POD X3 Pro for bass DI recording?

[De93]

I'm looking into getting a 6/7-string bass which is going to be tuned down to F (please, save your complaints). I'm going to need a good distortion and EQ for decent DI recording into an Avid Audio (formerly Digidesign) 003 and Pro Tools. I'm going for that whole Meshuggah sound, and through searching this board, it seems like an MXR M-80 would be an excellent solution to get the sound I want at an affordable price.

But, I'm also wanting something around for guitars. I do have another piece of equipment coming in for guitar, but it's going to be a few months before it's released, and I need something immediate.

I'm looking at the POD X3 Pro since it was used by Meshuggah themselves for years before they went to Axe FX. It can double for guitars and bass, so it would eliminate the need for the M-80. Even after the other equipment comes in, it will be able to double for effects, and still be usable for bass.

The only problem is that I'm having trouble finding information or clips about the X3 Pro being used for bass. There's a couple videos on YouTube, but they don't sound great. I've ran searched on this board and others, but since the keywords are so short, it doesn't show many specific results. Who has some experience with the POD X3 Pro, especially at absurdly low tunings? Of course, any input would be appreciated.

[De93]

I hope it's not against the rules to bump this. I'm still unable to find much about the POD X3 Pro for bass.

[MuzikMan]

I have no experience with the POD but if you're commited to getting it for guitar why don't you just hold off on the MXR M-80 and try the POD on bass? Then you could let us know how it works!

[De93]

Originally Posted by MuzikMan

I have no experience with the POD but if you're commited to getting it for guitar why don't you just hold off on the MXR M-80 and try the POD on bass? Then you could let us know how it works!

Well, I've ordered a certain preamp/IR loading product that will be here in July, and will render the POD X3 Pro useless for guitar purposes. I wouldn't mind grabbing one for bass and immediate guitar use. It can cost over 400 bucks and be hard to flip since the POD HD models are out, so I'm not wanting to leap into the X3 Pro until I'm certain it's worth keeping around.

But, from everything I've read, it looks like POD Farm software plugin has the same models as the X3 Pro, and even more. The latest version (v2.5) is hardware independent, so it could be used through my Digidesign 003 instead of the Line 6 UX1/2 that was needed before. It's only 50 USD and has a 30-day return policy, so although I would rather have physical hardware, it's much less of a money sinkhole to try the plugin.

There seems to be some complications with older POD Farm versions and Pro Tools LE 8 though, so I need to do some more research before purchasing anything.