Super Excited for the Pod Go

[rickprice79]

After watching all of the videos on the Pod GO I was excited to come talk about it with other fans. I am bit surprised to see this ghost town of a forum. I have owned two Helix's and ended up selling both of them as I felt they were too much for me for the money. I have been toying with the idea of buying a HX Stomp but I just felt like it just wasn't robust enough and only had 3 foot switches. The moment I saw the Go I knew that Line 6 finally made the product I really wanted and for an amazing price! I will be ordering day one.

[Kevzmusic]

Yes, this forum community does seem to be a ghost town.

 

I agree, the new POD Go does present as a very affordable (somewhat stripped down) version of the Helix platform with all the same HX amp sims and only 3 less FX functions. So at around $450 USD retail....that is very good.

 

However, at first (online only) glance it does have that “consumer grade” look-vibe to me....but at that price point one doesn't expect a pro level piece of kit. 

 

One thing I can’t understand...Is why doesn’t Line 6 now incorporate the HX platform into ALL their products to offer a completely level playing field within all the amps, floor, rack, units, etc.

 

IF I was the big Chief at L6 I could never feel right inside...knowing that the latest Spider V MKii amps, etc....”could” sound noticeably better. That simply would not sit right with me. Any biz/consumer psychology person knows that marketing image and quality consistency status is absolute key in today’s world. The flagship range of any product line always subsidises the cheaper models to some degree.

 

Line 6 should offer HX amp sim quality right across the board today in order to create total consumer confidence.

 

IF the new budget priced POD Go has it...then so should everything else.

 

Just my 2 shekels worth.

[silverhead]

1 hour ago, Kevzmusic said:

Yes, this forum community does seem to be a ghost town.

 

......

 

 

Maybe it's just that this is a user support forum. Most people come here to get help in solving problems that they are experiencing with their Line 6 product. While there are often non-technical discussions here it's not as prevalent as someplace like The Gear Page. A place like that is mostly about general discussions of all types of gear. Here it's more likely to be a technical support discussion.

 

POD Go is not yet being sold. After it hits the market you will see more activity regarding it - especially about the inevitable early bugs.

[Kevzmusic]

On 2/8/2020 at 2:54 PM, silverhead said:

 

Maybe it's just that this is a user support forum. Most people come here to get help in solving problems that they are experiencing with their Line 6 product. While there are often non-technical discussions here it's not as prevalent as someplace like The Gear Page. A place like that is mostly about general discussions of all types of gear. Here it's more likely to be a technical support discussion.

 

POD Go is not yet being sold. After it hits the market you will see more activity regarding it - especially about the inevitable early bugs.

 

Where is “The Gear Page” I don’t see that section listed on this forum site?

 

Thanks...

[silverhead]

It's a whole separate online forum, not hosted by Line 6. Google it.

[Digital_Igloo]

On 2/8/2020 at 1:20 PM, Kevzmusic said:

Yes, this forum community does seem to be a ghost town.

 

I agree, the new POD Go does present as a very affordable (somewhat stripped down) version of the Helix platform with all the same HX amp sims and only 3 less FX functions. So at around $450 USD retail....that is very good.

 

However, at first (online only) glance it does have that “consumer grade” look-vibe to me....but at that price point one doesn't expect a pro level piece of kit. 

 

One thing I can’t understand...Is why doesn’t Line 6 now incorporate the HX platform into ALL their products to offer a completely level playing field within all the amps, floor, rack, units, etc.

 

IF I was the big Chief at L6 I could never feel right inside...knowing that the latest Spider V MKii amps, etc....”could” sound noticeably better. That simply would not sit right with me. Any biz/consumer psychology person knows that marketing image and quality consistency status is absolute key in today’s world. The flagship range of any product line always subsidises the cheaper models to some degree.

 

Line 6 should offer HX amp sim quality right across the board today in order to create total consumer confidence.

 

IF the new budget priced POD Go has it...then so should everything else.

Let's just say we have a lot of really smart people here who spend an exorbitant amount of time figuring out what products to make and at what price to sell them. It's not just their gut instincts, either—it's input from dealers, input from distributors, the competitive landscape, and a metric ton of very complicated business models built inside massive spreadsheets. If we weren't good at this sort of stuff, we would'nt have been here 23 years.

 

Every audio product—even million-dollar studio consoles—"could" sound better. The trick is making a product sound as good as possible for a price that the market will bear. There are companies that do nothing but make high end expensive products, and they generally have very few employees and a MUCH smaller overhead. Line 6 needs to hit a wider set of price points than, say, Fractal Audio or Kemper. If someone prefers we fire 3/4 of our employees and turn ourselves into a boutique shop, that's certainly... an ethos.

 

Besides, it's not like you can just slap a SHARC chip running the HX engine into a Spider cabinet with a Spider driver, charge another $50-100, and be off to the races. We've explained in the past how a "Helix Combo" would likely cost upwards of $2k and almost no one was interested, because at that price, the market all but demands t00Bz. We also offered to develop a wireless system compatible with Variax for $1000 and not a single person bit.

 

Lexus couldn't exist without Toyota sales. The new Mac Pro (and the upcoming Logic 10.5!) couldn't exist without iPhone sales. Helix/HX couldn't exist without Spider sales.

[Guitar_Mike1]

Im with you, I am super excited about getting this Pod Go!!!!

When I did a side-by-side with Boss, I thought they sounded on par, but when I look at the price point of this Pod with 4 stomp boxes, loops, etc. I had to drop my name in the pre-order hat.

 

Over the years I have owned a number of possessors, but haven't picked up any new effects in a decade. With my last DigiTech RP-300, I let it sit in the corner and stopped using it. Since then I have only played with clean, chores and distortion. Cant wait to goof off with a million effects and all the versatility this new Pod offers.

 

Im REALLY late to the game on this, but this will be the first time Ive own a looper pedal... about to have a new world opened up!

[Kevzmusic]

14 hours ago, Digital_Igloo said:

Let's just say we have a lot of really smart people here who spend an exorbitant amount of time figuring out what products to make and at what price to sell them. It's not just their gut instincts, either—it's input from dealers, input from distributors, the competitive landscape, and a metric ton of very complicated business models built inside massive spreadsheets. If we weren't good at this sort of stuff, we would'nt have been here 23 years.

 

Every audio product—even million-dollar studio consoles—"could" sound better. The trick is making a product sound as good as possible for a price that the market will bear. There are companies that do nothing but make high end expensive products, and they generally have very few employees and a MUCH smaller overhead. Line 6 needs to hit a wider set of price points than, say, Fractal Audio or Kemper. If someone prefers we fire 3/4 of our employees and turn ourselves into a boutique shop, that's certainly... an ethos.

 

Besides, it's not like you can just slap a SHARC chip running the HX engine into a Spider cabinet with a Spider driver, charge another $50-100, and be off to the races. We've explained in the past how a "Helix Combo" would likely cost upwards of $2k and almost no one was interested, because at that price, the market all but demands t00Bz. We also offered to develop a wireless system compatible with Variax for $1000 and not a single person bit.

 

Lexus couldn't exist without Toyota sales. The new Mac Pro (and the upcoming Logic 10.5!) couldn't exist without iPhone sales. Helix/HX couldn't exist without Spider sales.

 

Yes, I realize what you have said here. I’m not a newbie...I have been playing guitar since 1968 and around the business world a few times too.

 

The bottome line is though...IF you can now offer the HX Amp tones in the $450 budget level POD Go...then surely, one can do the same in a mid range amp combo priced around $1000 or so. 

 

I used the original POD, Flextone, Vetta , and PODXT Pro Rack myself back in the 1997-2006 era.

 

Now, everything Helix seems to be tethered to a PC or Laptop (for deep editing) or additional amp/cab for live playing, etc.

There is no longer that mid-range (priced) but best tone....”all in one” box (combo) any longer.

 

In short. it is missing...

 

I was recently thinking of getting the Spider V 120 MK2 for just playing at home...but after reading a lot of online comments was put off simply because at least 90% of them are either bashing the product or rather negative.

 

I do like the fact that the Spider amps have the Remote Edit app for use with an iPad or other mobile device...that is a great idea, so one does not need to have a PC/laptop nearby.  I hope this feature will also be available with the POD Go, then I would be tempted to buy that instead.

 

I think the trick today is “making a product as good a “quality” as possible in order to satisfy market demand” Not the other way around. Emphasis is on quality these days...not money so much. This generation has way more disposable income than when I was a youngster in my 20’s, 30’s, 40’s. Mediocrity is taboo...and a potential image nightmare.

 

I will finish up here with a let’s just say of my own :)

 

IF the global innovation high-tech masters in Tel Aviv were tasked with creating a HX based combo amp for $1,000 we both know...that they would figure out a way to do so.

 

Just my 2 shekels worth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Digital_Igloo]

13 hours ago, Kevzmusic said:

Yes, I realize what you have said here. I’m not a newbie...I have been playing guitar since 1968 and around the business world a few times too.

The market for $1000 solid state amps is virtually non-existent. Don't take my word for it—reach out to a guitar store friend who has access to (expensive) MI Sales Tracker data, or perhaps metrics from a massive MI retailer like GC, Sweetwater, AMS, Anderton's or Thomann and check to see if I'm right.

13 hours ago, Kevzmusic said:

The bottom line is though...IF you can now offer the HX Amp tones in the $450 budget level POD Go...then surely, one can do the same in a mid range amp combo priced around $1000 or so.

Let's pretend for a second that we could. The market for $1000 solid state amps is a desert, so why would we put effort into a risky-at-best proposition when we can put that same effort into something that's an all-but-guaranteed hit? Anyone who's "been around the business world" surely understands the concept of limited resources and ROI. If we were a tiny upstart with a dozen employees and could sell a great-sounding $1000 solid state modeling amp direct through the mail, we might be able to pull a profit. Except Line 6 isn't a tiny upstart; anything we sell needs to sell tens or hundreds of thousands of units to make any effort worth it. And this is really important: not only do we need to convince ourselves that we can push a box with those sell-through numbers; we have to convince GC, Sweetwater, AMS, Anderton's, Thomann, and many others that they can push a box with those sell-through numbers. So when when their extensive data on the ~$1000 solid state modeling amp market conflicts with what we're trying to sell them, that's a non-starter.

 

I've told this story multiple times, but here goes again: At one time, I used to question loudly—online—why no one made a truly professional keyboard controller. Then someone did (Infinite Response VAX•77), and it was expensive, and I needed to put my money where my mouth was. It's worth every penny, but the company shuttered a couple of years later because, like me, they overestimated the number of people who felt the same way I did.

 

In a similar vein, quite a few users have asked for a bean version of Helix. I'll personally reach out to many of these people and straight up ask them: "Would you actually pay money for one?" The vast majority would not; they just want it to exist for the "complete Line 6 product line" warm and fuzzies.

 

I'm not saying we'll never make a killer high-end amp again; I'm just saying there's a LOT of nuance here, and claiming we can just slap HX modeling into a wooden box and generate another hit product is devoid of said nuance.