…I want to hear your POD(y) talk!

 

I’ve made the leap, it took me long enough to get the valve bug (I thought before owning a valve amp it was just gear snobs going on about how expensive their amp’s were…) and after being convinced on valves, I’ve now I’ve abandoned the warmth for the cold solid state digital world of amplification and modelling!

 

I previously had a 100w Marshall Valve amp combo, it sounded fantastic, two major problems with it though; 1) it was so loud you couldn’t play it above 2 in any venues, 2) It weighed a huge amount, being a combo I had no choice but to try and get it all out of the car in one hit!

 

So after talking to a guy at work who’d just bought a Line6 POD HD500, doing some extensive googling / youtube viewing I was hooked! The big ol’ valve amp was put on eBay, all the BOSS pedals and my Digitech whammy I had were also sold on and the POD HD was purchased! The next step was how do I get anyone else to hear it!

 

Cue the Tech 21 Power Engine. A 60w solid state amp (made by the same guys that make the SansAmp pedal and many others) that is designed to use with modellers, it add’s no colour to the sound and compared to my old amp, barely weighs anything!

 

I need to spend a lot more time perfecting the models I plan to use, but so far I’m very happy with it, I genuinely believe with the vintage look of the Power Engine and the very realistic tones from the POD HD500 people are not going to be able to tell that the valve amp they just heard is a phoney! Can’t wait!

 

Now to get practicing, as after over a year out I’m very rusty! …. In the mean time, here’s the planned live rig: