Line 6 Flextone HD

I gave up a much more versatile amp in the Vox Valvetronix AD120VTH Stack. Of course I got a lot more back in sound. This amp has some very versatile features I think one of my favorites is that it is a powerful beast that can run up to 8 cabinets. I just have the four channel switch for right now until I get the foot control and then I'll have far more control of the features.

It this what it is really all about? The sound is the most important signature of an amp. I practically stole this amp paying 199.00 for it. There was a small tare in the front top of the tolex but I don't give a crap what an amp looks like just what it sounds like.

One weekend I came across some vintage E.V. cabinets with the VMR mids in them. I had used one of them for a guitar bottom back in the mid 80's and remembered how awesome the sound was and how there was just so much headroom. So here I was thinking I was doing something totally different using a full range cabinet instead of a typical 4x12. Tom Scholz of Boston had me way beat because his Rockman cabinets were actually full range cabinets instead of 4x12's.

Anyhow I dragged my guitar and one of the E.V. cabs to the music store to try out all sorts of heads since the distortion in the Vox head sounded thin and fakie through the E.V's. I thought the tube heads would sound the best since it was an old Marshall head (clear as a bell even dimed out) and later a Musicman HD-130 I had used through the E.V. Full range P.A. cabinet. First I tried the Line 6 Flextone 2 and it sounded great. Marshall's JCM 2000 sounded like crap and a few other did too. Then I saw the Flextone HD with the small tare in the tolex thinking sure they'll knock some off because of cosmetics and they did. I tried it and it sounded awesome. Then I put it up against the Flextone 2 and went back and forth. The Flextone HD was not only the better sounding of the two but also a lot less money. Also I had noticed that it had the fans on the back was wider and heavier (larger transformers).

If you're looking for that vintage Marshall crunch sound that you hear in the early ACDC when they are smashing those chords and the speakers are growling at you. It's in there with the right cabinet and guitar! This amp sounds heavier than wet carpet and that great Line 6 delay they are known for really kicks. Loads of tone especially for a solid state amp. This amp has very good clarity when you're playing lead. Very good clean sound as well, not the best I've ever heard but much better than Marshall's. I saw Skid Row using these in the Area back in 2000. These are a beast when it comes to loud and you can run up to 8 Cabinets with one of these heads. It's a monster!

Just got it a week ago so I can't honestly say. Time will tell? So far so good

Haven't needed them.

I'm 45 and have been playing since I was 13. If something happened to this amp you bet I'd get another one. I'm considering getting another on anyways as a back up. I play mainly Classic rock 70's and some of the 80's Metal and this amp is superior for that type of music.

i think the other reviewers have covered this, tons of amp models, tons of effects (actually some great quality effects), lots of gain, etc. etc. etc.

This is where i just love this baby. I use a ESP LTD EC-400, a schecter c-1 elite, a schecter c-1 hellraiser, a ibanez sz720, and a lite ash fender strat (MIK). I have owned the flextone II HD, and have lots of time on the vetta II head. I also owned a flextone III XL combo for a short while. This is definitely my favorite one, and the same goes for everyone else i know, it shares the same power amp as the vetta, the preamp is the only difference. Even stand alone i LOVED the sound i could get from this head, i literally prefer the recto model on here than my rectoverb and don't even get me started about how much i paid for that damn thing (going on ebay soon lol). Then i threw a MXR kerry king 10-band EQ in the effects loop, one word....WOW.....this amp just came to life. It just took the fun to a whole new level. i've used this same EQ in other amps and it always does alot of good, but it was just made for this amp. Anyone that dislikes the amp needs to throw this EQ in the loop. the effects are excellent and you have lots of control over the effects. Just wish you could stack more
on top of each other. So i use a few pedals like a compressor, chorus, and delay. Although i prefer the effects on the head believe it or not, its just you cannot use them all at once.

no problems here and its not exactly new. I run it at 4ohm stereo and it doesn't even hardly ever turn the fans on until i've had it turned all the way up.

incredible sound, one of the only amps that doesn't sound too harsh or nasty at high volumes. It really handles high volumes for long periods no problem. Its not going anywhere. As much as liked the flextone II head i used to have, and its extra models and cabinet sims i just feel it didn't sound nearly as good as this original flextone HD does (using the same cabs too). I'm using it through 2 cabs. A Marshall 1960A, and a B-52 AT cab. absolutely wonderful

16 Amp models, 8 core effects then 7 mixed with delay and bypass which is considered 16 "different" effect. Effects loop, Stereo outputs, XLR outputs. Hidden bonuses such as, Noisegate, EQ Boost, Presence boost, Drive boost, open/closeback cab sim and more. 300watts..I could go on for days! Everything is useful no matter what you play!

Mainly a Metalhead but I'm open to learn anything to better my skills; blues, classic rock, ect. This amp will achieve alot of different tones from a crisp clean, a sublte crunch to an all out gain MONSTER! My guitars are mostly passive or active humbuckers with neck single coils.

Being a member of a certain "seven string" guitar forum not alot of people like these amps, but heres what I have to say; Not everyone popped out with a Marshall stack and a Les Paul at birth, so stop pretending to be Zakk Wylde and STFU!

So far so good but I don't want to jinx it!

Horrible! I voiced concerns I'd read from many people and they seem oblivious to the fact anyone is having problems with any of their products. "It was built to do what it says and so it will without problems!"

Never touched a tube amp, wouldn't want to pay the outragous price for it, then the tube upkeep, it's like a child! People put down solid states but LOVE DImebag Darrell's tone....DUH! It's all in what you have to work with folks!

Everyone knows the features by now...16 amp models (well, 15 and 1 stomp model), 16 effects.

The Flex II and higher obviously have improved upon the features, adding better control over effect parameters, choice of cab models, and so on...

There have been numerous feuds over SS vs. Tube, blah blah...

I have not heard half of the amps this thing is supposed to emulate. I don't care. What I do care about is that with some time, I can create some great sounds, from clean, to slightly dirty, to full on distortion.

The most important things to remember are that 1) you have to spend time tweaking this amp. It should be a labor of love! You really can't expect very many amps (or any other audio gear) to sound good without some time invested in learning the controls.

2) You have to set your sounds a GIGGING volume. You can't expect it to sound great on 1 in your bedroom, then take it to a club, turn it up to 4 and sound as good. It's called the Fletcher-Munson curve. Look it up.

Aside from that, for me, the sounds are great. If you play in a cover band (we play covers/originals), this is an invaluable tool that will save you from hauling around processors and stompboxes. Tom Petty? It's in there. Creed? Yes. Matchbox 20? Godsmack? STP? Zeppelin? All in there. You just have to work at it.

I bought mine used off Ebay for a fantastic price. It has cosmetic flaws, but thus far has worked quite well. Definitely use a surge protector. Remember, this amp is basically a small computer with a big ass power amp.

I've had Line6 gear before, and service has been pretty decent.

All in all, this amp is pretty damn fantastic. Versatile, fun to use, LOUD and definitely a bargain, new or used. Do the math. Add up the price of a comparable amp (Marshall MG or something) then add all the effects/distortion pedals. You'd need at least 14-18 pedals to come pretty close to doing what this thing does.

300w solid state amp with artificial tube modelling for about 16 amps from various eras, plus built in digital effects - reverbs, delays, noise gates, flangers, chorus', compression, rotary speakers.

Way more stuff is accessable if you shell out for the line6 floorboard (wah and volume pedals plus way more presets)

serial or parrallell effects loops, midi compatible out, direct balanced xlr strereo outs to send to a mixing desk or pa system with microphone and cab modelling built in.

this thing has 4 savable presets to bank sounds (more 200ish with a floorboard) plus the manual setting

this thing can power 8 four by 12 cabs via the dual stereo outs, or even a little 8 inch single driver with the option of mono outs.


IN short a home recordists or gigging guitarists dream. I don't know how you could give it any less than a 10

guitars i use;
1)bc rich warlock with emg 81 and 85
2)godin radiator (stock)
3)guild s25 (stock)
4)fender jap strat 57 reissue (stock)
5)taylor baby with dean markley sweetspot

I mainly play from blues to rock with some fast shred type passages, but like to change my guitars up to stop boredom. I wanted an amp that would suit every one of my guitars, and for the price (#250 second hand) it seemed an obvious choice. I can set presets - 1 for each guitar;

1)brit high gain, rectified
2)brit classic
3)flextone clean
4)flextone layer

The distortion is as hard as you could ask of a solid state, with the advantage of not having to crank up the volume for ultra gain like tube amp heads. If you read the manual, there is an extra gain boost you can get by holding down a preset button and cranking the gain past 12 oclock. The soldano, marshall and mesa models all sound great to me (really do) but i have not heard the originals they are based on.

Similarly clean varies - but i like the tweed blues, blackface, flextone clean and layer models are all great after i tweak the eq. I find that both through dirty and clean channels, the sound is more tube like if i use a chorus or compressor with the effect turned almost all the way off. (try it)


I rate it for versatility, even if i think it could sound a little breathier and expressive at times. It really does give a broad pallet of great tones, easily accessible within a minute.

years old, 1000 physical miles on the clock sincwe i have had it, more before. No breakdowns, and if it ever does, it will go way after the amps it is modelled on. No need to service like tube amps.

It won't let you down

never used them, but all manuals are online and there are forums to talk about this amp, although liune6 really only seem to care about stuff from pod 2.0 and flextone 2 range onwards for some reason.

No updated patches or tweaks suggested for original customers,

its been a great amp, for what i could afford, but i preferred the jcm2000 marshall heads when i tried them (but are aot more money), less flexible although better at the oine thing they do.

I might try a laney pro tube head (they go for less than they are worth), or a matamp head if i get the right deal. It will be through no fault of this amp though. I have since thrown a hughes and kettner tube factor in through the front end and am getting something more like i would like now.

Basically, i wih it had tubes or that i could edit it more deeply like the flextone2 heads and pod xt's.

I wish it had a couple of real pre amp tubes that you could turn on and off to add colour (hughes and kettner tube factor inside).

I wish that the line6 floorboard was not the only way to get all the sounds out of this thing - #200 is alot for what is only a switching device.

Everyone already knows the features here.

I use a cheap Ibanez RG Series guitar w/humbuckers. I like to play very loud with a lot of power and this amp has done that for me for the last 6 years. I run it into a Mesa cab w/celestions and that sounds awesome! I really don't think this amp models other amps very well, but I don't care about that. I like it for the sound it DOES give you. I think this amp is even better than some newer versions that don't have the power and head-room that this amp gives you. You gotta have the floor-boord w/ this amp. It gives you more controll over the sound as far as boosting drive, distortion, EQ, etc. I know everone likes different stuff. Crank it up to where you are going to play and then tweek it. I use a bit of help from a wireless unit and a boss noise suppresor and that it sounds GREAT!!! I have used this amp live and for recording. Works great for both. Live, I've used a mic sometimes and the XLR line out and both ways work very well. The other guitarist in my band uses a Mesa Triple Rectifier and I destroy his tone, but at the same time they sound great together. I don't like the volume controll on each channel. It sounds best cranked to 10 on every channel, but then the clean channels a just a bit weak(volume, compared to distortion channels). The wireless for some reason helped on this. This thing is VERY LOUD. My band playes VERY LOUD and I've never had to turn this thing past 4 1/2!!! Effects are O.K. I love the Trem and I use the reverb, chorus, delay, and roto speaker.

This thing as taken a brutal beating over the years of gigging. Not once in the six years since I got it did anything go wrong.

Not one problem EVER!

Never talked to them.
Wish they still made this amp though.

Nothing gets a 10 overall, but this amp does it for me!

Like I said I wish they still made this amp. The flextone 2 sucks in my opinion. The FlextoneIII and HD147 sound good, but they aren't the same. I have played on many amps, tube and SS(I like both), and if this amp was lost I would find it used and buy it again in a heart beat.

this is a digital head with 300W. it's suppose to emulate many popular tube amps with "tubetone" technology. this amp can cover just about any music style. it has a plethora (or whatever that word is)of amps and effects.

i play for the most part, new school metal. i run an ibanez "s" series 7 string into a boss metal zone, then into the line 6 head, and then into a marshall 1960A slant cab. this amp is AMAZING at volumes below "3", but after that, this thing sounds wiry and dry. when you crank the gain and volume on the rectified and british hi gain settings, this thing just loses all clarity and depth in my opinion. i run the metal zone b/c i think it's the best stomp box distortion available, and still even when i get about 4 or 5 on the master volume this thing displeases me. the fender amps and the chorus amp (roland jc-120 copy) seem to do pretty good, and the effects are decent. it has a cool effect that fades in the note, and delays it too, which is something different. i've owned this thing for about 3 years now, and the more i play it, the less impressed i am. i played one of the vetta combo amps 2 days ago and it kicked this things ass!

this thing has been good to me as far as reliability, no breakdowns, no blown fuses. i would use it without backup, mainly b/c this is my only head haha

never dealt with them

i've been playing for about 7 years now. i own a 1996 fender jagstang, a 99 or 2000 ibanez "s" series 7 string, and 2 days ago i put a paul reed smith standard 22 on layaway. hopefully the prs will help out the lame tone a little. i really really want to like this thing b/c it's the best value for the money for people that can't afford a mesa or a marshall. i've never owned a tube amp, but while i was guitar shopping i also looked around at amps and am really serious about getting a nice high-gain all-tube head like a peavey triple x or a mesa dual/triple rectifier.

This is simply the best-sounding and most-versatile amp for the money. This is great for every style - jazz, classic rock, metal, etc. Perhaps the best feature is the XLR direct outs w/cabinet simulator. This amp is normally ridiculously loud, which is great (why else would you by a head?). Yet, if you want to practice at home, just plug in the direct outs to a mixer and use headphones - it still sounds great. Authentic tube tone without the hassle of real tubes. My biggest pet peeve is that you really need the line 6 floor board to use all of the features (expanded memory, distortion boost, presence boots, tuner, wah, volume pedal).

I play a cutom Jackson Soloist w/ a Seymour Duncan JB in the Bridge and a SD Jazz in the neck position. I play rock, metal, and jazz. This amp is perfect for those styles. The highest gain settings (modern hi-gain/rectified) are pretty brutal, yet articulate. That is one of the best things about this head - at it's heaviest it is never muddy. This amp is very noisy with hi-gain settings - a noise gate is needed for tight stops. I use an old Rocktron Hush unit for this. The HD II does have a built in noise gate, so Line 6 has addressed this issue. The clean channel does not distort at high volume.

I've had this unit for about nine months, and have had no problems at all. I gig without a backup.

Never Dealt with Line 6.

I have been playing for 12 years, and this is the best amp i have ever owned. I was in love with a Digitech 2112 until it was stolen from me! I wanted to have an all-in-one unit instead of buying a preamp and a power amp. This is 1,000 times more organic sounding that any digitech or johnson product. The chorus effects are great sounding, but the others are mediocre. In my opinion, a good chorus is the only necessary effect. If it was stolen I would definitely replace it. The HD II is actually better in many regars to the original HD - more control parameter for effects, choice of cabinet simulators, etc. The worst thing is the noise factor. At high volumes you really do need a noise gate. The bottom line is TONE...and the HD is simply the most organic sounding, versatile, and economical head out there. Kudos to line 6 for making such great sounding products. Highly recommended.

I bought the Line 6 Head for the somple fact of getting a lot of bang for the buck since I have pretty stringent amp requirements. I play at least 5 nights a week so I needed soemthing that could keep up with me and all the sounds I needed in one easy to access area. Line 6 provided me with all of that.

I'm running a DeArmond Spit Fire Special through it with P90 pickups and playing mostly rockabilly and punk. I had a few problems trying to get that shrill solid state sound out of the mix. Which I never did manage to master. Other than that I gave me most of the tones I was looking for. Especially in the recording studio when I could run straight to the board with out a mic at my cab. Live however was a slightly different story. I was running a Peavy custom made cab loaded with british made sheffield speakers. It runs a little brighter than most so that horrid solid state sound came through way to easily. If you're considering buying one of these heads I would recommend running it through a Mesa Boogie half open back cab... That's the one I found it sounded the best on.

As far as reliabilty this amp sucks! Like I said I have very stringent amp requirements and this is not the amp for that! I've had it blow out in the middle of sets 4 times and numerous times in rehersal. Any sort of power surge under extreme conditions and the fuses blow... I think this amp would be best if it was a studio amp only, it's not made for the bumps and bruising of the road.

With this amp blowing almost every other show I've tried several times to contact Line 6 and ask if there's a prevention to all of this. I still haven't heard from them. So tonight I'm going out and trading my Line 6 in for something else, an action I'm not real thrilled about since I have a show 4 hours later... So I have 4 hours to break in a new head... Thanks for nothing Line 6!

Overall this is a good amp if you don't know what style you want just yet or if you are looking for a less expensive solution to that Dual Rectifier you've always wanted. But don't expect it to hold up for the long haul... Keep it in the studio it'll work wonders... Take it on the road and you'll be screwed.

it is full of features and has really groovy lights on the front panel

the sounds on this thing rule through a marshall cab !!!

it is very reliable, but also very heavy
there are no tubes so they can't break and i have not had any other problems yet

no comment... look on the site and see for yourself

i've only just bought it 2 months ago but i am really happy with the raw power that is gives me... it now resides in the studio where it also works like a dream so to be frank... i love this thing

You can go to the Line 6 homepage and download the user manual, that will have way more info than I could ever list. If you are looking at the Line 6 amps, you know they are all loaded with features. The word of the day with this amp is Flexibility. You won't find an amp with more features packed into one head.

I play a Jackson Rhoads with EMG's, an 81 in the bridge and a 60 in the neck. I play metal, but the real deal, not the crap you hear today. Old school Metallica (Lightning, Puppets, Justice), old school Megadeth (Peace Sells, Rust in Peace), Pantera, etc. I also dabble in some other styles, but heavy is my area of expertise.

From what I can tell, this amp is basically a digital pre-amp pushed through a solid state power amp. If you are a tube amp purist looking for true valve tone, this is not the amp for you. If you like solid state amps, this is the best amp you will ever hear in your lifetime.

At lower levels, the amp is amazing. Gobs and gobs of tone, tons of options, basically you can get any sound you are looking for once you know how to use the amp. However, once you try to crank it up, it shows it's solid state bloodlines. When you crank up the juice, the amp sounds pale, thin, cold, whatever you want to call it. Tweaking the knobs will help out your sound a little, but the truth is that as loud as the amp is, it just doesn't get the type of thick, meaty tone that you get out of a good tube amp. If you set up your channels at a lower volume, you will have to tweak them if you pump up the volume. If you don't, you should get your ears checked.

I've seen a lot of opinions about this amps sound quality, basically it depends on your school of thought. Mine is like this. At lower volumes, solid state amps can sound pretty good, but when you crank them up, they just don't compare to a good tube amp in terms of depth and room filling tone. There is a difference between a loud sound and a big sound. As for tube amps, they are almost the exact opposite. They might sound mediocre at lower volumes because the tubes don't have the same characteristics with less juice running through them. Most tube amps don't really start strutting their stuff until they are pushing at least half their capacity.

If you agree with my philosphy about the tube vs solid state thing, then you will value my opinion. If you think that solid state amps sound great at any volume and that tube amps are overrated, then ignore my opinion about this amp at higher volumes.

I bought the amp because of it's flexibility, I got tired of jumping from stack to stack to get different sounds, now I can just change channels. I was running a GK 2100SEL on one stack, which sounds like a Dual Rectifier, and a GK Backline 150 on another stack, which has more of a thick, marshall sound to it. Upon getting discovering the characteristics of my Line 6 at higher volumes, I found myself looking at Dual Rectifiers, but since I couldn't afford the real deal, I found another option. I bought a Hughes & Kettner Tube Factor, which is basically a tube preamp that makes your solid state amp sound more like a tube amp. Mesa Boogie does a similar contraption called a V-Twin, but it costs a lot more than the Tube Factor. Basically it adds the dimension that the Line 6 was lacking out of the box. Buying the Line 6 and the Tube Factor is not only cheaper, but also more versatile than buying an actual Mesa, Matchless, or one of the other amps that the HD models.

If I had the money, I'd buy the originals, but working on a budget, the Line 6 is a fantastic option.

Haven't had a single problem with it. Seems pretty bulletproof to me.

Haven't had to contact them for any reason.

If you are looking for a flexible amp and can live without valves, then buy this amp. If you are a tube purist, then check it out, but know that you will have to run something with it to give you the depth of sound you are used to. You get big value for your buck when you buy this amp; you won't find more sounds in one head than you will with the Line 6 HD, unless you get the HD II.

Has 16 amp models, but only 4 channels (36 w/ Floorboard). Wish it had less older amps that all sound the same, and have a good Mesa Boogie Triple-Rectifier or Marshall JCM 2000 instead. Very powerful, 300 watts, w/direct Midi in and PA in. You do not need to mic it live. Solid state, which sounds better than tube, and will not break or ever need to be replaced. Needs more modern high-distorion, but sounds o.k. The effects are mediocre. The cheap people at Line 6 should just include a Floorboard, instead of forcing you to buy one for $250.

I use a Fender Amer. Delx. Strat w/ Noiseless pickups. Sounds good clean, but not very clear on high-distortion (as they claim) amps. This is suprising for a strat.

Hasn't broken, and never will.

They wouldn't send me a manual, even though Guitar Center called them and tried to get one for me. I forgot to regester it, hope it's not too late.

Pretty good, but lacks decent high distortion. Models a few Marshalls and Mesa Boogies, but fails to model a JCM 2000 or Triple Rectifier, the only Marshall and Mesa Boogie most sane people want. The Fenders modeled sound better than the real ones clean. If you're a clean player, this is a great amp to have, but if you play rock, DO NOT BUY THIS AMP!

THIS AMP DEFINATELY HAS ENOUGH FEATURES. OF COURSE IT LACKS THE CERTAIN QUALITIES THAT THE FLEXTONE2 HAS BUT IT'S WORTH IT. THE POWER IS JUST AMAZING. A 300WATT HEAD, I MEAN WHAT MORE COULD YOU ASK FOR. THIS PUPPY PUMPS SOUND OUT OF 8 4X12 CABS. AND EVEN IF YOU DON'T OWN A FLOORBOARD, 4 CHANNELS IS MORE THEN YOU CAN GET WITH THOSE OTHER AMPS. ALSO THE TRS OUTPUTS ARE NICE FOR RECORDING AND LIVE THANGS. IT'S A LOT EASIER THEN A MIC. AND WHAT CAN I SAY ABOUT THE LIGHTING PANEL OTHER THEN WOW. THAT THINGS IT SO CONVENIENT.

I'M A BIG PUNK ROCK PLAYER, BUT ALSO INTO CONSIDERATION I FILL IN WITH MY FATHERS BAND. THATS A LOT OF COUNTRY AND CLASSIC ROCK. THE AMP COULDN'T BE MORE FLEXABLE WITH SOUNDS. IT'S RANGE IS JUST AMAZING

I HONESTLY HOPE YOU COULD DEPEND ON THIS AMP, I OWNED MINE FOR ABOUT A YEAR AND IT CRAPPED OUT ON ME. BUT TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION I HAD IT MAIL ORDERED AND IT WAS SRTARTING TO GO CRAZY WHEN I GOT IT. BUT I THINK THAT IF YOU DON'T ORDER IT THROUGH THE MAIL THEN IT SHOULD BE A RELIAB;E AMP. I HAVE FRIENDS WHO HAVE FLEXTINES THAT STILL WORK PERFECT AFTER 2 YEARS.

I GAVE THE CUSTOMER SUPPORT A 6 FOR ONE REASON. IT SUX, IT TAKES MONTHS FOR LINE6 TO ACTUALLY GET YOUR AMP EVEN LOOKED AT FOR A REPIAR. THE ONLY REAON I DIDN'T GIVE THEM A 1 IS BECAUSE THE GUYS THAT HELP YOU ARE TRULY SOME OF THE NICEST PEOPLE YOU COULD DEAL WITH, THEY ARE VERY FRIENDLY AND WORK FOR YOU. JUST SLOW AS HELL

I'VE BEEN PLAYING MY HEAD FOR ABOUT A YEAR. II'VE BEEN PLAYING GUITAR FOR 6 YEARS, DON'T UNDERESTIMATE THAT B/C I KNOW MORE THEN MOST OF THE PEOPLE GUITAR CENTER. I'M AN EXTREMELY PICKY PERSON WHEN IT COMES TO EQUIPMENT. IT'S EITHER A MESA RECTIFIER, MARSHALLL ALL TUBE, OR THIS HEAD. I URGE YOU TO BUY THIS HEAD BUT IF YOU HAVE THE MONEY I WOULD STRONGLY RECOMMEND A MESA BOOGIE RECTIFIER. IF NOT, YOU CAN'T BEAT THE VALUE AND SOUND OF THIS AMP. IT IS DEFINATELY A MONSTER OF SOUND AND POWER.

AS FAR AS THE FEATURES GO THE, ADVERTISEMENT IS NOT FALSE. IT HAS ALL THE COOL AMP MODELS, EFFECTS AND POWER YOU NEED. I WAS A LITTLE DISSAPPOINTED THAT IT DIDN'T HAVE ANY ACOUSTIC MODELS OR EVEN A HEADPHONE JACK, BUT BEGGERS CAN'T BE CHOSERS RIGHT? A REALLY COOL THING ABOUT IT HAVING DIRECT OUTS IN THE BACK WAS WHEN I FIRST BAUGHT IT I COULDN'T AFFORD THE CABINET AND WAS GOING TO PLAY A GIG, SO I RAN IT DIRECT INTO THE PA AND IT SOUNDED AWSOME(I CANT BELIEVE I USED THE WORD AWSOME-THATS DUMB)

WITH THE COBINATIONS OF AMPS AND EFFECTS IT MADE THE CHEAP GUITAR I'M USING SOUND EXPENSIVE. IT WAS FUNNY HOW WITH ALL THE AMP SOUNDS I STARTED TO EXPERIMENT WITH OTHER STLYES OF MUSIC. NOW I'M LIKE A MUSICAL NINJA "I PRATICE MANY STYLES"! ALTHOUGH, AFTER READING OTHER OPINIONS ABOUT THE DISTORTION I THOUGH IT WAS JUST ME BUT IT COULD HAVE BEEN BETTER.

AS FAR AS THE RELIABILTY GOES I DON'T REALLY TRUST IT BECAUSE WHEN I FIRST PURCHASED IT IT BROKE AFTER THREE DAYS OF NOT THAT MUCH USE. IT WAS DELETING SAVED CHANNELS AND NOT SWITCHING OVER TO OTHER AMPS.

THE CUSTOMER SUPPORT WAS HORRIBLE!!!
WHEN MY AMP WENT NUTTY I COULDN'T EVEN GET A HOLD OF THE COMPANY. THE 800 NUMBER WAS DISCONNECTED OR SOMETHING, THE EMPLOYEES HAD NO IDEA WHO I SHOULD TALK TO AND EVENTUALLY I HAD WRITTEN A LETTER OF THAT AND MANY OTHER MATTERS AND NEVER RECIEVED A RESPONSE! VERY BAD!

PERSONALLY I'VE BEEN PLAYING FOR ABOUT 5 YEARS (GUITAR) BUT INVLOVED MUSICALLY(VOCALS, DRUMS, KEYBOARD)FOR ABOUT 15 YEARS SO I KNOW MY SHIT. I"VE PLAYED WITH ALOT OF AMPS AND THIS ONE AS FAR AS SOUND RANKS UP THERE. MY BIGGEST DISSAPOINTMENT WAS WHEN I WORKED REALLY HARD TO SAVE UP THE MONEY FOR THE HEAD AND A COUPLE MONTHS LATER THEY INTRODUCE THE FLEXTONE HD 2(FOR THE SAME PRICE) AND I WAS STUCK WITH THE OLD ONE. dON'T GET ME WRONG ITS COOL BUT THE NEW ONE WAS BETTER. I THINK WHAT HURT THE MOST WAS THEY NEVER EVEN ADVERTISED THAT THEY WOULD BE INTRODUCING THE NEW ONE AND AFTER ALL THAT HARD WORK TO EARN THE MONEY I WASN'T HAPPY AND EVEN FELT A LITTLE STUPID.

The HD has alot of very nice features but there are a few things that are an inconvenience to the user. In order to get the full power you have to run it in stereo at 4 ohms. Alot of stereo 412 cabinets are 8 ohms per channel including Line 6's matching cabinet. The head at maximum power is 150 watts times 2. That exceeds the rating for alot of 412 cabinets. The obvious solution for this would be to buy two cabinets and have a full stack.(which would mean that Line 6 could make even more money) I have found a single cabinet that seems to solve these problems and it is much cheaper than the Line 6 cabinets. I have a Carvin stereo 412 cabinet.It is 4 ohms per side and it is rated at 400 watts. With this cabinet I don't seem to have any of the problems with low volume or not being able to cut through in live situations that some of the other users had complained about. Also, the controls for extra functions like the drive boost or defeating the noise gate should be a little simpler. The solution for this is of course to buy the optional 250.00 floorboard (even more money for Line 6)If money is no object these things are minor inconveniences but then again if money were no object you would probably be able to afford the amps that the Line 6 attempts to emulate.

The sounds are where I have to tip my hat to Line 6. Not only do they do a respectable job of emulating the amps they claim to sound like but they actually sound better than some of them. As a guitar player for the past 15 years I have learned that just because you have an old Marshall tube amp doesn't mean that you are going to get the sounds you hear on your CD's, but with my HD I can almost always dial up a sound that is useful on all the settings. The effects could be a little more controllable but most of them sound pretty good. I have noticed that some of the clean sounds do distort a little at higher volumes but they sounded alot better direct into the P.A.. The distortion was not as massive as some current hard rock requires but since that is not my preference I will not fault them for that. They could have added a little more range to the drive boost but if a person requires more distortion they could always add a cheap distortion pedal. Overall I would say that the sounds are excellent and if you can't find at least a couple of sounds that suit your needs here chances are you are chasing a sound that doesn't yet exist.

I have not had the amp long enough to judge it's reliability but it does feel really solid. I purchased it used and the previous owner claimed to never have had any problems with it so for this category I will go with no opinion.

My nameplate has a big scratch down the center of it so I contacted Line 6 to see if I could order a replacement for it. I used there websight, I emailed them and I faxed them. That was over 2 weeks ago and I didn't get a response from either method of contact. If they are this hard to contact for a simple cosmetic replacement I am sure they are just as unreliable for repairs.

Overall I am going to score them very high because I think that most people that are interested in this product are more concerned with how it sounds than anything else. I have owned alot of different amps including an old Marshall SLP and a Carvin X100B not to mention many various solid state amps and I have to say that none of them could compare to the sounds I get from this one. This is the loudest amp I have ever had. It is the most professional sounding amp I have ever had and it is also the quitest, most usable noise gate I have ever had
on any piece of equipment including dedicated rack noise gates. I do suggest that if you are going to use it for anything other than setting in your bedroom practicing that you do shell out the optional 250.00 for the floorboard but I do so under protest because I think the floorboard should be a little more reasonably priced. I do suggest that if you own one and you don't want to lug around a whole stack that you check out the Carvin cabinet. I understand that Line 6 has addressed some of these problems on the HD II but for some reason they lowered the wattage to 200 watts instead of 300 watts.

This is the most versitile amp ever created. Its actually quite like u have 13 or so amps in one! Ive had Marshall JCM's mesa's u name it, but so far this has been the best one ive got yet.

Im using a BcRich Warlock with DiMarzio X2N pickups in it and the thing just wails! Honestly when i first turned it on i didnt think id need my pedal (zoom gx 707) because i thought i was getting a mean distortion from the start but when i turned it on the the distortion i got was kinda lame. But as soon as i hooked my pedal up to it.. Kaboom.

This thing is extremely reliable. It has built in cooling fans so that if it heats up during a live show the fans will automaticly kick in.

No news is good news. Never delt wit em yet.

Buy this amp! BUY IT IMMEDIATELY! If u want something that will really keep u busy and has a ton to offer this is your amp.

I use about four electrics with this amp. They are a gibson sg gothic,peavey vandenberg, dearmond m75, and an early 1980's copy of a gibson flying by Vantage with a gibson humbucker in the bridge position. I play heavey metal, so this amp is appropriate for me. The amp sounds great.

I've had the amp for about 3 weeks so I don't know whether it's road worthy yet.

Haven't dealt with them yet.

I've been playing for about 18 years. I own a pair of Marshall 212 cabs that I use with this amp. The cabs are both 16 ohm, but I plan on rewiring at least on of them 4 ohm. I also own a peavey classic 100 tweed amp head and a fender 412 8 ohm cab. I used one of the Marshall 212 16 ohm cabs with the head in a gig and I couldn't get sufficient volume. I didn't want to go beyond 12 o'clock because of fear of blowing my speakers.

This head is great for what I do cause I need a vaiety of tones to get across the emotion and sprituality of the piece. It hits hard too. I run two Rivera cabinets parallel wired, so the palm mutes sound deafining!

I have a Les Paul, Evh ernie ball, and 2 Peavey wolfgang's. I wish the amp had more brutal distortions sounds like insane on the Spider

I've played numerous Atlanta clubs and this amp has better sound than tube and more reliable than solid state! The true test will be the road of course

Jason Salzman is the man.

I just hope to get an endorsment someday . I have everything from this company cause Line 6 is the sounds I had in my head when I started playing. Now my visions are becoming reality. Come visit my band xlist at www.opusband.com/xlist/

16 Amp models, built-in effects, all sorts of extra goodies.

Overall the amp simple didn't sound tube at all. It may be 300 watts, but 100 watts of tube power will blow this amp away anyday. I think this whole emulation craze is just rediculous. I wish I had just stuck with buying a decent amp with a couple excellent sounds, versus a bunch of weak, solid-state tones.

Never gave me any trouble whatsoever. Every now and then I'd have a strange sound come out when I turned it on, but other than that it was always ready to go.

Never had to deal with the company.

While it may not sound excellent, it makes up for that with its amazing ease of use and huge selection of features.

Out of all the AMP's I own this head is by far my favorite. I have used the POD for all of my studio Recordings and love the fact that I can transfer the sounds between the 2. I use to use a Dual Rec, a Marshall BI chorus 200 Head and a Roland JC 120 for my live setup and have replaced it all with my Flextone.

I am using a Custom Fender Strat I built with a friend of mine who was a Guitar Tech for ZZ-top. And I would have to say custom is the only way. I have a modified version of the Clapton Pick setup in this guitar and it rocks with the Fextone II. I also use a custom Ibanez, A HM Strat from Fender, a few Kramers, a Lespaul, and Even a cheap 69.00 Fender Focus I bought from Music123.com and all of my guitars sound incredible throught this Head. I also use a roland GP-8 and a Rocktron Prophesy with this for added effects and distortions.

So Far I have only had this head for a month and done 27 shows with it and it is road sturdy. Even thought the Knobs feel a little cheap like they are going to break. But they have not done so as of yet.

Been able to find out everything I needed online. They even offer downloadable versions of the manuals on their web site if you want to see how these operate before purchasing.

Like I said this is a very versital Amp. The real fun begins when you hook this up to your PC via MIDI. You get to unlock tons of parameter for sound editing that just are not available on the amp as is. Definately suggest getting the foot pedal as well can pick them up off of Ebay fairly cheap. Got mine NIB for 175 with shipping compared to the stre price of 225. But this is an all around incredible amp. THere are tons of websites that you can download other users created patches and add them to the head via midi. So for the price and the feature you cannot go wrong with this Head or any of the lice 6 amps. As far as I am concearned

Features are well-documented elsewhere. Start with the Line 6 website.
The main reason I bought the amp was the Parallel/Series effects loop option. Even though I don't currently have anything hooked up in there, I prefer a parallel option because I don't want all my signal to be routed through effects. I can't deal with the loss of tone and directness when the loop is in series.
As with any Line 6 amp, I believe that the floorboard is essential! You get a tuner, wha pedal, volume pedal, access to many more patches, distortion pedal, volume boost, tap tempo, eq boost, and you can switch effects on and off within patches. To get the most out of this gear, the floorboard is vital.
You may think that 300 watts is overkill, but you only get the full wattage with 4 Ohm cabinets. Others complain about not being able to be heard with HDs. I use two 8 Ohms in stereo. I get 200 watts and am able to be heard clearly in a loud band, though I am the only guitarist in the band. It isn't a loud amp. I think I got as much volume with Tubeworks 962 power amp, which was 80 watts per channel. These issues will be addressed with the HD II, which is supposed to be hella-loud!
Another issue the will be dealt with in the next generation is the weight of the head. This freakin' thing almost weighs as much as my old rack! The HDII will me a slim 30 lbs. Ya might want to put a cinder block on top to keep it from bouncing off yr cabs! :)

I've gone back and forth about this amp. Sometimes I pause and think "this is the best sound I've EVER gotten;" other times I think I want a tube amp. Probably just peer pressure. Guitarists are incredibly dogmatic and conservative when it comes to gear. I will say that it takes a LOT of tweaking to get usable sounds. What is definitely notable is the fact that you have to design your sounds at gig/practice levels. I found that out the hard way at an important audition. Things that sounded awesome at home were dreadful at the studio. The amp is intuitive enough to make emergency program changes on the fly, so I wasn't lynched by the notoriously volitile singer.
The presets, like most programmable equipment, are horrendous! They all seem to use the eq boost, which I find to be too solid state sounding. I also wish the effects were limited to reverb, delay, compression, and tremolo. I don't really use the others. They aren't very tweakable and they just seem to eat up processing power. I'd rather get my effects elsewhere.
The amp sounds are amazing at "bedroom" levels, but are a bit one-dimensional when cranked up. When properly programmed, I'd give this amp's sound a "7" on it's own merits. I'm not concerned about how believably the patches sound like the amps they model. If I love a sound, it doesn't matter to me what it's supposed to be. There are many choices to start with. They are all flexible and usable.
Now, I'm going to give the amp a higher score because I bought an H&K Tube Factor to warm up and add some dimension to my sound. Wow! This addition brings my rating to "10." It really brings this thing to life! I know of someone using a VHT line driver for that same reason. Now I'm completely in love with the thing. I was ready to sell it and get a POD Pro and tube power amp, but I don't think I'll be having to break out the credit cards yet.
As far as the features go, there are some cools things lurking within. The wha sounds very cool. It's modeled on an old Vox. Sounds clear and articulate throughout the sweep range. I've retired my Crybaby and Morley wha pedals.
The distortion pedal is cool for adding life and fluidity to lead stuff, but is pretty non-descript. I find myself reaching for the distortion boost on my Tube Factor more. You can incorporate the distortion pedal into the programming of a patch, which is very cool and usable. It can definitly add some sizzle to an amp model.
The volume pedal is a godsend. Very smooth sounding. On low-gain amp models, the sound cleans up when backing off the the pedal, just like a "real" amp. The tone is still full-bodied when doing so. I wish it did the same on higher-gain amp models. With those, the tone isn't affected by using the volume pedal. I suppose some would prefer it this way. I would rather that it be a user-programmable feature.
The only feature I dislike is the eq boost. Too steely and unnatural sounding, in my opinion. I suppose you could use it to be heard more clearly during solo passages, but I look elsewhere to do that.

I've heard about some nightmares with Line 6 gear. There are definite cost-cutting measures in play. The only thing I've encountered was a bum power switch, which was quickly dealt with by the company. The dials on the amp feel pretty cheap and not solid at all. I'm afraid one will be broken off everytime I take the amp out of my apartment.
The same could be said of the floorboard. Don't let that metal housing lull you. The switches don't feel solid. I'm not confident that they can take much stomping, not that you should be too rough on gear anyway.

Customer service has been incredible to me. I must preface this by saying I do live in Los Angeles, near where Line 6 is headquartered, and I attend the monthly User Group meetings here. This probably figures into the fine treatment I've gotten. For instance, when my power switch was bugging out a customer service guy happened to be at a group meeting and had me run home to get my amp so he could take it in. I live a couple blocks from where the User Group meets, so it was no big deal. I was able to pick up the amp back in two days. I had already talked to Guitar Center in Hollywood, where I bought it, and they were no help at all. That's more indicative of the crappy treatment I've come to expect from from that store than Line 6. My e-mails and phone calls have been promptly answered and I've never gotten the sales pitches or non-responses others have complained about.

I know I've given pretty high ratings in the majority of categories, but I've had to spend on lot of time tweaking the HD to my liking. I've also had to get extra gear (the Line 6 floorboard and the H&K Tube Factor) to give me an awesome tone. Line 6 is definitely on the right path and I'm sure future generations will stand on their own beautifully. So, on top of the $780 I bought the amp for I've spent $120 on the floorboard and $170 on the Tube Factor. With these purchases I've acquired the best tone I've ever gotten and replaced $3000+ of rack gear. Colour me happy!

I purchased a Line 6 Flextone HD 6 months ago. I play in a metal band and dablle in jazz for the fun. The flextone has such an incredible tone for both. It comes with four channels and if you buy the "floorboard" you can use your amp to control your midi effects. I do use the on-board effects, but they are very limited as to what they can do, but they are just a bonus. I reccomend that this amp is strictly built for tone. It has 300 watts of power at 4ohms. Check your speakers to make sure they can handle the wattage. I have the exact same amp that you will find Dino from Fear Factory using... and we both have different tones... and they are distinguishable, gut wrenching, waves of sound!

I play a Les Paul with a beefy bottom end with it and a Ibanez RG550 with a Dimarzio Tone Zone. I have different EQ settings for each, but they both sound thick & solid. The amp makes absolute no noise and with the built in gate, it's like hitting a brick wall in all of the breaks. All the channels and options for the amp sound exactly the same LOUD as they do low. The distortion??? Tone, Tone, TONE!

I have a backup rig just in case my head goes down, but I have only owned this thing for 6 months. I travel a great deal so I know that I have already put it through some abuse and it has been very good to me. My amp has never broken down, never had a problem that freaked me out, and the Line 6 company has always promplty answered my questions through email. They are a company that stands behind their product.

The warranty on the Flextone is a year. About normal.

I have been playing for about 14 years. I have owned some good equipment that cost a lot more than this did, and did not deliver. If it were to be lost or stolen, it would be replaced with the exact same model. The only thing i don't like about this amp is that you have to buy a floor pedal. That really does suck, but they aren't that expensive.

I'm not exactly sure about all the specs and such because the amp isn't exactly mine. I know it's digital and there's quite an array of effects and amp emulations. The Flextone is actually my guitar teacher's. There are a couple different settings, recto, clean, and a couple more not worth noting because I've never used them (not to say the suck, because I've heard great things about them). There is an effects loop, bu no headphone jack. It's not like you'd need one though, because I don't think this thing is ment for practice in your average bedroom.

Personally, when I play it, I'm using a Cort S2550 with an h/s/s pickup configuration. My guitar teacher though, uses four American Standard Strats through it. It's plugged into a Marshall 2x12 cab. In the effects loop he has a Boss Delay, Octaver and a Wah of some kind. It sounds great. There's little if no hum and is great for my style which is hard rock, grunge, and metal. The distorted channels are great and provide fantastic distortion. One thing though, this thing is loud. I turned the volume up to two and it balsted me out of the house

It looks pretty damn sturdy, but it is digital...

eh...

If I had the money, I'd definetley get one of these... but I don't so I'm limited to my Crate EL-10G and my Fender Princeton 65. I'd probably want it to come with a footswitch, but it still is a great deal for the money.

I believe this area has been sufficienty covered.... I use 2 412S cabs with the HD head and love it! I have had the amp for about 3 weeks and have had no complaints although I would like to see more settings published........ The Amp has more versatility than I know how to use yet.

I use a Left Handed Gibson SG Standard. The "claen channel" does not seem to produce as much volume as the BRIT Hi-Gain etc.......
The amp is relatively quiet but does hiss audibly at high volumes. I would like to be able to reduce feedback levels w/o losing high end or distortion. I believe the Tube simulation in S/W is very good but is not exactly like a Marshall as an exampple. The flexibility more than makes up for this in my opinion.

In three weeks nothing has broken. It seems to be solidly built and will have the reliability of solid state vs "valves".

I don't know how long the warranty is. I called in the registration and have not taken time to look at the card. The customer service folks have been great - both via e-mail and on the phone. Theyt even return phone calls. I was looking for hints on how to play with settings to quickly get Hendrix,Petty, etc... type sounds and they steered me to an appropriate URL.

$800 for the head, $6000 each for the 4x12 cabs (model 412S)
I plan to also use a Marshalll cabinet with this for BASS, perhaps the 2x15" with horn....... May have to use a BASS Pod in the effects loop. I will post when I find out. It would be realllly nice if Line-6 would make a 2x15 BASS Cab or any BASS Cab for that matter especially since they prodice a BASS pod........

I have played for 20 of the last 30 years. Just got back into playing again. I truly likr the HD with the 412S cabs.......

the amp emulations rule, but the most of effects are weak and pathethic, i only use the reverb and delay, and sometimes chorus. but who the hell buys this head for effects anyway, the way i see it is that u buy abunch of different amps in one box with some complimentary effects on the side, just like the crappy cables some guitars come with. it is loud, 300 watts, but i run it at 200watts through a couple of 8hm cabinets, which is still pretty damned loud.

i have acouple of humbucker eqqiped guitars, an ibaez rg220 with an dimarzio X2N on the bridge, and a peavey detonator with dimarzio evolutions on the bridge and neck. it simply sounds awesome, but if u get it get a marshall or a mesa cabinet cause those line 6 cabinets suck, they are muddy and unclear. i plan on adding an effects procesor to it and use the midi out it has to control parameters with the floorboard, i think that is the best feature of it, cause u can combine really good effects with tis incredible amp a a preamp, and run it through the effects loop in stereo, it is specially cool for panning a ping pong delay, or to really use a good rotary speaker effect, well u get the idea.

no problems yet but i couldn't get the head at guitar center to work the midi out feature, i hope my head has the midi out functioning properly if not its going back, but being solid state and all its no worry about reliability