Boss GT-8 VS. Line 6 POD XT Live.

[Benjy_26]

What would you choose? Give me the pro's and cons gentlemen.

I plan on using it live as a pre amp with effects into a Vox open back 2x12 cab with a 60 watt tube power section (EL-34 based).

[aleclee]

Re: Boss GT-8 VS. Line 6 POD XT Live.

Both are very cool units. I personally chose the XTL.

To me it came down to this:

• The GT has an FX loop that lets you use its wah/comp/OD before your amp and delay/modulation/reverb in the amp's loop.
• The XTL makes it easier to turn individual FX on and off within a patch because it has dedicated footswitches for the FX.

There are other pros and cons but those were the ones that mattered most to me.

Now that I have the XTL, there are some other things that I really like about it such the ability to use it as an audio interface in my recording software via USB and its compatibility with GuitarPort.

[Jimbojsr]

Re: Boss GT-8 VS. Line 6 POD XT Live.

Boss one has a volume/wah pedal bit on it - does the Pod have one? If not, I'd say your search is over...

[ivan40]

Re: Boss GT-8 VS. Line 6 POD XT Live.

I like the sound of the Boss units better. That dose it for me. I'm getting a GT-8.

[FretFire]

Re: Boss GT-8 VS. Line 6 POD XT Live.

Boss one has a volume/wah pedal bit on it - does the Pod have one? If not, I'd say your search is over...

Yes, the PODxt Live does.

[Sozos]

Re: Boss GT-8 VS. Line 6 POD XT Live.

I think middle gain modeling is slightly better on GT-6 than the XTL. It should be even better for GT-8

[ishmun]

Re: Boss GT-8 VS. Line 6 POD XT Live.

im in the same prediciment

not sure which way to go
XTL has the on off effect switches - whcih are very important
but the GT8 has real knobs and easier realtime editing
I tried out the XTL - distortions dont seem to be much better than the POD, but the cleans are nice to my ear. I also AB'd it with a VOX tonelab - much more tubier and less compressed!!!! but i felt it lacked versitility

my only issue with the GT8 is the lack of on off effects - is it impossible to do it?
but im intrigued by the GT8's multi amp options - such as changing amps via ur picking dynamics etc....

one very cool thing about the GT8 is that you can put ur amp in its preamp, so u can turn on ur amps distortion via the GT8 (if u know what i mean) whilst using all GT8 effects etc....


im yet to try the GT8, but being not 100% happy with the XTL's capabilities, im slightly leaning toward the gt8!

cheers,
ishan

[Mincer]

Re: Boss GT-8 VS. Line 6 POD XT Live.

The GT8 has *tons* more midi control over every parameter..on the XT you can only pick from a few.

[jmcorey]

Re: Boss GT-8 VS. Line 6 POD XT Live.

It is NOT true that there is no on-off for each effect on the GT-8.

1) You can configure the control pedal to turn several effects on or off within 1 patch. For example, you can have compression, chorus, and delay for your clean sound then hit the ctl pedal, which turns off compression and chorus, increases your delay time and decreases the delay feedback, and increases the gain and cuts the treble on your amp model.

2) You can configure the control pedal to put you in manual mode, which turns all the pedal switches into on-off pedals for the various effects. Hit the ctl pedal, then your effects are displayed out for you. When you are done, hit the ctl pedal again, and select the next patch.

3) You can program the volume/wah pedal to effect other parameters, also, including the range of the parameters, the placement on the pedal, and the how it changes the effects. For example, you can go from 10% to 60% OD when your pedal is increased from 20% to 75% with a linear scale, and simultaneously make your chorus go from 90% to 0% on an exponential scale, while increasing the volume (or not increasing the volume, whatever you program it to do).

These controls have been around since the GT-3.

Add the two amp models per patch, dynamic switching (alter effects, amp models, and lots of other parameters by picking dynamics), and improved amp models, and the GT-8 becomes an incredibly amazing processor.

I have a GT-3 and gigged with it; used it to do some amazing things.

[Dmitry]

Re: Boss GT-8 VS. Line 6 POD XT Live.

Line 6 PODs sounds too compresed to me! And has one kind of color for all the sounds...

Boss GT-8 is much more "alive" more dynamic and pure, make me feel like the sound is jumping out of it! And it's built like a tank... just too huge and heavy!

Cheers...

PS I've voted for......... you know....

[rinse_master]

Re: Boss GT-8 VS. Line 6 POD XT Live.

Pod XTL (I have the normal XT and find it a lot easier to use than the GT6 I used to have) - The boss has so many parameters and tweakable bits that it gets a bit messy (for me), with line 6 you get the computer editing, I find it helps if you can see more of the settings...

[André Ramaciotti]

Re: Boss GT-8 VS. Line 6 POD XT Live.

I guess there is a software for GT-8 too, but I'm not sure...

[Mincer]

Re: Boss GT-8 VS. Line 6 POD XT Live.

yeah, there is a GT-8 board online somewhere which has it. I recently bought the GT-Pro and it rocks.

[Jeff_H]

Re: Boss GT-8 VS. Line 6 POD XT Live.

If the Boss GT-8 is better than the GT-6, I'd buy that in a heartbeat. I own the GT=6 and couldn't be happier.

For me, the GT's are eaiser to use. They are set up more like conventional stomp boxes and amps. You can adjust the gain, treble, mids, volume...ect of any patch you are on with just the turn of a knob....just like on an amp or pedal. I love the volume pedal, and you can click the toe of the pedal just like a wah, and turn a wah on for any patch. You can also set it up so when you rock the pedal all the way down, it automatically turns the tuner on, so you can tune silenty between songs.

I've used it for all my recording, and the high gain patches are great, especially the Marshall, Mesa Rectifier and Soldano. There are some great stock patches, and you have room for something like 50 user created patches. You also have the option on each patch to have 2 different sounds. There is an "aux" selector stomp switch that selects this patch. For instance, I have my Marshall High Gain patch set up for rythym on the main patch...when I want to go to lead, I click on the "aux" switch, and it kicks in a clean lead boost. I could have selected any of the 15 or so "modeled stomp box's" to boost the main signal as well. It has so many options as to be way over my head.

It models 12-15 different distortion pedals, and 4 or 5 types of wah's. You can assign the toe switch on the pedal to turn on a different wah, or different effect for each patch. It also has all of the other on board effects you could want, and you can use more combinations of effects with the Boss. If I remember correctly, you are somwhat limited on the effects you can use on one patch with the POD, but I could be wrong.

I think it's just set up really well for live use, and for recording it's just as good. I've played the POD's, and I just don't care for the setup. The Boss just "feels" right to me. Not to say that lots of folks don't get great tones with the POD, it just wasn't for me.

[Marinblues]

Re: Boss GT-8 VS. Line 6 POD XT Live.

Great review Jeff. Makes me want to buy one.