Line 6 AX2

Very versatile amp with good sound quality if you know how to program it.

Sounds great when it works

The most unreliable piece of crap ever made. Has been repaired 3 times for the same problem! If you ever start hear it "crackling" or the signal breaking up you will know what I mean. Played a MAJOR gig and it went out on me! Web site won't allow me to give it a zero!

The worst!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

NEVER buy a LINE 6 product!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just download the very well written 94-page manual from Line 6 and devour it! I'm a tech nerd these days and rarely see such thorough, easy-to-understand product documentation. These Line6 guys really cared about the product. Go to http://line6.com/support/manuals to get it.

The amp has an abundance of buttons & knobs - not a bad thing at all, since I hate the "nested menus" approach on most multi-effects pedals. You don't get lost when you tweak this amp.

I like having control over the guitar input level. You turn the master level to zero & strum the guitar hard to watch for clipping, then back the Guitar knob down until the clipping stops. This gives you the maximum input for the rest of the signal chain, so you're giving the preamp signal instead of noise. I guess most amps just leave enough headroom for a typical loud set of pickups, but with this amp I control the headroom.

I like that when you switch banks you don't commit to the new sound until you hit the channel A/B/C/D buttons. And I like the suggested organization of the banks - sticking with a common amp & cabinet set within a bank, then using channels A for "amp tone", B for "big tone" i.e. the basic amp tone plus an effect, C for "clean/cruch tone" for rhythm work, and D for "drive tone" for lead work.

The AUX input bypasses the effects and just routes through the amp/cab modelling so it's great to mix in a CD or iPod to jam with, or for an acoustic guitar with a piezo pickup.

The tuner is solid, much better than the jumpy tuner in my new Digitech RP-350 multi-effects pedal.

The floorboard control is great - easy to switch banks & channels. Buttons are well spaced and nearly impossible to hit two at the same time by accident. Nice to have wah & volume control separate. I like that it can switch its mode from bank up/down to simply control the individual on/off state of the various pieces of the signal chain - distortion, drive/boost, EQ, trem/chorus, delay, and reverb.

The amp may not have a kitchen-sink approach like recent mult-effects pedals - they didn't throw in every effects box ever made into this eight-year-old AX2 - but they included all the standard effects you'd want. Noise gate, hum reducer, compression, distortion, wah, EQ, trem/chorus/flange/phase, delay, reverb, it's all there. The effects can be tweaked from subtle to over-the-top.

The tube amp modeling is sweet & responsive and the cabinet modelling sounds great throught the two Eminence 12" full-range speakers.

It's great to have 110W of clean power, even at home. I don't need to go above 3 on the master dial to sound quite load, and with so much wattage behind the signal, it never feels weak or thin even at low volumes. Nice.

Have only had it a day, but it's at least seven years old and had been used for gigging.

I was careful to check that the tuner button engaged well since early models of AX2 and a predecessor amp had some problems with that. No crackling in any of the knobs on my unit, all the buttons work fine, and all the LEDs light. Seems built like a tank.

The cable from Floorboard to back of the amp is a vanilla CAT5 computer ethernet cable, so it'll be easy & cheap to replace if the clip ever breaks.

Have not had to talk to Line6, but I know their reputation is good. I've owned a GuitarPort for a few years and they're good about providing software updates for it. The AX2 manuals are still online and there is a forum on their site still somewhat active, so that's a good sign.

I'm an oldster (mid-40s) who played in a wedding band eons ago - not that I really *enjoyed* that cover music & the standards we'd crank out. My musical tastes range from Stravinsky to Green Day, but for guitar-oriented music I really enjoy The Strokes, Rage Against The Machine, OK Go, and oldies like Talking Heads, Joe Jackson, and The Clash.

The AX2 is an upgrade from a early-1980's solid state 50w amp I use for home practice nowadays. I use multi-effects pedals to sweeten the sound of my two main guitars - a decent one and a beater, but wanted to use the AX2 with its great Floorboard for better control than I get with an all-in-on effects pedal. The decent one is a Carvin solid-body neck-thru electric with dual humbuckers (with coil splitters), Sperzel tuners, and a traditional Floyd Rose tremolo. The beater is an SG knockoff I picked up for about $100, with craptastic humbuckers. The AX2 sounds great whether I'm using the Carvin or my junker guitar.

I've seen these amps on eBay or craigslist for US$300-400, so I was really happy to get this one for just US$225.

Has lots of features. It's definitely not a plug-n-play amp. You have to tinker with all of the amp models and features. There used to be a few good sites where ax2 owners could exchange patches/ideas/tips & tricks but since this amp hasn't been in production for ages the only place you can get any collaboration would be the line6 website.

Definitely has a lot of power. I've only played it above 6 a couple of times in pretty small clubs. Whenever i play it at home in a my office room i keep it under 3 most of the time.

I've used it in a HSS and HH setups with pickups such as Tone Zone, Vintage Blues, Evo, Evo2, Breed.

I play Satriani/Vai/Petrucci plus new metal bands.

Cleans are ok. On occasion I can get a nice warm, good, sort-of bluesy sound out of it. Anything heavier than that sounds like shit. Period. All those demo tones that were posted on the Line6 website back in 1998-2000, were probably recorded with real tube amps. This amp sounds nothing like or even remotely close to what they demoed.
Sounds like a bad solid state amp with some guitar fx processor.

When you finally get a good tone, there is a 100% guarantee that at high volume it will sound like shit. So you have to maintain 2 sets of patches pretty much: 1 for practicing and for live gigs.

Definitely bring a backup just in case. Sometimes my channels can switch out of the blue.

The dreaded master volume knob tends to produce loud crackling sound when you dial. In most cases some lubrication solves it.

Never dealt with them, and hopefully never will.

It has a few good features. I love the cab simulation which sometimes helps you get pretty close to the tone you like. Tape echo is pretty nice too.

It if it was stolen, I'd go and invest in a real tube amp.

I recently re-discovered this amp. I owned one for 7 years, an original Ax-Sys which I converted to AX2 when it became available. Gigged it weekly for years, had the pots fixed a few times (a problem aread for these amps), and overall loved it. I then went tube snob. Spent the last 3 years buying and selling tube amps...you name it, I probably owned it...Blackface Fenders, vintage Marshalls, Mesa, Bogner, Carvin, handbuilt. Been there done that. I spent more time looking for tone than ever actually enjoying playing. Oh, and add every friggin pedal on the market employed to capture the magic tone. The money, time and general waste of life spent on this, is mindblowing. I stumble across a guy selling an AX2 on Craigslist. Turns out he is right across town...and turns out he is the same guy I sold my original AX2 to years ago! He converted it to a head, which is actually cool because these combos are notoriously heavy. I now use it with 2 Tubeworks single 12 speaker cabs with removable backs for open/closed back options. I have had the amp back for 3 weeks now and I have played more guitar than I have in the last 3 years, simply just enjoying the sounds and ease of use of this amp. Is it the same TONE as a tube amp. No. Does it sound good? Yes, absolutely! I forgot how cool these amps are, and am thrilled to have it back. You do have to tweek it, just like any good amp. But you save it and forget it. Hughes and Kettners latest attempt (the Switchblade) is a weak attempt at trying to attain what the AX2 did almost a decade ago in 1996. I owned the Switchblade for a day. The AX2 destroys it. I believe this flagship amp by Line 6 will eventually be a sought after item. They really went after IT in the beginning, and the latest offerings by Line 6 don't have the same passion and emphasis on musicians needs that the AX2 offered initially so long ago. If you owned one, you know what I'm talking about. There is no shame in owning one of these amps my friends. Ugly, yes without a doubt. But man, what a machine. Get one now while they are cheap and readily available. Hang on to it. Doesn't have to be the end all be all, but for the price of a good boutique pedal, you can now buy this amp again and keep it in your arsenal. Not to mention how much FUN it is to mess with. Wow.

Bought it second hand in 1998 to replace a Flextone 2 x 12. Use it for recording and live gigs (always mike it, never use line-out). Very versatile as can be read from other reviews. It's really incredible what Line6 has done for guitarists, both for professionals and enthusiasts, and it all started with the AX2. The fact that it is so versatile is also a reason why some guitarist don't like it. Perhaps you don't want an AX2 or a Vetta because you don't like programming a lot. But you can work from one of the 128 patches of the AX2 that you like and easily produce good sounds at live gig levels. At least I could. See also "Sounds."

Play mostly with a Gibson ES335, style rock/grunge/blues; sometimes with Fender Strat. My favourite live sounds are based on Van Halen's patches B and D. These patches sound good at room level but tend to become boomy yet brittle when turning the volume above 3. (Play live between 4 and 5 and this is loud.) You have to remember that this is a modelling amp. This means it can also emulate a tube amp which is about to blow and this AT ROOM LEVEL. This is the most amazing feature of a modeling amp because it actually gives you (an emulation of) sounds that you can never have AT ROOM LEVEL with real tube amps.

On the other hand, I think this is also the reason why some guitarists who are used to tube amps feel it cannot stand up to the real tube magic. When they want that "magic" from their tube amps, they crank the volume up. When you crank up the volume on the AX2, however, you have to take into account the theory of Fletcher-Munson that says that our ears start to perceive the relative loudness of different frequencies differently. That is why a patch that sounds awesome at room volumes from the AX2 tends to sound boomy and yet brittle at gig levels. And therefore it fails the test with the real tube amp sounds. The solution, however, is inside the AX2: the equaliser. From the curves of Fletcher-Munson, you can derive an adjustement strategy for each of the different frequencies in the AX2' equaliser. In essence, you need to reduce the db of the bass frequencies and take a little of the high frequencies. This works very well for me. Sure, the tone is still just an emulation of the real tube tone. But it sounds awesome on its own and better and warmer than most non-tube amps I have heard. It is good enough for me, and in fact I am very happy with my AX2 because I can practise at home at low levels and have approximately the same sound as during live gig levels.

So far I have had no problems and never had to use my backup amp (H&K).
The floorboard need to be maintained; tightening the screws.

n/a

It's not the most solid and durable construction. It's basically a computer inside so treat it with respect.

has loads and loads of effects.you would never need to buy a stomp box ever...i do use some with . but that is for my own personal taste..this is a complete guitar rig ..i would recomend it just for the effects.and the tone settings are great..you can change your tone a hundred different ways and keep it all stored..great for players in multiple bands..

its hard to get a good sound out of it..if you take time and work the amp you can get it..but it takes time. i have spent days just programing it..and still do ..i have had it for 5 years and i love it...wished it was louder ...

its heavy ....i havent had many problems just minor stuff..but i dont abuse my equip.i use for my live rig all the time..its just heavy my only complant

never have delt with them....

buy it ...it works for what you need it to do..take care of it and it will take care of you ..trust me..

Bought this amp in the mid to late 1990s. It was great as a practice amp. Took a while to geta good feel for it since there was SSOOO many settings. I bought the full floorboard with it also, and wouldn't dream of using this amp without it. It has enough power to be played ina band situation, and evenplayed a few shows for it, but I quickly bought a Marshall Cab to use instead of the stock speakers.
What feature do I wish it had? Tubes.

I first used a Fender Jaguar stock.... The a year ago put a SD Full Shred in the bridge and took a few months to get the right sound out of it again. But once I started playing next to a JCM 2000, this amp was useless.... As with most solid state amps... I tried the best I could with the Extensive settings to get a sound that could keep up with the Marshall, but it wasn't happening. I had no tone, and even though I was louder, the marshall stood out way more. Last month I just picked up a RG321 and I had enough of the Line 6. I give it a 4 for sound now, where as before I played next to the Marshall I would have given it a 7 or 8.

From all I have read these things crap out fast. THANKFULY *Knock onwood* it has been strong, and I have had no problems with the amp... The floorboard onthe other hand is Shyte. I like the control it gives me, but it's not strong enough to stand moderate usage. The switches keep going out on it. I am keeping this amp as my backup, as if I sold it I'd be lucky to get $400 CDN with the pedal. I'd prolly save money if I only used it as a coffee table.... Considering I spent $1500 on it, I might as well just keep it.

Didn't bother.

I have been playing for over 10 years, and it was my first "Real" amp. I wouldn't use this in a band situation for long. I'd say it's great for home jamming, or as a cheap recording amp since it's got a butt-load of effects.... If your looking to get out and play for cheap, find some other Solid Sate amp. Crates GT 1200H is replacing this thing for me till I can afford a Real Amp.

I've got two models, probably a 1999 and 2000. I don't really know as one was bought off of eBay. Versatile? Yeah, as versatile as I've heard. The real beauty is in tweaking with the appropriate software like AX2 Editor or Patchwizard. If you don't have the patience to tweak and explore, and want to just plug in and play then don't use the AX2, go elsewhere. But if you can explore and be patient, then you will be suprememly rewarded. 100 watts and can cause ears to bleed. I've never turned this up past 4/10 in any venue.

I'm using Tele's and a Danelectro, Strat and Variax, mainly playing country, rock and blues. I don't think that's terribly relevant since you can tweak this think to whatever suits you. Again - WORK with it and it'll reward you in spades. It's not a plug and play amp. You can do that but understand you're not using it to the fullest.

I would never depend on a really important gig without a backup, first of all. One of my AX2's did have some crapout problems at first but a capactitor value change solved that and I've had NO problems since. As it is a digital amp, however, I would fully recommend you use a power conditioner to ensure proper voltage regulation. Common sense, but you may not be aware.

A lot of people complain that Line 6 really dropped the ball when they declared the AX2 to be their flagship and then quietly put it on the shelf. I'm a bit pissed about that too, but they have never been less than helpful with questions and support AS LONG AS YOU CALL THEM. I have found their online e-mail support to be relatively useless.

Been playing 35 years. Five years ago I really stepped up and I am an admitted tone freak. This led me to Line 6. I understand there are players who want tubes and to plug in and play, but I'm comfortable with tweaking and this amp is limitless if you want to invest the time. Not the prettiest amp at all but who the fuck cares? It's stupid, but if I had any criticism it would be for it to look less geeky. It doesn't scream style and balls-out looks. Looks more like a LED Christmas tree. BUT - invest your time and it will do whatever you like. Dont' invest the time and don't complain!

Bought new in 1999.
I've been gigging it for 6 years, so I know this amp VERY well.

Effects-wise, there's no user-definable pitch shifter; so no whammy or harmonizer.

No-one in their right mind can rate this amp below a 10 for features when compared to the average amp. Check with reviews below or Line 6 for details, but it's awesomely versatile.

Used with Parker Fly Deluxe, Les Paul Custom and Wolfgang.

I bought this amp originally as I'd out-grown my set-up but I'd only been playing 4 years and still wasn't sure where my head was going to go musically.

I've turned out to be into funk, metal, jazz, rock (classic and modern), blues, hip-hop and pop. And this amp covers ALL bases. I can take it to any gig and KNOW it'll perform, regardless what's needed of me.

However, then there's the question of authenticity. It does at best 80% versions of the sounds of the amps it's modelled on. For example, the Mesa Dual Rectifier sound is fantastic. But it doesn't do a good Marshall. You won't get that "kick in the chest" that a Soldano SLO-100 gives you through a 4x12, even if you plug this amp through a 4x12.

Also, to get the cabinet emulators working, the 2x12 is pretty flat response - fine if you're using it with the modelling amp and cabint emulators, but it sounds naff as a slave cab to another amp (should you try that...)

Bottom line: Excellent range of good usable sounds, but no truly "killer" tones.

(But then I shoved a Soldano GTO Supercharger pedal in front of it and WOW...)

Totally dependable, bomb-proof build, have gigged without a backup regularly.

Occasional scuffs to tolex.

MAin complaint is that the lead to connect the floorboard is rather poor - it's never actually cut out on me, but the cable keeps wanting to come away from the end connectors. Duct tape...

On;y spoken to them occasionally but always had prompt responses.

Been playing 10 years now, I've also played through Mesa Lonestar, Engl Powerball, H&K Triamp II (my other main amp) and a Fender Ultimate Chorus, plus loads of effects.

The AX'll always be in my amp collection. I love it's flexibility and usability. It's pretty intimidating at first glance, but well constructed and yes I'd buy it again...

BUT it never REALLY kicks. When you turn the volume up, it gets louder but not thicker. I do love it, and I'd recommend it to anyone who needs a range of totally different tones in a one-stop shop.

The Vetta II still doesn't do 100% versions of classic amps... but I'll be interested to see where modelling goes in its 5th and 6th generations. The snobbery may yet need to end.

Final thought - don't use it to sound like Hendrix. It doesn't work, it'll never sound right. That's the whole problem with guitarists, we try to sound like our heroes and fail.

But use the AX to augment your own unique tones and it'll fly.

Bought New in 1997 (An AXSYS upgraded to AX2)
Digital amp with great preset sounds and vintage amp simulation
I practise and gig with in
100 watts
Unlimited amp sound combinations.
Footboard
Tuner
Every imaginable effect

The various sounds range from crappy to awesome and clean to over the top distorted. I found several sounds based on Peavey 5150, Marshall, Mesa and other amps that I really liked. I had several custom sounds I made and also liked the preset Boston, Van Hallen, Mettalica, and Satriani sounds.

Not quite a tube sound but the range of sounds is incredible. It was difficult to learn how to make your own custom sounds which was a big drawback. But the range of sounds and tones is great. But don't expect the real 51050 or real tube sound,,,you will get something close.

My amp never broke down yet...though it seems to be getting a buzzing sound.

It still sounds great, I've gigged with it w/o backup. It is loud but Live I had to run it through the band's PA as well. Key board player and drums drowned it out.

No maintenance issues and I've used it a lot.

No issues...they sent me the upgrades with no issues.

Good rig but don't compare to a tube marshall or Peavey...not fair comparison cause of price difference. This is a good versatile 2x12 combo that gives you a lot of sound options. I've used it extensively since 1997 without problems and it really makes some great sounds. Definitely can gig with it...may need help of a cab or a PA though. If it were lost I'd get another on ebay,,,, they are now pretty cheap.

I've been playing on and off for 20 years and seriously the last 8. My guitars include an EVH Wolfgang, Gibson Les Paul DC Standard, 2 Fender Strats, and a Custom Carvin DC127. They all sound great and I gig mostly with the Carvin, EVH and Gibson. This is now my backup amp since I bought a new marshall halfstack. In fact, I am
considering using this for a few songs since I really like some of the sounds.

Bottom line: A great little package....if you can a clean one used for 300-400 dollars I'd jump on it!

Purchased this new in 1996 as an Axsys 212 and converted it to the AX2 when the chip became available. I liked the idea of the modeling amp for playing out live. Some folks didn't like the time it took to learn how to use the amp. I spent many hours tweaking it and found some usuable sounds and developed a couple of clean patches that were useful. I mostly used the standard patches. I would save patches into the user defined patches and store them for specific songs and switch within one row on the floorboard to create different rhythm and lead sounds for specific songs. This was great for playing live.

This amp sounded best with single coil guitars. My PRS didn't sound good on it at all (a $2000 guitar). I played a Tele with EMG's once and this sounded pretty good. It was unpredictable as to what guitar would sound good with the amp. I lined this up side by side with the Mesa C II. The patch sound was close but you could tell the difference between this and a good tube amp. Most audiences wouldn't be able to notice but season players know. Whenever I tried to use the line out jack to go direct to the sound board I would get a loud feedback noise. I only mic'd the amp for playing live.

As soon as it was out of warranty it broke down. The nearest service center was 50 miles away. As I recall it cost about $100 to fix. The floorboard springs had to be adjusted on many occasions and the floorboard cable was very cheap and the plastic ends would break off very easily and then the cable wouldn't stay in place.

Never responded to my email questions. When I asked about the warranty by phone ,my only response was that I'd have to take it to a service center. The warranty was only 1 year so I was out of luck. They don't stand behind their product.

I've been playing for over 40 years. I own Mesa, Carvin, Bad Cat, Bill Lawrence, PRS and Custom designed guitars. I've owned Fender, Guild, Gibson and Martin guitars and various Fender and Peavey amps. I liked the idea of the modeling amp but Line 6 gear depreciates like a computer. It's basically worthless after two years. There is no resale value on this gear. I only had one reliability problem with the amp but many owners report alot of problems. Line 6 stopped making and supporting this amp shortly after 1999. I was lucky I found someone who would buy it for $350. I would not buy Line 6 gear again. Line 6 gear is way over priced for the quality and is not a good value. I feel like I got burned. I have a long memory.

I purchased an AxSys 212 in 1997, probably one of the first folks to jump on the modeling amp boat. Upgraded to the Ax2 chipset in 2004, and not by choice....the amp just fizzled out and died on stage, necessitating the upgrade as old chipset was no longer available. This amp was used very lightly, mostly in my home studio and not a lot of hard gigging. Before it broke down, I loved the versatility. As a guitar player with 35 years of experience, I wanted an amp that could cover everything from classic 60's rock to chord melody jazz and sound good with any of the fourteen guitars I own. The auxiliary channel was a nice feature as I could run the synth channel of my MIDI guitar here, with the guitar channel used for my straight guitar sounds. This made for a compact rig for MIDI guitar.

Most often used my 69 Les Paul Custom or Yamaha SE-700E (a superstrat with SSH p/u config and coil tap on the humbucker). The fact that there is a pot to allow different pickup output is good. The layout of preset sounds is chaotic, makes no musical sense. I suppose if you were to take the time to program all of your own sounds, you could devise a logical setup that would be easier to use in a live setting. However, imagine a memory game with 128 cards, each card concealing a different tone. Try flipping the cards over by memory in the middle of a gig and you see what I'm talkin' about.
Different distortions were usable, and gave good evidence to how many different variations of distortion there are. However, GOOD clean tones are hard to come by.

I always loved new space age products, purchasing the colorful solid state Baldwin Professional 2-12 in the 60's because of the rainbow colored Supersound presets. My Baldwin still functions well (and you will always see it in Willie Nelson's backline and sometimes used by Neil Young) However, the Ax2 totally died in the middle of a gig. Uncool, and none of the seven other amps I own have ever done this. I think I paid $800 new for the amp, and it cost me $300 to fix it. Screw the savings from not having to replace tubes! DO NOT use this amp without backup.

Even the service center seemed to be skeptical that I wanted to invest the $300 to fix this piece of Sh**. Line 6 abandoned their flagship amp. Maybe it was all hype to begin with.

After it was "fixed", I never liked the upgraded sounds. The presets now sound crummy, and the amp doesn't seem to have the power it used to. I read through some of the other ratings for this amp on the website, and I am amazed at the spectrum of responses from love to hate. That alone shows me what an inconsistent, unreliable product this amp is. I'm going to try to sell it, but resale value is kaka.

The all time useless feature on this amp for playing live is the line out! When you use the line out the amp goes brown...in other words it sounds like crap! What is up with that? Line 6 really dropped the ball here. You basically need an amp for your amp if you use the line out for live playing...unless you mic the amp. Very retarded feature! Other than that the features are great!

The amp models,cabinets,and sounds smoke! Really pretty clean sounds at high or low volumes...with no distortion. They are really nice...good for recording.

Not a very reliable amp over time. Vibration from the amp eventually causes the electronics to act up. It can be serviced and fixed...which mine has...twice! My friend bought one and basically cut the head off of the cabinet. No vibration = no problems. Line 6 should really make all their combos like this. Detachable head units...my friend hasn't had 1 problem yet with his amp this way. A great idea!

The silliest feature on this amp is the line out! Other than that it's a great sounding amp to have in your arsenal. The Soldono amp models are really sweet with 4x12 cab models. You can get a pretty good Van Halen or Satriani sound out of these models.

This amp is full of features. The only option I wish I had was to get one with more power. I've hooked mine up via direct boxes to a Crown power amp. Now it really cooks. Incidentally for those complaining about how the tone goes to crap at higher volumes, the Crown solution put an end to that. I don't use it much for recording, but I hear it's nice for that. Frankly I like to have too many different tones and I could not see myself lugging the JCM 2k, the Hot Rod Deville, and a Vox to every gig. Can you imagine the hookups? If you're a guy that has one or three tones that hardly ever get much tweeking then you might not like this amp.

Mine came with a floorboard.

I play Kramers. Old ones. I have a Baretta, a Pacer, an old Aluminum V-neck, and a strat copy. The strat copy has three Fender noiseless; everything else is dual, tapped humbuckers. Generally I play with either series humbucking bridge or parallel humbucking neck. The blues tones that come out of the AX2, especially with the Dumble model or the "bluesbreaker" patch are marvelous. I could not do better with the Deville, although it would give me more volume. Keep in mind it doesn't sound EXACTLY like the Deville on any patch. But the tone is just as pleasing.

Now, one thing you all should be aware of. Some of the factory patches have the model output volume TOO HIGH. This tends to make them sound shitty. If you're having a problem with a patch, go to the amp model row and reduce the level of the model output some. Then bring up the gain at the end.

Digital audio does not sound good overloaded.

Clean sounds are especially brisk.

I tend to like my own sounds. If you have an AX2 and you don't like it but you haven't given up yet, try making your own patch. Play with everything. Take the time. If you still don't like it, sell it.

I have never had one problem with this amplifier. I'm pretty careful with it, but then again I should be.

I also own a pod, which has travelled with me all over the US and even as far as Madrid (works fine on 220). No problems.

I have had no problems with the floorboard either. But I'm not a 200 lb dude on steroids either.

Haven't needed anything from Customer Support, but I hear parts are hard to get, which concerns me.

The price paid was including a floorboard.

There is no other amp out there that can do what this one can do. Some of the tone purists don't seem to like it, but let me tell you, a Marshall in the hands of someone who doesn't know how to use it can sound like complete crap also. You cannot take a Fender, or a Marshall, or a Soldano, or a Vox, or a Hiwatt, and go from fluid clean to nasty bluesy to hard edge metal with such ease. I'd need all of those amps (plus a Roland Chorus) to be able to do what I can with this one.

If you're willing to learn a new way to use a guitar amp (instead of trying to set the controls the way you would on your Hiwatt 100 for example), then you'll get a kick out of this one.

Purchased new in about 1998 w/Floorboard. Owned 6 years, mostly noodling at home, some performance.

Versatility and good sound at apartment volume was why I bought the amp, and that's exactly what it delivered.

Honestly, there are too many effects, etc. for me to make much use of, but if you need an effect for a specific purpose, chances are you'll find it. (Unless it's univibe or pitch shift.)

This amp is more than powerful enough for me (if you don't have enough stage volume with this, somebody else needs to turn him/herself down). It's not as powerful as an equivalently-rated tube amp - but that's not a concern for me.

For me, there is more than enough sound flexibility. The nuance available with a nice tube amp might not be there 100%, but that is more than outweighed by the versatility, convenience and range of sounds available.

I play a lot of high gain sounds: STP, Foo Fighters, Nickelback kinds of tone. The amp models are very forgiving, and it is very easy to get a big, rich crunch going.

While the sound is mostly there at bedroom volumes, it *does* sound better when you crank it up a bit and get the speakers working. The sound is definitely superior to the original Flextones, both 2x10" and 1x12": the two 12" speakers (and an additional DSP chip) make this amp sound quite nice. The Flextones, in contrast, were unacceptable to me - not enough bottom end, weak and flappy tone.

The amp is certainly not built with the same mechanical quality as a Mesa Boogie, for instance. However, it is a very simple design with no fragile tubes to break, so I have not yet had a problem with the amp itself (though I have been VERY careful with it). The front panel knobs seem particularly vulnerable to injury if you're not careful.

Like others, I have had some issues with the floor board. At one of my (rare) gigs, I got NO volume right before my big feature tune. Later, it turned out that the bendy plastic optical strip under the volume pedal had gotten slightly caught on the slot. When I pressed the pedal down, instead of going into the slot like it was supposed to, the strip got kinked, so it wouldn't enter the slot at all and the volume was stuck at 0. I emailed Line6, and they sent me up a (few) replacement strips for free, very quickly.

Lately, the "C" channel button on the floorboard has been unreliable - it takes a firm press to guarantee that the channel gets activated.

As mentioned above, the one time I needed a little part, it was sent quickly and with no charge. No complaints.

I am totally satisfied with this amp.

If it were stolen, I would consider a Flextone III, though I believe it has a smaller patch memory, and I like having at least 40 slots available. I would consider a Spider II, but again, lack of patch memory may be an issue. I would absolutely stick with the 2x12 configuration. The Vetta is 1) total overkill for me, and 2) priced far beyond my means.

I would not consider a traditional amp, because I require the features of a modeling amp: good sound at low volumes, decent reproduction of a wide range of guitar sounds, a complete guitar rig in one package with lots of instantly-recallable presets/setups. I have casually looked at other modeling amps, but most seem like "me too" efforts, while Line6 remains the leader in realistic modeling.

I really don't need any more features. A pitch shifter or univibe effect would be fun to play with, but I don't NEED them. A digital input/output would be great toys for "re-amping" when I record, but I find that direct recording of modeling amps, despite any claims of "revolutionary" cabinet models, is disappointing. I always get a better sound when micing a real guitar speaker. Perhaps better mechanical build quality, especially in the floor board, would be in order.

This thing has it all. Not only does it have tons of effects it allows you to assign specific settings (example- chorus rate) to the expression pedal. Couple this with the possibility of effect stacking and you've got an endless supply of alien sounds you can coax out of it. I've literally spent whole days in such a manner.

I got this amp a couple years ago when the majority of my playing as in my bedroom. I play more agressive stuff a la Glassjaw, Deftones, Rage, etc, and as such focus more on the distorted tones and like many solid state amps it sounds great a low volumes but starts to mush out at higher ones. Also many of the little nuance features such as cab size etc, seem to lose there character as the volume is increased. On the good side the clean chennel seems to retain it's clarity and harmonic value at any level, and the wealth of sounds alone (see above features) make this amp stand out.

No Complaints- except the fottswitch cost too much to replace.

N/A

All in all I think I overpaid as these kinds of amps tend to decrease in value very quickly, but I am happy enough with the amp itself as I run my signal through an aby box to a marshall 8100 (which has great distortion). This allows me to take advantage of both the full clean tone and the innumerable wierd sounds of the ax2. I would only reccomend this amp to an intermediate player- it definitely helps you in experimenting with different effects and what not- and even then only if you could get a deal on it- $500 or $600 canadian

Most people know that the amp has a lot of built-in effects, inluding the 32-some Amp models, a few different reverbs, 5 kinds of delay, more kinds of chorus (also has a really cool freq mod), along with several speaker cab emulations. 2-channels at 50W through two custom speakers built into a combo, though actually gets pretty loud at low volumes. Nice noise gate and hum canceller built-in. Midi In/Out for use with computer patch editors (Patch Wizard is an excellent one) and Midi foot controllers. I've basically only used it in my room, but I was in a band with a guy who used the same exact amp for all our practices and a couple shows (he's why I bought it, I knew the amp was good); always the loudest sounding thing we had going and needed to be turned down, though it wasn't cranked much. The direct out/headphone jack is nice, but I think the Line 6 Pod 2.0 (which I've also got) sounds much better for recording, but in all fairness the Pod is a newer product. NO effects loop, which I think is an extremely irritating lack, as I want to use my BBE Maximizer on it, though it probably doesn't need it. Power switch in the back is also a pain (right next to the heat sinks).

I run a Godin LGT with 2 single coils and a Seymour Duncan humbucker into it. Sounds very clear, has about the best definition of any amp I've played. My music style is sort of a mix of butt rock, metal, some J-rock, and hardcore. It suits any style pretty well though, and the definition and high gain settings particularly suit metal and rock playing. The amp is not noisy at all, thanks to the noise gate. However, if you turn it off it is as noisy as any tube amp out there. You pretty much HAVE to turn on the noise gate, which seems odd since I never had to get a gate for the Mesa Boogie DC-3 I used to have. So that's sort of an odd point. But the sound quality doesn't seem to suffer much. Nearly all of the amp models are useful, and I've found that it behaves like the tube amps I've played, a very Overdrive sound. The Rectifier, in particuler sounds good, and I'm pretty familiar with Mesa Boogie sounds; a very accurate model. The stomp box models are pretty crappy though, and it seems odd that you don't get to turn a tone knob, it has like 3 preset sounds in it for each box, ALL of which sound like crap. The octaver is sort of okay though, but doesn't sound too musical to me. The speaker cabs are pretty cool, but only about 2 or 3 of them sound clear enough for practical use, I recommend turning them off unless you are looking for the amp-specific sound. Even so, be prepared to tweak for hours. The chorus and delay effects are the freakin' BEST I'VE EVER HEARD or used. There's no shortage of sounds you can make with them. I would have liked to soon a loop thing built into this amp, instead of the crappy ring modulator, but I really can't complain about these effects. The stereo delays are unreal for being built-in, and sound better than any stomp box I've used or tried out, no signal distortion or anything. The reverb model is okay, but I don't use much reverb in my style, since I like as clear, defined sound as possible. By far the best thing in this whole amp, though, is the 5-band EQ. After the DC-3, I can't accept an amp that doesn't have one, and the Line 6 one is just as good, if not better. You simply have no limit to your amp sound, whether you like snarly treble distortion (like me), or metal mid-scooping brutality (like every other unoriginal neanderthal (I mean you DISTURBED, etc.) with a guitar).
The Clean sounds are top-notch. They get loud without getting harsh. Go down like BUTTA. Impressively comparable to some Fender amps' clean channels. One bad thing though, you get a crazy, LOUD, POING! sound when you switch patches that have delay on and off, though there is a way to get around this if you read the manual.

I can't quote on this since I haven't had mine for too long. But my friend's amp is standing up and he gigs with it all the time and isn't as nice to it (the thing weighs frickin' 70 lbs.) as I am but it takes the punishment and still performs. The heat sinks, like all computer based equipment don't look so good though, but they seem to do their job fine.
WARNING! The Line 6 Floorboard is a piece of frickin' !@#$!@#$!@#$!@#$!@#$!@#$!@#$!@#$^$^@#$. NEVER buy this thing, it's totally unreliable. Practically everyone that owns one that I know or have heard of has the thing break down on them. I even busted a knob and one expression pedal just trying it out at Guitar Center and I wasn't screwing around or anything. The FB is also unconscionably expensive at $200-300. The wannabe USB port it connects with is lame, but not as lame as the cable that comes with it that frays at the connector, exposing the wires no matter how nice you are to it. I mean, DEAR GOD, what were they THINKING? Who built it? Keebler elves? I use a Behringer FCB-1010 for mine and it works just as well and much more reliably. If I rate the L6 Floorboard it gets a 2 or 3.

Hmm, I haven't had to do much with them since the amp is fine. But an e-mail question I sent about MIDI controls still hasn't come back to me and it's been well past the 48-hour return period they promise.
ANOTHER THING: Line 6 does not support this amp any longer, once the Flagship Amp of their line. REALLY IRRITATING. No more upgrades, no Internet patch-exchange (which they promised). They deliberately made it so that it's not compatible with anything else they make, POD, Flextone, whatever. Line 6, although it's making some good sounding stuff, seems to be a money-grubbing Macintosh-like company that makes all their stuff proprietary and wants you to buy a new one every 3 months or so. But the AX2 is one of the best things they've made. The new floorboards are not backwards compatible, which means that it's the lame Floorboard or a midi controller that you have to painstakingly program. Line 6 is probably not interested in making life or guitar playing cheap (!) or easy for you, but the stuff they sell you does measure up.

I've been playing for more than 6 years. I also own the Line 6 Chorus modeller rack, and the aforementioned POD 2.0 and Behringer FCB-1010. In addition I use the excellent MosValve 962 power amp to boost my AX2's signal into a 4x12 cab so I don't get the AX2 too hot, though I probably don't need to do this. It does allow me to use my BBE though.
I would buy this amp again if it were stolen, unless I could get a Vetta instead for a similar price. I love the excellent sounds and variety, I hate the proprietary stuff and lack of effects loop. All in all, if you can find one used, you've got the best thing going to sound great without being bankrolled by a record label.

Bought the amp about two years ago.
This amp sure is enough versatile to me. I play different styles of music and the amp is capable of producing the appropriate sound for all those styles.
The only thing is that you have to take the time to tweak this amp.
Please don't compare it with any tube amp but just create a sound you like!
I like creating my own sound and this amp gives me all the tools to achieve this.
I have separated the amplifier-part from the speakercabinet-part (with a saw!) so I use the amp-art as a head. Now I use the head with a 4x12inch speakercab and this sounds even better! (it sounds bigger with a more crispy sound, ideal for clean sounds)

(see my story above)

Very reliable.

The best support I ever got.
They sent me new a new chip two times with no charging me anything for it!

This amp will suit me for many years!

Too many to list, countless effects, tones, great guitar tuner built in. Loud.

I've been using an ESP KH-2 through this amp, and there is one thing this amp does very well.. metal. It's crushing tones are very crushing, I'm not into the "classic" amp models so much, but when I'm looking for something different, they do the trick. The amp handles clean to crushing very well and sounds good. Recording direct, you will lose something it seems. You can also tell you're going direct with it, but with a little tweaking it sounds good.

I've had to have this amp worked on once, the power supply went dead. So it just wouldn't turn on, but other than that, the amp has been fine. However, I have not gigged extensively with this amp, I've played maybe 2-3 shows with it. So, as far as sitting in a studio, it's reliable.

I called Line6 when the power supply went awry, and they were very helpful and courteous, also I didn't have to wait long on the phone.

This amp is great if you need a lot of tones and effects. The amp is reliable in a studio/sitting around situation for sure. It gets loud enough for jamming with friends. It sounds metal. So if you're a metal guitarist, for sure, this amp will treat you right. The Graphic EQ really helps in bringing out the distortion you want. I just wish I could get a better recorded sound out of it, but I'm working on it! If this amp were stolen, I think I'd save up for a Mesa in the long run. 1 great tone vs 1000 mediocre tones is probably the best way to go. For the price though, and the sound, the amp is awesome for intermediate guitarists. (Which is what I was, when I bought it.)

Sure, we can model all the great amps that have ever been made: Vox, Marshall, Soldano, Fender, etc... we've got a million and a half built-in effects and tweaks with everything you can imagine. We've evem got CAB MODELING! This amp can do anything... but i certainly didn't say that it can do them well.

I've played this amp through almost every guitar: Fender 72 tele thinline, Gibson SG's, Gibson Les Pauls, numberous Fender Strats/Teles, Custom made ibanez guitars, shitty Squiers, acoustics... etc, no matter what, the amp always sounds like crap strained through an ass. I've tried almost every kind of pickup, from Soap-bar P90s, Lace Sensor Reds and silvers, and numerous Humbuckers... no matter what it's still no better than crap strained through an ass. Supposedly with this amp I am offorded the same tube tone of all the great amps of the past to present. In reality you just get a bunch of half-assed sounds that never compare in any way to the originals--whatsoever. I've played many of the amps that the AX2 models side by side to this junk and there is absolutely no comparison to the originals: TubeTone software is a gimmick. I'm selling this one on ebay as we speak for dirt cheap (because that's all it is worth). And to think, I actually traded a Marshall JCM2000 TSL head for this shit (definately my worst decision of my entire life) Luckily, I recently bought a Sovtek Mig and am running it through a Marshall 8222 2x12... it sounds like a dream to say the least.

Piece of freaking junk. The channels randomly decide that they should be somewhere else rather than where I need them to be. The floorboard... oh my god that thing is a piece of crap. The wah pedal never even worked right out of the box! And not to mention that I've had to replace the foot switches atleast twice for each switch, and they're still breaking left and right. I've never used it rough and it's never seen a gig (like I would ever take that thing into public anyway)... and yet it still breaks from gentle use. Atleast I've learned one thing from this amp: I will NEVER EVER buy a solid state amp ever again, and ESPECIALLY will I never buy a modeling amp EVER AGAIN. Modeling amps are the downfall of society.

Me: "Hi, my pedal board is broken...I just bought it..."
Them: "Oh that's too bad."
Me: "So can you fix it?"
Them: "HAHAHA!!!! ... oh, you're serious...listen, you're lucky it worked in the first place... be happy for that much."

I've been playing for about 7 years now and this is definately the worst decision of my guitar playing years. If it were lost or stolen I would celebrate and rejoice, and then i'd go out for a nice Fender Super Deluxe Reverb. I absolutely hate this amp 100%. I WOULD NEVER, EVER RECOMMEND TO ANYONE FOR ANY REASON THAT THEY BUY THIS AMP...I WOULDN'T EVEN RECOMMEND RECEIVING IT AS A GIFT... Stay away from this amp at all costs. I wonder how the auction is going on ebay.

Many, many, many very cool features.

Dude the tone on this thing sucks. Just outs like a regular solid state amp just with a whole lot of effets and differest eq settings.

this thing has a mind of its own. the volume and tone will just drop durring play at high volumes (sometimes). it'll sound completely different through different trical input jacks. very inconsistant tone. settings can be erased or changed very easily on accident. i havnt giged w this thing yet, but i've been told that it SUCKS live. good for recording though. i wouldnt even want to use this thing live at all.

they are actually very helpful. even online. i was impressed.

I'll tell you the really cool things about this amp: the stereo chorus, stereo delay, the tremolos are AWESOME! The wah and the expression pedals are cool. you can assign delay, tremolo, chorus, and flange speed to the expression pedal. Has a noise gate which is cool, but if you over tweak it, you will loose tone like a mofo. Oh and it has very nice reverbs. So the features are very nice on this amp, but features are all it has. What good are all those nice features when the tone sucks, and its unreliability?

Bought in late 90's and upgraded to AX2. Very versitile for cover band type material. Not going to go into other features that have already been covered. No effects loop.

Before the upgrade there were a couple of very cool tones that I really liked. I lost them with the upgrade and the new chip has a more processed vibe to it. Be careful before you say that this thing gets 98% of the tone of the modeled amp. You may think so as long as you don't have a plexi or a good deluxe reverb to A/B with it. It gets OK sounds and a lot of them but it sure doesn't sound like a real plexi when you have one in the same room. I would say that these models are around 60 to 70 percent of the real amp.

No you cannot depend on it. The first time I took it out it started "cycling" through the presets on its own and wouldn't stop. It was never abused or even knocked around.

This company has the worst support that I have ever seen. No response to email. No phone number that you can call to get a real person on the line. They do have a discussion forum for users with Line 6 gear problems to talk to each other. WOW!! But the bottom line is take your junk to one of our authorized service centers where the diagnosis starts at $30 and works up.

These amps are basically computers with speakers. After you realize that they don't really sound as good as you thought they did, Line 6 comes out with a new version and tells you that they have worked out all of the issues and THIS time it is the real thing. Your old unit then becomes a boat anchor and if you are as dumb as I am, you fall for that BS and buy a new product (in my case a POD PRO which had problems right away). Also, this was the "last amp" you would ever have to buy because Line 6 could upgrade the chip whenever improvements were made. Now they are discontinued and the Vetta is the new flagship. Vetta users get ready, very often history repeats itself.

Upgraded from the original AXSYS that I bought new In 1997. It was one of the first in at Guitar Center They said it was just put on the floor. All The features have already been covered. I would give it a 10 (for Features ) If it had an Intelligent pitch shifter or a good octave divider Like the digitech xp100 IMO the best Octave divider available.

Great sounds, Good for almost any playing style If you are not trying to nail the tube amp sound right on the head. It has lots of very usable sounds that I have found with some tweaking. You're not going to get A mesa or a marshall or soldano sounds out of this amp. What you will get is lots of room to build increadible sounds that you can call your own. The cleans and effects are absolutely amazing Crystal clear and does not break up at higher volumes. The jazz chorus setting will make you weep. Some distrtion sounds are usable.If you have played tube amps for a long time I recomend you dont get this amp. I am more sensitive to the sonic differences of these digital amps than I was when I first bought it. Back then I had only played solid state amps up till then. I had been playing since 1982 and solid state amps gave me everything I needed for my styles at that time. I walked into guitar center and played this thing and I was completly amazed. I had just auditioned for a recording artist and was hired to play for him. The crate amp I was playing at the time just was'nt versitile enough and I needed something that would cover a broader range of styles from classical rock to modern brit rock. This amp did it all so I bought it right then. It was great at first I rtemember playing a show at the old Bronco Bowl in dallas with several other bands. They were lugging all there equipment in. (half stacks huge pedel boards) I was already set up.Just amp foot controller and guitar after the sound check they were all gatherd around it staring and asking tons of questions about it. It felt really good. But I was dissapointed in what was coming out of the speakers it just did'nt sound good. In the house mains it sounded wonderful but out of the speakers flat and thin. I toured with and recorded with this amp for 5 years and people were always amazed except the rest of the band who were always hearing it straight out in rehersal. It wasnt until we were doing a television show and I had someone at the studio give me a video that I heard what was going on the studio was using Tube mike amps for the instruments and that is why it sounded so good. This convinced me that i needed to get a real tube amp to really make myself happy. I was hearing the small sonic differances that can drive you nuts. If you have always played tube amps and you really feel like you need this amp. I would reccomend you get a Line 6 Pod ProXT and run it through a Mesa are Marshall tupe poweramp into a cabinet. You will have the versitility the AX2 can give you but with A sound That wont hurt youre ears. I still did'nt learn my lesson and 6 months ago I bought the Line 6 Flextone III XL because the reviews were saying they had finally gotten it right.I sold it 2 months ago and bought a Marshall DSL 100 tube half stack. Finally the tone I needed,not even half as versitile as the AX2 but it sounds great. If you are a new musician or prefer solid state or digital sound I highly reccomend this amp. But not for the tube purist. (I am not one but I know what sounds good to me) I have had to buy numerous pedals to get the versitility but its worth it.

I toured, recorded (live and in the studio) And did television both live and prerecorded for 5 years with this amp and never had a backup. This amp and footboard NEVER went down on me. The only time it was ever in the shop was after I tried to upgrade it my self with a new chip and wasnt properly grounded (I fried the chip) Line 6 gave me a new chip free of charge and had it installed for me even though it was my fault.

Read above review. They always anwseredmy e-mails and phone calls quickly. And payed for repairs that were my fault. its been 5 years though so I cant speak for them now they were a brand new company back then. My only gripe was I had to drive 70 miles through Dallas traffic to get to a autorized repair center back then.

I've been playing for 21 years now. (geez am I that old?) before this amp I had many solid state amps. Peavey, Marshall, Randall and a few others I dont even Remember Oh yeah I had a couple of Crate amps to.
This is a good value in the get what you paid for catagory. It served me well but I Wont get another line 6 amp except maybe the new SpiderII Head but only for its clean sounds and I would A/B it into my Marshall cab Just for clean sounds because Line 6 got those right.
I do use a Line 6 DL4 and MM4 modeler pedels with my tube rig so I am not dissing their products. The pedels merely Delay or Modulate my guitar signal before it reaches my tube signal path. I do not use the effects loop.

I use Yamaha Pacificas with EMG-SA and EMG-89 pickups, and a Schecter 007 Elite 7-string, playing heavy progessive rock, metal, blues, and funk in a 3-piece band. This amp is absolutely awesome for one reason and one reason only - the Dumble simulation (amp model 13). I use only four user-defined programs, which all use the Dumble: #1 is clean (lower gain, high volume), #2 is rhythm (medium-high gain, medium volume), #3 is metal rhythm (high gain, medium volume), and #4 is solo (metal rhythm + delay + tinge of chorus). If I could afford a Dumble, I'd buy another AX2 because I can easily access four perfect configurations with one click of the footboard. I couldn't be happier with this amp's Dumble simulation and the versatility it gives me. The built-in effects (esp. delay & chourus) are very good as well.

I have used this amp for gigging and practice for 3+ years without a single problem. I have installed casters and side handles to make it easier to lug around. I have used without a backup, but I am looking around for a second used AX2 for this purpose.

Not for everyone, but perfect for me. I don't use all of its features, but you don't need to in order to get everything you need out of it (the Dumble)... :)

A shame there's no harmonizer, but apart from that it has everything I need. I mostly play in a pop rock covers band - U2, Police, Stones, Beatles, Gary Moore - and I have been able to tweak the perfect sounds for most of the material. I also play in a Pink Floyd tribute band for which the amp is an absolute necessity. For me, it loses one point for the lack of harmonizer

My main guitar is a Steinberger. I grew up on Strats, so in comparison the Steinberger has a harder tone. With careful tweaking of the eq I can emulate strat and les paul tones using this amp.

Totally crap! I've had the amp for three years, and I suppose it has been gigged fairly hard, but it has now developed a problem that seems to be quite common. At certain venues it resets itself, apparently at random. I've tried a surge protector, which has made no difference. I found that disconnecting the floor board improved the situation, but did not solve the problem entirely. As for the floor board - CRAP, CRAP, CRAP. I have had to open it up more times than I've had hot meals, to tighten up the switches.

WHAT SUPPORT.

I've been playing for twenty years and have used a number of other amps and processors/foot pedals, which have all worked fine. However, I bought this amp as an all in one solution and, with the exception of the reliability issues, it does exactly what I expect of it. If it were stolen or lost though, I would have to think very seriously about whether or not to buy another Line 6 product. I chose this amp because I felt it was the most suited to my needs at the time, but now there are a wealth of alternatives, so I would certainly check them out first.