Palico

Right now I have a old Variax 500 which I really love. It's one of the first ones and plays and sounds really good. I also have HD500x and DT25 combo. When I upgraded to the HD500x and DT25 that was a good bit better sound quality improvment to me. I was using a X3 and Atomic previously. Lately been thinking about if I should go ahead and get the JTV. I've heard a lot of clips etc.. using it and played one at GC a while back, althought I didn't plug it in. I get that the guitar itself is much better build and the mag pickups do add extra layer of capability. But I'm wondering if the modelling is better or is the same modelling in a better built instrument?

Glad to hear overall it's been well for you. As for the switch over clunck you might want to look at what the DT is having to swtich. Some of those can make some noise going from one class or topology to another. Most are really smooth but there is one or two that will click on you.

First Congrats! Hard to tell. You are bound to fiddle with them a bit. Yea get a cable and use the L6 link. It works woderfully and the when you move the amp settings ont the DT will adjust them on the POD, except for Reverb. Watch that one. The Reverb on the DT is a seperate (latest firmware anyway) reverb than what you have coming from the POD. FYI the DT is configurable 2 channel amp A and B. The POD over L6 link uses channel A. Channel B is not used by the POD. Which if you added a latching pedal with the DT as foot switch, you could use it and leave set differently, althought with HD acting as the brains, I'm not sure what would gained by it. 1) You will likely want to use the Pre models as they tend to sound better but like the POD itself inn't exactly any rules so you might try them without changing them to see what you get. 2) *if* you can adjust the patches at stage volume using the DT. The tube will react a bit differently when it's cranked up. This is one of the biggest things to adjust to. The POD full model is *supposed* to emulate the sound of tube amp cranked up pretty good. Since you might not be able to get that same saturation at an acceptable volume you might need to adjust your gain settings some. 3) Dual amp setups can be bit tricky. I would offers some advice here but I never been a dual amp type of guy, so my patches are most just one line. Remember since the DT is a single source it is mono, unless you buy two of them, so any Stereo effects will be summed to mono. IMO, it actually does pretty well with this. 4) I think you will find your patches to be warmer and bit bigger sounding as well. That to me is the magic of the tubes! But again if you factored some of that into the patches then you might need adjust some! 5) When you setup patches the POD software automaticly sets the DT settings (topology, class, etc...) to what is correct for the modeled amp. But you can change them. So more options to play with as long as you not trying perfectly match the original. Opens a whole new area to play with.

Cool thanks that one does sound near perfect. I'll have to down load the tone and see how it does with my setup.

Been following this discussion as I kind of wondered about this. Thanks for the tracks. Any tracks without the gain? I hear about some very very slight wooble to it, but maybe that is another effect on purpose. Whenever I tried it I could get some thing close but it just didn't quite sound natural. Maybe the guitar itself pays into it some too.

Head with a Cab has the Closed back cab, The combo has an open back. Basically up to which you like the sound of better. The combo can be expaned with cab as well if you wanted both. The Combo weights in a around 50lb so the head cab might be bit easier on the back.

The DT25 has DI out, so no mic needed if you wanted it in the PA. Still true you are subject to some variation of the PA but not as much change as putting 57 in front of it. Unless your playing a stadium you are not likely to need the DT in the PA, it's suprisingly loud, althought I do run mine that way just to spread the sound out a bit.

Likely a good bit. When using the DT you will need to use the "Pre" settings on the POD. The effects would be the same. But the DT is still gonna sound a bit different which is likely going to make you want to adjust the patches too. I keep seperate ones for the DT and for going direct when I record.

Nice job! I have a Pod X3 Live that I practice with and a POD HD500x I use with my band. You clip is dead on on the tones of each. I think the HD500x is bigger and more responive to your playing and I can almost tell on the clip where you dig into the stirngs a bit more and hold back a bit. The X3 tech (AMPLIFi) in your clip can indeed sound great but think the POD takes it overall.

IMO, get the DT first. It will improve the tone of your rig greatly. The JTV is a great tool but it will add versitity to your rig, might improve the tone a bit but I doubt a ton. The DT will improve the tone right outta the box. And with the HD500x and the DT you have built it fail safe, if either fails at a show you use the other standalone.

Dirty: Plexi w/ T75 cab. Works for cleans pretty well too and with dirt pedal pulls off cruch to pretty heavy stuff. Clean: Divided by 15. Not a real clean amp but I love the bluesy grit and it pulls off a pretty good clean. Blackface Double a very close second. I really could probably do with either.

Yea what I learning was using the sepereate track post process. The slight detuning on just one side does have a chorus type of sound but it doesn't have the swril of chorus, which makes sense. But it make the signal sound bigger, like you said sort of like a double tracking. What I particular found interesting was that it works totaly different than the mix control. I would have thought the Mix set at 50% would have done that same thing but that I set it up (with just one path) that way and it totaly sucked (on my rig anyway). I setup a similar patch for the DT. I had to adjust mixer controls to get it right (to my ears) as with the DT it's sumed back to mono, but it still worked well. Yea a delay on one path but not the other seems it could create an interesting effect too.

Cool I learned something new with your custom tone! The DBack one you use the Pitch glide on just one side ever so slightly. It really make the gutiar sound bigger for the Via/Satch type of tones. I always knew those guys used Harmonizers and such but never really understood how or why (except for songs like Bad Horise where it's obvious). Thanks!!!!!!!!!!! Now to build a whole set of mine around this new (to me) concept.

Adjustment #1. The pedal is stiff out of the box and jerky. Where the foot pedal itself attaches it is attached by bolt with Nut on the opposite side. Loose that nut just a touch and the pedal smooths out a lot, here you can kind of tweak it taste. Fixes: These pedals like a volume pedal are basically nothing more than potentiometer that rolled up and down via the foot pedal by mechnical means. The mechnical pieces in the EX-1 that connect to the foot pedal can be easly dislodged. They almost sit in place instead of being attached very well. For example the main part that attaches to the pedal is open ended, so it can pop off if it gets out of line. The good news its easy to get back into place but it annoying! Not like it happens often but not something you wanna fix at a live show.

Nice work!. I think I'll download you patch too. Nice old school type of Shred type of tone. What guitar is that paired with? A High output Humbucker?

http://line6.com/supportarchivenew/thread/72342/ I seemed to remeber something a bit odd with Parallel effects loops. I think the above might help.

There are two expression pedals available for you can add as an extra expression Pedal to the POD HD 500x Live board. As you are probably already aware you can assign almost any parameter to the expression pedal on the HD 500x. The extra expression pedal takes the place of ExPedal 2 when used. The Line 6 Ex-1. http://www.amazon.com/Line-6-EX-1-Expression-Pedal/dp/B000JKVMJ4 This is plastic pedal and pretty cheaply made. I have one and it does work althought I've had to manually adjust and fix it before. But it is inexpensive to buy and will work for simple task such as a volume pedal. The Mission Enginneering EP1-L6. http://www.amazon.com/Mission-Engineering-EP1-L6-Expression-Product/dp/B007XT2SCY/ref=sr_1_3?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1419945266&sr=1-3&keywords=mission+engineering This is the pedal Line 6 should have made. Heavy duty construction and more in line with what we are used to in foot pedal designs. I had read this one does have issue that it will reach 100% before the toe down position in fully down. But that can be fixed by adding a resisitor in line. I do not know if that issue has been resolved or not as I don't have one of these yet.

I don't use the 4cm method, but I'll give it shot since no one answered yet. I beleive you have to an input to the POD itself. The typically method is Guitar->POD HD500x (Cable 1) -> POD FX Send Guitar Amp Guitar In (Cable 2) -> Amp FX Send to POD FX Return (Cable 3) -> POD Output to Amp FX Return (Cable 4). This gives the POD a guitar input and allows you to have effects before the gutiar amps Pre amp, if you put them there before the FX Loops block. And to have effects in the Amps FX Loop by putting them after the POD FX Loop. Also you can turn on/off the POD FX Loop along with the opposite POD amp models to control if you want to use the Amps PreAmp or use a Modelled PreAmp.

Don't know about the percentage problem. I have one and it works on that aspect fine. If you loose the nut a bit where the pedal itself attaches then you get jerkness out of it, or taylor the smoothness a bit. To cabrate it you unplug it and calibarte the on-board pedal. Since it supposed to function just a Ex-2 then it should get it as close as it's gonna get. And yep, it's a plastic piece of junk.

:) Nice. Glad it worked out for you.

The posted ones looks good. My favorite tone that I think would fit this okay. The Marshall Super lead head with a T-75 cab and 57 on axis. Use an overdrive turned up all the way adjust gain on the head to taste. Might use a Tube Screamer instead since that clip seems to have quite a mid-range type of tone.

Sorry I have not seen any solution to the oddness on the old variax of the tunings. I know I use them on occasion and while I don't hear a noticable distrotion, I do hear some odd ghost tones around the notes, they just don't sound quite right, if you catch what I'm saying. So far I only use them when it's really convient like for open tuning where it's a real pain to retune. For Drop D or 1/2 down etc... type of stuff I just spin the knobs the old way or carry another guitar if necassary.

Couple of thoughts: I've read somewhere and it' does seem true to me that the louder the amp the more the human ear preceives the bass part of the signal. I always wondered with the old school players wanted those treble boosters but based on the levels that had to play at, it makes more sense. Playing the bedroom by yourself and full band is completely different scenerio. By yourself you do have the full frequency range to work with. In a full band you have to give room to other instruments. If you have Bass, Drums and Vocal to content with and not clash against. It's more important on how the entire band sounds that it is how one insturment sounds. The band must function as unit. And if you have another or other guitarist to deal with it can change not only how you sound but what notes/chords and vociings you play. IMO, the scooped mid sound is overrated! If you want to cut thought a full band you need some mids in the sound. One of the most loved distrostion pedals if the Ibanez Tube screamer. It has a huge mid boost sound too it. Works great for cutting thought with leads and turning it off to disappear a bit into the mix for rhythm. Most of the metal bands I've heard that use the scooped mid tones also dont' feature the bass guitar very much. Part of the reason is the gutiar is covered most of the bass terrirory. Bass gutiar in some heavy music kind of holds the very bottom end and a bit of clarity to the gutiar sounds, which is why those style bass lines often mimic the rhytm guitar line. In the old days with a array of pedals and amp, if the settng didn't sound good in the room at a given volume then you turned some knobs to make it better. The POD has the same ability. They put knobs on the POD for a reason. Sure it's a bit harder to do but the nice part is you can hit SAVE and they are saved, no remembering what that killer tone you go last time was. The DT amps also feature a real tube power section and those tubes sound different depending on how hard they pushed. That is the case for setting up your tones at stage volume. You might have to get some where you can crank it that loud by yourself and not blow you ears out to do that, otherwise, do the best you can and then try to make some adjustments on the fly when you rehersing with the full band. Lastly, if I actually heard anyone for my band ask someone to play louder, for the sole purpose of drowning any one member of the band out. Then I would give them a ear full about being a professional and maybe worst. It's okay in my group to be honest with each other and tell someone that part, performance, tone, etc... sucks. Nothing would get fixed without some brutal honestly. But it's not okay to just try to cover up we don't like. It's not okay to be passive aggresive and try to drown out someone. If something is wrong of memebers have a difference of opionon on ANY aspect of piece then it needs to be talked out. A band succeeds or fails as a unit. Each memeber has a part to play and if a member isn't happy with their role then maybe they are not the right person for that role.... Okay off my soap box now, that statement bothered me.

If you are in Windows, open the Volume mixer. You should see the POD there. Lower the level there.

Turn down the computer volume on using the computer itself. On Windows 7 the little speaker in the corner. Does not affect your guitar level, just the output to the POD.