this thread should be made into a sticky. nice work meambobbo!!!   

i have been checking the studio EQ out because a few people over at tgp said it isn't a shelf. reading the effects model gallery, it seems that the studio EQ is of a constant Q, so i reckon it can't be a shelf type of EQ. looks like the only shelfing EQs are the parametric and mid focus. can anyone confirm?

I've read through the guide and his information is very thorough and correct to best of his knowledge.  There are still alot of questions that Line 6 needs to answer and we have to just assume. (What cabinet model and microphone is the direct out of the DT-50 using?)

I think there is too much emphasis on EQ'ing also, but I like the amps the way they sound.  Having said that, I do find that the cabinets color the sound of the amps too much, so for someone that does lots of recording, using EQ after the cabinet is a good solution.  Everyone's uses are different.

In a real studio, micing a real cabinet is an artform and it is not easy to simulate that with just a few parameters.  Just as an example, it's been noted that Eddie Van Halen actually walks around the room while playing to find a good spot to put additional microphones to try to pick up what he hears in that spot. Other engineers and guitarists do the same.  This makes sense to me.  Also, if the cabinet got moved or other objects are in the room, the sound of the room will change significantly.  Reverb also changes tone a bit.  I stopped using reverb altogether (except for clean sounds) because it can muddy things up easily. 

Bottom line is that the amps in the POD are modeled the best they can and they are very, very accurate.  If you need more "realistic" recorded guitar sounds then you would probably want to use the DT-50 or another amp and use several expensive microphones and mix them together.

If you still need something in one package that will do what you want, get the Axe-FX for $2000 and the controlling pedalboard for $750.  Let's see....  $2750 vs $500.  I'm sure the Axe-FX is awesome but I can't afford that and most normal musicians can't.

One suggestion only about the delivery of the info.  You should put the doc on google docs so that people don't have to keep downloading a new version or worry about if they have MS Word installed.  You can edit it right on google and anyone can read it there.