“It’s compact, fun and easy to use... and features tones derived from the Helix family”: Line 6 serves up a $179 high-gain bargain for metal thrashing maniacs with the POD Express Black

Line 6 has expanded its POD Express range of compact amp modellers and guitar multi-effects pedals with a unit that is all about gnarly, high-gain metal guitar tones.

The POD Express Black is the one they warned you about. Sure, if your setlist contains the occasional Enter Sandman cover and you occasionally need some saturated lead tones, the Express Guitar would have you covered. You had some options.

For the underground specialist who requires something more extreme – and preferably ultra-portable, affordable at $179 – this is the one, and with the launch of the POD Express editor it is even easier than before to edit your tones and presets, and get the unit set up just how you like it. Without an LED screen, the POD Express format needed that.

There is a more than respectable array of sounds here. The POD Express Black has seven amps, seven speaker cabinets and 17 guitar effects – including a looper – all of which have been designed using Line 6’s superlative Helix technology.

“For a wide variety of metal guitarists, the POD Express Black is a great all-in-one modeller that gives them a unique selection of high-gain tones, plus essential effects,” says Rick Gagliano, director of product management, Line 6. “It’s compact, fun and easy to use, affordable, and – most importantly – it features tones derived from the Helix family of products.”

You can run the POD Express Black on a trio of AA batteries or via a 9V DC pedalboard power supply. It might be small but it does not lack for outputs. You can run it in mono or stereo. Hook it up to do your reamping, with a USB-C connection that turns it into a guitar audio interface.

There is an expression pedal input and you can connect up to two external footswitches for handling functions such as tap tempo, selecting presets and turning individual effects on and off.

Line 6 | POD Express Black | Overview - YouTube

Watch On

The pedal itself is relatively straightforward, with five knobs on the enclosure, encircled with LEDs just like Line 6’s HX amps.

All of your overdrive, distortion and fuzz sounds are controlled by the dial on the top-left of the pedal. Boost and compression is controlled by the dial on the top right. Modulation options include chorus, flanger, phaser and tremolo, and are selected on the bottom left-hand dial while your delay and reverb options are gathered on the bottom right.

The big dial in the centre selects your amp sounds and judging by the names – “Anvil,” “Slay,” “Mega,” etc – they sound like a lot of fun.

Available now, the POD Express is priced £169/$179. For more details, head over to Line 6.