{"id":179,"date":"2007-11-19T22:30:27","date_gmt":"2007-11-20T06:30:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/benvesco.com\/tonemonster\/the-digital-age\/2007\/line-6-shootout-pod-x3-vs-bass-pod-xt\/"},"modified":"2008-06-16T07:10:36","modified_gmt":"2008-06-16T15:10:36","slug":"line-6-shootout-pod-x3-vs-bass-pod-xt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.benvesco.com\/blog\/the-digital-age\/2007\/line-6-shootout-pod-x3-vs-bass-pod-xt\/","title":{"rendered":"Line 6 Shootout: POD X3 vs. Bass POD XT"},"content":{"rendered":"

Does the Line 6 POD X3 mean the deat of the Bass POD line of products from Line 6? POD X3 is quite capable when it comes to creating fat and funky bass tones. It does fall short of the capabilities of past Bass POD units in a few key areas. Guitarists who want to lay down some bass tracks on their recordings will find POD X3 to be quite capable. Full time bassists looking for a powerful gigging tool may be a bit let down. Let’s explore some of the strengths and shortcomings of POD X3 as a Bass POD XT replacement.
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\nPOD X3 and POD X3 Live are very close in their feature set. I will refer to POD X3 universally throughout this comparison except when pointing out particular places where POD X3 Live provides functionality not found on the bean.<\/p>\n

Available bass amp and cab models<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n
Type<\/th>\nBass POD XT<\/th>\nPOD X3<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Bass Amp Models<\/td>\n28<\/td>\n28<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Bass Cab Models<\/td>\n22<\/td>\n22<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mics<\/td>\n4<\/td>\n4<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

POD X3 looks every bit as capable on paper as Bass POD XT. They have the exact same amp models, speaker cabinet models, and mic models. What is not accounted for in these numbers is the added feel POD X3 has over the POD XT series of modelers. To my ears the bass amp models of POD X3 have much more presence and are much more lively than those of Bass POD XT.<\/p>\n

Amps and Cabs Winner: Tie<\/em><\/p>\n

Available Effects<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Type<\/th>\nBass POD XT<\/th>\nPOD X3<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Stomps<\/td>\n22<\/td>\n33<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Modulation Models<\/td>\n13<\/td>\n24<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Delay Models<\/td>\n7<\/td>\n14<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Reverb<\/td>\n15<\/td>\n15<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
EQ<\/td>\n6 band<\/td>\n4 band<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Wah<\/td>\n1<\/td>\n8<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n

What is missing from POD X3 are internal crossovers. Bass POD XT includes two internal effects crossovers (augmented by the additional crossover capabilities you will read about in the bi-amping section below). There are two dedicated internal crossovers independent for the modulation and delay\/reverb effects modules. This means you could put a chorus on only the upper mids and highs of your bass tone while having a digital delay on everything except the sacred sub frequencies of your instrument. POD X3 has no way to even pretend to try to imitate this functionality. In your home recording studio you can get around this by not recording your bass with effects and adding them later. In a live situation you have no such option.<\/p>\n

Bass POD XT uses the same effects block for delay and reverb which means you can only use delay OR reverb, not both. POD X3 has these effects in different blocks which means you can use delay and reverb on the same bass sound.<\/p>\n

In general POD X3 outclasses Bass POD XT in the sheer number of available effects. I’m not a big fan of effects on bass so I don’t mind the effects in X3 not including the special tweaked for bass<\/em> effects versions of Bass POD XT. If you are a big effects player this may be a factor in your buying decision. POD X3 also has full stereo effects while Bass POD XT has all effects in mono. Effects connoisseurs will have to weigh the benefits of true stereo and variety of choice with mono effects that are tuned for bass.<\/p>\n

Effects Winner: Tie<\/em><\/p>\n

Biamp your live bass rig<\/h3>\n

Bi-amping a live bass rig is a very popular idea for serious bass players. This allows the bassist to split the bass signal to send highs on one channel and lows on another. An example would be a stack with a 2×10 cab with tweeter on top and a 1×15 cab on bottom where the top cab handles the mids and highs while the massive 15 down below cranks out those bowel shaking lows.<\/p>\n