Line 6 FBV Shortboard

It's very easy to use the FBV Shortboard, because basically it only enables the features that are available on the Line 6 amp own by using your feet (like channels, compressor, modulation, delay, reverb, FX loop, ...). I personally use it with the Line 6 HD147. The first thing you should do when you bought it is calibrating it to work properly with the specific amp you are using, wich is explained in the manual. Talking about the manual, there is a small one included. Furthermore there is a built-in tuner, a volume/wah pedal (wich isn't the greatest, but for a built-in it's alright), a tap tempo button and you can name your patches (up to 36) with the LCD-screen. I give it a 9, because I would like to have to more buttons on the Shortboard: one to control the noise gate on the HD147 and a favorite channel button.

Because the Shortboard is just a footcontroller for the amp, it doesn't have any sounds. Although I like the fact that the channel switching on it is very quiet and without delay.

The FBV Shortboard is very well built and it seems very sturdy, because of the metal chassis. The buttons and the pedal are very good too. It looks better built than the average footcontroller. I do bring an extra RJ-45 cabel along on gigs, but for the Shortboard itself, I could easely gig without a backup. One that'll last forever!

Line 6 has very good costumer support, not the best out there, but still very good. Good manuals, website, warranty. They never replied to any of the e-mails I sent them, but on the phone they were very friendly.

I have been playing for 16 years. I own a few other amps, like a Mesa/Boogie Dual Rectifier Road King II head, a Marshall 1959HW head, a Hughes & Kettner TriAmp MkII head and a few combos. For guitars I mainly use a Gibson Les Paul Junior '57 reissue, a Gibson SG Special Faded and a Fender Classic '50 Stratocaster with a Seymour Duncan Hot Rails in the bridge. I like tubes, but the Line 6 HD147 is just great, especially in combination with the FBV Shortboard. When using that setup, no other effects are needed!

Spot on !. Well made and does what its supposed to do. Wah is very good, as good as my crybaby but much queiter.

No delay when changing patches, no unewanted clicks hums or buzzes.
The tuner is moer accurate than reading it on the amp, even though its the same tuner at work. I like the tap function, never used one before but can see a whole load of benefits.

Dont know ywt.

Dont know

Works great

- this board is VERY EASY to learn and use
- patch editing is basically made via amp controls so you only need to label or write the name in the board?s lcd-display
- there is some kind of manual and better manual is usually shipped with the amp (because this board supports only Line6 products best)
- I don?t think if there is any firmware for the FBV Shortboard itself, maybe the firmware for the amp uses the controls for the board also?!?

- I have Fender Lite Ash Stratocaster and my amp is Line6 Flextone III XL combo. I use the basic 9 channel 4 bank setting and I have kept most of the factory presets and only adjusted the levels matchin each accordingly
- It can be loud if the amp is set so and the effects are mostly very nice
- I don?t want to bee too close to my favourite artists even I maybe would like to, I haven?t tweaked my system that well yet...

- I think there couldn?t be any stronger board than this...
- it is very solid and quite heavy, keeps well in place on stage and the lcd-screen is so small that it breaks only by accident
- the knobs are pure metal and the volume/wah pedal is very stable and confortable
- I could/would use it without backup, because I can adjust some settings through the amp but I would certainly buy a new one

- I tried to call them some time ago, I had problems with the cable because I didn?t know that it had to be "a real PC/8-pin version". It is hard to reach them from Scandinavia and they don?t have any state or country support
- the web pages are very good though

- I play quite many styles of music (dance music, pop, rock, beat, walz...)
- 18 years of guitar playing
- I have also played violin, piano and bass (some drums)
- I would by a new one in case of stealing or losing it
- I love the usability and reliability in it
- I guess the metal knobs could be more silent and lighter
- I wish I could use 2 or 3 mod effects at a time, but I don?t own a Vetta II... Luckily you can get normal pedals for those things!
- sometimes name editing is not so cool... (I think Line6edit software does it to the amp directly, I have to test it some day soon?!?)
- I think this pedal is essential part of any Line6 amp model that is compatible with FBV shortboard
- some people complain about the wah pedal sounds or something but i think it is quite ok if you use wah only rarely. You can adjust the tone so that the wah doesn?t "squeal" so much ;-)

This is the best pedal i've ever used. It's so easy to program this pedal board. It didn't come with a manual though.

I use a Ibanez RG7321BK with a Spider 2 212 combo amp. It's very quiet, the distortion is really good. The effects on it are pretty good but the wah could be better.

This amp is very reliable I've had it for just about a year and I have had no problems with it yet. I use my amp on gig's i don't need any more speakers, it's that loud!

I emailed the company before about basic questions and they replied right away.

I play metal and some alternative. it's a very good match. I've been playing guitar for only about two years. I compared if with a few other amps but this has a lot better sound quality than some of those tube amps. This has been by far the best amp ever!

Man, this thing is great. I use it with my PodXT and my Spider II 210 and it's great. I like the combination wah/volume, especially with the tweak feature the XT received in the last major firmware upgrade. There's not really much to do with it, actually. Just step on the buttons. Editing patch names is pretty easy from the shortboard.

Sound? Click, click, click. That's all it does.

This thing is built like a tank. I could use this thing as a melee weapon to defend my home from bears. With sticks.
It's about 18 months old and the pedal only started squeaking last week. And I was standing on it at the time. A little WD-40 should take care of that.

Haven't needed it.

This thing rules. That's all there is to it. It doesn't really do much, but what it needs to do, it does like a champ. The best part is it connects with regular old cat-5 ethernet cable. What if I need to stand 10 meters away? Steal a 10-meter cable from work!

The FBV Shortboard is amazingly easy to use. It's like basically having a heck of alot of stomboxes. I even tried using it in a room with no light (except the little LED lights coming from my Flextone III and my FBV shortboard) and i could still use it easily. But the volume pedal/wah pedal is pretty wierd because im used to using the Dunlop ones which are a bit higher and have more leverage.

With my FBV im using an Ibanez AX220QM (red quilted) guitar to a Boss DS-1 distortion to a Boss BF-3 Flanger and into my Flextone III. I also have the FBV shortboard connected straight into the Flextone III. Soon enough though my setup would include a Boss Octave pedal, Boss Acoustic Simulator and replace the Ibanez AX220QM with a PRS Custom 24 (Sunburst quilt). Well back to the FBV shortboard, there really is no sound coming from it except the click noises from the actualy buttons. The sound is really good when you I transition from one channel to another. It doesnt delay and goes right to the next sound that I want.

It seems ginormously strong. The body is steel or aluminum and it feels like it has a really thick body. The buttons are pretty strong too. They dont bend off and it looks reliable.

I havent had any problems with this yet but since you can register it online i think thats a great advantage in customer support.

My style of music is more of an Incubus clash Alexisonfire clash Death Cab for Cutie. Its pretty wierd but my setup is pretty much a good match for what i play. Line 6 is great at making amps with multifunctions and it makes my life so much easier not having to buy all them stompboxes. Out of the 6 years that i've been playing, i have to say that i am impressed and happy with what my line 6 products have given to me. IN SUMMARY< The FBV shortboard is a great convience for any guitar player out there. It kind of motivates you to play even better since you have the ability to do your effects and what not. So go out there and buy yourself an FBV shortboard. now

I'm giving it a 9 overall because of the volume pedal. it could be a little more higher so you have more leverage on it.

Plug it into your Line6 product of choice and you are ready to go. It really is an extension of what you already have, instead of a cumbersome add on product that you need to calibrate and program to work.

It has no sound, but it enables stuff you can't do with the PodXT by itself. The volume is very nice, and the wah is surprisingly good too. Also when switching patches, there is no click noise or delay between patches

Seems really rock solid, but I just got it so I don't know yet. So far it seems as good or better than most midi controllers out there

I've heard bass players complain about how they get screwed by Line6, but for guitar players they go all out. When I got my Podxt, they had new usb drivers, firmware upgrade, and the new model packs that sound great. The Line6 edit software and the user community is the best in the industry.

This is a real great addition to my Podxt. I wouldn't be totally lost without it, but its certainly a nice toy to have and adds to my Podxt experience. I highly reccomend it

It is by far the easiest controller to use with any newer Line 6 product. It is an essential part of my Pod Pro XT rig.

not applicable.

Built solid and that's a good thing because foot controllers should not be cheesy!

Never had to use it. I have done firmware updates from the web page and the online support is very good. If I ever do have to call/email and things aren't good, I'll repost a new opinion. But for now, it's good.

I play mostly modern rock, some classic. My rig is a Pod Pro XT into eith a Tech 21 Power Engine, a Rocktron Velocity 300 running two stereo Madison 2X12 cabs, and, hopefully soon, an Atomic Reactor 112.

This is a very well thought out solid pedal. In the past I have had two Rocktron foot controllers, MidiMate and All Access. I like the layout and feel of this unit better.

Good thing I use the Line 6 gear, because the only bad thing about this particular pedal is that it is proprietary and not a general MIDI controller.

As you may know, you only get 4 stored presets on the amp face on the Spider II amp itself. But, with the FBV Shortboard, you now can get 36 stored presets. Wow! Plus you have full control over the amp by accessing the multi individual controls buttons. This allows you to keep your hands on the guitar and lets your feet take control instead. I have to admit...the price of this pedal board was almost out of reach for me and most others I am sure, but when you consider the many features that it has to offer, it almost makes it seem within reason. The wah pedal is pretty cool and it also doubles as a volume pedal which I have also been wanting to buy but just never done so. The built in guitar tuner is amazingly accurate and makes for not having to carry around a tuner otherwise. Another neat thing is that it has a "Stomp" button feature on it that gives you a boost in your gain for solo's.

The click buttons are kind of loud when changing your stored presets and effects. I guess it's because the entire thing is made of metal so it just sounds that way. Maybe after it's broken in a bit, it will be a little quieter.

I have to say that I noticed the quality of this pedal board right away as soon as I unboxed it. It is appears to be of professional craftsmanship. It also gives you a feeling of using "Pro" level gear and seems like it will hold up well under any given situation.

I have not had to contact Line 6 for any support so I cannot comment on this.

I am a part time professional and have been playing guitar for years now and as a guitar player you're always in search for the "Holy Grail" of sound for your style of playing. I now own and have owned many types of amps including Peavey 5150 amps to the "Evil" Fender Twin amp.

I have recently purchased the Line 6 Spider II series 75w 1-12" Combo and the 150w 2-12" combo amps. One for rehearsals and one for live gigs. I am very impressed with these amps. They are amazing! The built in amp models gives you a good amp sound model to begin tweaking to your own style of playing. And since these amps are all Solid State, their lightweight compared to Tube style amps is wonderful. It's like being on a diet and lost a few pounds.

If my Spiders were ever lost or stolen I would have to say I would definitely replace them.

I have always used various types of floor pedals and stomp boxes such as Boss and others. It is such a hassle trying to run the power supply to all of them with wires all over the place and I use an SKB pedal board with the velcro to hold all of the pedals in place. Before, I had 2 guitar cables running from my SKB's effects loop to my amps effects loop plus another guitar cable running from the amp's out to the SKB in and then another cable from my guitar to the SKB. Then you have that little "Wall Wart" Boss power adapter to connect to all your pedals and a separate power strip to power it all with. But now, with the Line 6 Shortboard, there's only just the CAT5 cable to worry with. And since it's a standard CAT5 cable, you can have your choice of different lengths depending on your stage setup. The Spider II amp powers the Line 6 Shortboard through the CAT5 cable and that's it. 1 cable on the floor. No cables to trip over or to have to duct tape down on the floor. Pretty cool! You can have the Spider II amp and Shortboard set up and ready to perform in just minutes. And at the end of the gig, tear down is a breeze also which means you?ll be all packed up and ready to go in no time and still have time to chat with your buds before closing time.

the shortboard is easy to use, but the naming function gets annoying when u have to click throught a ton of letters to get the the one u need. the delay and mod switches make puttin on and off effects easy. i have a korg ax1500 and to put on and off effects u have to make a whole different channel. and its horrible.

this doesnt produce any sound, but the one thing that can make or break a footswitch is the little pause it takes to switch channels. the shortboard is perfect. i cant hear any pause when i switch channels. i use the shortboard with a flextone IIIXL.

i havent had this piece long, but its built tough and still works after a couple of droppings.

never delt with them.

i play a couple differnt styles of music. the older guitar strong music of the 60s 70s and 80s, but i also go for the new age hardcore style. and in both styles, i need to switch fast and clear. the only problem i have with this board is that the tempo thing never turns off, it would be great if you could look down and not have to see a flashing light.