Atomic is here :)

[clint_41]

so, i get home today and there is the atomic box sittin on my porch :dance: man what a great way to lift me up from crappy school. anyways, its supposed to be a christmans present, but i couldnt resist..... could u? its still for christmas, its just early now :laugh2: so i take it upstairs, get my POD mounted in and it looks soooooo killer (pics on the way). so i plug in and the tubes are glowin and im fidgeting with excitment. i go straight to manual mode on the POD (2.3) and go to the blackface 2x12 model, put on some reverb, some slight compression and go to the HFH in the neck position. ooooooooo that glassy, warm, syrupy tone just oozing with goodness. i couldnt believe it. it just filled me with such a warmth i cant explain.

now onto the plexi models... my main models for crunch and slight overdrive. again, the tubes made these just flow with warm, tube OD. both the JB and the HFH gave a nice warm, yet slightly rude, growl with these models. oooooo i love it.

now the high gain i think is where i need to spend a little more time tweaking, but i still am loving the amp with these models. the JCM 800, the rectos, Line 6 insane, Soldanos, Mark II, etc.... they all scream and chug and growl. they sound a bit too warm sometimes, but i can EQ that to my liking for the most part. more time invested should give me what i want.

as for volume... its just what i need. a very loud 18 watts... just like all the other reviews say. i never put the POD master volume past 5, and depending on the amp model and where i had the channel volume, that was making my shelves shake. this should have no problem with the jams and small shows i do.

so...... i love this amp. it makes the POD sound SO SWEET. it really is unbelievable. i cant wait to jam with it with the band, and gig with it. ill keep u guys updated when those things happen, and ill get some pics and soundclips eventually as well.

 

[rinse_master]

Re: Atomic is here

Sounds nice!

Damn I can't wait till UK gets Atomics...

I know what you mean about the "early christmas present" thing too, haha

 

[JeffB]

Re: Atomic is here

I am curious, what is this "atomic", you speak of?


seriously, I'm unfamiliar with the name.

 

[SpeedDemon]

Re: Atomic is here

JeffB i beleive the atomic(s) are a all tube amp built to handle a POD 2.0 or XT they use the POD as an amp head basically you just put the POD in a slot on top of the amp, supposedly they make amazing tone.

 

[JeffB]

Re: Atomic is here

JeffB i beleive the atomic(s) are a all tube amp built to handle a POD 2.0 or XT they use the POD as an amp head basically you just put the POD in a slot on top of the amp, supposedly they make amazing tone.

The POD is that modeler "pedal" (for lack of a better word) from Line 6, no?

Very interesting. I'd like to hear one.

 

[Stratfan]

Re: Atomic is here

JeffB,

The Atomic can be used with the POD, the Johnson J-Station, and a number of other modeling devices. The Atomic is just a tube power amp built into a 1-12 combo. There is a hole on top of the amp in which you place your POD (or whichever device you're using). There are different inserts available with cut-outs to match the shapes of different brands of modelers. You place the POD in the appropriate insert, hook up the cables, and place the insert into the hole on top of the amp. The POD is used as a digital pre-amp in front of the Atomic's tube power amp.

I used to have a POD and ran it through a Tech-21 Power Engine. It was okay, but I imagine that the Atomic would sound better since it uses tubes; too bad I don't have a POD anymore! It's only 18 watts, but I'd bet that if it becomes popular they'll start making more powerful ones.

 

[TwilightOdyssey]

Re: Atomic is here

So glad you like the Atomic -- sounds like you two will be very happy together!

 

[InstituteOfNoise]

Re: Atomic is here

Alright Clint! Welcome to the club! I use 2 of em in stereo.

Jeff... check this out for all the dirt... http://www.atomicamps.com

 

[Mkf411]

Re: Atomic is here

How is this different than running the POD through a tube amp? Are you getting power tube distortion? Are reverb, delay and chorus going through the effects loop? I guess I don't understand the difference between a tube power amp and regular tube amp. How does this color the sound of a POD. I guess the POD becomes the pre-amp?

 

[jmcorey]

Re: Atomic is here

How is this different than running the POD through a tube amp? Are you getting power tube distortion? Are reverb, delay and chorus going through the effects loop? I guess I don't understand the difference between a tube power amp and regular tube amp. How does this color the sound of a POD. I guess the POD becomes the pre-amp?

Plugging your modeler set to model a Plexi into a Fender Twin sounds like a Plexi through a Twin. Whenever I have used my modeler and plugged it into a power amp, it sounds a lot like the sound of the amp it is going through.

 

[jmcorey]

Re: Atomic is here

I have to try one of those out. It could make a Boss GT-n (where n = 3,5, or 6) or a POD xt Live sound really cool. Then you could have FOOTSWITCHABLE modeling with tube tone. Could be very powerful.

It's too bad they don't have a store that carries it here in Michigan.

 

[FretFire]

Re: Atomic is here

I have to try one of those out. It could make a Boss GT-n (where n = 3,5, or 6) or a POD xt Live sound really cool. Then you could have FOOTSWITCHABLE modeling with tube tone. Could be very powerful.

Most people looking at Atomics already have or will be buying the bean version of the POD, and will likely have a floorboard to control it.

 

[FretFire]

Re: Atomic is here

What type of speaker do they use in the Atomics? I could easily be wrong, but isn't Line 6 the only company that models cabs and mics in addition to amps? The PODs are designed primarily for direct recording and running straight to a PA, so they don't just model the amp but also the interaction that takes place between the amp, cabinet, mic, and the "recoring environment" the whole setup is virtually sitting in. Because of this, it's always taken some extra tweaking to get them to sound right (to my ears) through a guitar cab with the cab/mic models on, and the tone without them was never pleasing.

 

[InstituteOfNoise]

Re: Atomic is here

Fret... The Atomic speaker is a custom design. The amp was deisgned with modellers specifically in mind. It's designed for studio/direct mode. Many of the XT Live guys love it! That's why the Atomic works better than everything else. Look at Harry Kolbe's credits and you can see why it's a winner.

I still an eager to try my old Kasha Rockmod II preamp into it. It's gotta sound great! And would beat carrying around the old VHT2150 I used it with for easier carting around.

 

[FretFire]

Re: Atomic is here

Very cool. Guys on the Line 6 boards rave about the Atomic, but I never knew what speaker was in it. They seem to be getting more and more popular all the time, it will be interesting to see what options besides an 18 watt 1x12 they come out with in the future.

 

[presa_tito]

Re: Atomic is here

I am about to order one myself. I have a pod xt live, so is there no mounting kit that I need for it. Should I just buy the atomic alone because the xt live will fit right in the docking unit and no template is required? I read on the site it comes with JJ EL84 also, so that will save cash on chaging crappy tubes.

 

[FretFire]

Re: Atomic is here

I am about to order one myself. I have a pod xt live, so is there no mounting kit that I need for it. Should I just buy the atomic alone because the xt live will fit right in the docking unit and no template is required? I read on the site it comes with JJ EL84 also, so that will save cash on chaging crappy tubes.

I don't think I'd put the unit into the amp, keep it in front of you on the floor. I don't know how the interface works though, do you just use your own cable or is there a male 1/4" jack built in to the Atomic somehow?

 

[presa_tito]

Re: Atomic is here

I don't think I'd put the unit into the amp, keep it in front of you on the floor. I don't know how the interface works though, do you just use your own cable or is there a male 1/4" jack built in to the Atomic somehow?

I would normally put it on the floor in front of me, but I saw a pic of one with a tonelab and it fit perfect. If the xt live is the same dimensions as the tonelab, then it should fit. It's just a nice fit for carry around etc.

 

[FretFire]

Re: Atomic is here

Ah, I thought you meant for perfomance and usage, I get it now . If the Tonelab was in there without a template, that should work fine since they share dimensions...

 

[Hot _Grits]

Re: Atomic is here

Hmmm, I wonder what it would sound like with my H&K tubeman. All-analog signal path...