The Line 6 POD X3 is a desktop multi-effects unit with amp modeling and computer recording, built around what Line 6 calls a massive model set for guitar, bass and vocals1. It is the bean-shaped POD in its third generation: MusicRadar's review places it as the latest stage in a line of amp modelers that started with the original POD in 1998 and continued through the POD xt, with the POD X3 Live as a better-equipped floorboard sibling2.
The POD X3 is no longer made1, as are the X3 Live and the rack-mounted X3 Pro34. It remains a secondhand-market product, and later Line 6 units such as the POD HD and POD Go carry the line forward.
The controls
The front panel is built around eight chrome "Amp Control" knobs: Drive, Bass, Mid, Treble, Presence, Reverb, Tone Volume and Master Volume1. These work like the controls of a modeled amplifier, so a player who knows their way around an amp's front panel can dial in a tone without menu diving.
Alongside the knobs are five stompbox on/off buttons, Amp, Stomp, Mod, Delay and Verb, which switch whole blocks of the signal chain in and out the way you would stomp pedals on a board1. A Tap Tempo/Tuner button sets the timing of time-based effects on tap and doubles as the tuner1.
| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| 8 chrome "Amp Control" knobs | Drive, Bass, Mid, Treble, Presence, Reverb, Tone Volume, Master Volume1 |
| 5 stompbox on/off buttons | Switch the Amp, Stomp, Mod, Delay and Verb blocks in and out1 |
| Tap Tempo/Tuner button | Sets timing for time-based effects; also the tuner1 |
The X3 Live replaces the desktop buttons with metal footswitches: a metal Tap Tempo/Tuner footswitch, five metal stompbox on/off footswitches for Amp, Stomp, Mod, Delay and Comp/Boost, dedicated Bank Up/Down and A/B/C/D footswitches, and a dedicated Dual Tone control footswitch. It also has five context-sensitive parameter edit knobs and a built-in heavy-duty wah/volume/expression pedal, with a Pedal 2 input for an optional second expression controller3.
Amp, cab and effect models
The model set is where the X3 earns its place in the POD line. Line 6 bases the guitar amp models on amps including the "wide panel" Fender Deluxe Reverb, Fender Bassman, Vox AC-30, Marshall Super Lead, Roland JC-120, Marshall JCM-800, Soldano SLO-100, Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier, Bogner Uberschall, Diezel VH4-Lead and ENGL Powerball, among others listed on the product page1.
The cabinet models follow the same pattern, based on cabs including the 6x9 Supro S6616, the 1x8 1961 Fender Tweed Champ, the 4x12 1967 Marshall Basketweave with Greenbacks and a 4x12 Mesa/Boogie1. Bass players get their own sets: bass amp models based on the Ampeg SVT, Ampeg B-15A, Eden Traveler WT-300, Gallien Kruger 800RB, Hiwatt 200DR, Mesa/Boogie Bass 400+, SWR SM-500, Aguilar DB750 and Alembic F-2B, and bass cab models based on cabs including the 1x15 Ampeg B-15, 8x10 Ampeg SVT cab, 4x10 Hartke and 4x10 David Eden1.
There are also vintage and modern preamp models based on the API 512c with API 550b EQ, Neve 1073, Avalon Vt737, Requisite Y7, and Line 6's own Solid State Console and Lo-Fi designs1.
The effect models are based on a long list of pedals and studio gear, including the Teletronics LA-2A, EP-1 Tube Echoplex, Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man, Uni-Vibe, MXR Phase 90, Arbiter Fuzz Face, Ibanez Tube Screamer, Big Muff Pi, ProCo Rat, Boss DM2 Analog Delay, Roland RE-101 Space Echo, Boss CE-1 Chorus Ensemble, MXR Dyna Comp, Vox V847 Wah, Boss Metal Zone MT-2 and Chandler Tube Driver, among others1.
A version 2.0 update added 12 more effect models1:
- Vocoder
- Dynamic Delay
- Dimension
- Pitch Vibrato
- Voice Box
- V Tron
- Octisynth
- Q Filter
- Pattern Tremolo
- Frequency Shifter
- Barberpole Phaser
- Script Phaser
The same V2.0 effect models apply to the X3 Live3.
The X3 family: desktop, Live and Pro
The POD X3 Live is the floorboard version. Beyond the footswitches and expression pedal, it adds a Variax digital connector for Line 6's Variax guitars, MIDI In and Out/Thru for automating every move, and a wider connection set: a 1/4-inch instrument input with a Normal/Pad switch, an XLR microphone input with trim adjust, a 1/8-inch stereo CD/MP3 jam-along input, S/PDIF stereo digital output, stereo 1/4-inch line outputs with an Amp/Line pad switch, stereo XLR balanced line outputs, 1/4-inch stereo headphones out and a 1/4-inch stereo effect loop3. MusicRadar's review gave the X3 Live a UK price of £410 at the time2.
The rack-mounted POD X3 Pro is a signal processor aimed at studio and professional use5. MusicRadar's review counted its model set as 78 guitar amps, 24 guitar cabs, 98 stompbox and studio effects, 28 bass amps and 22 bass cabs6. A large LCD lets players see each signal chain in its entirety at a glance and modify sounds on the fly5.
What reviewers said
MusicRadar's review of the desktop X3 found it a significant step forward for the line2:
"Ten years on from its inception, this is the best version of the bean-shaped amp modeller by a long way2."
MusicRadar review team2
The same review noted the X3's candy-apple-red finish and chrome knobs as a spanglier look than its predecessors2.
Videos
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Questions
Is the Line 6 POD X3 still made?
No. Line 6 lists the POD X3 as no longer made, and the same applies to the POD X3 Live and the rack-mounted POD X3 Pro. The POD line continued with later units such as the POD HD series and POD Go, so the X3 is now a discontinued, secondhand-market product.
Can the POD X3 record directly to a computer?
Yes. The POD X3 has USB 2.0 for computer recording, so it works as a direct recording interface for its modeled tones without a separate audio interface. The POD X3 Live adds the same USB recording along with a wider set of inputs and outputs, including XLR microphone and balanced line connections.
What is the difference between the POD X3 and the POD X3 Live?
The desktop POD X3 is the bean-shaped unit with chrome knobs and stompbox on/off buttons. The POD X3 Live is a floor processor with a built-in wah/volume/expression pedal, metal footswitches for amp, stomp, mod, delay and comp/boost, MIDI, a Variax digital connector, and extra inputs including an XLR microphone input and a jam-along input.
What effects did version 2.0 add to the POD X3?
POD X3 V2.0 added 12 effect models: Vocoder, Dynamic Delay, Dimension, Pitch Vibrato, Voice Box, V Tron, Octisynth, Q Filter, Pattern Tremolo, Frequency Shifter, Barberpole Phaser and Script Phaser. The same V2.0 effect models apply to the POD X3 Live.
Does the POD X3 have a tuner?
Yes. The POD X3 has a combined Tap Tempo/Tuner button, which sets the timing of time-based effects on tap and doubles as the tuner. On the POD X3 Live this becomes a metal Tap Tempo/Tuner footswitch you can hit with your foot.
Sources (6)
- Line 6 | Legacy Products, Line 6
- Line 6 POD X3 review, musicradar.com, 2008-04-11
- Line 6 | Legacy Products, Line 6
- Line 6 | Legacy Products, Line 6
- Line 6 debuts the POD X3 Pro signal processor, MusicRadar, 2008-03-18
- Line 6 POD X3 Pro review, MusicRadar, 2009-01-30
