Line 6 Bass POD XT (rack) - anyone running one?

[NancyJohnson]

Anyone running one of these?  The rack version:

 

It's odd, I've gone through so much kit in the last 20-odd years, ran one of the kidney-shaped Bass PODs for a while but the rack XT passed me by.  I've seen a few on eBay/Reverb in the last few days and am wondering how they've stood the test of time in the last 10-15 years and I just have a little hankering for one.

 

You don't see them come up that often.  There must be hundreds of them just sitting under beds.

 

[fretmeister]

I sold one a few years ago that I ran for ages. It was still going strong.

[Skybone]

Didn't use the Rack, but I did have a POD XT Live for a while (with the Bass Expansion Pack). It was good, but there are better options out there.

 

I replaced the XT Live with a POD HD 500X, and it sounded so much better than the XT, and the effects were far better too. It's the generation on from the XT. The downside is that there are far less bass amp/cab options, but they all sound very good.

 

You should be able to pick up a HD X Rack for a reasonable amount.

[NoirBass]

I still have my Rack bass POD XT and my 500x, but I’m truth I haven’t used them in a long while. 
When I do dig them out, they seem a bit awkward by today’s standards. We are lucky these days to have more blocks to play with than these older units. The ability to run parallel paths is also much easier these days. That said, they both sound decent which is why I’ve kept them.

 

After much toing and froing Ive settled on the Boss GT1K which is overkill for my needs really but sounds great and is so flexible.

[NancyJohnson]

I suppose I look on these units like a comfy pair of slippers; Ithe trials and tribulations I've gone through with the AO900 just prompted me to (re)investigate the POD again.

 

Oddly, and in consideration of the journey so far, I was always happy tonally with what the Bass POD did, it was largely the design that was it's downfall.  Suppose it's in our nature to strive for betterment of sorts.  Ultimately when I unearthed my desired tones (and saved them) on the POD, I rarely strayed from these.  When the POD went, I just went straight to a Sansamp BDDI.

 

I've seen these units for about £100 online.  It might be worth a punt at some point.  I wouldn't mind another rack.

 

 

Edited October 27, 2023 by NancyJohnson

[Skybone]

1 hour ago, NoirBass said:

I still have my Rack bass POD XT and my 500x, but I’m truth I haven’t used them in a long while. 
When I do dig them out, they seem a bit awkward by today’s standards. We are lucky these days to have more blocks to play with than these older units. The ability to run parallel paths is also much easier these days. That said, they both sound decent which is why I’ve kept them.

 

After much toing and froing Ive settled on the Boss GT1K which is overkill for my needs really but sounds great and is so flexible.

 

That, and the quality of the amp/cab/effect models, plus the addition of IR's.

 

My HD500x is also long gone, but in favour of the POD Go.

[Bassman68]

I have the original rackmount version, which I got not long after they first came out.

I decided to take it out on a couple of festival dates last year & all performed as expected, the only issue being quite a low d.i signal, no matter how I turned it up?
 

The problem for me has always been the amount of variety/options available, as I originally got it as a recording tool..

Live I generally stick to one sound & vary from my basses.

The biggest issue has always been kidding myself that the sound being modelled is that of the original sources instead of just letting my ears decide what sounds good to me?
Does my signal path sound like an original Acoustic amp running through an Ampeg 8x10 etc? & what are the audience perceiving through the PA (& do they actually care?)

This did it for me & ended my amp modelling journey..

 

Still nice to dig out on occasions as an alternative to a pedalboard & my I.E.M’s

[BigRedX]

I used to have both this and the kidney shaped version. The rack was in my rack with my amp and wireless system and got used when I took my whole rig and the kidney shaped one was for when I was sharing someone else's backline. Apart from a couple of additional input/output options on the rack they are identical. From memory the rack version was very heavy and apart from looking good din't really offer me anything extra that I needed. The only amp model I liked the sound of was the Sub-Dub. Everything else sounded weedy. The footswitch connection via cat5 cable was always flaky since I haven't come across a suitable gig-proof cable that would stand up to being packed and unpacked 2 twice a week and last more than 6 months. It's all been replaced with a Helix Floor which is far more user friendly and has loads more options.