Line 6 POD2

I bought a used PodXT unit earlier this year and love. Nothing has inspired me to just sit and play like this thing. I can loads of good sounds - even just tweaking the presets. It's not too hard to learn to get around for basic editing - I just checked out the manual. Line 6 manuals are informative and funny at the same time. Any info you need on the unit is in the manual.

I run this through a Crate PowerBlock into a Celestion 12" cabinet or two. It rocks. My fellow musicians say I've never sounded better, and I've had Fender, Carvin, Music Man amps and lots of good effects. I'm tired of lugging around a heavy combo amp and so decided to try this route. I think the sounds are all very good. Of course they might not sound exactly like what they model, but do you really think the audience will know (or care)? I think it's a great unit (Pod XT).

I see no reason why I could NOT depend on it, but I suppose it could crap out on me. I don't have a backup, other than my Line 6 Amp Modeler. That would probably work in a pinch through the PA.

I haven't had to deal with them yet. I've downloaded software for editing and have had no trouble with it.

I play classic rock and I can get all I need from this box. I've been playing 30 years and really like the sounds of the XT. I run a 50th Anniv. Strat into it. I also use the FBV shortboard to control patch changes and adding stomp box or modulation effects. If it were lost or stolen, I'd get a Pod X3. I was looking at similar effects packages - I had a Boss ME-50, but decided to get rid of it.

Very easy to use. Intuitive -- makes sense. Don't have to cycle through menus to get the tone you want. Knobs are good.

Extraordinary. If you can't get a good tone through this, the problem is YOU, not the unit. I've been playing for 31 years and have had virtually everything this thing models. It especially nails two amps: the Roland Jazz Chorus and Mesa Dual Rectifier. Does a good job with the Plexi as well. Effects are lush and soak the sound without muddling the tone. The tuner is actually one of the best electonic jobs I've ever used. Tuning takes seconds, not minutes. The overall sound quality is just astonishing. I've had $10k of equipment in a studio and not been as satisfied with the ethereal quality of the resonance as I am with the Pod 2.0.

I've read in several reviews that guys can't get a good clean tone with this. Are you kidding? The clean tones are crystalline and tweak to full range. Maybe it's 1) your down-stream gear, 2) your guitar, or 3) your cables. I have a custom swamp ash strat with EMGs, George L cables and a $30 set of headphones from Radio Shack, and get beautiful, near perfect resonance and tone.

The "treadplate" setting (Mesa Dual Rec) is my new love. Never disappoints, and just sears with tone.

Don't know yet - can't say.

Again, don't know.

I understand why everyone has been raving about the Pod for seven years now. Wish I had bought one much, much sooner. Love it. Well constructed too. No cheap plastic. Tough, light aluminum chassis and solid knobs.

Easy to get sounds, dont forget this thing costs $$ and copys stuff that costs$$$$ there is no way it is as good as the original but it is pretty damn good

I am using this to help me figure out what amp to buy next, there are heaps setups to try and the effects are great. I have a bunch of vintage pedals and some new gear, and the pod effects are on par.
Only prob so far is it is one at a time effects with my pod upgrades you can use multiple effects i think

we play mostly in a studio environment, never had anny problems with gear

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versatile unit, lots of different sound styles
It is like all of these gadgets, they do do the job and they sound like the real deal untill you you put them one on one, but then it is only a matter of degrees. if you are looking for some different sounds from your gear, to give you an idea this is the go, if you want a fender blackface for real, buy one, in the meantime, have a ball!!!

You easily work through the many amp-like knobs, then hit the "save" button, select a patch and you're done. It does'nt get much easier than this.

I really don't understand how someone could say this thing sounds bad. Maybe some of the amp models don't sound exactly like the original (we're talkin' thousands of dollars woth of gear, remember), but there's a model for any style you play and then some.
I ignored the many suggestions found in forums and reviews, and plugged the POD (switched to "direct") in a small solid state amp (Vox PF10), set clean. To say it transformed it in a tone monster is the understatement of the year! Put a good mic in front of this setup, hide it in the basckstage and I dare anyone in the audience to guess you're not playing through the (above mentioned) thousands of dollars woth of gear!
I then plugged (switched to "a.i.r.") in the return jack of a 30W Behringer GM to hear some of the speaker simulations and it sounded very good this way too.
The effects are very useful and deeply editable, the only thing lacking is a floorboard to switch presets.

Sturdy construction, but I must say I use this as a backup, having a Traynor YVC 40 and an Orange TT-marshall 1912 setup for the live situations.

If lost or stolen, I would immediately buy another one. At this price this is an unbelivable piece of gear, the swiss-knife for gigging/recording musicians and hobbists alike.
I think this thing has saved the day of many guitarists...

Very easy to use, although you will need to have a look at the manual to learn how to do a couple of things (basically anything involving the 'hold' button. The only thing I will say as a criticism is that because you have to use the hold button to access amp models 17-32, and you do not have the names of these models in front of you, you are much less likely to use those amp models. This is because it seems like a bit of an effort scrolling through all the different sounds, when every other change you make on the pod can be done in seconds.

Editing patches is very easy, you simply hit the 'save' button twice, it could not be easier. Also it is easy to set delay times due to the 'tap' button.

The manual is extremely well written and very helpful.

It goes without saying that this bit of gear is not going to sound as good as a professional quality tube amp.However if like me you cannot afford a pro amp ,the Pod is easily the best alternative out there. I play in several bands and use a range of guitar tones, but the main reason I bought this product was for the high-gain distortion sounds.Plugging the Pod into the clean channel of an amp, turning off the cabinet simulator (this is not meant to be used unless you are plugging straight into a power amp or desk) and selecting the 'Rectified' or 'Modern High-Gain' amp models will give you a better distortion sound than any pedal out there, by miles. I have tried this through the clean channels of many amps which also have distortion channels, and in many cases it actually sounds better than the amp distortion- although that's probably because a lot of the amps I tried it through were Marshall AVT's (or some other similiar budget Marshall), which have weak sounding distortion anyway.Like I said earlier, this is not going to sound as good as a pro amp, but it actually sounds pretty good and you can use it live without being embarrassed.

I have trouble getting a good clean sound with the Pod, but thats partly because my guitar has high output pickups so even clean sounds are always a little bit dirty.There are a lot of sounds to choose from on here so you should always be able to find something close to what you want.One thing I would like to say however is that the 'rectified' amp model, to my ears, doesnt really sound much like a mesa/boogie duel rectifier, like it's supposed to.For heavier sounds I would recommend using the 'modern high-gain' setting, for a really clear and tight sound (reminds me a bot of Lamb of God's tone).

I find the compression effect is also very good and helps tighten up the sound.The noise gate is not bad but doesnt cut out all unwanted feedback, I still need to buy a noise supressor.

I wasnt particularly impressed by the flanger effects, they sound a bit cheap to me, however I think this is a matter of taste really.I think the chorus effects are ok but you have to play around with them a bit, again a mater of taste.

The reverb I think can be a bit brittle sounding and compliments some tones better than others.The reverb is not that great but then again most digital reverb sounds a bit weak, and the reverb on the pod sounds way better than a lot of other digital reverbs Ive heard.One thing I will say is it doesnt sound THAT digital which is nice.

I like the delays.Whenever you turn the delay effect on it is a bit too much at first, but if you play around with it you can get some nice sounds.It's helpful that you can control the number of echos aswell as the volume of the echos, I find if you reduce both a bit you can get some good sounds.

I am using an Aria Pro II super-strat with high output pickups, and a Gibson Les Paul Studio. I have used it in various amps including a fender combo, a Framus Cobra, a custom made 100w valve head, and various marshalls.

It seems pretty sturdy, and is housed in what feels like a very thick/strong metal casing.It seems very well put together.I am generally quite careful with the Pod so I cannot say how well it would react to being dropped etc.However I've had it for a year and a half, Ive taken it on tour without a backup and I've never had any problems so Id say it's pretty reliable.

This is more than can be said for the FB4 footswitch which controls the pod; the switches on mine stop working all the time, it is a piece of crap.However they can be fixed easily by taking it apart and fiddling about a bit, so it's not all bad.

Never had to deal with the company, as I say Ive had no problems.

For a budget setup, this is a great piece of equipment.If you know what you are doing you can actually get some pretty good sounds out of it. Ive taken it on tour playing to between 250-800 people as as a support band, and actually had a few people compliment me on how my guitar sounds. I am now trying to save up for a pro rig, but in the mean time I will stick with the pod, and I would buy another one if it broke.I am really glad I bought the Pod, I can rely on it to get a good sound in any situation.I have even had to use it a couple of times live just sticking it straight into the desk; it doesnt sound great in that situation but it gives you a passable sound if you have not other option.

I also use the pod to record riffs and songs on my computer, and I would say it is extremely helpful for this as you can get quite a nice sound even if you dont have any proper recording equipment.

A bit about myself; I have been playing guitar for about 10 years, I play in a covers band for a bit of extra cash and a couple of heavy rock/metal bands.It does the job just fine, although I wish the pod had a phaser effect included, this is an effect I really like so I will have to buy a seperate stomp box. I am also using a Dunlop Wah and a Digitech Whammy Pedal, a Boss GE-7 and EH-2 Enhancer. The Enhancer works great with the Pod, it really brightens it up and makes the sound so much bigger. I would definitely recommend using one of these alongside your pod, unfortunately they are not manufactured anymore but I gather the BBE sonic maximiser has roughly the same effect.

Well I have rambled on, but I hope that's all useful to you!

This thing is easy enough to use to get sounds out, just that these sounds are only good enough to record in your bedroom.

Sound is good for a bedroom guitarist (i.e. one who likes Tom Morelo and Steve Vai) but the sounds are horrible and squashed. I cannot believe studios and pro guitarists use this thing. It is terrible. It scares me about the people who use these live.

Line 6

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Not good, just like dl-4's. I sold this after just a few months. Easier to just record guitar direct out of an amp. Sounds better even though it sounds bad. Please can people stop using these live and buy proper valve amps (no digital crap) NO LINE 6

I'm an electronics idiot and had this thing singing in a New York minute. There are several lines that have to be properly connected (power line, POD, guitar, and amp or headphones) and you've got to tweak dials and punch buttons to vary the sound. If there is an easier way to do all of this than the POD 2.0, please let me know. What's nice is that if you do something wrong here, nothing explodes, snaps, or breaks; you just get the sounds of silence. Very nice manual, too. Read it.

I've got an Epi Les Paul standard (classic chrome '57 humbuckers,) a Traynor YCV20 tube amp (no mods, all original), Sennheiser HD 414 headphones. The POD works very nicely with the Traynor providing all the effects anyone could ask for. I spend a lot of time, however, just running through my headphones without even connecting to the amp. The tones are just a little cleaner sounding that way.

The POD offers software modeling of many classic amp and cabinets plus effects for reverb, compressor, chorus, flanger, and delay. (The new PODs have added effects pedals into this mix.) I am not a tone junkie and value just a handful of basic tones. The basic POD 2.0, selling now in 2006 for $199 provides me all the diddling options I could ever want. The newer PODs provide so many variations on amps, cabs, pedals, and effects that, for me, we are way past functional and well into overkill. (This kind of reminds of me some friends who are wine freaks; I just can't taste or smell everything they seem to experience. Same thing with the POD. It's got more combinations than Scrabble.)

This appears to be solid state electronics and hence should last a long time even with a fair amount of abuse. I suspect that if it is gonna break down, it would happen fairly soon (first day of use). I've had mine two weeks now and everything is fine.

I don't gig, but I'd be nervous about all of my equipment under conditions of a live performance. I'd have double backups on everything because I'm a worrier (and I've had stuff go bad at the worst time). If you're not tight assed like me, I suspect you'd feel safe with the POD 2.0.

The biggest hassle I could see here would not be that the thing would break, but rather that you'd forget all of the super duper custom settings you invented for "your" tones and have trouble getting them up during performance. That's your problem, not the device's.

I bought this over the Internet in August 2006 from zzSounds.com. I've visited the Line6 POD website which has tons of extra software for the POD. All of these transactions were good.

The Line6 website is also well into the overkill zone for me, too. All the gear heads who dialed up special tones (e.g. the "exact" tone from Santana-Clapton-Wylde-ETC) can upload these programs into a library that you can then download. (I downloaded a 13meg library of these. Questionable value to me, but then I know what I like.)

I like playing a wide variety of styles and the POD 2.0 gives me the tones I want at the press of a button. I can hit some country twang, then warm clean jazz, then insane drive, and finish with some classic rock tones. I had always preferred to play an acoustic guitar, but now I really like the variety an electric guitar with the POD delivers.

I also suspect that sales of the POD are killing sales of expensive guitars. With all the options in the POD I'd think you could make virtually all guitars sound alike. Why pay more than Squier prices then? Just get a reliable guitar with a nice fingerboard and away you go.

Effects equipment that is essentially plug and play is the best kind. When you can plug in your cables and immediately begin making creative sounds, you've got a good pedal. The POD does that. The manual is as good as they come.

fender guitars -> various effects -> POD 2 -> fender amps (sometimes split in stereo). Little noise if adjusted properly. Most effects on the POD are usable. The tremolo and delay are very good. Rotary speaker is usable but obviously not a true Leslie. Chorus is true. Amp models, especially after tweaking them, are quite good.

Haven't had any problems.

Line 6 is good in this area. Provides a lot of online help and downloads.

This is one of those effects boxes I bought, used, and loved it. Then sold it for other equipment, and eventually ended up getting another one. For recording, there's nothing better than the little red lima bean. Live, it takes more work to get it set for your rig, but is still usable. I've heard it used by others in gig situations run direct to a head/cab with no other effects, and it sounded dead-on great. You could not tell it was a POD being used. The best thing about the POD in my book is it will help you write new songs. It will inspire you creatively, and that's half the battle in making music.

It is easy to get a good sound out of it. I reccommend reading the manual it gives you a good description of what the models are all about.
Editng is easy, You do how ever have to hook up to a computer to get the details of certain settings for example, to read the display of actual delay time in milliseconds, Noise gate settings,etc.
Mine is the 2.0, not sure what actual firmware. It might be 2.01
I upgrade a friends POD 1.0 to 2.0 for his birthday.

I have tried this in various settings. I mainly use it in direct mode as a monitor for reamping my direct signal. I also connect it directly to my 5.1 stereo system to jam. I have tired it as a preamp into a stereo power amp in to a cabinet. Recently, I tried it in a A/B configuration. I can actually use it in an A/B/C if I want with my Morley George Lynch Tripler footswitch. I like it as a quick work on an idea an record ASAP setup. I don't try to emulate anyone. Effects are okay for getting the idea across. I prefer more controllable effects and separate control of left and right delay sounds. For simplicity sake they are good. Sounds like you are playing through an amplifer and having it mic'd at a sound board. My brother pointed out to me that he has to compensate at the mixer to approximate my actual guitar rig. He complains of not enough high frequency content and too much Mids. I still think it isn't bad.

Yeah, I could use it as a back up to my rig, if my other exact duplicate of my other rig fails. Ha! I might use it to blend sounds with my other rigs.

I have only had a problem with MIDI controllers wanting to say there was an edit, when there is no Controller assingned. It doesn't like my Rocktron controllers.
I suspect there is a problem since my power adapter got screwed up. I am using a Rocktron power supply that is an exact match to the Pod's power supply. I think if I do a reset to the unit and resend my presets back to the unit it will be fine. I am not in a real need to do so.

I had an issue, minor about the software for the Sounddriver editor. It ended up being solved by a Sweetwater Sound tech! Some setting got corrupted and I had to correct the setting for the POD to recognize the Edirol MIDI device.

I could use it for shows, although I would be better off with the PRO version for the fx loops. I would rather use my Rocktron gear for effects. I use Rocktron Replifex and Intellifex and a BOSS SE-50. My other rig has Rocktron Mulitvalve (Replifex with a tube added) and a second Intellifex and second SE-50. For preamps I use the ADA MP-1 and I have two of them as well. They are the best.
I have been playing for 20 years.
If the POD were stolen or lost, I would be pissed and wait a while to get the latest one. I like the POD XT live. Wish it had a fx loops, One in the preamp section to interface my ADA MP-1 and a stereo fx loop for my Rocktron/Boss gear.
It would be cool if the newest Pod had fx loop using TRS cables!I also wish it had power amp simualtor or a tube in it to give a power amp feel.
It is very portable, although it does not make me want to sell my ADA/Rocktron/BOSS rigs.
IT was a good buy and it is going to be a classic.

I am not writing a review as everyone else has here, I am going to purchase the 2.0 this weekend as a replacement for a Toneworx PXD4 which died after a day.

The main thing I have found that has been a bad review of the product reading through all these reviews (and I have read almost all of them) are people who aren't really thinking.

I will give you an example, there are several people on here who have given it bad points whilst using the unit through an amp, stating that it "over rides" the amp's natuaral sound or that it makes Tube Amps sound muddy. I have to wonder whether this is because these set people didn't think about what they were doing and disable the pre amp and cab functions on the unit to just use it for effects?

Of course it is going to sound wrong trying to pump a Mesa Boogie stack through your 100W Tube Amp you donkeys! it's like jamming a Melon through the eye of a needle!

From the demonstrations I have seen and the bands I am aware use it and studios I have worked in that use them pre and post recording I can't see this going wrong as a practise tool or main unit.

there is always a warranty