BASSPOD XT

[persuasion]

hi all,
recently bought said item as i dont want to carry my amp around to gigs but when i use it with the pa theres no definition and no punch, the unit has a 6 band parametric eq, will this help get the punch and if so anyone have any settings as i'm new to such things! any help would be appreciated
martin

[manmountain8]

I have used a Bass Pod Pro for awhile now. It is retired now because I am sick of sounding so digital, and I could not get a decent tone out of it. No punch like you said. I had the best results by blending it as little as possible with my amp. I'm sorry, I know that's not what you wanted to hear, but the Bass Pod by itself just doesn't cut it IMO. Especially live. The Tone is lifeless and no amount of tweaking can change that. Digital Lovers, please keep in mind that this is only my opinion so save your hate comments for someone else. You could try the SVT, or GK800RB amp models with a 4x10 or 2x10 cab and boost the Hi-mids. I don't know if that will do it though.

[Dave Muscato]

I use my POD as a preamp, with a separate poweramp & cab (Crown K2 & Schroeder 21012L). Most PAs in smaller clubs are no match for a real bass cab when it comes to tone, and I wouldn't expect them to be able to pull it off. With a very nice PA, I'm fine with using my POD, but I prefer my Schroeder. In the studio, I go direct.

[Nyarlathotep]

That lack of punch you talk about is the exact reason Im selling my POD X3 to a guitarist friend (i guess the bass side of the xt and X3 are simmilar). The funny part is that the guitar side of things sounds awesome low gain to extreme, which is why he wants it.

The really sad part is that I bet you'd get more punch if you turned off the cab/mic moddeling, or told the unit to be in "live" mode (which removes the cab/mic stuff from the signal on all patches). Just dont plug in headphones or the xt will automatically switch into "studio" mode.

[On The DL]

I use the bass pod almost everyday. It's definitely not my first choice, however, I have been able to get a decent tone, one I like better than my radial bassbone di. For one, there are too many options IMO. As far as punch, I agree, there's not much from the pod, but a decent amount with the drive about halfway.

As far as tone, to each his own, but may I humbly offer the settings I use on the pod- if nothing else, just for kicks.

With my Carvin- bart pups and pre-
I use the Classic Jazz amp with the Adam and Eve cab, and bump up either around 500HZ or 800HZ at about 4db. eq pretty flat, but with the low mid or high mids bumped a little as well.

[DaLong]

I have the X3 and I haven't noticed anything really wrong. It can't handle a double bass worth a damn, but at the church I play for it does pretty good for the house. For the Tool tribute band I play for have found a good way to add that punch. I split the signal and goes into the POD and the other in a Samsamp DI. On the amp I just let the Sansamp channel sit a little high in the mix than the POD. This allows all of the digital sound and smoke and mirrors to be heard but a good tube sound that punches out on top. To me, it is far cheaper to use the X3 then to buy and hassle with a lot of Pedals.

[Ric5]

I split my signal into an mxr bass di+ for a clean modern sound and into an old line6 bass pod for a dirty retro sound. I model the old ampeg flip top amp and I model a rat distortion pedal. Then I mix the 2 signals back together for an awesome sound. I run it direct into a pa, or into a mixer in the studio, or into an ampeg b2r with 4 10s live. It works good all 3 ways. Plenty of bite and growl.

[ksandvik]

Yes, I don't know if you could ever get the real tube-saturated sound from a Bass Pod XT, even with all kinds of amp and cab simulations. For plain effects it should be a good choice compared with spreading out tens of pedals and keeping track of those. --Kent

[infect]

I like running my POD x3 direct

[Dave Muscato]

+1 on cost. A decent volume pedal, tuner, and wah alone will equal the cost of a POD. Plus, you get the headphone amp, direct-to-USB recording, and all the stuff it's really designed to do: amp modeling, FX modeling, cab & mic modeling.