My two cents on this discussion: if you're playing live, and with tube equipment, never underestimate the contributions of the power amp. Regarding pod vs. v-amp, I've owned both, and ended up ditching the pod because I never used it. The more overdriven the sound, the better the v-amp sounds than the pod. The cleaner the sound, the better the pod sounds than the v-amp --- excepting in-betweeny sounds, where the pod is exceptionally good. Most of what I do involves a guitar that's been distorted to within an inch of it's life, and my experience is that the v-amp is hands down superior in that regard. The sound is thicker, warmer, and has more burn --- the pod, OTOH, sounds rubbery, and has a sort of glassy sheen to the high end. However, for in-betweeny to clean sounds, the pod smashes the v-amp. That same rubberiness and glassy sheen makes for a really fat, plucky tone for cleanish sounds. The v-amp sounds thin and anemic, light a fire that's underfed, when it's not being driven. I have no idea if that's at all what the product manufacturers intended, but that's the way it is to my ears, at least. -- Pete Bessman http://gazuga.net "So this baby seal walks into a club."
