Review: Line 6 POD Go Wireless
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13.05.2021

Review: Line 6 POD Go Wireless

Words by Lewis Noke Edwards

Yamaha Music Australia | Expect to pay: $1,149

Line 6 is synonymous with a handful of products. You mention the name and instantly people fondly remember the Line 6 PODs, large, kidney-shaped amp modellers that, at the time, we all thought sounded undoubtedly like a real amp.

Read more amp profiler, modelling and cabinet reviews here.

Some musicians will think of the G-Series wirelesses, now a staple for live bands all over the globe, their battered and road-tested G50 receivers a badge of honour. Line 6 is reliable, forward-thinking and accessible for working musicians and hobbyists alike.

The new Line 6 POD Go Wireless combines these two designs into one simple, intuitive, floorboard style design. It features Line 6’s award winning amp and cabinet tones, effects and a Line6 G10TII transmitter to pair with the receiver inbuilt into the unit. Ready to play are Line 6’s professional-grade HX effects, as found on their HX Stomp and Helix models, as well as a long list of classic amp tones at the push of a button.

The POD Go is designed to be as plug-and-play as possible, allowing for tones to be tweaked and dialled on the fly, as well as on first use. Like a normal amp, it features an effects loop in and out, and if HX’s cabinet models weren’t enough, you can capture your own Impulse Responses and load them into the amp profiles.

While obviously designed for the stage, the Line 6 POD Go Wireless also acts as a four input, four output audio interface for recording and re-amping through world class sounds. Specifications wise, it’s important to break the POD Go Wireless into what it really is: three products.

As an amp modeller, HX sounds are unparalleled. Without going too much into trying to describe how good the long, long, long list of tones and amps sound, clips and sound samples of the HX sounds can be found on the Line 6 website. The unit features six stompbox style buttons to toggle between either preset buttons or stompbox buttons via the MODE button, and an independant tuner button.

The POD Go Wireless also features an expression pedal, which can be toggled between either wah or volume pedal, or can be used to control other parameters within your effects. A large, bright screen will be easily seen from a dark or bright stage alike, the latter sometimes offering less visibility. In addition to stellar amp tones, the Line 6 POD Go can be used as a multi-FX, also featuring an ‘Amp Out’ (that pulls signal before the amp/cab block part of the signal chain) for use with a traditional amplifier.

For those not paying attention, this means you could easily use both amp and cab simulations and a real amp. Alternatively, the unit can make up your whole rig, where you would use the ‘Main Out’ direct to PA; with either mono or stereo capabilities. There’s also a connection for an extra expression pedal, or alternatively, a place to connect an extra footswitch for two extra stompboxes.

The amp sounds are that of the HX family and are tweakable to the nth degree, from pre-amp and power amp saturation to tube bias and power sag. You can really tweak your tones into a unique voice for your own sounds. Not only can you perfect your tones, but you can tweak the layout of your parameters so you can access the adjustments you need more easily.

For when you’re not on stage, the Line 6 can double as a USB recording interface for home. You can record through it, using world-class amp sounds and effects, or use it for re-amping after the fact. The Line 6 also features enough interesting effects that these could easily be printed back into a DAW as reverbs, delays or modulation.

Simply send signal out of your DAW, into the ‘Guitar Input’, through whatever effects or sounds you like, and back out via the ‘Main Out’ into your DAW. The POD Go Wireless can record and play back at a maximum or 24-bit/96kHz, and features a headphone out for monitoring, or you could use the Main Out for monitors, but you would lose the outputs for re-amping.

As a wireless unit, the POD Go Wireless features Line 6’s ever popular Relay G10TII wireless, with a handy storage compartment in the unit itself, and the ‘Guitar In’ acting as a charger for the transmitter. The Relay G10TII will work for both active and passive instruments via the 1⁄4” jack connection. To keep the unit more affordable, Line 6 has done away with any XLR ins and outs as the POD Go is designed for live use where these connections are much less common amongst guitars and basses.

All in all, the Line 6 POD Go Wireless has managed to pack just about everything you’d need in a unit with a much smaller footprint than its larger siblings. Without sacrificing too much, the POD Go features amp sounds and emulation to satisfy even the most anti-digital players, and houses it all in a small steel chassis that screams convenience, portability and ease of use.

For a product that can be used on professional levels and does away with the need for three separate purchases, the initiative and value for money can’t be beat. Line 6 has always had the busy musician in mind, and the POD Go wireless continues this trend in style in a value packed, road-ready construction.

Head to Line 6 for all the details, and get in touch with Yamaha Music Australia for domestic distribution enquiries.