Line 6 Flextone II XL

This amp has everything, amp models out the wazoo, cab models, midi, xlr balanced outs in stereo which is awesome! Chorus, compressor, rotary speaker, delay, reverb, etc! I have presets from everything from country to rip your face of metal, all completely relying on the amp itself!

Aesthetically this amp sounds like whatever tube amp it is modeling the only thing is that it doesn't have that bottom end warmth of a tube amp... This amp's eq is extremely dynamic though, just not a tube amp, but the best rip off I've ever heard.

Taken this amp all over the country with me and it has never let me down!

Great! Answered all the questions I had when I first bought it!

I'm a touring professional living in Nashville. I am always trying to improve my tone. This amp isn't the end all be all of my tone ventures but it was sure a helpful step along the way.

I've been a Line 6 user for about 10 years. I bought this amp used about 7 years ago (I upgraded from the original Flextone) because I wanted to be able to download tone and use my PC via midi cable to customize all the various tones.

I find it incredibly flexible and I have tones for various styles of music (classic rock, surf, New Wave, blues, jazz, Nashville -- everything but metal). To do all this, it really is key to have the floorboard and I can even switch tones back and forth through a song.

It's one of these pieces of equipment that has far more features than I have figured out how to use, but I imagine others have no trouble. I'm just not that big of a gearhead.

I use it at home to practice (via earphone), take it to rehearsals and gigs. I've used the XLR jacks for recording during a live gig.

I'd say the only drawback -- which is common in all amps of this wattage -- is that it's HEAVY. Oh, if only I had a roadie to move my stuff.

I don't play metal, so others will have to talk about the nastier tones, but since I play rhythm guitar in a cover band, the amp gives me plenty of different tones for various sounds. I get the jangly Byrds tone, the big fat sounds for blues numbers, lot's of crunch for backing up other tones.

There is a tendency on certain tones to have a <click> <click> sound in the background. Truthfully, though, it's probably something I could fix by changing the settings. I'm just a little lazy.

Oh, my main guitar is custom (I made it myself) but it has the look and tones of a high-end Les Paul.

I've dragged this amp to many gigs and rehearsal halls and never had a problem with it. I keep a cover on it when I move it, but otherwise it gets no special attention and has always been a solid performer.

I've never had problems with my amp, but I have gotten information on how to update the chip to the latest revision and found all my questions answered in the various forums.

Plus their downloadable tone library is awesome !

I love this amp ! It gives me everything I need without me having to muck around with various pedals.

Features have been discussed to death so I will only say it has everything I'd want in a SS combo!

Here's where I call b******t on the peeps that can't find what they are looking for in this combo.I changed the stock speakers which were nice to a pair of black shadow mesa's and all I can say is whoa!I play metal,this combo mic'd is more than giggable.Before you knock a product you should really investigate and experiment,you just might find a diamond in the ruff.People are so impatient these days,if it doesn't sound good right off then I don't like it.Anyway SQ on this baby is the shizz!

No problems in two years!!

Nevr used them for repair but they answered some questions and were helpful.

I've been playing 4 years now,I didn't start out playing SS amps,I had friends who cared about me and broke me in on tubes,so I've owned maybe 3 or 4 SS amps total.That said,I've played alot of tube amps that don't have the impressive tone that this combo is capable of with some coaxing,my band practices with this combo and uses it for small gigs and there are always compliments and "Hey would you sell that" comments.I'd buy it again.

Very versatile. A lot of features to go with a lot of amp models.

Unfortunately, this is the one (and most crucial) area where the amp is somewhat lacking. Other reviewers mentioned that at lower volumes it sounds great but once you put it in a band situation, it loses tonal quality. I agree, that is absolutley the case. I generally use the higher gain models such as the Mesa Boogies, Marshalls and Soldano's and once you give the amp some volume, the warmth and punch becomes somewhat shrill and what I refer to as "flabby". I guess other people would call it "muddy". It also takes on a compressed sound. It's not a terrible sounding amp, but if you generally like amps with hi gain and punch, you might want to check out something else, probably with tubes. Having addressed the high gain models, the other models on the Flextone II XL do sound good regardless of volume. If you're into a classic rock or moderately overdriven sound, you will have plenty of fun going through theses models and cabinet variations. This is where I feel this amp shines- the classic rock, mid-rangey, overdrive sound.

I've never had any dependability problems with the amp itself. The floorboard on the otherhand needs to be payed attention to. The switches and the wah and volume pedals need to be tightened on a fairly regular basis and to do that, you have to open it up. Not a huge deal, but still somewhat of a pain in the ass. Other than that, no complaints.

Never had to deal with Customer Support.

Overall, it's an OK amp. As I mentioned earlier, I would recommend it to people who play with a " clean to overdrive" sound. People who play more aggressive types of music should look elsewhere. I played the Flextone in a store where it sounded great, but obviously you can't REALLY get to know the amp until you turn it up and mess around with it. I was happy with it at first but now I'm considering selling it and finding something better. I've had the Flextone II since it came out which was about 5 years ago and have used it often since then, so like I said it's not terrible but there are better sounding amps on the market.

This thing has tons of features. Very appealing in a music store. Lots of "variety" to choose from.

This is where all the features don't really matter. In a music shop at a moderate volume this amp appears to have a lot of depth and potential of reaching an almost endless array of possibilities. Once you get this thing our of the box and use it in a band context the sound turns into cardboard. Very dull, lifeless, lost in mix, over processed, over compressed sound that regardless of how many hours you spend with it will never be able to achieve a professional sound a loud volumes. If you''re in your room playing with yourself it sounds wonderful.

Never gave me problems and I had it for about 5 years. Only gigged with it a couple of times.

Never had the need to call Line 6

Like I mentioned before, if you're a bedroom practice man it's really a good amp. When you're ready to get serious about tone it will become clear that a change of amp needs to be made. However, I forgot to mention that it's a pretty good recording amp too.

Very versatile amp. I bought it without checking it out first for only 250 euro second hand. No regrets yet, I was looking for a stereo amp with enough sounds and FX on board and this is it.

Mwah. Regarding noise levels, okay. Regarding sound quality of all the guitar stuff, okay too. Effects sounds, okay.

However: it is not that clean and stereo as I expected! When I plug in an external stereo device like a mp3 player it sounds great on the headphones but through the speakers it gets distorted and the stereo spread seems to lack all of a sudden.
This lack of stereo matters me most; I bought this amp too because of the rotary speaker effect and guess what, it sounds more like a mono tremolo unit! I was really disappointed about that.
Are there any more people around who discovered that 'problem'?

So overall I'm very pleased with the sounds you can create with the amp but disappionted in it's stereo mode, so the rating gets lower.

Seems very reliable

I have had contact with customer support in England, there they told me my amp was broken probably and needed a new board. I had to go to Belgium for that (from Amsterdam).
When I contacted the repair guys in Belgium and gave them some sound files they tested their own IIxl and that gave almost the same results regarding lack of stereo in rotary mode.

So: who's right?

I was pleased with the effort they took to listen to my problem but I got the feeling they did not really know exactly what their own product is supposed to do or not. Strange.

I must confess I'm thinking about going back to my old setup with a custom built Boogie 15W top, mixing rack, digital fx devices and stereo HiFi amp/speakers. Well. let's wait a while longer....

I bought this amp blind, just read some reviews about it. In short: No regret so far! I was in need for a powerful and versatile, yet simple amp (in general I hate too many knobs). First impulse (as always when it comes to guitar amplification ...): I tested out some tube amp heads, and the Engl Richie Blackmore Signature seemed to be the amp of my wet dreams ... Mesa Boogie's Rectifier Head was very nice, too, but both a little bit far out for the money I had at this time, not to mention the additional box to buy and to transport. Then I stumbled across this little critter and was ravished. A digital amp that sounded really good, was very affordable AND was really simple and "analog" in handling. And loud enough for my needs. And stereo (whats that??). AND the Rectifier was just one of 12 different amp models... AND when I'm in a really strange mood I can always switch on some of this little build-in delay effects, haha

All amp models are useful, life comes in with rising loudness (as always ;-). I don't care about 100% copying of archetype sounds as long as I can play around with the knobs and get satisfying results. If you need the original sound, go and buy the original amp! That does not mean that the sounds of this amp are not "typical" for the models it resembles, but I don't expect a 8x12" fullstack punch out of a 2x12" combo amp. But what it actually does in it's limitations is just terrific ;-)

No problems so far. But of course I am a little bit scary about the reliability of this digital shit inside. But so far no reboots necessary...

Never had to deal with them, but the manual is nice! (I take this as a goos sign)

I am a lucky user!

Whole lot of things going on in this amp, lots of effects, amp simulators, cab types etc. Have to pay extra for the floor pedal tho, which is a big screw up on Line 6's part.

Used it with a Jackson US fitted with Dimarzio Fred humbucking high output pick up, and with a US Fender Strat. Play hard rock/metal style.
I got this amp to save me having to lug my 4x12 cab, peavey classic power amp & rack effects around with me. At first was happy that it saved my back from lifting all that gear to gigs, but soon realised its limits. I guess part of it has to do with me being too naive, thinking that I could get a truly kick ass tone from a solid state amp. It does an OK job at attempting to sound like other amps, but it lacked character and warmth in a gigging environment.
The effects are OK, but a lack of control over their various paramiters make them only suitable for basic reverb sounds. Delay & chorus sounds are very nasty.

The speakers have difficulty handling de-tuned guitars. I tune down half-step and the low notes would make the speakers fart, lacking tonal clarity when muting chords makes for an unpleasant ride.
Due to all of the above, i got rid of the amp after about 16months gigging, so i did give it a fair go.
NOTE: Line 6 products are pretty much worthless as soon as you buy them, as their value plummets. I bought mine for #700 (english) when it first came out in 2002, and withing 12 months could be bought for just over half that brand new. I got #250 for mine when I sold it on. This is a common theme amongst Line 6 products.
I have learned a hell of a lot about the downfalls of solid state amps from my experience with this amp, and will never buy Line 6 product again.

Told that the speaker rumbling was a common theme with these amps, & a that a replacement would make fuck all difference.
Web support was good though, but many guys working in music shops gave it the attitude of 'hey, you buy a new gimmick amp, your gonna get ginnicky sounds', which I gueass is so very true.

I have been playing for 12 years, recording for about 6 of those and am begining to understand the value of great tone. I am currently on the lookout for my next amp, which i aint going to rush into buying until I have tried lots of different ones.
I would say that this is a good starter amp for kids, as there is plenty to keep you occupied whilst trying to find some reasonable sounds (ie effects, speaker emulators etc), but it is hard to find one truly great sound from this amp.
Again, having to fork out another wedge of cash for the floorboard, in order to access all of the amps features, is a fuckin rip-off.
I am very interested to see what happens to Line 6 over the coming years, because they appeared with a flash of cool marketing, but now seem to be dissapearing from many retail oultets.

Bought this thing used on eBay (the only way to go) - see the other reviews for specifics. It is a solid state 2X50W stereo channel modeling amp based on the original POD 2.0 modeler firmware. It came with a cover (nice addition) and the previous owner installed casters as this puppy weighs quite a bit (>60lbs). I already had the expanded floorboard (A MUST) from my bass POD playing days. I bought it because I've switched to guitar and I quickly needed to find my sounds for playing in cover band situations where it was unclear how many styles the other band members wanted to have - you been there too?

Yeah, this thing is very versatile (perhaps too versatile). But don't buy it in lieu of the specific amp brand you "hope" to get out of this beast. This mama is mainly for finding your own sound, without the hassle of the constant buying/selling/demo-ing of the brand amps Line6 states it can mimic, and then eventually expanding upon what you like to best suit your needs.

This amp is also best for us computer geeks who have a midi/USB interface so that we can tweek every nook & cranny of the tone on this monster - You cannot do this easily from the amp interface alone.

AND IT IS LOUD!!! I dare anyone to take this past 6, stand in ffrom of it and try and hold onto their lunch though a gigging situation.

I have yet to figure out the best way to take advantage of this amp being a 2X50 stereo (perhaps a cab extension for one channel placed on the other side of the stage?).

I use mainly humbucker equipped guitars - I am using 73 Gibson LP Deluxe, '03 Epiphone LP Standard, '01 Squier Subsonic Baritone with Screaming Deamons, '81 G&L F-100, '77 Yamaha SBG, but also have an '65 Fender Mustang. No problem getting gain or high frequencies from these guitboxes on this amp -

I have had numerous positive comments at gigs when using the LP's on the rectified setup. I currently use this amp for both rhythm and lead work for a 4 piece alternativerock/grunge music act. I mainly use the rectified and Marshal settings although I have used the cleaner amp models as well for certain songs. This is where this puppy shines for me. The modeled gain effects respond to guitar volume controls just like the Marshalls and Mesa's do - great for live giging. It is for the gain tones and distortions alone that I continue to use this amp exclusively.

Once you find what you need - trash the rest of the sounds and build up the 39 bank of presents with variations of what you really need - You''ll need a computer (mac or PC) and the expanded floorboard to take advantage of this (alas, more cost added to the equation).

One disturbing fact - as this amp is based on the early POD's, the delay, flanging, chorus and TREM effects are not what you would call "deep". I've added an additional Line6 modulation modeler in front (the effects loop is worthless) to get husky univibe and deeper flanging effects that are not available on the IIXL (although they now are on the POD XT and Vetta)

As a consideration when searching for your "sound" - turn off the cab modeling tweeks when playing through this amp. By letting the two installed cab speakers sing on their own you'll find that there is a great deal of personality behind the modeled amps (unlike what a few biased reviewers have stated here). The Cab effects appear to be mods of equalization and frequency and there is a trend to muddy or collapse the amp effects when used on the amp. They are probably find with a POD through a PA or Direct recording.

The amp has been heavily gigged since I bought it 18 months ago. That along with good amount of transporting to and from practice in a non-climate controlled garage it has held up nicely - why not as it is solid state. I have not worried about the need for a backup - I do have a backup POD that could run through the PA if a backup is needed.

The expanded floorboard is a separate problem - screws needs to tighten on the pedals and the switches on a routine basis (no easy task) due to space constraints

However-it is "old" technology. With PODXL and Vetta technology out there now the IIXL is old news.

What customer support - its used baby.

The Line6 web site is generally user friendly and has ooddles of user settings for even the old Flextones and POD 2's. There are a lot of these products out there so that it appears certain thet they will be supported for a few years more. You can get online, search and try tone sttings that are close to where you want to be and then download and modify them - oops, but you do need a computer with a midi/USB chord to do so. The interface software is free and updated routinely. Another point is keeping the Flextone modeling chip up to date with the most recent flashware.

Great for intermediate players who are not amp-bigots, and who need flexibility and power while they grow into their style and in their ability.

The potential owner will need to factor in the cost of computer interfacing, the expanded floorboard (way overpriced when new) and chiropractic care (due to the weight).

I will buy a JTM45 or Rectifier someday soon, but I will not sell this amp even if I do. If it was stolen, I would replace it with a smaller version.

You got allot of features!!! You got amps from jazz till heavy metal you can use. Some of them in never use so i wshed that they could customize it for me :D . You got effects like chorus, delay, tremelo, flanger and some other stuff. Next to that, you got a number of speaker cabs wich in never use. No, you should'nt complain about the features.

Mixed feelings here. Sure there are very good amps in it like: Mesa -boogie, marshall, fender and other cool sounds. You got lead sounds to play the best solo's with. But still there are many amps i never use. Because i don't need them or because they suck!!! Don't get me wrong, other people will love them, but i hate some of them. I also recoment getting a line 6 floorboard. When you have that you have 36 amp models allready build for you. I don't create my own sounds because those 36 are perfect to me. I may custommize it sometimes, but i'm not doing that much. And again i'm not even using the half of the amp models here Next to that, the floor board has a wah-wah pedal, a volume pedal and the easyness for your giggs!!!
Some tiny things are bothering me with the floorboard but you should see the floorboard reviews for that. All with all the sounds are good, but in the future i'm going to buy a tube amp and not a modeling amp. I also won't buy a new one if it broke.

I never had a gig using this amp. And i will never have a gig whit no backup. What i did use the amp for is using it for practising with the band. Replacing it never broke anything. it's still working.

Never used it. The manual is great though

A very good modeling amp but not a perfect one. Good fot backup or band practising amp, recording and sure good enough for medium-small gigs. But i should'nt buy it if you allready have a good amp whit the same amount of volume (2x50 watt) Also check out the felxtone III XL, this amp is likely to be a better amp.

This amp I bought on ebay about a year ago when I wanted to expand my guitar playing and after being impressed the a friends tone with his Line 6 Vetta. I knew the Line 6 name because of their great modeling technology. It's a 212 combo. When I opened the box, the thing was huge, pretty heavy. I would recommend a case with casters for it. It will save you lots of knicks in the tolex and popped discs in your spine. Four programable channels, did not come with a footswitch. You can buy a footswitch aftermarket, (FB4) which has a cool feature that lets you tap in tempo for delay, tremolo, or rotary speaker effects. Also features silent recording out, direct out, headphone jack, Midi out, external speaker outs. Knobs out the wazoo, yet very user friendly.

I play an '96 Epiphone Les Paul Standard and a Squier Tele. I play rock in the genres of alternative/medlodic/emo/blues whatever. I play lots of modern worship, which features a very U2 influenced sound, so the Line 6 crazy effects work great. As said earlier, it is the best modeling amp out there and Line 6 knows what they are doing, Lots of the sounds come insanely close to the real things, namely the Fender Black Face and the Vox Ac-30. The amp also has cab modeling on it, so you can mix and match amps with diffrent style cabs, or match them up with the same manufacturers product being modeled. One draw back I have noticed, is that any high driven gain amp models get really muddy, and takes some knob tweaking to get them to cut. The clean sounds break up nicely at high volumes that somewhat emulate tube amps. I would not buy this amp if you are a gain freak. Line 6 made a high gain modeling amp that does a real good job with those kinda sounds, but this amp pretty much takes care of the blues/jazz/alternative rock sounds. It's also kind of bass heavy, so watch where you turn that knob, or you might fart out a speaker. The effects are really great, and they allow you to adjust them to your taste. I really like the delay, swell delay and the rotary speaker effects, all very adjustable. It has a selection of all their effects combined with delay, as well as them by themselves (ie, flanger, delay/flanger). I pretty much just use this amp for it's amp modeling and use a normal pedal board for effects, that way if I run another amp with the flextone, I won't have to sacrifice effects for diffrent tone. Again, the modeling is about as close as you can come to the real thing. If you are patient, and don't mind experimenting with turning knobs, you can really make this thing shine.

One time I was rehearsing with this amp on a tilt back amp stand and it fell over backwards right on its head. I was worried, but it wasn't harmed and kept on rehearsing like it never happened. Something else I would experience, after leaving the amp on for a while, my sounds would get all weak and mushy. I would turn it off and back on again, and it would be fine. it has only happend twice though throughout the year I have had it. No big deal. If you take good care of it, it will take good care of you.

I have heard horror stories about trying to get Line 6 to fix a problem. Since these things are so digital and high tech, only Line 6 can work on them. The warrantly will go void if anyone other than a Line 6 certified place even OPENS the chasis. It took this guy about 2 months to get his Line 6 amp back after running around town trying to find places that Line 6 would let him take it to fix it. I personally have never had to deal with this. I get the impression that they might be cool people to deal with, because they write their manuals to be pretty funny and entertaining. I could be wrong though..

I've been playing for about 8 years now and this way the first "serious" amp I have bought. It is a great thing to have if you want versatility. It can make some pretty great sounds and tones if you spend some time with it. I have gotten many compliments on my sounds and have inspired some friends of mine to go out and get their own Line 6. Best modeling amp technology.

You could write an entire book on this amp's features so let's keep it simple and just list some of them: Impressive array of modelled amps going from the usual suspects to some boutique jewels, easy to use interface, fx loop, 9 four preset soundbanks.

This amp was my lifesaver, maybe it's not the best for one who can afford the most reccomended amp for his style, but when i got it i was playing in bands who played totally different styles and being a student i couldn't afford a vox and a mesa and there wasn't an amp in the market that could do their job decently. So here comes this little guy here that gives you very good modelling of some of the best amps ever made. I was using the pod before so i was quite familiar with the interface of the flextone (which is basicaly the pod fitted with some speakers and an amp look) but it definitely eliminated some problems i was dealing with my pod/crate amp setup:

1) No ages spent trying to find a good equalization for the two.
2) No excessive hum and noise coming
3) No excessive distortion on clean sounds
4) Better interaction with other FX

The celestion speakers really bring the wonderful sounds out without ruining them eve when using baritone or seven string guitars where many amps fall short. I bought it along with the floorboard and that really cut down my pedalboard leaving only the whammy peda, a wah, a phaser and my filter pedal. For the floorboard i'll post another review so now i'll talk about the fx. The onboard fx are some of the best available out there (exluding the ones on the contemporary vetta head and the now available flextone 3 and vetta 2 series who are much more controllable), definitely a great addition when you like to use lots of them and prefer to avoid the problems that might come from using pedals on stage (stepping on the knobs, battery failures, random troubleshooting, feedback...). If you have some midi equipment you can edit those fx even better with the provided software or the much more user friendly new software available online. Any flaws? Well of course there are, on the fx side i was disappointed not to find a phaser fx since i loved the Phase 90 emulation line 6 did for the bass pod and for recording the fx don't sound so great so i recomend using stompboxes for that. Since this is a combo and a quite heavy one too i wish line 6 would have thought adding some wheels to it. As for the fx control, well they could have set some of the more important features as controllable without the use of midi software and i've noticed that the incompatibility with midi interfaces is far greater than promised. But still it's a wonderful piece of equipment, the clean setting are great and being all digital it never distorts unless you tell him to do so using the dedicated gain and simulated amp volume, but no matter how much you crank the main volume the sound remains crystal clear. As for the distortion very well done, you can get the wonderful distortion of amps such as a Mesa dual rectifire and a Soldano Slo without even needing to crank it up to 11! What's the advantage on that? You can spend all the time you want setting it up in your own house without risking to be arrested for excessive noise, since you get pretty much the same sound with the master volume set on 1 or on 10. I definitely recomend this one or the other versions of it to anyone wanting the closest sounds to the ones of the best amps ever made without spending a fortune or to someone who needs a versatile amp

No problems ever encountered and it survived several low budget tours.

never tried it out

I've been playing it two years now and definitely i believe it will last for quite some time. If someone would steal it from me well i'd probably buy one of the newer flextones or the original vetta but i would stick to line 6 since this is the most satisfying amp i ever played. Maybe some could argue about the warmth of the sound on recordings but hey, you get so many sounds just from one amp and then live it sounds awesome. Plus you don't have to deal with tubes, the wonderful onboard fx surely make you travel lighter than most other guitarists. If it sounded also warm like a tube amp i doubt it would be quite affordable and that anyone would use a different amp.

Lots of features...

I don't understand why people who can't stand it live think it may still be suitable for recording. It is not!
I tried to record with Flextone (as well as POD) - it sounds flat and annoying because no matter what the volume it is not there, the sound is dead.
Since then I have picked up a Twin Reverb and a Mesa/Boogies Studio Preamp. Yes, it takes time setting up those things but the tone! The sound is localized, live and breathing. What a difference!

So, contrary to what others say, I would keep Flextone for live playing since it is so easy to use and change tones on the fly but for recording it is a tone killer.

Customer Support is great though. They sent me new OS chips free of charge immediately upon my first request.

as detailed on other comments

Used with G&L S-500, strat style guitar with hotter pick-ups. Play covers from funk to heavy rock. Combination of guitar and amp give huge versatility. Best clean channels are Fender, Matchless, Vox and Dumble models. Best vintage distortions are Marshall (45 and plexi), best rock sound Marshall JCM800 and Soldano, best lead Soldano. It is important for all distorted models that the cab simulator is turned off as this increases volume, brightness, sustain and punch. I suspect a lot of the negative comments are due to the cab simulators, it is a revelation when you take them off. It takes several hours of tweaking at gig volume to get the best combination of sounds, but once saved suit most venues. Delay and reverb effects are good, Chorus and flange are only ok, but useable when tweaked. The wah-wah is useable but not a patch on a Cry-baby.

Gigged it for two years without back-up. Only problems experienced are with voltage drops at outdoor venues using generators, or running strings of lights on the same circuit. If the voltage drops the amp will cut out. However, a rare problem and not really trhe fault of the amp. Otherwise extremely reliable.

Never had cause to contact them

Price paid includes floorboard which is essential for gigging. This amp is superb and always attracts good comments, but it has to be tweaked to get it right. I suspect a good valve amp would be marginally better at distorted sounds but you would lose the huge versatility.

This is a 2000 Flextone IIXL...I mainly play rock, jazz and blues. I bought this based on a recommendation from someone who knows...A Gibson guitar rep. 50W...(2 x 12).. This thing has a lot of KPD (knob per dollar)...and a tremendous amount of flexibility, maybe that's why they call it a "Flextone"....Anywho.. This thing models about 12 different amps from a Blackface to a Soldano... it is pretty true to those tones. It has insane volume... deafening actually, play it at home... #3 is all I can handle... play it in a band... maybe #5/6... This is a modeling amp... it can be used as a monitor, comes with headphone jack.. really all the digital wiz bang stuff you'd need.

I presently use a American Telecaster with Duncans. As I said above, we play rock, funky jazz and some blues. The amp was absolutely wonderful when I got it. It was the all-in-one amp I needed. It has allowed me to explore sounds and settings, that would have taken me hours and numerous trips to Guitar Center to discover. Ergo, it helped me discover my style and sound. I started playing when I was 15...put the guitar down for 20 years and picked it back up and have been playing daily for 2 years. I love it... the Line 6 was essential in my re-entry to the guitar. I know play in a psuedo-band.. not sure we could entertain anyone, but we have fun and are recording...what I have discovered about the "digital" amp is there is NO WAY it can, nor does, compete with a tube amp, whether live or recording. Live... it is shallow and tone deaf...lacks depth and lays an egg on sustain. Recording... it is non-existent. I end up spending all my time futzing with the bass/treble and volume to get heard. When I am heard, it sounds forced and mushy, or forced and tinny, or just loud... Frankly, the tube amp punches right through the digital. That being said... if we were both playing digital.. fine great amp... awesome flexibility...but if your going to gig and compete with a tube amp... don't bother suiting up. The amp is great for personal use and messing around and very good and allowing you to discover "the tone" your looking for. It won't be "THE TONE" cause it is binary, but it will send you off looking for the tube amp which will give you that tone. Other than that...clean tones to total rectified distortion are available. Toss a VOX Wah-Wah on there and viola' you can sound pretty darn good.

I have had this 60 lbs beast for a year... it is tough and reliable. It get shoved into the back of my car weekly 2-3 times... No problems.

Line 6 is wonderful when you call them... or I should say.. when you get them on the phone. This can be tough, but honestly... it has been a very positive experience. Their website support is stinko!!! In fact, if they spent half the time on website support that they do pushing those dumb little monkeys... they would be far better off.

Overall, I think this is a very good amp. You can get, nearly, any sound out of it you want. I will be using this as a back-up amp at home... and also keep it around because of the ability to use it as a monitor. A band buddy uses a Crate... and the Line 6 is a far more flexible amp. If you want digital this is the one your want (The Vetta would be the Mercedes)...

Otherwise, I am off to tube land!!!

Same Features as all the others. Lets face it, whatever you think of the sounds, it's jam packed with features!

The connectivity of it, via all the balanced and unbalanced lines out of the back, ground lift, recording/live modes, etc. is brilliant. Saves all that miking up!

Shame a footswitch and cover aren't included in the price. It's fairly impossible to use it with a band if you don't have a footswitch.

The user manual is brilliant, which makes a real change.

Ooh, this is becoming so controversial! I guess you either love it or hate it. Me, I love it. It sounds brilliant with the band, much better than the other guitarist's amp-plus-digital-effects-board rig. No, it doesn't sound exactly like all the valve amps its modelled on, but it does a bloody good impression and sounds brilliant.

I use it with a Fender US Standard Fat Strat mainly, but also with a Yamaha Pacifica 112, and it sounds great with either. I also have a setting with flat EQ and using the valve pre-amp setting for my electro-acoustic (Yamaha APX5A via a Zoom 504II) and that sounds good, too.

I think most people try to set it up at home at low volume, then try to use it with a band by just turning up the master volume. Well that won't work. You have to set it up at gig volume, just like you do with any amplifier. It's just that with so many channels it takes forever to tweak them all, and meanwhile the rest of the band are standing around taking the piss out of you!

In short it has a huge variety of sounds, most of them great, more gain than any sane person could want (that's another key to success with this thing: go easy on the gain) and a bunch of good digital effects as well. Some people whine about not being able to use a whole bunch of effects all at once, but I reckon that just sounds crap anyway, so I'm happy.

I've been using it for 18 months now and I've never had a problem with it. I've heard all sorts of horror stories about them misbehaving and switching channels and stuff of their own accord, but I think most of that is caused by using it somewhere where the mains voltage dips too far. Digital stuff hates that!

I contacted the US Email helpline and they were really, REALLY slow to respond, but the UK service guys were really quick and helpful.

I love it. If it was stolen I'd probably get the Flextone III now, but only 'cos the Flextone II has been discontinued.

The only thing I hate is that it weighs 27kg, so it's a bugger to lift in and out of the car, and it could do with handles either side as well as the top handle.

I've been playing over 20 years and mainly play rock music. I also own a Fender US Fat Strat, Tokai 60s Strat copy, Yamaha Pacifica 112, Yamaha APX5A, Fender Telecoustic, Zoom 505II multi-FX, Zoom 504II Acoustic multi-FX.

2003 Line 6 Flextone II XL. 1 input, basically a Pod with an amp built around it.

I just sold the amp on eBay and bought a Peavey Classic 50 212 that I'm setting up with JJ's tubes and Weber speakers. I thought I'd contribute a few reviews as I've used others here a lot!!

I bought it because I didn't want to lug around an amp and stomp boxes. It has all the features I wanted and a lot of the settings sound very nice. I wish I could use several of the features simultaneously. You can only use the dial to get one effect or one effect with delay. I never could get the effect to turn all the way down when used with delay, so it didn't seem too adjustable.

I used the amp with the full floorboard but the whole bit is just too complex. I had to look up how to set the noise filter in the manual (hold the tap button and turn a knob).

I used it a lot in the house, some band practice, some auditions. PLENTY of power at 100W! I auditioned with several groups that were using half stacks and were a bit snobby at first, but were impressed with the volume and tone after playing with them.

Very versatile

I use a stock MIM Tele and Strat and play jazz, country, and some blues. The amp sounds great IF YOU WANT DISTORTION! If you're looking for just clean jazz or country tone it is difficult to get. You can get some outstanding tones if you want medium to 'insane' distortion, but that's not what I'm looking for.

When I bought it I took a pro musician friend along and he was able to repeat some tone 'clipping' on false harmonics. The same actions on tube amps in the store (Fender and Boogie) did not clip. At the time I wasn't discerning enough to tell; now I am.

Clean sounds good(ish) sometime(ish). I could make it sound outstanding doing fingerstyle jazz, but flatpicking on my Tele sounded very very harsh. Brittle is a term I've heard used. I never used it with humbuckers as I don't have any so I can't say, but the single coil flatpicking sounds don't seem to go well with this amp. I never could find any setting that didn't have some 'drive' in it that sounded good flatpicked on the single coils.

I started getting a lot of noise recently and couldn't get rid of it. I have a wnty but just didn't want to deal with it. I wouldn't gig without a backup of any kind of amp really.

I would happily recommend line6 amps to someone who is ok with their limitations. I may even consider buying a small one (Spyder series) for a practice amp or for students that come over and don't want to lug an amp. However, if you want to play clean single coils jazz or country style this may not be your amp.

If you do the math though, a Pod cost $250, the low end Line6 amp (65Watt 112 Spyder) cost $299... Not bad for any 65W amp with all these effects!

I have to give a high overall rating of 8 because I think they're good products (I'd love to try the new Vetta II series), and I think I'd be sublimely happy with this amp if I was in a rock/blues band and even perhaps if I played humbuckers.

For jazz and country I decied to spend the bucks and get a tube amp. For effects I've simplified greatly and gone with the BOSS ME-50 which is basically a collection of stomp boxes with KNOBS AND NO MENUS without all the signal loss.

2002. If you can find a more versatile amp, you are living in a fantasy world. Four channels, 32 amp models, 16 cabinet models, and 16 digital effects. Plus reverb, drive, channel volume, master volume, bass, mid, treb, a noise gate, distortion, the possibilities ARE endless. GORGEOUS STEREO TONE, and enough volume to make your nuts rattle. Not to mention LOADS of other features on the back of the amp. You can program this thing to do anything. ANYTHING.

There is no way to tell you of all the hundreds of different sounds and tones this amp has. Sweet tone machine worthy of every musician. If you do not own one, RUN to the nearest dealer and buy one. If you can no longer find an XLII, get the XLIII.

HIGHLY RELIABLE

These people will do anything to please you.

30 years. Epiphone, Fender, Dunlop, Austin, Oscar Schmidt. Line 6.

Line 6 flextone II XL...if you've already read the reviews below, you know what this amp's got. I ranked the features at 7 because even though there are a lot of good fx on this beast, you can only combine the modulation fx with delay. having a seperate reverb control was genius, however, for some amps, the reverb is lush, for others it's too messy underneath, and some it's not enough. If you could preset the different types of reverb without all the midi equipment and combine different fx, then I'd definitely give this a 9. (there's ALWAYS room for improvement.)

I play in a lot of different situations. I play in my church's praise and worship team, also with an improvisational group that practices through headphones, and jam at a local bar with friends every so often. This amp, to be honest, sounded like I was in a cardboard box the first time I turned it up. But the secret is ...(drumroll) ... breaking the speakers in. You really have to crank it up and just wail on it for a couple of weeks to loosen up the speakers so they actually sound good. And when I say crank, I mean so loud that you forget that you're already wearing earplugs.

I've had this amp for about a year and a half. This is the "new and improved for 2002" model.

I play with an (now don't laugh) old squier strat. It's older than me. But before you judge, I did some research on this particular model'sd serial number, and it turns out that back when this guitar was made, 1976, fender made these parts in the USA and shipped them over to Korea to be assembled in the squier factory. In order to save on costs i guess. But I have a hot rails in the bridge, and a fender blue lace in the neck. the middle p/u is disabled as i can get enough tones out of the 3 settings already. I have to admit, that this amp is no marshall/boogie stack. Because it does not have 4x12 celestion vintage 30's, a closed back, and 100 watts of hot tube power. nor do any of the "clean" amps sound the least bit useable. However, I have found that with the VOLUME KNOB (the little round thingy on your guitar that you never touch, not the tone knob the other one) you can open up magical tone doors on this amp like you would not believe. Now I use, mainly, 4 amps. Jazz clean through 4th 2x12 cab, small tweed through 1st 4x12 cab, brit high gain through 1st 4x12 cab, and #2 rectified through 1st 4x12 cab. My "any application" setting is the tweed. I have the gain maxed out, and get a nice fat and very smooth distortion (maybe too smooth sometimes) but the magic here is when you roll the volume back. It cleans up and you get a non-sterile sounding fender amp with a little bit of glass. the jazz clean is for all of the church stuff. I have the gain maxed out on that model as well, but it's more of a midrangy grainy overdrive. It'll start to breakup real nice if you start pounding your guitar. and start to pick softer and "viola" the sound starts to soften up. And the Rectifier may not be as tight as you'd like it to be, but set it just right, crank it in a big room (like a church sanctuary), and start wailing "master of puppets".

So far it hasn't caused any problems for me, however ever since i've had it, anything plugged into the headphone jack, or xlr outputs has a major buzz.

they're website is really helpful. and you can even post your question and they'll answer it within 2 days if you have any question. I asked them a question about 'mod'ing my amp in a way that could have damaged it, but they answered my question regarding the mod, and they were right. They know their product.

I think it was a great amp for 750, 1000 w/ the pedal. it has a lot of great sounds and tones. It does an ok job modeling, but where it excels is in the "make your OWN sound" category. BTW, I am 20 years old. been playing guitar for 7+ years and have been playing electric guitar for 4 years. I'd say that I know enough about tones and distortin and fx to know what I need and how to get it. DON'T BUY THIS FOR 32 DIFFERENT AMP MODELS, YOU'LL BE DISAPPOINTED. BUT BUY THIS FOR THE ADVENTURE OF FINDING YOUR OWN TONES.

PS You CANNOT use this amp with a distortion pedal in front. trust me. try it in the store if you don't believe me.

you've probably read all the features on the others reviews so am not going to go into them, you just need to know that its got alot.

here's where my mind starts to boggle. now, like most people i got caught up in the hype of "Oh, line 6, every amp i need crammed into 1" now thats what it says it is, but it int. the sound just sounds too fake to me, am not a tube nut before people start to blame me for bumming mesa/boogie, ive never even played one, but i have played a soldano SLO-100, n the line 6 sounds nothing like it. it feels too restricted, u get a rather nasty whump noise if u hav the bass to high. u can only get a slighty descent tone out of it if u hav it below 3, the effects r good tho. the clean sounds arn't as clean as they say they are. the distortions and high gain setting nearly sound all the same, just different settings on the EQ, i cant feel the power from it, b4 i got this i played a marshall AVT150H on a 4X12 and honest to god, i cud tear the room down with the tight bass response n high gain u can set it on, i hav since reverted back to the marshall, for the money i payed for it i cant find another amp better than it. as for the line 6, it jus sounds sterile and weak against the marshall even tho the RRP is more. my advice, if u can afford all tube then get all tube, if u cant then at least get summat with a good tube pre-amp. i dont know who line 6 are trying to kid, maybe they do sound good for recording, but live playing, they've got nothing on marshall or soldano. it seem apparent to me that people who rate highly on this catergory hav never played through a descent amp. am sorry but that is just the way it is.

it hasn't broken down but that whumping noise is annoying.

never dealt with them, u get stung on the warrenty tho, u hav to fill summat in within 30 days else its not their problem ne mor.

the guitars i put through it were a gibson les paul studio and an american fender strat, i just used to get continuous feedback on the "Insane" setting with my les paul n on the other setting it was rather grainy, and it took away the classic fender twang of my strat. i put a parker p-38 through it once n when the battery started running down i cud pick up radio signals, not perfectly clear like but it was freaky. if it was stolen i'd probably use the insurance money to get me a second hand gibson SG or mayb upgrade my AVT150 to a DSL-100, coz marshalls r prity cool, n so r peaveys by the way, just thought i'd add that coz it says "anything else you'd like to share" n i thought it was a valid point. WOOOOOoooooo

This is a fantastically versatile amp. If you want quality sound emulation a the flick of a switch, you really sound buy one of the flextone series. I play rock/punk mainly, so i used the manual settings along with the amp emulators to create my sound. Howver, this amp doesnt just do rock/puck etc, it does everything!!!!!!!! From Blues to Metal, all you need is here, with the obvious exception of valves. Line 6 have incorperated a lot into this amp and its all done fantastically but i can can a while to get the sound you want but once you get it you're in the zone!!!!!! Its 2 custom celestion 12" speakers give it the stereo kick you'd expect form this 100Watt beast, even at low volumes; the on board CPU emulates valve sounds great at any volume.

Line 6 have put 32 amp models in this (1 of which is a tube preamp, for any instument you want, very nice feature) 16 cab models, and quite a few effects (delay, swell, flanger, chorus etc) Finally, it has send/return, midi in/out and stereo XLR outs, which are great for recording as you can turn the speakers off - and with the help of an FB-4 or the floorboard, its easy to change all your settings.

I play a Gordon Smith GS-Deluxe (in electric blue if anyone wanted to no) and i use both humbuckers for the best all round sound (although the coil taps give it an extra twang). The Flextone's can fit anyones type of music,as i said, i play rock/punk and theres no match for this am (unless u pay double for a valve amp and even then you never get the effects). And since i play everywhere, it is could to have an emulating amp, as it has mopre freedom to change the settings if there is natural reverd etc... If you have a clean sound, its always a clean sound, at any volume, and the same goes for every setting you choose. The CPU genorates the perfect sound at any volume you want. And as for the type of sounds - they're unlimited. No other amp can match the POD technology built into this amp, so the sounds can be as brutal or mellow as you want.

This amp is delecate because of the CPU, but dont think its not built solid, IT IS!! but if it gets knocked in the wrong place, (ie the on/off swith which can be broken off quite easily) it can all go wong. Luckily, you dont have to worry too much about damaging it if you sensible with it, its not a toy, its an amp, so dont play, Strum :)

I had to replace this amp twice (3rd time lucky eh??) because of 1) a run down battery in the CPU and 2) im not sure. But both times i've had a brand new amp, in 2-4 days. They actually replace the amp, they dont fix it, u get a totally new one, which is great as long as you can remember your sound settings. The second time it went wrong i was pissed off yes, but my local music centre gave me the number for Line 6 UK, and i tlked to the manger of Line 6 himself, so we sorted out a deal and i had another amp in 2 days. They are great guys.

This is a fantastic emulating amp, but make sure you actually want this amp, because it does have a lot of features to get your head around. I didnt really compare it with much, but saying that i did look around price wise and read some reviews on other amps in this price range - THIS WAS BY FAR THE BEST!!! I had this amp since christmas, and i have been playing for 5 years (im 16 btw) and this truly has been the best vaa;ve emulation i've heard. So if it were stolen i' find the guy/girl who stole it and i'd nipple clamp them to the electric chair and slowly burn them for the inside. I think the only things i wish it had were side handles for carrying, and a better look, more like the flewxtone 3's. Oh well.

I've had the amp for about 8 months, and i have yet to have a problem. All i can say is, if you play on the road alot... this is not the amp for you. This is straight recording amp. Theres 32 Different Amp Models, 16 effects (Actually, theres only about 10 different effects, because 6 of them are 'Two at once' Effects); and 15 different cabinets. I use the amp in my basement, and have never had a problem.

I play a PRS with just stock pickups... and yet, the sounds are still very crisp. Even though i actually only use about 6-7 of the amp models available, its still badass. The only problem i have with this amp... ... is once the master volume goes above 5... the sound gets very bad. As i said before, this is straight recording amp, nothing more. Oh... and it also needs a low end distortion... nothing REALLY heavy.

Not one problem yet, and 4 Save Channels... its all good.

Never dealt with em

Ive been playing for about 2 years, and i have 4 boss pedals and use a PRS. I like the amp for playing around with myself, its not an amp you gig with. Anyone whos still sitting in their basement looking for something relatively powerful, this is the amp for you.

I recently bought this amp, even though I actually am a bass player. Our band needed a gig amp and I do toddle around on the guitar. So I coughed up the money for a Line6. I will say that I am very happy with my purchase. First of all, it's an ultimate money saver. The amp carries an on board array of 16 effects, so we no longer will need to buy those. The 32 amp models, although I will agree that some fall short of the true sound, all can be used to create your own sounds. It's solid state so at 100 watts it can get very loud and hold it's own on stage. And on the other hand, the digital solid state construction allows for heavy gain at low volumes which can be handy as well. Our band has used it at fairly good sized venues. The AIR outputs on the back are nice and make wiring into a PA simple. All in all this amp can do what most guitar players need for a good price.

I've found that the amp puts out relatively good sounds. Some of the distortions I will say are somewhat weak or a bit talked up by the manufacturers. Don't look to Line6 Insane Model, but I Modern High Gain #2 or Rectified #2. The effects all sound great. I am impressed at alot of the clean tones that the amp will put out. Our bands sounds is loud with alot of distortion, and as long as you use a distortion on the amp, the noise gate does a good job at keeping the fuzz down as long as you don't have super sensative pickups and aren't in a 6x6 room. One quirky yet nice feature we have used is laying an external distortion over an amp distortion which sounds rad!! And even at high volumes the overlayed distortion holds together well and sounds great. This amp can supply a variaty of great tones with lots of cutom capability and will put out that tone at a very ample volume.

I've only had this amp for awhile, but it has seen a few gigs already. It's pretty easy to pack around, easy to get whipped into shape at a gig. I haven't had a single problem with it so far, it turns on everytime power goes to it and sound comes out of it everytime you hit a string. With no tubes you don't have to worry about those crapping out on you. I plan on having this amp for a long time!

Haven't had to deal with them yet, the warranty is limited but hasn't expired yet.

This amp overall is an awesome amp. I have the additional Floorboard coming soon and that will unlock the full potential of this amp. I also own and Ampeg SVT-610 Cab with B5R amp, and I like to think of that as a top of the line setup, and I like to feel that I added to that with a top of the line(brand name) guitar setup. In the end I would someday like to end up with the Line6 Vetta stack, but for now this amp does the trick and I am very impressed with it.

This amp basically has a lot of features... its an amp simulator so there should be enough tonal range here for anyone! - Hmm, maybe
Its a solid-sate affair housed in a 2x12" combo and has a wide range of tone for the money.

The sounds are nice. But not very nice, or 'valve like'. I have had this amp for 2 years now and its served me well. i remember when i had my Marshall AVT 150 and went to look for a replacement (3 months after i bought it, lol) i gave it a 7 for features becuase if you set out to achieve a certain sound (like an amp for example) you'll eventually discover this amp gets it about 60%-80% correct. So not spot on! It does sound a bit 'iffy' at hig volumes. But does have sufficient kick for a 2x12 solid state amp. The Rectified 1 sound (Dual recto tremoverb combo) sounds Fucking Awful!! its flabby,boomy, flat, boring.. etc. The Rectified #2 is where its at tho (the recto head) Saying that, i have played through the acutall amp and the combo is a bit shite really!! :p

I like the Rectified #2, Roland jazz chorus, and maybe the modern high gain for a smoother sound.

The Insane amp model is almost equally as shite as the REctified 1
its disgusting. "Mesa cranked acting as a preamp for a soldano" My Ass!!

Fine.

okay, got teh switch set to live and didnt know. Sent it off, it came back within a week i think. They never said anything.. ;)

This amp is good, could be better and far from great.
Very Good for begginers

2x50 watts of power, 2 12inch 8-ohm speakers, 32 channels, with 4 programmable preset channels(32 with floorboad) 16 digital effects settings, 1/2in headphone jack, optional floorboard with wah and volume pedals, 8 banks of 4 channels with foot switches and digital tuner, huge load of switches and plugs on back of amp all that are for studio recording(i'll probably never use em) this amp has ALOT of stuff on it, but it is very simple to use, it is extremly powerful, more powerful then I may ever need, even for gigging, I opted for this model more for the 2x12 speakers and the stereo sound, I keep it in my basement, and i nver turn it past 2.5 out of 10 on volume (ow its loud) even though it is an open back cabinet, this thing pumps out the bass with ease, very loud and clear, i enjoy this amp very much.

I use a junker guitar (99 ibanez GRX45) but i shoved a SeymourDuncan Distortion Humbucker in the bridge position to attain some good grind, and with the "Line6 Insane" channel on and my setting dialed in, it certainly does grind, I get a very bright,clear,absolutly brutal distortion, but with heavy, thumping bass when I palm mute, excellent for any metal/punk/hardcore or any kind of hard rock. I play various kinds of hard rock so i generally use this one channel, but ive had this amp for 2 years and ive discovered that i can attain most any kind of sound i want with this amp, the channels are very versatile, and with the effects and cabinet emulation i can make very unique tones at the turn of a few knobs. I have not had any problems with speaker distortion at all, these speakers can take up to 75w's each, and since its a 100w amp, you should technically be able to turn the amp up all the way without any problems.

I've had this amp for 2 years, never gigged yet, but ive had some aggressive jam and band practice sessions with it, and its held up, very solid amp, since its a Digital amp there are no tubes to worry about, and you can leave it on for hours without it getting more than slightly warm.

Well, I've never dealt with them yet, so I couldnt tell ya!

For the money, this is the most versatile amp you can get, of course the Line6 Flextone III series was just released, but they are more expensive. The Flextone II is a great bang for your buck, I'm only 18,but I will probably have this amp for a very long time coming. Now to get a new guitar :p