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Line 6 Pocket Pod Experience?

Posted by David Graybeard on July 10, 2010 at 9:51pm in Performances, How to Play, Lessons, Concerts
I was thinking of getting a Line 6 Pocket Pod as a preamp for my 4 string CBG (w/piezo).  Has anyone had any experience with them?  Am I looking in the right direction for something that will help me playing gigs?  

My problem is that, when I play with my band through a Fishman Solo Amp, my CBG sounds really distorted and just can't get loud enough to compete.  I like the idea of being able to produce effects as well.

I know next to nothing about electronics, and am looking for a "solution for dummies" that doesn't cost a lot.

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Tags: gigs, preamp
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Replies

  • Mama Mojo July 30, 2010 at 9:02am
    Mad Dog, I re-read what you originally wrote and realized that you were trying to say that the amp without the effects wan't giving you the sound you were looking for..... that makes sense! My cbgs all sound more like acoustic guitars through my Fishman and don't give the blues tones that I am looking for without some sort of effects device to modify the tone. I'm glad the Pro EQ II is working out for you!

    Mad Dog said:
    I re-read what I wrote and realized it made it sound the Fishman Solo amp wasn't good enough for gigs. Far from it. What I meant was the CBG straight through it wasn't working well. I've got my Fishman Pro EQ II and it seems to be doing the trick. I'm not very good with electronics, so it will probably take some time to get the settings tweaked just right. By the way, my only complaint about the Pro EQ II is that I had to go out and buy a really small screwdriver to be able to adjust the sub-bass and gain. They put them on the back of the unit, probably for a good reason I don't understand, so you have to have a screwdriver to change those particular settings.
  • David Graybeard July 24, 2010 at 3:38pm
    I re-read what I wrote and realized it made it sound the Fishman Solo amp wasn't good enough for gigs. Far from it. What I meant was the CBG straight through it wasn't working well. I've got my Fishman Pro EQ II and it seems to be doing the trick. I'm not very good with electronics, so it will probably take some time to get the settings tweaked just right. By the way, my only complaint about the Pro EQ II is that I had to go out and buy a really small screwdriver to be able to adjust the sub-bass and gain. They put them on the back of the unit, probably for a good reason I don't understand, so you have to have a screwdriver to change those particular settings.
  • Eric Townsend July 13, 2010 at 3:03pm
    Hey ya, I have a standard radio shack piezo in my CBG (I surgically pulled the unit from the plastic housing and sandwiched it between foam etc.) --

    I found my regular POD 2.0 to have some great abilities to sculpt a tone -- Some of the presets obviously sound just terrible but if you flick through them and/or customize on the manual channel you can get some tasty tones - So maybe the little POD would be great. I found that running through the compressor effect really evened out the level in a good way so that might be a real nice thing for you to do as a stand alone box anyway -- maybe get a little compressor stomp regardless of what 'box' you end up going into or through --- although i just pulled my old VOX 5 watt digital amp out and for some reason it LOVES my CBG and I get some very usable and recordable tones with great character. Someone here said they love their POD so they can record direct -- that too is a nice option. But I gotta admit, the CBG straight into my Blues Jr with the mids and highs rolled way back gives a very warm and pretty darn hi-fi acoustic tone. Another tidbit to chew -- I also ran through my Dunlop Wah and found a sweet spot or two that even out the signal and find a great mid-rangey character that's great for recording...best of luck tone hunting. ET
  • Mama Mojo July 13, 2010 at 10:17am
    Re the Fishman Solo - I think it depends on what type of sound you are trying to get. You won't get grunge out of it, but the acoustics will blow anyone away. I have that amp and never knew that a cbg could sound so good clean until I plugged into that thing. That amp is made for gigging, so I wouldn't agree that it won't do the job - it just depends on the type of job that you want done. (we are talking about the one that sells for $999.) I think that a tube amp is much better for the bluesy type of music that most of us are trying to get from these instruments.


    Mad Dog said:
    Thanks everybody! I read a number of the reviews at the site that David Lloyd sent me to (harmony central) and decided on a Fishman PRO EQ II, for $90 through ebay. That preamp had the highest satisfaction ratings, and it seemed as though people were using it for the same setup as I am. My Fishman Solo Amp is really a PA, but it doesn't sound good enough as is for playing gigs. The Line 6 sounds great, but I may have to add that later. Doesn't sound like its used for gigging by many people.

    I'll follow up with a note on how the PRO EQ II is working as soon as I get it. I have a gig that Saturday to try it out on, if it arrives in time.
  • Mama Mojo July 13, 2010 at 10:09am
    I'm just coming across this post, so sorry for the late reply..... I own two Pods - the smaller pocket pod that you can clip on a belt, and the larger one that runs around $299. I use both of them regularly and love them! The larger Pod XT something or another is amazing in the sense that it offers more tweaking options for you to come up with your own variations and save them as customs settings, but the little one has some of that capability as well. Like Josh said, you can get these on Ebay used for much less than retail and they are worth it.

    One other recommendation that I have is the Boss ME50 effects board. WAY more options than the Pod and since Boss came out with a newer model, you could probably get a used one for cheap. Mine cost somewhere in the $250 range new. I run it through my Blackheart 3/5 watt tube amp in my workshop and love it. The other thing that I should mention is that Blackheart amp - WOW! Friends of mine who are professional musicians recommended that amp to me and said that they are using it for smaller venue gigs and love it. I got one and am very happy that I did. I have a Peavey Classic 30 and a Fishman Solo acoustic in my music room that handles every instrument that I own with ease (and I have a lot of instruments) but this Blackheart is great for many reasons, one being that I can crank the volume and get the full quality of the tubes without the neighbors calling the cops on me.
  • Outhouse Instruments July 12, 2010 at 5:51pm
    I can't really compare. I use the Fish&Chips, into a BP50 bass effects pedal ( lots of fun noises ), then run in into a bass amp.
    I got lots-o-tone.


    Matt
  • David Graybeard July 12, 2010 at 12:47pm
    Thanks everybody! I read a number of the reviews at the site that David Lloyd sent me to (harmony central) and decided on a Fishman PRO EQ II, for $90 through ebay. That preamp had the highest satisfaction ratings, and it seemed as though people were using it for the same setup as I am. My Fishman Solo Amp is really a PA, but it doesn't sound good enough as is for playing gigs. The Line 6 sounds great, but I may have to add that later. Doesn't sound like its used for gigging by many people.

    I'll follow up with a note on how the PRO EQ II is working as soon as I get it. I have a gig that Saturday to try it out on, if it arrives in time.
  • Joker July 12, 2010 at 12:01pm
    here is a vid of me playing with a piezo wired guitar with this setup

    Find more videos like this on Cigar Box Nation
  • Joker July 12, 2010 at 11:58am
    I have found that pluggin a piezo wired cbg sounds best plugged straight into a PA. Either to plug into the PA supplied by the venue or invest in a small PA for small venues that don't provide one. I use a small berhinger Xenyx 4 channel mixer 4 tone control of cbg's, vocals, and foot percussion, then I plug it into a Harbinger 75w powered speaker PA. It makes for a loud clear cbg with good tone. The mixer was around $75 and the powered speaker is around $200. It's right around the cheapest I have found in new equipment. If you shop around ebay or used music shops you may do better with something similar.
    Here is a vid I made demonstrating some of the gear

    Find more videos like this on Cigar Box Nation
  • petey twofinger July 11, 2010 at 5:20pm
    if you just need a higher signal did you try a preamp ?
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