[jmfranc]

My hunt for a twin reverb isn't working out so good. So, I have a Line 6 Pod 2 that has a nice blackface tone with headphones. Now I'm thinking of running effects pedals > Line 6 Pod 2 for just the Fender Blackface simulation > Alesis Nanoverb reverb > MC250 > JBL E120

Anyone play around with something like this? I haven't built my cab with the e120 yet so I thought I'd ask here.

I was really impressed with Counterstriker's setup of the H&K Blues Master > Alesis and it made think of my POD.

If anyone uses the POD for the Jerry sound - what are your settings?

[Cmnaround]

I use the rack Line 6 Pod X Pro in my rig, although I am running it in my effects loop of my pre amp at a 50/50 wet/dry mix to add in reverb(s) and a plethora of digital effects, but I keep the amp and cab modeling simulators off - unless I want to play around with all the crazy different amp settings for messing around with non-Dead material.

I did the comparison with it set up only in the effects loop of my main amp vs running the line 6 as my main pre amp directly into my power amp and into a 2x12.

It sounds amazing in headphones, and same with direct out recording. The line 6 as a primary amp is a bit shallow in a live situation compared to a tube pre amp, Mesa in my case. By live I mean into a speaker cab that is moving air around in the room vs headphones or direct record. But if you don't have a tube amp to compare to, you may not notice the difference and it is probably a good lower cost way to get close to what you are looking for.

The upside is you have a bunch of go to tones that you can get instantly, including a variety of different amps in addition to the effects. You should play around with turning off the speaker cabinet simulator if you are taking the signal into a power amp and a 2x12 cab, that will help things be less muddy, as you already have a speaker cab that doesn't need another cab sound modeled on top of it.

[jmfranc]

That's a good point. I was going to try having just the "blackface" on and nothing else. Then to the Alesis Nanoverb. Cab won't be here for a couple more days but can't wait to give it a shot.

[Marlow]

I've had a POD HD for the last two weeks and have been trying to dial in a reasonable blackface tone. I've had some success, but you have to abandon the presets, which are all distorted rubbish.

The HD's sound quality is pretty amazing. It's not perfect, but it's about 85% of a pure blackface tone for a fraction of the price of a real Twin or Deluxe Reverb, and that's just two amps of 16. It sounds great on headphones, but I haven't yet found an amp that will reproduce that sound.

I wanted to try out H&K Blues Master idea or another small tube preamp, but opted for the Pod on the basis of people's reviews, and when it began to seem that the Blues/Crunch Master is vanishingly rare.

The setting that seems to work is straight BF Twin, no effects, light plate reverb, light tube compression, treble all the way up, presence at half, then use the guitar's tone knob to control the top end.

[JonnyBoy]

I know it seems expensive to think that you also need a tube preamp to set into that signal chain, but you won't regret it if you are playing live out with a band. With the run of the mill simulators I have found that they can be made to sound good with recording, headphones, and low volume (bedroom vol). This always excites me to think I can get it hooked up for a gig at loud volumes.

I have failed to recreate a good LOUD tube amp with digital processors as compared to my SMS-> MAC. The beauty of the SMS -> MAC-> JBL set up is that the louder volumes sound better and richer. It is the exact opposite, for me, with my Gdec and/or my son's POD. As I get louder, it seems to loose its body and tone. In the end, the tone isn't horrible, its just not as good. It is quite possible to fool people into thinking you are playing a tube amp.

[Marlow]

I don't play gigs, so a Pod is more or less ok for me. I'm still looking for a small head, or preamp, to drive speaker experiments. An SMS > MAC setup might not be in the cards right now, but I agree it would be ideal.

The real weakness of the Pod HD as a modeller isn't the amp emulation, which I think it does pretty well, but the speaker emulation. Nothing sounds like a JBL.