anyone use a POD through a tube amp or preamp?

[Baderup99]

Hi I have a flextone II combo. I was wondering do any of the Line 6 users run their pods or line 6 amps through a tube amp or pre to get better sound? If so, does it make a world of difference, is it something good to invest in?

thanks

[8th_note]

The only time I've done it was when I recorded a band who's guitarist had a Crate amp that sounded like total ass. We went guitar -> pod -> Crate and used the pod for distortion and ran the Crate clean. This improved the sound of the Crate but still wasn't a particularly good sound.

I have a pod but mainly I use it for scratch guitar tracks while we lay down drums. You will be able to get a greater range of sounds out of a pod than you can out of your Flextone but it would be more for background or pads rather than the main guitar parts. It just doesn't sound good enough to be used for a main guitar part IMO.

[warhead]

A good friend who lays down a lot of jam / ideas in my place has a POD. It sounds pretty nice with my Randall tube amp making the gain and crunch, and the POD supplying the effects. You find the right blend, you can do well...I find the POD's distortion and drive to be its weakest link.

War

[taturana]

i use it a lot with my mesa-boogie and it sounds really good, but i have to agree with warhead... the distortion is the weak point... most of the times i get my dist from one of many dist/od pedals i have...

[InstituteOfNoise]

I use a lot of Line 6 stuff. My current small live rig consists of a PODxt running stereo into 2 Atomic 50w 112s. I get the flexibility of the POD and the advantage of tube tone from the amps power section. It records great as well! I not only use it with the POD, but have used my Kasha Rockmod guitar tube preamp into it as well with stellar results.

[Jonboy79]

Anyone here use a little distortion from their pods to get a little more dirty from your amp. For example I have a Vox but sometimes need more of a metal tone from it, What would people think about blending the vox's dirty and a little pod dirty to push it over the edge?

[Stoneroses6300]

I would get a seperate pedal to overdrive the vox...I wouldn't get the pod...It will make the tone of a good amp (vox) sound like ass...I used it for a good 6 months...when I didn't know really bad tone from good tone...But if your looking for a metal sound it could probably work...Those tone modelers are good at getting generic metal rythm sounds...

[Jonboy79]

Originally Posted by Stoneroses6300

I would get a seperate pedal to overdrive the vox...I wouldn't get the pod...It will make the tone of a good amp (vox) sound like ass...I used it for a good 6 months...when I didn't know really bad tone from good tone...But if your looking for a metal sound it could probably work...Those tone modelers are good at getting generic metal rythm sounds...

I'm just looking for something to give my vox a little extra edge and fizz like a triple rec has. My vox is all midrange growl which is awesome but not for metal type stuff.

[doorknocker]

The only time I ever was happy with a POD sound on guitar was when I hooked it up thru Fender Mini Twin or Danelectro HoneyTone toy amps. Sounded pretty cool for twangy stuff played on a Danelectro Convertible.

Though I seldom use it for guitar (but most always for bass), I find the the SansAmp PSA-1 to be WAY better sounding and useful than the POD.

[rockrev]

Great sounds are doable with the PODxt. Steven Wilson of Porcupine Tree gets some pretty amazing sounds with his (PODxt, PODxt Live, and Vetta). He's listed under Line 6's database. You can also find footage of him on YouTube actually using the PODxt during the Deadwing sessions (I posted something on this a day or two ago). If you haven't heard of Porcupine Tree, then you're missing out.

David Jennings

[Thebassist]

pod- Avalon U5- 1272- good comp

almost makes up for the pod crapiness...

[SUGARCULT666]

Try running it through an ART Tube MP Applied Research & Technology: Tube Mic Preamps Take out the shitty chinese 12ax7 and replace it with a nicer tube like a tung sol or a Mullard NOS tube etc... Makes a big difference gives it a more realistic amp sound (adds harmonics etc)... Then run it though your API pre cranked!!!!!!

[InstituteOfNoise]

When I use the PODxt or Toneport DI Bundle direct for recording, I also use a tube buffer product called Buffer2 from Red Iron Amps. They have a desktop and rack studio version. It was reviewed a few months ago in TapeOp by producer/engineer Adam Kagan. Uses 2 12AU7 tubes and pushed actually will add a slight gain stage. Has a tone cut/boost. If I don't run it after the POD I patch it in/out from one of the ProTools IOs. Really helps warm the sound and remove some of the digital edge, especially on the higher gain stuff.

Red Iron Amps

[tuckpunk]

I was using my podxt quite a lot but it's taken a backseat to the budda super 18. I still use it in a pinch, like finishing solos at home, on the annual project. My buddy supplied me with a summit tube di which emparted the love that a pod's sound really needs. I think it was the 2BA-221. If I recall correctly, all the love was in the impedance knob.

podxt->summit->fw410->ptle

I've also used the pod in front of my budda for effects or an occasional solo boost in a live situation.

[octatonic]

One of my 3 looping rigs is a Pod Pro XT with an Echo Pro in the loop.

I run it line level out into the Vipre before sending it to Protools- sounds HUUUUUGE!

Another looping rig is a Lexicon MPX G2 and a Lexicon Vortex running in tandem (but in mono).
That goes to either a Mesa poweramp or direct to the Vipre as well.

[fretman]

I got good results running a pod thru an Atomic Reactor amp, which is a tube-powered cab, designed to be used w/ pods and other guitar preamps. It sounded better to me than a similar rig I used, which was a pod thru a Tech 21 Power Engine, also a powered cab, but w/ transistor amp, though that sounded OK for some stuff too. When I've run a pod straight into a combo amp, I find it sounds best to bypass the amp emulation on the pod altogether, and just use it as an fx pedal. That is of course if it's a decent sounding guitar amp, and decent sounding guitar amps tend to be tube amps. Hope that helps more than confuses. Guess the short answer is yes, I've used a Pod thru a tube amp, and it does help the sound.

[ianvargo]

People Bash the pod, but it's a totally versatile piece of equipment, if you're looking to use it to find "your sound." you're not thinking right. But iit's great to have around so you can get a whole bunch of different tones. If you're into writing music for commercials or stuff, or just for demos, its a good piece (and cheap). But I wouldnt use it live.
Although I recall weezer going on a small tour and exclusively using the POD PRO, I think Rivers said they would put the Live Pod Rig up against the Marshall amps every night, and always end up thinking the POD was better.

[Baderup99]

Ok for all of you who do use a pod with their tube amp, do you guys use the tube pre model so you don't get any digital modeling but you can still use effects and cabs? Or if you do use some of the models does it kill the tube sound or can it still be clearly defined as a sounding still like a tube amp?

[Farview]

I know a lot of guys that use the pod xt into a mesa 90/90 or a marshall tube power amp into a cabinet. It works really well.

[dementedchord]

i worked recently qith a guy that used one of those floor boards then direct amp in's on an old twin... it worked great... this was for a live situation where we would do carlton through jimi to srv and did it all...

[Baderup99]

hey yeah i just plugged my flextone into my friends musicman tube head, I had to do a little tweaking to match the music man sound almost exactly, because the flextone doesnt have a bypass on it so i used the blackface model, but it sounded pretty good actually

[Daniel Antix]

pods are great for clean tone but like others have said the dist sounds weak... i've tried running my big muff through my pod but it sounds like its overloading on me... sounds really shit.