Almost from the moment the first guitar was plugged into an amplifier, guitarists have been looking for the perfect tone. Personally, I have owned over a dozen amps during my gigging days in the 1960s and 1970s, including a modified Vox Super Beatle head driving a Standel cabinet with 15-inch Lansing and a Fender Super Reverb with four ten-inch speakers.

The problem with any amp is that the perfect tone for one type of music might not be right for another. If you play nothing but blues, you might get along just fine with an old tweed Bassman. However, most guitarists — both stage and studio players — have to play in a variety of styles that require a broad spectrum of tones. Thanks to the newest amp modeling technology, it’s easier than ever to go from one style to another simply by tapping a footswitch or turning a knob.

Recently, I got to try out two of the hottest amp modeling modules: The POD 2.0 from Line 6 ($449.99 list) and the Johnson J-Station ($449.95 list). First of all, let me say it was a blast playing both these boxes. Next, let me say that while both perform similar functions, the sound of each was quite distinctive and each has certain sounds and features that the other really doesn’t. And while I will be telling you what I liked best about each, keep in mind that it would be impossible to pick a “winner” here. In the best of all worlds, I would unquestionably own both these units!

We’ll start with the POD 2.0, simply because it was the first unit I got to work with. A lot has changed since their original modeling amp, the AxSys 212 first appeared, and the Line 6 folks apparently have kept themselves busy dissecting exactly what made certain amps sound the way they do. And all their hard work has clearly paid off, because the POD knocked me off my feet from the moment I first plugged it in.

POD 2.0 includes a number of features that were only available on the original POD when connected to a computer running the Emagic SoundDiver software that shipped (and still ships) with each unit: Things like selecting alternate speaker cabinets and accessing the additional amp models that were sort of locked away in the original POD.

Amp models included in both PODs are: Small Tweed (1952 Fender Deluxe), Tweed Blues (1959 Fender Bassman), Black Panel (1965 Fender Deluxe), Modern Class A (1996 Matchless Chieftain), Brit Class A (1963 Vox AC-30 Top Boost), Brit Blues (1965 Marshall JTM-45), Brit Classic (1968 Marshall Plexi), Brit Hi Gain (1990 Marshall JCM800), Rectified (1994 Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier Tremoverb), Modern Higain (1988 Soldano X88), Fuzz Box (Arbitor Fuzzface) and a clean, warm Tube Preamp. Also available are four original Line 6 creations: Line 6 Clean, Crunch, Drive and Layer, which are not based on any classic amps but still sound great.

Additional amp models that are now available from the front panel of POD 2.0 are: Small Tweed #2 (1960 Fender Champ), Boutique #1 and #2 (Dumble Overdrive Special Clean and Drive Channels), Boutique #3 (Budda Twinmaster), Blackface #3 (1965 Fender Twin), California Crunch #1 and #2 (1985 Mesa Boogie Mark IIc+ Clean and Drive Channels), Brit Class A #2 and #3 (1960 Vox AC30 and AC15), Modern HiGain #2 (1989 Soldano SLO) and Jazz Clean (1987 Roland JC-120 Jazz Chorus). Add to that Line 6 Twang, Crunch #2, Blues (Marshall JTM-45 meets Budda Twinmaster) and for the ultimate in tube distortion overkill, there’s the aptly-named Line 6 Insane.

Whew, that’s a lot of amp models. Each is matched to a specific cabinet or speaker but, as mentioned, POD 2.0 now allows you to select any speaker cabinet right from the front panel, so you can really customize your sound. For example, you could run the Tweed Blues (‘59 Bassman) into a 1995 2x12 Matchless Chieftain cabinet instead of the Bassman’s standard 4x10. POD 2.0 gives you everything from a single 8-inch speaker (Fender Tweed Champ) to four different 4X12 cabinets. I found that this mix and match gives you nearly limitless tonal possibilities. In all, there are 16 different cabinets you can access.

The POD front panel also includes Bass, Middle and Treble EQ, a Drive control, dedicated Reverb (either modeled spring reverb or simulated room), Output Level and Channel Volume controls and finally an Effects Tweak knob that works in conjunction with the Effects selection rotary switch. Onboard effects include Compressor (ratio adjustable from the front panel), Tremolo, Chorus 1 and 2, Flanger 1 and 2, Rotary, Delay, Delay/Compressor, Delay/Tremolo, Delay/Chorus 1 and 2, Delay/Flanger 1 and 2, and finally Delay/Swell, which sounds like you are using a volume pedal to ramp up the volume on the note attack — very sweet! A Tap button lets you adjust lots of things, from Delay time to Tremolo speed. I have to say that the quality of these effects are phenomenal, which isn’t surprising because Line 6 put a lot of effort into their Stomp Box modeling pedals, and obviously a lot of that technology is included here. In most cases, the quality of the effects is right up there with most standalone effects modules — maybe even some of the high priced ones.

Naturally, you have MIDI In / Out ports, a Foot Pedal option (Floor Board or FB4 foot controller) and a switch that selects between A.I.R. (acoustically integrated recording) for recording direct and Amp, which lets you use POD as your amplifier’s “front end” (that is, bypassing the preamp and going straight into the power amp section — if your particular amplifier allows this). There’s also an integral Tuner and a built-in Noise Gate. The 36 Presets are selected using up and down buttons, and a Manual button, which bypasses the presets and lets you create your sound right from the front panel, after which you can store your original creation in one of the 36 preset locations.

There are some other cool functions I haven’t mentioned, but you’ll explore those once you get your own POD. But what you want to know is how it sounds, right? In one word: Fantastic! Every single sound here is usable and the factory presets (which I usually change immediately) are astonishingly well programmed. POD sounds smooth and warm and definitely tube-like.

Line 6 also offers the Bass POD ($499.99 list) for all you bass players out there, as well as the POD Pro ($799.99 list), a rackmount version of POD that adds digital outputs (AES/EBU and S/PDIF) plus a switchable line/guitar input.

Next up is the J-Station from Johnson Amplification. Because its design and function is somewhat akin to that of the POD, you might think the two are similar, but in truth, the J-Station is very much its own tone machine. The first thing I noticed about it is that it has a S/PDIF digital output, so you can take advantage of the J-Station’s super clean 24-bit converters and stereo processing when going direct to your digital recorder. The second thing I noticed after plugging in my guitar was that its sound is not at all like that of the POD.

Let’s hold that thought for a moment while we run down a list of all the amp models available, starting with three models that are based on the Johnson JM150 Millenium amp: J Crunch. J Solo and J Clean. The other amp models are: Boutique (Matchless DC30), Rectified (Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier), Brit Stack (Marshall JCM900), Brit Class A (1963 Vox AC30 Top Boost), BlackFace (1965 Fender Twin Reverb), Hot Rod (Mesa Boogie Mark IIC), Tweed (1957 Fender Deluxe), Blues (no specific amp on this one), Fuzz (a classic ‘60s fuzz tone), More A1 (Hiwatt Custom 50) and More A2 (1978 Marshall Master Volume). In addition, the J-Station has three bass amp models: Modern (SWR Bass), British (Trace Elliot bass amp) and Rock (Ampeg SVT bass amp). Finally, there are two acoustic simulations available: Boat Back (your basic piezo-equipped acoustic) and Flat Top (acoustic dreadnaught).

Reading through that list you can easily see that Johnson is covering a lot of sonic territory here. What’s more, Johnson included a location reserved for accessing new amp models as Johnson updates the software for the J-Station. It’s important to note that the software included with the J-Station is PC only, so Mac owners will not be able to use it unless they have appropriate software that allows their Mac to run Windows-based programs. In any event, it’s a real plus that earns Johnson high marks for paying attention to the details.

The J-Station also includes 12 speaker cabinet models which range all the way from a single 12-inch speaker to 4x12 cabinets and even three bass cabs including a Folded Horn 1x18. Again, matching different cabinets with each amp model can dramatically alter the tone. And since you can create your own unique sounds, another thoughtful feature is the 30 user presets so you can store them without overwriting the 30 factory presets.

You want effects? J-Station has them to spare! First of all, there’s a dedicated Reverb knob on the front panel to adjust the wet/dry mix. But then you also have 13 different Reverb Types to choose from: Club, Studio, Bathroom, Plate, Soundstage, Garage, Hall, Church, Arena, two 7-inch Springs, two 14-inch Springs and three 14-inch Springs plus the ever-popular Rattle and Boing. Reverb is available at all times, as is Delay and Compression. You can also insert a noise gate into any preset.

One really nice feature is that you can access a lot of the effects parameters right from the J-Station’s front panel, without having to use the software. While getting the hang of entering the Deep Level Edit Mode and then finding the parameter you want to tweak is a bit of a challenge at first, once you get the hang of it, it’s really not so bad. However, it’s best that you have your instruction manual handy at all times when first attempting to do any fancy adjustments of things like the Reverb Density or Flanger Regeneration.

Besides Reverb, Compression and Delay, you can choose any one of the following per preset: Chorus, Flanger, Phaser, Tremolo, Rotary Speaker, Auto Wah and Pitch/Detune. Auto Wah sounds rather like the original Mutron envelope follower, while Pitch/Detune allows you to add subtle detuning or radical pitch shifts of up to two octaves below your original note. Select “Brit Stack” and crank up the gain, then set the pitch shift to -24 (two octaves). Playing high up on the fretboard (around the 12th fret), you can sound like Clapton and Bruce playing in unison. You’ll probably find this as addictive as I did. I tweaked Preset #52, Octa Slam, and did an over-the-top rendition of “Purple Haze” that definitely had heads turning. In all, these are excellent effects that outdo many standalone processors.

Next, you probably want to know how well the acoustic simulations work. Well, they’re really not accurate representations of real acoustics, but it’s nice to have them here. I found that a guitar with single coil pickups did a much better job with these because of the extended frequency response. Humbuckers just don’t have quite enough zing to give you the glossy high end you expect from an acoustic. However, even using a Les Paul, I was able to get a nice smooth and detailed rhythm sound with just a bit more harmonics than are possible using a traditional amp.

Other front panel functions include Bass, Middle and Treble EQ, Gain (which is much like the Drive control on many amps), Level and Master Volume. As mentioned, the Noise Gate can be activated at any time, as can the Compressor. A Tap-It button lets you synchronize Delay repeats with the tempo of your music. There’s also an onboard Tuner and a Data entry knob. MIDI In and Out are on the back, plus left and right outputs, a footswitch jack and S/PDIF out.

Okay, but how does all this sound? Well, I said earlier that the J-Station has it’s own sonic personality. It sounds a tiny bit more edgy and agressive than the POD, which is perfect for a lot of today’s music. I absolutely loved several of the factory presets, like #31 Rockabilly, #53 Johnson Tremolo (which actually uses the Rotary effect but is an instant classic for ballads), #71 Boogie MKII and #83 Gilmourish (try a rendition of “Little Wing” with this one). Having said that, I found I could tweak the presets I didn’t particularly care for into something totally unique and useful with very little hassle. Some of the factory presets just didn’t have enough high end for me, but that’s a personal preference that is easily fixed via the treble and mid EQ. As for bass, this baby can deliver a low end that really thunders. Kudos also go to Johnson for a very clean and concise user’s manual. It’s not real fancy, but gives you all the information you need to get the most out of your J-Station with no wasted space. I really like that. Other manufacturers could learn a lot from this document.

As I said at the start, there’s no clear winner or loser here. I tried them both out using a Les Paul Heritage ‘80, a Clapton Strat and a PRS Santana. No surprise: All three still maintained their basic sonic personality when running through either machine. Selecting which unit is best for you would be like picking the right guitar. It’s a personal choice. But both have so much going for them, I can’t imagine anyone not being thrilled by owning either — or both! In fact, I can’t think of a single negative thing to say about either, and for a picky guy like me, that’s saying a lot. So call your Sales Engineer for more information and your amazingly low Sweetwater pricing.