it's widely assumed that more amps will come, given history with their previous stuff...

and they also recently added 6 models...

what isn't known is which amps might be next....

will they be a paid model pack or free update?

i would certainly warn anyone against buying an HD product on the basis of this assumption....

but for those of us that own it, and can use it now...

this thread is pretty much a wishlist of what may/may not happen if/when.

Are there any plans of updating the firmware? maybe adding more amp models?

There have been many great suggestions thus far of both widely used amps (like the 5150) and the boutique (Diezel, Diamond, etc.).

When I think about the potential for this unit I get somewhat overwhelmed. With models that are good enough to be believed (win in a blindfolded A/B test), and smart routing options, a guitarist could find this unit useful throughout his entire playing career.

...therein lies the problem, as Line6 is a company, and companies need to make money in order to survive.

If I'm an exec at L6, I'm thinking to myself that I currently have 2 options as pertains to the floorboard market:

1) continue the tactic of re-releasing virtually the same product in different forms with nominal feature improvements.

2) sell model packs (or individual models a la carte - are you listening Line6???) as updates to the existing platform.

The second option has the obvious logistical advantage of cutting manufacturing/shipping/etc. costs, and it's not a concept foreign to the company, as evident by their PODFarm and related products.

As the end-user, I'd gladly pay, say, $10-20 per amp model and roughly half that per effect or cab/mic combo of quality consistent with previous HD models as opposed to the unit being canceled, with newer HD models available only through new hardware. Model packs are an almost equally appealing thought.

Again, the possibilities are beyond impressive: How many people out there want "X" boutique amp but can't afford it? And how many of those would gladly pay a fraction of the real amp's price to use its HD version instead? Just like the HD500 out of the box, for less than the price of most new amps you could have a collection of very good facimilies of world-class amps. The only difference would be that you, the user, would decide which amps those would be.

...something to consider.

Message was edited by: Grisky *EDIT: This is in response to TheRealZap's previous post*

While I thoroughly enjoy the myriad options of tone building that modelling opens, I feel that the entire musical world has gotten saturated and gluttoned by the options possible.  I use Pod Farm v.2, and in my work, there are so many options that I could use, I'll probably never explore them all.  Sure, I would LOVE to have a Dumble ODS, but since my chances of hitting the lottery to score one are slim, I just dream about it.  Even to MODEL a Dumble is next to impossible, since they're ridiculously expensive, no 2 models sound alike, and they're composition itself are an inherent part of their sound.  Next best option is a Fuchs or a Two Rock, but once again, same situation.

I guess my point is that I've relegated myself to come up with new tones using what I have, and they do sound pretty damn good.  Using a sampler and manipulating the waveform is mind boggling alone!

Everyone has the "magic tone" in their head that will "end the quest".  But this is just chasing the dragon.  I thought my quest was over when I got my first Boogie.  Then a Bassman.  Then a Rivera.  On and on and on.  But this whole "wish list" concept is getting out of hand.  Egnater?  Really?  Blackstar?  65 Amps?  All of these amps are built around something that's already been done, and done better.  With judicious use of EQ, compression, speaker type and mic placement, I've come pretty damn close to a Mark V, and the POD Farm v2.0 doesn't have that amp modelled.  If being creative with what's already there was good enough for Jimmy Page, Eddie Kramer, Bob Rock and countless others, it's good enough for me.  I've even taken my studio setup of a Mac, a KB37, POD Farm v2.0 running into a Fender Twin Reverb to a gig recently, and gotten fantastic, juicy endless sustain for days tones that clean up like a bell by riding my guitar's volume knob.  It was an improvisational type gig, with no charts, with people I've never played with before, and I had no foot controllers, wah, volume or any of the sort; just my guitar.  I got great tones that sliced through the mix, and was able to get at least 10 different sounds with my guitar's volume & tone knobs, pickup selection, and that's it.  All from a single preset.

We as guitarists and musicians have been spoiled rotten by the technology that was a dream 10 years ago, and in this shake and bake drive thru instant gratification I want it now society, we've gotten lazy.  Part of the joy of getting that "TONE" is chasing it down, but it's much easier to stomp on a switch and have it right there.  Then, since it doesn't sound like the TONE we have been dreaming about, there's something else to ***** about.

Thank you, Line 6, for providing me with options I've never dreamed possible with what is considered archaic technology these days.  I hope that your future endeavors will continue to inspire us to craft original, never before heard of tones, not just sound like everyone else.

Way to miss the point there, Grisky.  Just because Diamond Amps cut the Bobster a fat check does not mean that they're the mutt's nuts.  My point, for those of you that need it spelled out for you, is that if you get creative with what you HAVE, since it's a bit difficult to get creative with what you DON'T HAVE, you just might be surprised by what you come up with.

I don't want to sound like whoever Bob Rock is producing, or Jimmy Page, or anyone else.  I want MY tone to be MY tone.  There are enough Kirk Hammett Joe Satriani Insert Your Favorite Guitar Player Cover Pic wannabe's already that sound exactly like the LAST guy on the cover.

I will totally agree with you once you invent some gizmo that magically extrapolates what I'm thinking and turns it into reality.  Once you build a better mousetrap and invent a perpetual motion machine, I'll be the first in line to buy it.  Till then, I'll make do with what I have.  You can have all the amp models known to man, but if you can't use EQ, place a mic right, know about phase cancellation or mastering, or even how to get good tone to begin with, it won't matter, because your setup will still sound like cats being set on fire.

Just to weigh in with my thoughts as well.  I am using the POD HD500 with a FRFR and in a loud band setting with a DT-50 HD and 4x12 cab.  With the DT-50 I do not use the cab modelling and I feel a lot more free to just play and maybe tweak a eq knob once in a while since I'm not worried about switching mics or cabs. 

So, although less is more I would like to see more amp models as well as some improvement on the existing Bogner.  I am happy with what have but I like more options and it was a little frustrating going from the POD XT with 40+ amp models to the HD with (originally) 16. 

I would say that "model packs" like Line6 has done in the past may cause issues for them that they don't want to deal with again.  If you every sell your gear you have to uninstall the packs and then change them over to the buyer etc.  It can be a pain and I wonder if this causes Line6 any frustration and more customer support issues. Plus having to sell directly to customers (not through a vendor).

I know that different people have different uses for their tools, and radically different ideas of how to best utilize them.  I was very close to purchasing a DT50/HD500 setup, when I realized that for the most part, it would pile up on the endless hours I spend already tweaking my sound, and keep me from composing music.  As I've said before, I have some pretty archaic software, at least in today's terms.  I don't always need the latest and greatest, since I'm primarily a studio musician.  When I do play live with my improv band, what may sound great to me in my studio will not translate as well on stage.  If we're playing in a complex time signature, having multi tapped delay, chorusing and what not will throw everyone off, so I leave that stuff for composing.  Pitch shifting is a great effect, but what if the tune is in Lydian b7, or Super Locrian?  The same intervals with diatonic pitch shifting won't work, even with the best intelligent harmonizers if you're playing with 7 people and improvising on the spot. 

Over the years, I've found that no matter how many months I spend crafting that perfect sound using whatever I have at my disposal, in the end, it depends on how well it sits in the mix.  I'm not Robben Ford, or Larry Carlton, so I know that people won't make a pilgrimage just to hear MY tone.  Their entire careers have been built around THEIR sound.  But with some work, I can craft something that is uniquely mine that nobody else can reproduce.  No matter what amps I'm using in any combination will change the fact that my tone starts with ME.  I make mistakes, I hit wrong notes, and all that just like everyone else, so I have to play and mix to my limitations and my strengths.  Will having 100 different amp models do anything for that?  I think not.  But by being creative with compression, EQ, speaker and mic placement, effects chains and orders, I can sound like no one else on the planet.

Wow ... just wow.  Sounds like the least of your problems is your guitar tone.

I've had a Boogie Quad setup with the prerequisite rack effects, and the Stereo 2:90 as well.  Lugging around 2 4x12 cabs wasn't a lot of fun, either.  So, after my $12,000 setup got stolen, I decided that for most venues that I play in, having 90 watts of power in stereo is a bit much.  Maybe scaling down a bit was a good move, and seeking some anger management helped me as well, since I no longer rage about small things that really don't matter that much.

Nobody said you or anyone else was a "spoiled whiny brat", that was a term that you've placed upon yourself.  Yes, I am happy with my setup because I CHOOSE to be happy with my setup, that's all.  I could be complaining that I don't have this sound or that sound, or the EQ is lacking this, or the reverb is not boingy enough ... but really, what is the point?  If I want to look for a problem, I guarantee that I will find it.  I don't care what new algorithim, gadget, gizmo, widget that any company rolls out ... my problem with anything that I see is with my perception of it.  Regarding guitar, life or otherwise.  Maybe I need to practice more.  Maybe I need to practice less and compose more. 

Maybe I need to just breathe.  I'm not doing anything special, just thinking outside of the box once in a while, instead of waiting for the solution to fall into my lap.  More often than not, it's right in front of me, but only if I CHOOSE to see it that way.