karlbbb Posted March 7, 2009 Share Posted March 7, 2009 (edited) *sigh* I like the look and features of both these units but even with a list of pros and cons I can't seem to decide. [b][u]Zoom b9.1ut[/u][/b] [b]Pros[/b] [list] [*]Cheaper - around £279 [*]Z pedal - effectively two pedals in one for controlling effects [*]Tube - could sound a lot smoother [*]Better EQ options [/list] [b]Cons[/b] [list] [*]Only for bass [*]Footswitches. Problems across the current gen Zoom pedals, they go dicky after a while and can't be fixed without replacing microswitches (a big soldering jobby) [/list] [b][u]Line6 Pod X3 Live[/u][/b] [b]Pros[/b] [list] [*]More extensive modelling (mic position etc) [*]For guitar and bass (and mic) for when I go over to the dark side [*]Good user support and streams of firmware updates + the ability to share patches over the internet quite easily [*]Dual tone - could have a clean bass with EQ and then a "dirty" tone all in one patch. Seems to offer greater flexibilty over the wet/dry blend on the Zoom. [/list] [b]Cons[/b] [list] [*]More expensive - around £369 [*]No tube [*]Seems to have a few audio drop-out/USB issues which only a reboot can solve. [/list] Has anyone had experience with both and could offer their opinions? Or anyone who's used either of these pedals offer some opinions? Proper stuck between the two, and I like to have something set in stone to "aim" for saving. Cheers Karl Edited March 7, 2009 by karlbbb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheddatom Posted March 9, 2009 Share Posted March 9, 2009 I would try them out in a shop before deciding that the tube is an issue. Personally, I always go for the cheaper option. I've not tried either pedal, but i'd love to play with the "Z pedal"!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fraktal Posted March 11, 2009 Share Posted March 11, 2009 Do you have a laptop? If so, you should really try out [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=39694"]THIS[/url]. The sound quality is impressive and the possibilities are literally endless. Netbooks and ASIO soundcards are very cheap lately anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr.T Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 I had the Line6 XT Live for a short period of time. Although an extremely well built piece of kit with more bells and whistles than I could have wished for.... Some of the effect just didn't work. The synths would not track, etc. Definately try before you buy if possible, or buy at a price that you can re-sell. For gigging, I have gone back to my old Zoom 708, adding single pedals if required. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dubs Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 Think about what you’re gonna use it for and then weight it up against the features and your budget – what do you need it to do? Ultimately, if you need it for guitar and bass then it’s a one horse race. Consider how well built each unit is – I’ve heard bad things about the build quality of the X3. My XT Live is built like a tank and after 4 years regular use still looks great and works like the day I bought it. There’s no substitute for trying them out though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dood Posted March 12, 2009 Share Posted March 12, 2009 [quote name='karlbbb' post='428286' date='Mar 7 2009, 10:54 PM']*sigh* I like the look and features of both these units but even with a list of pros and cons I can't seem to decide. [b][u]Line6 Pod X3 Live[/u][/b] [b]Pros[/b] [list] [*]More extensive modelling (mic position etc) [*]For guitar and bass (and mic) for when I go over to the dark side [*]Good user support and streams of firmware updates + the ability to share patches over the internet quite easily [*]Dual tone - could have a clean bass with EQ and then a "dirty" tone all in one patch. Seems to offer greater flexibilty over the wet/dry blend on the Zoom. [/list] [b]Cons[/b] [list] [*]More expensive - around £369 [*]No tube [*]Seems to have a few audio drop-out/USB issues which only a reboot can solve. [/list] Has anyone had experience with both and could offer their opinions? Or anyone who's used either of these pedals offer some opinions? Proper stuck between the two, and I like to have something set in stone to "aim" for saving. Cheers Karl[/quote] I have the X3 Live and will see if I can disrupt your choices for you! ;o) ok Pros: Yup agree with all of those and defintely the reasons why I went for it. The Dual option also allows you to run say a guitar and a bass through their own seperate channels with their own amps and effects .. that is awesome! You can do the same with vocals using the full balanced mic input with guitar/bass on the 'other' input. Hell, you could plug in a stereo bass.. (Or the Billy Sheeham Attitude Bass) and run two totally seperate paths as he does with his live rig. One dirty channel controlled by one pickup and his clean 'super deep low' clean channel controlled by the other pickup. I love the USB recording too.. It's great! - Line 6 is one of the only companies I have found who offer live updates regularly to their hardware. Fantastic! They should be commended on doing such a good job! Ok.. Comments on your Cons... More Expensive: Yeah, I guess.. but I actually picked mine up for £275 from GAK Jan/Feb time, brand new!!!! ;o) No Tube: Doesn't matter.. Really... people spend far too much time all lahdee-dah over tubes. The POD has got some of the best valve amp sims out there, in a box. Really.. I wouldn't worry about it. To be honest, if you look at most schematic diagrams for 'amps with a preamp valve' they probably ain't doing much in there, other than despensing snake oil. I know for a fact that there are manufacturers out there who sell there amps on 'real valve distortion' - where infact there are a nice couple of diodes, top to toe in the preamp feedback loop.. errr.. ok.. nice one guys! lol lol - Anyway.. I digress!! lol More on that another time! USB Issues: Well, I have a 'power hungry' Windows Vista Ultimate software build on my not-exactly-high-spec laptop and I am yet to have a single glitch in a number of softwares. I think those issues may have been fixed? The only thing I would defintely make sure of, is that all the drivers for the PC/Laptop and X3 are all up to date. I'd also suggest that, as with any Windows machine, house keeping is kept up to date. Usually, it's not the X3, it is the state of the PC software it is expected to work with that is the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
karlbbb Posted March 12, 2009 Author Share Posted March 12, 2009 Thanks for the comments everyone, especially dood! I guess another plus is that the Line6 editor software is USB too, so theres no extra cost of buying a USB-MIDI adaptor. And it's Mac compatible! I'm off to a music shop to try it out now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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