In General - What are Line 6 Effects like?

[iamapirate]

Well the title says it all. For the last 3 years of my bass playing life (well, the only 3 years) I have been under the impression that they suck and I steer clear of them. I don't play heavy metal, so I see all their stuff as a bit like jackson guitars (made for metal, don't try and get anything else outa them). However, I've heard good things about them from people on here.
So what's your verdict on:

PODs (Live)
PODs (Studio)
Multi-effects units for bass (Live)
Multi-effects units for bass (studio)
Bass Amps (Live)
Bass Amps (studio)
and any other stuff they make.

I play mostly rock, hard rock and a tad bit of blues... only a tad.
Basically this kind of music: [url="http://www.myspace.com/bandhybridhybrid"]http://www.myspace.com/bandhybridhybrid[/url] - lol, it's not a malicious website.... :/

[The Cooler King]

Only have experience of the Echo Park (very nice delay) and it's four button equivalent (superb apart from the reliability issues), the Verbzilla which is a highly tweakable reverb and does some great sounds).

I've playe soem of the Spider amps in stores when demoing pedals and the are a bit meh, just not very inspiring.

[thisnameistaken]

Yeah I've only used the Echo Park and DL-4 delays. Both sounded good and had lots of great features, but were a bit weak in the packaging department.

[M4L666]

The Bass PODXT is good. You can get some nice sounds with the amp/cab modelling out of it. Generally, the effects have one or less good sound if tweaked- but it's hard to find that sound. The Spider series is good above 75w, when you get a footswitch in and selectable amp models for each channel. The 15w, which I have, is good if you don't need to change sounds.

[greyparrot]

[quote name='M4L666' post='494626' date='May 21 2009, 08:24 PM']The Bass PODXT is good. You can get some nice sounds with the amp/cab modelling out of it. Generally, the effects have one or less good sound if tweaked- but it's hard to find that sound. The Spider series is good above 75w, when you get a footswitch in and selectable amp models for each channel. The 15w, which I have, is good if you don't need to change sounds.[/quote]



A while back i tried the lowdown 300 watt bass amp.I thought it was great! really punchy and load, with good pre amp section and a decent compressor. Great value at around £350 too. I also tried the line 6 bass. I dunno, really was not my thing. Anyone else had ago of one? Mind you the action on the one i tried was like jumping fences.


GP.

Edited May 21, 2009 by greyparrot

[Dood]

[quote name='iamapirate' post='494139' date='May 21 2009, 12:30 PM']PODs (Live)
PODs (Studio)[/quote]


Absoluetly fantastic if they are SET UP PROPERLY! - So many albums out there have used the Pod in a variety of forms, right from the early V.1 units. The X3 series are monsterous, but a technicaly and geeky disposition is required.. as is time to create FRESH patches yourself and completely ignore EVERY default patch.

For live work, I think a little extra work is required. DON'T expect to use that lovely sound you crafted on your earphones / mid prices studio monitors at your next gig when you plug in to your backline / PA. It will sound wierd totally different.. and you'll think the POD sucks!

For recording, I either set up a full on amp and effects signal path, Or I set up a clean 'preamp channel' using one of the mic preamps, compression and EQ then if need be apply a tone by reamping/PodFarm or..well.. I still love Ampeg SVX ;o)

For live..well.. I have a perfectly good backline and head.. there is no point feeding it with a sim of a backline and a head.. thats a good way to get a mooshy horrible tone. As I have said before, should the band go IEM on tour, then I will rethink the strategy and work on a signal path better suited to that.

To sum up.. I like the line 6 stuff. I had a UX2 interface as well. Highly recommended! - But I sold it when I found out the X3 could do everything the UX2 could.. and be a full on foot board too.

[dangerboy]

I loved the Echo Park and the DL-4, but sold them both because of power supply issues - they don't like to share. I never got noises I liked out of the other pedals I tried.

In my opinion the amps are horrible - the modelling screams 'DIGITAL', and once you've turned everything off, underneath it all you have a pretty weak amp. Music teachers of my acquaintance wince when kids turn up to 'Rock School' with Line6 amps...

[WinterMute]

As ever it depends if you know what you're doing with the pre/power amp balance and the tonal/dynamic controls.

I've heard guys with killer SVT + 8x10 rigs get some weak-arsed sounds, and some guys with cheapo copy basses and old HH amps knocking out great tone.

I picked up the Studio 110 amp a month or so ago, simply because at £100 off Evilbay it did everything I needed in a 1 foot cube.

The presets suck, and of the 4 modelled "states" only the SVT and the clean (fender I think) blues models are worth a damn (the grunge MESA model is awful).

However, with a little tweaking and a definite idea of what I'm after soundwise, it soon turned up with some very pleasing and useable sounds.

Then the kicker: the DI uses speaker simulation and sounds great going into my Protools/PCM studio rig, very punchy indeed.

In absence of the GK mini combo, it's a keeper... plus the wife loves the fact there isn't a sweaty great bass amp and cab cluttering up the room anymore.

I'd love an SWR Redhead 2 x 10, but as I'm only just back at the noodling around stage it'll have to wait.

[iamapirate]

Cheers for the replies. I agree with dangerboy about the amps. The mini-organisation that my band is with (Live in the Valley who lend us gear) have a couple of spyder guitar amps just sound horribly digital, and I tend to just steer clear of it. Line 6 just seems like you're saying 'I can't afford real gear so I'm just going to simulate it'..... which in my case is true :/. Nevertheless, it's like going out and showing off that you've got a rubbish old car because you can't afford a decent car. I'm trying to think of a better analogy, but I can't think of one :S

It seems like Line 6 is just the cheaper alternative. I'd rather just save up for pro gear rather than get a bunch of 2nd rate stuff. I know that you can get some professional sounds out of the stuff, but I like plug-and-play stuff (like the BMS, and other fx) that automatically gives you a nice tone that you can build up on.

[Matty]

My guiarist has a Spider Valve, and I'm very impressed with it, it doesn't sound "fake" at all.
I think if you set them up properly (i.e, at volume, inrehearsal, not at bedroom volumes in a bedroom...) then they can sound really good.

[iamapirate]

Is that the half-valve half-digital line 6 thing?

I'm still not convinced. I'm gonna have to see if Bonners have stuff in stock (most useless music shop in the world anyway).

[xilddx]

The POD X3 Live is a fabulous piece of kit. I've used it live, direct in stereo. Depends on the PA for what your sound is like, don't expect hifi by any means, but it still kicks butt. In the studio I ran into the POD via a passive DI into the desk, and ran POD dual tones panned hard left and right for two different bass sounds from the POD as dual mono, plus the DI for safety. Worked a treat and they now have three separate bass tracks and tones to play with.

The sound quality is excellent. So versatile and portable too, I never use an amp on stage as a rule. I always carry a SAPDDI as back up though.

[leonshelley01]

I have a number of Line 6 products, so here goes:

Toneport GX - Basic USB interface for recording (I use it with Cubase 4 using the POD farm modelling software). Excellent product for the price, with settings for bass, guitar and vocals.

Pocket POD Express - Used as a practice tool, much more versatile than the similarly priced Vox Amplug range (I use it with both bass and guitar). Not great tones, but fine for headphone practice.

Spider II 210 - My main guitar amp. Very good cleans and high gains for metal, piss poor lower gain settings for blues and rock (very artifical). I use it to play metal mostly so does the job well enough and with the FBV Express pedal gives me access to 4 presets, a volume/wah and pedal tuner. If you want to play thrash, it's a great amp otherwise look elsewhere.

When it came to buying a combo, I tried the Line 6 Lowdown range, a couple of Ashdowns and the Marshall MB. The Lowdown was a very versatile, good sounding amp and if you need a wide range of tones during a set, it would be a worthwhile buy, however the Marshall had the one tone I was looking for.

As with all things, you get what you pay for, but the quality of lower price range equipment has improved dramtically over the last ten years and Line 6 are no exception.

[iamapirate]

hmm, yes. I just think that I couldn't live with myself buying something that I won't use live! It just seems a waste. So I always go for the ashdowns, EHs, and synffs

[thodrik]

I got a Bass pod, the one that became the xt, a while back (think it was about 2002). I have never used it live though. For me its really a studio thing, lots of tweaking is needed before you can get a sound that you really want. Once you get that sound, its great, but it can take ages! The effects are pretty cool and do the job. Never really found the footboard to be that much use though, you couldn't really switch between one sound or another without a big gap where one sound faded out then another sound faded in. Though that might not be case with the new models, but I can't say for sure.

Outside of the Pod, I tried a couple of the Lowdown combos, I wasn't blown away by it, but there wasn't anything seriously wrong with it. Also, I know its for guitar, but the fact that the Spider III has an 'INSANE' button kind of puts me off seriously considering them. I also hate the Variax.

[dub_junkie]

I love the Echo Park tonecore pedal. I got mine from sk8 last year and I'll never sell it. I also like the FX on the Toneport UX2. I used to record with a POD XT Live but I ditched that for the UX2 and am much happier nowadays.

edit: and I think the vocal preamp settings on the UX2 are astounding for the hundred quid I paid for it.

Edited May 29, 2009 by dub_junkie