Line 6 POD PRO

EASY to get amazing sound
editing is not easy
manual is good

You definately need to buy the best floorboard and that is about $300 if I remember correctly

Strat and Les Paul
No noise
Always sound great
all effects are great

I can depend on it.
Too expensive to buy another for backup

Telephone support is great
web support is horrendous

I play tastey music
Ive been playing forever
I would buy another if it was stolen. I would never loose it
POD XT Pro Version 2

There should be Blank banks at the beginning 1-64 for storing new user created banks so that you can keep the original presets (unchangeable) in banks 65 through 70 (which don't currently exist). I still believe in POD and when Line 6 makes the unit like I have described (and I believe they will someday) I will replace my POD Pro unit. No Question.
Why oh WHY did you do away with the
*Dumble Overdrive Special Drive?!?!?!?

Hopefully you will keep the:
*1989 Soldano SLO Super Lead Overdrive***
*Modern Class A ? modeled after 1996 Matchless Chieftain,
*Line 6 Clean with Compression,
*line 6 Twang, with Slapback Echo?modeled after Fender Deluxe meets Bassman
*1995 Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier Head
*Mesa Boogie Mark IIC+ Drive Channel,
*Line 6 Crunch #2 with Room Reverb ? modeled after Plexi + more tone range.
I dont think I can live without them anymore!
If anyone has input about this item and can give me some feedback on my issues please feel free to email...please do!

Line 6 Should give you the 36 (or whatever it is now) Factory presets Channels that can NEVER change as banks 37-72 and then repeat these "presets" as user changeable channels 1 through 36 where you can change and tweak the sounds...shuffle the order around do whatever, without worrying about loosing the 37 through 72 bank factory presents. Yes there is a reset button for complete factory reset (Who the F#*k wants to do that?!?) The way it is designed, in order to shuffle banks around to your liking,you HAVE to sacrifice one of the presets. Line 6, please check out how Digitech did it with their GSP21 and pro units. The layout is much better, much more user friendly. Only thing is the POD Sounds WAAAAAY better.
I want to move on knowing the original is still in one of the 37 -72 factory presets.
With the POD XT: can you line up any of the Stomp boxes on Any of the amp models at any time or are you restricted to what is ?preset? for that particular amp like in POD Pro?
I want to buy a new PODXT Rack unit but these issues are addressed but PLEASE bring back the Dumble Overdrive Special Drive!!!! And leave these:
*1989 Soldano SLO Super Lead Overdrive***
*Modern Class A ? modeled after 1996 Matchless Chieftain,
*Line 6 Clean with Compression,
*line 6 Twang, with Slapback Echo?modeled after Fender Deluxe meets Bassman
*1995 Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier Head
*Mesa Boogie Mark IIC+ Drive Channel,
*Line 6 Crunch #2 with Room Reverb ? modeled after Plexi + more tone range.

POD is definitely the best by FAR.

Seaside Jimmy

Amazing! I cant begin to describe how handy this thing is, Its not alot of money for the things you can do with it. The effects are lacking a little though.

Well, I hated it when I first got it, I didnt have the time to sit down and work it out. Once I did, it was a whole different ball park!
I use the Recto, JCM 800, AC-30, Insane, tweed, well, all of them really. I use a 62 strat and a les paul through a JCM 2000 DSL 100, with a 1960A and an original 1968 4x12 with 20watt green backs, the POD is infromt of the amp. No shit, it is amazing! No noise, just tone, I dont know why people say they sound like shit. Personal taste maybe. I myself cant afford all those amps or even 2 of them. Wake up. This is the new way of getting tone!

Ive had it 6 months and its never fucked up on me

Ive been playing along time and gone through many different styles, this thing can keep up with you as you change. Its good for when you change guitars mid-set coz you dont need to change settings, just patches. You dont need to crank it to get a good sound either.
The question everyone asks me is always the same, "does it sound like the real thing?" NO! it doesnt, but when the band is going off you lose a certain quality of sound anyway, I have never seen half of the amps in real life anyway. If you are working in the studio, its alot easier technically and physically too. Time to stop being tube snobs I think!!!!!

I bought this amp recently only because I ws under the impression that I could plug it into my power amp and it would sound heavy as hell. I was wrong. I was going into a Mesa Boogie 2:90 power amp and a Marshall 1960a cab. The POD was ment to be used with uncolored power amps and cabs. The factory presets are ok, some suck ass, some rule. If you have the patience to work with the POD and have a good PA power amp and a Line6 Cab or a PA cab it sounds amazing. Better then any other amp I have played. It is indeed for the tone bitchy guitarist like myself, if you can't find the amp you are looking for something to get that special tone you are looking for. Then this is the amp, but beware, you are gonna have to invest in PA type power amps and speakers, unless you like the sound of your current power amp and cab.

I use an Ibanez RG7620 tuned a half step down and a custom made ESP tuned to F Bb Eb Ab Db Fb Bb. All in all I wouldn't trade this amp for anything. It is capable of playing any type of music possible, your imagination is the limit. There is a lot of variety in the amp sounds. Some people complain how the sounds are fake. But as I said before you can't sue coloring equipment to power your sound. I used to have a Dual Rectifier and this sounds exactly like it, sustains better to. The clean channel you really have to work with. Some people like there REALLY REALLY clean almost like an acoustic, just add some chorus and compressor to it it sounds dead on. But i like mine with a tiny amount of gain. It can do cleans and distortion sounds well you just have to work with them and have patience.

I would recommend that if you are using a POD for direct recording get the XT or the XT Pro. Though this one sounds good you can get more out of the XT. I use this live and I just mic my cab when I record.

The only one problem I did have with it is on my old Mesa Boogie, and 5150 2, I didn't have the pinch harmonix problem. It is just a matter of re-finding the sweet spot on your guitar. I have noticed this problem occurs more on my B.C. Rich Warlock with EMG 81s. But I just re-found the hot spot for the harmonix and it works again. SO no worries.

I have only had it for about 5 months now, It hasn't broken down or anything. I haven't gigged with it yet but am looking forward to it.
I haven't broken any knobs or any of the switches. It is like any piece of equipment, the more you take care of it the more reliable it is.

The really shitty thing about it isthis is the little delay between patch switching. For me it is a real pain in the ass. But I have a Morley ABY switch so I wam just gonna buy another one and put it in my rack.

I have only dealt with thier customer support and they wre kind of stupid. They couldn't answer any of my questions. Since it was just the person I talked to I will give them a 5.

I have played guitar for about 11 years now and I have the worst trouble trying to get a nice tight tone on any other amp. This one does it, but like I said be ready to invest in PA equipment to run it. If it were stolen I would definately buy another one. I love that I can make my own amp tones on it. I compared it to the Behringer V-Amp pro thingy and since this one is Industry standard I figured I would get this one. The only thing I wish it did have was a better editing program. I had to download the one from line6.com. I would say buy this if you want to creat your own tone. Your own custom tone... IT is a great model for someone with patience. It has some killer distortion, killer effects, killer clean sounds. Everything you want but you ABSOLUTELY HAVE to know how to use it. The manual doesn't tell you shit. You have to have good tone ears.

This unit really rocks. I am very impressed with the overall sound quality. Having only paid #199 for this unit though Sound Control, I really can't fault it.

I'm suing this mainly in my studio running the unit directly into a Motu 2408 MK3 for DI recording. I have used both a semi accoustic guitar a Gibson Electric through this unit using the AMP Farm (hardware) effect i.e. processed guitar recorded clean. Which has given me loads of options at mix down stage regarding getting the right cap sound ect. Very impressive.

No problems at-all. Just check out the price. #199. It was almost a gift. Rock solid build.

Never used them. However, I understand that this unit will soon be discontinued. Pity. Hope the support online doesn't dry up.

Overall I have to say that this was an excellant buy. Remember that you will have to download the latest software version from line 6 to swap sounds etc. Pity Line 6 have taken the decision to discontinue this unit moving on the the XT version. Having tried both. I really can't tell the difference appart from the obvious LCD screen and more buttons. Anyone got an opinion on this?

The main feature that makes this thing better than the POD is 24 bit conversion rate (vs. the POD's 20 bit), and more output options. All the other features should be obvious to anyone interested in this thing.

Unfortunately I have to make this review quick. It would take a long time to do an in-depth review of every amp model on this thing.

I use the POD pro for metal sounds. I use mostly the Insane and clean settings. I know that sounds bad, but honestly the Insane setting is the only one with enough distortion for me. I don't run it full out, only about 6 or 7. Other amp models just don't have enough crunch or buzz for me when I'm going for a massive Fear Factory-type tone (which is odd, because I've heard Dino used the Rectifier settings..then again, he had a Mesa power amp to help). The gain boost (simulates a distortion pedal set Gain 0, Level 10 to overdrive a tad) just doesn't sound that good. It adds a transistor distortion type sound that I don't like.

Okay, this thing obviously doesn't sound like a real tube amp, but its a lot more convenient. You don't have to play at massive volumes to get a good sound, you can have dozens of setting saved (which, even if you stick to one or two amp models, you can have a lot of variety).

THIS IS IMPORTANT!!! I run the POD pro in front of my amp. I use a Marshall 80 watt solid state combo amp. I originally had the Marshall preamp tone controls even at 5 for treble, mids and bass. I didn't really like the sound, and I was getting really disappointed that I spent so much money on the thing. But I reread the owner's manual before just trying to sell it, and I discovered something odd. Flat EQ for most amps is Treble 0, Mids 10, Bass 0. This seems counter-intuitive, but I tried it anyway, and what an amazing difference. This is what its supposed to sound like.

Also important! I turn off the cabinet simulation. It might sound better for recording or direct to a PA, but I run the Pod pro into a combo amp, and that colors the sound enough without cab modeling. Plus, its one more option you'd have to worry about, and there are already enough options on this. I also have the live/studio switch set to studio. The manual mentions that this sometimes sounds better for combo amps.

I really can't comment on most of the amp models because I'm trying to relearn the POD a little at a time. I'm writing metal songs at home, so I'm just using Insane and a few different cleans. The Insane has very sensitive Treble and Bass controls. The mids aren't that sensitive, because I think its already a pretty scooped mid type sound. I keep everything at about 5, with minor treble adjustments for a brighter or darker tone. Lower gain sounds like Metallica, more gain sounds like modern obscene distortion. Scooping the mids and adding the distortion boost makes it sound like Dimebag Darrel trendkill-era.

The effects aren't anything spectacular. The chorus and flanger have that hollow sound. It could really use a mix control for most of the effects. I love Zakk Wylde, and I can't get a good chorus sound out of this to sound like him. The delays are really cool though. The wah (from the footboard) sounds like a Vox--I prefer the sweep range on a Crybaby, so I don't use the wah too much.

Basically, this thing can't nail real tube tone, but who cares? Lots of people use solid state or distortion pedals, its just a matter of personal taste. I prefer versatility over one perfect sound, because the truth is there is no perfect sound. With this thing you could pick one or two amp models and save settings for every song you do. If you prefer a simpler setup, go with that.

As always, try it out before you buy! I shouldn't really be talking because I bought a POD pro off of ebay, but at least I played a Flextone in a music store to check out the models (its the same software).

No problems yet, but I've heard horror stories, and the fact that's its digital is a little scary. Then again, its better than having 36 different tube amps.

Again, I've heard Line6 sucks in this area, but I've never had to contact them. You can download a manual off their website (a great way to check out the features before you buy).

I've been playing for 6 years. I've had a ehx Big Muff for a few years, which is cool for vintage fuzz, but I also love heavy metal, and this is good for that.

The biggest problem I have with this thing is setup time. I run it into a combo amp, so I have to just set the Pod pro on top of the combo and hook up a lot of cables. Pedals are just easier sometimes. I'll get a small rack soon, so that'll make things easier.

The Pod pro sounds very close to the Flextone II amps, better than the Spider amps. Those are the only other modeling amps I checked out. It definitely sounds better than any solid state distortion I've heard.

One final thing--current modeling amps may not be perfect, but they'll get better in years to come. Getting into modeling now is like getting a jump on the future of guitar technology. Tube amps aren't going anywhere, but modeling will only grow.

Bought new around 2000. Many features. See other listings that have already covered the features. How many of the features are usable? Now that is the question with this thing. Lets rate this a solid 2 and I will explain more as we go on.

Use a strat and les paul. Mostly classic rock. This is a hyped up piece of junk. Yes it has many amp models and many connections. All but a couple of the models sound like crap! They sound NOTHING like a real plexi or a real blackface Fender. Bring a real plexi with you when you go to try one of these out and you won't buy this junk. It is buzy and toneless and that is when it is working!!

This worked for about a week but I couldn't stand the sounds. It sat there for a couple of years until I decided to give it a second chance but it developed a problem while it was resting and now only works once in a while. PURE JUNK!

HA< HA< HA. That is the best joke I have heard today!

Crap with candy apple red paint on it! I would never buy anything by Line 6 again. Buy a small good quality tube amp and a couple of pedals and you will be much better off. I hope someone steals it! I don't really feel right about selling something this bad to someone.

The only feature I wish this amp had was the ability to play 2 amps at once like the vetta, and dual inputs w/ an acoustic model for piezo systems and acoustic guitars.

I play everything really, but mainly heavier anymore. The reason I got this unit is because I knew some professional buddies of mine were using them and I loved their sound and have played their rigs. I went to the store ran it through a tube power amp and switched between it and a rectifier. The POD PRO sustained longer and didn't have the head noise. SOLD

This thing will take a beating and lives on. If you had tubes and dropped your amp you're out of luck and broke on the wallet. I had mine drop and the digital synch snapped (which you don't use anyway) line 6 just sent me one out the next day.

Customer support is A plus, they send you the parts you need and upgrades next day and usually charge nothing or very little. They also respond via email within 48 hours so you don't have to sit on hold or pay long distance, or wait forever like some other companies.

I"ve been playing for 11years and I would for sure get another one or beat down whoever stole mine and take it back. I love the sound and flexability of the amp. I choose the line 6 because it's the only modeling amp that counts out there Johnson's sound like garbage and the new XT series don't sound reall, plus they are muddy sounding. People are fooled into buying them cause there's more effects but don't buy into it. The big Line 6 endorsee's use the original POD PRO, the HD147, or the Vetta I/II.

A lot of Death Metal Bands use them for the Insane mode such as mortician, but they use crown solid state poweramps.
Bands such as fear Factory and Deftones use Mesa Boogie simul 290 power amps or Marshall tsl poweramps to give it a nice tube tone. The Mesa is by far the superior one giving you an amazing warm tone where as the TSL is thin sounding.

Don't listen to the peopel complaining it doesn't sound right cause they are wrong. When you get a tube amp for the sound it comes from the power section. That's why you run tube poweramps on the unit and get incredible live sound.

Digital Modeler, Claims it has it all, but it doesn't really, s/pdif, AES/EBU,stereo XLR, and Phono balanced/unbalanced I/O, many Knobs and buttons. I got this in 2001.

I use a Stock Ibanez S470. I play Original Heavy Rock, with lots of variety from anywhere from metallica to foofighters. As for the sound quality i feel after trying and trying to make it sound right, that it sucks. Its a glorified guitar tuner now. When i got it, all i had experienced before was owning a 2x10 solid state Fender Princeton stereo chorus. I was disapointed that i couldn't get heavy metal or good distortion sounds out of that, and i wanted to start making home recordings... So off to the music shop i went to get conned.

Being told you'll have a library of many vintage amps, rectifiers, and marshalls, is very enticing, and not having heard those amps before, i took a listen to the settings with no reference to the originals and decided that they were pretty good...well pretty good isn't nearly good enough, and now i know what the real things sound like, and side by side this thing doesn't even rank.

I recorded a bunch of stuff with this junk direct, and never could understand why my recordings didn't sound like the guitars off of my favorite albums... Try and Tweak and try as i might....Now i know why.

Since then i've grown up, i still try to keep things inexpensive (I can't just go and buy Mesa/Boogie Rectifiers) I have a Peavey XXX head and 4x12 cabinet now, and i mic my amp in recording situations, and guess what it sounds great, just like the albums!! I even mic my princeton with great results! I even came across and restored an old unbranded tube amp 2x12 combo that sounds similar to what the pod says sounds like an AC30, and its really awesome, the line 6 version of the AC30 doesn't even compete, and it only cost me $60 off of some guy. Bottom line is buy 3 good amplifiers and you're set for most of what you want to do as an aspiring musician or an armchair warior with a weekend coverband.

Here is the only usefull tip i have about the unit. Take off the Cabinet emulation, it makes everything sound like mud...mud covered #$@%. The best you can do with this is take of the cabinet emulation and either run it in direct, or run it through your real amplifier with A.I.R. turned off. Mic it and well thats as good as you can do... It still sucks.

Mostly i've been talking about the distortion sounds above, While the vintage tube tones are not much better, they are at least more convincing and possibly usefull in a recording situation. The FX are pretty decent, no real complaints there.

I'm not going to sell mine...for 2 reasons. First as an everpresent reminder of my mistake,and the 3 years wasted with it, and second, because its crapiness may become usefull in a recording situation sometime in the future, as a production element of crappy sounding guitars...

Take what you want out of that, best bet is to do an A/B comparison to a real amp and let your ears judge. Could be usefull for you just wasn't for me, the way i intended it...All i wanted was 1 good heavy sound, not 40 half decent and crapy ones.

Seems pretty reliable... who knows no problems yet, one note though, I have the FBV floor board, and one of the switches malfunctioned and wouldn't switch, i ended up fixing it my self by screwing in a loose screw... who knows.

Some times they respond sometimes they do not, by email of course.

It just isn't there yet, Line 6 keeps coming closer and closer to achieving their aim in terms of digital modeling, and i believe that one day they will do it. In the meantime however stay away, don't be pulled in... you don't need 70 amplifiers you need 3 or 4, a solid state amplifier like a princeton, or a roland; a tube amp (you can get a good sounding one for 400-600$, like a traynor, or pay more acordingly), and a good high gain tube amplifier, a Peavy XXX, or a 5150 II is a good place to start. Of course you could go and buy a Fender Bassman, a Mesa Dual rectifier and a Marshall JCM 2000, if you have the money please do it, and save yourself the pain.

On a side note I would recomend looking into the Tech21 SANSAMP PSA-1 and or the SANSAMP GT2, these are pretty useful (and good sounding) tools, and would have been a better purchase than the POD pro in my opinion

Good luck in your adventures!!

The pod pro is basically an all in one box that features alot of things that may be very useful to many people....but not me. I wanted a good live preamp and the POD PRO SUCKS live but is proabbly great in the studio. I give it a 5 because it has so many features NOT because it does them well.

I play hard rock/ heavy metal and classical. I use a Jackson RR-1 and a Ibanez UV777. I bought it for use as a preamp infront of my Mesa 290 power amp. It sounds like CRAP. IF you are looking for a realistic sounding, living, breathing tone...stay FAR away from the pod. If you are out to not really impress anyone or play in a cover band and just need something to get you through so you can return home to the wife and kids...then this will be ok. But if you are serious and need pro sound..its no good. A good METAL sound is completely unatainable. I read other reviews that say the same thing but thought..."Im really good at getting good tone from my stuff, those people dont know what they are doing...". They are true, if you like Metal of heavy hard rock...dont buy this. My favorite player Jeff Loomis from nevermore uses one, so that inluenced my choice to buy it. The pod has no....personality. If you want a replica tone then fine but if you need a signature tone the pod sucks. Im either going to try the Tech 21 PSA-1 or go back to my Rocktron Voodu.

dont know sounds like crap, would be EMBARASSED to use it live.

IF you play metal, or need a good heavy thick living tone...stay far away. Im sure for the average weekend warrior it will do the job but not for someone who is serious. Again if you play metal or hard rock (Nevermore, In Flames, Machine Head) stay far far away

I sought out the Pod Pro for the simple acomplishment of my mission to eliminate the setting up of wires when playing live.. Used to DOD grunge pedal and chorus as my main staple of effects, I guess it pretty cool that all of a sudden I have like boocuu stuff to choose from..

I also like the in's and out's; I record my sound using a reamping technuiqe made available by a combination of the outputs. I use a Dual-15 Band Graphic EQ (dual for stereo) but I don't use the Effects Loop- the Pod tends to attenuate and "digitize" the extra frequencies
throught the bandwidths.

Once I wanted to jam at an Open Mic event, and brought the Pod & board with me. Plugged in power, guitar , and to the mixxer and that was that on the fly. I've also used it by itself on numerous gigs, and it's served me well, as well as sparked many inquisitions among the patrons.

I DO wish however that the A.I.R./speaker emulation was assignable to each output while In either live or studio mode. Also the the Stereo effects would play out over into another selected sound If I so desired. I also wish the switching between effects were more... what's that word.. *Instant*... algorythms arn't THAT Complex to warrent a gap in the loading time.. especially with circuit speeds today!

I use an Ibanez S470 with the factory pickups(2-1-2);when Distorting, pickup is at bridge position... depending on the song, I use various config with my clean tones. I practice in a 30x15 sound-boarded room with a window unit AC and a single 6' florescent light on the cieling, with bands playing in all compass direction (vertical)beside,below and above, in adjoining rooms. The hum usually is due to the light, 'puter monitor, and/or the neighbors' magnet fields if I stand a certain way, and to solar flares when they're in season.

I play loud, heavy, melodic, and often fast, usually with the insane modeling. I've tweEeked the sounds, but the software reports the it doesn't exist as a device, but if I ignore it, and use some of the commands in the software, it'll read the pod anyway. I've got my noise gate set just perfect, with the exeption that It doesn't allow me much sustain. I hope to eliminate this by scalloping my neck, but I don't want added stomp boxies (I hate wires, and work with them daily, and I'm not gonna gaft wires at a gig if I gotta do it at work.. that's why God made groupies).
The distortion is great when used in combination with an external EQ. I like the direct sound, but for live shows coming out of my cabinet, I want it to be more ballsy and agressive. Also, much of the "digitalness" of the sound can be eliminated using this method... on that note, at high db NO ONE CAN TELL what amount of digital signatures are there, and would even less so if a very simple and cost effective solution be made: use a graphic Q. Between the pod Out and amp In, use a third-party Q.

I've bought this unit used, and havn't had a problem with it.. the floorboard however tends to lose spring tension in the switches, and can be an irritant to go in and stretch them out. For some reason the floorboard also gets... "dizzy".. : I would push & hold the tuner button, and the thing would flash to the edit stompbox mode and turn my wah on... Now it's getting "stuck" in a certain sound mode. When I reboot the Pod, it usually clears it.
Oh, yeah, also the sample rate switch broke off when toteing it one night (was in a bag, not on a rack at the time).. For the most part my Pod Pro has been my sole relyment for the past 2&1/2 years

Being that I bought this unit USED, there was no warrenty.. I have submitted various questions to the costomer support, and have received NOT EVEN A SINGLE REPLY. Bad business. I suppose that they think their "Knowledge Base"(which Is extensive) covers every topic conceivable already exept mine (related to time clock/midi control issues).
I usually NEVER stay on the phone if it is a computer menu talking to me. They are mere deterants and "runaround generators".

Overall I'm pleased with the Pod Pro. I does what I need it to do, and is really versatile live & in studio. If it were lost or stolen, I would get the upgrade to the Pod XT Pro. Major deciding factors were usability and getting rid of birds' nests behind and beside my stack, while maintaining control on all details of my sound. effect loop is a little useless when looping anything but a digital devices' signal (The A/D converter cuts frequencies)