Line6 Pocket Pod

I used to own a full sized POD back when they were a new thing. It was amazing for it's time but I've since moved on to proper tube amps and never looked back.

Until now...

For various reasons I can't make as much noise at home as I used to so I needed something for silent practising/noodling. I went for the PocketPOD, expecting to get a sort of mini-version of the POD I used to own back in the day. I was wrong.

The Pocket POD is missing most of the hands on functionality of the original full size PODs. Of course there will be limitations with this small pocket size but I'm still a bit disappointed. Lots of functions (like changing cab models) aren't available except via usb and editing software so not very "pocket" at all.

I'm also disappointed with the layout for changing amp models. This requires digging into menus using a fiddly control panel. Selecting presets are actually far easier than selecting an amp model to dial in your own sound. Or to put it another way: I was expecting to get a nice variety of "amps in a box" but what I got was a bunch of "presets in a box". It doesn't exactly help that most of the presets are severely overcooked, like drenched i chorus, etc.

Of course it's possible to start with a basic amp model and go from there but the whole layout is based on presets. Using the Pocket POD the way you would use an actual amp (turning knobs) isn't really possible without digging into menus and doing the whole "hold this button and turn that knob" routine. In some ways it feels more like an 80s Japanese drum machine than a guitar amp. And THAT's the big difference to the older full size PODs: The old ones were a lot more "hands on" and the layout/functionality felt a lot more like an actual amp.

The sound quality is ok though. Not great but ok. I was expecting more to be honest but I guess amp modelling at this price still doesn't sound or feel even remotely like the real thing.

It's more than good enough for home practicing but I wish it was more user friendly for those of us who like to dial in their own sounds rather than selecting from a variety of ping-pong-delay presets.

The built quality can be summed up it two words: Flimsy plastic.

This thing isn't built to last. It's built to be cheap and it shows.

I wish I had gotten a small modelling amp with a headphone out instead.

gets some good sounds/tones and is convenient for taking around with you in your guitar bag.

Burns through batteries like nobodies business though. I would advise using a mains adapter if at all possible. If you're in a pinch though batteries will last a decent amount of time so as long as they're fairly fresh you shouldn't get let down by an unexpected switch off.

Can be used with headphones so that you can plug in and hear yourself with effects with no amplifier. I used to use it while in guitar lectures where no one was plugged in except the teacher so it was hard to hear myself without this.

Highly recommend this product to any mobile guitarist as it is great sounding, definitely recommend purchasing a more expensive unit if you have the budget. this unit can be plugged into a home stereo using a 3.5mm jack and sounds great, it features a great tuner as well as many other effects including delay, chorus and so on. I would recommend purchasing a good power supply as the four AAA batteries last the unit a maximum of four hours, as well as the unit sounding a lot better with the power supply it will save you money on batteries over the long-term. There is a software that you can download off the Line 6 website witch allows you to connect your Pocket Pod to your PC or Laptop, making the product a lot easier to use, all tho it is hard to source the soft wear links can be found on YouTube.

The Pocket Pod is small and simple, and while I wouldn't record anything serious with it, it's fine for practice and capturing ideas. A very nice feature which may not seem important until you've actually used a Pocket Pod, is that it has a belt clip so you can attach the unit to your guitar strap. This is really useful, because it's easy to find yourself entangled in wires when you use a unit like this, and it's nice to just get it out of the way and not have to worry about pulling it down on the floor if you move too much. It has an input for external audio, so you can use it to play along with music from a phone or mp3 player. It only runs on batteries, so you should probably budget for rechargeable batteries and a charging station if you buy a Pocket Pod.