POD for back-up amp?

[muddy]

Anybody use one of these units through their PA? How does it sound? Could you get by with it in a pinch?

I'm considering a POD or "something like" to bring as a back-up to our gigs. Currently I'm carting another amp to all my gigs (Pro Jr).

It's kind of a hassle lugging 2 amps to every gig but I want another one on hand if my amp or our second guitarist's amp goes down.

guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product/Line-6-Pocket-POD-Guitar-Multi-Effects-Processor?sku=151065

[Mesotech]

I've done it, and it'll work in a pinch. Actually, it'll work in more situations than in a pinch. Lots of folks use a POD as their primary 'amp'. I prefer actual amps, but when space, volume, or setup time are issues, the PODxt will come off the computer desk and take a ride to the gig.

[Don]

A Pod is only as good as the player who set it up and made the patches.

I've had a couple and have enjoyed them, but using them live is no a matter of "plug and play" if you want it to sound really good.

I've heard people suck with them and have heard people sound great with them. I don't have the patience or the ear to set mine up for live use.

[Rickenjangle]

Here's what I would do with a POD - used for a backup, that is...if you use an amp and pedalboard at your gigs. Work up a close simulation of your amp on the POD. I personally always enjoyed the Fender Blackface Deluxe Reverb sim on there.

Then, if your amp goes down, you can play your pedalboard into the POD as if it was a clean, mic'ed tube amp...

If you don't use pedals, you'll be forced to try to simulate your amp's overdrive with the POD, and that is (I think) more difficult than cloning a basic, clean Fender sound...

[Rickenjangle]

By the way, I was less than impressed by the Pocket POD I owned for a short while. You can get a used POD 2.0 or PODXT for less than the price of that Pocket Pod.

One of the things I disliked about it was that it was so small that the weight of the cables plugged into it would pull it off whatever surface it sat on...

[Don]

He's right, you can get a used PODxt for less trhan a Pocket POD. I'd consider a tiny amp, like those pedals that EH sells (they're also probably more expensive than a used POD).

[muddy]

Thanks for the advice.

Maybe the POD 2.0 then? $70 more!

[Kap'n]

One of the things I disliked about it was that it was so small that the weight of the cables plugged into it would pull it off whatever surface it sat on...

[Rickenjangle]

Thanks for the advice.

Maybe the POD 2.0 then? $70 more!

I've seen good used POD 2.0's around here for like $79.99.
I had (at one time) the set with the 2.0, the 4 button footswitch, and a little kidney bean bag to hold the POD, and spent less than $125...

[muddy]

I've seen good used POD 2.0's around here for like $79.99.
I had (at one time) the set with the 2.0, the 4 button footswitch, and a little kidney bean bag to hold the POD, and spent less than $125...

Just bid on one I found on CL, waiting to hear back.

[muddy]

What about the Tech 21 Blonde SansAmp Character Series, anybody use one of these direct through the PA?

[concert410]

What about the Tech 21 Blonde SansAmp Character Series, anybody use one of these direct through the PA?

For the past few months, I've been using the Sansamp GT-2 and no other amp. Since our drummer bought a really nice set of Roland V-Drums, and the bass player uses a Behringer BD-1 (or whatever their Bass D.I. box is called), we all go direct and through the monitors. It works great. I have no problem getting feedback for the Hendrix tunes and I can hear myself fine. Everyone says the band mix is better than it ever was and I can turn the whole band down just by pushing the two faders. Sansamp made me a believer. There is no stage volume to deal with and everyone can hear themselves, and the guitar tone is close to my amp. The pedals are NOT as touch sensitive as my amp, but it is definitely workable. In these days of smaller, quieter venues, I recommend the Sansamp stuff. Oh, as a stomp box before my amp, the pedal failed miserably. It holds its own plugged directly into the P.A. ..and I put my regular pedalboard in line with it as if it was an amp.

[Mesotech]

A friend of mine has the entire "Character" series and loves them. As concert410 mentioned above, when used as stopm boxes in front of an amp, they don't work very well, unless the amp is one of those Tech21 Powerstations or whatever they're called. My friend doesn't do a whole lot of live work, but he does do some. Most of his playing is recording, and I'm hard pressed to tell the difference between these pedals and real amps on a recording (especially since he does own a few of the real amps these pedals emulate). There have been times that I've been fooled and other times where I haven't. I really liked the Fender, Marshall, and Vox pedals, but wasn't as impressed with the California pedal (Mesa). The Ampeg does a fair job on a recording, but I've never heard it live and only imagine it would lack a certain punch of a real bass amp in that setting.

[muddy]

Thanks for the input.

I think I'm going to order a Tech 21 Blonde SansAmp. They go for about $150. Still researching though.

My goal is to have suitable backup if my Fender Vibroverb goes down and lighten the load regarding equipment I have to bring to a gig. I'm sure many of you understand what a hassle it is to carry all the required equipment. Right now I'm hauling 2 amps, 2 guitars, PA head / mixer, 2 monitors, 2 PA main stands, mic stand & 2 mics, guitar stand, music stand. The rest of the fellows are transporting and supplying the rest.
I want to get what I have to carry down to a science. Maybe I'm just getting lazy in my old age?

[Rickenjangle]

Thanks for the input.

I think I'm going to order a Tech 21 Blonde SansAmp. They go for about $150. Still researching though.

My goal is to have suitable backup if my Fender Vibroverb goes down and lighten the load regarding equipment I have to bring to a gig. I'm sure many of you understand what a hassle it is to carry all the required equipment. Right now I'm hauling 2 amps, 2 guitars, PA head / mixer, 2 monitors, 2 PA main stands, mic stand & 2 mics, guitar stand, music stand. The rest of the fellows are transporting and supplying the rest.
I want to get what I have to carry down to a science. Maybe I'm just getting lazy in my old age?

Muddy, I'm with you! I am the PA guy/lead singer/lead guitar player in my band and believe me I'm tired before I start playing, sometimes, especially if I'm schlepping gear by myself. I'm toying with the idea myself of only using the live amps for our outdoor gigs... I'm not there yet but can see that happening sometime in the next few years...

[concert410]

Rickenjangle,
This is PRECISELY what drove me to use the Sansamp. I carry everything and it is nice to plug and play. It is also nice to be able to control the overall mix. Once you start with the direct into the board and your monitoring is good, you'll realize that all you have to do is turn up your setup for outdoor shows.

[concert410]

I hope this thread doesn't die........

[KYChucky]

geeze... I dont like the sound of all this. Leave the amps at home?

Are plastic flowers better than the real thing? They look the same and generally people cant tell the difference until close inspection. Some of the more deluxe types even smell good. Plus they have the added benefit of never dying because they were not alive in the first place. They dont need water either.

Good thing this started as a thread about what to use for a back up. Sorry if I angered anyone. I just dont like to 'fake' anything....

[Kap'n]

An amp is just a tool, like anything else.

I like my tools to push lots of air, and smell nice when they get cooking.

[Offshore Angler]

I am very quickly becoming a no-amp guy. I love modern preamps like the Fractal and the Prophesy. I like having 100's of great sounds rather than a few, and I like how they sound "big" at low volumes. At lower volumes like we use today, I actually prefer the preamp/power engine/FOH solution to my DRRI, and I always get a good mix.

[concert410]

I was always totally anti-POD and Walkman and all those "gadgets". The truth is that it is not practical to ignore that option. My Sansamp allows me to play ANY sized venue at any volume. It is certainly more practical in small rooms than my JCM 800. I can't say they sound the exact same, but most people don't care and then half of the others wouldn't know. If the monitors are good, plugging direct into the p.a. is fantastic.

[Rickenjangle]

...most people don't care and then half of the others wouldn't know...

This is the operative phrase here...

Sure, if I am feeling very energetic, then I'll bring out the full PA, the stereo amps, the 3 guitars...etc. etc...

But for my $75 per guy, 4-hour gig...I guess I'm getting to the point where I wish I could schlep less gear and feel less tired at the end of the night...it's not like we're getting $200 per guy...

OTOH, I am not quite at the point of trusting monitors...we still have 4 band members and no sound guy so I'm still sticking with an amp. But the Tech 21 character pedals are getting more and more attractive...

[ch willie]

Someone who would know told me that many of the stars play through POD type things live, that a lot of them will have a row of amps behind them, but they're really using these amp simulators.

I use a PODxt, and on recordings, it's impossible for me to tell the difference between it and an amp. I haven't used it live.

[Kap'n]

Someone who would know told me that many of the stars play through POD type things live, that a lot of them will have a row of amps behind them, but they're really using these amp simulators.

Then again, many of the "stars" aren't actually performing live music these days. It gets in the way of the stage performance.

[hudpucker]

I am very quickly becoming a no-amp guy. I love modern preamps like the Fractal and the Prophesy. I like having 100's of great sounds rather than a few, and I like how they sound "big" at low volumes. At lower volumes like we use today, I actually prefer the preamp/power engine/FOH solution to my DRRI, and I always get a good mix.

In your opinion, how much discernible difference is there between the Fractal and, say an POD XT or 2.0?

[muddy]

Again, I'm just looking for a decent back-up rig to replace the 2nd amp I have to haul to every gig.
In no way do I think something like a POD or SANS wil replace my Vibroverb. Hopefully I'd never have to use it?

I always perform using some sort of tube amp.

[muddy]

By the way I found a POD 2.0 w/floorboard for $125. I think I may go with the Blonde SANS for $150 new though?

[concert410]

Okay, back to the original thread.....

Yes, the Sans (or the POD) is a great choice and usable alternative to carrying a second amp.

Since our band has committed to the "ampless" stage setup, should I buy another Sansamp as a backup?

By the way, I have another project going and that is definitely using amps. It will be interesting to see which setup I like better in the long run.

[Rickenjangle]

By the way I found a POD 2.0 w/floorboard for $125. I think I may go with the Blonde SANS for $150 new though?

Well, you'll get more options with the POD 2.0 with floorboard, but then again I've heard really good things about the Tech 21 pedals...if you're just using it to replace the amp, I'd be willing to bet the Sansamp would be much easier to deal with.

[Mesotech]

The Tech 21 pedal will act as an amp does. It's analog and not digital modeled, so it behaves more like an amp would than I've found a POD will do (though the newer ones are really getting better at this).

With the Blonde pedal, you're not really locked into one tone either, the Character knob is really the heart of the pedal. The sweep takes you from Tweed, through Brown Face, into Blackface territory. Since Fender amps started off fairly distorted and became cleaner over time, the knob also functions that way. With the other pedals of the series, the knob starts clean and gets more distorted as you turn it up, just like those amps started out fairly clean and became more distorted over time.

The one thing the Blonde pedal lacks over a real Fender amp is the reverb and tremelo features. Boss makes the 65 Deluxe Reverb pedal which has these features, but doesn't sound as authentic as the Tech 21 pedal. If you need those features, my opinion would be to get a seperate pedal for reverb and trem functions.

[muddy]

For gigging purposes the "Fender" sound is really all I need. About the only effects I use beyond the onboard reverb & vibroto are a tube screamer and Boss reverb pedal.

So I'm thinking the Tech21 Blonde will fit the bill and be more appicable for a replacement / back-up.

The POD sounds like neat unit but I would under-utilize it I suspect?

[muddy]

Just ordered the Tech21 Blonde Sansamp form MF. I'll give a review once I demo it.

I got it new for $130 as well! They (MF) matched a GC email promo I received this morning for $20 off a purchase of $99 +.

No tax & free ship.

[NeoFauve]

The one thing the Blonde pedal lacks over a real Fender amp is the reverb and tremelo features. Boss makes the 65 Deluxe Reverb pedal which has these features, but doesn't sound as authentic as the Tech 21 pedal. If you need those features, my opinion would be to get a seperate pedal for reverb and trem functions.

I have a Tech 21 Boost RVB pedal.
It's a very versatile reverb pedal.
I got it used for $80, and love it.

[concert410]

This is the operative phrase here...

Sure, if I am feeling very energetic, then I'll bring out the full PA, the stereo amps, the 3 guitars...etc. etc...

But for my $75 per guy, 4-hour gig...I guess I'm getting to the point where I wish I could schlep less gear and feel less tired at the end of the night...it's not like we're getting $200 per guy...

OTOH, I am not quite at the point of trusting monitors...we still have 4 band members and no sound guy so I'm still sticking with an amp. But the Tech 21 character pedals are getting more and more attractive...

It is different playing through the monitors, but it is doable. I guess you have to try it. All I know is that now the drums are tamed in the mix.

[concert410]

You guys should have seen the look on the faces of the guitarist from a rival band over the weekend... He was all confused and says "Where is your Mesa Boogie?" He refused to believe that I was going direct with my Sansamp. All he said about the mix was that I needed to goose the mids on the female lead singer's vocals. We played on a notoriously small stage. I've played that room about 10 times and this time, I had plenty of room to stretch out and move around. Even other musicians were surprised at the band mix and especially the guitar sound. I love my amps, but I have no qualms about leaving them home. If it wasn't for the fact that I carry the p.a. mains, I'd have my whole setup in the back seat of a Toyota Tercel with room for two passengers.

[muddy]

Update:

I received the Tech21 Blonde Sansamp yesterday and after fooling with the unit a bit I think this will work. It actually sounded better than I expected. Running through the PA it sounded the best. Hooked up to an amp not so much.

I also used it in conjuction with my Boss FRV-1 tank pedal with convencing results. Would you and the rest of the TFF be able to tell a difference...yep, but I doubt the patrons would?

I have not used it for recording yet but think that this may be it's other forte? We'll see?

So looks like this unit will be carried with to gigs as a back-up and the 2nd tube amp will stay at home (1 less thing to carry).

Hopefully my Fender will keep on ticking and never go down during a gig, but if it does I believe I can make the Blonde Sansamp work in a pinch.

I'll update the thread once I have a little more time with it.

[concert410]

I carried my Sansamp around for years for that reason. It's just lastely that I've decided to use it. For the past 4-5 years, I've been carrying a Crate Power Block as a spare amp. I've never plugged it in. I wonder if I'll be as happily surprised as I was with the Sansamp.

[NeoFauve]

For the past 4-5 years, I've been carrying a Crate Power Block as a spare amp. I've never plugged it in. I wonder if I'll be as happily surprised as I was with the Sansamp.

Those things came and went way too quickly.
I don't know if they quite have the variety of tweakage on tap as the SansAmp, but I liked it enough that inspite of having zero need, I almost grabbed one during that brief window when they were super cheap. Soon they were no more.

[Kap'n]

Those things came and went way too quickly.
I don't know if they quite have the variety of tweakage on tap as the SansAmp, but I liked it enough that inspite of having zero need, I almost grabbed one during that brief window when they were super cheap. Soon they were no more.

I almost did the same thing. I wonder what happened. I can imagine them not moving so fast @ $199 when they were new, but they dropped pretty quickly to $99, and were blown out @ $69.

[concert410]

Does anyone know why thet came and went so quickly? Maybe it was because the tube lunchbox amps were already on the way.