Line 6 Pod X3 Live

For a novice it's not so easy get a great sound from it, it needs to be tweaked a lot, expecially for dual tone. For me (I have a lot experience with computer and software) was not so hard. Editing patches, for the same reason needs to get used with the menus and knobs but at the end it is easy. The manual is a lot schematic with brief descriptions, but is sufficient. I upgraded the latest firmware version 1.15 with Line 6 Monkey software and it was very easy (to avoid any problem, it's important to follow exactly to instruction on your PC).

In the sound compartment X3 Live gives it???s best. Amp Modeling is where this gear really shine: I compared it to Boss GT-10 and XT Live (I owned before), every model sounds better and specially when used with cubase for home recording, it is really hard to discover any difference from the real amp emulated. The better amps, like with XT Live, are the high gain one???s, but with the improvement on ADC & DAC converters, now I like the clean amps too like the Twin Reverb and many others. The stompbox & effect department is fine too just a degree down respect to amp modelling, same quality as Boss GT-10. I use it with a Fender Blues Deluxe and a Fender EightyFive (for stereo configuration) and with the right eq it works fine. I also use it in Studio Direct mode with a PA system, here it gives it???s best. The best effect I like very much is the ???RAT??? emulation I always use for my high gain tone (classic rock stuff), the one I like less is the chorus effect probably because I spent not too much in tweaking it.
I bought this pedalboard because I need a flexible gear to play in a cover band and it helps me in every tone I need going from EVH to Gilmour stuff but also SRV and other styles.
I like very much how it sounds and for me there is nothing better in this price range.

Yes, it???s not built like a tank. This is the worst aspect of this pedalboard. It's mainly a computer so, as a PC, you have to take care of it. I had my exchanged from my local dealer because two switches did not work so fine. The case is not rugged as same vintage stompbox (the bottom is in plastic). For these reasons, for live concert it's always better to have a backup!

Never used til now. The Line6 forum's is a really great comunity and I did find many answer to my questions really fast. As I said, I had my immediately exchanged by my local dealer because two switches did not work fine.

As I said I play in a cover band and I need many different classic tone from my gear. I play guitar from more then 30 years. For this X3 is the best. I have a Fender Stratocaster Classic ???70, a Gibson Les Paul Custom, Yamaha FG series acoustic, some classic stompbox effect (Tubescreamer and others). Yes if it was stolen I???d buy it again, I really like its sound. I only complain the lack of ruggedness for live usage, for this reason I always have with me some classic stompox for backup. I mainly recommend it for home and studio usage for practicing and recording where it really shine ! Used with some care goes very well live too !!!

I'm upgrading from POD XTLive and I already know how to tweak parameters of this gear. So for me to understand the new precedures to setup any sound was very easy. Now with a bigger display and more knobs is really possible to program sounds directly form the pedalboard. XTLive was not so easy and I needed of "GearBox" software to do this. Now I can use it too, but it's not a must.

I use this pedalboard with a Stratocaster Classic '70 MIM, Fender Blues Deluxe, Fender Eightfive, Mixer and PA system with monitors, headphones. I always use it in a stereo configuration. It REALLY SOUNDS GREAT !!! I'm able to cover all my favorites artists sound only with X3 Live. My Valve amp is bonus for live situation only, or for some very high volume sessions. At home I have a PA Systems that works really well with it. The sound is really better than the one with XT Live, similar algorithms but simply a better sound (dinamics, frequency response, harmonics, presence).
I really don't understend some bad rewiews here on this forum about it's sound. I can only say that this is one of the best guitar gear in the range of 500 Euros (price for Italy). I matched it with Boss GT-10 but it's not the same thing : it's a multifx with amp simulation as a bonus, but it's still a multifx. So it's best is with guitar amp and it lacks for home registration (no good fedelity in amp smulation), headphones practice. DAC and ADC circuits in X3 Live are at highest level available today (96 Khz sampling).

The only negative are about build quality. I had mine exchanged from my local dealer because I had two switches not moving freely. The new one have an higher serial number (strarts with 5819xxxx) and the swtich are very good. I think line 6 si going to review some quality issue in this product. Anyway build quality is in line with product of this price range, but could be better (my previous XTLive was build like a tank !).

I wrote only one time to Line 6 forum and I have to say they are very reactive... Really fast useful reply. Beautiful web site, I think one of the best on internet. Many, many people to exchange opinion, "custom tone site" to exchange patch. Line 6 Monkey works very well to mantain your Line 6 gear up to date.

For my needs, this is the best gear I have bought til now. I play in "cover band" and I can't buy a differnt setup for each artist to cover. With X3 Live, it's all in a box with all the tone you need. If it was stolens I'd buy another one again. I think that at the moment there isn't a valid alternative to this kind of product. This is a real AMP MODELER like no other. The most similar product is the BOSS GT-10, but it's more a multi-fx (like many other) than AMP SIMULATOR like this. Yes, also the stompboxs and effects are really nice too, explecially reverb and delay. In conclusion this is a really valid product and with a bit better quality construction it would be perfect !

I have a lot of experience programming guitar effects so I caught on pretty quickly, still there's a lot to dig into. Editing took some time and reviewing the manual helped, but I still needed to refer to the Line 6 Forum to get important things done. The manual was decent but not thorough enough. I had trouble with the firmware upgrades and consider it a hassle.

I have a Les Paul and a Custom Strat running through a modded Fender Hot Rod Deluxe. I tried to go with and without the speaker/amp modeling and got so-so results. Requires a lot of tweaking to get it smoothed out. Not the best distortion/fuzz tone. Delays were good, CHoruses andother delay based stuff was ok. I downloaded some user patches and tweaked them to my taste, not bad.

I cannot depend on Line6 gear anymore. My X3 is currently in the shop for the second time. The first time, the unit fried, now granted, I was doing a weekend of outdoor shows but I expect an effects unit to hang with real life gigging scenarios. Half the switches and functions just quit and I had to reach down and turn the knob to change patches just to survive the gig. The 2nd time, after getting it back from a warrantied repair shop, the C channel switch stopped working and the B channel required a double stomp to operate. I would never use this unit without a backup, in fact, this will never be part of my main rig again. Line6 is no longer a qualified manufacturer for ANY music needs.

You cannot deal with Line6, you spend your money and then are directed to the Forum, thanks Forum guys - you're great. However, I have issues that can't be solved without a Tech on the line helping to revive my SSN # which was wiped out during the first repair job. Since the SSN was not there, Line6 online would not permit me to update my software/firmware because it was not recognized. Ths I could not benefit from any improvements unless I somehow got hold of a tech. Still unsolved.

I play all kinds of music and was hoping the X3 would provide a huge variety of choices. I've been playing guitar for 40 yrs. Have really had great luck with Boss and Roland products and have used a lot of stomp boxes. If stolen or lost (or sold) I would not replace it with the same. I am leaving Line6 for good. Boss is better, boutique pedals are sweet but too expensive. I wish this had reliable switches and was better built. It gets in the way of making music.

Its sort of a pain in arse to edit on the unit, but the computer-based editing software make things much more tolerable. The manual is very sparse, so not much detail on the many functions and settings. You can get better info on the Line 6 forums.

It is quite versatile and does sound good. I primarily used it for acoustic guitar and with a Line 6 Variax acoustic 700. You have to spend some time playing with it to make your own patches, cause the presets may or may not work for ya.

This thing has been buggy from its intro date. Look through the Line 6 forums. Mine had an LED go out within the first 6 months. The microphone gain setting is a joke, and I ended up having to use an external preamp to use a mic with the unit. I am a bit anxious when using it live, because of the many horror stories, but it is too expensive to buy a backup. So, I have some old pedals and stuff I carry just in case it dies.

They seem to be backing the unit up, but have been really slow on firmware fixes and upgrades.

Hmmmm. Love hate relationship. It is very flexible and sounds great for the money, but they cut way too many corners in design and craftsmanship. Since I was only using it with acoustic, I am now relying on a Zoom A2.1u because it gives me the sound I need with better reliability and a much smaller footprint.

I am re-reviewing this product because I was forced to use one in the studio since my previous review.

The POD X3 Live is OK to configure if you realize that you have to jump around to over a dozen screens to make a usable tone. Once you get past the inconvenience factor, it is pretty easy to get through setting up your tone.

I do like some of the driven amp models. I think the clean models are very harsh, but with some compression, and aggressive EQing, they can be tamed.

No one processor seems to have everything needed. I went with the "most bang for the buck" philosophy and bought a BOSS GT-10 for my normal live/studio work.

As I said, I was forced to use the POD X3 Live in studio for a project I was putting tracks down on. By the 2nd song and 3 hours in, I had to reboot the POD because it froze. Within 15 minutes of that, I had an audio dropout issue that took another reboot. By the end of the day, I had rebooted the POD at least a dozen times and wasted nearly half the day fighting this product. What a waste...

I was offered a free GuitarPort plugin for my troubles, but I had since returned my Line6 products for BOSS so it was worthless. There are some very helpful users on the forums, but the support itself is not helpful.

It appears that Line6 has invested too little in this product's success and focussed more on branching out to other products (preamps, wireless units, etc.) This seems to be a classic case of a company spreading themselves too thin and the result is the sacrifice of what was to be a great product.

I hate to use an anology, but Line6 has turned into the Behringer of the pro audio world...

Right. Out the box, it doesn't sound too great, as others have mentioned here. But then again, I generally find presets on multi FX can be very hit and miss since it largely depends on what guitar/pickups you're putting through the unit.

Bear in mind what this unit is intended for - squeezing a lot of tone into a smallish box, and making it possible to change between completely different effects/amp setups at the press of a button. To do this, you first need to spend a good while setting up the tones in the first place, and it's no good filling it with great sounds if you don't try to keep them in a sensible order (grouped by song works best, and the free gearbox software is practically essential if you want to get properly organised).

It reminds me of the Boss GT5 I used to use - editing patches can be a little bit daunting (but easier than they were on the GT5 with its stacks of menus!); there's so much choice, it's hard to know where to begin, but once they're set they sound great. It helped me to approach each patch like I was building a new guitar rig from scratch, so sort out the amp tones first and then add effects.

It's also worth bearing in mind that the input and output gain may need tweaking to suit your guitar and amp/PA/recording interface - setup a very clean tone on the Pod and then fiddle with the gains until what you're hearing is as clean as possible. This might explain why some people have been getting problems with noisiness/muddiness.

Basically, it's not the easiest thing to use, but then with the features it has, it would be hard to make it much easier.

My main guitar is a Variax, which is why I shelled out for this thing - I use quite a lot of different (and near-impossible to achieve with a 'real' guitar) tunings in my band, and the facility to change guitar sounds/tunings at the same time as amps/effects, without having to do a little tap dance was a major selling point for me. A friend had an XT Live, and that seemed quite nifty, but I thought this looked sturdier. I also occasionally run a US Tele Standard, an Epiphone Sheraton II and a cheap and nasty Strat copy (its nice to have a guitar you don't need to worry about every now and then!).

All four guitars sound pretty good through it. The Variax is obviously the best fit though - no noise at all!

The compressor is a little light on options for my liking, but I suppose the counter-argument is they didn't want it to be too complicated, especially since most pedal-compressors tend to only have two knobs at most. Besides that the effects sound plenty good enough to my ears; and there's flavour too, its not all digital crisp.

I used to be in a covers band, and I kinda wish I still was, because we used to have to tailor our set around practical things like pedal setups - otherwise there'd be long gaps of silence between songs while we (or mostly just I) fiddled with pedals, guitars, etc. With this thing, you could jump from Rage Against the Machine to Nick Drake (complete with Nick's bizarre tunings) and then drop in a Hendrix number without bending down or feeling rushed. In my band there's a lot of big dynamic shifts which, before now, I was trying to achieve with a pedal board with three signal chains, which weighed a ton, involved using both feet at once, and kept me in perpetual fear (every time a power or patch lead was accidentally tugged out during the setup, I'd have a nightmare trying to trace where the problem was - once, our singer stood on a lead which the FOH manager had for some reason threaded through one of my patch leads: it pulled several of my power and patch leads out, and the song abruptly came to an end. I then crouched for almost five full mins - a long time at a gig - while I plugged everything back in, freaked out cause that didn't work, and finally traced it through to discover my flanger was now defunct, so had to swap patch leads since the one from the flanger was too short to reach the next pedal. Long story short - separate effects may look cooler, but they're a lot more hassle than they're worth, at least until you've got your own personal techie!). Now, I have all the tones I want, when I want them, without the buzzing, the tap dancing and the terror.

The delay and modulation effects rule, in my opinion. Distortions are hit and miss (like real distortion units then) but there's plenty there, so something for everyone (I've settled down to generally using one - or two simultaneously - of 4 patches, with a couple of others I just use for particular songs).

As I said, I'm not in a covers band anymore, so haven't spent too much time mimicking other peoples' tones, but I've been able to quickly dial in reasonable approximations when I've been mucking around, so I reckon it'd be quite easy to get most tones out of it.

Overall, very satisfied with the sound of the thing.

I am gigging with it, without a full backup - I take a much smaller board than what I was using before the X3, just a compressor, distortion, delay, and reverb - if the Pod goes down, I've got a solution, but it wouldn't sound nearly as good (and I'd have to remember to change the guitar patches manually, which would be a lot to remember!) so I obviously hope it's as solid as it looks.

Unfortunately, as some other people have mentioned, the switches seem a little less sturdy than they ought to be (already had the tap switch's spring get a little sticky, and start to feel like it might die on me) which is a huge disappointment for me, since I bought this rather than the XT for the build quality... I mean, it hasn't broken yet, but it seems far too common a problem.

I'd like to give it the benefit of the doubt, but footswitches on a multifx pedal really should just work, always. However, I've had no other problems with it - firmware updating went smoothly, and my screen shows no sign of mucking up. So not nearly perfect, but not all bad.

The forum's the best place for support. Called them once when my Variax seemed to be dying; they advised I took it to a guitar repair shop, which I did and the problem was solved within a day and covered by warranty. Not had to get support for the X3 yet (the sticky tap tempo was quickly solved with a little spray lube).

As I said, the sort of dynamic gear changes I have to make playing with my band make this a handy piece of kit. The Variax connectivity makes it indispensable. Changing amp/effects/guitar/tuning at the press of a switch, mid-song, is a miracle as far as I'm concerned, and I'm willing to look beyond any shortcomings because of that. Having said that, the XT Live does pretty much all the same things, and I'm not sure I need the extra features and models of the X3 (if I needed more models, I could buy add ons for the XTL) so, weighing in the reliability issues, if this were stolen I'd probably opt to get an XT Live next time and save the change. On the other hand, having done a totally unscientific side-by-side comparison with my mate's XTL, the X3 does sound a little more detailed to my ears (and my begrudging mate's ears!), so the X3 is better for recording, but in terms of a live context I'd be astonished if the XT was noticeably worse.

I'm going to caveat this review by saying that I really wanted the Pod X3 Live to be the end-all-be-all in my rig. I gave up individual pedals thinking this thing would get it done. And so begins a sad story. Read on if you must...

Here's my thing: if there's an effect or setting that can make me, my amp and my guitar resonate - I'll overlook the bad bits and shout with joy about the victories. But first impressions aren???t easily dismissed. And the bazillion pre-sets on the X3 Live set a dark and gloomy tone for me. The pain in my back from re-setting the crap pre-sets got to be too much. How thrilled I was when Line6 finally sent a flashlight ??? their Gearbox software. Editing the virtual stomp boxes and settings became easier. Lord knows, it would have been easier to get a jello recipe from Bin Laden than maneuver through the 120 pages of the Pod manual. Just tell me how to get it done, for crying out loud!

On top of this, the flippin' Line 6 monkey software keeps telling me to upgrade my firmware and flash memory every couple of weeks - which is itself a recipe for terror. The flash upgrade mode gets stuck and doesn't go away, even after rebooting the Pod several times! Actually, I???ve used the words ???boot??? and ???Pod??? in the same sentence more than once ??? very often in close proximity to each other.

I play a Gretsch Tennessee Rose, a Prestige Heritage Standard LP (best guitar for the money), and a homemade SG w/Seymour Duncan 59's through a Traynor all-tube YCV-40. Tonewise, I wasn't really hurting to start. But when I hooked up the Pod, my tone became Mt Vesuckious in a big hurry. That is until I realized that the Pod output needs to be dialed into the "combo front" setting. Now I can actually get a warm and sparkly Tele sound with either Prestige or Gretsch. That itself could be worth the heartache, backache and wallet-ache.

The mic output is about as useful as **** on a mule. Without a Phantom power source, my Rode NT1-A has to chain through another source. The bass guitar settings are decent. I can dial in a Ricky or Fender sound with no problems. The acoustic guitar is somewhat warm through the Pod - that is when the Pod works. But that's another category.

It has to be said though, that there's a huge need to engage the "gate" effect, in order to keep the unit from squealing like a branded pig. That takes away a lot of the Tele sparkle appeal.

If I always have to worry about having a backup plan, then I seriously need to rethink my first plan.

I lead worship every week. And today is the THIRD time the Pod X3 Live has failed me. The clue should have come when the tuner/tap tempo switch quit on me. The following week, the direct output wouldn't work. Finally, when I tried to upgrade the flash memory, it wouldn't unlock from the "flash" setting (I mentioned that earlier).

I bought an extended warranty through Guitar Center (remember that mule analogy ...?). So after the 60 days grace period, when they finally got tired of my sorry complaints, I emailed Line6 to outline my concerns. In two days, I got a nice email back telling me that, basically, they don???t answer emails. I'd need to call them during business hours. When I called, they told me to take it to a local electronics repair shop. It's real good to know that everyone from the top down understands the corporate "pass the buck" policy.

SO, when I got it to the electronics shop, I noticed a STACK of faulty Line6 products on the floor, in various states of disrepair. The repair saw my Pod and tech let out a resigned sigh ... yet ANOTHER Line6 item requiring his attention. I laughed at his frustration, since he was a ******** anyway. But I did feel some sympathy. Apparently, he???s had problems getting paid by Line6 for some repairs. Maybe his tech skills suck as badly as his people skills (he flippantly told me it was going to take 2 weeks to fix the thing, so deal with it) ... or maybe there???s something seriously wrong with the Line6 corporate model these days.

I just don't get it, I owned a Pod2.0 for three years and absolutely LOVED the thing. What happened? The X3 Live is dead to me. I'm seriously thinking of buying a Roger Linn Adrenalin unit and/or setting up another pedal board with custom effects. Maybe I???ll just ride the tube amp thing for now. Anything's better than the newest PO'd (intentional misspelling).

OH, did I mention that this is the SECOND Pod X3 Live I've owned...?! (The bank switches got stuck. A reoccurring theme apparently)

Easy to use, if you spend a little time with it.

Great sounds, but too much effects on the presets.

Horrible. Had 2 units. The switches are the deal... you can??t switch the thing after a while, because they went to heaven :-(( first unit was in softwareland...

Send it back throug my dealer, he gave me an new one and ... a new one..

I play for 30+ years... Sorry to say, but I woudn??t buy it again.. and NEVER NEVER gig without some kind of backup. Own a line 6 guitar... same thing.. great sound poor poor poor quality :-(

Default patches are pretty good, it didn't take too much for me (a tone novice) to get great tones out of it, but it was a little work. There are many tones available for download from other users on the Line 6 site. Editing patches is moderately easy on the unit and very easy from the software. For managing your patches the software is indispensable. The manual is pretty straightforward but could be a little more in depth. I have firmware 1.12 and a model from December 2007.

I go direct to PA and use it with a Peavey KB4 Keyboard amp. There is no noise whatsoever as I use it with a variax. The effects are very nice with a good variety. I use it in a cover band playing everything from Blues, Rockabilly, Hard Rock, Grunge, 50's to the 2000's and I am able to get tone for everything and create setlists on the machine itself. You won't get 100% of the way, but over 90% on just about everything.

I have been using the unit for over 6 months gigging 2-3 times per week without a problem. I gig without a backup, though I would like one.

I frequent the support forum which doubles as a user forum and have seen questions answered there routinely. I have never had to use support yet (knock on wood), but feel confident in their responsiveness given what I have seen there and heard from other users.

As a musician in a cover band, I run vocals, Variax electric, bass, and acoustic guitars through my X3 Live touching almost every rock tone (other than real extreme metal) and have found it indispensable. If this were stolen, I would definitely buy it again as there is nothing that can do what this does without purchasing tons of equipment. If you have one with a Variax it makes it even more valuable as you can program your tones along with different guitars and tunings to really create your entire setlist if you want. The simplicity for such a complex usage is amazing. This is the ultimate tool for a situation like this at a price that can't be beat.

The Gearbox editing software has made editing easier.

If you are really interested in this product- go to

http://line6.com/support/forum.jspa?forumID=41

and read the forums for details on problems with this unit.

This unit sounds good but has numerous hardware and software issues.
I will list a few here:
1. USB audio dropout issues
2. footswitch construction issues
3. mic trim pot issues
4. Power Supply issues causing high pitch feedback
5. Tone/Volume knobs moving and causing volume drops and parameter changes
6. limited midi integration

There are more issues related on the forum site.

There are few editing parameters for the compressor.
Effects order is set and cannot be rearranged.

Sent two back to the company due to defective builds.

The forum is good and the Line 6 moderators are good but tend to brush aside serious issues with "return it and we will fix it"
or "we are working on that issue and may put out a patch at some point.

Great sounds, limited by poor build quality.