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.

This is a great piece of equipment for those that don't play with a band regularly or are trying to beef up there improvisation skills. It is in fact easy to use and intuitive while at the same time gives the impression of being very solid and durable. The drum tracks are much better than those found on some "mini-studios" and the backing tracks are fun and variable enough to not get bored. The presence of the SD card slot allows you to bring in songs and backing tracks from elsewhere so your jamming options are limitless. The looper is excellent, easy to use and with the additional memory associated with the SD card you can record and layer tracks until your heart is content. An aux input allows you to mic it up as well. For those that want to jam without worrying about noise issues- the headphone jack lets you do so worry free. The amp voicings and effects sound decent through headphones but sound surprisingly good in front of a good amp. For all of the tone junkies, like everything you have to play with the settings to dial in your ideal sound. Overall this is a great piece of equipment that will bring whole new life and creativity into your practice sessions and perhaps expose you to new sounds that would otherwise require many amps and many pedals. Probably not the best looper for gigging given all of the functions and digital effects, but great for practice and jam sessions. One minor complaint: why isn't there an on/off switch?

I purchased a DigiTech Jamman and was happy with it until I saw this puppy at the local GC. I did the research and returned my jamman, spent $30 more and landed this great pedal. Yes it's larger and won't fit on most people's pedal board, but it is a great pedal.

It's halfway contstructed great. The chassis and foot pedals are metal but some of the buttons and knobbies are shiney plastic, a pet peave of mine.

The display screen is set-in (recessed) 3/4" which makes for a nice beer trap :) so be careful and get the warranty if you have drunk-a55 bandmates like I do ;P.

It uses a more standard memory type than the jamman - SD vs. cf (don't get these from the guitar store, they will rob you blind... you'll spend 5 times more than you should :( be careful.)

It comes with hundreds of drum and song loops for you to play along with... damn I love this feature, it allows me to practice by playing and because there are so many here, it means more motivation to play because it's not the same thing over and over.

One of the best features of this pedal is the routing split. you can have your guitar routed to your guitar amp and you can have everything else (drums or songs) routed to any stereo amp. it freakin sounds like a concert in my house when I'm jamming.

One complaint I have are the built in artist tones... WTF. the output level on these are $)(*%#@'ed pardon my french but i've nearly gone deaf switching thru the artist banks. IMO these levels should be normalized... I run a multieffect pedal (korg ax1500g), a wah (behringer hellbabe), bbe sonic stomp and a marshall echohead delay in front of the pedal so I really have no need for the onboard sounds, but they are fun to play with anyway - but only if you are quick to turn down the super sonic amp blowing volume spikes.

One final comment: be patient, it took me awhile to get the levels to sound right, then I realized i had to update the firmware... then I had to dial in all of the settings again :(. Update the firmware first! then dial in the pedal.

Happy looping/jamming/practicing - 3d3

If you are a musician who wants awesome tone at little cost, BUY THIS. I just got it and it is INSANE. I think it beats all of my Boss and Keely Electronics pedals, plus it's a convenient package that can be stored anywhere. Gone are the days of buying s****y half-a** Behringer effects! Seriously, it is worth every penny.