Line 6 Flextone III XL

The Line 6 Flextone III Xl is a combo guitar amp with two 12-inch speakers, 150-watt stereo power amp, 32 vetta-based amp models, 12 effects, and 16 speaker cabinet simulation options. It also has stereo xlr direct out (with cab and mic modeling), effects loops, midi in, midi out, headphone out, and external speakers out.

UTILIZATION

Like most Line 6 products, this little combo amp is extremely versatile! It's relatively easy to control all the amp settings on this thing, even with all the added effects, cabinet choices and such. You can easily switch between 6 delays (from the famed DL-4), and adjust the overall level of the effect. There is also a tap tempo button (that flashes with the tempo). If you control the amp with a midi controller, you can also make more fine adjustments to the delay, along with other various amp parameters. This can get a little confusing, especially if you want to make these adjustments. But for the most part, it isn't necessary to do this. There are also 6 mod effects, and a toggle-able gate and compressor.



SOUNDS

The main event, the guitar amplifiers and cabinet simulations, don't disappoint, as long as you don't expect them to do miracles. I mainly use super-cleans and heavy Mesa tones, and it does a wonderful job with cleans. The Mesa emulations are certainly not as good as the real thing, but for a little combo amp, they sound descent. I find that the heavier and more saturated the distortion is, the worst solid-state emulation tends to sound, and this is no exception. However, if you are using this amp for lighter tones, with lighter indie distortions, this amp sounds great.

You can mix and match any of the 32 amp simulations with any of the 16 guitar cab simulations, including a no-cab mode. Since the sounds are playing through the combo amp's cab, the no-cab mode does still sound usable, and in some cases, it sounds the best, if you are looking for a more transparent sound.

OVERALL OPINION

Overall, this is a very flexible, and portable amp that can do many things pretty well, as long as you don't expect it to sound just like an amp worth thousands of dollars. It is extremely loud for it's size, as it certainly stands up to a Mesa half-stack just fine.

Nice vinyl cover with a tweed grillecloth that gives it a retro/boutique look. The controls are top mounted, and are well lit and laid out for dark stages and the back is open. There is a speaker extension jack that clips the combo's speaker's out. There is a nice series stereo efx loop that actually works quite nicely. There is a midi in and out, as well as stereo XLR direct outs (like a pod). For the past 20 years, I have been a working full time pro that has several rigs for several musical situations: from fusion and jazz to country to progressive metal to cover band rock/RandB/funk.

I bought it used with an FBV shortboard and a vinyl amp cover from craigslist for $400.

What I like about the unit is that it is NOT a tube amp. I can take it to cover gigs, where the power is often sketchy, and get a wide variety of tones with an amp and the floorboard. It doesn't cost me $100 in tubes every time I play a gig with crappy power. And it has a wide variety of tones. Yes they are modeled and not the same as the real thing, but it can get a better Dual Rec tone than my Peavey Classic 30, knowhatimsayin'? The tones are very usable and there are plenty of them. They are also ALOT better than the spider stuff they sell. The distortions I use are plenty dynamic for cover band work. It also records direct just as good as a POD. The XLR outs are decent for live work if a bit sterile. The amp also seems to work best with low output pickups. And the unit works well when used with the stereo loop for nice spacious stereo tones. And the tweakability of the patches is quick and easy. And the accessibility with the FBV is very intuitive.

Well, what I don't like about the unit is the same thing I like it for: no tubes. The best tone comes from great tube amps....IMHO. But they can be finicky, and unreliable for a variety of reasons. Solid state is MUCH cheaper, and less susceptible to power problems, and less heartbreak and expense when they go down. I use this amp in a sense, to relieve my other tube wonders. Would I use it for a master session for an artist? No. For a cover band? You betcha>> Tone wise the cleans are a bit stringent as are the direct out tones. The speakers, which are custom Celestions, are called to deliver everything from Dual Rec sounds and Fender like cleans, which is a tall order, often bark differently with different tones. They also have a volume sweet spot. They don't sound as good pushed hard, or at low volumes as they do a decent club stage volumes. Which sucks for tweaking. Also, you have to write the patch names from the FBV and it takes 4 ever.

The unit is very well built, and has taken everything I have dished out so far....Probably 100 gigs in the past year and a half...

Will it replace my 92, Dual Rectifier Tremoverb combo? Or my Marshall Silver Jubilee? Or my Voodoo modded Fender Blues Deluxe? My AC15? My Rivera? Hell, I'd get rid of the Line6 before my Peavey Classic 30. But this thing is reliable, and versatile. To me, modeling is the same as a 'picture' of a tone. It ain't the same thing. But it ain't bad neither. In fact it is damn decent. If you need a solid performer that delivers a BUNCH of natural sounding, decent tones, with the stereo thing as a bonus, the Flextone III XL is the way to go.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

Bought it new in the UK £549.00

At first it was a fun thing with all the gizmos, knobs and tweeks, computer midi editing etc.

The only thing that I now like is the look.

I spent too much time playing with the amplifier rather than playing music, going on-line downloading patches, plugging it into the computer via midi cables. Then you discover that you will only ever use two or three patches and you have 90 of the little buggers to play with! Most of them you would not even think about using as they are totally useless. And at first the sound 'seemed' like a valve amp. however, when you place a real valve amp side by side and plug from one to the other, there is just no match at all, the valve amps win every time. It is impossible to get a valve sound using solid state circuitry!
The amp is loud without quality.

Very well constructed. one redeeming feature at least. And it looks great.

If you want to look great, then get a line 6 anything. But if you want to play real guitar, get yourself a real valve amp!

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I bought this at American Music Supply in downtown Syracuse for $500 brand new (usually goes for 700). I purchased this amp because it had all the features I wanted, amp simulation, enough wattage for shows, effects, and more.

This amp supplies me with more than enough power, has a direct XLR output for recording, nice effects, and does a great job with amp simulation (even though I only use about two presets!)It gives off great sound for a great price, is good for shows and recording.

There isn't much that I don't like about the amp, the biggest concern I have is with the noise gate, it works great with taking away the noise, but leaves about a second of hiss after you mute a note. This is pretty bad for recording and live shows, but isn't too big of a problem.

This amp was put together very well, I haven't had a problem with it yet!

The Line 6 Flextone III XL is a great amp, it has only very few minor flaws, but the positives more than make up for them. Great sound, perfect for both recording and gigging, I would recommend this to anyone searching for a great amp at a great price!

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com