Hd500 Just As Good As Analog

[cerara]

Perhaps someone can answer this question?  I got a buddy who practices and plays smaller gigs with his POD HD.  But he records and plays larger (or more important gigs) with his full size pedal board with analog pedals.  He pretty much uses the same pedals with both set-ups.  For example his analog pedal board has an 808 tube screamer, rat stomp,  ect...  He says the "real" analog pedals are 5-10% better than the POD HD's copies and when it really matters he goes analog.

 

         I find that punchy, clean preamp tone from the HD500 AC-30 (as long as the treble is backed off) is just amazing!  I find my analog pedal board to be muffled, less clear, less sweet tone?  Am I missing something?  I don't see the pro's using amp modelers?  Maybe when u start spending $2000 or $3000 on a tube head you don't need the clean, bright help from the amp modeler??

 

    Guess my question would be....if your stand alone tube amp sound is better with NO help or tweaking from HD500.....what is ur amp and what is your secret???  I have $600-$700 in analog pedals and i never use them anymore because the clean tones just sound better through the POD.  

 

       YA, YA, your gonna say "shut up and just play the HD500!!!"  Well, i could use my old pedal board and 2 seperate set-ups would be handy.  Do i need an eq or preamp pedal on my old analog board to get the sweet clean tone i find with HD500 AC-30 preamp tone??

 

       

[SiCantwell]

I got the HD500 to replace the pedal board in that photo. I love those effects, but I got tired of lugging around the heavy board in a big suitcase, spreading it out under my mic stand on tight stages, and then trying to track down why no sound was coming out -- which of the nearly 20 pedals wasn't plugged in all the way. Love the FX in the Pod and the amp sims are a bonus, but playing an American Standard Strat or a Les Paul Studio into one of my two Fender tube amps was a superb tone to begin with.

[cerara]

Thanx for the reply.  I have a Japanese strat, American tele, and les paul.  PLugging into hughes and kettner tube head/cab.  Also have old American made Crate 50watt tube combo. I Still find both amps sound a little dull after using HD500 (with ac-30 preamp effect) then removing the HD500 from the equation .  Maybe my amps lack some natural chime?  My hughes and kettner is even class A??  I have an analog boutique screamer 808 pedal that is a little better than the screamer in the POD, but, like i said,  i'm stuck on clean chime i'm getting from the POD...so the old pedals sit.

[moondancer]

I go straight in FOH. In the past I played an old DigiTech GSP 2101 tube preamp with fx. Sounds not bad with single coils, but not so good with humbuckers.

The benefit of the hd, I found really the crisp clean sounds, but also the wide range of amp models. The fx are IMHO not the blockbuster. I'm not a friend of modelling classic fx pedals. I would prefer less pedal models, but more quality for e.g. modulation or reverbs, there should be some more deep editing options.

But all in all the hd 500 is a very practical board for a very good price and I don't miss anything

[RipperShred]

I prefer my HD Pro rackmount rig to analog. In fact, I haven't run "analog" gear in probably close to 5yrs or more. I went rack, and never looked back! If you know how to tweak it, it's every bit as good as "the real thing", and in my opinion better; No tube replacement/servicing, no worrying about finding the same type/kind of tubes, or variations in tubes, all of which can change your tone for both the better and worse. And having a single foot controller, with 128 presets at my feet, literally, (midimate) and a possible 128 different pedalboards, amps/amp-channels/etc. is a complete game changer. I've even switched over to a solid state poweramp (rocktron velocity 300) and will choose that over my tube poweramps because it's lighter, a single rack space, and consistent in its tone; I know 6 months from now, a year or two from now, it's going to sound the same (as long as I want it to anyways) without having to worry about other variables. I'll take all these pros over the con of a hypothetical 5-10% "improvement" in tone any day of the week.

[philschon]

I always say the same thing when I have these discussions; The only person who is hearing any difference is you. And even at that, in a band mix you won't hear any real difference. As long as your sound inspires you to play, that's all you need. I have played through a few different rigs both analog and modeling, and for me, modeling is the way to go. Way way less hassles. Less weight. Less setup/tear down. Less maintenance.... I have been playing since I was 10. I'm 52. I still gig regularly. The days of dragging a Marshall half stack that has to be cranked (to get any kind of decent tone) are long gone. When I first got a Boss GT-3 around 1999 to replace the Marshall and 16 space rack (which was loaded), the one comment I remember was from the sound guy who said;" wow your tone is so much better without all the noise, and cranked volume. If the sound guy likes it, its usually a good sign.

[jstock]

Been using the HD and previously X3 live for many a year - mostly direct to the PA but sometimes in combo with a DT and these days Power Engine (DT sale was because of hard times).

 

If I put them in order of sound quality it would be as follows:-

DT25

Power Engine

Direct

 

Now then I personnally believe that a well dialed in HD500 direct to the PA gives the punters a decent sound. Plus If you ask the average (none muso) punter to identify the difference between a HD500 and a Valve amp in a blind test I bet the HD500 would fair pretty well.

 

BUT..... DT25 sounded by far the best, the valves added something totally organic to the sound taking the HD to another level IMHO. As you can tell I'm a line 6 fan boy but you know there is something special about a decent valve amp cranked with a nice selection of pedals. Plus the HD takes a lot of work to get the patches right, plus I even have to have set list for different guitarts (buckers and single coils) so even more time. Dialing in a decent sound on a valve amp with pedals I can do within 1 hour.

 

So for me I take different rigs to suit the gig but where I need more control over volume and a consistent sound then its the HD500.

[DarthHollis]

In my opinion, the FX in the HD are great.  I can get them to sound pretty much just like my analog pedals.  I have yet to find the perfect amp in the HD.  My favorites are the Elektrik and the Plexi.  I'm not saying they aren't great amps, they are just not my flavor.  I want a hot-rodded Marshall sound and there is not one in the HD.  My preference would be a Bogner Ecstasy with blue and red channels.  Line 6 has been slow in adding new amps and although they added the much wanted plexis they did not add the amps that everyone is asking for (IMHO).

 

Anyway, I use the HD for practicing but for jamming with people and a live band I like my pedalboard.  The main reason is because setting the HD up for different configuration is a PITA.  Do you use pre amp or full amp?  Cab or no cab? Mic or no mic?  What output mode to use?  What am I going to be plugging into?  

With my pedalboard I just need to plug into any clean amp and I can get my sound.  I have a Bogner Red pedal and it sounds awesome.... It's MY TONE.

 

I may start using the POD HD for post Fx in the amp loop (reverb, delay, pitch shifting, chorus, noise gate).  But I have pedals to do this too.  I like being able to turn knobs on the fly.  

 

The situation I think about comes from a conversation I read with EVH.  He basically said that since each room is so different you have to be able to adjust things on the fly in order to get your sound in that room.  If you have several presets in the HD then if you adjust the treble and bass in one amp you are probably going to have to do it for every preset.  If I just use the HD with some different delay settings for presets, then I still have control over my main tone on the amp and the dirt pedal.

 

Everyone is different, this is just what works for me.  And..... next week I may change.

[cerara]

Bogner Red pedal?  Just googled it....$250 used! wow!  I have never played with a pre-amp pedal....gonna try that.

[bjnette]

In my opinion, the FX in the HD are great.  I can get them to sound pretty much just like my analog pedals.  I have yet to find the perfect amp in the HD.  My favorites are the Elektrik and the Plexi.  I'm not saying they aren't great amps, they are just not my flavor.  I want a hot-rodded Marshall sound and there is not one in the HD.  My preference would be a Bogner Ecstasy with blue and red channels.  Line 6 has been slow in adding new amps and although they added the much wanted plexis they did not add the amps that everyone is asking for (IMHO).

 

Anyway, I use the HD for practicing but for jamming with people and a live band I like my pedalboard.  The main reason is because setting the HD up for different configuration is a PITA.  Do you use pre amp or full amp?  Cab or no cab? Mic or no mic?  What output mode to use?  What am I going to be plugging into?  

With my pedalboard I just need to plug into any clean amp and I can get my sound.  I have a Bogner Red pedal and it sounds awesome.... It's MY TONE.

 

I may start using the POD HD for post Fx in the amp loop (reverb, delay, pitch shifting, chorus, noise gate).  But I have pedals to do this too.  I like being able to turn knobs on the fly.  

 

The situation I think about comes from a conversation I read with EVH.  He basically said that since each room is so different you have to be able to adjust things on the fly in order to get your sound in that room.  If you have several presets in the HD then if you adjust the treble and bass in one amp you are probably going to have to do it for every preset.  If I just use the HD with some different delay settings for presets, then I still have control over my main tone on the amp and the dirt pedal.

 

Everyone is different, this is just what works for me.  And..... next week I may change.

A global EQ and I've seen many requests for it, would be great  using the Amp knobs when Amp not selected for editing but I find it is more the amount of bottom end not needed. 

[spaceatl]

I just use both...I have a handful of pedals...Mostly BOSS compacts...They work quite well with the amp models. In terms of something basic like a tube screamer where I like to push the preamp with cleaner level, analog is tops...

[PDKTDK]

Been using the HD and previously X3 live for many a year - mostly direct to the PA but sometimes in combo with a DT and these days Power Engine (DT sale was because of hard times).

 

If I put them in order of sound quality it would be as follows:-

DT25

Power Engine

Direct

 

Now then I personnally believe that a well dialed in HD500 direct to the PA gives the punters a decent sound. Plus If you ask the average (none muso) punter to identify the difference between a HD500 and a Valve amp in a blind test I bet the HD500 would fair pretty well.

 

BUT..... DT25 sounded by far the best, the valves added something totally organic to the sound taking the HD to another level IMHO. As you can tell I'm a line 6 fan boy but you know there is something special about a decent valve amp cranked with a nice selection of pedals. Plus the HD takes a lot of work to get the patches right, plus I even have to have set list for different guitarts (buckers and single coils) so even more time. Dialing in a decent sound on a valve amp with pedals I can do within 1 hour.

 

So for me I take different rigs to suit the gig but where I need more control over volume and a consistent sound then its the HD500.

 

+1

 

in December 11 I went to GC to get an amp.  They plugged me into a Line 6 amp.  Solid State.  Lots of effects built-in.  I played and was like... Okay.  I told they guy that I would take it.  I like convenience and I am a techie.  I said to him to plug me into the DT50 before we wrap the amp up.  Immediately my playing got inspired.  Now the DT had no effects.  So blindly I settled on the HD500.  I get home and realize that these two units were made for each other.

 

I love the HD500.  If you haven't heard it L6 linked into a DT do yourself a favor.  Try it.

 

With regards to this discussion:  I've read too many times where in blind tests vintage gear freaks actually picked the modeled amp as the authentic one.  The bottom line:  If it sounds good - It is good.

 

:D

[DarthHollis]

I got my Bogner Red for $225 used, shipped and Pay Pal'd.  Yes, it's expensive but it sounds amazing into every amp I have tried.  It also has lot's of options, some which are subtle and some are not.  

 

Every pedal I have except the whammy 5 was purchased used.  If I ever need to, I can sell them and get back what I paid for them.  Pedals don't usually just break on their own and I'm not rough on mine so I don't have to have everything brand new.  Plus they have character.

 

I justify that pedal purchase because it's MY TONE.  I feel like whatever I plug into I sound like ME.  My dream amp is a Bogner XTC.  Those are $3700 plus a cab that is probably about $1200.  I love the POD HD for what it does, but for me to use it more it needs more amps (or at least the amps I want to use).

 

There are several amps that have been on previous versions that are ommited from the HD and people have been screaming for.  5150 (or 6505) and the 5150 III, Deizel VH4, Bogner XTC, Plexi Variac'd, and the Roland Jazz Chorus.

[DeanDinosaur]

  My dream amp is a Bogner XTC.  Those are $3700 plus a cab that is probably about $1200.  I love the POD HD for what it does, but for me to use it more it needs more amps (or at least the amps I want to use).

 

I hope I don't offend anyone here but you should try the ELeven hardware. If you have a friend or a store that carries them.

 

The XTC simulations are amazingly close (to my ears, they nailed them ) and there are three of them, BLue , Red and clean, instead of 3500 you might get one on ebay for less the $300.

[RipperShred]

There are several amps that have been on previous versions that are ommited from the HD and people have been screaming for.  5150 (or 6505) and the 5150 III, Deizel VH4, Bogner XTC, Plexi Variac'd, and the Roland Jazz Chorus.

 

Yeah, and hopefully since it's coming up on like 9 or 10 months (maybe more?) since the big update hit for the 300/400 series ( I don't start the counter at Oct. since they didn't really introduce any new models that weren't in the low-end release months before) it seems like they're working one something big, so maybe we'll see a major drop of some long hoped for amp models.

 

I hope I don't offend anyone here but you should try the ELeven hardware. If you have a friend or a store that carries them.

 

The XTC simulations are amazingly close (to my ears, they nailed them ) and there are three of them, BLue , Red and clean, instead of 3500 you might get one on ebay for less the $300.

 

300 beats 3500 hands down, but the hope is that we don't have to buy yet another 2U rack device and put it in an already crowded rack, or have to swap units in and out just to get a couple more amp models... and considering the XTC is something they've modeled in the past, we can hope that it's something they'll model again in the not-too-distant future.

[mojah63]

I was on the fence till I finally bought a decent FRFR... Now there's no going back.. It always sounded good through IEM's or direct to FOH but my amplified monitoring was crap. I just didn't want to pay more for my monitor than the HD500 but I ended up doing that. I don't miss lugging the tube head, pedal board and 4x12's now.

[bjnette]

I picked up a Australian Monitor Amp 250 watt in house power amp and a Tannoy 1x12" PA speaker. These were one offs from a mate at a couldn't refuse cost so I was hoping it might be useful for the HD500. The Speaker is absolutely incredible and even though only mono sounds impressive.

The only drawback is it is way too heavy. all metal speaker. 

I thought I might need a horn or a few smaller range speakers to get brightness but will see next time with the band. 

The patches sound like my studio monitors in mono albeit not as bright.

[mojah63]

I've heard a clip of a Tannoy 12 monitor and it sounded as good as an atomic clr to me. It was a coaxial Tannoy. Expensive in the USA. Compression drivers and Horns can be tricky.... You need to search for fairly Flat ones... Great crossovers are not that simple.... Then there is dispersion patters and distortion with the horn itself..  DIY speaker forums have a lot of info...  search for econowave

[JTSC777]

For cover gigs all I use are modelers these days. I have a nice collection of tube amps for recording and for my own enjoyment and pedals too. I started using Amp Farm in studios to record commercials 20 years ago and bought the second Line 6 Flextone in my town a week later. It still kills! Great amp. At the end of the day I have had enough of biasing and servicing my own tube amps. They are temperamental difficult things  and mine are only used occasionally and never for a cover band gig. All of this technological guitar stuff has come a very long way and I am reaping the benefits of sticking with it.YMMV.

[artist1354]

"I find that punchy, clean preamp tone from the HD500 AC-30 (as long as the treble is backed off) is just amazing!  I find my analog pedal board to be muffled, less clear, less sweet tone?  Am I missing something?  I don't see the pro's using amp modelers?  Maybe when u start spending $2000 or $3000 on a tube head you don't need the clean, bright help from the amp modeler??"

 

Exactly!

 

I saw some videos awhile back of Joe Bonamassa giving a walk through and explanation of his stage rig.  I forget how many heads he had and when they showed his pedal layout yeesh it was scary.  But one thing especially comes to mind.  Whenever he talked about making mods to his rig he said "we did this", "we looked at that".  I can only assume he meant himself and his tech, or quite likely techs, guitar tech, pedal board tech . . .

 

The point is, guys like that have maybe not unlimited funds to buy and maintain gear, but they have a darn sight more invested than I can afford.  I suspect that goes for many guitar players besides me.  They also have people to keep it all running right and those guys don't do anything but that, at least when they are on tour.  Add to that roadies to haul it all and lots of onstage real estate to move around in, then why not go analog.

 

For me, a JTV59 through an HD500 straight to the board does the trick just fine.  I use a QSC K10 to monitor onstage.  That's the heaviest piece at thirty pounds or so.

 

I can set up in under fifteen minutes and if my tone is only 90 to 95% as good as Joe's then well . . . dang.

[Rewolf48]

+1  B)

 

The argument that you have to adjust the HD Presets to the Room is not true - or at least is not true if you are Direct to PA and personal Monitor.

 

The Personal Monitor is effectively a near-field monitor - that is it points straight at you so you hear it direct and very little room effect.  Many have basic EQ anyway to adjust for a solid floor that doesn't resonate to a thin wood floor that resonates to the slightest woodworm fart.

 

The PA has EQ on each channel specifically to alter the sound to suit the room and fix into the mix.

 

Just set the HD500 so it has great sounds at realistic band levels and leave the room to the sound engineer.

[innovine]

I don't agree with the numbers being thrown about here. If the hd500 was 90-95% as good as a tubescreamer, then why is a tubescreamer worth about 25% of the hd500? With tons of amps and pedals thrown in there, you'd think the price would be sky high if the quality was equal.

 

Do you mean to say that you can take a couple of vintage amps worth thousands of dollars, add 30 effects, bundle it all into an intelligent, flexible easy to carry board, and only charge a tiny fraction of the original gears cost? It's cheap for a reason.

 

That all said, it is quite good value for money. But having played my hd500 and DT25 with ac30 and screamer model, alongside a real ac-30 with a real ts9, I can see, feel and hear why one setup is very cheap, and one very expensive.

[moondancer]

I don't agree with the numbers being thrown about here. If the hd500 was 90-95% as good as a tubescreamer, then why is a tubescreamer worth about 25% of the hd500? With tons of amps and pedals thrown in there, you'd think the price would be sky high if the quality was equal.

 

LOL :D if you buy all parts of a car to put it togehter by yourself, the car will become unpayable!

What you doing is a naive fallacy and nothing else!

[jstock]

+ 1 Innovine

 

I agree its the organic nature of a true valve amplifer that the HD500 cannot emulate. Its the unexpected sweet spot you get when hit the overdrive and all the environmental factors all come into play. It would take a very expensive piece of tech to emulate that.

 

I tend to find that the POD is very predictable in its behavious but that predicatability makes it perfect for smaller gigs where you want control of the volume, where cranking a value amp would simply kill the sound of the band. Last weekends gig was with the POD, this weekends gig will be all analoge.

[fechart]

Hi there,

 

I would like to share my experience about this topic, I´m a POD HD 500 owner and also own several stompoxes. I play through a Laney TT50C all-valve 3 channels amp + a 2x12 Laney Ironheart cabinet.

 

This is a really slippery topic; too many words said on it... and there are a lot of different opinions... I´ve always been a mfx guy, and by the time i bought my HD 500 I also bought my Laney amp. I started to realize how good was the clean sound of my amp, I discovered sounds I never heard before, plenty of harmonics, nice compression at high volumes, and that unique tube sound. However, the HD 500 always felt amazing to me, I invested hours, days and months tweaking it.

 

The thing is that I didn´t like my amp´s channels 2 and 3 (crunch and lead), because I felt them too loose and hairy. And with the HD 500 I could achieve those fantastic "finished" tones, those ones that when you play over a finished track sound amazing.

 

But I had the feeling that I was doing something wrong... It was very strange that I didn´t like my amp´s dirt, after all it´s an 8 valves made in UK high qualitty amp! So my search started...

 

The first thing I did was EQing the amp´s channels 2 and 3 with the POD (by that time I was already connecting the POD by the 4CM). This is also a slippery topic (EQs on the POD), but in my opinion EQ is an excellent instrument to fine tune your sound; and the POD has excellent EQs, in my opinion. I started then getting better tones from my amp, working on specific frequencies, getting rid of boominess, making low ends tighter, and so on... But the tone kept being raw and "unfinished".

 

So serching on forums, talking with some people, and talking a good listen to my sounds, I discovered that it´s just the nature of the beast. I started dialing more raw tones on my HD 500, with less effects and EQ, and I discovered that the HD500 can also do it somehow...

 

Being a huge EVH fan, I could dial an EVH tone with my amp´s crunch channel, that sounds and feel amazing. But when I compared it with my excellent EVH tones on the HD 500, I started to find the difference... the POD sounded more digital

 

I realized that I had swallowed the red pill...

 

By that time I had already bought some stompboxes, mainly ODs and Distortions, all boutique or high quality gear, a Wampler Pinnacle Deluxe (which sounds very similar to my amp´s channel 2, EQed with the POD), a Bogner Ecstasy Red, a Tubescreamer, a Mooer Hustle Drive (which is an excellent copy of the Fulltone OCD)...

 

So now I have my HD500 mainly for EQing and some modulation and wah, from time to time I take a listen to the modelled amps and my best presets, and they really sound great, but sincerelly I prefer my analog tones.

 

Here´s a diagram showing how I connect all:

 

 

 

 

Anyway, that´s just my 2 cents...

 

Cheers tone seekers!!!!!

[fechart]

One thing I have to mention is that when I say I feel the POD tone digital, I'm talking about a subtle difference, I don´t mean that the POD is a crap in any way...

 

Where I feel it weak is in the higher notes, there is where I find the tone more digital.

 

Cheers!

[steelstring2]

A global EQ and I've seen many requests for it, would be great  using the Amp knobs when Amp not selected for editing but I find it is more the amount of bottom end not needed. 

I am looking forward to the Bogner Ectasy as well!!! I want the Blue and Red Channel!! I'm sitting here trying to figure out how to achieve it

[joel_brown]

I own a pair of Marshall amps and cabs and also a PODHD Desktop.  I personally like the combination of the two.  As I get older I will eventually stop lugging around the Marshalls and get a nice FRFR amp and speaker.  The PODHD will sound just fine either way.  Just gott'a tweak it a little.

 

If I was a platinum artist touring the world I would probably have a stack of real amps and cabs with a modeler sitting behind them. 

 

Bottom line: whatever sounds good for you is what's important.  Who cares what other people use.

[shredjsx]

I know this is time consuming, but

 

I took a patch I liked and cleared an entire set list...

I set up every amp on their own bank dry...

Then went trough and set them up, messed with amp cabs,

Mics etc....

 

I actually found ALOT of amps I liked...

Some of the fenders, a fender champ, some black face...

Some of the Bogner emulating patches, the engl...

And even quite a few of the line 6 created ones...

 

I suggest doing this...

You will be surprised

[shredjsx]

Neil Schons rig is a stack of Marshalls and a rack with an Axe Effect actually running things

[BillBee]

I heard that about Neil Schon and it reminds me of all the stories of guys running a Rockman to the board with a gigantic wall of cabs behind them. :)

 

Personally for myself, the bar scene is typically a 45 - 60 min set so the quicker I am up and setup the better. Tear down too - the next band is usually already dragging gear up while we are tearing down. That and no lugging gear totaling ~ 100 lbs at 2 am in the snow.

 

Almost forgot, I don't miss doing the stompbox shuffle either. :)

 

-B

[DunedinDragon]

Quite honestly I don't know how much longer bands will be able to continue to use analog systems given what's been happening in live music performance.  The cost of buying and maintaining it is a real economic drain when there's precious little money to be made in most bars and clubs.  Even at the larger venues it's just not reasonable to cart around the equipment and expect to make a decent living.

 

The good news is the current generation seems more ready to adopt digital as that's what they've grown up with and they aren't as prone to buying in to the "voodoo" legends of analog.  What's odd about this is that many of the older "grandfathers" like myself have begun moving into digital because we just don't have the energy to move all that gear...:)

 

I honestly shake my head when I see the parent of a young teenager playing in a band with a dad following them around and telling them they need to have Marshall stacks and all of that nonsense.  It makes me wonder which one of them needs to grow up more....

[FlyingSquirrel]

I'll take the modelling in a pedal like the 500X straight to FOH over my old 20 space rack & cabs any day.

 

It's more powerful than my old rack, and the price differential of $400 vs $12,000 is easy to decide upon.

 

I get my monitor mix via IEM's in stereo, the SPL on stage is lower giving FOH far more control to give a better mix.

 

There's less gear to haul.  I'm down to just my guitars in their cases, my HD500X & Wireless plus a couple of other things in a pedal board case, and a gig bag.

 

Modelling passes the blindfold test more often than purist corksniffers want to admit, but it calls out their B.S. which is a hit to their ego.  Either way, it's the truth, 

 

It takes a good ear to replicate in modelling, but if you are a tone chaser with any degree of technical skill, the investment of time can pay off immeasurably well.

[AlexKenivel]

You guys sure like to necrobump old threads!

[pianoguyy]

If today, I was in ONE band doing ONE type of music, like I was 30 years ago, I wouldn't have a problem using amps. Admittedly, carrying a board is easier than amps and effects. I would just have less of a need for a multitude of various tones and wouldn't want to waste the money on something that does so much when I need so little.  

 

But, today is not 1983, and Mickey Mouse is a rather large employer, I tend to need to do everything under the sun.

And, also, because I am skilled and accessible, I often get calls from all sorts of bands/projects that need someone just for a day or two, so again, I have a need for a large variety. Then you go and figure that because I no longer am in one full-time band, that I have a lot of time on my hands, but not enough to be in one full-time band, so I am in multiple part-time and some-time bands, which just reinforces my need for many tones. It ain't no joke when I say that one day I am playing rock much and the next day country music, followed up with a 3rd day of disco. 

 

 

 

=====

 

FYI, I know a lot of people who use fake cabs on stage. And that was long before modeling and lip-sync became so prominent. 

Rockman Soloists. Pignose amps. You don't need to fill an arena with your own sound, that is what the pa is for. You just need to be able to get your tone and to hear yourself.  

[shredjsx]

If today, I was in ONE band doing ONE type of music, like I was 30 years ago, I wouldn't have a problem using amps. Admittedly, carrying a board is easier than amps and effects. I would just have less of a need for a multitude of various tones and wouldn't want to waste the money on something that does so much when I need so little.  

 

But, today is not 1983, and Mickey Mouse is a rather large employer, I tend to need to do everything under the sun.

And, also, because I am skilled and accessible, I often get calls from all sorts of bands/projects that need someone just for a day or two, so again, I have a need for a large variety. Then you go and figure that because I no longer am in one full-time band, that I have a lot of time on my hands, but not enough to be in one full-time band, so I am in multiple part-time and some-time bands, which just reinforces my need for many tones. It ain't no joke when I say that one day I am playing rock much and the next day country music, followed up with a 3rd day of disco. 

 

 

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FYI, I know a lot of people who use fake cabs on stage. And that was long before modeling and lip-sync became so prominent. 

Rockman Soloists. Pignose amps. You don't need to fill an arena with your own sound, that is what the pa is for. You just need to be able to get your tone and to hear yourself.

 

agree, I started my quest for multiple channel amps years ago, for different tones, when you were lucky to get an amp with one EQ and two gain stages, maybe a crunch and bright button that was non foot switch operated...

 

The need to play blues, southern rock, 80s hair metal and have a lead channel led me eventually to Digitech rack mounts with Rockman modules too ( Rockman units are still incredible if you can find them, the best noise gate and EQ ever had, made by the Lead guitarist from Boston)

 

then back to tubed amps like the Peavey JSX and eventually for quick setup and multiple tones to a Line 6 VETTA....

We needed to be fast for setup and tear down because it ate into our gig time and the Drummer was ALWAYS the hardest to set up...lol when you don't have Roadies EVERYONE in the band knows how to setup the drums....LOL

 

Then practice, and quiet studio work with no background mic bleed led me to. uX1.

X3Live then became the mainstay for practice and then live usage, now the HD500x....

 

Analog, Digital, it's impossible to tell the difference now....

And MANY of us that keep moving forward in our quest for that TONE we all hear in our heads have lead us to digital...

And sound guys love us, and we shock the hell out of traditional analog users by having consistantly great sounds that rival theirs or blow theirs away....

[hichembell]

Hello I want to share my experience. i use the pos since 2 years and its amazing. I play gigs with it record with it and practice with it.

recently i have bought a LANEY IRT STUDIO and it is my first tube amp. what i can say is that, while the laney has this warmness of power tube, the pod pre amps are far more musical and sounds better than IRT pre amp. when I switched between IRT XLEAN PRE AMP and blackface pre amp in the pod via the use of 4 cables method I WAS WAAAAAAAAW WHAT THE HELL greaaat sound. 

 

Its hard for me to understand how digital piece of gear sounds better than a full tube amp...After this experience, I think the LINE6 DT 25 is the way to go...