The Watering Hole

Does anyone here have the Pod X3?

If so, does it come with all the model packs or are they extra?

I don't have one because the dumbasses omitted the Variax and midi ports on the bean and I don't need another floor unit.  

I read where they come fully loaded with the model packs including the bass pack.

Comes with ALL packs, bass packs and microphone preamp modeling for vocals.  

That's a good deal then. If all the packs are included then the price is very good.  Might get me one of those!

IMHO, it's the best sounding Pod yet.  Liked it more than the XT (a lot more).  Sound quality was the big improvement.  For some reason, I think Tripper has one of these.    

The higher sound quality is the reason I wanted to upgrade but the other minuses have prevented me from doing so.  The Fractal Axe Fx sure looks like a nice kit but the cost is too much for my hobbyist needs.

I would check out the X3 forum on the Line 666 site and read through some of the threads.  It appears that Line 6 has yet to work out all of the bugs with the live unit.

I have one, Jon.  I dig it.  I like it much better than the XT.  I have a Bean and a FBV Express.  Way, Way outdoes the XT for home use.   Has abilities with XLR Mic input for recording acoustically or vocals.  Good piece of kit.

Jon I have one too. I have the bean though, as the floor-thing seems to have most of the bugs.
The bean's working fine.

Soundwise I may be the only person on the planet to think there's NOT too much of an improvement over the previous PodXT.
The dual amp sim feature is great though. The FX are the same as before. I cannot hear much difference. The amps were tweaked a bit but IMO nothing to get too excited about.
It's a very versatile piece of gear with great recording capabilities though. And at last it has an S/Pdif and I'm not stuck with the USB digital out (I only had probs with that one on the XT).

Overall, let me put it this way: if someone didn't like the original PodXT, I doubt they will like the X3 as it sounds too similar.
I'd say if PodXT was 70% there (to the real thing), this one would be 73% there.

Dearthian: — Aug 03, 2008IMHO, it's the best sounding Pod yet.  Liked it more than the XT (a lot more).  Sound quality was the big improvement.  For some reason, I think Tripper has one of these.    

You are absolutely right...I do have one - I have the X3 Live. It comes with all the model packs, including bass amps and cabs (and mics) and all the mic preamps from the TonePort series.

You can run guitar, bass, and vocals through it - two of those at a time, if you like, because the left and right signal paths can be completely independent. For situations where you want some vocal processing and guitar processing, you can hard-pan the two channels and even select which inputs go through which side. Or you can just use it as a POD version of Vetta and run two amps at once. I use the two-amps feature to run an SWR model and an Avalon mic pre for a little direct mojo for my main bass tone, and it works great - I have the meat of the SWR and the warmth, body and top end from the Avalon. On guitar, I've always been partial to the mid-gain, dirty-but-also-clean stuff, and it's vastly improved with the increased processing available on the X3 series.

I would recommend you try it out before you buy it, and make sure you're running through a good full-range system or a nice pair of headphones when you try it, because I think it does better that way than with a guitar amp (just personal preference), though if you use it as a preamp and run it into a guitar amp with speakers, shut off the cab models and it sounds even better than other PODs to me.

My first X3 Live was buggy (the pedal didn't track right), but it was a very early one and they replaced it without any sort of grief (as usual, Line 6 support was pretty awesome). The replacement has been PERFECT - no issues whatsoever.

Tripper

Schneidas — Aug 04, 2008Soundwise I may be the only person on the planet to think there's NOT too much of an improvement over the previous PodXT.

That's surprising, to me.

The dual amp sim feature is great though. The FX are the same as before. I cannot hear much difference. The amps were tweaked a bit but IMO nothing to get too excited about.

On this comment, I do agree - the fundamental sounds are the same - I just think the quality of the sounds - the clarity and detail of how they are reproduced - benefits greatly from the added power in the X3's DSP.

It's a very versatile piece of gear with great recording capabilities though. And at last it has an S/Pdif and I'm not stuck with the USB digital out (I only had probs with that one on the XT).

The recording capabilites are pretty awesome for a piece of guitar gear - the USB 2.0 interface is nice because you can track a bunch of different sounds simultaneously to different tracks along with a direct one for reamping - and Gearbox is even more awesome with an X3 because you have the two-amps-at-once feature.

Overall, let me put it this way: if someone didn't like the original PodXT, I doubt they will like the X3 as it sounds too similar.
I'd say if PodXT was 70% there (to the real thing), this one would be 73% there.

I think your percentages are quite low...but to each his own.  

Tripper

It's really the two amps at once thing that gets my interest.  Should be able to get some good sounds that way, especially for bluesy crunchy tones, once cleanish amp and then the other not so clean both together should make a good sound.

All my recordings of late that I have posted (led zep threads etc) have all been with the Toneport UX2.  I would doubt that the X3 "sounds" much better, probably will sound the same to my ears as the Toneport, but the benefit of the dual amps is worth the money.  I was thinking of going for the Pro version, but I don't think the price is really justified (twice as much as the bean), so I'll go for the bean.

In the past I have owned and then sold an XT live, XT pro, XT bean, pod 2 bean and have been happy with all of them to varying degrees, and then was unhappy with them etc, such is the nature of things. For home recording though, the really can't beat it.  I did play a couple of gigs with the XT live a year or so ago through two 400 watt active PA cabs.  Whilst it sounded good, I just couldn't get it to sound "right" when playing along with other "real" intruments in the same way that a guitar amp sounds "right" in a live situation.   I also had an atomic, but I really didn't like that at all, still didn't sound like a real amp.  I then had a Marshall DSL 50 with 4 x12 cab.  That was the dogs bollocks for sure, but then that made my back problems even worse, so that had to go. I currently have a peavey C30, nice amp nice sound, but pretty much a one trick pony, althoug interestingly the Toneport UX3 sounds pretty damn good when played through the C30, but of course I need a computer connected to the Toneport too.

So, this all leads now to the X3 bean, which I will also be able to use "live" through the C30.

Well, no time for sitting on the fence, I just ordered one on-line.

Best price I could find was £224 UK pounds, approx $425 US dollars.

Out of interest, how much do you guys pay for the bean x3 over there.
It seems we are always shafted in the UK when it comes to guitars and
electrical goods.

Jon, I gave $299 for my X3 Bean when it first came out last October.  I've had zero problems with it.

DM — Aug 04, 2008Jon, I gave $299 for my X3 Bean when it first came out last October.  I've had zero problems with it.

Where'd you get it for $299? The street price is $399 for the X3 (and $499 for the Live).

Tripper

Don't buy it on the street, Goob!  ;D

I guess it was $399.  My Mistake.  What's a $100 between friends?

It arrived today.  First impressions, yes, strangley the sound quality does sound better than the toneport, even with the same patches.

I love the dual amp thing. I just recorded a little noodle over one of my backing tracks to demonstrate my first attempt at the dual amp layering.  This is with a fairly clean sound (mostly treble) on one amp and lower end dirt and grind on the other, both panned to the same spot).   This approach is great for using the guitar volume control, back it off and it cleans up really nicely.

test attached

here's another test. This is using my standard patch from the Toneport, but running it on the X3.  Not sure it sounds any different at all really?   But I'm really liking the X3 though. Good purchase.

I love dual amp layering.  :)

Nice tone there Jon!

nice playing and tones jon.

thanks chaps!

The X3 is brilliant, no doubt about  in my mind...