TravDaddy

jaysen99, I haven't played around with a Duoverb HD, but from reading up on the specs (100-watt stereo power amp) - I'd say, "yeah, should work the same way." I don't know if you'll need a dummy plug in the front of the amp. I used to run it into my old Flextone II head without a dummy plug and it worked great. Funny part was that the Flextone II head had a single input for the stereo loop RETURN. But, it was a stereo jack, so I used the same y-cable and simply reversed it. The two mono ends went to the output of the HD500 and the TRS (stereo plug) end went into the loop RETURN on the Flextone II head. I have also run a similar set-up with my X3 bean with fantastic results. Remember to turn off the cab sims!

davisdc50, I just happened to pull out my HD147 and HD500 this weekend! (I've snagged a lot of gear since that post...) YES! Absolutely, I am tweaking patches for this set-up. The way I run it requires ZERO set-up on the HD147. I run the guitar into the HD500's "Guitar In" and (believe it or not) a stereo 1/4" to two mono 1/4" (a Y-cable) out of the HD500's "Headphone Out" to the HD147's effects loop stereo L/R "RETURN" only. You have to use a dummy plug in the front of the HD147 (or just one end of a guitar cable) or you won't hear anything. Now EVERYTHING runs through the HD500. I think the HD147 Master Volume is the only thing that will respond. Hooking it up this way bypasses the HD147's pre-amp and goes straight to the power amp section, so be CAREFUL with the volume (both on HD147 and HD500) or you will have a "Back to the Future" moment. Ha! Naturally, you won't have access to any of the HD147's modeled amps or effects when hooking it up this way, but you have waaay more in the HD500 anyway. Be sure to turn off the cab sims in the HD500 rigs or it'll sound wonky. It doesn't seem as bad on the clean settings, but really muffles the sound on the dirt settings. I usually start of with the noise gate in the first block of the HD500 and then pick a modeled amp (the versions with "pre" at the end of the name sound a little better to me) and then add the stereo effects afterwards. Sounds fantastic and only takes a few minutes to get a smoking tone. The absolute best-guide-in-the-world for making heavy/metal tones on the HD500 is available from a power-user named "MeAmBobbo". Look for his free guide on the Internet and consider throwing him a couple of dollars if you like it. You can use the HD147 this way for any of the current rackmount or floorboard-based modeling rigs too. Heck, it even works with the "bean" series PODs. I occasionally run my Desktop HD POD through the HD147 as well. The Line 6 stuff is extremely versatile in how you can use it. Many of the stock presets sound amazing if you simply turn off the cab sims and tweak the EQ to your liking. When you go shopping for a used HD500(X), check to see if the model pack upgrade has been done - it's a $100 package from Line 6. If you have the unit powered up in front of you, press and hold the "View" button until the menu screen pops up. Go to page 12/12, all the way to the right, with the circle button and it will tell you if model packs have been installed. I loaded mine up and it says: "Standard Model Set", "HD Metal Pack", "HD Vintage Pack" and "HD Bass Pack." If it doesn't have the upgrades, Line 6 puts them on sale every now and then. Hope this helped! Have fun and good luck! Happy hunting!! TravDaddy

Yeah, I think so! I still use mine for recording, despite having a Fractal AxeFx II XL+ and three of the POD HDs. (500, 500X and Desktop). The bass presets are great and I dig the acoustic presets as well. It also has a mic input; I use mine to record with my talkbox and it works great. You can also use a HOSA MIT-129 adapter to turn the mic input into a second guitar input and run outboard stereo effects into the X3. It's easy to operate from the screen and the learning curve is pretty easy. You can usually find them at a decent price too. There are also mic-stand mounts for these that really come in handy and it works just as well on a desk or slid under the handle of a combo amp. I'm still very happy with mine. If you can snag a nice used one for under $130, you're getting a lot of bang for the buck. I've attached a picture of my HD Desktop, but the X3 works the same way. The HOSA MIT-129 adapter plugs into the mic input and then a standard guitar cable plugs into the adapter. Hope this helps!!

I see this post is well over a year old, but someone else might see it and have a similar problem... The first question I'd ask is: where are your volumes set on the POD and your amp? Are you feeding too hot of a signal into the head? Didja check the output levels on each of the effects? Is your Tube Screamer dimed and going into a dimed Mesa/Boogie? That would do it. I'd ask how you are connecting the POD to the head (into effects loop, into front input jack on the head, four-cable method (4CM), etc.) Next, I'd ask if you went into the output settings on the POD and changed from studio/direct to combo front, combo poweramp, stack front, stack poweramp to see which sounds best for your application, as they make a noticeable difference in sound. Then, I'd ask if you were using cab sims versus "no cab" on your patches, because that also makes a huge difference. Is the POD new or is it new to you? If you got it used, the previous owner may have altered the presets. I'd do a factory reset if that is the case and start over with your own tones. After that, I'd run the guitar into the POD and run a mono out from the POD to the head's effects loop RETURN only. If you do it this way, the head's volume is EXTREMELY touchy, but the noise floor is pretty low. **NOTE** Some amps require a "dummy jack" in the front input with this method - the L6 HD147 is one of them. Just plug one end of a short guitar cable into the front if this is the case. Turn off the cab sims ("no cab") and tweak the POD amp parameters to your liking. This method will bypass the head's preamp section and usually the only head control that will respond is the volume, maybe a few others, but usually just master volume. This would be similar to running your POD into a tube-powered rackmount power amp to run your speaker cab. Others might recommend hooking up the POD to the head via the 4CM, as some effects seem to sound better in front of the amp and others through the effects loop. You can run the POD through the front of the amp, just like a stompbox, as long as you adjust the output setting on the POD to "Combo Front." I never do it this way, so I can't offer any hints. For me, a single cable from the POD to the head's effects loop RETURN is the way to go. Set the POD output to combo poweramp or stack poweramp, whichever you prefer, and turn OFF the cab sims when using "real" guitar speaker cabs. Hope this helped someone...

scallybert, You asked a quick question about Impulse Responses... The easiest (and probably most familiar) way to explain it is that it is a modeled speaker cabinet. Just like when you swap out a modeled cab on a POD (for example) from a "6x9 Super O" to a "112 Field Coil", you are essentially changing from one Impulse Response to another. Simple enough, just a fairly new term for it. Impulse Responses (IRs) are the "new sexy" in modeling. The POD series has lots of modeled speaker cabs, but you are limited to the ones that Line 6 provided, either through stock software programming or model pack upgrades. With the Helix, Line 6 has allowed an onboard "storage space" where you can save 100+ IRs from other manufacturers. Without getting too complicated, it's a "recording" of a particular cabinet/speaker/mic. Several companies sell software packs of these IRs. Some of the popular ones are from OwnHammer, RedWirez and Celestion. You can find a decent selection of free IRs on the Web or you can choose to buy from the companies I mentioned (there are a LOT of other companies that sell IRs). They range in price from a couple of dollars to over $100. It pays to shop around. The new Line 6 PowerCab speaker system allows third-party (meaning other than L6) IRs to be stored in their memory. A POD owner can run "no cab" on the POD unit, but use the IR in the PowerCab to take advantage of a cab model that wouldn't normally be available to the POD. They talk about it in the L6 video for the PowerCab. There is also a Digitech pedal called CabDryVR that has a small assortment of IRs inside. The IR thing is pretty cool, but can become a HUGE rabbit hole. The Fractal Axe FX can store from a couple of hundred to a couple of thousand IRs, depending on which version of Fractal you have. It can quickly become "option paralysis" when you sort through so many IRs to find "the perfect tone." If you run a POD/Helix/Fractal through an amp and guitar speaker cab, you normally wouldn't want to use an IR, because it sounds kind of weird. You are essentially sending a modeled speaker sound to a speaker and "double-EQing" the tone. Some people like the sound though. No rules, right? IRs are GREAT if you are running your POD/Helix/Fractal to PA speakers (house mix) or to a Full-range, Flat Response (FRFR) system - another cavernous rabbit hole, or are recording straight into a DAW (versus mic-ing a real speaker cab). Without a cab model (IR) used into these non-guitar-cabinet speakers (or DAW), the sound would be really sizzle-y. The modeled cab or IR makes it sound closer to a traditional guitar cab that is being mic'd. There's a RAGING debate over on the Fractal forums about the amp-in-the-room sound versus using IRs with an FRFR rig. If you've only played in front of a real amp and never mic'd it, you might think the IRs sound weird. Think of a garage band scenario: the bass player and guitarist each have a loud amp and only the singer uses the PA for vocals. Everyone else just cranks the amps straight into the audience. IRs don't really capture THAT sound, although you could probably get close with a lot of EQing. Conversely, think of an arena concert with a big-name band. You are hearing the amps that are on stage, but maybe through a microphone and into the PA or maybe they are running straight out of a modeler and into the PA with no amp on stage at all (this is becoming almost the norm). Or, just listen to a CD. You are hearing the guitar amp through a mic or a modeler. That's what an IR sounds like - a mic'd cabinet. IRs and FRFR rigs are becoming popular for a couple of reasons. First, because they are available! Second, stage volume (especially in smaller venues) is a source of frustration - both for the band (volume wars) and the venue owners (noise ordinances). Third, IRs allow gig-to-gig consistency in sound. Mic placement is an art. Fourth, you hear what the audience hears. Fifth, it is less gear to haul, fly and set-up. And the list goes on... I saw a video with Metallica's current rig rundown. Hetfield runs out of a Fractal to the PA (also called Front-of-House or FOH) and sends another output to a Matrix solid state power amp to a pair of 4x12 cabs on the stage. No wall of Mesa/Boogie stacks; it's a mostly empty stage with Lars' drum riser, a couple of single stack cabs and Kirk's wah pedal. They didn't mention in-ear monitors (IEMs), but they probably have them. So, instead of volume wars on the stage, James can turn Kirk's guitar up or down in his own in-ear mix without impacting what Kirk hears or what the audience hears or worrying about what he's sending to the house mixer. I've been playing for 30+ years, so this is new and exciting stuff for me. Hopefully I've gotten most of the details correct. If not, others will chime in and set it straight. So there's a stupidly long answer (and commentary) to a short question. What are Impulse Responses? The briefest answer is: a modeled simulation of a mic'd speaker cabinet. It's more than that, but that is the simple version. You can further complicate it by adding in: birch cab vs plywood, mic type and placement (on-axis/off axis, distance, condenser versus ribbon mic, etc. ), room size versus isolation box, open-back versus closed back cab, ported cab versus non-ported, etc. Rabbit hole. Hope this helped...

Fixed my post, per pianoguyy's correction.

Speirsy11, welcome to the new world!! It's crazy, huh? I can throw on a few answers and suggestions to the pile you've already received. 1. Nope, not even. However, there are two settings for the bottom row of foot-switches (FS5 - FS8): Press and hold the "View" button, on page 1/12 under the picture of the wrench is "FS Mode" and you can make it "5-8" or "ABCD." If it's in "5-8" mode, then you can assign amps, cabs and/or pedals to those foot-switches (5, 6, 7, 8) as an on/off function. If you change to the "ABCD" mode, then each press will change the preset to one of the four that are in that bank (1A, 1B, 1C, 1D). Hit the "Up/Down" foot-switches to change the banks of presets. If you need a particular order for your setlist, you can save the presets to the available folders (User 1, User 2, etc). Advantages of 5-8 vs ABCD: if you use a lot of pedals and like to kick them on and off, then 5-8 is a better option, otherwise you only can assign on/off to switches 1-4. If you change presets more than individual pedals or hate hitting the Up/Down and then a foot-switch , ABCD-mode might be a better option. Also, you can assign more than one pedal to the same switch. You can hit one switch and turn on three pedals at once or make it where hitting the switch turns one off and another on. Simply assign multiple pedals to the same switch (place arrow over device, press and hold "Enter" on 500X and turn the knob to assign the effect to a particular switch). It remembers the on'off state of each pedal when you save. When you hit the switch, it turns the effect(s) on/off as you programmed. 2. If you are using the Variax VDI (Cat 5) cable - about $30 (not a standard guitar cable), then YES; a great feature of using the Variax with the HD500X is the ability to create and store Variax settings as part of the preset and even assign amp/pedal/cab parameters to the volume and tone controls of the Variax (if you want to get really carried away!). Again, press and hold the "View" button and rock the x/y pad to the right to go to pages 7 and 8 to access the Variax parameters. You can save your settings as part of any preset. Check out the Variax Folder that is included on the 500X and walk thru the presets. Preset "12D - Right Now" is a good example. It drops to Korn-style tuning and swaps out amp/cab/effects to mimic the sound of the band. While you are there, press and hold View and go to pages 7 and 8 to see how they did it. Now, change to "8C - Rain Song." Why is there no sound? Because they send the output of this acoustic setting to FOH (front of house - PA) because acoustic sound kind of crappy thru an electric guitar amp. Check the 500X manual, starting on page 2.11 for more info and step-by-step directions. Also see pages 3.6 - 3.9 for sending parameters to the Variax volume and tone knobs. (manual is a free download from L6 if you don't have one). It's pretty cool to use. I have used it to control the "mix" level of reverbs and chorus pedals from the guitar. You can even set the amount of sweep: 0-100% or limit it from 30-55% (for example) if that' is what you need. Neat feature! By the way, you can also assign parameters to the wah/vol pedal rocker too. I've heard of some guys who put the modeled-mic distance on the rocker to move it to and from the cab for a different tone while playing. Quick note on the Variax with 500X: if you use the VDI cable, you don't need the battery in the guitar. If you have the battery in, it will use the battery and run it down. 3. There are a ton of amps/cabs/effects/microphones loaded standard on the 500X. You can purchase "model packs" from the L6 website, either in small bundles or the whole enchilada. The big combo is normally $100, but goes on sale a few times a year for around $75. Is it worth the cost? Yes! The model pack can also be loaded to multiple devices with a single purchase. I bought the big combo pack and loaded it to my 500, 500X and HD Desktop, all legal and fully authorized by Line 6. I think they allow it on up to five devices? The website details what you get in the the model packs. This was a looooong answer, but hopefully of some help. Have fun!!

I learned the XLR mic cable versus AES/EBU lesson early too. An XLR works - mostly - but it can wreak havoc occasionally. In my case, I had the HD500X footswitch mode set to "5-8" so that I could turn 8 effects off and on. Well, lemme tell ya - the DT50 didn't like that at all. I thought my 500X was messed up (or my amp). I swapped out to my 500 and it did the same thing. Swapped out one XLR for another - same same. The screen would go screwy, the knobs setting were jumping all over. The unit locked up. So, I went to the forums and got schooled up on the AES/EBU cable. Looks exactly the same as a standard XLR 3-pin mic cable, but it's made for digital send/return signals. I bought one and it immediately fixed all of my woes. Doh! My Lesson Learned: the manual actually recommended an AES/EBU cable, but Line 6 stuff is so intuitive that I hardly ever read them. Now, when I get new gear, I spent a little more time looking at the connections/knobs/jacks/switches panel illustrations. Sounds as though you may have other issues. but using the AES/EBU cable was the trick for my situation.

Hey gang! Ran into an odd issue and was able to do a home-fix to get it going again. I plugged a fully recharged Variax battery into my JTV-69S, but it wouldn't power up. Hooked it up to the 500X with the VDI cable and it was good. Okay, what's up with the battery? Looked inside the battery cavity and in-between the two alignment pins is a small flat piece of metal that makes a connection to the battery. It looked more like it was flush to the cavity and unable to make contact with the battery. I popped out the screws that hold the cavity in the guitar and pushed the "fat" end of a flat toothpick into the underside of the metal tang to push it up to the battery connection. It works again! So, I pushed the toothpick in until it was seated and clipped off the remainder, leaving just enough to snag with a pair of pliers in case I need to pull it out at some point in the future. A box of 750 was only $1 at the grocery store. I have 749 toothpicks left... anybody need one? Ha! (They also work great when you have a loose strap pin. Remove the strap pin screw, drop the toothpick in the hole, trim off the excess and put the screw back in. Bam! Nice and tight again!)

Also, discovered something new this weekend... I have the "Dream Rig" (DT50 - HD500X - Variax; connected with a single AES-EBU 3-pin digital cable) and have always used the preamp and cab settings in the 500X. I read somewhere on the forum about skipping the preamp and cab models to free up 500X processor space for more effects. The DT50 has 4 fantastic models built in, why not use them? I was playing with the channel volume and master volume on the 500X and learned that you can crank the 500X master volume to "front end" the DT50 amp's input level. I had a killer distorted sound, but when I turned down the 500X master volume, the sound cleaned up. When I turned it to full up, it drove the amp's input even harder. Lesson learned: check the processor output volume to see if it is dirtying up your clean signal. AND, for extra dirt - crank that bad boy up to overdrive your amp's input circuit. Sometimes, it's the simple stuff we forget.

I'd recommend trying the mic presets from Line 6 first. The POD HD should already be configured to work with the mic; this should let you know if it is something you might have changed or that the jack is possibly bad. Push the left side twist knob on the display screen and highlight the BASS/ACO/VOC folder, then press ENTER. Click the VIEW button and go to setting 9A: Mic'ed Vocal. Scroll thru the others and you should hear something from your mic. If you for sure that you've got a good mic and cable, then you can start to look at the jack. Next, I'd try a HOSA MIT-129 adapter (3-pin mic to 1/4" guitar, about $20) and plug your guitar into the adapter and then into the mic input. Set input 2 to guitar and see if anything comes out. Still a nogo? Likely a bad 3-pin jack on the POD HD. I own seven POD variations and the only issue I've ever had was a bad on/off switch on the PODxt. Line 6 gave me a free replacement switch and extended my warranty for a year. I paid $30 to have it installed at a licensed service center (original warranty was expired). That's remarkable for 17 years worth of gear; the POD stuff seems to be pretty danged bulletproof. Hopefully, it's just a simple configuration issue. Good luck!

The solution I have found is to play with the parametric eq. THE BEST EVER guide for crafting dirty tones was created by a user named MeAmBobbo. You'll likely need nothing else... Pay close attention to the "Fizzy Spots" section. It was exactly the mojo I needed. You may even need to use two or three effects blocks for multiple parametric eqs. http://foobazaar.com/podhd/toneGuide/

Try this: Guitar into POD HD "Guitar In." Then POD HD's 1/4" OUT to amp's effects loop RETURN only. Caution: Volume is really touchy! Your main amp volume should still work. Everything else runs through the POD HD. This works on lots of other effects devices too.

Pianoguyy, Almost... I run a TRS y-cable (stereo 1/4" plug to dual mono 1/4" plugs) from the HD500X "headphone out" (called PHONES on the 500X) to the HD147's effects loop RETURN only. Then, I plug a dummy lead into the front of the HD147. The guitar plugs into the GUITAR IN on the 500X. BAM! Done. So, the headphone out goes to the effect loop RETURN, not the input jack. A dummy cable (one end of a guitar cable works) plugs into the front input jack of the HD147. This allows the 500X to "hijack" the HD147, bypassing the amp's pre-amp section and simply uses it as a 300-watt stereo power amp. I think the master volume is the only thing that will respond on the HD147 when it is hooked up like this; everything else is done through the 500X. Sounds killer, after some minor "personal tone taste" tweaking. You can also make a huge difference by tweaking the LO CUT and RESONANCE and THUMP settings (either thru the desktop app or by deep diving from the 500X "amp/cab" edit screen (there are 5 pages, 1/5, 2/5, etc - often overlooked). Get there by highlighting the amp model and double-tap the ENTER button on the 500X. Click through the pages with the XY navigation pad and you'll see the options change for the four twist knobs under the screen. Hope I didn't over-complicate this... Ha! The cab edit is very handy when dialing in a 500X to a FRFR rig or into a PA speaker system. RELATED: there's a FANTASTIC homebrew manual (FREE!) from a guy named "MeAmBobbo" on the Internet. (MeAmBobbo_PodHD_Guide) It's geared toward dialing in metal tones. The section on using the Parametric EQ's "Q" filter to get rid of the fizziness from incorporating a tweeter/horn into the cabinet is pure gold! (not to be confused with the Q Filter Model listed under FILTER - completely different thing...) The guide is AMAZING! And it's in layman terms. Heck, even a drummer could probably follow along! Har! By the way, you can also hook up any of the previous edition POD beans and floorboards the same way, although the HD147 probably offers a better tone than earlier POD offerings. However, the POD X3 offered some pretty sweet Matchless amp tones (and more effects) that weren't included on the 147 - so there is that... The HD147 effects loop has dual inputs for both SEND and RETURN, however, the Flextone II head (as mentioned in my other post, with the red front panel) has a single input for the effects loop SEND and a single jack for the RETURN, however, they are stereo jacks. You can run mono or stereo plugs into the effects loop. That was why I mentioned flipping the y-cable and using the mono ends on the L/R 1/4" outs on the 500X and use the stereo tip end into the Flextone II's effects loop RETURN. Hope this helped. I write it knowing that others will read it and may not have your expertise - so I try to spell things out for newbies! Decades ago: I went to a band audition with a full Marshall stack and Yamaha FX500 effects unit. Sounded fine at bedroom levels, but when the band kicked up the volume, I noticed a LOT of hiss from my tube amp when we stopped playing. The other guitar player had a solid state Ibanez half stack and a Boss floorboard. His rig was dead silent until he hit a note and took our heads off! He showed me how to do the hijack trick with the amp's effects loop RETURN only hook-up. Been (mostly) doing it that way ever since. And, yeah! I got the gig! Funny thing was when we did "Radar Love." I was a bit older than the other guitarist. He only knew the White Lion version and I only knew the Golden Earring version. We always did it as a mash-up; I'd play it classic (on a black Les Paul) and he'd blaze in with the Vito Brata fills on his green Ibanez JEM (original Vai version with disappearing pyramids). I'd make faces and shake my head, like he was ruining the song; he'd smirk back at me and get the audience on his side as he just ripped through the solo. Old School vs New School. Got a lot of smiles from the audience.

The Secret to a Delicious Metal/Rock Tones on the POD HD series: The Q Filter. There is a FREE(!) POD HD guide on the Internet by a creator named "MeAmBobbo" that is well-worth your time (and a donation to his page). Line 6 should put this guy on the payroll. The guide is professionally laid out and is written in laymen's terms. It's easily the BEST guide I have ever seen for ANY Line 6 product. He does offer a "deep-dive" for techies (the frequency spectrum charts are amazing!), but the majority of his guide is written in plain English for we simple folk! Ha! I've seen some tone settings that use three or four filters in a row in the pre-amp line and always wondered, "Why in the hell are they using all of these filters?" The "Q Filter" section in the guide is what really brought my tones to life. The easiest way to explain it is that the Q Filter helps you find the frequency that is making the tone sucky (to your ears) and allows you to "pull" it out of the mix. I have found that eliminating that freq completely is often worse than leaving a little bit in. http://foobazaar.com/podhd/toneGuide/ MeAmBobbo states right up front that this is not meant to be a "read all 80 pages(!) at once and know everything" kind of guide. It's more of a chapter-driven, I-need-help-on-my-tone kind of guide. He also concentrates primarily on metal tones, versus crafting the perfect clean Blackface Fender 2x12 combo tone. Hope this helps!

I use a stereo headphone 1/4" to dual single 1/4" mono Y-cable (sometimes called a "TRS" cable or Tip - Ring - Sleeve) in my HD500X to the HD147. Run the stereo end out of the HD500X "Headphone Out" jack and the mono plugs straight into the HD147 effects loop "Return" only. It bypasses the HD147 preamp section and runs true stereo to the left/right inputs on my 4x12 Marshall cabinet. Also, even though the guitar is plugged into the HD500X's input, you'll still need to plug one end of a spare guitar cable (or dummy load) into the front of the amp to hear anything. Took me a while to figure that one out... Ha! CAUTION: The HD147 volume is touchy. It will get LOUD in a hurry. I generally run the HD147 volume at about "1" in the house and have had it up to about "3" outdoors. I start the HD500X volume at around 10 o'clock and adjust up from there. Nice thing is that the HD147 is 300-watts stereo, so you have LOTS of headroom. Even a "lowly" Flextone II head (black with red panel) pushes 150-watts, also in stereo. Mine is even made in the USA! It's a fantastic back-up that is easy on the wallet and sounds great! The Flextone II head doesn't need the dummy cable in the front, but it has a stereo effects loop jack. So, even though you only see one input, a stereo cable end will actually work - because it is a stereo jack (TRS). In that case, I flip the y-cable around and use the mono plugs out of the stereo L/R "Output" of the HD500X and the stereo tip goes into the Flextone II's effects loop "Return" only. BAM! You are rocking! Works the same with the kidney bean PODs as well. Monster set-up, L.A.F., but whisper quiet until you hit a note. Your original question poses the use of a stereo power amp. I have used a POD X3 into a Crate PowerBlock (stop laughing...) into a 2x12 cabinet and it sounded great. However, I much preferred using the Flextone II head and the HD147. The HD147 manual claims it will push EIGHT 4x12 cabs with gusto! That's 32 twelve-inch speakers... I ran it into 2 Marshall 4x12s and it pushed enough air to actually "blow out" a tea light candle. I saw it move my jean's pantlegs while I was playing. and got the idea to put a candle in front of the amp and crank it! Called up the "Battle Axe" preset and chugged a palm-muted E power chord... It's a fun party trick. Ha! Hope this helped!

I've had GREAT sonic luck with, believe it or not, an older Line 6 Flextone II head into a 4x12 stereo Flextone cabinet. Run either from headphone out on 500X - or - 500X L/R outs to the head's Effects Loop RETURN. This bypasses the Flextone's pre-amp section and only uses the 300-watt power amp section. Currently use mine through a Line 6 HD147 head the same way - however, the HD147 requires a dummy cable (or any cable for that matter) to be plugged into the front of the head for its effects loop to work. Recap: guitar into 500X, 500X output (L/R or headphone out) to head's Effects Loop RETURN only. HD147 requires a dummy cable in front input jack. Control overall volume through head and/or 500X. Sounds shockingly good. Works just as well with all versions of "bean" PODs too. If you search well enough, you might even find the older Flextone II head (black tolex with red panel) that has mini-fans on the cooling heat-sinks; mine was made in USA. They can be had for around $200. That's decent for a 300-watt stereo head. Saw today that Carvin makes a stereo TUBE power amp for $500 that runs 50-watts in stereo or bridged mono to 100-watts. That's next on my list... Hope my wife doesn't see this post. Ha!

Was an EASY fix: I had it plugged into a USB on the FRONT of my computer and got the 80007211 code. I plugged it into the BACK of the computer, right off of the main board, and it worked perfect. Just need to move to one of the BACK USBs and restart Monkey.

Didn't read ALL of the posts, so this may be a repeat: AllParts makes a product that fits inside of the tremolo springs and acts as a damper to the natural spring reverb of a Fender-style tremolo spring. It's kind of like a foam worm that goes inside the springs. It doesn't get caught in the springs at all, but still dampens the ringing that string vibration causes. It's called SpringNO and costs about $5 - enough for one guitar. https://www.allparts.com/BP-2009-000-SpringNO-Tremolo-Spring-Silencers_p_1036.html The spring set-up as a reverb tank is one of the key components of the signature Stratocaster sound. Don't know if it was planned or just a happy accident. For some sounds, the natural reverb is pleasing, but I found it kept my noise gate from triggering on with heavy distortion. I would imagine that it may also impart some non-pleasing artifacts with the modeling software. On a related note, when I installed a set of these foam dampers in my '77 Strat, I discovered that the tremolo "claw" in the back of the guitar was actually making contact with the cavity wall. Same deal, for some sounds it seemed to add a pleasing resonance and for others it was causing odd sound issues. I guess the takeaway from this post is to check all of your hardware (including parts under the pickguard) to make sure they are not causing unwanted resonance issues.

Worth noting that although a standard XLR mic cable will work as a L6 Link, there is a digital option with a similar XLR cable that is called an AES-EBU. I think the signal is a little more pure, since it is specifically made for passing digital signals. I mark mine with a piece of bright green duct tape so that it doesn't get mixed up with the mic XLR cables. I also do that with the speaker cabinet cables so that they don't get mixed up with standard guitar cables. Great tip on the "get by" connection! Gonna try that!

Late post: Something I noticed with the 500 vs 500X - I did the model pack upgrade and when I plug in the JTV-69S, there is a "folder" of Variax specific settings that appears on the 500X, but not on the 500. These could all be programmed and saved manually on the 500, but it is a default on the 500X. The folder has song scenes already setup, including guitar, amp and effects. Hit the "Right Now" patch and it automatically sets the guitar for Korn's dropped tunings, selects an amp model and effects chain. Hit "Rain Song" and it switches to DADGAD tuning with a different guitar, amp and effects. The X is worth the extra dough... as is the model pack upgrade, especially if you can catch it on sale!

HD500X headphone out into a HD147 head stereo effect loop RETURN only, through a 4x12 JCM900 4x12 cabinet. Absolutely freaking magical. In stereo. Great at any volume. You can substitute an older Flextone II head (black and red); it is also a 300-watt stereo head. Early ones are even USA-made and can be found all over for less than $200. HD147 requires a dummy jack (one end of a guitar cable) in the front jack when used this way, the Flextone II does not. LOVE IT!

You didn't mention how you hook it up, but I can share this: I ran my HD500 with all 8 of the footswitches active for effects on/off VERSUS leaving 5, 6, 7 and 8 dedicated to instant channel changes (A, B, C, D). However, when I hooked up to a DT50 with the L6 link, the HD500 did not like that setting at all. It would lock up and flash the screen. So, I have a dedicated HD500X for the DT50 that only uses the top row of switches for effects on/off and the bottom row are used to change channels. Don't know why this glitch occurs...

Ah! Forgot to add: if you use an HD147's RETURN only (bypassing the preamp by only using one side of the effects loop), you MUST plug in a dummy jack to the front of the amp to hear anything. Guitar output to HD500 guitar input; headphone stereo out to HD147 effect loop RETURN; plug one end of another guitar cable into the front of the HD147 and leave the other end unconnected. I used a 1' pedal cable and tucked the other end under the amp.

Late reply to this post, however - others may face the same issue... My very favorite set-up is running the HD500(x) headphone jack OUT to the stereo "RETURN" on the back of a Line6 HD147 head, into a stereo 4x12 Marshall cabinet. This bypasses the HD147 pre-amp and uses the HD500(x) as the controller. You can do the same thing with any kidney bean POD. Zero hiss and you get to take advantage of the stereo effect. Used HD147s are available for under $400 all day long. It's a 300-watt stereo power amp that claims to be able to run eight 4x12 cabs... in stereo. Don't know of too many bars that have stage space (or even allow) 32 twelve-inch speakers for one guitar player... Ha! The sound is fantastic and, like I said, hiss-free. Solid state reliability and low cost. Used HD500: $300; used HD147: $350, used JCM900 4x12: $400. Just over $1100 with tax. Not bad for a fire-breathing half stack rig that can be played at concert or bedroom volumes. Plus, you can also run a line out to the house system when one is available. Substitute another brand name stereo cabinet (or drop to a 2x12) and save a few bucks. Or, get TWO mono 4x12 cabs and make a stereo Rig of Doom. Or enter the realm of insanity and run FOUR stereo 4x12 cabs... Ha!