POD 2.0 vs V-AMP vs other amp modelers.

Insecticide · #1 07-09-2002, 10:46 PM

hey, i've been looking for a nice amp modeler, for around 300 bucks or less. I've read the harmony central reviews and other sites. Some hate the POD, some love it. ive read the stuff about the V-Amp too, and ive only seen a few posts of people that dislike it. ive heard the soundclips of the two with closely dialed settings...they both sound killer...but i'm looking for the opinoin of some of you guys that own a pod, or v-amp or have tried them out. any input on other modelers would be greatly apprectiated also!

i love the sounds that Dino cazarez gets, and meshuggah too. I would really like that kind of a sound, and i know i am not going to get it right on the nose, but anything closer than what i got would be better! I am a huge jazz/fusion fan also, so id love to model the sound of a roland JC120 for clean stuff.

I heard that the best way to get a decent sound of an amp modeler is using a amp that doesnt change the color of the sound, like a PA, or keyboard amp. i picked up a nice 80watt keyboard amp for free!

my gear:
Ibanez UV7BK (yeah, its the '97 model...)
digitech RP-3. (its old, but it sounded good, before it croaked on me)
the aforementioned Marshall MG30R combo.
ibanez smash box SM-7 (sounds too fizzy for me)
various other stomp boxes i never use.

I'm also thinking on some pickups, im getting either a pair of emg 707's, or the TZ-7 and AN-7. I'd rather not have to route, but my dad is a craftsman, and he can do it for me.

Thanks a lot!

earthman · #2 07-10-2002, 08:49 AM

I've used the POD, the V-Amp2 and the johnson J-station, and I'd say definitely go with the V-amp2.

it scores enormously over all the others by one feature - LED knobs.

when you recall a patch on the POD or the J, you have no idea what the gain/treble/bass/whatever is set to, as the knobs don't move.

on the V-Amp however, the knobs are continously turnable, with a ring of LEDs around the knob which shows where the knob is pointing. so when you change patch, you can see instantly where all the settings are!

it really is a fantastic feature, plus the sounds on it are wonderful - the Brit Hi-Gain sound is a fab JCM800 sound, and if rectumfriers (;-)) are your thing, there's a bunch of cool sounds in there for you.

I love mine, and used it for all the sounds on my latest track, which you could grab if you want here:
http://www.clivemurray.com/audio/clive_murray_-_the_reaper's_image.mp3

that's not meant as a plug - but you can hear the sounds it makes if you like.

the J-station is good for acoustic sounds and bass sounds, which is why I got both. :-)

hope that helps some!
--clive.

Drew · #3 07-10-2002, 02:19 PM

Yeah, i've been using a j-station for a while, and i'd LOVE that LCD feature. tha'd be great.

The j-station, straight out of the box, is FAR too muddy to use. This is a problem for those of us without an outboard EQ box when doing direct recording, but thankfully you can get good sounds out of it by playing around with the cabinet models.

The sounds are good- definately useable. However, the EQ is pretty weak, and given it's tendancy towards the low end, even with the highs cranked, you still can't get a really cutting distortion or clean tone. likewise, the overdrive patches really aren't meant for low-gain sounds; the rectifier sounds quite nice with my strat (which, even with gold lace sensors, is pretty low output) at the lower end of the range, but when you back off the gain on my RG-7620, it just doesn't clean up realistically- i mean, the tone is ok, but the response is WAY off. It doesn't compress like a good tube amp would at that point- it "feels" like you're running a tube distortion at whisper-quiet volumes with no compression, even when you're playing with moderate compression thresholds (come to think of it, maybe if i spend some time playing with the compression, i might find a setting that works)

All that said, the mesa Mark IV patch through cab #7 ("american tweed," I think) with a bit of reverb and delay is quite lovely with anything i've ever plugged into it at almost any gain threshold...

-Drew

CrossingStar · #4 07-11-2002, 06:16 AM

I've tried a POD and V-Amp, I thought the POD was great but for the price the V-Amp sounds really good! I thought it would be garbage for how much it costs but I was pleasantly surprised.

gkelm · #5 07-11-2002, 09:20 AM

Clive...nice tones, and great playing/composition!
Greg

gkelm · #6 07-11-2002, 10:45 PM

...and guys, thanks for the comments on these units. I just let go of my POD in a trade and need to replace it soon, so I may give the V-amp a try.

Schutzfaktor12 · #7 07-12-2002, 05:42 AM

I own a V-Amp2 for some months now and I´m quite impressed, too. When compared to my friend´s POD I would say that the V-Amp has stronger high-gain models but is a little weaker on the crunch side... I think I read in a german guitar magazine that the V-Amp´s crunch+high gain models tend to sound a little bit like "Amp meets Rockman", which isn´t a bad thing IMHO because I use compressors anyway

but is certainly less authentic...
In direct comparison I would say the V-Amp is much brighter than the POD, which IMO sounds like the Amp was put in a closet and recorded with the microphone positioned outside, so anothes pro for the V-Amp

So I´d say go for it, for the price it´s unbeatable. If you´ve got the money though, you might also want to give the Digitech Genesis a try, which is still a bit better both on the amp modelling and especially on the effects side, but (at least in Germany) at three times the price...

earthman · #8 07-12-2002, 07:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gkelm

Clive...nice tones, and great playing/composition!
Greg

hey, thanks greg!

--c.

Insecticide · #9 07-12-2002, 05:26 PM

yea earthman, that was a great song! are you sure that tone came from a V-amp!? thats amazing

Reaper · #10 07-12-2002, 08:34 PM

That's some nice playing. Hmmm..... "Reaper's Image".... interesting.

earthman · #11 07-13-2002, 09:52 AM

thanks guys!

yeah, insecticide, all the sounds on that song are V-Amp. personally I'm not a fan of rectifier type sounds, but the V-Amp has so many cool amp types that I was spoilt for choice!

I ended up taking one of the rectifier patches and switching the amp to... I think it was "modern hi-gain" - but it might have been "british hi-gain". can't remember offhand...

reaper, I took the name from a stephen king short story - I think it's in "night shift". plus, I have a grim reaper tattoo!

;-)
cheers!
--c.

Lonely Raven · #12 07-13-2002, 12:00 PM

Who makes the V-Amp? I'd like to go out and try one today! While I don't
have the cash till I sell my JS-1 Inferno Red or some other gear, I'd like
to dig through some other gear and see if I can find some tone!!

JESTER700 · #13 07-13-2002, 03:39 PM

Behringer

Timon · #14 07-13-2002, 06:14 PM

Hey, ur the same one who played Twice As Bright!

Another song that I really love.
Wow man! Ur guitar playing kicks a**!

earthman · #15 08-12-2002, 08:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Timon

Hey, ur the same one who played Twice As Bright!

Another song that I really love.
Wow man! Ur guitar playing kicks a**!

thanks timon!

I've just finished an album's worth of material, so watch http://www.clivemurray.com/ for more details!

thanks guys!

--c.