Line 6 JM4 Looper Guitar Effects Pedal  

I don`t know about this thing.  First of all, I bought the JM4 for acoustic live shows to add rhythm tracks and percussive sounds.  I?ve given up on this for now because I can?t get anything to work right, however I admit to being a newbie on acoustic live set-ups.  But trying to get the JM4 to work without using the amp modeler is a hassle and since I own the amps I would use using the JM4 modeler is a step backwards.  If you don`t have the money and you enjoy using lots of different sounds Line6 products are a great idea, otherwise the modeling simply sounds weak.  The effects are insanely over the top, I can only use them on the 0 or 1 bar out of about 50 and the effect is still too pronounced!  Unless you?re trying to mask bad playing with them the effects are useless ;). On the positive side and although I?m disappointed with the live applications I have discovered that I love using the JM4 for practice.  I?m glad to see that Line6 added recordings from a variety of styles, for those who like to broaden their horizon.  It is true you don?t get much selection from a specific style of music but since you can change the pitch and speed of the song you can make it sound new and you can always record your own with a drum track.  It?s hard to get a band to accompany you every day and repeat the same repetitive patterns while you practice your chops and I always found that using recordings is limited.  With the JM4 I can start, stop, loop and record all with my feet.  I also use the JM4 to record new material when brainstorming ideas.   I found that the JM4 is the easiest way to practice and record ideas.  All you need is the JM4 a guitar and some headphones.  I don?t think I?ll ever use the JM4 live, but has a practice tool it?s easy to use and has really improved my playing.

When I received my Line 6 JM4 Looper it did not work. No sound out of it and would not receive my guitar. I was also disappointed because it looked used. The unit has some small scratches on it and the record button looked ruff like it had been pushed many times with a shoe. also the box looked suspicious. The corners of the box were damaged and torn. I was going to return the product even if it worked due to this. I returned the product and to my surprise it was on back order. I had to now wait a few more weeks to get it. The good thing is when it finally arrived it looked brand new and the box was perfect and new looking. Now my Line 6 JM4 Looper works great and it is a great product. 

The Looper on this is excellent.  You can overdub yourself playing multiple times on a single track which is nice.  You can also import/export your recordings as wav files to the SD card.  The unit does not come with an SD card, which for the price, I think is kind of cheap on Line6's part.  This unit has the same dry sounding Line6 effects that the POD units have.  36 User presets 12 Amp models, chorus, phase, reverb and a few other bells and whistles.  Accessing various functions on this unit takes some getting use to.  there are 3 buttons for the different functions then there is a wheel that you turn for controlling levels and finding drum kits and songs.  The 4-way button is used to scroll through the menu options.  I did not find it very intuitive and spent a while reading the manual before I got comfortable using it.  Physically, the casing is pretty solid metal.  The 4 foot buttons are solid but there is no obvious click to them when stepped on.  The buttons and knobs are plastic so no telling how long they will last.  The LCD screen is recessed and a definite dust and dirt trap.  I have pretty much figured out how to use mine now for what I purchased it for which is the looping feature.  As for the tones and amp models, I'm not a big Line6 fan so I would say they are average.  I would not use this pedal live because I would be bending over all the time to adjust it and it wouldn't be worth it for me since I have other effects that I use.  However for a practice tool, I think it is OK.  A little over-priced and Line6 should include at least a 1GB SD card with the unit.

If you absolutely have to have a looper the Line 6 JM4 is the only one worth having. That being said, you should be aware of what you want to accomplish with this unit, whether it's improving your playing, songwriting, or just jamming to solidify your timing. While the unit is well-made, with the exception of some chrome plastic controls, it's use as a learning/practice tool is somewhat limited. Specifically, even though the 200+ songs and grooves are performed by A-list studio musicians, the range of music genres is so broad that you may only find a few loops/songs that suit your taste and ability. While you can change the key and tempo of pre-recorded material, you cannot change the progression, which will eventually become boring. The unit does include some common effects, but not the quality or depth you would get from other Line 6 units like the POD. You may be satisfied with these limited settings if you're just using the unit for practice. One of the nicest features of the unit is it's ability to import WAV files via it's SD card slot for jamming and working out breaks. You can record your performances and even overlay performances (sound on sound) and save the results. The manual says you can export what you've saved as a WAV file via the "Save Rec Mix As WAV To Card" but the unit I had always gave a write error when attempting to perform this task. Recordings are saved via a JAM proprietary file format. These files are not readable by your computer without a third-party conveter from the Line-6 bloggers. In summary, this unit may work for you if you're a beginner or to a lesser extent if you're a more advanced player. But if you need more variety in your practice, for about the same price I'd recommend visiting the Musician's Friend website and ordering a copy of "Band in a Box" and perhaps a small multi-track recorder to work out your songs and practice routine. The JM4 Looper tries to be a lot of things all at once and in the end does't accomplish much of anything very well.