Nice Variety of sounds only bad thing is power

This thing is great for practicing with head phones. The wide variety of sounds make for a more authentic practice session (so when you're playing U2 songs you don't sound like ACDC and vice versa) and makes practicing more fun.



The only big downside is that it sucks down power like nobody's business. I bought four high-end AAA batteries and the Pod ate them in a about a week of playing for less than 2 hours a night. Furthermore the manual states that only non-rechargeable batteries (or the optional AC adapter) should be used. I now plan to buy the Line 6 DC1 which is line 6's 9 volt adapter from Amazon soon.



Another much smaller downside is that the real manual is only available in PDF format from Line 6's web site. But if you're at Amazon you probably have an internet connection.



While getting the manual you should probably also download Vyzex which is Line 6's software for editing the tones from the Pocket Pod. This software isn't absolutely necessary for using the Pocket pod but it does make editing tones somewhat easier and it also allows the use of download tones (which work somewhat like synthesizer patches.) I also think the software could be better designed.



Still I'm very pleased with the product. When you consider it's cost versus the cost of an amp head plus stomp boxes etc. the variety of amps and effects modeled and the fact that the Pocket Pod doesn't take up much space at all it's a great deal especially someone like me who practices in an apartment.

More detail ...

So Many Sounds And Pure Clean Earth Shaking Power

I had an old Line6 Flextone. This amp had plenty of power but I was never able to get the sound I was looking for out of it (no fault of the amp). I love Line6 products and now own three after purchasing the Spider IV. This amp has so many presets that you can just push a button and find that perfect sound you were looking for. You can custom dial in your own sound or take one of the presets and tweak it a little if you want.



The clarity and drive this amp produces is breathtaking. So loud yet so clean and clear and down right nasty sounding when you want it to be.



The ease of use and the amazing sound this head produces makes it an incredible value. Check one out - you will love it.



More detail ...

Spider IV 150 guitar amp from amp-modeling pioneers Line 6 redefines what is sonically possible from a modeling amplifier. An incredible amount of care passion and attention to detail went into recreating the authentic characteristics and tonal nua...

• 150 watts; 2x12" Celestion® Custom speakers; three-quarter closed-back cabinet for a tight snappy response


• 300+ hand-crafted presets from 50 world-famous bands and guitarists including Johnny Marr Slipknot 311 Meshuggah Lacuna Coil As I Lay Dying Steve Stevens The Donnas Minus the Bear Pete Anderson more; 200+ dialed in song-based presets


• 16 tonally superior amp models with the vintage characteristics and nuances; 20 Smart FX (4 at once) with deep editing; Quick Loop Auto-Wah Intelligent Pitch-Shifter plus inspiring echoes mods delays reverbs and more; 64 user-created presets


• Bass Mid and Treble knobs that behave like the EQ controls from each modeled amp; Drive knob; Channel volume; Master volume


• 1/4-inch input; 1/4-inch headphone/direct output; 1/8-inch CD/MP3 input; built-in chromatic tuner; FBV foot controller jack

More detail ...

The Line 6 Podxt

This Line 6 Podxt is awesome and I have just started playing with it. I am sure there is so much things this Podxt can do I have just not discovered yet. It can give a direct studio recording or use it live or hook it straight to your desktop through a USB port. I can make it sound like my old Univox amp or I can make modern synth effects great for playing Industrial or make your own sounds. I even hooked my mic and made some great vocal effects as well. More detail ...

Somewhere in between...

This thing is in limbo. It has too many functions to be a basic amp and not enough to be a really broad-ranged amp like it's bigger siblings. It annoys me that it gives you effects and then doesn't give you a whole lot of ability to fine tune them to your own tastes. The tremolo is especially annoying because you have no control over the depth (which goes from all-on to all-off) just the tempo. Another thing and this is something that has become standard in the Spider series is that the knobs are digital. While this is not a problem per se it could be better implemented. When you change the amp model it overrides whatever you had the knobs set to. This is a problem because you have no idea what the positions of the knobs are for the presets and you have to turn them a little to get control of the knobs function which instantly throws it to the knobs current physical position (indicated by a dimple on the face of the knob which by the way is kind of hard to see in low light). Confused? Yeah some kind of led's around the knobs to show their current digital position would be nice.

On the plus side they should never crackle when you turn them even 20 years from now!

The farther you roll the amp selector knob to the right the higher the gain goes so if you are trying not to disturb the neighbors make sure you back off the master before you select Crunch Metal or Insane.



As far as sound quality goes I don't have any complaints. It does sound pretty nice it can be adjusted to give you a really clean sound but as is typical of solid state it lacks the warm fuzzy tone of tubes. Not a knock really just par for the course.

The instruction manual does not explain how to use the built in tuner function and the FAQ's on the Line6 website seem to be describing the 15w model procedure not this 30w (which is very different in the way it works) but you'll figure it out pretty quickly when you start turning the tuner knobs.





Bottom Line: If I had a piece of advice to give to those of you on the fence I would either get the 15w model (because I really don't see enough extra features in the 30w model to justify twice the price) or step up to the 75w model which has 300+ presets (and it's probably loud enough to gig with a drum set which this probably is not). I honestly don't see a hundred dollars difference here if they had included the 300+ presets on this model I would give it 5 stars but as it is it is a nice little 4-star amp.More detail ...

JM4 Looper will make you a better guitar player

The JM4 Looper is way more than just a looping pedal. It's really a "band in a box" type of product. There are 200+ different custom guitar tones and over 100 backing tracks of various styles: rock metal blues country funk pop you name it. As with usual Line 6 gear it's got built-in amp modeling for typical Fender / VOX and Boutique amp tones. As well as built-in reverb flanger echo phaser chorus etc. Its darned easy to just start jamming to the backing tracks. You can change the guitar tone the amps etc. Even better you can change the tempo and key. (however if you change more than 2 half-steps some tracks distort weirdly.)



If you use the Line 6 JM4 Looper you will no doubt get better in your playing. But if you're looking for "just" a looper consider something else as you might get frustrated with all the features.



--Zack

guitarvibeMore detail ...

Great Amp If You're Digitally Inclined

I cannot begin to say what a pleasure this amp is to play. The clean sound is what I play primarily and thus the 4 star rating. It sounds great clean yet the fiddling around with the menu to get presets that are suitable for jazz and the like take time. No big deal with time issues if you're one well versed with digital menus. For dudes like me (perhaps many) this is a fine piece of workmanship with the built in tuner and all but I just want to turn on the tube sounding warmth of an old TWIN or VOX and play mellow. Again if one is inclined mellow sounds will come out of this superlative amp and I am only thinking of selling mine because I just need less power and less menu stuff.



Like amateur radio many of the new gear out is menu driven versus simplicity. I am hardly one who does not like to tinker but when tinkering is all one is doing an playing your instrument takes second seat there is a slight problem. So this is based on my ineptitude rather than the amplifier's capabilities and build.



A four out of five is very good given my admission to menu driven gear as a weakness on my part.



You'll love it if you love reading manuals or have much time to tinker. Overall the amp is superb. PERIOD.



JettMore detail ...

100% Recommended

I have a Line 6 Spider III 120W 2x10 amp (which I love). For changes between presets during songs I needed some sort of footswitch. The options are this ($29) a FBV Express ($99) a FBV Shortboard ($269) or a FBV Longboard (I think it's $349 or something). The disadvantages of this one are:

(a) it only switches between 4 presets at a time rather than 36 and

(b) there are only two buttons so getting from preset 1A to 1C requires two clicks.

However this is not a problem if you set your presets in order of how they appear in a song and make sure that each song has 4 or less presets. I have never played a song in which this was an issue.

The advantages are of course low price AND having a compact reasonable pedal rather than an unwieldy giant that you don't need. In addition this thing is sturdy and I don't think it will ever break down.

So if I had to do it again I definitely would. I like this amp 100% better now that I can change between presets during songs. If I didn't have access to some sort of footswitch that could do this I'd sell the amp. That's how important this little thing is. More detail ...

Pocket Pod rocks!

This thing is awesome. Great for practicing or playing out. For practice you can just plug your guitar into it and hear yourself with headphones with great effects. You can also plug in an mp3 player or Ipod to play along with any music. Used with an amp it offers adequate effects with uncomplicated settings. It's also a tuner. Make sure you buy a power supply with it or get a universal one as the batteries don't last very long if you're playing more than a set. More detail ...

Designed for use with Line 6's POD 2.0 (as well as the original generation of Line 6 amps) the Floor Board has two main modes of operation: Channel Select and Effect On/Off. Effect On/Off gives you instant direct access to your Digital Guitar Amplifier System's effects while Channel Select gives you seamless switching between all of your Digital Guitar Amplifier System's Channels. Volume and Wah Pedals Tap Tempo and a Digital Chromatic Guitar Tuner round out the features in this must-have accessory for the first era of Line 6 modeling products.

• Switches for Channels A B C & D that serve double duty as effects on/off switches


• Wah and Volume pedals


• Additional features include Chromatic Tuner and Tap Tempo switch


• Designed to work best with Line 6's POD2.0 AxSys 212 AX2 Flextone and Flextone III amps Original Spider amps and the original POD


• Self-powered though the locking RJ-45 cable (included)

More detail ...

It fills a need.

My first Line 6 products were the Flextone II Plus amplifier and FloorBoard foot switch. There were only four things I felt the absence of from that set-up phaser stereo/ping-pong delay pitch shifter and onboard dedicated compressor. I resolved that I'd someday get another Line 6 unit that would include those features and the POD XT Live was it. But it was still incomplete with only one expression pedal to control volume effects amplitude reverb etc.



The EX-1 is so simple. If you don't alter the programming in the POD XT the EX just functions as a volume pedal by default leaving the onboard expression pedal to work as a wah wah pedal. But I'm using the EX on several presets to control Leslie speed synth waveform and filter cutoff. I hope to utilize its other capabilities down the line. Something I recommend to anybody with a POD XT/XT Live or one of Line 6' foot pedal emulators.More detail ...

not bad at all...

Well I bought this to replace my Pod 2.0 and my floorboard. This is a more compact package with much better effects. The device is plastic and probably won't be as durable as the floorboard (which is probably indestructible). I don't notice much of a difference in sound if any. I haven't recorded with it yet mainly used it live. More detail ...

Great Versatile Amp

I've owned several Line 6 products and this is probably the best yet. The tones from this amp are quite impressive in particular the clean tones are amazing. I've used and owned several vintage and modern tube amps and I have to say this amp is one of the best I've played. Make no mistake it's not a Mesa or Bogner but for the money this is an amazing amp. The range of tones and effects that you get with this make it a no brainer for anyone who plays a variety of music. It will get as loud as you need it to so gigging with this amp is no problem. More detail ...