Line 6 JM4 Looper

I worked in the computer industry for 23 years, and can almost always navigate music equipment without looking at a manual or online help. But I had to consult the manual multiple times to get this product running smoothly.

Some of the basic stuff was intuitive, but some functions that should be reasonably simple on an effects pedal were a mystery without the manual. Perhpas a familiarity with other Line 6 products would help, but that certainly shouldn't be required in order to use an effects box.

I have used the JM4 with two very basic setups. One is guitar into JM4 into a Fender Princeton Reverb whose volume was set at 2. In other words, the amp was running clean and quiet. The second setup I've used is guitar into JM4 into my studio monitor system - Mackie 1202 mixer, ADA Microtube power amp, and Korg Soundlink DRS monitors. Again, everything was running quiet and undistorted.

The sound quality had two distinct components: the JM4's internal song/drum loops, and the guitar/mic modeling section. The song/drum loops sound excellent through each of my setups. But to put this in perspective, the JM4 holds a few hundred loops, many of them fairly short. That's not even 2% of what a typical iPod can hold, so I'm not giving a lot of weight to that. It would take a strong and focused effort to have those loops NOT sound excellent.

The second component of the sound quality is the guitar and mic modeling section. It is, in a word, pathetic. As a basis for comparison, I have owned digital and/or analog modeling in multi-effects products from these companies: Korg, Roland, Boss, Johnson, Digitech, Yamaha, Tech 21 (SansAmp), Fender (Cyber Deluxe) and probably some others I'm forgetting. these are not brands I've TRIED, these are brands I've OWNED. And the JM4 sounds horrible compared to any one of them.

The JM4's clean tones (i.e. no processing) sound as they should: uncolored and clean. The time-based effects - reverb, echo, chorus, etc. - sound OK to me, usable but not much beyond that.

But any of the presets involving even moderate levels of distortion sound like a chain of very cheap stompboxes (i.e. the Danelectro mini-series stuff) all overloading each other. The classic "bacon sizzling in a frying pan" crackling ruins nearly every patch. Without exaggeration, the distortion patches are significantly worse than most cranked solid-state amps I've heard over the years. Not one tone sounded anything like a decent emulation of a tube amp, let alone like the real thing.

I spent hours trying to find a way around this horrible tone, even running my guitar through the "mic" input and connecting the JM4 to my Princeton reverb via the JM4's "line out". Nothing helped. I tried virtually every possible combination of amp model, drive level, tone settings ... nothing helped. I could not get one usable tone, other than a straight-through clean, out of this processor.

At this point I have to say that I'm shocked by how absolutely terrible this product's amp modeling sounds are. I've never been a fan of the Line 6 products I've heard being used onstage by other guitarists, which is probably why I've owned all of those other brands but never a Line 6.

But the JM4 is built around such a killer concept, I figured I'd love playing along wtih it, and how bad could the guitar patches be? After all, I bought my first digital guitar processor (a Yamaha SPX-90) over 20 years ago, and it had loads of great sounds. And I only need two or three decent sounds to keep me happy while I'm practicing. And thousands of people seem to love Line 6 modeling amps! Surely there would be a number of patches to keep me happy.

Well, this Line 6 JM4 can't come close to the sound of that 20-year-old Yamaha (which I still own). From the standpoint of sound quality, this is probably the most disappointing product I've ever purchased. I've given it a sound quality rating of 4 beacuse the clean sounds and internal loops are very good. But if I could rate the clean sounds and amp emulations separately, the clean would get an 8 and the amp emulations would get a 2.

I haven't owned the product for very long, but it seems to be built like the proverbial tank. I don't see any fragile knobs or unprotected controls that might be accidentally broken off or damaged. The JM4 seems to be extremely well-built. I'll only use it at home and in the studio, but I'd not hesitate to take it to any gig or jam.

I've never dealt with Line 6, so I can't offer a rating. I do plan to contact them to find out if my JM4 could possibly have a firmware issue that is generating the gawd-awful amp emulations. (That's how bad the sounds are; I really do wonder if there is a firmware defect, because I can't believe a major manufacturer would release something that sounds so terrible). I'll be happy to post the rsults here, along with any help they might offer regarding getting some halfway acceptable guitar sounds.

I will keep the JM4 for the time being, because I haven't seen anything like it for anywhere near the price. The internal drum loops are useful for simple song-sketching/writing, and the full songs provide a tremendously cool at-your-fingertips backing band. I play just about anything: jazz, blues, basic rock, folk, some country, even a little classical. I'll have a lot of fun jamming along wtih the JM4.

Especially noteworthy is the way the songs loop back on themselves almost unnoticed. I find myself jamming along, oblivious to the fact that I'm on the 4th or 5th pass of the same "song". And the variety of songs and styles is great! Sure, it's really just a collection of "music-minus-one" sorts of backing loops, but it's well-executed and the sound quality of the loops is very good.

I've not yet used the product's recording/looping functions to any great extent, but I can tell from reading the manual that doing so will not be an intuitive process. However the results of my limited experiments have sounded very good - the JM4 does fine with clean sounds and with capturing input signals.

All of these good points, however, are nearly completely offset by the utter uselessness of the guitar processing. and this is a major issue, since the big selling point of the JM4 is that it's a full-on jamming and songwriting system in one box. For me, this will only be true if I'm happy wtih a 100% clean guitar sound.

Otherwise I'll have to start hauling out additional stompboxes or multi-effects processors. At that point, I might as well just use those stompboxes and an iPod, since the iPod can store loads more backing tracks than the JM4 contains. And, unlike the JM4, I can put the iPod in my pocket and store my music collection on it.

I expect that in a few more months, folks like Korg or Roland/Boss or Digitech will produce products like the JM4. At that point I will quickly divest myself of the JM4 and buy a replacement from ANY other company that makes something similar.

To potential buyers, I say wait for something better. (I had second thoughts about writing that, since I will sooon want someone to buy mine! But the truth is the truth).

And to anyone from Line 6 who might read these reviews: Feel free to contact me if you'd like some input from a product manager with two decades of high-tech experience. Is there some way you can produce a downloadable (or user-installable) SW/FW upgrade with at least a few acceptable guitar sounds? The other reveiews here should assure you that this is a serious problem with the JM4, a problem that will come back to haunt your company's reputation.

I found switching to recording mode cumbersome. I spent more time bent over the unit than I'd like. Otherwise it was quite versatile.

My unit was defective. It sounded great for about 6 weeks - even at high volume. Then it developed a hiss that was related to the mic input. You could reduce it by setting the mic input to disabled - not too practical for recording from mic though. Otherwise there were some good effects - but lot that really weren't useful. The play along loops were all good quality - would be nice to have more variety though - e.g. Blues/jazz. Would also be cool if Line 6 would publish new backing tracks for use with this unit.

Broke after about 6 weeks. I compared it with another one at my retailer and it had the same problem right out of the box.

My vendor sent it back for repair and it came back in a reasonable time with one comment 'Done'. But the hiss was even worse than before. I would rate support higher if they at least came back with an explanation. Fortunately I was able to return it and get my $$ back.

If they worked out this hiss problem I'd probably give it an 8. If they made it easier to switch into record mode (hey it's looper - isn't that the most common setting?), then I'd give it a 9. But what for what I saw 2 of 2 were broken. Too bad, because Line 6 generally makes good products.

Since I have owned and still own several Line6 products, I have grown accustomed to their strange and technically space operating manuals. The problem is that when you have so many functions and iterations of those functions, it is really difficult write a comprehensive manual.

The sound of the jam tracks and the looping function are hi-fi, almost sci-fi. very much fun to jam with and the looping function is tons of fun. The only problem is with the guitar modeling section. Supposedly the patches are is tweaked by a bunch of LA Studio Musicians but I it doesn't have a very professional sound To curet his I plugged my POD X3 into the CD input and used the X# for my guitar sound. What a huge difference! Sounds excellent. By the way the effects on the JM4 simply suck. There is no other way to describe them but as hideous.

It more computer than musical instrument, so you be the judge. So far I have used all my PODs and my Vox Tonelab in practice and gif situations and have not had any issues. Of course I only use these as a small part of my overall sound. My main amp is a 66 Fender Deluxe Reverb that is in its 5th rebuild and sounds better than ever. I actually use the POD through a 67 Twin reverb for really clean tones, really nice

Line 6 is OK. I wish they would drop the "Hey were cool cuz we are from LA" thing. I am from Chicago and have played in the Chicago music scene since the 70's and don't like the idea that music from the coasts is necessarily better.... just different.

I play everything from Blues to metal to classical to country to f#@king disco. I work in house bands around the city and whatever someone needs for backup, I am there. I also do studio work but will not work consistently in a touring band. I am already married and don't need any more drama. My main guitar is a 60's Telecaster but I also use a reissue 54 Goldtop which is a killer and a 57 reissue Strat with a 9.5 radius neck. There are others depending on the job but there are my main tools.
I'd buy the JM$ again because nothing is perfect and it is loads of fun. I practice a lot and this helps me stay focused.

This is a fairly straight foreward piece of gear. The manual is well laid out and fairly easy to understand. There are several step by step flow type diagrams in the begining of the manual that instruct how to play along with a drum beat or song for instance. These diagrams allowed me to get familiar with the looper very quickly.

Line 6 is noted for the excellent fidelity of their software products. The JM4 follows that tradition. The amp and effect samples are supurb. By sound engineering standards they are most likely considered quite cheesy. But for just over $300.00 Line 6 gives the customer a wide array of great sounds for a more than reasonable price.

I have owned several pieces of Line 6 gear and have never experienced a problem with any.

I would most likely not use the JM4 to gig with due to the fact that a mike and a guitar cannot be used simultaneously. The user has to bend over and press a button in order to switch from guitar input to aux/mike input.

I've never had a problem with Line 6 gear so I really cannot comment on their customer support.

I would not use this pedal in a live presentation situation as you have to bend over in order to switch from guitar to mike or keyboard. I have to admit that this unit contains a most excellent guitar tuner that even my tired eyes can read while standing erect.

I do use the JM4 to assemble song ideas on the fly with drum track backing, guitar, keyboards and vocals. These songs can be recorded and sent to a PC.

When compared to the Electro Harmonix 2880 the EH 2880 comes off as easier to use and with it's foot controller great for live performances. But with foot controller the 2880 is around $500.00 (USD).

Basic operation is fairly straightforward. However, best to read the manual as this unit has alot of functionality. You can end up having set some function that you were unaware of. As such I bought the unit 'used' and when I tried to play a preload song I got nothing because of the settings that were left set by the previous owner.

The included pilot's manual is fine. It seems thick only because it supports multiple languages. I suggest you download the 'advance' manual from the Line6 web site which explains additional features such as the use of the SD card and upgrading the firmware, etc. My unit had v2.00 firmware loaded. To get all the functions ensure that you have the latest firmware loaded which is v2.09 as of this review.

IMO the sound quality of the preloaded songs are decent for basic practice play along although they have a fair amount of recorded background hiss if/when the master volume is set high. However, no added noise using my own songs. Unfortunately the unit does NOT have true bypass when not in use so power must be applied for your guitar signal to pass through. I also found that you must have a guitar or mic plugged into the input jack for the unit to function. I found that the unit does color your guitar tone to some extent.

If you plan on using a SD card, you have to use a 2 gig card or lesser capacity. I tried using my 4 gig card and the unit would not recognize it. In addition, it is best that you format the card in the unit to ensure that it will be recognized. As a side note a firmware upgrade is done via the SD card. There is no USB port. The latest V2.09 firmware as of this review is 333MB so you need a SD card with sufficient capacity. If you plan to load other songs into the unit for play along, they must be recorded with a sampling rate of 44.1 Mhz, 16 bits, mono otherwise the song will not be recognized. Loading and playing songs from SD is easy. As far as recording goes, I have not tried try and have no plan to use the unit for recording or overdubbing purposes.

The modeling features are pretty extensive. IMO they sound typical Line6. Obviously some are better then others, but overall they sound artificial and cheesy. I may use some of these features. However, I currently have them all off as I primarily bought the unit for the pre-load songs and looping function.

This unit seems to be built quite well. The case feels solid and massive. The switches and controls are light, work smoothly and flawlessly. However, the 2 volume controls on the back of the unit wobbly probably due to the way they are mounted to the chassis or internal board. However, I feel the unit will hold up just fine.

Never dealt with them and don't plan to contact them. If this unit dies, I will likely just discard it. The Line 6 web site support is decent for this unit. Their site is complete with documentation and firmware downloads as needed.

Overall the unit offers a full set of features for looping, recording, and modeling features that Line 6 is known for. I did compare it with the Digitech Jamman on paper although never actually tried out the Jamman. What appealed to me about this unit was the variety of preloaded songs and drum beats (machine) I was after. This unit is great for practice and is fun to use. While the looper portion offers pitch and tempo adjustments, the manual does warns you that using these features will alter your guitar tone. Therefore if you need/want such a feature, then this unit is likely not be the best choice. If basic looping, song loading, and recording, and Line 6's modeling effects appeal to you then this is a suitable unit ala Line 6 preamp functions. It does make for a handy 'all in one' portable unit. Since I've determined that this unit does color my guitar tone I did not place it in my existing pedal chain, but have set it up in parallel via a bypass. One major inconvenience that I find with the unit is a lack of a power on/off switch since it needs power to pass a signal. This should not have been difficult or costly for Line 6 to design in the unit and is a real oversight on their part IMO. It is a real pain having to plug and unplug the AC adapter whenever I use it.

While this unit does have its idiosyncrasies, it's not bad and suits my needs. I can live with it. I like having a a single unit that combines song playback and guitar through my amp. However, as far as if it were stolen, it's not that I can't live without it so there would be no rush on my part to replace it.

Let me start this by saying I have a history of disliking Line 6 products. I find their effects to be kind of cheesy and just generally bad sounding. I was in the market for a looper though and GC had this used so I figured I'd check it out. It's kind of tough to get the sound you want out of it, I wanted to bypass the amp models and effects and had a hard time getting by the effects. The manual really isn't that detailed. It looks big, but that's just because it's written in about 7 different languages in there. Also there's firmware you have to dl to it right out of the box, well you don't have to, but should.

This is where Line 6 lived up to their reputation. My normal setup is Fender AM Deluxe Strat-Dimebag wah-DS1-Big Muff Pi-Fender Blues Jr NOS. For this I just had it strat-jm4-amp. It killed the tone. The amp models sound bad, the effects are not done well, and it seems like the looper is an afterthough. This is more of the Jammer amp than anything. I think they just threw in the looper at the end. Anyway, the effects and everything on it sound terrible. And even when I bypassed them, the thing completely sucked all the life out of my guitar and amp. It basically made my tube amp sound like a solid state. I wouldn't recommend this product unless you just want a bunch of effects in one box. This product just does too much, and as a result it doesn't do anything very good.

The thing's definitely ugly looking. It seems fairly durable, but not near as durable as my other pedals.

Don't know. I took the thing back.

This thing just kills your tone. If you have a setup where you don't want to hear your amp or guitar's sound, then get this. All your sound will come from this unit, and IMO it doesn't sound good.

the basic operation is pretty easy, but you can go in and really tweak if you want to. basically i just use this as a jamming/ practicing tool. no live performances, and iv'e fooled with the looper, but thats not why iI bought this.

I play a Parker nitefly guitar thru varios Fender,or line6 amps, also thru my vox DA5. The sounds of the Jams/ drums are all good. The byuilt in amp models are also good, and easy to tweak.This looper is not noisy at all. The FX are pretty good but not the ultimate, but they are fine for what I'm doing with it.

Don't know yet, seems well built!

don't know, have had no contact with Line6

Been playing for 36 yrs. Own line6, fender. carvinj and vox amps, I play a Parker guitar, and a kramer pacer deluxe.I love the cool jams, and great drum beats, and the tuner and amp models are nice also. I like the fact that there are good old fashioned Knobs to turn for amp models and tone.I have used the drums for several original songs, and jam/practice to the built in grooves.All inall I'm glad I got this and I"m playing more than ever, it helps me make music!

The looper is relatively easy to use once you have taken the time to play around with it for a while - its not the best set up piece of kit that I've owned, but it does seem fairly logical.
The manual is pretty well written (unlike some that have obviously been translated from Japanese by someone using a dictionary!)
Haven't bothered tweaking the patches much - don't really use effects a great deal.
Wouldn't risk gigging with it though - imagine the embarassement of kiccking in the wrong loop halfway through a song.

Been using it mainly with a Highway 1 Strat, so there has been some hiss which is only to be expected. I've played it through some powered studio speakers which was tolerable, but I generally use it to practice with using headphones. Sound quality this way is again OK but I may be picky here as I usually play through hand wired tube amps (Matamps) so comparing this is a little unfair!

Seams to be very solid and well built. First thing I did was to upgrade the firmware which was an easy enough job - more on that later. I won't be gigging with it, so it is more than sturdy enough for my uses.

As I said earlier, upgrading the firmare was easy. Line 6's website is easy to use and upgrades are easy to find. Have not had a reliability issue yet, but high marks for the ease of use in finding info.

I bought this as a practice and writing tool for use at home when the kids are in bed. For my purposes, this is a very useful tool, but it does seem to have quite a few features that I never use (such as all of those amp models).
One fault that I have found is that you cannot link the unit straight to a pc to upgrade the firmware. You have to download the upgrade, plug you SD card into your pc, take it back out and into the looper and then run the upgrade. A simple firewire or usb2 link would have been much easier.

This pedal does take a little getting used to, but after a couple of hours playing around with it, it becomes much more intuitive. Yes there are menus, but the basic structure and ability to audition presents, drum loops, etc. simply by turning a wheel should work for anyone but the most impatient. I can't see using this for a live performing rig, but it is an excellent practice tool for someone without band mates to play or record with regularly.

I was surprised at how good the presets sound for what the pedal is. I am a pure bedroom guitar player. My normal set up right now is a mahogany USA strat (a GC special) through an epiphone valve jr, with a front end pedal board that includes Fulltone Clyde Deluxe Wah, Red Witch Moon Phaser (yum), Maxon Analog Chorus, a digital delay, and a Van Amps reverbamate spring reverb pedal. In the past I have owned several Rivera, Fender, Ampeg, tube amps. I had given up on Line 6 products after trying the amplifier version of this product. It hissed annoyingly, and did not sound good at all. This looper pedal, however, using the epiphone head, is significantly better. It is a joy to work with FOR WHAT IT IS - a great practice, jamming, and writing tool that can inspire with many different (albiet not pro level) sounds.

Seems very well built. I have not had any problems with Line 6. I did return a Floor POD once because it was made of plastic. This pedal is much more robust, although it is probably not made for long-term road use (as I stated earlier, I can't imagine using this particular looper for a live performance, although it is possible.

Great web site resources. Other than that, I can only assume it is OK

As a practice and jamming tool it can inspire. Once you get used to it, it is pretty easy to use for its basic functions. I would definitely recommend it for anyone who wants more than just a basic looper.

Easy to use!!! typical Line-6 manual is very detail oriented.

Sound quality is a complete let-down... the amp models have no depth to them... and the effects are very limited & only have speed & depth controls... Most of preset backing tracks are a disapointment... I ran it into a powered mackie board > into 2 - 15" Yamaha Club series pa cabs... The looping feature is ok, but all the other features on the unit are definatly not PRO... a working musician will be better off with a simple BOSS RC-20...

I wouldnt keep it long enough to find out, I returned the unit 5 days after I bought it from Guitar center...

Going off my previous experiences with Line-6, I feel there is no better customer service than Line-6

I have been a working singer/song writer for 20 years, I play Rock, Country & Blues, I play Gibson LesPaul, Stratocaster, and a Tacoma Acoustic Guitar & sing through a Neumann KMS 105 vocal mic... I use a 3 piece rythym section on the weekends, but on week nights I do a 1 man show... My band was kind enough to go into the recording studio & record backing tracks for all my material so I can do the weeknight shows (SOLO), but there are times when I simply want to play over a loop... I thought the added features of this new line-6 looper would simplify my set-up by having everything in one box, but it dont sound good enough... Sorry Line-6, I like most your other products, but this one is not PRO gear & needs to be marketed as a learning tool for beginers.