Top Quality FX and Modeling for the Stage and the Studio.
228 People rated this product : 8 out of 10
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23 People wrote reviews |
Read all Line 6 PODxt Live Guitar Amp Modeling Pedal reviews... |
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() 10 out of 10
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Feature:
Again, this is far more than an effects pedal. It can make your guitar sound like pretty much anything. The LCD screen is small but the controls are intuitive and you don't ever really need to use them because you can plug it into the laptop and change all the settings in GearBox. If you spend enough time with this thing it is just crazy how much you can do with it. I bought all the extra amp models so now it makes even more sounds. You could spend years messing around with this thing and finding different tones, but there's actually lots of other users doing that already so I like to download their presets and try them out myself. It's nice.
Buying this thing will make you want a Variax guitar. I got it to play into a PA but wanted more raw volume so I bought a combo amp with tubes and it rules. Buying one of these things and not taking advantage of the huge amount of information on the line 6 website and forums would be a shame - otherwise you would not know that you need to configure your presets playing around 85dB in order to compensate for Fletcher-Munson curves for LIVE, duh.
Actually I didn't know about Fletcher-Munson curves before I bought this - now I do! I am serious when I say using this thing will not only improve your music but also educate you about sound, if you so wish. Otherwise it's a great effects pedal.
Quality:
awesome product. great quality. I had to calibrate the pedal but otherwise no problems whatsoever.
Value:
absolutely the best thing ever. This is waaaay more than an effects pedal. You can use either the xt live or the gearbox plugin in conjunction with the xt live on all of your tracks in a mix to give them that amped sound. It is just amazing. If lost, broken, or stolen I would just buy another one.
Desirability:
technical marvel. If you want crazy tripped out effects this might not be for you, but if you want to sound like all sorts of different guitar sounds, be able to go from a chunky blues to metal to surf guitar and country all in the same song this is your thing. Great for recording - it pretty much replaces the amp, mic, mixer, and audio interface for $400. Also comes in rack-mount form (xt pro) with connectable pedal board for those so inclined.
Sound:
Amazing. The loaded-in presets sound like garbage, in my opinion, but this thing is infinitely configurable and far more than just an effects pedal. If you can't make this thing sound like you want, there are hundreds of presets in GearBox and thousands of user-submitted tones online do it for you. I use it with a tube amp and record directly into the computer and both sound fantastic. This is used by a number of popular bands, who seem to love using it when performing live.
You play this into the clean channel of your amp, by the way.
Ease of Use:
Incredibly easy to use. It would probably be well-received at all if the factory presets were better. Being integrated with the computer makes both recording and everyday use much easier - you don't have to bend over and touch the knobs if you don't want to!
I had to calibrate the volume/wah pedal to make it switch over properly - out of the box this isn't super awesome fantastic, but after reading the instruction manual and taking an hour to do some setup and load new presets you will have the best guitar pedal and/or recording interface on the planet.
Support:
I bought one of these used and purchased amp models for it - a part was missing from the used pedal so I returned it to the store without disabling the models and got a new one - turns out the model packs are linked to your device, not the computer, and you are supposed to disable them before transferring between devices. I called line 6 and they sorted it out pretty quickly, gave me new serials for the new pedal.
An amazing thing about the model packs is you can purchase, install, and then "return" them to line 6 within 30 days and get all your money back. Unheard of!
Overall:
I'll probably use this thing until it breaks and buy another one. I don't think I'll be using it all the time as I own a tube amp and some pedals already - it's still fun to practice with those - but for recording and LIVE this is all I need.
Submitted: 7/9/2007
Style of Music: Electronic/Alternative
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9 of 9 people (100%) found this review helpful. Did you?
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![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() 10 out of 10
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zZounds has verified that this customer bought this product from us. |
Feature:
There are so many options it's amazing. So far, every idea I've wanted to try with my PODxt Live has been possible. I especially like the fact that you can assign each effect to be either before or after the amplifier, which can change the sound dramatically. You can save any combination of settings into the patches and also have four pedals (amp, stompbox, modulation & delay) to use exactly as you would use real stompboxes. The amp tone controls are cool too, they are laid out on the face of the PODxt Live just like the knobs on most amps. With this you can make quick sound adjustments without getting into the edit mode. The midi feature is nice, too.
Quality:
I haven't had it long enough to vouch for it's durabilty but it seems quite solid.
Value:
For the money I don't think anything can touch it. There are so many sound options, plus the noise-gate, EQ, etc., I think it's an amazing value.
Desirability:
I don't know how to rate the "sex-appeal" exactly. It's not particularly striking-looking, but what multi-FX floor units are?
Sound:
I'm a self-described "tube-snob", at least as far as what I am willing to use in a live band setting. I still believe that a good tube amp cuts through a mix much better than any solid-state amp, and that's why I run my PODxt Live into the FX-loop of my tube amp. The tubes warm up the sound and make the POD sound much more "organic". I prefer multi-FX units to individual stompboxes because I like to be able to switch on and off multiple FX as well as change volume and EQ without having to do a pedal-dance. I was previously using a Boss GT-3, but the amp I have now needs a line-level source to drive it's FX-loop, and the GT-3 only outputs at amp-level. The PODxt Live has a switch to choose either amp or line-level output, so I bought it and ditched my GT-3. I haven't used the newer Boss multi-FX (GT-6 & GT-8) units, but the sound quality of the POD's FX are much better than those of the GT-3, and the preamps/amp/cab sims are LIGHT YEARS ahead. Many of the effects are scary-close to the ones they're modeled after. Also, I have a friend who owns a Mesa-Boogie Dual-Rectifier and we AB'ed it with my amp's sounds using the PODxt Live's Dual-Rect setting. We both agreed it was just about impossible to tell one from the other. If anything, I thought my amp sounded better. He was quite annoyed at me when he found out what I spent to get my "Recto" sound. The only thing I don't really like is the wah, but no biggie, I have my Dunlop Zakk Wylde Crybaby for that.
Support:
Haven't dealt with Line 6 for support, however using the USB cable connected to an internet-enabled computer it's very easy to get software upgrades.
Overall:
I'm flat-out blown away by the sound quality of this unit. I bought it to use mainly for the effects in conjunction with my amplifier but I found the amp sims to be outstanding. A cool feature is the Custom Tone section of the Line 6 website, where people can upload and share different tones they've created. Just for kicks one day I ran some of the sounds I downloaded from there into the FX-loop of my amp (thereby bypassing the amp's EQ section), and set it on the clean channel. Some tones sounded tinny and cheap (just like all the amp sims on my GT-3) but then I tried one that had been labeled "Ballsy". Holy sh&t!!! It was one of the best distorted sounds I had ever heard. It was a combination of the compressor, the Line 6 sim of the Mesa Dual-Rectifier and the Ibanez Tube Screamer model. This sounded better than the actual distorted sound of the lead channel on my amp (a Framus Cobra!). After that, I learned how to program the PODxt Live to use the other amp models properly with my real amp and it's amazing how many good sounds I have available to me now. You really need to learn how everything on the POD works to make it sound it's best but the rewards are well worth the effort. The Line 6 people say that owning a POD is like owning 36 different amps. This may sound like a stretch but pairing it with a good tube poweramp really lends creedence to this claim. Now that I know how good the PODxt Live is, I just bought a Mesa Stereo 2:90 poweramp, which I'll use in conjunction with my 2 speaker cabs, making my rig stereo. By the way, I've been playing for over 20 years and I know good guitar sounds. Previous amps I've owned have included a Crate Blue Voodoo 120, various tube Ampegs, Marshall JCM800 & JCM2000, Mesa Stiletto and a Framus Cobra. To the reviewer below, "XXX", if you use the PODxt Live with a good tube poweramp and can't get some good sounds out of it, the problem is YOU, not the unit. If you have things set incorrectly, it can sound very cheap and cheesy but if you spend time learning how to set everything in relation to the other equipment you are using there is a wealth of excellent sounds available to you right at your feet.
Submitted: 6/19/2005
Style of Music: Heavy rock
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8 of 8 people (100%) found this review helpful. Did you?
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Read all Line 6 PODxt Live Guitar Amp Modeling Pedal reviews...
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