cruisinon2

This can be solved to a degree with dual amp paths within the same patch. Here's the Cliff Notes version: You can morph between two completely different tones with the expression pedal. Seemless fade out / fade in. Each patch can have 2 completely isolated signal chains. If you're editing on the POD itself, with the amp block selected, hit the UP arrow, and you will see the amp icon move up, as the signal chain splits. You can now add another amp block beneath it. The upper path is Path A, and the lower one Path B. Assign the amp block to either Exp1 or Exp2 the same way you would assign an FX block to a footswitch...then double click 'enter' (I think it's enter...I'm not in front of the POD right now) and you should be able to toggle between the various amp parameters. You can assign any of them to the expression pedal...for this you want to select channel volume, and assign it to either "Min" (heel down) or "Max" (toe down), depending on which one you want clean or dirty. Repeat for the other amp block, with the opposite Min/Max setting. More involved discussion in this thread recently: http://line6.com/support/topic/13371-how-to-make-a-good-sounding-distortion-on-a-fender-amp/

I understand that a huge sanitorium is being built, specifically for "upgradeitis" sufferers, just outside of Instant Gratification, USA....conveniently located just 3 miles from Free Everything International Airport. :P

It's a common issue, especially with the Strat and Tele models. Obviously you can't boost the volume past 100% for the problem strings, but you can lower the others to balance everything out...it's all relative. I have the low E and A strings as low as 50-60% for some models to compensate. Once it's all leveled out, all good.

What he said....No fx loop = ugly mess.

Aren't you guys both describing the same thing?

The people running your country. Don't like it? Vote them out...assuming that's an option.

Lmao...

It needs new frets when there isn't enough meat left on them to grind out those dents you're seeing. At the very least, it sounds like you need a grind and polish. If you let it go too far, you'll eventually have intonation problems...the open strings will be in tune, but some fretted notes will end up a little flat, others a little sharp depending on which side of the fret the dents slope towards. Chords in certain positions will become a mess. When you're ready for a re-fret, consider stainless frets. The job will be more expensive, and a lot of luthiers won't do it, because the frets are many times harder than conventional ones and they're a pain in the arse to work with, but you'll never have to do it again. They're basically maintenence free. You'll wear out before they will. Also bending notes is effortless...it's like playing on glass. Surface of the frets is many times smoother than conventional ones. I've only got one guitar with the stainless frets, but every time I switch to another axe without them, it feels like I'm dragging the strings across sand paper. Huge difference. Gonna convert them all as necessary...I'd do it sooner if money was no object.

Call me what you like. The whining gets old. And in my experience, complaining never improves anything. It just leads to more complaining. But go ahead, I surrender...you guys win.

Sorry, but none of this makes any sense. Now you're just back-pedaling. One minute the quality control is seriously suspect, and the next you never said the failure rate was unacceptable. Make up your mind. As for the car and the computer...that's exactly what I've been saying all along, so why you would consider that a rebuttal, I have no idea. Thank you for reinforcing my point. Nothing lasts forever. You buy the things that suit your needs, fully cognicent of the fact that they will eventually $#!& the bed. Some things last longer than others. Your assertion that this type of product...or just about anything else for that matter...should have a near nonexistent failure rate is wildly unrealistic, and doesn't exist with any product I've ever seen or purchased. Having that kind of expectation is gonna keep you in a chronic state of disappointment. Stuff breaks. Life is rough.

Then why did you buy one? You were here reading all about the weird problems that some JTVS have, long before you bought one. If you were so convinced that the quality control was crap, why fork over $1K? Plenty of users have had Variax guitars for years on end. How many still have and use the earlier generations? What's asinine and ridiculous is assuming that NONE of them last more than a year or two because of problems you read about here at B1tchaboutmygear.com. Even issues that you have had personally can't be used to extrapolate failure rates for an entire product line. No one here will ever know what the actual failure rates are. Every user forum, for every product imaginable, is overflowing with unhappy users of products that have failed. Does that mean there's nothing anywhere worth purchasing? I had problems with my L2T...twice...but that isn't justification for proclaiming the entire Stagesource concept as flawed, unworkable, and not worth the money. There are always more units that work just fine than those that don't. But you'll never hear from most of those people. I got a bum unit, luck of the draw. It took a little longer than I would have liked to get it fixed, but it was taken care of, and L6 paid the shipping. That's as good as its ever gonna get.

Nothing wrong with spending your money on whatever is gonna make you happy, but refusing to buy stuff because you're afraid that it might break one day, is gonna make it hard to buy anything. What guarantee do you have that anything electronic is going to last for a "very long time"? All consumer electronics have a finite lifespan...some comically short. Seems to get shorter and shorter as the years go by..."they don't make 'em like they used to", as it were. And yes, a traditional electric guitar should last you effectively forever (with minimal maintenance), but that's because it's a much simpler animal. But it also can't do what a Variax can. The more complicated something gets, the more things might go wrong...but if we gave up on everything complicated, progress would grind to a halt. If the "brains" your JTV crap out at some point, it can usually be fixed...and if not, it's still a functional guitar with mag pickups. It's not like it turns into a paperweight if the modelling quits. Just my 2 cents.

They can call it the "Here's why it won't sound like Joe Satriani to you" column... :P

As far as I know, you'll be stuck in "acoustic" mode for everything if you run it that way, which probably won't be ideal for electric tones. The POD will remember the L3T's mode that's stored with each patch and change accordingly, but only if you connect via L6 Link. Plus you're adding a whole other tone stack if you use those inputs, which will further color the sound of your patches. It's gonna be a lot easier if you tweak everything the way you want it on the POD and use either the L6 Link (or the 1/4" input on the back panel if you want to use the POD's global EQ), and just run in PA reference mode for everything...otherwise you will have to switch the mode back and forth manually all the time.

Never had the XT, but generally speaking, you can expect significant differences in tone depending on what you're running through. Every amp under the sun will color the sound one way or the other...different power sections, different speakers, etc. etc. This is the whole problem with the Customtone concept...somebody creates a patch with their guitar, through their rig, and someone else dials up the same patch through a different amp and it sounds awful. Also depends on how you have things set up...do you have the POD going into an FX loop on one amp, but straight into the front of another? That alone will yield a night and day difference. Endless list of variables...

Combine an attention span brought to you by Playstation, with an educational system that only teaches them how to take an endless series of standardized tests, rather than critical thinking skills, what do we expect?

This is a problem for everybody, as far as I'm concerned. Lotsa things affect the way the amp sounds from one day to the next. Sometimes it's a tangible, measureable thing like aging strings, a dull pick, the room you're in...or maybe you just suck that day, lol. Hence the constant tweaking. Bottom line is, if it works for you, then have at it. The results are what matters...who cares how you get there?

Jeez...I thought the Elixirs were expensive. $15/set...and you have to buy a 2-pack, it seems. For the lower gauges, I suppose a stronger string is useful if you snap them a lot. But I bend the daylights out of my 11's and haven't broken a string in years. I just need strings that last longer...don't need to be able to pull a trailer with 'em.

I should also mention that you can do the same thing with the FX blocks that you did with the amp blocks, meaning you can position the FX (with the UP/DOWN arrows) so that it sits in either Path A or B. That way you're not stuck feeding the same effect into both amps, unless you want to.

Once you "Old Yeller" the stock neck and put it out of it's misery, the 69 becomes a much more usable instrument...unless you're just not a Strat guy, in which case you may not like it no matter what neck is on there.

All roads lead to Rome...whatever works best for you. Both doing the same thing.

I knew I was forgetting something...lol. Glad it worked for you. Cool isn't it? The only real problem is that the extra amp block eats up DSP, so you might hit the limit sooner than usual if you're using a lot of DSP-heavy fx. I don't use a ton of fx, so it hasn't really been an issue for me.

Older units with faulty fans are most definitely still out there. Mine had to have the fan replaced twice. First attempt didn't take. Lotsa downtime...bought it mid-December, didn't really get to start using it in any meaningful way until the end of March. Just got it back a month ago. So far it seems OK...time will tell.

Wish I could say it was my idea...learned it here on the forums, lol Not the easiest process to convey in text...but here goes: Each patch can have 2 completely isolated signal chains. If you're editing on the POD itself, with the amp block selected, hit the UP arrow, and you will see the amp icon move up, as the signal chain splits. You can now add another amp block beneath it. The upper path is Path A, and the lower one Path B. Assign the amp block to either Exp1 or Exp2 the same way you would assign an FX block to a footswitch...then double click 'enter' (I think it's enter...I'm not in front of the POD right now) and you should be able to toggle between the various amp parameters. You can assign any of them to the expression pedal...for this you want to select channel volume, and assign it to either "Min" (heel down) or "Max" (toe down), depending on which one you want clean or dirty. Repeat for the other amp block, with the opposite Min/Max setting. I realize this is not a wonderful description...hard to do with just text on a page. I may have left something out...trying to do it from memory at the moment. Hope it helps. POD's input settings may need to be changed too, depending on how you have them set. If you have a JTV, there are more options...