Line 6 POD PRO

First thing! This is an amp modeling tool and should be treated as a tool! Just as you would have to tweak an EQ or digital delay/reverb. You think The Edge simply plugged into his pre-programmed SDD3000 or AMS and busted out Streets or The Unforgettable Fire.

The Pod Pro v1.3 rack mount has a model for just about every popular amp. And yes the pre programmed settings are simply YUK! So turn a knob and tweak it! 36 user editable programs based on 1 thru 9 each having an A,B,C,D sub. The controls are analog! Dialing in a sound you want is very quick and easy no scrolling through menus!!!

Metal, Blues, Overdrive, Clean, Yep. Pod Pro has nice delay, reverb and modulations. It is very easy to get your own sound, crazy distortion or clean acoustic. And the cleans are clean.

Amp and cabinet modeling as well as a live or studio switch. The processing is so clean they even recommend re-amping guitar tracks while mixing down via the re-amping in/out jacks.

Turner and stereo effects loop.

My Pod Pro came with a floor board allowing for full control of the rack unit and expression pedal

Rock, Blues, Warp, Confusion, Loud, Edgy, Garage kind a playin.. Single coil and Humbucker. Have played thru and tried many many Tube, Solid-State and Digital pre-amp on the market. The Pod Pro has made me a believer! I did not want to but no Tubes in my rack! The models are awesome, and no noise at all!!! It sounds great cranked on all settings Metal or Clean. Although some of the stock patches are too punchy and come off very muddy especially with single coil pickups.

The distortion is as brutal as you want it to be!

Simply Awesome, and if you only use basic effects and mainly rock this is probably all you need. I use the pre amp modeling as I don???t really have a need for the effects as my effects are listed below. I have resisted the move to a digital Pre-Amp as long as I could but here I am with no noise.

The delay, reverbs and modulations are really very good and easy to dial in. Again the analog controls make this baby easy to program.

CLEAN POWER Amps are a must as Pod Pro generates all the harmonics you need. If you used colored amplification (distorted) you will have to really work with the Pod to soften its color. I am a Tube purist and Tubes are to only way if you have bottomless pockets, here is the Butt Monkey, Solid-State power is the way to go with this baby.

I do run a Fender Super Twin Reverb w/ purple Jensen???s that is ear bleeding cleaning with monster bottom end because of the (6) 6L6 power tubes. The Rectifier model 9A, well, sounds like Ben Franklin dropped a Mesa Triple right in my garage.

I also run a vintage 80???s Roland JC120 w/ vintage JBL???s that is Solid-State and also ear bleeding clean. Well this is a side by side comparison??? The Jazz Clean 9D, well, yes guess, it is running through one.

If you like Metallica try memory preset 9A/9B you are there.

Built like a tank...

Free upgrade to v1.3 at no cost.

Playin since 1980, I would have to replace it, I love it. Compared the Pod Pro to every pre amp I have ever used, mainly Tube based. The Pod has risen above them and I tried so hard to fight it!! It is really a great guitar pre amp as I do not need its delay, reverb or modulation. I run a 3 amp stereo setup; the Line 6 feeds the effect path via loop where a Korg A3 mixes stereo to hard left/right. Any effect that is not true stereo is doubled.


Here is my setup:
Guitars: American 80???s Charvel, Fender Strat???s/Tele, Gibson Explorer, Custom built 12 string Strat and Martin acoustics.
Effects Setup: (Floor)Boss Volume, Ibanez PUE5 w/Dunlop Wah looped, left to rack right to Ibanez PT5 to Vibratone.
(Rack)from floor to Korg SDD3000 (true bypass), Line 6 Pod Pro, Korg A3 (Pod E Loop), Left/Right - (2)Korg DRV3000, Yamaha FX900, (2)Korg SDD2000, (2)Yamaha D1500, Ibanez SDR1000, Pod E return, Pod Pro out to Alesis Midiverb II.
Amps Setup: (Left)Roland JC120 w/2X12 Vintage JBL. (Right)Fender Super Twin Reverb w/2X12 Purple Label Jensen. (Center)Custom Leslie Tremolo (Vibratone)

Yes I like to goof with effects. I setup the amps left and right turned in @ 30deg with the Vibratone spinning in the middle. The Doppler Effect is awesome because of the frequency cancelation as the rotary fires directly at the Amps.

What I am not going to miss is the Tube dilemma. No more tubes that sound like crap and having to pay crazy cash for NOS ones.

I'm not touring anymore so I ditched my Marshall and was looking for a simple digital/solidstate replacement that I could use in the house without waking the kids up. The amp was everything I wanted it to be, but now it's just going bad on me. Keep reading.

Again this thing sounded great, the effects were okay and a few of the simulated amps were really nice, especially the l6 crunch and the plexi emulator. I was very happy with the sound until it started falling apart.

I don't know what's wrong with my Pod Pro. I bought the amp used, it worked perfect when I got it. First the FX loop crapped out, just stopped working cold, no warnings nothing. Next the guitar input on the face of the amp started sounding distorted and weird. I just flipped my guitar to send a line level signal and sent it to the line level input at the back of the amp, I thought that solved the problem. I was still bummed out that the guitar input and the FX Loop where dead but at least I thought the amp was salvagable. Now last week the digital delay just stopped working. When I put it on Digital Delay it just makes a scratchy sound while I'm playing and no delay. Then yesterday all the rest of the fx started sounding the same way. No trem, no chorus, all of them sounded horrible and screechy, sort of like really bad digital cliiping plus nails on a chalk board and no effects. Today the distortion is sounding messed up too and so I switched to the clean channel and was playing on that for about an hour using a ProCo Rat for distortion and guess what? That just crapped out too so I guess that's the end of my Pod. Well I've had it for almost a year now and practice about two hours a day but I didn't expect it to wear out that fast. Seriously, I have a little Gretsch Artist practice amp made in 1948 and it still plays great but this pod isn't that old why is it going sour so soon?

Yes I have it on a surge protector, no I'm not doing anything stupid to it like running power amps into the guitar input or taking ot apart with power tools. I'm just plugging a stratocaster into a rat pedal into som rack mounted reverbs and than right to the amp, that's it.

Their okay, nice people to talk at but they aren't fixing anything so what does it matter.

Last time I buy anything from Line 6. Very disappointed with this product. I don't tour anymore and I have this thing sitting stationary in a nice rack and it's basically tuned into a paper weight on me.

This review is for the POD Pro with the V1.3 chip. I've had this unit for several years...probably 5 years...and I also bought the Line6 Floor Board with it. I did it out of curiosity because I wanted to see how a modeling amp worked. I also bought a little Mesa Boogie Dyan Watt 20/20 power amp (stereo, 2xEL84s a side) and have a THD 2x12 cabinet that I use with other heads in my arsenal - Bassman, Marshall 50 watt, etc. With the original v1.1 chip, I didn't like it. It would record some rhythm parts to tape nicely with the speaker emulation, but anything else had a buzzy digital sound to it - especially when you had an overdrive patch. Reverbs weren't very good, chorus was barely "OK", other effects were tolerable - compression, rotary, chorus, flange. My opinion has changed more positively with version 1.3.
The POD Pro also has some nice real time performance controls which make it suitable for a live setting. YOu can tweak the tome controls, bump up the drive control, controlthe reverb mix, etc wasily in real time. It has an XLR out that you can run to the board (which I never do), has MIDI in/out which I use extensively to edit patches from my laptop using a free downloadable Line6 utility. That works nicely.
There are no phaser effects. Why?

I play a variety of styles - but I don't do anything that has a heavy distortion to it. Mostly classic rock and R&B, blues, etc. My other amps are high qaulity tube amps - Matchless, Victoria, Carr, Fender Deluxe Reverb, 1965 Fender Pro Reverb, Cage, Dr Z, Marshall. Yes I love amps...yes I do.
But with the V1.3 chip, it actually sounds like a pretty good amp - especially coupled with the Mesa Dyna Watt and the THD cabinet. Now, you have to work to get the sound you want so that it will react dynamically to your playing in a live situation. But by golly, it actually works.
The effects didn't improve much with the v1.3 upgrade. The spring reverb is just not good. The rotary sound has improved with v1.3, however. But the distorions are much improved. I usually add a little drive to it, the distortion is not that over-the-top metal distortion. It actually is pretty good. You can roll your guitar volume back and although it is not as dynamic as a good tube amp, it does a pretty good job. Better than most solid state amps, I would say.
I play mostly single coil guitars - Tom Andersons, Fender, etc.
There is a good variety of amp sounds. I have nice models of a Fender Deluxe, a Marshall JTM45, a Vox AC30 Top Boost. They sound pretty good. It's nice in a live situation to bounce between certain amp types - which is where this device shines. The cabinet emulations aren't great. But the POD Pro gives you the option of disabling cabinet sounds if you need to.

It seems to be built well. I've not pushed it too much, but if you put it in a nice rack case and plug the power into a good Furman Power conditioner, it should last a while. I've seen some build-quality complaints about newer Line6 gear, but the POD Pro has a nice metal chassis that seems solid.

My one dealing with customer support was very positive. It was to get the V1.1 to V1.3 upgrade chip. No hassle. It was free. It arrived in about a week. Very friendly people. Probably better customer support than most.

POD Pro v1.3 improved the sound and features of POD Pro. Even the sample tones that come out of the box with v1.3 were more geared towards tube amp variety - as opposed to over the top compressed fuzzed out distorted sounds that were with v1.1. That's nice because it gives you a good launching point to tweak your own tones.
It would be nice if it had a USB or ethernet port, but I'm sure newer models now have that. I'd say this compares favorably to other modeling pre amps. If I had to have only one guitar amp, this wouldn't be it. It does a variety of amp sounds with decent quality. It's not like a good tube amp, however. I may replace it if lost or stolen...but I'm not sure. It takes me a while to form an opinion. Let me gig with it for 10 more jobs, and I may have a better opinion.

I got my PODpro in '04. Let's just say it has lots of different tones available. I like the tone of the line6 units when recording direct but felt it lacking something in the power section so I decided to get a Line6 preamp to run with a real tube power amp. I agree that 36 memory banks is pretty funny, considering the processing power available today.

I must admit that I don't have much use for most of the tones available
from the PODpro. Not because they sound bad but because I only need a hand full of them. My main tone comes from the "Modern Hi-Gain 1", the Soldano preamp patch NOT the SLO patch. I use the "Roland JC-120" patch for my cleans and I use the Line6 "Layer" patch when I want to blend a clean and dirty tone together. This is a patch that I fell in love with on my Line6 Flextone HD head and was happy to see in the PODpro. My only
complaint is that all the presets seem to have a mid-scoop which I hate even though I'm a Metal guitarist. I actually boost my mids and I now use a DBX 131 graphic EQ to turn my mids up around 800HZ. This unit is my secret weapon in making the PODpro sound like the end of the world. I use a Mesa Recto 2:100 power amp in the "Modern" switch engaged and it kills all the boutique amps I A/B'd it to.

I had a problem with the output of the PODpro where the volume was going in and out, so I took it back and the unit was replaced with the last one they had. All they had then were the PODxt units which I didn't like. When I played through the unit, it's tone was way better than the original one which led me to believe there was something else wrong with the first unit besides the output stage and since I didn't have anything to compare it to, didn't realize it.

Never dealt with them directly.

When used with a good graphic EQ and a great tube power amp like the Mesa 2:100, this makes for the finest Metal rig in existence.
Haven't heard anything better and I've heard everything from Diezel amps
Engl amps, VHT, Mesa, Peavey, Krank, Carvin etc. and my rig with the PODpro sounded much better without that saggy, spongy effect that I hate from most all-tube amps.

I know absolutly nothing about when the POD Pro was made but I can definitely say that I met someone who owned it and uses it to record as well as live gigs. Their music has been broadcasted on the MTV network as well as soundtracks. I believe it was one of those horrible reality shows that everyone is obsessed with. honestly, what the hell?
I wish the POD Pro had a teleporting feature without any type of identity mechanism so that I could make one appear right in front of me on my computer desk for which I would then plug my guitar into and connect a few patch cables, experiment with the sound settings and continue writing and recording the great music that I enjoy listening to. I love music aside from not being able to appreciate many other people's style, ability, effort, creativity, or genre, etc.... I need not say more for I find human communication borish and lacking a certain value of entertainment quality much desired by me.
I like creating a wide-spread stereo depth, plunging my axe right between those lucious waves of ecstacy and shredding with precision.
oh, and I do so while recording in private settings as well as public.

The POD Pro sounds exactly how I make it sound.
I control the combinations. I control the volumes. I control the compensation ratio for volume/distortion irritants. I am the man.
And now on a more personal note:
"Anyone who lacks the ability to create should NOT be allowed to call themselves a musician. If there were a penalty for ignorance and idiocy perhaps the majority would think twice."
POD Pro RAWKS baby!!! woooooooo!!!!!!!!
*cough*

I'm still waiting for the teleportation mechanism to trigger this beautiful machine into my hands.
I cross my fingers right...............NOW

Every moron thinks they're a professional and I laugh.
The ONLY (and I stress) ONLY reason anyone should or would need customer support is if they LOST the manual or they were just too lazy to read it.
Get real people.

I've never played through a POD Pro. I have no rating for this product.
I'd LOVE to own one and I am currently in the market for such a thing.
I'm interested in the POD XT Pro but I was recently introduced to a mint condition POD Pro for under 1/2 the price.
My only question so far is if I'm able to add plug-ins or "patches" to the POD Pro like I've read about for the POD XT Pro.
Overall I love this thing unconditionally as if it were my own child you silly grunt mongers.

Just purchased Pod Pro 2.0... had regular Pod and 2.0 upgrade prior. Preferred the rack set up with pedal. just easier to use. Did not buy to use primarialy sa modeler or effects... but rather for a little of each as needed and not need to have a bunch of pedals all around.... though I still use a few because you cannot combine more than 2 effects and only certain ones. But that said it has enough to please me for recording and gigging. Using with a marshall FCM100 head and 4-12 Marshall bottom... sometimes with Fender Ultimate chorus... both amps have excellent clean channels so it can be used more to it's potential.

Primarily Classic Rock and new age rock

good so far... prior POd lasted with zero probelms and resold for 74% what I paid after 2 years,,... not bad!

To expect an amp modeler to work in every amp and truly recreate a particular amp or cabinet is just plain stupid.... add chocolate to milk you get one thing... add it to beer you get something completely different.... your amp dtermines how well anything can sound through it and what the flavoring will do to it. I happen to really like it the way it works with the Marshall and with the fender. My POD 2.o suckeds through my Tube Peavy Classic 50 head w/ Peavy 4-10 bottom... just sucked.. but that was the amp... not the pod.. pod was fine in other amps.. the peavey amp on it's own was great so it's not because the amp was bad... just not a good combo.. I love the POD PRO

Let me begin by saying that this is definately not a 1 trick pony. I have played guitar for over 20 years in hard rock/metal bands and this is a great versatile unit though it does have its drawbacks. I will explain. Control surfaces are intuitive and easy to use. The fact that they mimick the simulated amplifiers in tonal sweep is great. (some of the featured amps never had mid controls like a Vox AC/30 but allow you to add a mid boost or cut because the mid knob is there. Channel switching is seamless and effect carryover is also nice. Total control is achieved with the 300 floorboard though I own the $75 FB-4 model which is a scaled down version for basic control of 4 presets within a particular bank.
I currently am using a solid state (YOU HEARD RIGHT) Crown Microtech PA amplifier with an Avatar 2-12 open back cabinet with (1)Vintage 30 / and (1) G12H speaker. I have also used a Mesa 20/20 dyna AND a Simul-Class Two Ninety in a traditional guitar rack set-up. I have also used this rig with a Gibson/Norlin Lab series L5 combo amp with the live /studio switch set to studio. (no cabinet simulation or mic AIR properties). The mesa's or any other tube amplifier for that matter are strange with respect to the extra coloring of the guitar tone. If you are going to use this unit the way the manual tells you to, do it with a PA type amplifier and boy will you see what everyone is talking about in prior reviews. It is best to use this preamp live with no cabinet simulation if you insist on a Tube type amplifier of your liking like my 2/90 or similar. This thing sounds absolutely monsterous through headphones or a recording console though. splendid.

I generally use a PRS custon 22 birds as my main axe, though I also use a Zion Ty Tabor signature model strat fasioned after the Fender Strat elite switching system of the 80's with the Joe Barden single coil pickups. These pickups are truely the cleanest sounding units of modern time. The bring out the best AND worst playing. They are very unforgiving when you make mistakes. A drawback if you are a crappy player. The POD PRO is a great friend if you need that versatiity factor. It is very quiet, especially with the noise gate built in. With 32 amps and 32 effects theres enough to keep you busy though a lot of the presets are a little too busy, they are a great starting point for your custom tones. They group effects or reverbs commonly found with that particular amp model to help showcase its sound. Nice. In a nutshell this unit can growl with the best of them and go until the cows come home and then some, or be meek as a kitten when necessary. I will say this though, there is still and never will be a perfect match for any of the amplifiers they emulate though they come sort of close in a lot of attempts. You must have real good ears to really get what you are after.

I have had only one problem with the POD PRO which turned out to be such a simple but aggrivating problem. The unit would re-boot onstage in the middle of high level performance! Yikes !! The problem turned out to be a simple fuse holder that was a little loose and allowed the unit to lose power by vibration long enough to turn it off and back on real fast. BUMMER. The good thing was I found the problem after bringing it to a so-called CERTIFIED line 6 repair center. The jerk-job who was the tech said he could not reproduce the problem I was having. I embarrased this guy severely buy simply playing a chord and lightly, yes LIGHTLY tapping the top of the POD, and 'zip' it turned off and on. The boobs eyes got wide as saucers as I whipped it off his bench and brought it home determined to fix it myself. Which turned out to be a simple clip on the main fuse. Thus proving that this 'tech' never really looked at it in the first place, and costed me 2 weeks worth of rentals on a floor model. DOH!!! It has not faulted since that day and after 6 years of touring in a rack, being stored in a cold garage and fired up on weekend warrior excursions. Basically being treated like the red headed stepchild she is. So reliability is a solid 8

Dont bother, they are nice to you but they didnt help me in the least, see above comment. posers..

I own 2 Gibson Lab Series L5's, A Marshall JCM800, Matchless Chieftain, Buddah Twinmaster, Peavey 5150 combo, a Fender princeton and a 52 Fender Deluxe, these are the real things, the POD comes sort of close to the ones they simulate but with a lot less back ache so it makes it worth the sacrifice. I like 8's so it gets an 8.
King's X rules!!

hey i need to say this because everyone is not realizing something those individuals running this with a guitar power amp are the ones have the bad sound your not suppose to run it with a guitar power amp it has color to it you want to run it with a power amp with out color. that is why the sound is weak and odd but sounds great through head phones. try running it with a crown solid state power amp or something it will be great then.

Bought it used in early 2003. POD PRO. Already had the old POD 1.0.
Very versatile. Already covered in other reviews.
Used it with a Digitech MiDi controller.
A lot of tweaking possible. Nicest feature: on-the-fly cabinet emulator selection.

I used POD PRO as a preamp+FX unit for a Mesa 20/20 (EL-84) poweramp.
Guitars: Epiphone Slash Signature w/ Duncan Jeff Beck (bridge); Jackson Soloist w/ Duncan SH-8 (bridge) + 2 custom handwired strat single coil pickups (neck & middle).
Mostly play hard rock, rock, blues, R'n'B.
Overall nice sound, but with some major issues.
It sounds AWESOME driving a Brunetti Silver Bullet all-tube poweramp.
It sounds weak with the Mesa one; after about 2 years I just sold it for my VH100R.
IMHO POD lacks dynamics; yes, fair for recording, but tones just aren't "alive". It might be as well a guitar synth.
And this is sad, because no preamp should sound this bad, connected to a Mesa poweramp.
I'd say: good for beginners or as a recording tool; just don't expect to sound like a SLO live.
Just don't understand if one of the above reviewer, speaking about SLO, Mesa Mark IV and so on, ever played through a real tube amp.
Any owner of a SLO or JCM800 will tell you the difference between this and the original. And it's a BIG BIG difference in tone & response.

Excellent.

IMO, it is much better to have one or two REAL GOOD sounds, even without FX, rather than thousands of crappy and mediocre sound combinations.
But, if you just cant wait to have some preamp-fx-recording multi-purpose rack unit, sacrificing sound quality for some "versatility", then it might be for you.

The features have been covered enough already. Most of the effects are OK but nothing to brag about. Gives me some really loud pops when switching between settings. I bought the floor board ($300 extra to make it usable on stage) to go with it as well because I thought I would use it on stage but it will never happen....

I bought it after listening to it through headphones, like a fool. The unit sounds OK through a PA set up but sounds like crap with my Mesa Boogie TriAxis and 2:90 power amp. I play an ESP KH with active EMG 81's. A few of the amp simulators sound good but not much like the real thing I have found.

The midi quit working on the unit after a couple of months of fighting with it to get some good tone out of it.

I haven't bothered getting repaired because it is junk in my humble opinion. I have contacted support a couple of times with other issues I had with the software and they were polite but not very helpful.

This unit is fine. If all you want to do is play through headphones! It has been sitting out of my rack for a long time now and has become a very expensive paper weight. It will be sold on ebay or at a local pawn shop very soon. Unless somebody on hear wants to buy it!

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)

This thing handles amp models beautifully. It has like, 32 amps, 16 effects, and 16 cabs, I think. Quite a bit. The backside has more inputs and syncs, and MIDI stuff, than most any other rackmount I have seen, and I work with a lot of rack gear!

Damn this thing smokes. Anyone who says it sucks or has harsh tone must be using a poor power amp, speakers, or something. I have never had that problem when coupled with good gear (Roland, Mesa/Boogie). Absolutely insane distortion for the Mesa/Boogie, Soldano, Marshall JCM 800, and Line 6 Insane. You throw that down with a good power amp, forget it son, that's gonna level buildings. For overdriven and clean amps, same deal, beautiful. Just get this badboy a good power amp.

This thing has done gigs and bedroom, and it withstands the rigors of shows and wear and tear. Only problem is that my digital sync switch on the front broke off, which lets the POD sync with Pro Tools and other HD recording system (very cool), but this is easily fixed for like, $2.

No problems yet.

I have been playing several years, and play in a black/thrash/oddball ultra-heavy metal band, and this thing suits my every need. Just be wary of the footswitch cable...it's a T1, and it has trouble holding up if handled rough, but if you get a good cable, it's no big deal. I have compared the models against some of the real deals. The Roland JC-120 sounds the same, Fenders sound the same, and the real Mesa actually gets ROMPED by this. This hold together a lot better. Marshall JCM 800 is the same deal. My buddy, who plays in a death metal band loves it too, but he wishes they made a VHT model, or even some Peavy (5150, Triple XXX, etc...). Knowing Line 6 they will. He says it's a great buy too!

Does 95% of what a preamp & FX-unit should do. If you want to do extreme processing to build out-a-space sound-scapes, you'll need an extra FX-processor.
All the hardware-features (inputs & outputs) are extremely pleasant, both for me as for the band's FOH-engineer as in the (Pro-Tools based) studio.
The one thing that REALLY sucks is the fact that (when playing in Live Mode) the balanced outputs don't carry a representative speaker-compensated signal to the mixer. Sounds strange, doesn't it?
When switched to studio-mode, the balanced outs carry the speaker-emulated sound I want; the unbalanced outs then carry the same signal.
When in live-mode, the unbalanced outs carry a signal that is optimized for feeding a power-amp + guitar-cab; the balanced outs now only carry a simple filtered sound (comparable to a Hughes and Kettner Redbox), because the POD-Pro needs its processing-power for feeding the right signal to the unbalanced outs.
Well, to really fullfill both my guitar-cab's needs as the FOH-mixer I will need TWO Pod-Pro's. Mmm, that's not what they promised me ...

I can almost get any sound out of it that I want, except for really clean sounds. Even when switched to a Fender Twin Reverb, you'll always end with some form of distortion.
For the rest, if you're willing to do "deep editing", you'll get the sound you'll want. Please use <a href="http://www.patchwizard.com/">PatchWizard</a> though, because SoundDiver for PC is such an unreliable piece of software.
The front-panel of the POD-Pro REALLY sucks big time; it looks very cool, the designers did their job very well, but functionally I'd prefer a menu-driven screen. Knobs seem a cool idea, especially for beginners, but they're useless if you cannot reach all the parameters. The "Pro" extension in this device's name, should also lead to a Professional user-interface in my opinion.

Be willing to make some strange decisions about amp- and speaker-choice, because very strange combinations can do the job. For example "1x12'' Vox AC-15" is a bit of a whimpy description, but I use it as as speaker simulation for all of my Heavy Metal sounds.

The sound is not as direct as an analog setup, processing power needs a little delay, but it's not hearable, only feelable. I'm willing to live with that.

I agree with the sound-purists about lack of real tube "TONE", but making the guitar sound wonderfull is one thing; getting the right sound on tape is another. Only if I become a pro with 10's of thousands of budget for making our CD, I'll go the purists-way. Untill then (10K is our budget) ... modelling works right for me, because it save me a lot of time to work on things that are really important, like mixing and making the song work.
If you've ever tried to make a guitar sound fall into its place in a professional mix, you'll know that all the effort that you've taken to record that wonderfull analog tube-sound can be useless, considering the decisions that you'll have to make to make the song work. Same thing that I say to hifi-purist nerds: let's make some music.

There's not a lot of analog components in there that can break and the housing is VERY sturdy and reliable. No backup needed.

Never had real problems. I updated my firmware to 1.3 just by mailing the European Line6 department. One week later it came in my mailbox in an envelope ... for free.

Line6's website and user community are splendidly organized; they're also not afraid letting people complain on their bulletin boards, even when someone completely pisses the company off.

I play guitar for 20 years, 5 of them (semi-) professionally in a Heavy Metal band called <a href="http://www.orphanage.net">Orphanage</a>. If it was stolen, I would definitely buy another one and upload my own sounds; my sound relies on it for 100%.

I love it for it's sounds, it's reliability and it's looks.
I love it for the fact that it doesn't offer features that 95% of the guitarists never uses.
I hate it for the lack of real clean sounds and the lack of a menu-driven interface.

Sometimes I long for analog equipment again, I recently tried an Engl-amplifer for example. Analog guitar-amps sound more direct, a bit less harsh and more musical (very noticable for example when you play chords and listen to all notes individually), but the sounds of the POD are ALMOST AS GOOD and the one thing that keeps me playing my POD-Pro is that it's PRACTICAL and very RELIABLE.

I'll guess I'll stick with it.

~I'm writing this as an afterthought....

I owned it, recorded with it, then dumped it on ebay within a few months...
(see below)

I made quite a few recordings with the Pod Pro before I sold it.

Looking back now, I'm really impressed with the tracks that I laid.
So much so, that I'm back here checking opinions before possibly
re-buying another one.

It was somewhat uninspiring to listen to on it's own...
But, thinking back, it really fit well into my tunes.
And most of the time, recorded better than my amps.
(thru: Equitek C-350/Joemeek VC1/Maudio1010/Logic Audio)

It just seems to "fit" into the mix.
After a little LAP coercion...

I'm not a technically proficient player, but I'd like
to think that I have a good ear. Specializing in mixing.

So, I have to give the thing credit.

Also, I should say that (if I remember correctly) I didn't
find much to love in the default presets.
But, I was able to cook-up a few sounds that pleased me.
Clean wasn't one of them.
I ended up turning to the Joemeek VC1 direct with a 80s Yamaha 335 w/Gibson P90s.

Maybe the technology still has a way to go.....

But, for what it is, I find it hard to fault.

I bought it new, and didn't have any issues....
???

Well....

I contacted sales to see if they would be coming out with a
Version2 any time soon.
It was a very respectful letter.
But, going on well over year now, they've never responded.

I gave them an out by conceding that they may not be able to comment
on upcoming products, but I was still disappointed by the lack of reply.

Playing dreadfully for about 12 years, I've consumed way more
than my legal limit of gear....

The PP is OK at $550, but for $350... I'd probably love it.
For less than $500, my Mesa/Boogie Quad pre-amp outlasted the PP
by years, until it too went to the chopping block.

When reading these reviews, you need to examine the reason why the item was purchased. Everyone has different needs and certainly different opinions!! Based on that statement, the Pod Pro really doesn't have the features I need. I've been playing guitar for about 30 years, and I presently write and record my own music. I also play live with a band. The music can be classified as "progressive rock"
similar to the music of King Crimson, Gentle Giant, Frank Zappa, Jethro Tull and others... My music requires pretty wide range of guitar tones. Everything from totally clean to heavy distortion.
I am EXTREMELY critical of my distortion tone I get out of my setup.

I've always used tube amps. I have tried over and over and over again through the years to use solid state and tube emulation devices. They just can't emulate tube distortion!! period!! "Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!!" If you can't hear the difference, then you have tin cans for ears!!! I bought the Pod Pro to replace the ADA MP-1 in my rig, forget it!! Of course the features of the MP-1 are not up to the modern technology of the Pod-Pro but I'm strictly judging on guitar sound, tone, and critical distortion....

If you're into speed metal, death metal, etc.. then please ignore the following comments about the sound of the Pod-Pro... As I said, everyone has different "loves" and "hates".... I hate what I frequently refer to as "buzz saw distortion" Of course this type of sound is very popular with many metal players, they absolutely love it and I have no problem with that, it just aint me!! I can't stand that high frequency buzz!... 90 percent of the amp models in the pod-pro have that god-awful nasty distortion!.. Yes, I have spent hours tweeking and programming.. No creamy, smooth TUBE distortion!, If you don't believe me (and I'm sure there are many out there!!) set up the Pod-Pro side by side next to an MP-1 or Chandler Tube driver and do an A/B comparison... make sure you play CHORDS for this test, not just single note leads.. that's where you can really hear the difference!... When you play certain chord combinations through the Pod-Pro using a semi-distorted setting you can hear the offensive intermodulation digital artifacts coming through.
I can hear it... I'm not crazy. You'll read the following statements from others... they are total BULL-S*** !

1) Famous guitarist Joe Blow uses one, it's gotta be good!
2) Multi-million dollar studio xyz has one, it's gotta be great!
3) Our digital distortion modeling sounds just like tubes!

Yea right!!

Don't know..... returned it!

??

While the Pod-pro to some degree manages to emulate the overall "sound" of some amplifiers, it falls short in the distortion catagory. Also, it is not very user friendly in the programming department.

made early 2001, play mostly heavy stuff, however love blues and sparkling clean too
We all know the features, basically all you need. However as someone else mentioned, it would be good if all 32 amps were listed, not just the first 16, having to go through the manual is really annoying.
I use it for both live and recording.
This baby conquers in the studio, almost too easy. Very cost effective not having to fuck around and get the sound right.
Live it's great too, however make sure you have a deasent power amp cos if you dont it wont perform to well when you really crank it.

set-up as follows
Greg Bennet Signature Series Ultramatic with DiMarzio Evolution Bridge >POD Pro >Behringer Dualfex Pro Sonic Enhancer >Yamaha P1600 Power Amp > Marshall 1960A Box
Suits my style perfectly.Gain and distortions absolutly scream. I would go on about the recto and JCM800 settings, but everyone else has so enough said on those. Basically they are pretty damn convincing.
Some people in other reviews have said they cant get clean sounds. Come on, it's really not that hard. Line 6 Clean? Roland JC120? - the sounds are in there, just have a little patience and tactic to your dialling and perfect, shimmering clean tone is awaiting. Add a little chorus and delay and magnifique!! - oh, make sure you neck pick-up is selected for extra warmth.
Vox AC30 Fuckn roars. Really jumps out and bytes you in the arse - cranked some wicked Queen tracks on that setting. Modern High Gain - Gary Moore in your pocket, Boogie Models are great and the Plexi gives a great Hendrix tone, use a cry baby and hell yeah.
This thing shines on both clean and distortion.And yes, the distortion is very brutal.
Now, the sonic inhancer is the icing on the cake.With that running to, no one I know can touch my sound. This is great when the volume is moderately loud. When I really push it I bypass the inhancer cos it's not good when loud. Definition breaks up, and basically becomes a bit messy. So yeah, I bypass it, turn down the gain a bit, punch the mid up a bit, and turn that little knob to the right until I feel my bones vibrating.

Seems fairly rock solid. Have it in a rack case (duh) so not a problem. I'd gig with it without back-up, but I'm gonna get something incase. that can sit in the rack as a reserve.
Never broken down, and I hope it doesnt cos I live in Sydney Australia and bought it in South Africa so my warranty isn't valid!!! - big time shit

Never had to deal with them, but when I do, if my dealer cant help me, it's gonna cost a shitload in international phone calls.

Been playing for eleven years. Now unlike most of the guys reviewing this, I don't live in the US, I live in Sydney, so I don't exactly have the variety and strong currency of yankee players, and unlike some of these guys, I haven't owned every piece of equipment under the sun. But, I have heared lots of different amps. My lasy amp was a Marshall VS100 Combo, which was alright but didn't cut it. I was playing an RG450 at the time. Then I got a V-Amp, that was fun, I researched amp modelling, and the rest is history.
Here in Australia we get mostly Line 6,Marshalls, Fender and Peavey. Very hard to get top end American gear. All Boogies, Soldano's are virtually impossible to find and gear like VHT or smaller companies are basically unheard of. Probably cos if it's expensive for people in the US, it's gonna be twice the price here.
So me having my POD Pro, I'm happy, for now, I know I never will be, but hey, are any of us ever going to be totally happy......