So my 2 cents on this. I've heard a lot of people reviewing modelers saying they just don't sound like an amp in the room. I think this is going to vary by the person playing. I've always been a person who never much cared if it was a genuine Marshall JCM800 or a model of one. I know for a fact if you blindfolded me & played me both, I doubt I could tell the difference or even care. I'm the same way with wine. You could give me a $5 bottle of wine & a $50 bottle, and they would taste the same to me (and I would very much enjoy both bottles). To me, playing through the Pod Go sounds like me playing, for better or for worse. I can get good clean sounds & good dirty/heavy sounds, and I can through a bunch of cool effects on top. For my purposes, I don't care if it is exactly like what its modeled on. But I'm just playing in my house or the occasional gig at the local bar. Not to say that anyone who can tell the difference is wrong in snubbing a modeler, to each his/her own. That's the beauty of music. Express yourself however you like. In the end, I think if you're unsure, you just need to play through it & see if you like how it sounds & if it will do what you need it to do. As far as the learning curve, there are some helpful videos out there on the Pod Go & a ton of stuff on the Helix. Even though the Helix is a different product, a lot of stuff (such as theory, etc) translates to the Pod Go and I've found a lot of Helix videos very helpful.