View other reviews for this product:
mooseherman
Published on 05/13/09 at 14:28
This solid state guitar modeling amp is a nice combo that packs a lot of features into one package. There is the standard instrument cable 1/4" input. There are an insane amount of effects on this amp, and they can all be controlled by programming combinations into the amp itself. It's impressive how many possibilities there are.
UTILIZATION
To get started with this amp is pretty simple. Plugging in and playing is the way to go. Gigging is a little trickier if you want to be able to switch to other effects. You have to program the custom settings onto the amp so that you can use the switch. There's a limit to how many you can use through the switch though, so trying a new effect on every song is a pretty daunting task. However, since that's not really a major problem for most players, it shouldn't be an issue. Getting a good sound is a relative term; some people like digital amps, some don't (I personally don't prefer them over tube amps). However, if it's your thing, it's not hard to get a good sound. If you have trouble the manual explains it. Those who aren't used to such enormous amounts of effects might have a hard time with it at first but it shouldn't be too much trouble for anybody to figure out, as long as they know what they want to do.
SOUNDS
I can't say this is an amp that I enjoy using very much. Though it's got tons of features, it focuses more on quantity than quality. None of the distorted settings sound that great in my opinion. The "blues" tones just don't feel genuine enough to be bluesy, and the heavier tones are rather thin. The clean tones don't really give you the grit and power that a Fender Twin or a Marshall would. I used it in a rock ensemble and I had a hard time getting a nice, clean bluesy tone that would resemble Stevie Ray Vaughn (we were covering "Pride and Joy"
. I fared better with Joe Satriani's "Surfing with the Alien" tone, although that too was kind of pale in comparison to his tone. The effects, by and large, are weak as well. The fact that there is so much variety with one amp means that you have less specific control of each effect. Plus, some of them just don't sound good at all. As far as digital amps go, you could do worse, but it's still not worth getting yourself into.
OVERALL OPINION
I've used this on and off in the rock ensemble for a year. I don't really like the tones you get, or the quality of the effects. The versatility of the amp is all it really has going for it other than sheer power (it does get REALLY LOUD!). I tried other Line 6 models but didn't really see much of a difference. I think it's a little bit too expensive for what it is; the Vox Valvetronix, while no champion itself, sounds much better and is far cheaper than this (or at least it was when I got it). I wouldn't buy this again, ever.
UTILIZATION
To get started with this amp is pretty simple. Plugging in and playing is the way to go. Gigging is a little trickier if you want to be able to switch to other effects. You have to program the custom settings onto the amp so that you can use the switch. There's a limit to how many you can use through the switch though, so trying a new effect on every song is a pretty daunting task. However, since that's not really a major problem for most players, it shouldn't be an issue. Getting a good sound is a relative term; some people like digital amps, some don't (I personally don't prefer them over tube amps). However, if it's your thing, it's not hard to get a good sound. If you have trouble the manual explains it. Those who aren't used to such enormous amounts of effects might have a hard time with it at first but it shouldn't be too much trouble for anybody to figure out, as long as they know what they want to do.
SOUNDS
I can't say this is an amp that I enjoy using very much. Though it's got tons of features, it focuses more on quantity than quality. None of the distorted settings sound that great in my opinion. The "blues" tones just don't feel genuine enough to be bluesy, and the heavier tones are rather thin. The clean tones don't really give you the grit and power that a Fender Twin or a Marshall would. I used it in a rock ensemble and I had a hard time getting a nice, clean bluesy tone that would resemble Stevie Ray Vaughn (we were covering "Pride and Joy"
. I fared better with Joe Satriani's "Surfing with the Alien" tone, although that too was kind of pale in comparison to his tone. The effects, by and large, are weak as well. The fact that there is so much variety with one amp means that you have less specific control of each effect. Plus, some of them just don't sound good at all. As far as digital amps go, you could do worse, but it's still not worth getting yourself into.OVERALL OPINION
I've used this on and off in the rock ensemble for a year. I don't really like the tones you get, or the quality of the effects. The versatility of the amp is all it really has going for it other than sheer power (it does get REALLY LOUD!). I tried other Line 6 models but didn't really see much of a difference. I think it's a little bit too expensive for what it is; the Vox Valvetronix, while no champion itself, sounds much better and is far cheaper than this (or at least it was when I got it). I wouldn't buy this again, ever.