I Did Something I Said I Wouldn't Do.

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Skarekrough

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I got home from a rehearsal on Friday night and was a little bummed out. The idea of "going digital" with a PodXT Live through the PA or into a Crate PowerBlock and Marshall 2 x 12 cab...it just seemed like way more work than I wanted to put in and WAY more gear than I really wanted to be carrying.

I don't really want to abandon digital, but I do want something I KNOW is going to sound good but will be relatively portable.

I checked a local place online and tomorrow I'm picking up an Atomic 1 x 12 18 watt amp.

Maybe it's just me having been spoiled by showing up with a Blues Junior and a boost pedal, but I'm just too old for these huge-ass rigs.

I'm hoping it works out. If the Atomic sounds good I can totally see my next project being incorporating a Variax. Showing up with a gig bag and an amp? That's the dream!
 
Re: I Did Something I Said I Wouldn't Do.

Let me know how you like that Atomic. My purchase fell through so I'm still looking for another deal on one before I buy one new.
 
Re: I Did Something I Said I Wouldn't Do.

Wait a minute....too old? LOL You can't be much older than me, if not a few years younger.

What you've got going there is nothing compared to what most lug around, from what I've seen around here. If it works for you the way it is, great. Talk to JeffB about the Atomic amp. He had one with a PodXT Live. I'd hate for you to get it and not be happy with it. I know Jeff was hit and miss with it, mostly miss. It just sounded too tight.

A good high power keyboard amp I think would be the perfect solution for an all-in-one amp/speaker setup. Loads of clean headroom that is evenly voiced across the board. Perfect for the modellers.

My rig is pretty small these days, but it can still take me a little bit to set up simply because I like to take my time. And I acquired an EVH Phase 90 that I'm really digging so aside from the tuner, that's on the floor. Everything else is in the amp.
 
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Re: I Did Something I Said I Wouldn't Do.

Skarekrough said:
I got home from a rehearsal on Friday night and was a little bummed out. The idea of "going digital" with a PodXT Live through the PA or into a Crate PowerBlock and Marshall 2 x 12 cab...it just seemed like way more work than I wanted to put in and WAY more gear than I really wanted to be carrying.

I don't really want to abandon digital, but I do want something I KNOW is going to sound good but will be relatively portable.

I checked a local place online and tomorrow I'm picking up an Atomic 1 x 12 18 watt amp.

Maybe it's just me having been spoiled by showing up with a Blues Junior and a boost pedal, but I'm just too old for these huge-ass rigs.

I'm hoping it works out. If the Atomic sounds good I can totally see my next project being incorporating a Variax. Showing up with a gig bag and an amp? That's the dream!
Click to expand...

what's wrong with one gig bag containing a pod and power block and a nice 1-12 cab? or did i miss something?
 
Re: I Did Something I Said I Wouldn't Do.

Sure, I'm young....

But I got tired of huge rigs a long time ago. I got tired of lugging them around and needing a large vehicle to move them. I got tired of not really being able to play them at the volume they need to sound good.

The day I bought a Fender Deluxe Reverb Reissue and played a one-off gig with nothing more than a Boss TU-2 and a Tube Screamer I saw the light. I like showing up with a guitar in one hand and a combo amp in the other.

It all made sense to me. All the years I went through different heads and cabs and almost never was in a situation where I needed that much firepower...
 
Re: I Did Something I Said I Wouldn't Do.

DankStar said:
what's wrong with one gig bag containing a pod and power block and a nice 1-12 cab? or did i miss something?
Click to expand...

I think it's the idea of an integrated solution.

Why bother having to rig and plug in a kludgy solution when an elegant one that's made specifically for it that incorporates tubes exists?

And the PowerBlock doesn't fit in any gig bags I own. The PodXT doesn't really sit securely on top of the amp either.

It's the difference between hackneying something together rather than just go with the right tool for the job the first time around. I think that's what bothers me is that I tried to do this whole thing peicemeal and had I just gone with an Atomic it would of been done and over in one step.

But all of it is moot if the Atomic doesn't sound good.
 
Re: I Did Something I Said I Wouldn't Do.

Hope it works out for ya.

I had an Atomic that I wound up selling for financial reasons. When it came time to buy a new amp, I wrestled with getting an Atomic again, and in the end I opted for a solid state Roland keyboard amp. My primary reason was that I didn't feel like I was getting good value for my money.

If I start doing more gigging, I'm going to look into one of the 50 watt Atomics. I'm not unhappy with the Roland at all, but there are times when I long for the feel of a power tube. Ideally I would run the two in stereo.
 
Re: I Did Something I Said I Wouldn't Do.

Skarekrough said:
I think it's the idea of an integrated solution.

Why bother having to rig and plug in a kludgy solution when an elegant one that's made specifically for it that incorporates tubes exists?

And the PowerBlock doesn't fit in any gig bags I own. The PodXT doesn't really sit securely on top of the amp either.

It's the difference between hackneying something together rather than just go with the right tool for the job the first time around. I think that's what bothers me is that I tried to do this whole thing peicemeal and had I just gone with an Atomic it would of been done and over in one step.

But all of it is moot if the Atomic doesn't sound good.
Click to expand...

I hear ya. I hope it works for you. The good thing is, if it doesn't there's so many options out there, that you'll find something that fits yer needs.
 
Re: I Did Something I Said I Wouldn't Do.

Why not get a Vox Valvetronix 2x12 with the neodog speakers (lighter speakers) and haul that to gigs? Lots of versatility and simplicity once you get your patches set the way you want them. Digital as can be, but with the feel of a good tube amp. Works well enough to fool lots of people. Of course, to get max versatility, you would need the foot controller pedal too.
 
Re: I Did Something I Said I Wouldn't Do.

Gr8Scott said:
Why not get a Vox Valvetronix 2x12 with the neodog speakers (lighter speakers) and haul that to gigs? Lots of versatility and simplicity once you get your patches set the way you want them. Digital as can be, but with the feel of a good tube amp. Works well enough to fool lots of people. Of course, to get max versatility, you would need the foot controller pedal too.
Click to expand...

The versatility isn't there with the Vox nor is the software support for OSX. The Line 6 offering is head and shoulders above Vox on almost all levels when compared to the Vox.

They make a nice product....but it just doesn't do enough for me to consider it.
 
Re: I Did Something I Said I Wouldn't Do.

So, I picked up the Atomic today.

I got a chance to play it for about twenty minutes in the shop with a XT Live.

Overall I'm VERY impressed. Alot of the general "weirdness" I remember from the PowerBlock is totally gone. The speaker response is SO much more suited to the Line 6 unit than the Marshall.

I didn't need to EQ anything from the stock sounds on the one in the store. It was literally plug in and just run with it.

And I LOVE the size of the thing! Totally around what I'm willing to grab and go with when it comes to a three-set night. I can see where it might need some micing. But for most places, I can see this as the one to go with.
 
Re: I Did Something I Said I Wouldn't Do.

I'm glad you posted. I'm still on the verge of picking one up. I think a few more positive reviews is all I am waiting on.

Once you get some more time in with it make sure and post a review. I've still got a line on one, but I guess I'm scared that they are more hype than anything.
 
Re: I Did Something I Said I Wouldn't Do.

Very Kool Bro!!! I'm glad you like the new amp. I'm right there with ya, i'm young, and don't like moving around a 1/2 stack or 1/4 stack. So now I've got the combo amp thing going for me, and working quite nicely.

Rock On Bro!!! ~ kac
 
Re: I Did Something I Said I Wouldn't Do.

SOLO GUITAR STEWIE said:
this thread is useless without clips....

chris
Click to expand...

I'm not a huge fan of clips....mainly because with my 1-year old son in the house I really don't have the time to make them. And any time I DO happen to stumble upon I'm more inclined to spend playing and not setting up and micing.

What I can tell you is that the Atomic is an astounding piece of gear.

Truly being designed for modelers is what makes the difference here. With the PowerBlock and the PA I would have to spend time tweaking patches; what I was hearing in the headphones was NOT what was coming out.

With the Atomic it's an astonishingly accurate representation of what you're hearing with the cans on as well as adding a really nice bit of air and push to the tone. When leaned on it has a real nice bite on some of the less-driven patches that I felt was missing in the PowerBlock and Marshall 2 x 12 setup.

The 18 watts is quite loud and the size is enough to throw around and not be worried. I can see micing it, but not before I would be micing any of my other amps.

I've found two flaws though. With the handle on the side the amp requires that it get tipped when carrying. Not a major issue but it means that designing a cover could be a bit of a nuisance.

The other is that it really hands over the volume control to the modeler. With something like the XT or other small modeler that's not a problem as it sits right on the unit which gets mounted in. With the XT Live the volume is on the pedal itself, and therefore not as convenient. It's hard to fault Atomic for this but it is something that can come up. One thing I may do to fix this is to make a small volume box that runs from the XT Live to the amp and sits on top of the amp and just keep the XT Live cranked up and use the box on the amp to add more as I need it. A minor quibble though.

Honestly, there's a reason why everyone keeps saying they stopped looking for a solution with the Atomic or they didn't think the technology of modelers was where it should of been. It's a nice clean and efficient system. Smart thinkers they are...
 
Re: I Did Something I Said I Wouldn't Do.

thanks for the review skarey, I have been lookin at the atomics for a while now and almost got the powerblock+cab setup a couple of months ago. I have now realized I should save up my pennies for the atomic 50W 2x12 and be done with it. In the end I will be happier than I would trying to buy a tube amp and a ton of pedals to match what I have in my POD XT.

thanks again
Chris
 
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