Line 6 POD PRO

Loads...knob twiddlers heaven.
32 amp models ranging from vintage to modern to never existed (Line6 Insane anyone?), each with inter-changeable speaker cab models, making the shear tone variations endless.
The onboard effects are a little limited, but with practice and some imagination, are pretty effective.
The input/output's on offer are to numerous to mention, but the direct digital out (plug direct into a mini-disc) deserves a plug.

As my music style is based around Grindcore and Death metal, I use the pod primarily for distortion and the versitility between the different settings is great, believe me, theres nothing more satisfying than switching between basic hi-gain tube and (the bowel-loosening) Rectifier setting mid-song. My main guitars are a BC Rich Warlock and an Ibanez 7-string, both with super dist pickups, so I can't comment on how it would sound using a softer output pickup, but theres a lot of gain on offer so I should'nt think that would be a problem. I do however recommend a para eq for tweaking, as the sound output is a little bassy.

Looks a little fragile, but its had a few knocks and survived, so.... A voltage line regulator is a good idea, as the pod kept turning itself off during gigs when the voltage dropped too low due to all the other stuff being used at the same time (digital equipment does that).

I've asked Line6 a few questions via e-mail, which they answered quickly enough

I've been playing for about 7 years and the Pod is the best pre-amp i've owned (that suits my style and that i can afford).
If you can afford a Mesa Triaxis then buy that, if you can't, buy this.

I love having all the output options to hook up to everything from a rig to a nice large recording console.

The MIDI control is out of this world. Every parameter is remotly controlable. I have MIDI controller that allows me to assign different controller numbers to an expression pedal so I can change any aspect of the Pod live (as long as I have it programmed into the MIDI controller ahead of time) One patch the pedal is a volume control, the next it's assigned to the drive to do some cool clean to drive sweeps, the next it's a wah. Great for taking command of your performance. Althought this is usually way beyond what most guitarist need for live control.

First off, POD'S ARE NOT DESIGNED TO BE USED WITH AN AMP! They are a direct input solution. Even the reps will tell you this. I spent many hours playing through the Flextone and not liking how it got thinner as the volume increased. This is due to the solid state power section. I tried Pods through many amps and didn't like the mid range tones and muddiness. Again, it's due to the fact that these products are not designed to be "Re-amped". If you are looking for a Line 6 item to use with a power amp, combo, or Flextone amp, look for other sources to play through. If you want a no hassle sound that can go direct to tape or to a sound reinforcement console Pod's are the best way to go. Think of having your 3 favorite amps, and being able to have 5 different sets of control setting availible. The Pod Pro is a killer processor/preamp.

I don't use the onboard effect since I have a great effects unit already with many options.

No problems so far.

I got to meet the sales rep and really dig into the product and he helped me really decide to buy one. They love to support you with any questions too.

The only thing I would have like to see is some type of 5-band graphic EQ like on my Mesa gear, so I had to grab a Boss GE-7 and throw it in the effects loop when I need the "V" curve. Also miss having 2 gain controls to really focus in on the saturation and mids, but hey, for everything else it does, I really can't complain.

Features..you cant go wrong.

I play metal more or less underground metal and not pop metal, so I need a more hardcore sound. and I got it with this amp. I HIGHLY reccomend this processessor for someone looking for a bad ass sound to go along with their power amp.

Very, nothing wrong so far, just one power issue one time. Somethin to do with the internal fuse.

n/a

Personally I use, 2 Marshall dual monoblock amps with 4 4X12 Marshall cabs, the processor/preamp made my sound, so heavy, it's mind blowing.
I use Fernandes, Revolver Pro 7 and raven elite. My Raven elite has a EMG 81 @ the bridge and hte sustainer pickup in the front. I HIGHLY reccomend this processor.

This unit is easy to edit patches and required little or no use of the manual. I have had most of the high-quality guitar preamp/effect units at one time or another and this was among the easiest. The Digitech 2120 was the most difficult for me.

I wanted rack-mount to go with my Roctron Velocity 150 power amp. I must say that after owning nearly every high-end guitar preamp/effects unit that this ranked at the bottom just above the Alesis Quadraverb GT. It was possible to dial up distorted sounds galore but the clean tones did not even come close to all the "models" available, like Twin, Roland JC120, to name a couple. I could never get a decent clean tone. The eq was honky in the mids and it made a Tele sound like a Les Paul, a thick and midrangy tone. I used a variety of speaker cabs and could never get my tone. Some of my favorite artists are Brent Mason, Albert Lee, Ray Flacke, Larry Carlton.

I did not have a problem with noise in the form of hiss or hum.

I purchased the unit new by mailorder. The 3 gigs I used it on, I had ear-splitting popping sounds. I was about to send it back but decided to open the lid first. The fuse holder mounted to the circuit board had come unsoldered and any vibration caused the power to go on and off resulting in the popping sound. I fixed it myself and it seemed reliable afterwards, but I was spooked to use it live again.

Never dealt with them but felt that I would have been treated well.

I play many styles but am currently employed with a western swing band, much like Asleep at The Wheel. I am playing jazz, traditional country, chicken pickin', some Merle Travis stuff. This unit was not a good choice for this gig.

I have been playing 41 years. I own several guitars: a custom-built Tele with EMG's and a Glaser bender, a G&L ASAT Classic from the custom shop with Barden pickups, a G&L Comanche with "Z" pickups, an Ibanez AM255 (335-type with Tri-sound, an MD (looks like a Les Paul stretched into the shape of a Strat) with EMG-89's and a Homebrew Strat and 2 Tele's under construction. I have 2-Boss VF-1's, a Boss GT-3, A Vanous Evolution head, A Rivera BM100 Chris Duarte model, A Pearce G2r, a Rocktron Velocity 150 power amp, a couple of Korg Dtr1 Pro tuners. Speaker cabs include a G&K 2X12 with a pair of Peavey Black Widow 1204's and ported and tuned to 78Hz, a custom 1X15 with an EVM15L ported and tuned to 72Hz, a Peavey 115e, a Marshall 4X10 with a quad of Eminence Beta-10's. Also have a mountain of other speakers I will be building cabs for.

Look, there's a long list of reviews. I won't go into the features list.

I am a tube amp freak. I've had several boutiques custom make amps for me, I've been a die hard Mesa man, and I love a good Vox AC30. I'm not going to tell you it's just like these amps, it's not. But it is a very very close match. The audience won't know the difference unless you're playing to a roomfull of guitar snobs. I play all PRS, and this thing does a good job of emulating the amps modeled, but it is muddy on my singlecut for some reason. I have insane amounts of fat bottom boost to the point of crudola. Sounds great with a McCarty soapbar though. I use it in a small rig for live gigs at smaller clubs, racked with an echo pro, and a mesa 50/50 power amp, running two mesa 2x12 cabs. When I have to play the larger gigs, I drag out the 2 dual rectoverbs I use in stereo. If you're looking for pure tone, you're going to hate it, if you're looking to sound good enough that people still think you're playing the gear modeled, then you're gonna be happy. For those who play all tube and have gotten to rely on the very active relationship between your amp and your strings, get ready for a new mode of thinking. This thing surprised me, because it does model an active relationship between amp and strings, but not with the feel on your fretboard you'd expect. It was almost surreal to hear the tones coming out, but not feeling what I was doing. I appreciate that, however, because it has forced me to clean up my act and become a very precise guitarist. All in all, It's a great studio solution (I use it on studio tracks to reinforce the real deal, I won't give up that tube amp, but this doesn't exist so that I should.), a very respectable stage solution, and works well with those who are open to not lugging their enormous rigs around.

Everything works great for me. No problems here except that sometimes I have to really look close to the knobs to see if I am really lined up with the amp I want to model. And, as everyone bitches, I do hate the fact I have to hold tap down to dial in the other half of the amp models. really, would a 32 position switch be that bad?

Never dealt with them.

I've been playing for 16 years, and I've owned a ton of gear. I've heard people slam this, and I've heard people rave about it. I am pretty sure that the people that slam it think it's lifeless, digital crap cause there's no tubes. get over yourselves. If you are that freaked about tube sound, go buy a f***ing tube amp and stop slamming a rather ingenious affordable guitar tool. Does it sound perfect? no. Who cares? play with it enough and you'll get to like it and get comfortable with it. I'm genuinely impressed with it, and most people that take it for what it is, a tool, and don't think of it as a replacement of all things tube, would agree.

Brand new out of the Box with the Floorboard. I am in a pop-alt-rock band and play a lot of different stuff. So many amps to choose from and it really sounds like them also. I bought it at first because of al lthe features, liek the volume, wah,a nd multiple pre set channels. Also having multiple effect like chorus,delay,reverb, tremelo,compressor all in one is great.The Tuner is the best tuner I have ever used. It is so Dead-on it is not even funny. Pedal or hand held tuners are horrible compared to the tuner in the POD Pro. It even gives you the letter of the note your are tuning. This means when you are learning a asong from tab or what ever and it has weird altered tuning like (DADADD on the new Creed song) you can do it in a snap.

Now I am a purist who only likes distortion coming from a Marshall/Mesa all tube head. I have never found a pedal that can sounds nearly as warm or clean sounding. I bought this beacuse I really liked having a set up that is nice and neat with the volume pedal, wah and all the channels in one unit and not have to fiddle around with othert pedals and stuff. What I am amazed is how close to real tube distortion it sounds like!! You really have to spend time tweaking the amp you are using it with and then the POD itself but once you figure it out it is pretty easy. I have a MArshall JCM 2000 Triple Super Lead 100 all tube head. USing the POD I have found that the Modern High Gain, afer some tweaking sound just like if not a little better!! I ahte to say it but it really does sound a little better. Now I use really only Live, not in the studio. i tried it through my * track and it sounded pretty good with all the cabenit simulators. The big thing that you must do in the live set, when you are running through a amp head nad cabinet is to TURN OF THE CABINET SIMULATOR!. It took me a week to realize thats what was missing. The cabinet simulators are for when plugging direct into a track recorder or PA system. Once you turn it off when going into a real head and cabinet, it really sounds amazing. Once again though with the cab simulator off, it will sound like shit in headphones or direct,OK? I fidn that I put my Marshall amp head Bass to 10, the mid to 10, and the treble to 0. Then tweaking the POD pros Bass,mid, and treble is s breeze. i thin ksetting any amp head this way should work the same OK?

Have giged thee times since I got it and had no problems.

Never had to use them.

Great for everything. Really a fun toy. You can play for hours and never get board palying with all the amp simulators and cabinets also. It is nice to be live through my amp head and cabinet on stage, and be able to go from the sound of a Mesa rectoverb to a Fender Tube amp. Really amazing tone. The effect also are great quality.

2001 model. By now you most probably know about all the features - they are discussed in detail below. Versatility is it's name. I write and record original rock music in my home studio, and this unit has really made me rethink how I do things. In fact, some things I have noticed include; a) I play a lot more because it's such a joy with all these glorious tones, b) I'm not writing as much because I'm having so much fun playing and c)I'm not writing on the keyboard anymore. There are some minuses - most notably the tendency to throw the digital lock off when using the SPDIF digital output. It's an inconvenience, but this thing sounds so good I'm quite willing to cut it a whole lot of slack. I haven't tried it in a live setting, but I bought it exclusively for studio work and it's more than I hoped for. The effects are average, they are ok for noodling, but I use other gear when mixing down anyway.

I'm using a Carvin DC-747 (great f*cking guitar)and I can get damn near any tone I've ever heard. The blackface tones are beautiful, the Marshall Plexi tones are fabulous, and the Dual Recto sounds are like molten lava. I have a buddy who is a real savante when it comes to tone - he's always been light years ahead of me in that category. After one listen to an mp3 I sent him, he's saving for a POD. If you can't get a good tone out of this thing, you should give up playing guitar

Probably the POD's weakest category. It's really not that weak, the only problem is the digital lock problem mentioned above.

Haven't had to use them yet.

If this thing were lost I'd have to replace it immediately. I have a Peavey 5150 212 combo that sounds great (I do know great tube amp tones), but I can get better tones out of this going to hard disk via SPDIF. Not to mention the versatility that the Peavey just doesn't have. I read in an earlier review someone complaining about the digital output, but to me its golden. Besides my guitar, this is the single coolest piece of gear I have ever had.

32 Amp Models and 16 cab models can be stored in 36 programmable channels. For use in studio or on stage. I have never used this piece of equipment in the studio. I would recommend buying the floorboard so you are able to make full use of the POD's features...especially for live applications. With the floorboard you are able to switch on and off different effects. Plus you have access to a volume pedal and a wah pedal. My only gripe as far as features are concerned deals with when you change the settings. For example, when you have everything set (preamp, effect, cab model, etc.) but then you decide you want to change the effect (from say chorus to rotary speaker), the speaker cab setting goes back to whatever it was set on origianally. Then you lose your tone.

I run my POD Pro straight from the unit to the mixer and it sounds awesome. You could probably convince someone that you have a Marshall stack mic'd backstage and they would believe you. That's how realistic it sounds. I use a Gibson Les Paul custom and a Fender Tele custom. They both sound great because I use different settings with the different guitars. It doesn't sound very good when you use two different guitars with the same setting. But it shouldn't matter, there are 36 presets that you can use. I recommend that you hook up the POD to a sound system to EQ it and select effects. If you try to tweak effects with the headphones on and then plug straight into the system for a concert, it's not going to sound good at all. Everything sounds great with the headphones on. So, tweak your effects and settings through a sounds system before your gig.

The reliability for this sucker is great, but I recommend buying a good surge protector or power conditioner to plug into. Here's why: I played an outdoor gig and there was a problem with the electricity to where I had to have my ground/lift switch on lift. This left me with an annoying hum or if I left the switch on ground, the power would shut off. So I dealt with the hum, but my left/mono XLR output blew out and it quit working. I had to get it serviced afterwards. So, don't rely on cheap, household surge protectors to protect your stuff, spend some dough on a power conditioner (good ones start at $40...plus you can rack it above your POD Pro). I believe that you would be alright without a backup, but it wouldn't hurt having one just in case. I now carry around a guitar amp in case something happens.

My rating for this category is extremely low because I had to have mine serviced. I didn't deal directly with the company, but my dealer is having it repaired and they ordered a new circuit board for my POD. Line 6 said the part would be there in 4-6 weeks. Well, needless to say, it's been at least two months and still no part...which leaves me very upset! But, the good thing is that the repair is being done under warranty, or at least they haven't billed me for it yet. It definitely shouldn't take this long though. I recommend dealing with the company directly before going to your dealer. In my case, I took my POD Pro to the dealer. Then they had it shipped to a company who does their repair work. Several weeks went by before the repair people even got to my equipment. Then they had to order a part (remember 4-6 weeks means like 2-3 months). Now it's being worked on. My dealer sent it off in mid-August, now it's the first of November. So, don't go to your dealer first. Check with the Line 6 people first. You might not get much farther than I did, but it can't be any worse.

I have been playing for about 8 years and I thoroughly enjoy this piece of equipment. I bought it to replace a Digitech RP-7 multi-effects unit mainly for the reason that it didn't have quite as many bells and whistles as the POD Pro. Plus I can place this puppy in a rack case and not have to worry about it getting scratched up. If it were stolen or lost, would I buy it again or get something else? I would go for something different. Simply becuase there are better processors (yet more expensive) out there. I would possibly replace it with a regular POD becuase it's cheaper and it does the same exact things as the Pro. I love the fact that the Pro is rackmountable. I play in a lot of smaller venues and also in large ones as well and this equipment sounds excellent in both. I just plug straight from the back of the POD into the house setup. My band is limited to space in our van, so this POD takes up a lot less space than an amp or a stack. Plus, you can set your POD to sound like just about any stack or amp, so there's no need for those things. I also love the fact that since I plug straight from the POD to the house, I get my guitar and vocal mix both coming from the monitor (instead of having your vocals in front of you in the monitors and a blaring amp behind you). That way you keep you and your other band members happy because everyone can get the same mix instead of your lead singer not being able to hear himself because your amp is too loud. I feel pretty comfortable with being able to operate this equipment and should be able to answer any questions that you might have. So feel free to ask. Check out my band: http://www.crimsonrocks.com/

Go to the site and read the features. One thing i do wish the Pod Pro had was a user bank like 100 persets that a person could store and recall. So you could have models with fx or whatever your lil heart wants.

I use various guitars with emg and dimarzio pick ups. I think if a person wants to have "THAT" sound or "THERE" sound this is a very good thing. I have played all the hi-gain heads you name it i've played it and the POD Pro has those sounds. Granted you need a good power amp to get the thump of a full blown 100 w head but spend the cash on the power amp and it will be way better(I use a tripple rec and a jcm 800 for power and a vht 2150 to power my effects(g-force and eventide). The pod pro fuckin ripps!!!! All the tones you will ever need in a single box.

I have used the POD Pro in studio and live and to me its better live direct in to the return of your amps effects loop.So far so good...

I havent called them yet.

Look think about when you first began to listen to the players that inspired you, you can now have those tones and have the ability to"FIND" your own.The POD Pro is the starting point of the future where one day we can all model sounds and recall them (imagine when they get the guitars to model) Crazy idea huh!!!!

This is a follow up reeview i had a while back. I got a new guitar and it screams now!

I play a ESP custom m model with emg 81's. I can get the perfect metallica setings now. Set it to channel 9a then set it like this:

Drive- 10
Bass- 10
Mid-9
Treble-8.5
Channel Volume-10
Effects Tweak-7.5
Distortion on
Presence on (use tap control)
Effect-Compressor
also set the boost on.
I can get the perfect "...And Jusctice For All" sound with these settings.

A light burned out once but for some reason it works again. Overall it seems like its built to last

Great Amp. Good for all styles of music. Sounds great with a tube power amp. Especially Mesa Simul 2:90 or Marshall EL34 100/100