Line 6 has released an entry level option in their POD line of modeling units. The Pocket POD is about the size of a digital guitar tuner and runs off of either 4 AAA batteries or an optional (sold seperately) AC adapter.

On their official website Line 6 states that “Pocket POD® exhibits all the celebrated features and pro tone that makes POD a standard in recording studios everywhere”. I’m obviously skeptical of that statement since why would the release a lower end version if it has all the same features. So I decided to take a closer look.

Comparing the Pocket POD and the POD 2.0

Continue reading Line 6 Pocket POD Released

Well, it’s that time of year again and NAMM Show has come and gone…. and I missed again. It’s not like I missed the actual show, because I’m not a NAMM member, but I did miss all the fresh news about products and such.

For those of you not in the loop, NAMM used to stand for “National Association of Music Merchants”. These days they have dropped the full name and just go by the acronym. Basically they are a global organization for the musical equipment industry. Each year they hold a trade show that exhibits all the great new music making products from every company. It is not open to the public, you have to be a NAMM member to attend and to be a NAMM member you have to make, buy, and/or sell musical instruments and products. Right now I am just playing a little catch-up, so lets see what I can find about this years show.

On the official NAMM Show website they have a recap of each day including pictures.

Play Guitar Now has a load of great pictures from each day of the show.

Cary at Electric Guitar Review linked to another NAMM 2007 picture gallery at Modern Guitars Magazine that also has a whole bunch of great shots.

Line 6 unveiled the Floor POD Plus basically combining a POD 2.0 with a huge list of premium effects in a portable stomp box floor set.

Gibson announced 11 new guitar models including the digital HD.6X-Pro. Modern Guitars Magazine has all of the details.

Fender showed off the VG Stratocaster, a modeling guitar. It is equipped with a digital pickup, a modeling dial with 37 different models, and a tuning knob that allows you to select from 5 alternate tunings.

Eddie Van Halen and Fender announced a signature EVH Frankenstein replica. The replicas play like a dream but physically feature every nick and mark the original has.

Man, I could probably go all day reading up on all the great stuff to come out of the show… I guess I still have a lot of reading to do.

Dolan Trout has an interesting post on his blog titled My Guitar History and has encouraged his readers to comment with their current and past gear. This has sparked me to do the same, although I have not owned many guitar’s, I have owned a few, and am now in the market for more!

My first guitar was a gift from a family friend. It’s a Yamaha FG-450SA acoustic that he was storing at our house. While it was at our house I had decided I wanted to learn to play it. When he came back a month later he heard me playing and was impressed with how much I had picked up on my own, so he gave it to me.

That guitar has seen better days… I moved from BC to Alberta and did not pay attention to proper humidity and the guitar dried up and cracked.
Continue reading My Guitar Gear Past, Present, and Future

The Spider II 212 is a model amp that has 12 different sounds. I have owned one for almost 2 years now and its great practice and jam amp. The Spider II sports 12 different amp models that give you the sound of popular amps by Marshall, Fender, and others. They allow you to change the sound of the amp for playing all sorts of different styles from rock, to blues, to metal. The amp also has 7 different effects including 3 delays, 3 echoes, and a reverb. Also, there is a built in tuner. While it’s pretty good for basic adjustments, I still like to use my box tuner for tuning. Finally the amp has 2 12″ speakers that pump out a loud 120W of sound.

Musician’s Friend reviews the amp and says “The Spider II’s 12 amp models are double the number on the original Spider, and they’re a very useful selection. From soft jazz to pounding power chords, you just turn one knob to access the right amp for the feeling you’re after. Six bicolored LEDs around the knob let you know which of the 12 models you’ve selected.”
Continue reading Line 6 Spider II 212 Combo Review

The POD XT Live is the newest member of the Line 6 POD family. The XT Live is an extension of the popular POD XT but made with the live performer in mind. It is a multi-effect floor processor with a bite. It can be used for any guitar amp or can plug into any Line 6 Spider amp to become a full control unit. The XT includes many features such as stomp boxes, effects, amplifier, and different amp models. Best of all, the unit comes complete with a variax input and is USB ready.

Musicians Friend reviews the Line 6 PODXT Live and writes “For relatively minimal cost, a POD provides a world of guitar tones-models of all the major amps, high-quality cab emulation, plus a whole slew of effects. All this in a compact, easy-to-use unit with all the right connections and pro quality sound. In short, a POD makes it possible for the average-joe guitarist to record really pro-sounding tracks, even on a family-PC-based recording setup.”

Continue reading Line 6 PODXT Live Pedal Review