel, etc I need a unit which provides sounds adapted to these styles. Although most of an individual's sound comes from their fingers, it's great to have good sounding backline (live I use a 1,000 watt Eden stack!!). The sound generated from Bass POD is, I have stated earlier, fantastic. Try one out for yourself, I'm certain you'll agree!!