Alright Ive had this Crate GLX1200h which I thinks sucks major ass and have been wanting to replace it..

My rig consists:
Custom Jack CG-37
B-52 AT412 cab 480 watt
Line 6 POD XT

what im trying to ask is should I just buy a power amp and connect my POD to it or guy a new guitar amp head? What specific power amp should I get that will power my cab?
I was thinking of buying the power amp because I love the sound I get from my Line 6 pod and want to use it for live shows.

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All up to you. If money is tight, sell the head and get a good solid state poweramp. But for live use a lot of people will tell you modeling pre's ran into a poweramp and cab instead of the PA just don't sound anywhere near as great as a real amp in a live situation, given that it's EQ range is not entirely faithful to a normal guitar preamp. A lot of people claim podxt's won't "cut" in a live situation into a cab with a poweramp because of this.

Keep in mind you're going to have to EQ very differently if you're gonna use the podxt with a cab and power amp, first and foremost the cab modeling will need to be off.

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I heard the Line 6 pod on the PA and that shit was hella sick. Plus, this crate amp I got is total shit.

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Yeah straight into the PA with cab modeling... Use that and your soundguy will love you. If the club can send you the mix signal to powered stage monitors if they have them, you won't even need an amp, just the pod. But chances are the gigs you're getting to play don't always have that.

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yeah.. I hope the PA at this next gig can handle my pod, vocals and kick drum triggers.

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can I get an indentical tone as I got on the PA with a power amp+guitar cab set up ?

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The sound straight into the PA using cab modeling will be better than a poweramp + cab setup in most cases.

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I agree that total Direct Input ( DI ) is about the best way to go for most amp modeling tones. Sometimes though a specific tone can only be captured with a guitar+amp+cab setup. In that instance using a mic ( Shure SM 57 is my favorite ) will perform better than DI.

Its a big balancing act really. How much amp or how much PA.

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I use a crown XLS 202. it puts out 600watts at 8 ohms. perfect for running a half stack. and it gets nice and loud. I just run my Pod xt pro into it dry. works great and relatively cheap. 300 or so. and crowns are very reliable.

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Yep, a true miced setup has nuances that DI can't get in most cases. But this is a modeling pre, getting it to sound like a REAL miced amp through a cab is very difficult without lots of processing, and the end result is allegedly a highly EQ'd artificialish sound. Modeling preamps just don't cut it for running it into an amp. In fact, fuck that, I think a poweramp and cab(sell your crate cause it's not that great) might only be like 100-200$ less than a head and cab setup, plus you can still keep your pod for at home playing and recording.

If you want to use an amp for playing live then get an AMP. Kickass tube(and older good high gain solid state) heads can be had for very little money 2nd hand these days. Unless money is tight, then I guess a SS poweramp and good cab and some patience tweaking the sound could yield good results, but a real amp will pay off in a live situation.

Plus here's an idea: if you buy a mono poweramp, send the left output on the XT to the poweramp and use the amp just for stage monitoring, the other Right output goes straight to the mixer if they have one. You'll need to have cab modeling on so on stage it might sound like shit though, but for monitoring purposes it might not matter to you much.

Edit: Shreddist has good advice, just be sure to get a better cab than the one you have though especially if you're gonna blast all the sound right off the stage if they have no mixer(better to be safe than sorry!).

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Yea im thinking of getting the Carvin DCM600, buy another cab with 2 15inch speakers and use my other B-52 cab as a full stack with my POD XT. Sounds wicked?

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I'd blame the cab, it's pretty hard to make a shitty SS poweramp really (clarity and punch is not much of an issue, more like tightness and sag because they skimp on the power supply)

The B52 cab is pretty much total shit, and most 15x2 cabs have dog slow attack and are muddy and boomy (and i don't think you're buying $$$$ cabs).

Can't you just buy a pair of PA speakers (+maybe a monitor) and a PA/Hi-fi poweramp? Would be the best i think. If the gig has a decent PA, bring guitar and POD, if not, bring your mini-PA
Plus, a small PA is always handy anyway.

You get powered behringer mixers that are not bad soundwise (but don't use them as jack stands) for next to nothing used. Behringer's PA gear have actually been fairly decent all around, esp. considering the price. I record through one of their mixers and a buddy of mine has a powered behringer mixer that actually impressed me when i borrowed it, sounded loud and clear and very balanced. Better than the LEM $$$$$ powered mixer + speakers they had to offer.

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I use a b-52 cab, with the pod xt pro and crown xls202 poweramp. It works GREAT! i love it!

b-52 cabs arent shit, at least the AT series arent. lots of low end, punch, and plenty of power.

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Exactly... I was shocked when he called the AT's shit. They have very nice warm tone. Cant wait till I get my new cab and power amp. 2 man GRINDAGE!

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Oh I thought you had a Crate cab my bad, can't comment on the B-52's.

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Okay my bad then, i have not tested them myself but i just heard rumors..

I guess people like bashing cheap stuff. Great that it works for you!

Have you tried your setup with another poweramp?

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yea I did. Sounds better and is alot louder.

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Mesa 25/25 50/50 works good with POD. Or Atomic reactor 112 if you can find one. Or Crate Powerblock is actually pretty good too.

I once thought of buying a powerblock for use as a poweramp but heard way to many horror stories. They sound good and work good but many succumb to reliability problems and just die, beyond repair, shame.

Look on ebay for old ADA power amps, they're solid state 100W per side at 4 ohm poweramps, extremely cheap(under 200$) and extremely loud and reliable, it's the ideal solution.

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What about the Marshall 9200 poweramp THruogh the Marshall JMP1? right now I use the JCM 900 dual reverb with 12ax7
tung-sol at 100-110 range

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