SeriesLine 6 Spider IV

I needed a 'go to' amp that I could record demos with or take out to gigs. Reliability and price where high on my priorities, but I also needed something that sounded decent. I read many good reviews on the older Spiders so when the new Spider IV came out I have to give it a shot. I got it for $300 with the smaller foot controller included. What's great about Line 6 is the controllers are usually interchangeable, so if you have a Line 6 chances are you can use the same pedal board. Plenty of tones available to you, my goal which was completed was to get 4 sounds; a nice clean, a light breakup, a crunch and a heavy distortion either for leads or metal types sounds. With the manual and some boring online reading I was able to built presets pretty easily. 16 amp simulators and 20 effects you should be able to get something decent. I'm a big fan of big ol, heavy tube amps. Although the Line 6 isn't a replacement for them, it gets you in the same room without the hassle. The CD/MP3 1/8' input jack is what makes this amp a fantastic practice tool. The reliability knock on wood has been good for me, but I had a friend who's amp cut in and out and also I have a Line 6 POD with a similar problem, but that is the price you pay for digital. The amp is nice and compact. The handle is sturdy. I'll guess the weight is 30 pounds? The amp pumps 75 watts into one 12 inch Celestion speaker. This is plenty of juice for most moderate gigs. Not a replacement for the Fender Twins and Marshalls in this world, but if budget, versatility and portability are on your mind, give this amp a whirl. This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Line 6 maybe the biggest company to use amp modeling, but I don't really like their tones that they get from these units. When I think of amp modelers I think of sterile inferior sounding digital processors trying to pull of the sound of a real amp. This amp really doesn't come close to sounding like anything that would resemble a tube amp of any sort. Thought the effects like the delays and choruses sound ok, the stomp boxes and amps just sound terrible. There are some decent sounding ones but nothing you would use as a gigging or recording tone. Line 6 Spider IV 30 30-watt 1 x 12" Modeling Amp at a Glance: * 30 watts * 1x12" Celestion custom speaker * Three-quarter closed-back cabinet for a tight, snappy response * 12 amp models masterfully dialed in by pro players * Sparkling clean tones to high-gain metal tones and beyond * Keep your hands on your guitar and switch channels with your feet using the FBV2 foot controller * 7 brilliant and easy-to-use Smart FX (3 at once) * Effect models inspired by celebrated stompbox and studio effects * Bass, Mid and Treble knobs like the EQ controls of each modeled amplifier * Drive knob, Channel volume, Master volume * Built-in tuner * Headphone output for all-night jamming * High-quality direct-recording output * CD/MP3 input UTILIZATION Details Type Solid State Number of Channels 4 Power 30W Speakers 1 x 12" Custom Speaker Effects Yes Reverb Yes EQ Bass, Mid, Treble Amp Modeling Yes Number of Models 12 Amp Models Number of Tubes 0 Preamp Tubes No Tubes Power Tubes No Tubes Inputs 1 x Instrument, 1 x MP3 (1/8") Outputs 1 x Direct Out/Headphone (1/4") Footswitch I/O Yes No Effects Loop Height 17.5" Width 18.5" Depth 9.5" Weight 26 lbs. SOUNDS If you are going to buy an amp with 12 different amp models then make them at least sound somewhat natural. I'm sorry but not one amp in the unit sounds very good. They all sound like a poor solid state attempt at sounding like the amp they are trying to recreate. It really doesn't matter what guitar you try to play through this thing, they are all going to sound very poor. I have heard Strat through a cigar box amp sound better than this thing. OVERALL OPINION At the price point this thing is in you can find plenty of other amps that will sound a lot better than this one. Off the top of my head the Peavey Vypyr and Roland Cube series' sound a lot better than this thing. Sure this has a lot more customizable sounds with the effects and but all that doesn't matter if it sounds like garbage. I like Line 6 products but this is not a good amp and I do not recommend this to anyone. If you are determined to buy it you can find them new at around $200. Not going to break the bank on this amp but the amps mentioned above sound more natural than this one.

What a great little practice amp. This thing has more than you would ever need to get your guitar playing in gear. There are more presets than I think you could ever explore. Probably too much stuff is packed into this little compact amp modeler. One of the greatest things in this amp is the 28 minute looper for recording at home for play back and experimentation. This is great tool to jam along and listen to you playing skills and tweak things on the the fly. Line 6 Spider JAM Features: * 12 amp models * Seven Smart Control Effects * 400 presets * Guitar input * Mic input * Aux input * CD/MP3 input * Headphone out * 12" Celestion Speaker with 2" Tweeter * Exclusive Endless Jam Engine * 28-minute looper UTILIZATION Details Type Solid State Number of Channels 1 Power 75W Speakers 1 x 12" Custom Celestion, 1 x 2" Tweeter Effects Yes Reverb Yes EQ Bass, Mid, Treble Amp Modeling Yes Number of Models 200 Presets, 36 User, 12 Amp Models Number of Tubes 0 Preamp Tubes No Tubes Power Tubes No Tubes Inputs 1 x Instrument, 1 x Mic (XLR), 1 x MP3 (1/8"), 1 x Aux (1/4") Outputs 1 x Headphone (1/4"), 2 x RCA Footswitch I/O Yes No Effects Loop Height 17.5" Width 21" Depth 10" SOUNDS The sound from this amp in not going to be the best. I have never been a fan of the Line 6 amp modeling. I think it sounds sterile and unnatural. However, I look at this amp as a practice engine and not something that I would play out on gigs of anything like that. There are so many sounds o explore that a simple review would not suffice. Try it out with multiple guitars and settings to get your desired tone. I like humbucking style guitars with this unit ans I find the clean tones very sub par. Their cleans don't do it for me at all. OVERALL OPINION If you are in the market for a decent amp modeler than this might be the amp for you. At new these units come in at around $400, which is a bit on the high side for these particular amps. I like the Peavey stuff and the Roland stuff as far as actual tone goes. This is basically an amp that is a computer so you have a lot of recording and mic out operation. If you need to go direct into the house PA system then you can do that. The looper is the coolest thing on the amp. I would recommend you trying this thing out before you buy it. If you want the recording feature than this is the amp for you. If you desire tone and still want amp modeling then I would try the Roland Cube or Peavey Viper.

This little amp is nice priced and convenient amp. Much like the 75 watts it retains most of the features from the original amp modeling amps that line 6 starting making years ago. Now they have updated it to the modern times and it sounds not have bad. The tones of this amp I like a little better than the original Spider amps that I was previously used too. Line 6 has upped their tones in these new amp models with better tonal response. Line 6 Spider IV 15 15-watt 1 x 8" Modeling Amp Features at a Glance: * 15 watts * 1x8" custom speaker * Three-quarter closed-back cabinet for a tight, snappy response * 4 amp models masterfully dialed in by pro players * Sparkling clean tones to high-gain metal tones and beyond * Create, save and recall 4 complete amp settings with the push of a button * Keep your hands on your guitar and switch channels with your feet using the FBV2 foot controller * 6 brilliant and easy-to-use Smart FX (2 at once) * Effect models inspired by celebrated stompbox and studio effects * Bass, Mid and Treble knobs like the EQ controls of each modeled amplifier * Drive knob, Channel volume, Master volume * Built-in tuner adds convenience and value * Headphone output for all-night jamming * High-quality direct-recording output * CD/MP3 input UTILIZATION The next generation of Spider is here with the Spider IV 15! Specification Detail Type Solid State Number of Channels 4 Power 15W Speakers 1 x 8 Custom Speaker Effects Yes Reverb Yes EQ Bass, Mid, Treble Amp Modeling Yes Number of Models 4 Amp Models Number of Tubes 0 Preamp Tubes No Tubes Power Tubes No Tubes Inputs 1 x Instrument, 1 x MP3 (1/8") Outputs 1 x Direct Out/Headphone (1/4") Footswitch I/O Yes Effects Loop No Effects Loop Height 15" Width 16" Depth 8.5" Weight 17 lbs. SOUNDS I have always had a problem with amp modeling since they don't sound anything like a real amp. Don't get me wrong this unit will not sound like a real amp. But ti will get you in the ballpark of how they should sound. This amp is not designer to rival real tube amps but give a learner or beginner a great start at learning the electric guitar. I like this amp with just about any guitar. Since it is a modeler you can use a Fender Strat for some blues or clean tones and switch over to a Les Paul or another humbucking style guitar for some rock or metal tones. This is fun little amp for practicing and that is about it. You are never going to gig with this amp or probably never record with it. You might get laughed out o the recoding session. However, it really wasn't intended to be that. OVERALL OPINION At new they come in at around $99 which is a steal for what it does. This amp is marketed a the beginning guitar player who needs an amp with a load of effects and options. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone trying to start a band or responding to a craiglist ad looking for a guitar player with a lot of sounds. So for the learner player this would be fine.