Line 6 GuitarPort

This product is designed to play and record music through your computer. It does this well and serves its general purpose. It only takes a few minutes to get up and running then you just plug and play. You've probably read most of the reviews by now and may be a little sceptical on whether to buy this thing or not. I have all the updates and have bought the classic collection patch and the effects pedals patch for it. The latest update was for the gearbox software which has a few revisions to the compressor models and adds 2 extra amps: an orange head and a marshall 1974x head.
My setup when recording is a Fender Deluxe Players Strat with a Seymour Duncan JB Jr. bridge pickup, or an Epiphone Les Paul with a Gibson 498T in the bridge and a Gibson Burstbucker Pro in the neck. I use Mogami cables and run it into a BBE Sonic Maximer then into the guitar port.

The sound just through my computer speakers did sound thin and weak but i decided to try and do something useful with it. Being new to recording on a computer i searched the internet and found some recording software to use. Since i didn't want to spend too much i got the cheapest one that had some of the specifications i was interested in. I went with the mixcraft software by acoustica.
This was an excellent choice on my part. After spending just a few hours tweaking the sound i wanted through my computer speakers, i started recording. I had a whole song completed with 5 different guitar parts all using a fender deluxe players strat with a jb jr humbucking bridge pickup installed. After recording and mixing with the mixcraft software i burned the cd and put it in my car stereo. I truly couldn't believe how good this sounded. Now i really don't think that the cheap recording software had anything to do with it but it did sound much better after being burned down to a cd and played on a real stereo.
The first song i recorded had an acoustic rhthm using the acoustic piezo model, an electric clean rhythm using the vox ac-30 model, an electric lead track using the soldano slo-100 model, and another electric guitar track using one of the odd stompbox models in the effects patch i purchased that had some sort of bubble wah echo sound.
Since then i have recorded about 10 songs with the guitar port and mixed them down using the mixcraft software and have been very pleased. I got asked to join a band and brought my cd as my audition and they thought i had been to a real studio to record but i told them i did it on my computer and mixed it myself. They didn't believe it till i showed them, so needless to say i got the gig anyway.
Now as i've said i am very new to recording but like to think i have a good ear for tone and i believe the guitar port is a very useful practice tool but with the right amount of time spent you can get some very good tones from it, rivaling closely the amps that are modeled, tubes and all.

Haven't had a problem with it yet.

Haven't had to call anyone.

This is an incredibly good deal for the price. You really can't beat it. Great for beginners and wanna-be's alike. I've been playing for 15 years and have gone through a few amps and a room full of stompboxes but this has it all at your fingertips.

Well if everything goes right in the installation it is a piece of cake after that. If not, well the ride gets bumpy fast. Mine was fairly trouble free to get up and running and after that it is a web browser with effects. The Guitarport Online feature is pretty cool really and a great idea were it not for the crappy sound quality coming out of this thing complete with pops, clicks and drop-outs.

As a I read through the reviews for the GuitarPort, I sat thinking that people must be easily impressed. All my music room signals are being fed via a Yamaha mixer to a pair of Tech 21 Power Engine 60 powered extension cabinets. This includes a Vox TOnelab, Boss DR-880 Drum/Bass Rhythym machine, mid-line Yamaha keyboard and of course the GuitarPort. All the other sources sound stellar but not the GuitarPort. It sounds like crap and no amount of tweaking in the software makes it better. It's not like I'm comparing this unit to one of my tube amps either. The upside is that the strengths of the GuitarPort do not have to include stellar sound quality because it is an excerllent practice device -- provided you can overlook the crappy tone anyway. So far I have, but my tolerance grows thin lately. And lest you think I am talking about high gain sound and the noise that such settings would have, wrong. I'm talking clean tone all the way, with no effects either. This is pure unadulterated digital noise, probably from the Universal Serial Bus (USB). My computer is a nearlyu new Sempron machine with 1GB of memory and everything else on it is without issues.

All that said, even while there is a few seconds of good performance, the models and effects aren't all that but hey, the thing costs $100 and it is designed for practice after all.

Well let's see. Every 2-3 times I boot up may machine, the GuitarPort can't be located and driver tries to find it repeatedly until it eventually gives up. My choices when this happens are to reboot and hope for the best next go round or reinstall the drivers to help it remember. Either is a time consuming PITA, but I hold no hope of Line6 doing anything about it anytime soon either.

You're kidding right? But I have to give them their props for at least releasing new software once in a while -- even if I have to wonder what it is they are fixing. I think that the unit forgetting how to load itself and having nearly continuous clicking and popping noises along with drop-outs is fairly serious and so far no update has fixed those things. Makes me wonder how serious the things are that they are fixing.

As a stand alone modeling unit, I'd give this about a 2-3 maybe. The beauty of this product is the online facilty though which, while it costs extra every month ($7.95/month US) provides a decent number of lessons, backing tracks and jam tracks to keep a beginner pretty busy for a while. I have pretty much gleaned the things I wanted from the service now and I'm all but ready to sell off the GuitarPort very soon. Guitar newbies with computer skills will like this product I think, especially if they have a hard time finding a decent guitar teacher. The online part I'd rate at 8-9, making the aggregate score something like 5-6. What the heck, I'll give it a 6 for the benefit of the doubt.

I bought this as a learning tool and to get some idea of what different amp, cabinet and effects sounded like. I've found editing "patches" rather easy. If my edit sucks, I keep changing it until it sounds OK. The manual is nicely laid out, but it could describe things in more detail. Currently using edition 2.5

I'm using this through a Sony Vaio with a Creative Soundblaster Audigy LS sound card. I could use a better pair of earphones. I usually take one of the stock amp/cab/effects sounds and modify it. There are few effects, like compression, that could use some extra models. I'm slowly getting to my favourite sound, but there could be more amp/cab models with out having to spend another $99.

Had a problem with it once - kept cutting out - then it stopped doing that. Couldn't figure out if it was the guitarport, the cables, the USB Port, the axe or what.

Haven't use it too much. Usually found what I wanted. Have not used the Online Service for $8/mo. US het.

I fool around with different stuff, but mostly blues, blues rock. I played for 10 years, quit for 30 and started again last year. What I like about it, is that I can experiment with different amp models, cabs and effects without mortagaging my life,... and with a set of earphones. There are no other products like this so I'm happy it wasn't a wipe-out. Like I said before, I wish it had more amp.cab/effect models without having to pay as much as I did for the unit.

It is definitely good value for the money.

This review is for the Guitar Port & Rifftracker recording software. The Guitar Port is what it is and meant to be: very easy way to play your guitar into a computer via a usb port. Had no issues loading the Guitar port box and software. I was using it in less than 10 minutes! Of coarse my computer & speakers are not a marshall head and cab, so the audio is as one would expect: very low output or on my computer anyway. The amp models and effects are fine for what they were meant to be: computer based digital clones. The Rifftracker recording software however is not as well received by myself. The jury is still out on this part of the package, and a CAUTION, it does not come with any user manuals or documentions at all! Nor can you down load a user manual from the Rifftracker or Line6 website. ONly have overview and questionable demos. I am not entirely stupid, I used Audicity with their limited product support, but warning their is not any real support for Rifftracker. You are suppose to be able to learn rifftracker on the fly, which is fine, but makes me wonder why no user manuals?

it's a computer program, that clones amps and effects, so it sounds fine for what it is.

no experience here

It's pretty easy to use. It installed correctly and I was able to play sounds out of my computer/studio monitor system.
Editing patches is very easy. I am running Version 2.5. The clean sounds are more convincing that the dirty.

My setup is a Charvel Model III, a Kramer XLI with Dimarzo drop in and a Les Paul.
If you were thinking you're going to get a real distorted amp tone like on a record think again. You can get rock sounds, but up against my Rocktron Voodu or Digi 2112 which both emulate/model, this thing is sort of a joke. It is a good place for a beginner to start. The effects are good and it's cool to have a U-vibe but the basic sound is tinny, digital and harsh. I'm unable to recreate most the demo PodXT sounds from the website... like Eruption. You'd think they'd be patches. Doing my own tweaking I was able to come up with some descent early Van Halen and AC/DC tones. Clean tones are okay I guess. The cabinet amp models all seem to just be different EQ settings. When I go through the presets for the Demo song, they all sound like the same sounds with different EQ. The sound quality is passable as a practice amp and for $100 it's probably worth it for that. I have to agree that it's a toy, but great for practice. If you want to record, get a quality direct in unit.

I can depend on it as a practice amp.
It's not made for a gig.

Haven't had to deal with it.

All in all it's kind of cool. I like fiddling with it.
What style of music do you play? Van Halen, Rock
Is this a good match? Can come close to early VH.
How long have you been playing? 20 years on and off.
What other gear do you own? Johnson Millenium, Laney Pro-Tube, Rocktron Voodu Valve Online
If it were stolen or lost, would you buy it again or get something else? Probably wouldn't get it again.
what do you love about it? Playing through the computer with high gain at low volume. Can record as a single track easily. Built in metronome.
What do you hate? The tease of hoping to get an Allan Holdsworth or Ty Tabor sound and not being in the same universe. Plugging in my Rocktron back in and realizing how bad the sound is on the Guitarport.
What is your favorite feature? U-Vibe, Metronome.
Did you compare it to other products? there are none comparable
Why did you choose this one? Gift

The program is pretty easy to use. I have had no trouble playing around with it. There is so much stuff on here though that it has taken me quite a while to play with all of the sounds enough to know what I want to do with it.

It sounds good enough. I use my computer and the guitar port now as my amp. I do not play live and this piece of hardware has enabled me to be a one man band. I mixed my songs down and put them on my iPod and they sound like professional quality recordings to me. When I was in bands as a teenager and my early twenties, every band I knew would have killed to be able to record at this quality for this price.

I had a little trouble with the installation and I could not find my issue in the help manual or online. I called customer service and the guy just kept telling me to check the manual or go online. I eventually figured the problem out on my own.

I am very happy that I bought the Line 6 Guitar Port. It will serve me well and does exactly as I need it to do. I love the recording capabilities of this thing. The guitar Port has truly helped me with music writing. The drag and drop feature in the Riff Tracker makes writing and putting songs together relatively simple.

I have the GuitarPort/Rifftracker hardware/software combo. Pretty easy to use, the directions are clear and concise. If you can turn a knob on an amp, you can use this software. If you can use windows....you can use this software

Amazing sound!!! I have a 4.1 surround set up on the computer, and I swear it sounds like my half stack next to it!!! All the effects sound great, a little noisy at times.....but manageable. Downloadable patches are available on toneport.

So far so good............

Never had to call them........

It changed my life.........sad but true. I can record amazing quality songs in minutes on my pc, and have them on my website in seconds. Super tool for the aspiring home recording artist. Hear it on my site ca.geocities.com/shredrex@rogers.com

Too easy for words.

Only used with headphones plugged into my laptop - but have put some stuff onto CD and played on my Hi-Fi and it sounds fine, a little processed but OK.

No problems so far.

Had great customer support in the past when the power board on my Spider
blew up.
Have upgraded the software for my Guitarport recently with no problems.

Does everything I expected, I just wanted a tool to sketch ideas onto my PC and it does that just fine.
One minor down - I need a manual wah function (and my laptop doesn't have MIDI )
For the price it's the absolute bollocks.
I've been playing for over 30 years and i'm not even 40 - so if you disagree with me - you don't know shit.
Rant over.

Point and click.

OK, for all those calling it a toy, comparing it to the Pod XT, real amps etc., it is not any of those. It is more of a practice tool than anything else. I have mine hooked up to the computer so I can get the Online content to play along with. I plug my guitar into my amp. Now I do use the guitar input occassionally but don't have any expectations of anything but good usable tones to practice with. The sound of this unit is dependent on your processor and computer speakers. For $99 and $7 a month for the subscription it's the best value I've ever gotten on guitar related equipment. So if you're a new player needed a convenient easy to use interface with decent sounds or an experienced player who likes to practice with backing tracks and songs from some great artists this is a great deal. If you expect to use this live you're pretty clueless. I give it a ten because it sounds good for what it is. Not because it sounds like a Blackface Fender or Marshall stack.

No problems in 1 1/2 years.

Line 6 is a company on the cutting edge, despised by many for their inovations. Time marches on and Line 6 moves forward with it.

Great practice tool and takes up 10 square inches of space on my desk.

I have the riff tracker version.

Setting up the Port is simple. The online guide is easy to follow. Anyone who can't do it, should'nt even own a computer. Seriously. Basic sounds that come with the unit sound really good. You can edit things very easily with the mouse...Point, Click & Hold, move mouse, BOOM, Tone changes. That easy.

Remember, you are sitting in front of monitors. Unless you are using LCD's, you will get some hum. Use the hum eliminator to reduce 90% of the hum and still retain your tone. The Amps modeled are really nice to that of the name of the patch (eg: China Grove). And, you can further tweak to make it sound even better. I'm using a P4 2.6 with 1 gig of ram. NO LATENCY with a Soundblaster Audigy 2. Its excellent. Recording has never been easier and sounds absolutly amazing. What I first did was try to mimic sounds that I've listened to and try to dial them in. Its so close it isn't funny. Early Eddie Van Halen tones are excellent and easy to get. I've made Metallica tones, Zakk Wylde Tones, John Petrucci and more, and they sound very close to the album. I download the Metal pack (for a small fee) to get the Mississippi Criminal Model (5150MKII) and I have an original 5150. They modeled the lead channel, so I decided to mic up mine on the lead channel and record it, then compare it to the Guitar Port. I don't think anyone would notice once its recored.

I've owned it for a year now with out any issues what so ever. I've read that people can't set them up and they're buggy and what not, blah blah blah. I've used the ORIGINAL guitar port back in the day with out issue. Its brainless to setup, easy to use and sounds excellent. If you exceed the requirements, no problem. I've taken it over to my buddies place and used it on his P3 500Mhz with 256 ram. NO PROBLEMS. Installed the drivers and I was recording at his place.

Now...here's the sad thing. I have dealt with LINE6 before on WARRANTY issues...their turn around on amps and such is awful in Canada. A Friend of mine has the Vetta II head. It died. He waited over 2 months for it to be fixed due to lack of parts at the canadian service center which line6 didn't send up. I've seen this before and unfortunely must say...they're slow...but will fix it.

Overall, I feel this is an EXCELLENT value to those who are running home PC based recording studio's and can't crank out an amp. This is the solution. The sound quality is excellent to that of something you'll hear on a cd. What you hear on the website is exactly what I hear at home through my machine. If someone actually managed to break in and steal it, I'd get another one. This is such a great tool. I've never personally tried the online lessosn, but a customer from the store I work at did, and said they were excellent. Try one out...you won't be sorry. The Riff tracking software is great too. The drums are awesome.