Line6 Bass POD worth to buy?

I think that the guitar pod offers more usable sounds for guitarists than the Bass Pod does for bassists. People don't tend to hear differences in the bottom the way they do in the screechy guitars. It's intersting, but unless you play a lot of different styles from different eras, it won't take you far beyond what you can do with just an amp.

 

amp simulators is basically eq presets and the effects are very sub par. You can get a cheap multi-effect unit for a lot less though i still wouldnt recommend it.

boo POD boo

 

I won't play anywhere without mine. Here's the set up.

I my rig is more of a PA than a bass amp, the only difference really is that I use bass cabs rather than PA speakers. I have two basses which plug into a Behringer MX802-A mixer. This lets me tweak volume and EQ settings for each bass seperately and I can change basses on the fly without swapping cords or having to change any settings. The 802-A patches into the Pod which is where my overall sound is determined. The drive, distortion, amp modeling, flange and chorus is set for both basses with the Pod. I don't use the Pod's cab modeling for live situations because I happen to love the sound of my speaker cabs already. I do use the cab modeling for recording a lot though. The Pod patches into a DBX crossover where the lows are sent to one side of a Crest V1100 power amp and the mids and highs are sent to the other side of the Crest. The lows are handled by my EV 215 cab and the rest goes through my Eden D-210T. I set the crossover point at around 140HZ depending on the room.

The Bass Pod is only limited by your bass rig's ability to reprduce it. An SVT for example, while being a terrific amp, is going to make everything that's played through it sound like it's comming out of an SVT...including the Pod. So an SVT owner who buys a Pod and sets it for the Gallien Krueger emulation is going to be disappointed when it doesn't sound like a Gallien Krueger. Well it does, sort of...it sounds like a Gallien Krueger played through an SVT.

The Pod was designed for studio use in applications where it's plugged directly into the mix and there are no amps or speakers to color its sound. Where the Pod really shines in live situations is when it's used with Hi Fi gear which is transparent and doesn't smother it with colorations of its own. The gear I'm using is wonderfully transparent and has the pure horsepower necessary to reproduce the Pod sound in a live situation. I can give the 15's a threatening growl and the 10's kick in the chest midrange and I've gotten to the point where the Pod actually sounds better live than for it's intended use...recording.

Most Pod owners will tell you that the Pod's factory presets aren't very good, but that's the trick thing about the Pod. If you don't like the way it sounds you can hook it up to your computer and change the parameters on just about anything you want and make the sound truely your own. Want more drive? Want to change the compression settings? Want mellower distortion? No problem. There is a learning curve to doing the deep editing to be sure, but with a little time and patience you can do some pretty remarkable things.

If you're looking for a stomp box, then the Bass Pod probably isn't the right thing to get because it isn't made for that. It's more of a preamp really and if it's used as such it gives good results.

 

i had one and i used it a lot. i was forced to sell because i needed a new head to play in the clubs. i was forced to sell the pod only to raise the money for the head. honestly i regret to not have the pod anymore. i found the pob not perfect but very usable. actually thaey are very pricey here and i don't think i'd buy one but i'm considering one of those cheap digitech bp 200. they maybe will not be of the same quality of the pod, but they are really less expensive. i found the pod really good not only to record. but also ti have your own sounds everywhere in a small portable unit. i remember that i used to play with borrowed amps and i used to have only my bass and my pod. it was great!. i didn't like some of th modeled amps such as the SWR or the eden (they had much less volume output than others too) but i loved the ampegs, the vox abd the marshalls. about the effects i remember that some are interesting, others completely useless. the eq was good.
to buy or not to buy? i think that it depends on your setup. if you have a good enough amp and a good bass you could give the pod a try. otherwise i higly suggest to use your money for a bass and an amp that will suit your style. the pod is a nice extra...

 

If your playing your bass through a PA, the Bass POD is great. Plenty of touring bassists use em.

 

I played through a bass pod today with a fender p-bass and a set of headphones, it was really cool (no floorboard control though), and i know that i must get one. if i were to set my amp head and EQ flat, it might be able to let me not color the sound at all....i'm hoping, peace out dude, good luck.

 

I think that the POD is pretty cool - but only if you aren't running through another preamp...then it doesn't really work. When I tried it, I ran it through the fx loop of a SWR Wm12, plugged in my bass, and I was pretty impressed for what it did. I don't think it would be good for someone who wants ONE good sound, however. It seems to be better for someone who would need the versatility that is available on this unit.

 

I don't think the bass pod is worth the cash. I played through it and although it can give you some cool sounds, you can get those same sounds through a stomp box and a nice ampeg. BUt if you like the sounds when you test it (the always have the pod ready to test up at mars) then you should buy it. it's mostly preference.

 

...time for TalkBass' resident POD freak to come out of the woodwork and drop my two cents.



The POD, INHO, is a groundbreaking peice of gear that I don't think really gets its due because, yes, the learning curve is friggen' HUGE. Most bassists are used to an amp head with a couple knobs, maybe a graphic EQ, where they can just tweak a few things and they're ready to go. It takes some real in depth experimenting with the POD to get down to the real nitty gritty. Also, it usually takes a setup like Mudbass' (although mine is'nt nearly as large) to get the full potential out of using the variouse head and cabinet emulations.

So, if you're looking for a nifty multi-effects unit, you're going to be disapointed. But if you want to have total freedom in tone and don't mind putting in the time to learn it, get the POD. And a floorboard, if you're gonna play live.

 

hey if you want to hear what the pod sounds like, click on the link in my signature, and download Fallen Hero and Decietful Heartache... i'm not in the band anymore but that's my bass on the demo... and a bass pod.

 

I used to love the pod in my live setup... but at a rehearsal a few weeks ago, I just really wasn't happy with how it sounded... I am using an SWR 4004 and an Ampeg 410. I pulled the pod out and was really happy with the sound by itself (well, with a BBE in the loop.) But that doesn't mean that I am getting rid of the pod. It is too easy to plug it into a recording setup, I use it on my computer. And it does sound great by itself. I have to agree with BassistJ, you have to do your homework to use it really well, and also learn to use the deep editing software. Final opinion? great for recording, and I keep it near the couch with some headphones for practice... I'll stay away from it for live stuff....


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I've only had mine for a couple of days, but I did use it at a gig today. The amp/cab models are great, both through my Bose system (L1/PS1) and headphones. I think it absolutely smokes what my Sansamp was doing for me.

That being said, the effects are not so good. I have to fiddle some more, but the octave stinks, as does the envelope filter. The chorus is OK, but not all that either. I really like my pedals more. I may think about selling my live version and just getting the bean for amp/cabs and using my pedal board for effects.

Anybody find any useful decent sounding effects on this thing? Basically I need to replace my EBS effects (Unichorus, Octabass, and Bass IQ).

 

I have been using mine for ages now and love it. I have got the envelope filter sounding nice - had to tweak the sensitivity and turn off the default compression that is the first in the chain. No point having something touch sensitive after something that removes dynamics!!

One question to you all...

What output setting do you use when you DI into a PA? I originally had it on Cab with Horn because that's what my own cab is, but then I put it on Studio Direct for some recording and I just realised it's still on that setting. So now I don't know what I should be using.

When I do my own sound, I also set the EQ on the PA to flat, put the POD volume pedal to the floor and set the PA level volume to 110% of my desired stage level, and then use the POD foot pedal and knobs to control the sound completely during the gig.

Thoughts?

PS: The extra 10% is buffer to cope with unanticipated gui****s during the gig.

 

Talk about resurecting a dead thread from 2001. I think the orignal part of this thread where about the original bass pod. Where the rest may be about the XT version.

 

ahh good point LOL.

 

So you can use the PODxt to DI to the PA?

I thought that it didnt have an xlr out....

 

You CAN DI out of the XT pro with an XLR.
The XT live has a TRS jack which is balanced. Dumb idea really. There's room for XLRs if only you double up. You need to make up a lead or buy a DI box. Also the DI out put is dry. The "model" output is also TRS though.

As for which setting dunno. Play. Nothing is written in stone. The settings are only guides after all. The output seams really low for patching into a Line in jack. Not sure about the DI.


One resounding impression of the XT live though. Although you get it preloaded with 16 presets, most of those are just there for show. Its like a violent pixey circus on drugs. You can't use most of them. The Synths are useless below the 12 fret (tracking probs). Most of the alternative effects are fairly similar to each other. Although there are a herd of amp and cab models I can't see myself using more than a couple. Good thing I only wanted a compressor/valve mimic/chorus/eq pedel. I reckon that I can get through a set of covers with six presets.