The Steel Guitar Forum

Hi all
I had this question posted earlier but in the wrong place.Do any of you players out there use a Line 6 Pod Version 2 effects unit and if you do which settings do you prefer?
Thanks
Ron

Not so hot for steel. The XT really has it going on. I would upgrade if you can

+1 for Buck's comment. I have both.

To answer your question, I use the Pod 2.0, but I like the sound of a pedal steel through a Twin/Dual-Showman Reverb amp, which it models fairly well. It does not sound anything like a Peavey Session/NV 400/500 with a 15" BW speaker.

One thing I have heard steelers complain about is that the default settings on the Blackface I and II (Deluxe Reverb and Twin Reverb) emulations are too distorted. I think that depends on how hot the pickup is but is sometimes true. In such cases, I use the SoundDiver or Line6 Edit program to "Deep Edit" the default settings to eliminate the extra distortion/gain they put on those to appeal to 6-string guitar players. It is also essential that the line output of these be amplified by a very clean-sounding amplifier. I use a very warm but clean-sounding Ampeg BA-112 solid-state bass amp for this, a pair for a louder gig. It is very convenient for making rapid switches back and forth between steel and guitar, even in the middle of a song, and the whole rig is very portable. I also often use a '69 Dual Showman or '71 Twin with JBL D-120 speakers - the Pod gives a reasonable facsimile and can do that at a relatively low volume, which I sometimes need. I also use a Peavey LTD 400 and Session 500 sometimes. It depends on what I want.

I'm not against the Pod XT - I've tried it out extensively. Believe it or not, I actually prefer the Pod 2 for guitar. It's sort of like - do you prefer an old BF Fender to a newer ultralinear SF Fender? Overall, I prefer the earlier version. Add to that the fact that the XT is a lot more expensive - one can get a Pod 2 for less than $100 on ebay these days - and I haven't found any compelling reason to upgrade.

Actually, just for pedal steel, I probably prefer the Digitech Genesis 3 to either Pod version, but I find the Pod a better overall compromise with guitar, and is a lot more "user friendly" for use on a gig.

I read mostly negative comments about the Pod 2 on this forum. I have no interest in getting into it with anyone about this - you have a right to your opinion as do I - but since Ron asked if anyone used it with what settings, my settings are:

For a slightly thicker tone, I use the Blackface I emulation. Here, you may need to deep edit out the extra gain they add. I start out with the Gain, Bass, Mid, and Treble controls around 12 o'clock, but generally find I need to increase the Mid and Treble a bit. The "right" settings depend on the pickup. I always peg Channel Volume, use a bit of the default spring reverb, and a little delay, between 200-300 ms. I only have 1 or 1 or 2 rapidly decaying repeats, and the wet signal is much lower than the dry signal. I usually patch 2-3 different EQ settings which I can switch between, and sometimes tweak them on the job.

For a slightly more articulate, thinner tone, I use the Blackface II emulation, and deep edit out the extra gain if needed. Again, starting everything around 12 o'clock, I tweak the gain and EQ to suit the guitar/pickup, using roughly the same reverb and delay settings as for the Blackface I, but sometimes also use a hair of compression - the lowest possible setting. I prefer this approach when I play with acoustic players - it doesn't overpower the other instruments.

If I need to send a signal to the front-of-house, I use a balanced-to-XLR adapter from the second line out. I also set the A.I.R. mode to "Direct".

Thanks Dave I will have a play around and see what I can come up with on settings.If that fails I will commandere my son's Digitec GSP 21 Legend and see how that goes.
Ron