Line 6 Pod XT Live

I'm a believer and I couldn't leave it if I tried. Line 6 aren't always the leaders in there field but they are definitely taking the high ground here. I found the editing patches very easy to master however I must admit I'm a bit of a geek.

I've got a Maton axe with a 120watt twin 12in fender amp. I have replaced my pickups with Maton OL55 specials.

The sound is pure vintage Aztex, Daddy Cool 70's. I played fill in with Pash, The Dinky Di's & Mondo Block - so I know what I'm talking about when it comes to that classic 70's surf sound. This is the closest I've got to those pure tones without laying out big sponduley that I just don't have anymore. Too many good times & not enough for a rainy day!

Not bad. I dropped a 6 pack of Beam on it - didn't expect it to come out of it without a few scratches but it's okay.

Will have too see how it goes down the track.

No visible meens of support - cross my heart.

I play 70's surf - you know Gerg, Flunka, Hang Ben, Left Knacker, Bluey. I've been playing 36 years since I was 9. Wow me fingers are sore - ha ha. I'd buy it again when me dole check comes in if twas stolen. I wish it had a spot to hang me stubby - just ta save me bending over.
Screens to small as well!

Its pretty easy to use if you read the manual which is what you are supposed to do in the first place , though I think editing is much easier through Line 6 edit on the computer. Its so much easier and faster, plus you can access each module using the mouse and its very visual.The manual is o.k and very explanatory. I upgraded my unit to the 3.0 version available with the free line 6 monkey, and got a few more amps(orange, 1974 marshall) and efects,very cool!!

I bought the pod 2 months ago but it has really suited my needs. It sounds awesome through phones, through the amp , and through the p.a.
Though Ive found out it really shines when I connect it to the effect's return of my tube peavey classic 30(using the pod as a pre amp), Ive used it with other solid state amps the same way and it still sounds great. Ive experimented a lot with the destination option but I've found that the one that sounds best is, while using the pod as a pre amp and then into the effects loop return of all the amps ive tried,is the "studio direct mode", the pwr amp and front modes sounded weak and harsh. THis way you can also go into the PA at the same time using the other output of the pod, and since its on the studio mode you get AIR and cabinet emulation which is what you want for sending into the mixing board.
The modulation effects it brings are o.k and usefull but they are not as analog and warm as the line 6MM4 modulation modeller which I own. The delays though are awesome, and so are the reverbs(specially the springs).The Distortions are a bit harsh and not very dinamic, but I dont use them much since I like tube amp saturation better.
THe Synths are very wicked and though I dont really use them much its a great bonus.
But as someone said before, Its the amplifiers where this unit shines on.
I basically use the blackface lux, tweed b man, marshall plexies and the soldano 100. This last one is the best distorted amp ive ever heard, its creamy , dinamic and touch sensitive. I use the gain at 50 percent, since I ve never liked too much gain anyway, but this sucker can suit all my blues and rocking needs.I also like the Hiwatt model and in conbination with delay and phaser or chorus I can nail pink floyd's David gilmour tone of any song from dark side of the moon to the wall.Some other amps I never use since I think they are too saturated and I dont play heavy metal. But I can see any metal freak being blasted by the Boogie rectifier or the line 6 insane.The clean sounds(black face lux) are dinamic and tubey sounding,and though they are not as articulated and crisp as a real fender, they are definitely usable.As ive read before in these reviews, each amp behaves diferently upon the guitar and type of pick up you use. You might have a really clean fender sound on a strat, and get a semi saturated crunch tone with a humbucker guitar. Ive found this more notorious than in a real tube amplifier and I dont know why It is, but its not a big deal anyway since you can easily turn down or up the gain level of the pod.

No problem so far, though I cannot say much since I have had it for only two months.

Great customer support, specially when you can download free software and upgrades from their website. You can even download free patches via USB from other pod xt live users throught line 6 customtone.AWESOME!!!

Im a professional guitar player from Chile,south america, and I play in 2 cover bands.
In one of them we play dance shit to try to make a living(80's,disco,salsa,latin,some 70's,60's and 50's) and on the other the music I love which is blues (Clapton,b.b,S.R.V) and 60 and 70's rock(deep purple, zeppelin,pink floyd, etc..)
I got the pod xt live basicly for some gigs(where I dont wanna carry my other gear), and practicing back home through headphones. My main guitar is a 2004 fender highway one strat, a washburn hb30 (gibson 335 copy), Peavey classic30 tube combo(my favourite amp of all), line 6 mm4 modulation moddeler,line 6 dl4 delay modeler and korg cmp1 compressor.
I was very reluctant to use anything that was not tube before, specially since I love my tube peavey classic 30, but I heard the pod through line 6's website and I really liked it. Then I went to Audio musica, which is the only store that has line 6 in chile, and tryed it, I really liked it.
Great for all musical styles. It requires some tweaking specially on the clean sounds, but once you get it going it is a great and verstile tool.
Ive been playing profesionaly for 17 years and Ive tried a lot of stuff and I really think the pod comes very close to almost all the gear it emulates.Its a great versatile tool and its a fantastic value for the money. If it was stolen I think I would buy another one,specially because I think the price is very reasonable.

The POD XTL is one of the most easiest floor board that I've used. i take it to huge gigs in the middle of the city and its great. the only critisism about the ease of use is that the display screen is too small and there is no 'favourites' selection to pre-programe your favourite tones/effects.

I use a fender X-TREEVERT with dual tone CSD '64' gretsch, de armond pickups and i found that the pod XTL softens the dynamics and takes away the 'grunge' (if you will) of the CSD '64' gretsch de armond pickups (just the slightest bit). All you have to do to fix that is, tweek you amps PWR in/out input to a LGJ converter (which you can get from any electronics store). in fact what that will also do is prevent you amp speaker from 'getting old to quickly'.

I used this baby (POD XTL) when we were backing up the rolling stones last year in yugoslavia and it only stuffed me up once.

when I bought it the wah-wah/volume control pedal squeeked like a guinie pig in a house fire. i had to get some WD-40 and srayed the little suckers nuts and gave em' a polish.

when i asked him a bout the problem i had with PWR in/output they shuned me off and i was passed aroud like bread to so many different places, so, i had to figure it out for myself

i think they need to consider my problems and fix them in the next model

Getting around this unit is fairly easy once you fiddle around with it for a while. the cool thing about this product is that there are tone knobs which you can access to for quick edits, especially when you are playing live. the manual? i barely read it, i usually do a hands on approach to learn most units, although i probably should read more into it to learn all of the features.

for live applications, overall the tones suck. the noise gate works pretty well, i am playing through a fender deville 4x10, and i also use a roland jc-120. i was hoping that it would re-create the different cabs and amps, but they really don't. nothing will ever compare to a real tube amp, you just don't get that warmth with something digital. alot of the pedals are cool and if you tweak it enough it will sound good, but the sounds that are the worst are the distortions.

studio wise, & recording you could get a decent sound by tweaking it and using other outside preamps, compressors, etc.... but overall
it's just not doing it for me. i own a digitech 2101 rack processor (which has two 12ax7 tubes)that came out if 1995, and the tones sound WAY better than this line 6, it's just a little harder to get around on it. i also just bought a digitech rp7 and tone wise again, it sounds WAY better than the line 6. the rp7 has a 12ax7 tube as well... it's just not as accessible as the line 6...

i've been gigging with it for about 6 months now, it's built well but i've had some problems. i always bring a backup, but soon i will be phasing it out and switching to my rp7.

i recommend getting a case for it, the small little level button which is plastic is very fragile and got messed up. i had to hold that button in to get a sound. luckily it was still on warranty so i took it to a authorized dealer and they fixed if for free. otherwise, it's built really sturdy. all metal casing, except for the actual pedals. one time the user patches didn't load up and i had to reset it. thank god i wasn't at a gig.

n/a

I play rock, reggae, dancehall... been playing about 16 years. i also own a digitech 2101, a digitech rp7, a PRS custom guitar, a les paul standard, a 4x10 fender deville amp, a roland jc-120 amp, two jc-77 amps, and a roland cube 30 amp.

if it were lost or stolen i would be out $400 but i wouldn't buy another one. i would get a digitech rp20. i love the easy accessible features and knobs, and the overall layout. i hate the distortion sounds. put a couple 12ax7 tubes in it and i'd consider it.

It is hard unless you use trial and error, and keep reading the Manual. Manual is good, but leaves out some simple items that will make your life easier. My unit was new, so it has the latest version.

Tried it with two different P.A.'s. Great sound BUT -- I used a stereo chord with two 1/4" phone jacks plugging into XT Live output, and the other end terminating in a single stereo 1/4" jack. I did my setup on a Benz Genz Shenandoah amp (P.A.), and then used a powered speaker on the gig. At the gig all my good sounds turned to mush -- found out later that the powered speaker input does not "see" a single stereo jack -- so I had the stereo signals fighting one another. Went to a single, normal guitar cord, plugged into Left Output, then into any P.A. - Voila!!

So far, it is built like a rock. Would have preferred metal stomp buttons however.

Don't know.

I play it all (started in 1959 - ouch). With a Variax, it is unbelieveable!

There has always been an age-long dispute between PodxtLive and BOSS GT8. I've been comparing both product's user reviews here and in the forums of both POD and GT8. I've been testing both products in a retail store twice and within a month's critical evaluation before the second try. In the end i must say that GT8 has the complete sought after collection of effects which i've been craving for and it's endless ways of linking up the effects. But what turned me down is the level of complexity that thing is required to operate, even by a demo from the experienced staff from the store, the amp modelling part wasn't able to impress me. The clean sounds shine though, and they REALLY do. However overall, PODxtLive provide the dynamics which i'm looking for, although it does not provide the flexibility of linking up and placing up to 13 effects in different positions in GT8. XtLive sounds real for me which GT8 failed to do.

I did red through the manual dozens of tumes, which i forced myself so i will not miss any secrets (in case they do). They could include tips on setting each effects though.... which could have been helpful. But overall it did help me to get an idea of the product and how it was designed, how it was mean to function and what it was meant to do.

At first tone shaping direct from the unit itself was confusing and not so accurate as some features such as compressor, noise reduction, 4 band EQ and reverb do not have dedicated knobs to edit them.

After installing Line6 Edit setting patches were a breeze as i was able to clearly understand how each module operates. Each module is clearly and properly placed and the user interface is well designed. If you have experience in setting tones or you have a certain tone in already hanging in your head then it will be really straight forward.
if i'm editing from the unit i'll give it a 2.5. If i'm editing through Line6 Edit i'll give it a 10 so in this case it's a 10.

i currently own a LTD F250, Epiphone SG and Aria Pro II STG Series. I'm plugging it directly into my small Marshall practise amp(i've heard it plugged through a professional set of monitor recording speakers so i know how good it actually sounds) and although it's not supposed to sound as good as it should be but it did provide some rather decent and distinctive sounds which sounded sweet. So, onw thing to consider: SMALL MARSHALL COMBO AMP = NOT ACCURATE IN TERMS OF ACTUAL SOUND QUALITY.

Amp Modelling- Some sounded very nice without much twitching; some just don't shine. I would say they sound distinct in their own way, but most really work well and I would say that this is the main selling point of this product. Compared to my previous Zoom GFX 4 this is a blast. I especially like the amp knobs they look and feel like you're setting a real amp.

Stomp boxes- As far as you need to know, this product is a modelling unit. Yes, you will be getting screamers, distortions, metal drivers, chorus and other effects, but they are no odinary effects: they are modeled after the real thing as well. The sceamer is based on the registered Ibanez tube screamer, distortion based on ProCo Rat, noise gate is based on the registered Big Muff, metal driver after the BOSS Metal Zone and so on. There are 6 wah pedals from Vox to Crybaby and mind you they really sound good in terms of a multieffect wah pedal. I even got a pitch shifter after updating my unit, which i thought was not available. Even the delays and reverbs are enough to leave you experimenting for weeks. SO in the end you'll know that you'll be getting not just effects, but trademark quality effects.
You'll get a free FX junkie pack. Am still working on it to sound usable.

In terms of clean sound, i will not say it's really good like what you'll hear from Eric Clapton's tone, but i would use the word distinct. Can get some rather interesting clean sounds playing around and experimenting with various effects.

Still looking for that rich, warm tubey sound. Have made a few decent sounding ones, but yet to whip up the perfect sound.

Hard rocking seering lead tones to pitless bottom end metal thrashing sounds- easilly done, and am quite happy with it. Tip: the 4 band EQ really works wonders. It's the only multi effect which can produce authentic amp ripping metal tones as far as i've heard.

Mostly my tones are further customised through downloaded tones through CustomTone to save me the trouble.

i'm not sure about the metal

I bought this in replacement of my Zoom GFX 4's adapter cable which died on me when the next day was the gig and was not able to get it replaced on time as it was out of stock. That was a real mishap. As far as the POD goes it is really sturdy and tough with it's metal chassis. However I treat it with utmost care so as far as now is concerned it still looked brand new. Hope this will last at least a decade. Haven't been on stage with it yet but the time will come. Now that i've got my GFX4 back it'll be my backup gear but i really doubt that the POD will die. Mostly is a blown adapter of some sort.

Bought it from a local distributor outlet. Gave me a really good bargain and excelent quality service. Seems like the guys working for Line 6 are a happy lot.

I play anything from jazz, blues, hard rock, instrumental, J-rock, metal to thrash. I'm looking for something that is versatile enough but still have a good sound quality to be able to be proud of. Been playing for 8 years. This is the second multi effect which I've owned, other than the ZOOM GFX 4.

The sound department sounds good. My only drawback is it's not as versatile as GT8 which can link up to 13 effects together and can be placed in any position. My favourite feature is it is complex enough but still easy to edit through Line6 Edit.

Compared it mainly to GT8. Seriously if i had the cash i would have bought 2 cos they really have their own strong points which was a real struggle for me to choose the better of the two. In the end i think tone matters most to me and POD just did the job.

I wish i would have an extra pedal or two so that i can have a volume, wah and pitchshifter *grin*

I've recorded my frist track with it, and it really sounds awesome. It has enough signal to pump in some serious real sounding sound.

In short, with RM1600 i'm able to get professional-sounding equipment cramped into one unit, this is already way more that what i've asked for. I'm really happy to be a proud owner of it.

Basically this is a review on my quest to choose one out of the two great multi effects. I believe that if you're facing the same problem as i am before, i would say, first know what you really need, do your research, go to your nearest music dealer and let your ears do the judgement and decision.

Very easy to use. Factory presets are useless, but it's easy enough to write your own. One big problem, is the LCD screen is way too small to see on stage. Decent for tweaking in the bedroom, but this really isn't pro gear anyway.

I play various guitars, Les Pauls, SG, V, USA Strats, Steinberger GL, ES335, Zion, etc. Good guitars, but they all sound like ass through this crappy processor. Effects are bland, extremely digital tone, even when compared to other Line6 products. What were they thinking when they released this POS? I spent almost a month trying to wrangle good tone out of this thing before returning it to GC. I bought a Vox Tonelab SE instead and instantly was transported to tone heaven. The Tonelab actually sounds and feels like a tube amp. The tube reactor technology is amazing!

Reliable, but I'd never use it for a gig or session. Amateur gear!

L6 support is very good. I have other products of theirs which I like. TonePort for instance, is very, very good, but POS XT Live is a real dog.

I play metal, shred, fusion and prog. Benn playing 30 years. Unusable product if you have an ear. Line6 is betting there is a whole new generation of kids who don't know good tone as a result of growing up with digital processors and MP3s instead of tube amps and vinyl. CLearly, this is made for people who don't know good tone. There are many other products which blow this away, even for less money. KORG AX3000G is $100 less and smokes this unit, Behringer V-Amp Pro with FCB1010 sounds far more realistic, Vox Tonelab SE is probably the best and is worth the extra $50.

Getting a good sound definitely takes some tweaking, but that's to be expected of a robust piece of equipment. Read the manual, then read it again. Then wait a week and read it again. It's a fun read and contains a lot of insights into some valuable "sweet spots" on the unit. Editing patches is much easier using Line 6 edit software than going through the menu on the unit itself. The display should be bigger, it's pretty small to look at, especially when using it live on a dim stage. Editing patches through the unit isn't quite as easy. Have it together and saved in the unit before you show up at the gig.

I use this unit with a Brian Moore C-55 or and Gibson Les Paul and on occassion, a fender stratocaster, all with stock pickups and I run the output into the effects loop return of a Marshall TSL 100 head. In my opinion, from what I have tried so far, this is how the XT Live does its best work. It does a great job being a very robust preamp and eq and using a tube power amp to give the digital signal life and warmth. For me, this product is the ultimate cover band tool. I can copy a vary diverse vartiety of tones, everything from the Outfield, to a nice 'vanilla' hard rock tone that I can use for the majority of the night, all the way up to harder modern rock tones for bands like Seether, Avenged Sevenfold and Breaking Benjamin. Are the amp models as good as having the real thing? No way. But they are damn good and you get a lot of high quality variety for a small fraction of the price. Same goes for the effects, a ton of variety and highly usable effects that are nice to have and that I probably otherwise wouldn't go out and buy. I would have to have a pedal board that was as big as most rock club stages to carry all the pedals represented by all the effects this thing has. I especially like the delays that are available.

It's not whisper quiet, but not at all noisy either. If you are running a high gain patch at gig volume, or a cranked up distortion pedal or if you are using single coil pickups, of course, you will get a little bit of noise. Life's tough, wear a helmet. It's far more quiet than my traditional pedalboard full of stompboxes and much more convenient and quick to put this small unit on the stage, plug in and play.


In my opinion, this unit has enough elegance to it to basically give you a 'finished' guitar sound going through the mains. I've had a lot of my friends comment that the band sounded like a finished recording blaring through the speakers.

I have had no problems yet. Hopefully, I haven't jinxed myself by saying that. I've owned the unit for a year now and gig and rehearse about once a week.

so far, so good. On the rare occassion that I've had a question, I have been able to talk to someone or they have responded to my email quickly.

I've been playing for 23 years and I've owned a variety of guitars, amps and effects along the way, I'm not going to bore everyone to death with all the name dropping of crap people own that I keep reading on this thing. Who cares? I didn't compare this unit to other units, but I already owned a tradional pedal board full of great pedals, and I have owned BOSS GT stuff in the past, and from my limited exposure, this blew all that stuff out of the water. I'm in a band with another guitarist and he also uses an XT live, and sometimes we run the exact same patch, except for some minor EQ adjustment due to differences in speaker cabs. this makes the band sound very tight live. Also, we recorded our demo tracks using an XT Live as opposed to mic'ing a tradional amplifier and to my ear, the guitar tones are rippin'. For my setup, and club volumes, I think it gives me a better rock tone than what I can get with my marshall head, because I just can't crank the marshall loud enough to do it justice, whereas with the XT Live, I get that cranked amp sound at a more manageable volume.

This product is killer and I love using it. Kudos to Line 6 for putting out a free firmware update to give us a pitch bender and about 6 more wah models, seemingly in response to some of the feedback I've read here. I love the thing, but I don't give out 10's on ratings.

I first had a normal POD XT for a year, then switched to the XT Live, which I've now had for one and a half year. There's really much things to choose from. Amps, cabs, mics and effects all make difference in the tone, and then you add guitars and the speakers you monitor through in the mix. It's really hard to get a good tone in the beginning. My tones were really muddy for a long time, until I learned some tricks.

Editing patches with the XTL is not easy on the device itself, which sits on the floor. Well, it wasn't easy even on the desktop model. I do all my major editing on the Line6 Edit program, which makes things faster and easier.

I've done all the firmware upgrades. The first upgrade (2.0) changed the tone of the unit a lot, and the later ones gave new effects. I've also bought the three first model packs and been satisfied with them. The driver updates have been sometimes hard.

My guitars are Gibson SG, PRS Santana SE and Falcon Strat copy. First I played it into various guitar amps, then switched to using it only as an effects unit with tube amp in band use. I've always monitored it at home with my stereo or headphones and recorded directly to computer via USB. With my metalcore project, I play directly to PA/Active monitor.

It's hardly noisy at all. The effects themselves don't make any noise, and the gate at the beginning of the chain takes off what comes from the guitar. Half of the effects sound great, half are practically unusable. Luckily there's a good effect for each effect type, though I'm disappointed with the pitch shifter (which was added recently in the latest upgrade). Also, the distortion pedal modelings sound just thin and weak. Luckily the amp distortion modelings are very realistic, though mildly overdriven tones don't sound as good as high-gain tones and clean sounds. But I've recorded things that were released officially with this device.

Having a computer-based device on the floor is scary. I'm waiting for the day when the device just dies or one of the switches stops working. I don't need a backup because effects aren't really crucial to my playing. Nothing has happened yet, save for one time when all the model packs just disappeared and came back with a reboot. Also, the calibration of the expression pedal just doesn't stay.

Line6 gives great support with its internet updates. I've got a really good picture of the company, trying its best to make the customers happy.

I use the XT Live for effects infront of my Mesa F-30 in my post-hardcore/indie band Jermaine, and as a full preamp in my metalcore band Blood on our Hands, and various other projects. I've played for 11 years now. If I lost my XT Live, I most likely would get another back. In fact, I should buy another one so I could have one at home and one at rehearsal space all the time. Though it's not hard to carry it in the soft bag I have.

I wish the delay could self-oscillate realistically, and the pitch shifter would actually shift the pitch instead of being a synth trigger. I don't think I considered other products, since none of the rivals can offer the same features.

Well. At first you see a bunch of buttoms everywhere. The first day the POD XTL was at home I didn't know what to do with it but the next days were so pleasant because I explored many sounds. I rather operate it through the guitar port software. It's friendly and fast instead of searching for tones right on the device. Editing patches es just a matter of intuition but they are so generous that you need some time to get what you need from them. The manual is friendly, coloquial, but not too clear about the operation. Anyway, the last part give you a clear idea of what it is inside this monster. Easy to upgrade.

Well, my sound comes from an Ibanez RG and DiMarzio Pickups. I look for a very elegant rock sound a la Pete Lesperance (Harem Scarem) or Blues Saraceno. The Plexi Variac and the BJ800 are just incredible. I do love them. The distortions are decent... I mean, I don't need a brutal sound so the "Screamer" is ok. Anyway, I'm getting the models pack soon so the story will be totally different. The delays are incredible but, as I said before, take your time, this device is not for children. I don't like reverbs at all because I like sounding clear but a friend o'mine says the reverbs are sweet. I don't know what to think about the wahs... Pete Lesperances uses a Flextone II head and his sound wah comes from the pedalboard and it sounds just great... so I think I need to spend some time on it.

At least a tank goes over your POD XTL, everything is ok.

It's ok. I think they don't forget about you once they get your money.

This is not a toy for beginners. If you want to save money but love serious tones, POD XTL is a good option. Anyway, it deserves an A/B amplifier and a good guitar. So you can get the best of it.