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The new HD PODs have a rugged, stage-ready build quality.

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The Line 6 POD range, starting with the original kidney bean-shaped tabletop unit and moving through various incarnations including rack-mounted and floorpedal versions, has been the go-to resource of many guitarists wanting a varied palette of modelled amp and effects sounds for recording, practice and, in some cases, live use.

That looks set to continue as the new POD HD series takes the whole shebang to a new level by introducing High Definition modelling. High Definition modelling has been in development for the last few years, after Line 6 realised it had taken its existing modelling technology as far as it could.

""The HD500 is well built, with a rugged metal chassis, pedal and footswitches."

Line 6 says HD offers around 10 times the processing of earlier models and recreates guitar amp sounds to a much higher level of detail than before. Aware that software has supplanted some of the roles played by the original POD, and that many guitarists are keen to use POD sounds live, Line 6 has presented the new PODs in rugged floorpedal form only.

The three models - the HD300, HD400 and HD500 - all sound the same, give or take a few effects, but vary in the detail of their facilities (see Pick Of The PODs); the HD500 we have here is the all-encompassing flagship unit.

A major difference between the new PODs and the old is that this time just 16 amps have been modelled, Line 6 says the idea here is that it's better to have 16 inspiring, articulate HD amp models in a wide tonal range instead of a large number that aren't as inspiring.

To this end, the finest specimens of each amp were tracked down and restored to peak condition with the help of the top valve amp experts in LA, before their sounds were analysed, modelled and recreated.

In addition to the amp models, you also get M-Class effects as found in the M9 and M13 stompbox modellers. Besides the HD modelling, the new series has two more features not seen before in a POD, one being a full-blown looping facility and the other being the L6 Link that allows the floorpedal to be integrated with the company's new HD50 amp via a single cable.

Sounds

The 500HD offers 512 memory locations, 256 of which are preloaded with factory presets that can be overwritten if desired (no bad thing as some are more programmer's wet dreams than guitarist's tools!).

Presets are saved in eight set lists, each having 16 banks of four presets each. Each preset offers a signal chain with eight effects blocks and the amp model, which can be placed anywhere in the signal chain.

Two simultaneous rigs of amps and effects are the POD's effects models can be loaded into the effects blocks. One block can also be designated as the hardware FX loop, so you can integrate other pedals into the system.