Line 6 Pod Express: seven guitar amplifiers in a 350-gramme box

The Line 6 Pod Express is an amp simulator for the electric guitar. There’s a model of the same name for the electric bass, but this is the guitar version. An amp simulator reproduces the sound of classic guitar amplifiers. If you want to read about guitar amplifier basics and their digital imitations, check out this article.

What does the Pod Express do?

The device offers seven different amplifiers corresponding to their respective cabinets. A different cab can be used for each amplifier, or cab simulation can be switched off completely.

Amp distortion can be further amplified and shaped using virtual distortion pedals. There’s also reverb, echo and four other unique effects. The range of features includes a noise gate with adjustable sensitivity. You can turn this off too. Finally, a tuner and a looper are also integrated into the device.

The Pod Express can output sound in the classic way via one or two (stereo) 6.3 mm jack plugs. A headphone connection with separate volume control is also included. The device can be connected to a computer via USB-C. It then works as an audio interface – very useful. You can also hear sound from the computer via the headphone connection of the Pod Express.

Operation: no display, no software

Externally, the Pod Express looks extremely slimmed down. It weighs just 345 grammes without batteries and measures around 9×13 centimetres. Notice too that the Pod Express has no screen. Only a few LEDs display information.

No screen means that there are also no menus. You change all settings directly. That sounds great at first, but with these multi-effect devices, there’s always a risk of getting lost in countless settings. That luckily doesn’t happen here.

Still, this control scheme isn’t optimal. With just a few buttons and controls, dual assignments are a must. For example, if you want to change the volume of a channel, you have to press the Alt key at the same time. To change cabinet, you even have to press Alt and one of the footswitches at the same time while turning a knob. Now that’s tedious. After all, the switch is designed for your foot, using your hand doesn’t feel great.

What’s more, these features aren’t labelled on the device: I have to know them by heart! Line 6 provides a cheat sheet, but it doesn’t contain these hidden double assignments. So I’ve written my own cheat sheet.

What bothers me most is that you can’t see the current setting. All the knobs point in a certain direction – but when you select a preset, different values are stored there than what the physical knobs indicate. You can’t easily adjust an existing value when you don’t know where you’re starting from. According to minute 14:30 in this video, the ring should light up green when I select a preset. But that doesn’t work for me.

This problem can’t be avoided by using an external editor for Mac or PC, as no such software exists.

Two modes, neither satisfy

Once you’ve made your settings and are happy with them, you can save them. There are 14 memory slots and seven factory settings you can also overwrite and reset if necessary.

Press both footswitches simultaneously to activate preset mode. Then use the footswitches to switch to the next or previous preset. Press both buttons again to return to settings mode.

This seems simple and logical in itself. The colour coding of the LED ring makes it clear immediately which of the two modes you’re in. Nevertheless, operation isn’t always ideal here either.

You can’t change anything in preset mode, not even switch on effects or deactivate the cab sim. Tap tempo can’t be changed either. Nothing happens when you turn the knobs.

Preset mode is too inflexible for me, I rarely use it. But the other mode also has its pitfalls. If you switch to another amp, the corresponding cabinet switches on automatically each time. If you play on a physical speaker and don’t want a cab sim, you have to turn it off every time. Gain and EQ also seem to reset themselves every time. I’m not quite sure, since I can’t see, but I can hear it.

Few, but good sounds

The basic idea of the appliance is to reduce it to the essentials. There are only seven amplifiers, but they cover the spectrum of possible styles well.

1. Clean: Fender Princeton Reverb
2. Special: Line 6 Litigator
3. Chime: Matchless DC30 (channel 1, clean)
4. Dynamic: Ben Adrian Cartographer
5. Crunch: Friedman BE-100 (BE/HBE channel)
6. Heavy: Line 6 Oblivion
7. Lead: Peavey 5150

At first glance, it doesn’t look like a complete set. What about classics Vox AC30 or Marshall Plexi? To be fair, the crunch channel with the Friedman is similar to a Marshall Plexi, very good for classic rock. The Matchless DC30 in turn is similar to the Vox. The Peavey 5150 is a hi-gain amplifier in the style of the Soldano SLO100, making it suitable for metal. It was developed for and with Eddie Van Halen, after all.

The appropriate cabinet is always selected at the same time. As I said, it can be changed.

1. 1x10" Fender Princeton Reverb
2. Special: 1x12" Fender Deluxe Oxford
3. Chime: 2x12" Matchless DC-30, G12H30
4. Dynamic: 4x12" Bogner Überkab, V30
5. Crunch 4x12" Marshall Basketweave, G12-M25
6. Heavy: 4x12" Engl XXL, V30
7. Lead: 4x12" Mesa/Boogie 4FB, V30

The following four distortion pedals are available to choose from:

• Boost: Klon Centaur
• Overdrive: Ibanez TS808 Tube Screamer
• Distortion: Boss DS-1 (Keeley modded)
• Fuzz: Mono ’73 Electro-Harmonix Ram’s Head Big Muff Pi

In the following video, you can hear some amps with the standard cabinet, no effects and with some reverb. The clean amplifier also has a distortion pedal; otherwise no pedals are connected.

I find it hard to make an objective judgment about the quality of these simulations. For me at least, all seven are okay, but I like the Chime Amp in particular. It sounds authentic and alive. Ultimately, however, it all depends on your own playing style and taste.

Effects and how to use them

In any case, I also use the Chime Amp to demonstrate all the effects. Chorus, flanger, phaser and tremolo are available. Only one of these can be used at a time. Intensity is set directly on the rotary control, speed by repeatedly pressing the tap footswitch. All effects and delays are in stereo, but it can also be useful to record them in mono.

The On footswitch can be used to activate or deactivate the effects while playing. This switches everything on and off by default – amp sim, effect, reverb, delay. However, you can change this and only activate or deactivate one of the four. If this isn’t enough, you can also assign certain functions to an external foot control.

Power supply: batteries, but no USB power

The Pod Express has a battery compartment for three AA batteries. These will last for a few hours, so if you insert new batteries before a performance or rehearsal, they’re sure to last until the end. Batteries are included. You can see the power level by pressing and holding the Alt button.

Otherwise, you can connect the box to the mains. However, no mains adapter’s supplied. Here’s a tip that also applies to other effect devices: a good power supply is worth it. I have one from Boss, which I can recommend. It buzzes much less than this cheap thing. But listen for yourself. You’ll definitely get the least buzzing with battery operation.

Unfortunately, the device can’t be supplied with power via USB-C. Somewhat confusingly, the pod still switches on when you connect a USB cable. In battery mode, the device is otherwise only switched on when a guitar is connected. I know this from other effect devices, mains operation always works.