POD xt with the Atomic Reactor 112?

[Hozze]

Has anyone tried this combo out?

I'm looking for a new practice amp for use around the apartment and this seems ideal to me. 18 watts of tube power that'll (or so it's claimed...) allow the amp simulations from the POD to sound the way they're intended without the usual "colourization" from the amp.

Oh, and effects galore on top, of course.

I seem to recall the POD being rather popular around here (for recording at least), so someone surely has this combo or has at least tried it out?

[j7899]

I have one and am actually selling it, main reason is it has way more than I need.  Great sounding amp, 18 watts tube power is still quite a bit and it gets pretty loud.  It does a real good job mimicking the recto's and Marshall's.

[Hozze]

I'd really like some more opinions if you've got 'em...

[TwilightOdyssey]

I think it's more popular in the US and Canada, than in England. Since this forum is probably 90% English, there might not be anyone else that even owns one!

I know Harry Koble personally, he did all the work on my Marshall and Rivera heads. I've been to his shop and played the prototype of the Atomic, but never played the finished product.

[j7899]

I'd really like some more opinions if you've got 'em...

Let me know what you would like to know.

The build quality is very good, it is a little large for a 1x12.  It gets pretty damn loud, even my 5 watt valve jr was is too loud for my apartment, so I cannot comment on the cranked tone.  Many of the model packs sound really good, I have one on there called Acoustic Electric and it sounds really clean, Fender clean.  It has a booming low end on it, I really like playing my rectifier patches and also various ENGL patches through it, although I do not have either to truly compare

[Hozze]

Well, I'm pretty much set on getting some form of modeller or modelling amp either way (most likely the POD xt), so I was mostly wondering if getting the atomic was a worthy investment, how much it actually does for the sound compared with running the POD through a ordinary amp, how loud it gets (plenty it would seem, too much for an apartment even at lower volumes?), what sounds especially good combined with the POD; cleans? overdriven sounds? heavy distortion? etc.

They're not that common here in Sweden either and so far I haven't been able to track one down locally to try out, so for now I'm just trying to get a general feel for what it'll do.

Thanks for the help so far though, you've already helped out some, much appreciated.

[j7899]

I never ran the pod through anything else, but it help add that tube tone.  As for coloration, when running the pod through the amp with no modeling at all the thing is crystal clear, very clean.

I always play it with volume right around 1 with distortion, and channel volume  3/4 to max.  When playing clean you can turn it up louder, maybe to 2.  Tube amps are really loud, but so is my 5 watt epiphone valve jr.


Just about all tones are good, but they will take time to tweak unless you find some good patches.  I actually decided to sell mine as less is more for me, I spent more time messing with everything than I would have liked.  Meaning clicking through my tones.  As I said it has a booming low end, which is good if you want that, but it can be dialed out.  Also some say that it is dark sounding, which I think is a reference to the low end.