Pod XT Live or a real amp?

[taylorman22]

OK, I've been playing acoustic and keyboard for years but am just now starting to learn electrics. I have an AmDlx Tele and a Pod XT Live, but I don't have an amp. I tried using the pedal with the Mesa Boogie tube amp at church but couldn't dial in a good tone. I'm sure it would just take some time. The more I think about it though, would I be better off just ditching the Pod and getting a decent amp? I have a friend who is willing to trade me is nearly new Vox ad50vt amp for my Pod. I have an Ernie Ball volume pedal and a TU-2 tuner, so I'd have everything I need. If I ever wanted more/better effects, I could just buy specific pedals.

So, my question to you is this.......would you recommend keeping the Pod and just get a decent speaker to play it though, or in the long run and I better off trading it for the Vox?

[taylorman22]

I know it's all about personal preference, but would you guys prefer a pod or the traditional route?

[rogue.guineapig]

trade for the Vox or another tube amp...
I've tried running PODs directly and there's always something...
lacking.
To me, multi-effects units and DSPs are noisy and brittle.
They also suck a lot of tone...the more I hear people play,
the more I play, the more I mess with stuff, the more I
lean towards a small pile of really nice stompboxes (BYOC, Fulltone, etc etc) and a
small nice tube amp. I play church stuff all the time...anything else is
just me foolin around at home.
Long run? The nice pedals and amp pay off.
that's just MHO, YMMV

RGP

[nibus]

Get a good amp. It will inspire you in your playing far more than a Pod.

[Craig Walker]

Amp

[dk123123dk]

Tube amp. That Vox won't be much different than your current setup. I would suggest getting a nice small tube amp like the Fender Pro Jr, or Blues Jr, or a Champ or something.

Modelers have not caught up to the real thing yet (maybe the Axe FX has) in my opinion. You should look into some basic tube amps and separate pedals.

dk

[taylorman22]

I can probably get $250 shipped for the pedal or $250 outright if I can sell it locally. My local craigslist had a used blues jr. for that price but I was a day late. Since I put so much into the guitar, I can't afford an amp and all of the pedals right now, but I might be able to swing a used amp and an overdrive pedal.

[dk123123dk]

Yes defiantly look for a used amp if money is of a concern. Keep your eyes open on craigslist, blues jr's are a popular amp, so they should pop up. Another great value would be a Peavey Classic 30. Great amps. Good luck.

dk

[taylorman22]

I have the Vox at my house right now and I really like the sounds I'm getting from it. I'd have to buy the foot pedal for it though. My concern with it is the quality issues that Vox has with the Valvetronix line.

[stump]

I'd grab the amp. Sounds better than the XTL and is easier to dial in.

[taylorman22]

Just found a real good deal on an ad50vt that has the footswitch and a custom grill kit. Maybe I should not do the trade and just sell my pod outright so I can buy this other one from craigslist. Anyone in interested in a Pod XT Live? I'll post in the classifieds too.

[Rob Eadgbe]

Try the XTL through an acoustic guitar amp. You may or may not decide to keep the POD, but at least you'll have tried it using a better form of amplification than a Mesa that wasn't designed to amplify modellers.

[taylorman22]

Originally Posted by Rob Eadgbe

Try the XTL through an acoustic guitar amp. You may or may not decide to keep the POD, but at least you'll have tried it using a better form of amplification than a Mesa that wasn't designed to amplify modellers.

Funny you say that. I have a Roland KC series keyboard amp here at the house, so this morning before I took the pod to my friend so he could try it out, I tried the pod through the keyboard amp. Instantly, the sounds I used the other night that sounded like crap sounded pretty darn good. The keyboard amp I'm using is the churches, but it's a spare, so I could use it exclusively for my electric. That experience is what prompted me to start this thread and get others opinions on this.

[orogeny]

i will give you my two cents. take it or leave it.

if i could do it all over again. . . with what i KNOW. . . and have HEARD. . .

i WOULD trade the pod.

. . . but i would end up with a cube 60 OVER a blues junior or a peavy classic. . . if i was just getting started. . .

i've had a roland cube 60 in my house for a couple of months sitting next to my blues junior. . . which i gigged with for YEARS. my alessandro is right next to both of them. . .

the alessandro wins by many miles.

the cube 60 is far ahead of the blues junior. never thought i would say that. for far less work/tweaking. . . it is simply better.

i will f*ck with the BJ until i am an old man. i love the el 84 thang. however, right out of the box, the cube 60 pisses all over it. no need for a tube swap, no need for a speaker swap. . .

out of the box . . . . well, a USED box for 220. . . not even close.

just my two cents. .. and my VERY long experience with a BJ, which i still love very much. . . though i am learning it is perhaps for sentimental reasons. . . .

[edwinhong]

to me Pod works great with PA but with amps always someting missing