Line 6 Spider III 15

4 Essential Amp Models (clean, crunch, metal, insane)
6 Effects (2 simultaneous) including phaser, Chorus/Flanger, Tremolo, Sweep Echo, Tape Echo, and Reverb
4 User-programmable channels
CD/MP3 jack
Headphone/Direct Out for practice or recording
Custom 8" speaker
15 Watts
Dimensions: 15.5L x 14.5H x 8.25D

UTILIZATION

This amp is really easy to get a good workable tone out of. I wish this kind of amp was around when I was a kid learning to play - it smokes the little Peavey Rage 158 I used to have! I use this in guitar lessons so my students can get a sound close to whatever style they want to learn in, and it works well for that. I wish I could go in and take out the Tremolo and Sweep Echo presets, permanently - why do kids want the most laser gun sounds out of their guitars? - but everything else is pretty good.

The CD/mp3 in is a great feature for practicing, as is the headphone/record out for practice or recording.

Also, it is very easy to save and recall a preset sound in this little amp.

SOUNDS

I'm rating this a 9 based on the price. It is very easy to get the sounds that I want out of it. It's also very easy to get rid of the sounds I don't want, like when my students dial in a radar sweeping spleep bloople noise swoosh sound.

The delays and reverbs are very good, as are all the amp models.

OVERALL OPINION

For the cash, and the application, this is nearly perfect. I love this little amp, and was sad when my store told me they wanted me to change what amp I used in my teaching studio, just so they could sell the more modern version to students. I think Line 6 has a good reputation for selling quality products that are affordable, and this amplifier is certainly no exception to that rule.

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.

Spider II 15 packs six Smart Control FX including, Phaser, Chorus/Flanger, Tremolo, Sweep Echo, Tape Echo, and Reverb. All effects can be easily tweaked and delay times can be adjusted using tap tempo. Pretty much the same as the spider 2 only with a couple more options and basically the exact same tone.

UTILIZATION

FEATURES:

* 4 Essential Amp Models
* 6 Effects (2 simultaneous) including phaser, Chorus/Flanger, Tremolo, Sweep Echo, Tape Echo, and Reverb
* 4 User-programmable channels
* CD/MP3 jack
* Headphone/Direct Out for practice or recording
* Custom 8" speaker
* 15 Watts
* Dimensions: 15.5L x 14.5H x 8.25D

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

This amp is not longer in production and has been updated in a newer model. You can find it on the used market for under $99. 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.

This is a solid state, digital, modeling amp, but not the best. It has 15w of power, but when you crank it, the effects all seem to trigger subtly. It has one input, a Headphones amp/Line Out, and an Input for a CD Player, MP3, or other music device for playing along with music.
It has 8 knobs, An LED for Tap Tempo for the Delay, and it also serves as a Gain Boost and Noise Gate.
The EQ knobs are..Drive (which is the Gain control), Bass, Mid, Treble, and Channel Volume.
The Effects Knob lets you choose which effect you want (Chorus/Flange, Phaser, and Tremolo) and how much of the effect you choose. You can only use one effect at a time. Around halfway on the Chorus/Flange side of the knob, it turns from chorus to flange. The Other knob is your delay/Reverb. You can choose between Sweep Echo, Tape Echo (Both are Tap Tempo) and Reverb.
Holding the Tap Tempo Button while turning the DRIVE knob up past 12 o'clock activates the Gain Boost, giving you more gain, and boosting the volume. Holding the Tap Tempo button while turning the DRIVE Knob down past 12 o'clock turns it off. Holding the tap tempo button and turning the Delay/Reverb knob up past 12 o'clock activates the Noise Gate. Holding Tap Tempo and turning the Delay/Reverb knob down turns it off.

UTILIZATION

A good sound CAN be achieved, but it takes some tweaking. It's not that hard to find a usable tone, but it is hard to find a GOOD one. I don't think there's any truly great tones in the amp.
It is very easy to use and adjust. Everything is labeled clearly, and you know what you're setting and where you're setting it to.
The manual is very clear, and offers a all of the "Hidden Features of the Tap Tempo Button". The manual is written very clearly and provides enough information to help you learn how to use it.


SOUNDS

This is where this amp fails someone with an ear for tone. For a beginner, this is an awesome amp. Lets you dabble in effects, learn how much, and what kind, of gain you like. For someone with an ear for tone, this is a bad amp at best. The distortion is digital, harsh, fizzy, and lifeless. It is VERY digital sounding. It is also VERY muddy. Anything over normal bedroom levels and it gets unbearably harsh and fizzy. The only decent channel on it is the Clean channel.
At gigging or Band Practice volumes, the bass feeds back VERY VERY quickly. This amp is only decent for low volume practicing. Think bedroom practice. If you're looking for a decent sounding amp for a beginner, it is a decent amp.

OVERALL OPINION

This is a decent amp for a beginner. Anyone with an ear for tone will find this amp too harsh, fizzy, and lifeless. This amp's big downfall is it's tone. It's digital, and you can tell the second you turn on any kind of distortion. But, because it's marketed for beginners, I am rating it accordingly. It lets you experiment with effects and gain voicings, which is a great option for a beginner amp.
This amp retails for $100. I feel that's a good price for it.
All in all, this is a decent beginner amp, and low volume practice amp

See other reviews

USE

Setup is simple four channels clean / crunch / metal / insane, the settings are simple, and the effects are easy to utiliss.
on the other hand it is difficult to get a good sound though prdfinis sound is pretty good when seeking its own sound quickly becomes galre.
for the manual, it is clear you can even discover 2/3 truks as boost the clean.mais we regret that no adjustment of "type" as stated in the manual in mesa boogie but hey it's an amp of budget they not all think

SONORITS

Clean: the clean is good, even very good for a 15 watt transistor can find a bluesy sound a bit bold, funky his or her slamming his girlfriend to tears; D

crunch: when the crunch is really the m *** e, we do not even say the crunch is not prcis bold, hard to get out of greasy blues or AC / DC yuck

metal: the one is pretty good, the bass is well filled ave some reverb we quickly takes the game of the big riff metallica one acute problem not very beautiful, they are very desagr ble for solos, but if we play solos like "nothing else matters" will not over in the treble was incredibly well made but good hardrockeur shred fan and tapping it is dead ^^

insane: it is the opposite of metal channel bass are shabby but treble are dmoniaques tape echo with any bend we do and it is ay = D is a rockstar!

NOTICE GLOBAL

I use it for 1 year
the peculiarity that I like the most is the easy argler metal sounds, and what I like least SOUND unusable CRUNCH!
I try many model before, small marshall among others but I chose this one for the effects and 4 channel which is not easy to find this price
the quality / price ratio is pretty good
with the experience I think I would choose the VOX AD 15 for 50 euros which offers much better sound than the spider