podgo Pod Go Upgrade Katana??

[AidenBanks]

Hey guys and gals,

 

Been thinking for a while about getting a Pod Go to act as my entire guitar rig. I play all different kinds of music, from acoustic bluegrass to classic rock/metal. I currently have a Boss Katana  100watt combo, but not the nice new MKII version, the original one. I use a wah pedal occasionally, but usually just the amp itself. I am wondering if this is worth the upgrade. I've seen things that say its an immense improvement, and others that say its comparable. I've seen many people talk about buying EITHER the katana or the pod go, but no one that currently has an old katana looking to upgrade. 

 

I record a bunch at home and gig pretty regularly, but the weight isn't a factor to me. My main worry is that if I buy the Pod Go, it'll end up sounding very similar to the Katana, just lighter and smaller in size. I like the fact that I can control everything from my feet, I currently have a single pedal footswitch that only does channel selection, but if the sounds are essentially the same, I can deal. Are the effects, amps, cabs, and mics on the Pod Go $500 better than the Katana? 

 

Is it worth the upgrade, or should I stick with the Katana?

 

Thanks everyone

[grdGo33]

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I've seen things that say its an immense improvement, and others that say its comparable.

Yes.

 

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Are the effects, amps, cabs, and mics on the Pod Go $500 better than the Katana? 

It highly depends.  Ex; is $500 a lot of money or not a lot of money for you?  What does your current sound sounds like?  What do you like/dislike about it?  What are you trying to improve?  Do you for instance think that your BK 'marshall' sound doesn't sound right or something?

 

I'd say the most important question is; how much do you like to tweak?  If you want to spend endless time experimenting and tweaking your sound, I think you'll get more out of the Go than the Katana; from what I remember seeing about the Kat; it's more a plug and play device.  The Go is more like an endless puzzle; where you'll plug in your guitar to play, and end up lost tweaking and testing different amps, reverbs, delays, etc.  So how much do you want to get lost in effects or tweaking? 

 

I think the performance should be comparable; you'll be able to get good/great sounds from both.  Think the Go does more out of the box (you can download extra Katana effects, but can only use a few at a time from what I recall), and the latest fancy reverbs like Glitz, Ganimede, etc., likely will not have a Boss equivalent.  The amount of compressors, delays, amps, cabs, mics, etc., also way higher on GO.  So if that's what you're after, likely won't be disappointed.

 

I've heard enough people rave about the Katana to be fairly confident that you can get very good, usable sounds out of it.  So if you have good lead, rhythm, etc., sounds dialed in with teh BK, and you make equivalent effects in PGO, I doubt most would be able to tell which is which in a blind test.  They'll likely sound quite similar, and probably not have one sound 'better' than the other; just a bit different.  I think you should be able to reproduce BK sounds in PGO with some work, but probably get lots more flexibility, 'tweakyness (tweaking the sound exactly like you want)' and options with Go. 

 

But, imho, main 2 things:  1) how much do you want more?, 2) are you more of a plug and play or a tweaker? 

[Rossco02]

I have an old Katana 100 and the Pod Go. The Pod Go is significantly better from an effects basis and give's you more flexibility from an amp perspective. I simply use my Katana as a Power Amp going into the FX return ALTHOUGH I also play a lot through studio monitor without the amp. It's good to have the Katana as backup but I wouldn't miss it if it was gone. But the price difference between the two is significant. You wont regret buying a Pod Go. 

 

What I would say in reference to the last reply is that it's very very easy to dial in a sound on the Pod Go, much easier than hooking up the Katana to the laptop.

[bartol]

I've used a friend's Katana 100 series one for a while before getting Pod Go, both for practice and in rehearsal. It's a very nice sounding amp (and beastly loud if you need that) but in my opinion with quality IRs you can make PG sound better.

 

Also in rehearsal or gig scenario PG is much more user friendly when it comes to tweaking your sound on the spot, without hooking up a computer and running software editor. Katana's panel controls are somewhat limited. PG  also offers many more ways of switching to different sounds or varieties of your basic sound. It also works better as a recording device, in my opinion. Expression pedal is also a nice option to have, not only for wah or pitch effects.

 

However Katana is a self contained solution, with PG you also need and an FRFR or a power amp and cab, if you want to play with people. Being a bedroom warrior and not playing in a band anymore, I'm using PC speakers with PG and sometimes I just miss having an amp with its heft and true guitar speaker, if that makes sense.

 

Are you more of an amp guy? Can you crank your noise making device up a little bit? Can you live with 3-4 basic sounds? If so, I would stick to the Katana. Do you want to mostly record, need many tone sculpting options and tweakability? Then go for the Pod.

 

If you can afford that, try combining both :)

[grdGo33]

1 hour ago, Rossco02 said:

What I would say in reference to the last reply is that it's very very easy to dial in a sound on the Pod Go, much easier than hooking up the Katana to the laptop.

 

Well... It's 'very very easy' to dial in a sound... BUT... What's the difference between the kinky comp, red squeeze, rochester, LA Studio Comp and deluxe comp?  When should you use one over the other?  What's the best mic, amp and distance for a balanced tone?  What would be the 2nd and 3rd 'best'?  What changes when you move a mic from 1 inch to 2 inch?  What about say if you want the David Gilmour tone of another brick in the wall, what amp & settings, cab, mic & distance should you be using that would sound closest?  What's the difference between amp Bias and BiasX?  Better of tweaking using amp drive, master volume and/or bias/biasX/sag/distortion r boost pedal or compressor, etc.??  What about amp ripple and hum should you turn them on or should you just turn them down all the way?

 

As I said, the BK is more a plug and play.  The PGO is more of a need a PhD in PGO theory to be able to understand what all the settings are and what they do.  And there's soo many options...  BK you have what, like 4-5 channels and like again 4-5 boss effects pedals at a time in the BK?  It's just, to me, completely different philosophies.  BK is more 'like a real amp' + couple pedals, whereas the PGO you're entering a world endless tweaking/options.  Sure, you can 'superficially' use the unit as a 'simple' and 'quickly' setup sounds... But... 

 

It's just a more complicated philosophy.   Ex; BK; you want the brown sound, use the brown amp (maybe you have 2-3 amps which 'fit the bill'), tweak them a little.   But PGO has 100+ amps.  Which are 'best'?  Which settings with what amp gives you what you want?  Is an Engl Fireball with drive at 4 closer to a german whatever or ingrid with drive at 7?  What about master volume which also significantly affects gain/drive, maybe this other amp with this and this setting are 'better'?  And what about the cab + mic ... !!!   It's like setting up a tone with BK is an equation with 8 variables, whereas the PGO is an equation with 36 variables.  But yeah, you don't have to tweak the 36 PGO variables, you can just tweak these 10, which will give you a 'tone', but because there's 26 other variables you haven't tweaked (because you've not learned what they do nor mastered them), maybe it's easier to get to the desired result using the BK's 8 variables; which just 'do more' in a much simpler way.

[AidenBanks]

2 hours ago, grdGo33 said:

What does your current sound sounds like?  What do you like/dislike about it?

I dislike the sort of "digital sound" that always seems present on the katana. I strongly dislike the fact that when I dial in my tones at home volume, they sound horrible in a live setting. I know its the same with the pod go, but I can edit on the Pod Go on the fly. I don't bring a laptop to practice, so I cant fix my sound when I need with the katana. I also like the option to have multiple effects at a time. The Katana is very limited in that respect, I like that I can have close to a proper "Pedal Board" That can change as I change, versus dropping 500 on a blues focused pedal board, then getting into Doom metal or something different. Am I correct in assuming the Pod Go is better in these regards?

[AidenBanks]

34 minutes ago, grdGo33 said:

 

 But yeah, you don't have to tweak the 36 PGO variables, you can just tweak these 10, which will give you a 'tone', but because there's 26 other variables you haven't tweaked (because you've not learned what they do nor mastered them), maybe it's easier to get to the desired result using the BK's 8 variables; which just 'do more' in a much simpler way.

 

That is true, the Katana is pretty much plug and play. I'm assuming there's a learning curve with the Pod  Go (and any other piece of gear). Once I get over the learning aspect, it should be just as simple to dial in as the katana, right? And in theory, those sounds should be way more "real" like a tube amp than the Katana? And the more effects available with the Pod go at a time should make the sound I'm looking for easier to get? I'm fairly new to this type of tech, so let me know if I'm way off here. The more I read the more I realize that most of my thinking is based off of these assumptions. 

[AidenBanks]

2 hours ago, bartol said:

 

 

Also in rehearsal or gig scenario PG is much more user friendly when it comes to tweaking your sound on the spot, without hooking up a computer and running software editor. Katana's panel controls are somewhat limited. PG  also offers many more ways of switching to different sounds or varieties of your basic sound. It also works better as a recording device, in my opinion. Expression pedal is also a nice option to have, not only for wah or pitch effects.

 

However Katana is a self contained solution, with PG you also need and an FRFR or a power amp and cab, if you want to play with people. Being a bedroom warrior and not playing in a band anymore, I'm using PC speakers with PG and sometimes I just miss having an amp with its heft and true guitar speaker, if that makes sense.

 

Are you more of an amp guy? Can you crank your noise making device up a little bit? Can you live with 3-4 basic sounds? If so, I would stick to the Katana. Do you want to mostly record, need many tone sculpting options and tweakability? Then go for the Pod.

 

 

That's kinda what I was thinking. I don't care about the loudness of an amp vs the pod go, I have a full pa that I gig and practice with, so volume isn't an issue for me. I go direct in to the board from the Katana, and usually have the katana turned way down as it is. The reason I cant decide, is the katana is the only amp I've ever really played a lot. (Except for an old Line 6 spider 4, but that doesn't count) I don't know if I'm an amp or modeler guy. The Modeler just seems easier in almost all respects. I get a variety of sounds, with the portability of a laptop essentially. Not sure if I'm way off tho.

[grdGo33]

26 minutes ago, AidenBanks said:

Once I get over the learning aspect, it should be just as simple to dial in as the katana, right?

 

Once you get your PhD?  :D   I think 99% don't have it.  I've had my unit for months now, and as a hobbyist, can't say I understand even a fourth of the options very well; I mean, ex; say out of the dozen reverbs and delays, sure, I can setup a Spring reverb easily, add a distortion, setup a amp + IR fairly efficiently and quickly, and get some tone going, but as per my last post; can't say I've learned what all the amps & their settings sound like, can't say I've mastered ex; the Ganimede and other fancy reverbs; I have a superficial understanding of them all, but say the Plateau, some youtube demo of the reverb will sound great; and I'm struggling to make heads or tails of how exactly each reverbs can/should sound; and how to tweak them all efficiently; it's all quite a blur which always results in an hour long session of trial and error, dialing something & playing around with it with the guitar, than 2-3 weeks later, rinse & repeat.   It's really not like a simple tool, well ok maybe it is, it's like toolbox of hundreds of 'simple' tools you have to learn and becoming proficient.  IRs, amps, cabs, compressors, distortion pedals, mics & their setup distance, etc...  Lots of stuff!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gCWBiMRrsI

 

Anyway, we all have a sort of approach to proficiency and knowledge; before saying I understand something, I like to really understand it.  Most people using the Go likely don't really understand 80% of all the options;  (ex; ask them what a Mesa 4x8 cab sounds with X mic at X dist, likely won't know exactly.  On my Spider, I knew exactly what every amp sounded like ... !) but they're fine because they don't need to understand everything to use it. Which is perfectly fine, but being sorta OCD, if I see a setting, I like to know exactly what it does, and if there's 100 amps, I'd like to have a good idea of what they all sound like, what they're capable of, etc., but it's not really realistic with so many; possible 'option paralysis'.

 

For digital sound...  Not sure if it'll sound less digital, probably...  For me Go is perfect, for a pro guitarist with real amp experience, some say they can tell there's some digitalness to the sound...  Not sure many could identify a Go vs BK if they setup a similar sound using similar amps, reverb, EQ, etc.

[bartol]

40 minutes ago, AidenBanks said:

I don't know if I'm an amp or modeler guy. The Modeler just seems easier in almost all respects. I get a variety of sounds, with the portability of a laptop essentially. Not sure if I'm way off tho.

My take on this is that a modeler is not necessarily easier or simpler, especially in the beginning and/or if your completely new to this way of getting your guitar sounds, but it gives the player more options. In this regard Pod Go is brilliant. It's relatively simple to learn when compared to the big boys of modeling and at the same times provides many great sounds and features.

 

If you go directly to the board anyways, then the whole amp feel thing is out of the question and IMHO you should try a modeling solution. 

 

However my best advice for you is that you should do your research on your own and compare Pod Go with HX Stomp and the upcoming HX Stomp XL, or even Helix LT if it fits your budget, and ask yourself which device best suits your needs. There are some limitations when it comes to the flow of the signal chain in the Pod which in your case may or may not be a deal breaker. 

[Rossco02]

 

20 hours ago, grdGo33 said:

 

Well... It's 'very very easy' to dial in a sound... BUT... What's the difference between the kinky comp, red squeeze, rochester, LA Studio Comp and deluxe comp?  When should you use one over the other?  What's the best mic, amp and distance for a balanced tone?  What would be the 2nd and 3rd 'best'?  What changes when you move a mic from 1 inch to 2 inch?  What about say if you want the David Gilmour tone of another brick in the wall, what amp & settings, cab, mic & distance should you be using that would sound closest?  What's the difference between amp Bias and BiasX?  Better of tweaking using amp drive, master volume and/or bias/biasX/sag/distortion r boost pedal or compressor, etc.??  What about amp ripple and hum should you turn them on or should you just turn them down all the way?

 

As I said, the BK is more a plug and play.  The PGO is more of a need a PhD in PGO theory to be able to understand what all the settings are and what they do.  And there's soo many options...  BK you have what, like 4-5 channels and like again 4-5 boss effects pedals at a time in the BK?  It's just, to me, completely different philosophies.  BK is more 'like a real amp' + couple pedals, whereas the PGO you're entering a world endless tweaking/options.  Sure, you can 'superficially' use the unit as a 'simple' and 'quickly' setup sounds... But... 

 

It's just a more complicated philosophy.   Ex; BK; you want the brown sound, use the brown amp (maybe you have 2-3 amps which 'fit the bill'), tweak them a little.   But PGO has 100+ amps.  Which are 'best'?  Which settings with what amp gives you what you want?  Is an Engl Fireball with drive at 4 closer to a german whatever or ingrid with drive at 7?  What about master volume which also significantly affects gain/drive, maybe this other amp with this and this setting are 'better'?  And what about the cab + mic ... !!!   It's like setting up a tone with BK is an equation with 8 variables, whereas the PGO is an equation with 36 variables.  But yeah, you don't have to tweak the 36 PGO variables, you can just tweak these 10, which will give you a 'tone', but because there's 26 other variables you haven't tweaked (because you've not learned what they do nor mastered them), maybe it's easier to get to the desired result using the BK's 8 variables; which just 'do more' in a much simpler way.

 

This is a bit of daft comment in my opinion. You don't need to KNOW the difference between the pedals. The POD GO provides you with accurate modelling of lots of different types of pedal. For those who like to try out different version Pod GO has go it...if you don't just pick one and play with it. It's exactly the same on Tone Studio for the Katana. For me it allows me to have different sounds if I want but I don't have to. Pedals aren't about picking the best AND if you do want to know about them then because Line6 have provided what they are modelled on you can do your own googling. I think of it like having a shop full of pedals and being able to pick and try new ones. I'd have to pay hundreds if I bought them separately.

 

The Dave Gilmour comment applies to anybody who wants to get a particular tone. You'd have to do some FX selection and knob twiddling (in Tone studio on the Katana) to do that..so it's no different to the Pod Go in that respect.

 

I agree it's about how simple you want to keep it. I like the Katana it sounds really really good for the money and keeping it simple makes it easy to dial things in. But if I'm playing a particular song and want a more accurate Fender tone then in Pod Go I have it. Need an accurate VOX tone...its in the Pod Go. It's a bit like comparing apples and oranges. 

 

You certainly don't need a PHD (anymore that you would for using tone studio)....the amp model is the amp model..it has more options but basically you can ignore them if you want...you'll mainly be playing with Gain, Channel Volume, bass,mid, treble and presence as you would on any amp.

 

Pod Go is like having a "real" amp and a pedalboard...no different to the katana unless you want to look at it in that way.