Numbat

Thank you to everyone who replied to my question. It’s looking more like I’ll be getting the POD Go rather than the HX Effects. I also play acoustic shows going direct to PA, so the Go makes more sense. There’s a lot to be said for simplicity - especially when it comes to the modest size stages/venues I tend to play. While I love my Roland JC40, one has to question whether it’s worth the extra hassle if the quality of amps/sims inside the Go are close enough. I don’t really like much guitar coming back at me through monitors, so I can take my Headrush FRFR108 to replace my amp on stage anyway. I’m aware of the recently released Boss GX100. It seems more powerful than the Go, but I’m put off by what seems like a shoddy touchscreen implementation and more complex interface. I realise there’s a learning curve with all these things, but isn’t the POD Go generally regarded as the simplest to operate multi FX?

Thanks for all your input folks. It's looking more and more like I'm going to go for something with amp and cab sims, rather than just effects. I often play acoustic shows or at least gigs that feature quite a few acoustic songs, so I'll be going direct more often than not. The only question now is do I pony up the extra $450 AUD for the Stomp XL over the POD Go. I like the idea of more effects blocks and flexibility, but my tones are fairly modest so I'm confident the POD Go would handle my requirements. Many of the gigs I play tend to be quite rowdy pubs and parties and the risk of beer spillage on expensive gear is also something to consider. For those of you who gig with the Stomp or XL, how much of an issue is the small screen over the POD Go?

Hello all, I've been gradually selling off most of my pedals in order to purchase a multi FX, but I'm unsure whether a HX Effects or POD Go are the right choice in my price range. I play in a busy covers band, covering many genres from Chuck Berry to Rage Against The Machine (with a bit of Britney Spears along the way!). I have a Roland JC40 amp, which I like very much, so I was initially looking at the HX Effects to run via the 4 cable method. But there will be occasions when I need to run direct, so I'm assuming I'd put some kind of preamp in the effects loop. This led me to consider the POD Go as an all-in-one solution, without the need for add ons. I can run the POD Go into my JC40 via the 4 cable method with the amp and sim disabled in the signal chain. Then for those times when I'm direct, I can activate my amp and cab sim of choice. Does this make the POD Go the more versatile and therefore the most logical choice for me? Am I missing out on much by not going with the HX Effects? Your expertise is most welcome! (Also posted in the Helix chat)

Hello all, I've been gradually selling off most of my pedals in order to purchase a multi FX, but I'm unsure whether a HX Effects or POD Go are the right choice in my price range. I play in a busy covers band, covering many genres from Chuck Berry to Rage Against The Machine (with a bit of Britney Spears along the way!). I have a Roland JC40 amp, which I like very much, so I was initially looking at the HX Effects to run via the 4 cable method. But there will be occasions when I need to run direct, so I'm assuming I'd put some kind of preamp in the effects loop. This led me to consider the POD Go as an all-in-one solution, without the need for add ons. I can run the POD Go into my JC40 via the 4 cable method with the amp and sim disabled in the signal chain. Then for those times when I'm direct, I can activate my amp and cab sim of choice. Does this make the POD Go the more versatile and therefore the most logical choice for me? Am I missing out on much by not going with the HX Effects? Your expertise is most welcome! (Also posted in the POD Go chat)

Thanks for all your replies. It's obvious that the Pod Go is a great one stop shop for electric and acoustic, assuming the DSP aren't an issue for you (which for me they're not). The only thing that's causing me hesitation is the possibility of option paralysis. I'm worried the huge amount of effects and options are overkill for my needs. Call me strange, but for some reason i don't like the idea of loads of features that I'm not using. I like simplicity. And even though the layout seems simple enough, it's still a departure from my usual pedal board. For this reason I'm considering getting a Tech 21 Flyrig 5 V2 as its simple layout makes more sense to me. The thought of something going wrong in a live situation but then being able to make adjustments with physicals knobs and dials on the fly appeals to me. And I think I would be satisfied with the fewer tone options on offer with the Flyrig. A fender Blonde for my clean and a Plexi for dirt - I'm a simple guy. I realise this is a decision that only I can make, but if anyone has any advice i'd appreciate it. Thanks!

I didn’t even realise there were acoustic presets. Shows how green I am! It’s good to know ai don’t have to mess around with IRs right away. The POD Go seems to be marketed at electric players, but it sounds more diverse than just that. Thanks for your response Silverhead.

Half the songs my band does are acoustic and the other half electric. I’m using a Takamine EF341C with a good quality preamp. It’s a piezo, but sounds great in a band mix. Currently using a Trace Acoustic pedal, which has chorus and delay when I need them. I’d like to know if the Pod Go caters well to acoustic guitar or not. I’ve seen mention of downloading acoustic guitar IRs, but I’d like to hear from others who have tried this. Can it be my one stop solution for both electric and acoustic, or am I better off continuing with my separate acoustic effects? Thanks.

Thanks I’ll check it out.

Yeah the more I learn about the Pod Go the more I can imagine how I would use it. I have fairly modest tone requirements and reckon amp sims would be the way to go. Something like a Fender Princeton for a clean tone, a Vox for crunch and maybe an Orange for dirt/distortion. Add a drive or a boost to each patch and I should be good to go. Are there any particular amp sims that you recommend? And do the sims have reverb (like the original amps would) or do you have to add a reverb pedal to an effects blocks?

Thanks for the clarification Voxman55. As I explore this new world more I'm learning more and more about it. I think the Pod Go will still suit my needs. If I need two flavours of distortion in a patch I'll just make the amp dirty and boost it with a drive pedal. To be honest, most of the time I'm switching between a clean sound and a classic rock kind of sound, so four assignable effects blocks should do the trick. And I was reading that you can move the order of effects around too, which is good because I would want one patch to to be an ambient clean tone only, but with a compressor before the amp and a chorus, delay and reverb after the can so that should be fine. From the research I've done, the Pod Go seems to be the best option for a simple to operate unit for a first time user like me. Unless someone tells me otherwise, i'll be picking one up very soon to use in my weekly covers band gigs.

Hello all, I'm considering getting a Pod Go as my very first digital multi FX unit. One of the YT videos I've seen that came out around the time of release mentioned how you can't reassign the wah pedal within a patch to a different effect. Is this still the case or has it been changed in a firmware update? I'd like to have two overdrive pedals (overdrive and distortion) going into the amp sim, as well as a compressor, so would like to be able to reassign wah to something else.