Guitar Gear Forum

This and a small IR loader could be a cool little fly rig as I know you've been a lead 100 MOSFET enjoyer.

https://ghostnoteaudio.uk/products/lead-100-gold

I just ordered the Line 6 POD Express to replace my Palmer Pocket Amp MK2.
I think the Tonex One is more versatile but the headphone jack on the POD Express, for quiet practice, is what leaned me in that direction.

A friend of mine recommended me this one:




M-Vave Tank G. Generic Chinese brand, I guess. It sells for $70 on Amazon so I thought why the fuck not?

I got it today, tried it with the band through a PA and you know what... it sounds fine. Not right out of the box, but I loaded a good York IR into it and it did the job.
I am not a big fan of any modeling anyway, but this is not particularly worse than anything else I've tried, especially with Yorkk IR loaded in. It's super basic and maybe sounds a little less detailed than the higher end units but it will do it in a pinch. For the price I can't complain and it's about as much as I'm going to spend on these things.
If I'm paying real money I want real gear.

I'MAPUNKROCKERDAMNIT wrote: ↑Sat Apr 26, 2025 6:39 pm I think the Tonex One is more versatile but the headphone jack on the POD Express, for quiet practice, is what leaned me in that direction.

The output jack on the Tonex One doubles as a headphone jack. If you plug a stereo 1/4 inch jack into it, it switches to headphone mode.

so I was really close to pulling the trigger on a ToneX for a direct to FOH rig I'm putting together.... a friend of mine has one and was able to give me a license to try the software to kinda get a preview of the tones and features..... after spending about 30 minutes messing with it I was convinced to do a hard pass on the ToneX.... its just too many options.... too many inconsistencies between all the captures.... the cab modeling flat out is garbage IMO.....

based on that I'm looking at the Two Notes Opus for the direct rig now.... I've been using Genome for quite some time now and while the Opus doesn't have the effects models like the Genome it does have all the amps I like... going to do some more research before I pull the trigger though

Marc G wrote: ↑Mon Apr 28, 2025 4:07 pm so I was really close to pulling the trigger on a ToneX for a direct to FOH rig I'm putting together.... a friend of mine has one and was able to give me a license to try the software to kinda get a preview of the tones and features..... after spending about 30 minutes messing with it I was convinced to do a hard pass on the ToneX.... its just too many options.... too many inconsistencies between all the captures.... the cab modeling flat out is garbage IMO.....

based on that I'm looking at the Two Notes Opus for the direct rig now.... I've been using Genome for quite some time now and while the Opus doesn't have the effects models like the Genome it does have all the amps I like... going to do some more research before I pull the trigger though

I think that's my issue with these profiles in general. It's really annoying to audition a bunch of captures for every different tone. I prefer something that has a few decent amp models that you can tweak for different tones just like you would on an amp.

Guitarbilly wrote: ↑Tue Apr 29, 2025 1:15 am

Marc G wrote: ↑Mon Apr 28, 2025 4:07 pm so I was really close to pulling the trigger on a ToneX for a direct to FOH rig I'm putting together.... a friend of mine has one and was able to give me a license to try the software to kinda get a preview of the tones and features..... after spending about 30 minutes messing with it I was convinced to do a hard pass on the ToneX.... its just too many options.... too many inconsistencies between all the captures.... the cab modeling flat out is garbage IMO.....

based on that I'm looking at the Two Notes Opus for the direct rig now.... I've been using Genome for quite some time now and while the Opus doesn't have the effects models like the Genome it does have all the amps I like... going to do some more research before I pull the trigger though

I think that's my issue with these profiles in general. It's really annoying to audition a bunch of captures for every different tone. I prefer something that has a few decent amp models that you can tweak for different tones just like you would on an amp.

That's exactly what I told my friend........ spend about an hour this morning really diving in to Genome and while I was happy with their Marshall model with the Pete Thorn 4x12 Green Back virtual cab, which I've been using since I got Genome when it was in Beta.... I decided to check out the other amps on offer and I'm glad I did... I won't say the SLO or Mark V models are spot on recreations, but they do sounds great.... I messed with the AC30 model which sounded pretty decent but got more in line with what I was looking for when I put EL34s in the power section...... all in all... the Opus just became leading contender since the amp modeling, Virtual Cabs/IRs and reverb are the same as what's in Genome

heath wrote: ↑Mon Apr 28, 2025 3:35 pm

I'MAPUNKROCKERDAMNIT wrote: ↑Sat Apr 26, 2025 6:39 pm I think the Tonex One is more versatile but the headphone jack on the POD Express, for quiet practice, is what leaned me in that direction.

The output jack on the Tonex One doubles as a headphone jack. If you plug a stereo 1/4 inch jack into it, it switches to headphone mode.

Well how about that! Next time I review a pedal, I'll have to look more closely at the specs and features!

The POD Express arrived yesterday and I have to say that I really dig the amp tones -and- the effects.
I tried it with my mixdown headphones and it's a definite keeper.
The amp tones are 1000x better than the Palmer Pocket Amp MKII. I was really impressed by both the amp sounds and the feel on the guitar neck.
Even with the pedal bypassed, the guitar sounds surprisingly OK.
I updated the firmware and downloaded the Edit software... editing and saving presets looks easy peasy.
I had planned on using the POD Express to record scratch tracks and ideas, but it sounds so good I can see using it for final tracks.
It's the best $141.20 I've spent in a while. I'm a happy camper!!!
$129 + at Reverb: https://reverb.com/item/83905570-line-6 ... ling-pedal

I'MAPUNKROCKERDAMNIT wrote: ↑Tue Apr 29, 2025 3:19 am Well, how about that! Next time I review a pedal, I'll have to look more closely at the specs and features!

I am horrible for that, too. Manuals are for nerds.

I'MAPUNKROCKERDAMNIT wrote: ↑Tue Apr 29, 2025 3:19 am The POD Express arrived yesterday and I have to say that I really dig the amp tones -and- the effects.
I tried it with my mixdown headphones and it's a definite keeper.

The line 6 stuff is great. There is a Helix Floor, an HX Stomp, two HX Ones, and a POD Go floating around my home studio and pedalboards. With some tweaking I could get a great sound out of any of them. While I personally prefer the Tonex captures, especially those of my own amps and some oddball unobtainium amps, over the HX models, some of the HX models are AMAZING! Their new JCM 2203 is absolutely stellar, as are the new Bogner and EVH models in the latest firmware update.

My current rig of the HX Stomp paired with the Tonex anniversary is giving me the best of both worlds. My go-to presets are actually using the 4-cable method and using a Tonex capture along with an HX amp model. The HX Matchless mixed with a Tonex capture of a Matchless Chieftain is almost magical sounding, as is a mix of a capture of my modded ADA MP1 with the HX's Bogner Ecstasy models.