All user reviews for the Line 6 Spider 112

I HAVE PLAYED GUITAR FOR 20 YEARS
MORE SERIOUSLY IN THE PAST 5.
GIGGING IN A BAND FOR LAST 2 YEARS COVERING EVERYTHING FROM FLOYD, GREENDAY, PISTOLS, SCISSOR SISTERS, BEASTIE BOYS ,BAD COMPANY, EAGLES, SABBATH, CRAMPS, BOWIE, BOLAN, STERIOPHONICS,WHITE STRIPES ,PLUS ORIGINAL STUFF.

AS YOU CAN SEE I NEEDED AN AMP WHICH WAS VERSATILE, I PAID 250 POUNDS FROM FOX'S MUSIC IN THE HULL IN THE UK. ORIGINALLY GOING TO PURCHASE A MARSHALL 100DFX.
GLAD I DID NOT TO A CERTAIN EXTENT.

THE RED CLEAN CHANEL IS THE BEST .BEAUTIFUL, SO WARM A BIT JAZZY SOUNDING. EFFECTS ON TAP, FROM SLIGHT TO OVER THE TOP. FOOTSWITCH SUPPLIIED TO GIVE YOU 4 CHANELS ON TAP. THIS BABY IS LOUD, EVEN MIKED UP I NEVER HAVE IT PAST HALF WAY. THE GUY I PLAY WITH HAS A MARSHALL DSL 401 AND HE CANT GET ANYWAY NEAR THE VOLUME I GET , ALTHOUGH HE HAS A BETTER TONE. IT IS A VALVE AMP.

SOME OF THE CHANELS ARE UTTER SHITE! ONE OF THE INSANE CHANELS IS A TOTAL WASTE OF TIME, U CAN'T USE IT TO PLAY ANYTHING, WHAT WAS THEY THINKING. I CANNOT GET THAT MARSHALL CRUNCH SOUND OUT OF ANY OF THE CRUNCH OR METAL CHANELS THEY SOUND A BIT TO DIGITAL. BUT GOOD FOR PUNK OR METAL, ONE BLUES CHANEL IS GREAT THE OTHER IS CRAP, SAME WITH THE TWANG CHANELS. EVERY CHANEL HAS A DIFFERNT VOLUME SETTING WHICH IS A PAIN, WHEN YOU WANT TO EQ ALL 4 CHANELS , ITTAKES A BIT OF FIDDLING AROUND. I AM NOW THINKING OF GETTING A VALVE AMP CUS I JUST LOVE THE TONE OF THAT MARSHALL CRUNCH, BUT AM STILL KEEPING THIS AS BACKUP.

BUILT LIKE A TANK! I HAVE NOT HAD ONE SINGLE PROBLEM WITH THIS AMP. 2 YEARS OLD AND STILL LIKE NEW. UNLIKE THE DSL 401 WHICH HAS NOBS FALLING OFF ALL THE TIME.

I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS AMP BECAUSE IT IS SO VERSATILE, ALTHOUGH IT WILL NOT FOOL A TRAINED EAR. IT IS VERY LOUD AND RELIABLE, AN EXCELLENT AMP FOR INTERMEDIATS.

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

I bougt this amplifier at a local Sam Ash for $299 because I needed an amp with versatility and decent power.

This amp's clean sound is heavenly. It's extremely smooth and uhh...clean. Turn the drive all the way to zero and no matter how high the volume is there is not a single grain of distortion and it's completely smooth. With some chorus and delay, it's the best clean sound I've ever heard in my life. It has nice blues and rockibily sounds that are very warm. It also has good punk/metal sounds that are chunky and pretty good for shredding. With fifty watts and a 12-inch speaker its got a decent amount of volume.

First of all, when you're playing with distortion, the sound seems to differ depending on where you stand in relation to the amp. It sounds amazing when you're standing near the amp, but if you back up with the amp still facing you the sound becomes a little harsh. This makes miking the amp difficult but it does mike very well once you've found the right spot. Another thing: if my mic is on the right side of the amp it humms for some strange reason. The worst thing is that I can't hear myself play when I play with a band. The distortion just doesn't cut through.

Whithin a year I had problems that I would experience right after pulling the headphones plug out of the jack. For a few hours, it would either not produce sound at all or the sound would have unusually scooped mids...kind of cool sometimes. If I use headphones, I just have to remember to turn the amp off before pulling them out and I don't seem to have that problem. Now I've had the amp for four years and the only problem I have is that the reverb knob feels like it's scratching against something in the inside of the amp when I turn it.

This amp does it all from playin clean to shreddin' and it mics up well providing you avoid trouble spots, but I would recommend it to a beginner guitarist as opposed to a pro.

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

I bought the amp at Steves Music in Sacramento. I was on a very fixed budget but I needed an amp, yet I wanted something more than just a tiny practice amp. I was a little discouraged because all of the amps were great quality, but had a price tag to match. The owner directed me to the Spider 112 and said great things about it. I was floored that the amp sounded so good, but yet for so very little price, $200.

I like the fact that it has several effects buit into the unit, like flange, chorus, reverb, delay and more. While it has the factory presets thaty you can have a blast with for days, it also allows you to have as the user to program settings that you like so you are not boxed in, creativley. Even the clean sound with a tinge of reverb and chorus has a sound that comes extremly close to a tube sound. We all wish we could have those tube amps, but to those who have to hold on to those desires for a short time, this solid state unit need not be ashamed. The crunch effect (distortion) can make anyone who knows a couple of power chords almost feel like (with a little practice), they could be Angus Young! I can say that for the price, you will not find better quality.

The control of the effects are a little difficult to control with any kind of consistency. Especially when going between effects on any one of the four channels from the foot pedal. It takes a little too long to get the settings down. They are not as intuitive as I would like to see. I would have like to have seen an ovverride or to completely cut the effects if desired. The chrous & flange sound a little thin if used at the half way point or more. Below that mark they are great!

It is a solid unit that has some weight to it. The construction is superior, so you dont have to worry so much about inadvertenly bumping into things and scarring your amp. The mesh in front is thick so if somethings snags it, it wont automatically tear like I have seen on other oricey brands. This is the one aspect that jumped out at me at first id the quality of the unit is evident right when you lay your eyes on this baby. It is further confirmed when you actually try to lift the badboy.

It would be great if those of us working stiffs who either are on our way to becoming rock stars, or just like to pretend a couple of hours day could pick out any amp we wanted. If money as no object, then we all would go for the biggest baddest rack system we could find. Reality suggests this isnt practical, so sometimes we settle for what is reasonable in our own lives and we pick something that makes our heart flutter a little less. The funny thing is when I tried this unit out, and when I got this amp home and let the buyers impulse wear down a bit, I didnt feel as if I setteled. I feel as if I got a great amp for a great price. Funny thing is I can still play loud enough with this unit to annoy the neighbors (hehe). Rock on!

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

I bought this new from a local music store. I paid $425 for the amp, and I believe $65 for the 4 button foot switch.

I was able to sell a few of the pedals I had. I really liked the fact that the amp has effects built in. With the 4 channels, you can set one for clean, one for distortion, and mix and match the effects you like on the other two. I was really surprised at how loud this amp gets. For only one speaker and 50w, I have never been able to get it above 4.

I don't think the clean tone is quite clean enough. I really don't have enough experience with different amps to say which would be better, but for my purposes, its good enough.

I like the look and color of the unit. As far as I can tell, its very well made. I have taken it to college with me for two years, stacked stuff on top of it, etc. and have had no problems.

I feel that this is a good quality amp for home use. I really don't think I would go out and gig with it, but I think I could if I needed to. I definately would recommend it!

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

I was in need of a new amp for a real long time,and I was looking at a lot of the line 6 amps. So I decided to pick one up for $550, to see for myself to see if it as good as it is suppost to be.

The amp models are really great and fun to play with. The effects are neat too. Despite some reviews I get very little feed back until I throw on the "Insane" amp model. The over all look of the amp is sweet too.

The price was a bit high. I'm not a big fan of having feedback on the "Insane" amp model. Clean channel sounds somewhat distorted.

Overall the unit is great. There were no dings, scratches or marks on it when I got it. The sound is good and it is easy to use.

Over all this is a god piece of machinery for some one who just wants to have fun with their amp, it's more so a toy then an amp to go on the road. Plus the different sounds you can get out of it are really cool.

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

My parents bought me this from a local guitar shop from 400-500 dollars. it was a christmas present.

first of all, its got everything you need. it has different settings just for whatever type of music you play,like blues, twang, insane, clean, and others. it has 2 effects nobs which you can get 6 different effects like flanger, tremello, delay, ping effect, chorus, and one other i cant think of. even though you cant get all effects at once, who would want to? any more than 2 effects sounds like mush anyways. you can tap the tempo for the tremello, ping, and delay effect. everything is at your fingertips. its a great amp for band practice or just foolin around. its super loud as well.

sometimes i wish i could mix 2 effects that are on the same nob but i cant but its all good.

its incredibly indestructible. it has an open back and its just all around durable. its fantastic

i play this every day and i love it. im going to purchase the line six half stack here in a bit because i love line 6 ever since i got this. all the effects sound great and it gives your guitar a good tone.

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

i bought this little unit from guitar works in calgary canada for approx 600, and 100 for the 4 channel footswitch, a pretty good deal considering the outrageous prices other amplifiers are!

its kinda cool to switch between the different channel and try out different effects without haveing to buy umpteen pedals

i can never get the sound i want... it doesnt really have a marshall channel that would be similar to a jcm800 that most modern rock guitarists use... the mesa channel has to much low end to sound like slash zakk wylde etc, which has really been pissing me off

i spose its good... i brought it i cause i thought it was broken but it was just bad wiring in my bedroom, so that was cool. i haven't had any construction problems etc.

if your a total new player or you want mesa sound/variability this would be an okay buy.... i am totally unsatisfied and plan on sellin mine to buy a tube amp and distortion pedal cause i have never been happy with this turdball

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

I bought this unit at a local guitar store second hand (although in perfect condition, dont even a single scratch or dent). £150 seemed like a really good price for it...

Everything about the amp is likeable. It has a power of 50W and is not that bulky. There are a lot of features and very versatile. You can acheive a clear, clean sound to the 'insane' heavily distorted sound and everything in-between. Also, there are some FX built in that sound great as a bonus feature. These are flanger, chorus and tremelo which can be combined with a delay, tape-echo and ping-pong echos - all of which have a 'tap' function.

To buy a footswitch will set you back a bit.. however, unless your playing live it is not really necessary. There are already 4 memory locations that can be called up at the press of 1 button. Also, when using the insane amp model, any high frequency sounds will often produce a high-pitched shrilling sound

The unit is sturdy and wont break easily. There are also corner protecters to protect both the user and the amp

For £150 it is the best investment I have made in a guitar context. I would have payed a lot more for this unit if it were not priced at £150 . If you see one of these and looking for a new amp - buy it..

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

I bought it at "Music Live 2003" - an exhibition of music stuff. I believe that company i bought it from was called Academy Of Sound. It cost £229, but normally retails around the £270 mark anywhere else - i got a special offer you see...The main reason why i bought this was initially hearing the distortion on it. It was very aggressive sounding. The number of effects also persuaded me to buy this, and also the good reputation that Line 6 have.

Ok...the distortion...aggresive, nu-metal stuff is easy for this amp to create. However, due to the amp having 12 different amp models on board, vintage, clasic rock tones can be produced too at a high quality. The amp models are very cool too. There is two versions each of the following..."clean", "twang", "blues", "crunch", "metal", and "insane". The clean is very good quality. They give you a simple crystal clean sound on one of the models, and a creamy, atmospheric sound on the other. Twang and blues settings are nice enough, but not too spectacular. Crunch is brilliant - AC/DC to some upbeat chili peppers is available. Both distortion settings are brilliant...one of the insane models especially, sounds amazing, and original at the same time. Woohoo! I love the chorus/flange effect too! Also, you can easily save four different settings from your treble, middle, bass, drive (gain), effects, and reverb, to easily access a specific sound in an instant. Before i forget...despite the 75W tag...this baby is loud...

Umm...not much really! Some of the effects like tremelo, and echoes, sound a little too obscure to be used well. But if you are after a VERY original sound, then i suppose you will enjoy these effects! Secondly, you can't connect it to an extension speaker...this is gettin a bit picky now, but you could say the knobs are a bit close together!

From what i can tell, this is a good solid unit. Not quite up to the standard of marshall, but this thing is gonna last for some time!! The sounds this baby produces is very impressive, a wide range of tones are available, and will probably satisfy the needs of most guitarists! The effects could do with a bit of work here and there, but hey, i'm no expert! It's probably best if you give the amp a listen, and judge for yourself!

A great transistor amp, sounds sweet on the clean, and filthy on the distortion...what more can you ask for!! Good buy for someone just about to start gigging, and needs a reliable, quality piece of kit!

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

I paid £200 for it, not bad considering it waw about 350 a few months before

I like the variation that this unit can produce. It canb sounbd like any amp you want, and with plenty of power and a direct out it can be used for gigs or just for bedroom practising.
I also like the different styles that this amp can be used for, it has differnt models for a few styles.

Nothing really, except that to get a decent footswitch for it, it will set you back about £200.

It feels and looks sturdy enough, it can store 4 settings into memory for ease of use, hassle to switch iof youyre planning to play live though unless you buy a foot switch.

All in all this is a decent amp, good value for the price, only has one input though and no aux in/ line in which is a slight setback

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

I bought this amp at guitar center for $399 when it first came out.

This amp was not bad. It had pretty good distortion.there were a lot of effects like chorus and flange and tremolo and excellent reverb. i played it through a hamer and for the most part it sounded really nice. Also, this amp is LOUD. for only 50 watts, it was freaking loud. i have an ibanez 50 watt amp and the line 6 got at least three times as loud. power man, power. and the 4 channels were really nice.

The distortion was really crunchy and choppy. it wasn't bad, but i was looking for a smoother sound. The distortion was more heavy metal. the clean channel sucked. it was really distorted for a clean channel. it was one of the worst sounding clean sounds ive ever heard. also, the amp seemed really cheap. the knobs felt really loose and as if they would fall off. every time i turned it on, i thought the switch was going to fall off.

it seemed to be built cheaply but it never broke. ive had it for over a year now and its still in good condition.

this is an okay practice amp but id never buy it for anything more than that. the sound is cheap but it has incredible power.

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

Mainstream Music in Oshkosh, WI.

It has many features, including chorus, flange, reverb, distortion, amp styles, etc.

On the outside, the unit appears sturdy and well-made.

My roommate purchased a Line 6 Spider 112 amp just over a year ago (~$550). One day, I turned on the amp, and the lights came on, but no sound came out. My roommate took it to a service dealer, who in turn sent it in to Line 6. About 4 weeks later, it came back with a receipt with this scribbled- "Main board fried - new one $350.00."

Now granted, it was just past the year of warranty, but this is no way to keep customers (and prevent them from trash-talking your product online). From what I have heard, Line 6 is gaining a reputation as not being reliable, too. I mean, how many guitar amplifiers DIE after just ONE year? If you look around, you will see plenty of amps that are 20+ years old, going just as good as the day they were made. And this amp was well taken care of and was NOT cranked when it stopped working. In my opinion, Line 6 should have replaced the board without any fuss.

Seeing as the amp is basically dead, I decided to take it apart to find out what the deal was. After getting the main board out, which measures about 16" x 2", I noticed that the board looked nowhere near as complicated as a decent computer motherboard, which you can get for, say, $90. (Much more R&D probably went into the computer motherboard, too.)

After briefly examining the board, I noticed that there was some charring around a lead on one of the circuits. After doing a search online, I found that the chip is a 30 watt amp commonly used in home stereos. Seeing that I have a small background in electronics, I decided to order some of these chips online and see if I could fix the amp. I purchased 3 of them (for when it blows next time) for $3.80 each.

It really makes you wonder what Line 6’s intentions really are. Rather than trying to keep a customer (which they need, more and more, it seems), they would rather have you shell out another small fortune for a $3.80 chip and an hour of labor to fix the dang thing. And you know that Line 6 buys in bulk and doesn’t even pay that much for the chips. If a $3.80 chip can fix an amp that Line 6 said was fried (and new one is $350), what does that say about Line 6 as a company, not to mention its products?

Erik


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

I purchased this amp at Guitar Center for $320 with a little negotiation becuase I bought a guitar with it too... It listed for $390+

Modeling different sounds. The custom and programable 5 presets. I like the adjustments and tweaking. It switches from Clean to "Twang" to Blues to Crunch to Retro to "Insane" then one can customize each tone utlizing Reverb, Chorus, Tremelo, Flange, Delays... you can program length of delay... It's light for Study and big enough to have the neighbors call...

Every time you switch to a preset with the delay, you have to press (for timming) the delay requirement. Footswitch would help

Great Quality. Great price. Great Amp.

Really check this amp out if you are looking in the $450 to $550 amplifier range.

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

I was flipping through the Musician's Friend catalog, searching for my first true amp. I was on a budget, and originally going for a 30 watt Marshall MG-30. However, when my friend found a Line 6 Spider 50 w/ all those effects and stuff for only $100USD more than the Marshall (the MG series aren't true Marshalls anyway) I was impressed when I tried the Line 6 POD's (though not anymore), so I jumped on it.

The effects, the sound, the volume, the ease, the look, the light-weight, the size (big enough for a gig, small enough that I can keep it in my room), the variety of amp models and sounds, the extreme distortion & reverb, the sensitive controls (which move very easily and smoothly), the special floorboard (which I don't yet own).

Nothing! This amp is SWEET! If you play a different types of music, want a variety of sounds, or want to replicate classic and modern boutique amps, this is for you. Whether you are a pro or someone like me who was looking for a "real" amp, this is it! I wouldn't trade it for anything, except maybe a Line 6 Vetta combo, AxSys, or Flextone. Perhaps maybe a Fender Cyber-twin or cyber-deluxe, or even just a bigger version of the Spider 112 (i.e. Spider 210 or 212). Other than that, I am in NO WAY GIVING UP, TRADING, SELLING, RENTING, OR LOANING THIS AMP! I am very overprotective and don't let my friends start it up by themselves. I keep it unplugged and in the box it came in when it's not being used. If you buy this amp, you'd understand why!

Very tight construction, supreme quality.

I fuckin' love this thing! I play a shitty Squier into it, but you could hardly tell when listening to it through this amp!

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