Readers may recall that back in June I broke the story of the Bass POD Bug. Essentially, If you shut off the unit with a patch in memory that used the analog chorus, the Bass POD would freeze when the unit was turned on again. A memory reset (holding the preset up/down keys while switching the power on) was the only way to make the unit function again.
Not turning the POD off with analog chorus loaded worked for temporary prevention of the bug, but the permanent fix required that a new EPROM chip be installed. The Bass POD’s v1.0 software is stored on that chip, and needed to be replaced with newer debugged code.
At the time I wrote the article, I was busy moving and securing a new job. There wasn’t the time to worry about getting the chip replaced. Then, just last week I decided it was finally time. I called Line 6’s Customer Support and was pleasantly surprised at the efficiency and courtesy I received. I was notified that a new chip was in the mail for me.
A few days later, a package arrived — a new v1.2 EPROM with step by step instructions. I was initially a little nervous about opening my POD, in spite of the fact that I’d been doing much more complex upgrades and installations with my computers for years. However, in less than 10 minutes, the old chip was popped out, and I’d slightly angled the new chip’s pins to allow them to slide into the circuit board. Then, I put the back cover back on the unit and voila — it worked perfectly.
This is the same procedure that guitarists are using to upgrade their original v1.x series guitar PODs to the new v2.0 software. I’m very impressed at the forward thinking at Line 6, to design effects that are potentially upgradeable for years.
Now, I only wish I would have had the forethought to ask them to include my CD of their SoundDiver editing software (which was not yet available when I bought the unit). But after a quick 1.7 MB download at their website, that problem was fixed too (the latest upgraded version is always available free).
For more info, visit line6.com.
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