Line 6 Flextone Plus

06' model flextone 3 plus combo, If you are checking this amp out you probablly already know the general setup but if not just read some of the reviews below. I don't need to list all that again.

The ability to add not just one but two external cabs is nice. (If you add the second the internal speaker is disabled)

Got lucky too- it was on sale for $500 at guitar center and the last one they had for that price. at least $50,000 worth of gear if you bought all the stuff this thing models probablly a lot more.

This amp is very versatile, I mainly use a Don Grosh retro classic with fralin blues special single coils and it sounds great(essentially a fancy strat) . My les paul sounds good on it too.

It sounds good at performance volume as well as practice volume. I play quite a bit of pink floyd+ zeppelin and it suits that music well. however you could do most anything with it.

Do expect to have to tweak and resave most of the amp model settings to get your best possible tone. but once you get it right and save it the hard part is done. you can always fine tune and resave settings. plus download tones from line 6 site with midi interface.

I have played for over 12 years now and never thought much of solid state amps I own and have owned quite a few tube amps including fender, mesa, dr.z, swart, and kendrick. That is untill I tried this one. I think the flextone is about 95% of the way there if you set it up right. And that is impressive considering how many amps it models.

The effects seem to be fairly good quality too.

I find the amp to be smooth and fluid feeling to play, not harsh at all. very fun amp to play on. and oh so much easier to use than a conventional setup. enough said.

Well I have not owned the amp very long so I should not say I know it is dependable but it seems like it will last a while.

I would like to have a backup but now this is the only amp I have big enough to gig with-at least when playing with a drummer. maybe they will figure to make a nice head version soon (why the hell have they not yet anyway?). If we as a band got big enough I would buy another for backup though. Or maybe the xl.

Only issues I have had so far are, 1.the thing did have a small rattle when I got it home- call me crazy (and I know you will) but I removed the head from the cab and tightened all the screws on the chassis, reassembled and that solved the problem. I have quite a bit of experience fixing rattles and buzzes and do not reccomend anyone who does not know what they are doing to do what I did- I should'nt have done it but screw driving all the way back and they did not have another anyway. No biggie I have had amps costing much more rattle much worse and be harder to fix. I would have sent it to line 6 if I could not fix the buzz.

Hey it saved three more hours on the road and took like 15 min to do and I still have the amp here to play.

2. the power cord and power switch don't exactly fit tightly into the chassis of the head- this could be a set up a little bit better but it works ok for now. just annoying.

Have not had to deal with them. I believe the warranty is for one year.

In 12 years of playing many amps and guitars of all quality levels I must say this amp is just fun to sit down jam out on- fully customizeable. I play it all evening quite often. Good fun to gig on too. sounds the same every time too. tube performance can vary sometimes.

I own a few boutique tube amps also and must say this line 6 comes very, very close to the quality of tone I expect from a tube amp. I never thought I'd buy or enjoy another solid state amp but line 6 has earned some respect from this player.

Definitley gets you the tone without all the pedals. you can get so many good tones so easily.

Wish it was available as a head to make it more portable as it is kinda big and a little heavy in combo form. At least it has speaker jacks so you can use it as a head.

If it was stolen-(you don't lose an amp, especially one this big) I would be very, extremely pissed off but would buy it again.

I find it a joy to play on, easy to use, and very toneful and has power to spare.

I agree with what the guy somewhere below me said- If you can't get a good tone you like out of this you are probablly never going to be happy with any amp. And I agree about tone being in the fingers, and in the wood of a good guitar not just in any amp or pedal. don't expect a cheap ass guitar to sound like a good high end or vintage one.

The amp has soul+ vibe and plenty of it, honestly if you can't find it try another guitar or maybe some lessons for real. A super pro- which hardly anyone of us is- lets be honest now, could and probablly does need more from an amp but this thing should more than take care of most anyone else.

Figure up what all the amps, effects,and cabs this thing models cost (if you can even find them for sale). Add it all up and then ask yourself is it worth all that money for about a 5-10% better sound and feel. If you play with only one type of sound well this may not be for you but if you have to play whatever the people want to hear or anything you want to hear give it a try. I have had many compliments on the tones I get out of the amp. plus try to haul all that gear to a gig!!

If you are a perfectionist or a vintage buff to the level of obsessive compulsivness you probablly won't be satisfied with this amp but then when are you satisfied? - probablly almost never! the vetta may be better for you. maybe not.

If you are a creative guitarist wishing for many options as to express your individuality and personal taste you will like it. This amp opens many creative doors as advertised.

See other reviews above.

A lot of sounds, delivered with about 75% of the depth and punch of the real thing. The biggest problem with this amp is lack of treble. I have the treble control on 10 at all times and it still doesn't bite like a "real" amp, even with a Tele.

Had it three years, mostly used for recording, no real problems. However, the on-off switch has a tendency to pop off and disappear. Replaced it once, now I have to just plug it in to use it. A pain.

Been playing a long time and I'm pretty demanding. I just bought an old Traynor and almost sold the Flextone, but, using the Traynor I remembered how versatile, if limited, the Flextone is.

all thats been covered

great stuff for a while but hell i'm 48 years old, i bought a tone bone hot british pedal, and the lazy bastard i am, i can play that little pedal thru whatever amp i want, mines up for sale, it was a great amp for 4 years, most people bitch about line 6, i'm tired of hearing of all the rectofuckapeaveyfenderdeville shit!! wake up boys! you'll never find your sound!! i have a 1964 gibson skylark, i'm fuckin deaf---- i am a pro musician---- my ears ring like a bitch---- make sure youget at least 2 marshalls- btw i've owned 4 heads and tons of cabs-- i want all of you to buy a mode fuckin 4 marshall, between all the shit i hear in your cars, about 2012 you fuckers will be so deaf you'll cry--------- get that big amp fool!!! other than that- i'm the fastest baddest dude you wanna mess with----- try me!!

the amp never--- and i mean---never let me down!

n/a

i have many guitars and amps--- it took me many years to figure out how to do things---- it's all in your fingers boys, pedals ain't gonna make ya sound good, learn rhythm guitar first, and when ya get good -- punch the lead---i have faith in all of you young guys and gals!! keep rockin-----!!!!!!!!!!! i love ya all!!!

Nothing to add here. It's got alot! Although I wish the Leslie Rotating Speaker effect was more adjustable.

You NEED the foot board for this amp... PERIOD!

Hmm... sounds GREAT loud, sounds crap when played quietly. Perhaps this is everything to do with the speaker, as it sounds great at low volume plugged into my computer's line in. Excellent for recording.

You MUST have single coil pickups, as this amp is made for vintage sounds. I cannot get a decent sound on my LP humbuckers - sounds like butt! On a Fender, well it sounds superb. Wonderful!

However, two things majorly grate me about the sound:
1). Most tube tones have that same nasal sound as if they are all just variations of each other - no matter how you tweak the settings.
2). It lacks a decent "presence" control. You can up the treble levels by 6db if you figure out the foot controls, but with humbuckers, you cannot get that bite even on the heavy amp models. The bass notes fart with humbuckers. Sounds great with single coils.

The buttons on the top are tetchy. Buttons on the floorboard ALWAYS go bad - and common advice from Line6 is to remove the springs and stretch them.

No idea. They have seemed to drop most info from their site about this amp now that new models are available.

For the blues player with single coils = 10/10.
For the hard rocker/metaller = 4/10

Bought this amp used off of ebay for $600 with the floorboard. When you consider the realatively low cost of these amps and the features that they have they are a true bargain. It has a wealth of great models and effects.

I think that anyone can get the sound they are looking for if they take the time to tweek and really listen. Small changes in the tone and drive controls can make a big difference. I have had this amp for several years and I am still learning more about this amp. One thing I did change was the speaker. The comments that you hear that may be negative in regards to tone stem, I think from the stock factory speaker. I mean its an ok speaker and it can handle the power but to my ears sounded a bit raspy and harsh at times. I changed the speaker to a Electrovoice SRO rated at 200 watts. This made a huge difference in the quality of the sound. To add to this even more I got an old Mesa Boogie shadow speaker rated 150; I think these maybe made by Electrocoice for them, and put that in a sealed cabinet for the extention speaker.The result, clean detailed sound that lets you really hear the differences in the amp models with an amazing amount of volumn if you need it. I have used this amp with a 92 Paul Reed Smith Ce 24, various strats and a tele, a '78 Ibanez 335 type atrist, and a custom archtop guitar. This amp can deliver great sounds with any type of music that you are interested in playing. Take the time to dial it in and it will be there. I have had classic Fender amps and still have a Mesa Boogie Mark IV. This amp is far more versitile and alot of fun. Jump from classic Fender tone to giant Marshall stack, to mellow jazz flavors with just a few clicks of the floorboard. This is a must have option in my opinion. Are The sounds exact replicas, Maybe and maybe not but great tone is definately there and with a wide variety that just can not be had with yout typical one trick pony amps. Dial it in, its happening.

No problems.

Seem to be on top of things when I have asked questions

I have been playing 25 years. If you just were going to have one amp I think the technology is to a point that these new modeling amps are the way to go. I just have this one but have heard and played others. Tubes are great sounding but you do have the maintance issue and the lack of versatility that thes modeling amps afford you.

just an update on the older flextone plus , i have found a pretty decent patch that i formerly kept passing over , the modern class A If you tweak it just the way you want it it sounds pretty cool! try it and see what ya think! to all the people who cant get the right sound out of this amp , clean the friggin wax out of your ears , sit down , relax grab a cocktail,stroll through sounds ,read the manual ,know what the controls can do and create something of your own!! dont start cryin cause ya fiddled with a few knobs and it dont sound like a marshall!! go out and buy a marshall! YES I KNOW THIS AMP IS NOT 100% tube sounding , i got a whole room full of mesas,laneys,etc! ,nothin blisters your balls like a good old tube amp,however,imho, the flextone gets close enough,for most gigs,i stand by it as a good alternative to carryin a marshall half stack, and a twin reverb,im young at heart but to old to cart!! thanks for your time pickers and TOIN IT UP!!!!

This is the pre Flextone II series and has 16 amp models with no cab modeling. Good range of amps from jazz clean to Fuzzed out mush. I have the floorboard giving me 16 preset channels and 16 user definable channels. Much more than anyone will need. Effects send and return and headpnone jack with a output for the extension cab to make this a 100Watt stereo from its original 60Watt Mono. I use this amp at home and at practice with my band. This amp has LOTS of volume and does well with distortion at low volumes, too. I give it an 8 because it has no Line out, at least I can't find it.

I use an American Strat and Epi Les Paul with SD '59 and SD Custom Custom. I really liked the tone on this amp until I put it with my band. I have tried for hours to adjust my settings for a fuller base response and deeper, not harsher, distortion to drive chords. I can't seem to get past this crisp "processed" sound. Cleans are pretty good, but still I have a hard time getting a decent bass response. I play everything from old school blues, SRV, 80's rock to new metal. You can get a decent growl by setting the amp as tweed and the drive to 3'oclock, and the High Gain settings are good for lead, its the rythym parts that suffer.

This has been a very dependable amp. I have had it for 3 years and had no problems. I have recently developed a buzz in the power supply, so I may have a problem coming, hence the 9 instead of 10.

This is the best Customer Support in the world. No.. Really. I didn't buy my amp new, but these guys treat me like I have the Platinum Warranty on every call. They always answer the call immediately or call very shortly after getting a message. They always answer my questions without referring me to a local service center. They even shipped me the latest upgrade (Via IC Chip) free of charge and helped me install it. Kudo's to this Company's commitment to their customers.Most companies, even outside the music industry, could take a lesson from these guys.

I have been playing for 10 years. I have played so many amps I can't even list them . I would not replace this amp if stolen . I would give Line 6 a listen on the Flextone II series because they have been so good to work with, but would probably pay a little extra and get the real deal, Mesa Boogie With tubes. Don't get me wrong, at home this is a lot of fun and sounds good, but If you play next to guys that have tube amps, good ones, they'll eat you alive.

Power really affects this amp, if you are dont have steady electricity you may have trouble. Other than electrical concerns, it is perfectly reliable to me. A power regulator is all u need to take away the worry.

Took 3 minutes to get a replacement input jack on its way to me for free...the guy on the phone was totally friendly and nice.

I've been playing seriously for 10 years or so. I play jazz, blues, classic rock covers, and current stlyle rock.

I've done mostly fender amps, delux, deville and twins. I always play stratocasters, particularly my 1980 '57 reissue...best strat ever (to me).

Stolen or lost...To be honest I would probably get a carr amp and a full tone pedal and leave it at that. If I didn't have $1500 to throw down and was stuck in the under a thousand range I would deffinately get another Flextone Plus.

At first it was hard to get the sound I was looking for, but after a couple of months I knew exacly how to get the tone I wanted.

Getting good bass response with a "fender" sound was hard, but not impossible. Marshall sounds were made possible by the satelite(spelling error on satelite?) cab because there just wasn't enough thickness comming from the 1x12. 2x12s stacked on top of each other seemed to do the trick. Also, the Soldano model is very close, but you can definately tell that it doesn't have all the power of a real soldano...same with the mesa models.

After a year or so of giging with it I finally bought a midi dongle and the cables to hook it up to my computer...THIS MAKES THE DIFFERENCE! Being able to save a set of sounds that had a good reaction to one club, or outdoors, or whatever the gig may be is very nice. It will be HARD TO PART with these capabilities...very.

Also, I found the abundance of patches (tone settings) available for free on the internet to be an amazing resource. Some of the settings I have found online for this product are simply amazing...near exact replicas of cherished amps and tones...amazing.

Hate...hrmmm. I hate the "Quick Start Guide" at the begining of the manual. If I had read past this I would have had the sounds I was looking for way, way sooner. The Line 6 website is very lame, the links are the most usefull content...i hate that.

I wish I had a carr amp and a fulltone pedal. *chuckling* I saw a Fender rep buy a carr amp at a local store...everyone in there was laughing at him.

I will close by saying this: I highly recommend the Flextone Plus as long as you get the satelite cab and a floor board. Without the floor board u will have 1/100th of the controll and features. It is very important to read the manual...dont be ignorant like I was...It was a huge help. Please Ignore the "Quick Start Guide" at the beginning of the book.

This is a follow up to the previous review I submitted on 12-08-2001. Yes this amp has great versatility and the effects are pretty good?I said they were O.K. before. The built in tuner is very good and I have heard other players say their tuner was finicky but mine is great! You can also change from standard tuning (440) to other settings (445, 435, etc). But when I am finished with the tuner and I switch back to my preset settings, there is always a loud buzzing, scratching sound?very annoying, especially when you are on stage. The floorboard has a mystery function that the dealer and Line 6 couldn?t answer. The word ?Compare? is on the floorboard (next to the LED display) that serves no purpose. I thoroughly read the operators manual and I couldn?t find anything to explain why it was there or what its purpose was?maybe the layout of this board was originally for the AXS? Line 6 possibly overlooked this snafu, like they did with the sounds.
This amp is 60 watts mono and 50 watts a side stereo. With a 1x12 open back extension speaker, the overall sound does improve?with my JBL in a sealed cabinet, the sound is even more brutal?but with my 4x12 Mesa Boogie Cabinet, the sound is massive?this thing will give you Cancer!!!

Like I have said before, the sounds are something to be desired. The EQ is weak and I have tired of tweaking the EQ?it has been 3 long frustrating years and I have scratched every bit of hair off of my head tweaking this thing. Although many have said they were pleased with the sound of their Flextones, I truly cannot get mine to respond. This amp has a naturally sounding buzzy, mushy, un-tube like tone to it. I really thought this was going to be the answer to all of my dreams but it only turned out to be a nightmare. Granted if I wanted a Boogie, Marshall, or Fender, I should have bought one, but when I decided to buy this amp, I was looking for an all in one package. I didn?t have the option of plugging into this thing and demoing it, as I live 700 miles from the nearest dealer. I decided to buy this amp based on reviews in Guitar Player magazines and others. The dealer I spoke with said it was amazing and unbelievably accurate?ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! Too bad I didn?t know about Harmony Central back in 1999. I don?t mean to sound like I?m crying in my beer, but I am really disappointed in the tones of this amp. I feel misled by dealers and the media. I wanted to simplify my set up and I thought this amp was going to do that. I ended up purchasing an ADA MP-1 preamp to get tube tone and an ADA MicroCab II to give the amp some character and life. These ADA products did miraculous things for this amp?I run it thru the effects loop and it sounds unbelievable!!! I am presently designing my own amp using these components?just don?t know if I will go with a combo or head/cabinet version. What ever it will be, it will have a closed-back cabinet and not an Eminence Speaker! I wonder if the folks at Line 6 would ever consider marketing a device that would utilize the effects loop such as I do. Something that would interface with the power/preamp section and improve the tone, feel and life of these amps. Maybe something like an ADA MicroCab or something similar!
If they did, I hope they don?t screw that up!!!

You heard it before in my previous submission about the preset loss?all is fine now since I repaired it myself?no thanks to Line 6 Support!

Well you read it all above!!!

I have been playing for 27 years. I have had Yamaha, Fender, Peavey, Boogie and now a Line 6 Plus. If it were stolen or lost I would
NEVER, EVER BUY ANOTHER LINE 6 PRODUCT...NEVER!!! I do like the channel switching capabilities and the effects but I am not fond of the useless direct out and the buzzy, mushy, harsh sounds of the amp models. After I bought this thing, I had a chance to A/B it with a Dual Rectifier, Yamaha DG80 and Crates Digital Amp. The Crate, although loaded with tons of effects, sounded to me just like the Flextone. The Yamaha had the best, most tube like sound than any digital amp I have ever heard...I would have bought a Yamaha before the Line 6. The Boogie ate the Line 6 Plus alive and spit out a transistor radio!!!
I wish Line 6 took more time in researching the Digital Domain before they released this thing. With a little more effort, they would have had a winner. If this amp had anything, I wish it came with a built in MicroCab...it made all the difference! Listen Up Line 6!!! Wouldn't it be great if you (or someone) designed an outboard device like the MicroCab. It could interface with the power/preamp via the effects loop! TRY IT...WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO LOSE!!!

I bought this amp new and have had it for a couple of years (2000 model?) I play 3 different Christian rock bands: adult contemporary, classic rock, and modern worship/alternative. In other words, every style except classical. I needed one amp to cover all the bases - and this one does. One word of advice: do NOT bother getting this amp unless you get the big floor board. Otherwise, you aren't even scratching the surface. If I play 6 songs in a service, I will typically use 6 entirely different settings, and may add a touch of the swell pedal and wah pedal. I use the satellite cabinet when I can, but it's too loud for older audiences so I usually reserve that for the high school crowds. Then I mic both cabs and pan them out so it comes out of the mains in stereo - very cool - IF your sound guy has a clue. I wish there was more user control on the delay. All you can do is set the speed and amount. I really wish you could set the attack and feedback. In any event, all the effects you REALLY need are on board. Your audience won't be as picky as you.

I use an American Standard Strat with stock single coils. My guitar is very bright and edgy so it's hard for me to get the richer low-end sound I crave from this amp. A friend of mine played his guitar with more tame single coils through it and I thought his sounded better. The distorted and slightly overdriven sounds are good, but I can't find that special clean, rich, Fender tube sound with a lot of low end. In order to get the bass response I want in any of the models I have to crank the drive until it's a little edgy. This is the only thing I really don't like about this amp. Otherwise, it's great.

My classic rock band plays in some harsh environments - outside in the Texas heat or cold, in prisons, and on the back of more flatbed trucks than I care to admit. I have had no problems with this amp. However, I had to go through 4 floorboards until I got one that worked with 100% reliability. The one I have now hasn't given me a problem and I've had it about a year. I wish they didn't use that red light for the display. You can't read it when you are in the direct sunlight (flatbed truck).

I emailed Line 6 one time with a wierd question about rewiring the extension cab so the whole rig would play in mono. They replied within 2 days with a detailed answer.

I have a music degree (not in guitar) and have been playing off and on for 25+ years. For the price you pay to get the amp, the ext cab, and the floor board, there are probably a lot of other good options out there. However, I really think this is a great choice for players in modern praise bands or cover bands. I can get close enough to EVERY tone/effect I hear on the radio. Sometimes I can tell it's not a "real" amp (just a model), but my audience can't. And that's really the point, isn't it? If you want to be a Johnie One-Style that plays in club only your friends have heard of, then you should probably go ahead and spend way too much on a "real" tube amp. But if you want to go to a gig and feel confident you can handle whatever is expected after you get there, then take THIS amp.

I bought this new in '99, when they first got over to blighty. Well, compared with all the other amps I own it is packed with features. I know the newer II models have midi, but the reason I got this amp was not to have a myriad of boxes etc, so I wouldn't use it. To be honest, as a guitarist ludite, I wouldn't really know what to use it for! The reason I have this amp is due to the fact I play in a covers band that play a wide cross section of music, and it handles everything. Before this, I used to take TWO amps and a number pedals so I can do a dance routine during songs for clean to solo to crunch to whatever. I have to strongly advise the extension cab - more later. With regard to features, these are well covered by other reviews and if that ain't enough, go to their web site. I gave it a 10 based on having the floor board which has a wealth of additional features, as well as effects like Wah and Volume. Without this it would be about 8.

I use a PRS Custom 24, with a PAF pickup in the bridge position, 3 way toggle fitted to select pick ups, and a coil tap for the neck pick-up. The combination of guitar/amp is extremely versatile and works exceptionally well in a covers band playing different styles of music. Again, sound is why I got this. It has a vast array of very good useable sounds. However, on it's own they do start to sound a little thin at higher volumes; this is where the 1x12 extension cab comes in. Placed either side of the drummer, the sound has both more depth and a much greater spread, giving an overall thicker tonal quality into the bargain. I gave up a long time ago trying to compare the modelled sounds with the real thing; some are really close, others aren't. It took a bit of time, but I eventually realised that I should just get the sound I was looking for, and don't just try and get the clean sounds from the Twin type models and the distorted from the High Gain models. I found the best distorted rhythm sound came from the Blackface wound right up, the best cleans from some of the higher gain models wound down, that sort of thing. So don't try and emulate, take your time and get the settings to sound right for your ears. Having said that, I have a number of valve amps that sound better than the Line 6....but only at one or two things! That is why I use a Boogie Blue Angel in a driving blues trio; it's the only sound I use and sounds better that the Line 6. However, playing in the covers band, the Blue Angel will only sound great on 20% of the songs, good on 20%, Ok on 20% poor on 20% and crap on 20%: of course I could take two amps, loads of pedals and get back into my tap dancing routine!

Well, I have been using this amp without back-up regularly for the past two years in my covers band. There is a problem, which I came across at home, on that sometimes (maybe once in every 30) when I power on, my user settings are lost. As I know about it, I have written down each of the settings for my 12 programmes and it takes me less than 5 minutes to do, which is a minor inconvenience. I must stress that this has never happened once the amp has been powered up (and if necessary reset), so I have had no real problems, just inconvenience. But, it shouldn't really happen...trouble is , as it's only an inconvenience and a rare intermmitent fault, I never bothered taking it back to get checked out.

Never contacted them, and apart from the power up problem, it has proved reliable.

I have been playing 26 years. With the Line 6 I use my PRS Custom. If lost or stolen I would certainly get another to avoid the hassle of what I used to go through with multi amps and stomp boxes. I love the versatility, which is why I got it, the power up problem is just a pain which detracts from an otherwise very good product.

As is the common phrase... "you know what this amp can do." And if you don't know, go to www.line6.com. Extremely versatile, yet lacks the output section and MIDI capabilities of the newer Flextones.

I use a custom-built Strat with a maple fretboard and a crazy electronics scheme (let's just say I can get any sound I'd like...) It goes very well with the Flextone. I've owned the Flextone Plus for a long while now (over 2 years or so) and have put it through its paces. Let me add that I've been playing guitar for over 10 years and before I bought the Flextone, I had been on a quest (aren't we all?) to find THE effects and THE amp combination... going through all sorts of tube preamps (Mesa, Egnater, etc.), boutique pedals (Voodoo Labs, Visual Sound, vintage pedals, etc.), and TUBE amps (Mesa, Fender, Rivera, Soldano). The ONLY amp that I wish I had kept is a Soldano Atomic 16, but that's beside the point. All this to say that I must admit that I enjoy the Flextone more than I ever enjoyed playing the tube combos. The tube combos (save for the Atomic 16) routinely sounded thin, anemic, and frustrating...and forget about distortions. And get this, I was so tired of getting subpar tone with the Rivera, that I went to Paul Rivera HIMSELF to get it tuned up/biased/etc. and when I got it back, it sounded WORSE! That sent me a new quest... I jokingly tried a Flextone in Guitar Center once for 3 minutes, thinking it would just sound like junk, but I was wrong...and impressed. I went back to a different store (where 12 year olds AREN'T playing a fragmented "Smells Like Teen Spirit" ALL day long with the amp on 11) and decided after hours of playing that the Flextone Plus was the one for me. I have been happy with it ever since... HOWEVER, I must admit that there are times when I grow tired of the Flextone, just as I usually end up growing tired of most of my gear, BUT the Flex is one of the only pieces of gear that can redeem itself, given that it is so, well, flexible. Bottom line is that is sounds great...if you put a simple few minutes of time into it. Forget about "does it sound just like the amps it models?"... does it sound good??? To me, yes. The only reason I'm parting with this amp is to buy the Flextone II Plus.

Reliability for me has been good, but the amp chassis physically buzzes and it can get fairly annoying. But if you're playing even at bedroom levels and you're into it, you forget about the buzzing pretty quickly. It's funny to me that people complain about their floorboard switches here on the amp reviews...though I do understand that actual amp reliability has not been as great for others.

The one time I sent the chassis to Line6 to get checked out, everything went okay, not exceptional, not bad.

Great overall amp. It's not going to blow the top off the Astrodome or make you look like a rock star at the Whisky, but it's a great practice, recording, and general gigging amp. Oh yeah... I'd advise on getting the large floorboard, as it does open up the full capabilities of the amp (and the wah is almost worth the price of admission by itself). I look foward to more innovations in this arena of amplification.

this amp was made in 99 or2000 ,the amp is very virsatile, icall it my swiss army amp.i have played rock,blues,punk,country ,oldies you name it it does a very convinceing job,the features have been well gone over, i mostly use the blackface deluxe setting,and the modern hi gainsoldano sound ,chorus echo, maybe some flange .Ive played lots of eagles clubs,lots of outdoor gigs, basements, decks, fairs, you name IT!!! I usually use a 2 12 cab loaded with vintage 30sfor the cool stereo effect, its friggin addicting!! im also going to change the stock eminence 12 in the amp to a vintage30,ill give lhe eminence to my kid so he can use it for target practice!!! plenty loud!!

It all boils down to this fellow axe slingers- read the manual ,so you understand hou to create sounds,use your ears to tweak it to your personal taste-you do not have to be a damn rocket scientist to get some pretty damn good sounds out of this amp!! amp can be noisy with single pole pickups,watch the neon lights, i use my noise gate it helps a lot sometimes.this amp can go from clean ta scream with the flick of the switch. clean channels can soun however ya want,want super clean? dial up the roland jc-120, want your clean with some grain in it dial up the tweed champ or blackface deluxe and have at it! the distortion on the rectified and modern hi gain can get as brutal as ya want, any more and ya probably need thearapy!!!i have an ibanez rt-450 1993 its modified with dimarzio tone zone fore the bridge, carvin ap11 single coil mid ,and a schaller golden50 for the neck,this guitar sounds great through this amp!! i also have a 99 gibson lespaul junior lite with p 100 pickups,its a screamer ,a 94 reissue fire bird V ,AND A 91 LES PAUL standard.

Ive had it since march 2000,bought a nice padded cover from LEcover.com, amp covers,check them out,i got my cover for 40.00to my door,the amp has never broken down,no tubes this is a tone geratin computer,somthin may glitch down the line,who knows??

N/A

i have been playin for 34 years, at 45 years old,im basically an aging rocker with tinittis. I do have a new mesa 50 watt rectoverb head just to have a kickin tube head,a 2 12 purple cabinet with vintage 30s whom i fondly call ''bruce'',a little vox pathfinder15 wattamp ,surprisingly loud for its size. if it werstolen or lost,i may consider gettin another one, but im a total gear head, and technology is movin fast,so who knows????

Great versatility ?the effects are O.K. It would be nice if you could get into the parameters though, especially the delay?apparently they have a better system on the Flextone II and Vetta models. The floorboard is a must-have if you want to access its features?13 channels if you include the ?MANUAL? channel! I only use 9 of these and a few are duplicates of other sounds as to ease the burden of switching between the 3 banks. Other than that, there is not to much good I can say about the sounds of this amp?more on this later. As for features, the ?direct out/headphone jack? works great with headphones? thru the headphones, the sounds are very good but once you unplug your headset and that thing they call a speaker cuts in, look out! Ugh!!!?Ugh!!!?Ugh!!! The signal coming from the direct out is useless if you were to slave it to another amp or mixer?it is way, way too hot. Even with the master volume (it controls the majority of the output from the direct out) completely off, the signal still sends the mixer / slave amp into clipping?it sounds like it?s going to self-destruct?it is worthless! Even if you find a reasonable level, once you switch to a boosted lead sound, you?ll drive everything into oblivion!!! What I do like though, is plugging an extension cabinet, like my 1x12 JBL, into the direct out?of course there is no great amount volume (you could easily talk over it), and the quality of sound was quite satisfying. Even at this low volume, you could feel the tight bottom end and my guitar sounded full and well defined, which is none existent once you unplug the cabinet and let the same sound travel thru that worthless Non-Modeled, Flat Frequency, Non-Responsive power amp. What kind of company claims they have modeled all of this vintage and modern amps only to neglect the fact that the characteristics of preamps and power amps work off of each other?(you know what I mean). These ?incompetents? modeled the preamp sections and thought using a power amp, such as you would find in a P.A., (flat frequency) would be ideal. I can?t help think these people weren?t musicians of any caliber, only electronic scientists trying to create something?something?something?other than a great sounding amp. The must be tone deaf. I?m just so disappointed in this amp!
The effects loops, in all amps these days, should have the option of selecting between line or instrument levels?this one doesn?t. And another thing?if you use the effects loop, then you can forget about plugging an extension speaker in, because it will not work?the extension speaker that is. So if you have something to enhance the quality of sound?which could be just about anything, and you use it thru the effects loop, then plugging in your ext. cab. is out of the question. So I contacted Line 6 Support, via e-mail, about this situation, and was informed that there was nothing that could be done about it?that is how the amp is design by our Morons. Low and behold, I was not satisfied with this response?so I took it upon myself to find a way and I did?all you have to do is plug the male portion of the ?? jacks partially into the jacks of the effects loop. The ?? jacks on the Flextone Plus are stereo, so instead of going all the way, I just went until the first ?click??voila!!! I had the combo speaker and 4x12, with my effects loop engaged as well. So tell me why they could not have told me this?because they just don?t give a damn is my guess! There is a feature that should be on this amp, all amps that is, and it is a choice of passive or active EQ?s. I have found active controls to be much more powerful and accurate. I know they didn?t do this because they were trying to model vintage amps, but they didn?t model anything really?and I don?t know how anyone at Line 6 thought they did.
As for wattage, there is plenty of it for me. I play in venues which hold between 500 or 750 people and with the channel volume always at its 3 o?clock position, the master is usually between

I use a Lado, Larrivee and an Epiphone Les Paul. But my favorite is a custom Strat Style Guitar with a H-S-H pick-up configuration (Jackson in the bridge, Jackson in the middle and a Dimarzio P.A.F. PRO in the neck. I use Saddle Savers exclusively and recommend them big time. Past amps in the past consisted of a Yamaha JX 50, a Fender 75, a Peavey Bandit 65, a Mesa Boogie Mark III, a Peavey Renown 112, a Peavey Stereo Chorus 2x12 and finally, the Line 6 Flextone Plus. I think I should join L.A. (Line 6 Anonymous) Hi, my name is Paul, and I own a Line 6?BOO! HOO!
Like I have said before the sounds are something to be desired?and I desire much better quality and control over my sounds. The EQ is weak?the bass function ands mush and flubber. The mid-range works like it should but the high end, treble, is too over powering and instead of getting nice brilliance to your sound, all you will get is harshness and irritating highs. I never have the ?presence? on, as this only ands to the harshness. This is do to the fact that they use a micro-processor that is only entry level in respect to this digital era. The Fender Cyber-Twin uses a micro-processor, which is much more geared towards recreating anything that resembles Tube Tone.
I play mostly Rock-n-Roll, Top 40 and oldies from the 60?s, 70?s, and 80?s and this amp will do the job, if you are not particular about your sound that is. However, this amp is very quiet and the noise gate works remarkably well. It doesn?t cut off your notes and when you strike your strings, the sound comes thru without any delay.
I mainly use the Rectified setting and the distortions are adequate. It gives me anything from chunk to sizzle but lacks character?to bad, cause this would have been Heavenly otherwise. The same goes for the other modern type amp settings too. The clean settings are not bad and because I rarely use these sounds, I can?t fairly comment on them. I have played with them though and them do seem to be adequate and retain their cleanliness at high volumes. But the ?buzzy-ness? of this amp interferes with all sounds and seems to be linked to the construction of this amp. I am so disappointed!

I didn?t have this amp a week and I lost all of my presets. At first I thought it was just something bizarre, but after losing them 3 times within a span of a week, I decided to contact Line 6. They told me it was possibly a bad cord and I suggested they send me one at their cost but was refused?I would have to pay for a new cord, and I had this amp for only 1 week! They also suggested I send it back to the dealer for repair. Now that?s a great idea if you live near one but I live in a very remote location in Canada and explained to him my predicament. It cost me $100.00 to have this thing arrive here and it would cost $100.00 to have to sent to the dealer, plus $100.00 to have it returned! $300.00 everybody!!! That?s about the same price I paid for the pedal-board! So I decide to leave it as be and went down to Radio Shack only to discover that the type of cord recommended by Line 6 doesn?t work?nothing?not a gig when plugged in. Even after returning that cord and trying 2 more, I was still back to square one. Once the warranty ran out, I took it upon myself to inspect the pedal board only to discover that 3 screws used to secure the circuit board to the chassis were completely backed off and barely holding on with just a few threads. Now not only do these screws hold the circuit board to the chassis, they also aid in grounding the circuit board to the chassis as well. Once I tightened these screws, I never had a problem with preset loss. After contacting Line 6 via e-mail, I never did get a response, only an incident number?I have file full of incident numbers by Line 6?which I will delete?as the files numbers are worthless?much like Line 6 Support. I am giving a rating of 5 as of now the presets stay...but if there was no resolution...it would have been a 1...I am so disappointed!

Well what more can I say...I am so disappointed!

i treat this amp with great care...I have with all of my equipment accually. It rides with me in the seat of my car anytime it goes somewhere. I run a BBE Sonic Maximizer thru this amp and although it helped, running an ADA MP-1 thru the efffects loop improved the sound of this amp drastically...I would recommend this to anyone. If it were stolen, I would hopefully catch him and remind him that he forgot the floorboard...or giggle uncontrollably in the shadows. I will never, never, ever buy another one...not a Line 6, that's for sure. When you read the manual, you get the impression it was written for some 12 year old, (I don't jump on my pedal bike with this thing under my arm and race over to my buddies house)indicating to me that these folks at Line 6 are not really serious about their product...maybe they think it's just a toy...yeah that's it...A TOY!!!
I put a Mesa Boogie speaker in this amp when the warranty ran out and it did help...tighter bottom end...it didn't squash out like the "other" speaker did. And I did take the amp head out as to look for what ever was rattling or buzzing inside but found nothing.
They had a good idea but they should have researched more...way, way, more!!! If Boogie made something like this...I would buy it in a flash! One more thing...I had a chance during one of my travels to A/B this thing with a Boogie Dual Rectifer...no contest everyone...the Line 6 sounded like a transistor radio!!! Did I ever mention I am so disappointed???

I bought my Flextone Plus new in December 1999. I recently purchased the large floorboard and the 112 extension cab. The features of this amp are well documented both here and at line6.com. Is this amp versatile? Oh yeah.

My main guitar is a Fender Tele> I also have a Strat that I use occasionally. My Tele sounds incredible throught this amp. I play in a praise band and I have every sound I need and then some. I also get together with friends and jam on cover tunes and original music. The flex covers it all perfectly. It can be a little noisy, but I think that is the fault of my Tele, not the amp.

I haven't had a single problem since I bought it (12/99) I don't have a backup amp, and I don't see a reason to get one. I'm not a pro musician, but I play regularly.

I've never dealt with customer support, but I've heard they respond well. I participate (mostly lurk) on a line 6 discussion board and they guys there can answer just about any question that comes up.

Overall, this the best amp I have ever played. It has everything I need, especially since I bought the large floorboard and extension cab. I have been playing guitar for thirteen years and have played through quite a few amps. I doubt I will ever need a different amp. If it was lost or stolen I would be definatly buy another one. Its got it all. Great tone, versatility, all in a compact package.

digital modeling amp.features well known.
good concept.

i play mostly strats.i liked the idea of having a versatile portable unit.since i was playing in a top 40/gala band i thought this was an affordable solution.
this was two years ago.now the flextone stands in my office next to a champ 12.i will never use it live anymore.it lacks power dynamics and richness.any cheap tube amp like deville/deluxe or peavy delta work much better(havent said that i like those ams).it may sound fine in the store or in the bedroom but it will sound thin and un inspiring in a real live situation.after a couple of weeks the sound of this amp got on my nerves.again:good idea but not very pleasing.
in the recording studio you get ok results.i would consider it as usable for jingles or computer music which needs some "guitar sounds".
not for serious productions.

still works but as said not being road tested for above reasons.

For beginners ok but too expensive.for lawyers and doctors who want to have some fun great but too cheap.
i play for 20 years the last 5years full pro.a good tube amp with some decent stomp boxes is much more versatile and USEABLE than the flextone.I play a 2nd hand fender "the twin" with a h&k tube factor and a jekyll and hyde o/d pedal.Then i got a real good comp.(carl martin) and wah + vol. pedal.allthough the evil twin is not my favorite amp this set up sounds killer live and in the studio.all styles except metal which i hate anyway.you need a good tech though who takes care of tubes ,caps.once in awhile

The Line Six Flextone line-up has been written about quite well in other columns. Let me say this though. I've played for nearly 36 years as an amateur. The sounds this amp makes are fabulous. 16 "amp" choices, lots of power, separate amp for external speaker, and 16 sound effects. All in one package. We would have killed for an amp like this in the 60's. Control over the special effects is wonderful. However....you need the footswitch to control the amp most effectively. I would highly recommend the large floorboard (which can be expensive....but boy is it worth it) because it includes additional memory (16 combinations of your choice) plus a good wah-wah, and a volume pedal. I bought the amp used for a great price, and purchased a new floorboard from my local dealer. I gave it a 10 becuase I've never seen anything else that came close in features.

16 "historical" amps, 16 special effects, master volume, channel volume and good clean power. Great, great sound. I can find no fault after two months of use. I'll give it a "9" on principle that there may be something better I haven't heard. (Over the years I've played through Kustom, Fender (many, many Fenders), Ampeg, Acoustic, Sun, Carvin, and others.

bought it used (1 year old) and have had it 2 months...no hint of a problem. I do not make a living with my guitar however.

no contact

for what I paid and how good it sounds, if it were stolen I'd get another one as quick as possible. I wouldn't even consider another amp. I'm currently playing a PRS custom 24, although my Japanese strat sounded great as well. The effects are incredible!!!

I bought mine over a year ago. This is a followup to a Post I did a lONG time age. I play out pretty often..it is startin' to show signs of road wear. I HAD to remove the LIne6 logo from the front. It was tearin' up my jeans! With that STUPID on/off little pushbutton on the back, I Have to carry it backwards or the switch will get obliterated by my knee! I NEED A ROADIE! 40 Years of playin and NO ROADIE... I already busted the Headphone jack off the bacvk tryin to squeeze out the door of a bar....can't remember though!
I think we all know the features..tons of 'em....almost too many at times! I bought the Floor Board too. There is even stuff you Don't know about unless you hit the Web Site...

Sounds...hmmmm. I have been a Tube (Fender) Man since 1969. I still have the '76 Super Reverb I bought. I play thru a '68 SG, '74 Strat (Hard Tail-no tremm - Swamp Ash -Nat Finish ---has to brag on this one!)..'82 ES335, '88 tele, '90 Les Paul Gold Top classic, and a '98 Carvin Home made Strat (too much stuff) It's kind of funny how some of us 'pureists' refuse to believe that anything can be as good as an 'old tube amp' but I'll be damned if this thing ain't CLOSE! And let me say what I tell all my students and fellow guitarists....I don't care if you get "your" sound thru a rubberband and a toothpick, if its what makes you play your best, amen! I can guarantee, if digital technology and PCB boards were around when Leo and Jim were making their babies, well, 'nuff said. ONE MAJOR GRIPE---High Gain setting are NOISY....especially in the Bars with Neon Budwiser lights. There were time when I had to put the amp away cause of the noise. Digital and 60Hz still don't cooperate all the time. The amp also sounds best with the 12" speaker included in the amp. I hooked up a 4-12 Marshall (could only use 2 of the 16 ohmers-2 Celestion Vintage 30's)..and the tone was a little flat compared to the 12" eminance. I guess all the tone is developed in the software and having speakers with "too much" personality screws things up! The 1-12" has plenty of punch though, and you can always Mike it thru the PA if you have one.
The tones are very good. A LOT of fun to play. I put it head to head with my '76 SFSR, '78 Marshall 50W MKII, '68 Bassman Head and my '77 Vibro Champ....I don't know why...had nothin else to do for about an hour I guess...the LIne6 was VERY convincing...AND more versatile. I never owned a JCM 800 Marshall or Mesa Boogie so I can't compare it but I can say that when I select these settings, the windows shake! Combine it with the effects and you have a winner. ALMOST has the FEEL of a tube amp...which really helps me get into playin...but not quite...BUT its a keeper. I had guys coming up to me after a benefit we played (12 Bands)asking me "What the hell are you playin' thru?" they were VERY impressed...I want to think it was the playin'....

Floor Board #1 went out on me...replaced----I still get a Indicator diode on the selector switches that occasionally won't come on until I talk to it...kind of like my wife..Had the Remote Power amp blow..sent the head back--they Fixed it and put in an updated chip -- NO Charge--Very nice....spilled tequilla on the Reverb Button...next day it was Glued..had to pry it out.. popped that sucker right out of the Pot!!!!I put it back together though...guess I can blame Line6 for the bad tequilla. its been thru a LOT of crap though and it always fire up...

Great when I needed it

I have been playing since 1964...Blues, Rock, Fusion and now, thanks to the club owners where I live, Creed, Metallica, Alice in Chains, Satriani ( I like him!) etc. The Line 6 cover ALL of them...amazing. My Marshall sound crappy on rhythm parts and the Fender just won't grunge on this newer stuff...The Line6 has No Problems ( less the noise). I judge it by the Fun Factor,...some nights I'll be playin all my amps and VERY OFTEN I end up using the Flextone. I'll be jammin' away by myself and the next thing I know, an hour has gone by..its now 1:00 AM. Thats how I know I like the amp! I am an ampaholic and will continue to buy and use different amps until I croak BUT, the Line6 is definitely a Very useful, well designed tone machine. There are more and more musicians ubsing it and I know why..it Kicks BUTT

This is an brief update from a previous post just below. This amp is now compared in live situations vs. recording studio.

I use mainly an old Hagstrom II (unmodified) which has its own temperament and sound. I use this axe mostly in studio recordings but now having played live with this amp (well... live insofar as practice playing in an old bare loft), I need to add a few additional comments.
The amp is quite different in live situations vs. direct recording and the settings have to be adjusted accordingly. This is not so surprising since that is the case with most guitar/amp configurations using different sound environments, but with this amp the tweaking is more like black magic. This could be somehow related to the Eminence speaker in the vanilla package -- changing the speaker (as suggested below) to Celestion Vintage 30 made the transition between acoustic environments a little easier. The point is that an amp will sound differently in an anachroic chamber than in a garage (surprise! surprise!) and will not improve your playing any better than what your talent allows!
This amp needs a lot of tweaking under different situations to give the precide tone you want -- then again, that is the case with most amps except these amps do not give you the controls to tweak in the first place. In a recording studio, generally I needed to add less drive but more reverb and more treble than a live situation. At least I could get the tone I wanted, eventually, under situations that I could never be as happy with the result as with this amp!

No problems so far.

Maybe one day I will need support but so far this amp is rock-solid!

I've been playing for over 35 years and enyoying every minute of it. Other gear I own? (lots of useless effects now that I have this amp...)
I rate this amp a 9 but it's not perfect but. Ironically, it's more to do with its versatility and what it takes to take full control of it...

Features are pretty well described above and at Line6. As far as veratility goes this amp gives and gives. I guess though that if you are used to very specific tones and effects, and you want to get exactly the same out of your guitar(s) and amp(s), (previoulsy owned, heard, or want to get), you could be disappointed. A lot of previous reviews compare the Flextone with very specific combinations and if they don't match up, well give yourself a break! This amp offers more options than others in the first place...

I play mostly blues and jazz (with blues under-pinnings). I would like to play like Chet, Jimmy (whatever), Eric, or Stevie Ray, but I have my own style (and have been playing since I was seven, and because I'm older than I would like to say, and all I will say is that I have played the guitar here and there, with this and that, and can hold my own -- thank you very much).

Too soon to say but the concept of a digital chassis makes this amp, in principle, very sturdy. Besides, is digital not the way to go? (try shaking a tube amp on a pickup truck for 100 miles and if you don't worry about the rattle all the way there, then you've had one beer too many).

Unknown at this time but appear to be well setup for support.

No need to go into details here -- I have a GREAT vintage guitar and MUCH experience in local bands, recording studios, and mostly play for fun (what is life without it?).
Is Flextone perfect? No -- but if you want to give your fav axe a new life, go for it!
Will Flextone replace your fav effects, using x and y + z with a twisted ud and and inverted Ic through the buzztone pci neck Specials on your wintage IbanGibFend GS315? Who knows(?), but open your mind to other fixed tones that only you can hear.
Nothin's perfect but Flextone is a brand new wave... Enjoy!

Everyone reading this post knows the features on this amp by now, 1x12", 60w mono, 100w stereo, digital emulation....so on and so forth.My only gripes ; you loose the manual channel when using the 4 button foot-switch, they should have let you keep that channel by double clicking, giving you 5 pre-sets instead of four. And, there is a definite change in tone when going from a manual setting to a saved setting. It's minor, but it's there. Other than that, very user friendly, well thought out, and versatile little amp.

I have several guitars, and have tried all of them through the amp. Teles, a Yamaha w/humbuckers, but the guitar it seems to like the best is my Les Paul Junior, w/ the P-90. Now, here's the deal. I have owned almost all of the amps that this thing emulates, and still own a few. I have always been a die-hard tube fanatic, have a great ear for tone, and have been playing for over 25 years. I bought this amp on a whim, and a recommendation from a very good friend. I didn't really know what to expect, seeing all the mixed reviews, here and elsewhere. First off.........CHANGE THE SPEAKER IMMEDIATELY! I have NEVER played through an Eminence speaker that I liked.......ever. It confounds me as to why so many manufacturers use them, they SUCK! Flubby, tubby, pinched and dull. I immediately put in a Vintage 30 I had lying around and HELLO, what a difference. To all those out there struggling witht the tone of this amp.......do yourselves a favor, pick a speaker, ANY speaker, and put one in. A G75,80, Vintage 30, E.V., anything but the Eminence. I play pofessionally in an band, and record often, tour etc. I needed this amp to work in a live situation, no bullshit, no excuses. Here's my opinion.....if you take some time, have a good ear, know what you like/want/need, you can get this amp to do some VERY cool stuff. For those who got on here and gave this amp an absolutely dismal review, I can only say this: you probably do not know how to go about engineering a good tone, because that's really what the amp allows,...encourages you to do. BUT, it does take a little time!! At first I too was not too impressed with the over-all tone. I didn't know which sounds would really work for me. My present on stage set-up is a vintage AC30, run dirty and loud. I tended at first to lean on the Soldano setting, but found it lacking in sparkle and complexity. So I was patient. I kept flipping, and tweaking, and I can honestly tell you, I have gotten my Flextone to kick some serious ass, ironically, on settings I thought would NEVER use. Granted, I play the amp rather loud, half volume, channel volume cranked. Nevertheless, I have gotten three very likeable tones out of the amp (and more, but three that I will use live at shows). Mod class A, Rectified, and JCM-800, with ample tweaking and guitar swapping, have yeilded smokin, present, in your face tones, that cut as good as any tube amp I've ever owned/used. As far as the amp lacking high end or presence.......bullshit. That just tells me that that person did not really work with the amp. I do not have the presence boost kicked in on any of my settings, and there is PLENTY of top-end. It took very careful evaluation, down to the position of the tone knob on my guitar, but damn it, this little amp kicks butt. It sounds thick and nasty. It chirps, barks, growls, squeaks, and saturates as good alot of very high dollar tube amps. The only thing lacking, like when A/B'd w/ my AC30, is a little complexity and natural tube compression on the top end. But hey, the VOX does one thing, and one thing only. The Line 6 is truly a great amp, and a good bargain. If you have no patience, STAY AWAY. If you do not really know the recipe (frequency-wise) for a good tone, STAY AWAY. But, if you want to experiment a bit, and have some patience,(and the guys in your band can bare with you a few nights), GO FOR IT. Get one.

Haven't beat on it yet.

E-mailed them w/ a question..........no answer. Hmmm.

Granted, many people would say that the sign of a great amp is that you can just plug in any guitar, set the controls quickly and play. I agree. But the fact is that the Line 6 is just a different kind of animal. It does require some serious homework. And, the few pros I know who use them for-warned me of this fact before I got mine. They were right. The amp is very sensitive to changes in guitars, tone-knob settings, and most of all, the way the amps knobs inter-act with eachother on each setting. Moving the gain slightly on a Marshall setting(ie: Plexi) GREATLY affects the tone. But, hidden in these amps are some very useable, unique tones. I really like mine, and hope that it relieves a little of the un-reliability, cost, and variance in tone quality, that my tube amps often suffer from. By the way, the stereo extension makes it sound absolutely huge if used w/ a closed back 1x12!

It has been a year since my last review and I still own (and love) this amp. In the last year I have bought the Floorboard and the Extension Cab. The only changes I have made have been to change out the original speakers with classic Celestion G12-80's. This takes very adequate care of the general lack of presence when playing in a live situation. I find that the key to having this amp work for you is to keep it for a long while and really discover what it can do... use it in all different playing situations. I used this amp for all the lead work on our latest CD. If you want to check out the sounds, goto: http://www.mp3.com/thebozrozband
For those who have given this amp an exceedingly low rating and claim that those of us who rave about this amp have something wrong with us... well, I think you may have not given it a chance or experimented with it enough. I know what you're talking about with regards to using it in a live situation - with the stock speakers, it just doesn't cut through... try switching out the speakers like I did and it will blow your mind on stage (especially when running in stereo)!!

Ok, This is a followup to my 10/27/98 review of the amp. After a year and a half, I have to lower my opinion on this amp. I didn't even
give the sound quality a glowing 10 back then, I gave it an 8. I gave
the features a glowing 10, and I still think it was a great idea.
But I *AM* a bit sorry that I spent nearly $1K on this rig. I won't
comment further on the features, but I'm giving the sound quality a 4
coming thru the speaker. I still think this amp has recording
potential because you can bring things out of the mix easy after the
fact.

I recently demoted it to rehearsal amp after about a year of playing out. Even in that sit, I'm only happy 50% of the time, if I'm
using a mediocre axe that I keep at the drummers house, it doesn't
work. Only when I have my best guitars does it sound OK.

I recently got into Fulltone pedals and I brought the bassman
head and marshall cab to the last gig, it was such a relief. I was
excited by line6 at first and it was either I lost my sense of tone
for 6 months, or it sounded ok with the strat/lace HG-1000 combo (which were flat response pickups, no character when played in a tube
amp). I hope it was the latter.

Also, and this is most important: After a certain point I began to
notice an overall SCRATCHY BUZZ present in all models (to a lesser
degree with my better guitars (actually better pickups). I'm not
sure if I can put this into words, it's NOT my strings rattling
or fretboard buzz, I know the difference and if I can't get that right
on my own, I get a luthier to do it for me. Maybe I can use another
analogy: You know how when you go to McDonald's no matter what you
buy, there is this certain common taste in the fries, the milk shakes, the burgers??? If you live in America you know what I mean. Well
it's the same deal with these amps. Toward the end of gigging with
it, I pretty much stayed on Small Tweed the whole time cause I got a decent sound and would save it right there. (Maybe they should change
that to the "Fries" model- the best of the mediocre :-) I would
describe it as lack of clean dirt, the oxymoronic holy grail sound
given by the great tube amps. I think other folks that gave less than
8 reviews here descibed it as being muddy or lost-in-the-mix. Turning
up the presence is not the answer becuase it then becomes harsh.

As some other posters suggested I too thought the roland model was the
closest, but it's probably the power amp that makes that model sound
so close, not anything to do with their modeling technology. Besides
that's my least favorite of all the "amps." (Not rocket science for a tranny amp to clone a tranny amp).

No problems. But one thing worth mentioning...

This one club we did a show at has TONS of neon lights-
All over the place not talking just Bud signs, up and down the poles
all over the ceiling... The flex picked up the sounds of it (turned
guitar vol down, no change so it wasn't the pickups). We did this
show with another band, and the other group had problems with their single coils. Funny story, it was an all-girl band and she had a mint '64 bandmaster, it acted fine. The pickups were giving her trouble,
I said you can't do nothing about it- it's those lipstick tube pickups
(new dano). I think she took it as an insult (not realizing that I've owned dano's and had single coils on stage myself) so later I'm
playing and I switch to a higher gain patch, and the flex starts to sound like a fish tank. She yells out, see it happend to you too!
I didn't want to explain, (same cause, different effect) becuase I felt like such a wuss cause she had a sexy bandmaster and I had a fish tank with a bluesbreaker suit on.

Ordered a cover for the flex, they sent me the floor board cover.
It's been about 8 weeks since I returned it (with authorization).
Still no flex cover, they had no difficulty charging my credit card however.

I was just kidding about the wuss thing, I like the looks of it.
The sound is fun at first because you're enamored with all the bells
and whistles, and the fact that you just drop a floorboard down and
plug in a cat-5 wire. But the tone gets lackluster after the honeymoon. I think it has potential for recording, not on your
most important stuff, but say a player that does jingles, or a favor
playing for a singer-friend, your own demos.

there's only one way to rock!!! o.k., this is definitively NOT TRUE, but we won't blame sammy hagar now, will we? concerning the flextone plus, after nine months of playing with that amp and the floorboard, live gigs became a real gas. no more inserting hundreds of jacks and endless checking, no more broken cables, no more wah-wah pedals to loose more tone in the signal path, no more ac-adaptor wires - it's marvelous! the solos cut through with the distortion and the volume boosts, the tuning is done quickly with the built-in tuner. all i ever dreamed of (or ebven didn't dare to dream of...)
in recording situations, the flex is one of my all-time buddies: a microphone straight in front of the speaker center and no-one will complain about Your sound anymore! recommended for recording are also high-end condensator mics: we shouldn't forget that this is no tube-amp (although few people might notice this!) and it may need more direct and unorthodox microphones and mic positions.

on stage, i tend to use fender guitars with single coils and humbuckers at the bridge. but also my les paul copy, my les paul junior, my dan armstrong or even my german 12-string are presented in the most positive way: the flex puts focus on their strengths, not their weaker sides.
i am a quite rough and dirty player and the flex does serve me well. the non-linear behavior of clipping tubes gives me opportunities that my usual set-ups with stomp boxes can't offer. for example, i find it difficult to drag along a fender vintage combo to play it for about 7 minutes during "hotel california" to create that distorted-low-end-compressed tone of joe walsh. with the flex, it's just a tap on the floorboard away.
even in the recording studio, i heard no complains at all. everybody seems to be more satisfied with an easy guitar sound. oh, by the way: the "fuzz face" models will make You play "satisfaction" ans "spirit in the sky" with an ORIGINAL sound. check out the babes in the audience NOW!
with some models i don't know as real tube amps,i had to get into buisness: f.e. the marshall plexi simulation. it was too muddy for me, but when i set it the way deep purple's ritchie blackmore had done, it all turned out more than fine. i think that maybe one has to know some of these amps in reality to use the amp properly.
the amp is loud and clear. it carries the sound wide also into open spacees and i got pleads to turn it down from tone engineers with their mixing boot even in large places.
You may look for sounds and advices at the several fan-sites along the web: there are great sounds to be found!!!
the onboard effects themselves are replicas. i own a classic boss chorus and the line6-simulation is really great!!! the flex contains really usable effect combinations and they cover my wishes for about 85%- i didn't regret the missing of a pitch shifter at any hour!

the flex didn't make me sweat yet. get a replacement cable for the floorboard. the board has its days sometimes, due to the construction. it's not really heavy duty, but it didn't let me down dfot nearly a year! we in germany have a very stable voltage system. i heard from american users that suffered from memory loss and crashes because of the voltage system's inconsistency.

my experience with the line6 support are o.k. . You might ask george wagner for technical support and get all the answers.

it's the easy, great sounding way of the late 20th century to achieve a good handable guitar sound - no hundreds of sounds! i am into vintage amps and pedals, but i am not into dragging them along and setting up a ton of equipment that might hum, hiss or won't work at all!
the flextone is a drug, a bottomless pit on rock&roll sounds and the way to purchase an amplifier collection for the price of one great amp...

Bought because it covered more sonic bases than I've ever had access to before, both amps and FX. It's also considerably lighter than my outgoing Marshall VS265 stereo chorus combo, so my back loves it. The FX section is acceptable (given that I don't really like using multi FX pedals or stomp boxes) but the tap tempo feature is a bit hit and miss. The purchase price includes #20 for the FB4 foot switch. Didn't get the opportunity to try it with the full Floor Board, and couldn't afford one anyway, but a second hand one may turn up. I do like the fact that the amp through headphones sounds pretty good to my ears. Also, the FB4 came with a very generous length of cable. Very thoughtful.

Used with a homemade Telecaster (Brandoni), a Patrick Eggle New York Pro and a c1980 Fender 'The Strat', the Plus delivers all the basic tones I've ever heard in my head but never got from an amp. So I'm rather happy with the beast. I A/B'd it with the Duo version and had previously tried out the new Spider 1x12 and the Johnson 50 (Marquis?). Spider was way too quiet, the Johnson was pretty cool-sounding but a tad expensive at the time of demoing (especially if you add the cost of its foot controller), and the Plus had the extra bottom end over the Duo to convince me. Happily, my wife thought so, too, so the purchase was made. Tried it with the extension cab and the extra spread was massive. Couldn't afford that either.

Tried a basic Flextone as soon as they appeared in the UK and was put off by the slightly suspect build quality of the control panel. Mine feels stronger, but this is probably just the post purchase feel-good factor. Had no problems with the amp or the FB4 as yet.

Checked out the Line 6 web site and joined the bulletin board. Seems a useful service. Contacted the UK distributer, Sound Technology, for a warranty card. Helpful and prompt.

Also, received a Line 6 demo CD - good marketing ploy, fellas. Got me hooked and softened the blow with my Mrs.

Need to spend longer playing the Plus in a gigging situation but I am impressed with the sound quality at all levels. Not really fussed that its emulations might not be exact replicas of the parent models - I'm never, ever going to play through a Boogie or a Matchless or a big Marshall stack, and this delivers what I think I need at a very reasonable cost. Bless 'em.

Everyone else has thoroughly reviewed the features of this amp so I will only note one less notable feature. The pedalboard, when used in conjunction with this amp, immediately changes to programs when the user hits bank up or bank down. This is a turn-off because it doesn't allow me to jump around to different programs unless they are "strategically" placed. For instance, if I'm performing live and using a sound on Bank 1, A, and I want to jump to a sound on Bank 3, C, everytime I press bank up, the amp immediately changes programs (changing to Bank 2, A and then Bank 3, A *before* I press the C button. This is poor design and this is my only complaint about this amp.

This amp solved my GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) problem. I am now a former tube amp player thanks to the Flextone! I have owned a 5150 combo and a Mesa Boogie Subway Rocket. I A/B'ed the Flextone up against the Mesa Boogie (I had already sold the 5150) and the Flextone's emulation sounded just as good. And better yet, the Mesa had to be cranked at a loud volume to sound it's best, the Flextone, sounds just as great at lower volumes.

I was extremely skeptical of a digital modeling amp being a tube junkie, so I held on to my tube amp just to do extensive A/B comparisons. I am extremely impressed with the Flextone.

It is so versatile! You can get sounds for any style of music out of this amp. I've gotten fantastic rock/metal sounds, jazz, country, blues and clean tones out of this amp.

My only complaint about the tone of this amp is that I think the clean tones need a little more sparkle.

Other complaints?

This amp only allows for 3 banks (4 programs each) of user presets. Free the factory presets! 12 user presets is just not enough for this amp.

I like the simplicity of this amp compared to the Ax2, but I wish I could dial up delay and chorus for any preset via the pedalboard even if I didn't originally program that effect into the preset. Perhaps Line 6 will change this. They could design the amp so that if the user goes into the effect mode on the pedalboard and hits chorus on a user preset that wasn't originally programmed with chorus on the effects tweak, a default chorus setting would be retrieved.

I also don't like the idea of everytime I edit a sound, the presence is automatically turned off and the boost is automatically turned on.

Other than these complaints, this amp is awesome and I won't go back to tubes!

With a digital modeling amp, I don't have to worry about tube replacement, tone variance because of tube aging and the effects of temperature and humidity, the amp sounds great at any volume as opposed to having to have the power amp tubes saturated. The amp's software chip can be upgraded in the future. The amp is more reliable also.

One caveat to a digital modelling amp is that when the amp does break, the fix won't be easy.......

This amp has never given me a problem yet. I've owned it for about 6 months and gigged with it a couple of times. I rehearse with my drummer about twice a month. Despite lugging it back and forth and cranking it in a basement to compete with drums, bass and a keyboard without the help of a PA, this amp is holding up just fine.

The knobs look like they're built cheaply and there are no corner stops on the cabinet but the rest of the amp is built solidly. The floorboard is very solid.

Line 6 is very responsive when I e-mail George Wagner and participate in Line 6's Patch Exchange.

As I stated before, Line 6's cust support seems to be exceptional. They have a strong web presence. Check them out at: http://www.line6.com.

You can check my website out and additional comments on the amp at: http://www.geocities.com/sunsetstrip/palladium/6197

I've been playing for about 12 years. I play an Ibanez S-540 LTD (see my website) with custom Dimarzio pickups. I don't use any other gear. I'm planning on eventually getting the POD and the extension cab. I may get Line 6's distortion modelling amp and a harmonizer pedal (the only thing this amp lacks in the effects department).

i bought this amp about a year ago and had no regrets since.In my opinion ithink this amp kicks butt.Its very versatile and it works for ALMOST any type of music you want to play. Another thing i liked about this amp were its features. These features made the amp a whole lot easier to use.NOmore having to get out a whole mess of chords and plugging in all your pedals.

Right know i am currently using a Les Paul special sl.it works for the types of music i like play.
I like to play music with either a nice clean sound or a lot of grunge to it. like bands such as Creed, Metallica,ect.
believe me do a little tweeking with the amp and your set.
Most of the people who have about the amp probably don't know anything about digital amps. With this amp you half to experiment with it.

I've been playing for about six years now. I currently own a peavy amp,a lespaul special sl, and a delux,and a line 6 plus and XL.
When i bought this amp i compared various amps to it like a marshall,a fender, and a johnson. Nothing beet the flextone.

See previous descriptions.

I've had this amp for about a year now and have been pretty happy with it. I gig 2 or 3 times a week and get lots of compliments on my tone from both band members and audience. I play a 64 strat, a couple of california strats, and a Daneletrco Baritone and all the guitars sound good through it.
I also have the foot pedal and toggle between 3 or 4 settings. Some settings are the same amp but with delay or Rotary effects on it. Plus I use the Wah Wah occasionally.
I've owned lots of vintage fenders and marshalls and although I love those amps, this is so easy to use and carry around that I use this on almost every gig. For bigger clubs and outside gigs I play a Marshall JCM 2000 TSL. But 90% of my gigs are small clubs and this amp just works great. I may get the POD and just go through the PA.

No problems in a year.

Have not had to use them.

Been playing for 37 years. Played in a wide range of bands from Mallard (ex Captain Beefheart' Magic band) to various country, polka, cajun/zydeco, blues, and top 40 bands. I've owned numerous 50s strats, teles, es-335s, Les Pauls, and too many amps to mention. I currently own the Flextone, a Marshall TSL 2000 2x12 and a Fender Blues Junior. Is this the best amp I've ever owned? No! But as I said I think it's a really good sounding amp. It's obviously very versatile and it's pretty light weight. (A big plus for tiring over 40 musicians.) I play with some fairly heavy duty, swear by vintage tube, type musicans who are using either the FlexTone or even a POD and plugging into the PA. These guys including me are ex vintage snobs who want a good sounding, light weight, verstatile amp and by crackers, that's what the Flextone Plus is.

UPDATE: I have to post this with a red face. I rated the Flextone very high on a previous post, and I would like to make an important amendment. About 2 months back I got a new Marshall TSL, and comparing the two really makes me reconsider my marks. To sum it up, the line 6 is very very good in a bedroom or to record. However when playing live with a drummer and all, the Marshall has that evasive tube quality that the line 6 just doesn't get. Once I experienced playing live with a REAL good tube amp, I never wanted to go back to the relatively lack luster tones from the flextone. I can't say I'm sorry I had it, though, because I learned exactly the kind of flavors of amps I really end up using (even with 16 available ones, I settled on using 3-4 almost exclusively). To sum it up: if you're playing for yourself in your bedroom, it's very good. If you're playing live with a band, just get a good tube amp and save some time. Now I gotta sell the thing!

Bought it new in fall of '98 for $650. Later purchased the foot controller for additional $229. Plenty of bells and whistles on this one. Probably more than the average player would ever need. The features have been discussed in depth in previous reviews, so I won't go into that. The amp is very versatile, providing a wide range of sounds. I used this amp for 4 months playing in small to medium sized clubs, and found it to be a bit lacking in the power department. It didn't seem to provide a true 60 watts. And, unlike some other amps, it did not sound as good at high volumes. The louder I played it, the more it seemed to be struggling to produce the sound. It definitely did not open up and "breathe" like a good tube amp does at higher volumes. But it does provide many tonal variations in a small, compact package. However, I will not give it a ranking of 10, because I felt that not all of the sounds were truly useful. They just did not have a professional sound quality, IMHO.

I played this amp with Strats, Teles, Les Pauls, and 335's for a period of 4 months, playing gigs at least 3 nights per week, and rehearsing a couple more nights per week. So I feel like I can give an educated opinion on this amp. Here it is: it sucks! And I don't mean that mildly, it is by far the worst amp I ever owned. It sounded fine at the store, but when I started using it in a band situation, it totally let me down. It did not cut thru the mix , it had no character to the tone, and it provided no "thump" whatsoever. The biggest problem was a complete like of high end and presence on the higher gain models. When I used a Les Paul it sounded as if someone had placed a pillow in front of the speaker. ( and yes, I did know how to work the hidden precense control) It sounded so bad I took it back after a couple of weeks and traded it for a new one, figuring I must have gotten a lemon. Again, the new one sounded great in the store, but after a couple of weeks of playing it with my band, I absolutely HATED it. It got to the point where I almost dreaded playing gigs with it. After plenty of use, the only amp model I liked was the Roland. I thought everything else sounded cheesy and gimmicky. The amp was way too muddy sounding. I just could not find useful tones with this thing. (By the way, everybody in my band hated it, too.)
As for the effects, they are only minimally effective, not very adjustable, and very sterile sounding. Believe me, you won't start throwing away your stomp boxes. But, I didn't buy it for the effects, so I wasn't really bothered by this.

The only problem I had was with the "floorboard" foot controller. It would occasionally change presets by itself, but this only happened a few times. It did not appear to be built "tank-like", but I think it would hold up fine in most playing situations. I'm sure it is more reliable than most tube amps.

I sent them a few e-mails, and they were always answered quickly. When I mentioned the muddiness of the tones, I did receive a somewhat snotty reply, suggesting that perhaps it was my hearing, because their amps don't sound muddy. Yeah, right.
I was also unhappy with having to buy the foot controller in order to access some of the sounds.( And, believe me, you MUST get the foot controller to get everything out of this amp.) Come on guys! Talk about dirty pool! Why put sounds in this amp which are ONLY available thru the foot controller??!!!?? At least make all the sounds available manually. It really makes it less of a value when you realize you must spend an extra $200 to get all the sounds. Really clever , Line 6.

Overall, I was very unhappy with this product. It is very good if you never leave your bedroom, but if you are going to play professionally, forget about this amp. I have read all the glowing reviews of this amp from other players, so I do realize that many people love it. Why? I'm not sure, but I think it is because most people have a need to feel as if they have made a good buying decision. Have you ever noticed that almost everyone gives ratings of "10" in these reviews? That's a bunch of BS. Not every product is perfect, and anyone with any brains knows this. I also think that most product reviews on this site are submitted by people of either limited musical talent or experience. No offense, but I doubt if half the people submitting reviews here would know a good guitar tone if they heard one. Believe me, I know of plenty of people who have played for several years, and they still have no talent, taste, or ability to recognize a good, solid, musical tone. If you doubt this, go to any large music store on a saturday afternoon, and take a good look and listen to the people shopping there.
Line 6 has made a product which is tonally flexable, and compact. Unfortunately, IMHO, it just does not produce high quality sounds. It does produce many different sounds, and they are good enough for most people. But if you need pro sounds, look elsewhere. It is a great idea, and I hope that someday Line 6, or some other company will perfect it. As it is now, it is a very fun toy, but please don't confuse it with a professional product.
As for all the people who have said " It doesn't sound EXACTLY like a Marshall, or a Fender, or the other amps it models, but it sounds close enough." , that is where you are wrong. If you know and desire a good guitar tone, being "close enough" will never cut it for you. And if you don't put those kinds of demands upon yourself, you will never know and desire a good guitar tone.

Update to last post...

I feel like an idiot, but my last post stating "but then again, if you can work this amp (which is laid out just like a normal amp) then maybe you shouldn't be playing guitar." **SHOULD** have read "but then again, if you CAN'T work this amp, than maybe you shouldn't be playing guitar."
I meant to simply state that it is an easy amp to work (basically, if you can't work this, then you don't have a functioning brain). The way I worded it the first time around made it sound like it was difficult to operate, which is certainly is not.

If this amp isn't the most versatile amp (besides, perhaps, its big brother the AX2), then I don't know what could be. I must qualify that by saying that versatility isn't simply "oh, you can get a whole slew of tones from it," BUT it IS "HOLY CRAP! you can get a whole bunch of KILLER tones out of it!" I really don't know of any other amp (all other digital modelers included) that can do that... for the technical stuff, check out other posts, but the coolest thing about the Flextone Plus is the fact that you can hook up the extension cab for an additional 40 watts (100 watts total) and stereo operation. That way, when you need it, it's there.

Here's the short, but very sweet story about this amp... UNBELIEVABLE tone. It's still a compliment to hear tube freaks (who are positively intimate with the amps that the Flex models) say "Oh, it comes very close to the real amps, but it's not perfectly dead on." Here's MY take on it... does it sound good? To that I answer a resounding YES! That's all that matters. TONE is the *real* issue here, and this amp is crammed full of it. Again, technical explanations can be found elsewhere, I'm just giving my impression of this work of art. Just in case nobody else mentioned it, it goes from country to thrash metal, anything you can think of, flip a few knobs and you're there!

I have owned the Flextone for 2 weeks now, so it's not like I've toured the world with it. But, as with any gear, if you take care of it, it will be as reliable as you are. It IS software (which should NOT be a turn-off, go try it out before you poo-poo the "software" or "digital" stigma) so buy a surge protector ($4 for a good one that will keep your presets form getting wiped out by a surge). Before I bought it, however, I did TONS of research on the product and company- and I did TONS of playing with the amp with my own guitar before I bought it. I will again stress- try it out with your own guitar, that's the ONLY way to judge anything.

From what I understand, they are a very cool company. The manuals are humorous, and companies with cool (and helpful) manuals seem to be confident, user-friendly, and customer-oriented (Mackie comes to mind here as well). I just e-mailed Line 6 to see if there is a 1.6 chip in the works (another cool thing... it's upgradeable for $15 when they release new versions of the chip, try doing that with a tube amp!), and they got back to me within 24 hours.

Overall, this thing really is the be-all-end-all. Studio session guys use this, pros use this, everyone uses this amp. I know I'm a lazy player and if I've got to hook up effects and turn on a tube amp I've got to wait for to warm up, I've already lost interest... but with the Flextone, you plug in and PLAY. This amp MAKES me want to play, it is inspiring. I used to turn a blind eye on this (and any other digital modeling amp) until I actually tried it out, and it blew me away. One word of wisdom- before you go out and try one, learn a bit about it: how it works in general, the controls, capabilities and innards, try reading through the manuals on the Line 6 web site. That way, you won't be frustrated in any way, but then again, if you can work this amp (which is laid out just like a normal amp) then maybe you shouldn't be playing guitar. I really don't see what anyone can have against this amp. It provides 10 lifetimes of tone for such a *small* price, what's not to like about that?

As someone said earlier - this is the point of this amp - total versatility. Basically consider it 16 amps in one box, with a bunch of effects thrown in for good measure.

I play with a Cort Strat - and the amp sounds fantastic. But I have never owned a Marshall Plexi, a Soldano, a Mesa .....etc etc, so I cannot really say whether the flextone sounds like them or better than them. The point is it sounds good. I play a wide range of music and I like being able to go from a smoothly distorted Santana sound to the class A U2 Edge sound all with the turn of a knob (or two).
If you are, for example, devoted to say Plexis the get one. Don't get this amp. But if you like to make a lot of different tones, and really don't have your own signature sound then this amp is great. Also it is cheaper than any single one of the amps modelled. So sure people may say its not exactly like a Plexi, but its certainly much more affordable. One huge plus of this amp is that to get any tube amp to sound good you have to crank it. If you play in your house at night this can be a major problem. The Flextone allows you to set the drive of the amp independantly of the volume. This means that the master volume knob in no way affects the tone (apart from making it louder). So you can have the Soldano model screaming at a 10, but still be able to hold a conversation over it - very cool.

So far so good - had it for 7 months.

Had quick response to a couple of emails. They fed-exed me an upgrade chip (for $15) so I could go from ver1.4 to ver 1.5.

I would buy this amp again. For shear value and flexibility it is awesome. I don't need any stomp boxes, just one amp. Also the potential to add an extra cab and go 100W stereo is nice for the future - so if there is a chance you will need this I would go with the plus rather than the plain flextone.

I won't bore you with all the features, you probably know them all by now! One complaint I do have is that you can't toggle the compressor on/off like the chorus or trem. That would be useful. There are mild limitations on the amount of effects you can use at one time. But if you want more of that, get the AX2. The floorboard (bought seperately) is a must. The distortion and volume boost buttons are genius...very useful.

I play a Fender strat and a (beautiful!)home-built custom with a Seymour Duncan Invader (humbucker) at the bridge, and a Texas special at the neck. I play mostly blues and classic rock, been playing for 22 years. This amp can fit ANYBODIES musical style. With the footboard, you can make 12 user patches that you use the most. The amp is not very noisy unless you set the compressor pretty high on one of the high gain models. The models all have something to say for themselves, and the hardest part is choosing the ones to put in the user patches. I settled on the Marshal Plexi as my overall favorite. That's pretty funny considering I hated this model at first. I didn't like it much until I played the Plexi model with a band. The texture of this model just sings when you want it to. The clean settings do break up a bit at higher volumes, a bit difficult to get pristine clean sounds, which may have something to do with 1 12" speaker. Maybe an extension cab would help?? If you want brutal distortion/overdrive, look no further. The Messa/Boogie and Soldano settings absolutely scream. I can't help but think that there must be something missing in the sound...you know...not 3 dimentional enough or what-not. When I play with a band, the other guitarist invariably has a tube amp, and I can't tell any difference in tonal quality. Let's face it, at drum-level volumes, most people can't tell any difference from solid state! Whatever tonal qualities that may be missing from the digital modeling is more than made up for by the ease of use, uncomplicated interface (there's not a zillion cords connecting stomp boxes), and FLEXibility. Where else can you get so many convincing sounds in one nice neat little package?

I've had it for one year now, and so far no problems. I give almost nothing a 10, though

Not had to deal with them.

For someone who likes to play a variety of stuff, especially cover tunes, I believe there is nothing better. Some things could be better as far as access to effects a the like, but that is splitting hairs. This thing has keept me interested for one year, and I still like trying different models. If for no other reason, this woul be a great amp to try to decide which model would be best for your style. My perception of the tones seem to change with time...so this lets me fiddle with alot of amp sounds very conveniently.

Lots of features... that's the point, isn't t?

I don't know what everyone is talking about. It doesn't sound like a tube amp, it doesn't look like a tube amp... it sounds and looks like a line 6. Yeah sure, if you were playing in front of a huge crowd you could convince them that your line 6 was a tube amp, but i don't think that most of the people i know would give rat's about tube amps or solid state or anything. The best part of this amp is it's clean sound, which is just like the Roland jc-120's... except not. Buy the jc-120, get a good distortion pedal. If you want tube amp sounds, buy a tube amp. The only reason i can see getting this in place of tube amps, is reliability issues (see below). The effects, however, are another story. They sound great. I especially like the tremolo, the compression and the delay. I'm not a big fan of the reverb on this amp, but it's more of like a personal thing. I did find the selection wheel kind of annoying... what it i want compressed delay? I gave the amp a five, but the effects are more like a seven.

I would say that the sound is more reliable than that of a tube amp, which are known for their tendency to break down. However, just looking at the amp makes me fear for its safety. Again, compare it to the jc-120. Notice the corners of the jc-120 are re-enforced... now look at the line 6... sort of small, kind of weak looking... i wouldn't trust it... but i can't say it broke down... so i won't rate its reliability.

Never dealt with them.

I returned it.

A died-in-the-wool tube guy for the last 25 years made me a little suspicious of anything that didn't burn a layer of skin off my fingers when I was packing away my cords in the back of the amp. However, I had heard a lot of hype about these amps and I had always wanted to have a great sounding amp that I could run in stereo.... love that full, shimmering stereo sound!! Features-wise the Line 6 offered what I was looking for in a number of areas. I also liked the look of the unit... new technology packaged in a classic look cabinet!

The myriad of tone variations and effects available with this amp is very impressive. After much playing around with the different amp settings, I managed to dial in some tones to die for... I particularly like the Vox AC15 setting with a hint of delay and compression - low volume early clapton! The only thing that I didn't really like initially was the general "presence" of the amp didn't seem to be happening. However, I have solved this "problem" to my complete satisfaction by using an old Celestion G12-80 in the secondary cabinet along with a Boss Graphic Equalizer. Running this setup at a recent gig was, I must say, the best sound I have ever gotten in all my 28 years of playing... my old Marshalls & Hiwatts were cool, but this was out of this world!! You gotta like this amp for general playing use - it is one loud sucker if you need it to be or you can dial in a lower volume and still sound great. Yeah... I'm gonna keep this baby for a while yet!!

Have had the amp for about 6 months and have had no problems. Have the FB4 pedal which is VERY sturdy. I'm not touring, so can't say how it would hold up under a lot of stress, but it does seem to be put together well and without having to worry about tubes rattling around in the back, I think it would probably do just fine...

I sent them an email once on what was really a mute point... they didn't send me a reply, but I haven't had to deal with them on any serious issues, so don't really have any opinion on this.

I like it... I like it... I like it...!! Yeah, I'd buy another one, but probably only a Plus... its definitely worth the few extra bucks to have the option to go stereo!

How could I not give this amp a 10 for features? It has 11 famous amp models from the 50's to the present, along with 4 Line6 amp "creations", and an awesome Fuzz setting. Power is really not an issue, as the largest place I will be playing it in the near future (2-3 years) will be small to medium-sized dance halls and the like. The only feature I wish it had would be some sort of computer interface, but if I really wanted that (or wanted to blow the extra money), I would've bought an AX2.

I'm using it with a Parker Fly Deluxe with 2 humbuckers. I mostly play jazz/60's rock/funk/and progressive rock a la Phish (I use the Jazz Clean, the Brit Classic, and the Modern Class A there), though once in a while, I'll attempt a Metallica song or something hard rockish (the Flextone Drive and the Modern High Gain Settings are great there). Not very noisy, though it feeds back sometimes when using my Digitech RP-3 (which I plan to attempt to sell to get the Floorboard anyway). The sound quality is unmatched, but I'm not exactly the biggest tube conoisseur in the world, so I'll give it an 8.

Once the amp stopped working, and I couldn't get sounds from it no matter how much I tried, so I reset the amp to the factory settings, went to dinner, and when I came back I turned it on and it worked fine. Otherwise it's been rock solid, not that it's really taken any beatings or anything.

GVM (the guy who always replied to my emails) is incredibly quick in responding, and very polite in emails, even when I was just asking about future upgrades. The warranty is one year as long as you send in the card.

I love this amp! I returned a Princeton Chorus, then got an Acoustasonic Jr. (both Fender), then returned that to get this, and I think I've found the amp that I'll have until I've graduated from college, and even further. If the upgrades are any good, this amp will get better as time goes on.

Followup on earlier entry....Still a Great Amp....I am still trying to convince myself that it can't sound as good as it does..

I have been using it for about Eight months now in less then desirable conditions (the Bar scene) and have had more mixed drinks poured on the control panel then I care to mention. But when this pretty little things spills on your amp, whatcha goona do...complain??? I now take my Twin or Marshall as a Backup amp. Honestly, I can't believe that I do it. I am 44, have been Hooked on Guitar since I "heard my first Beatle song", and have ALWAYS had Tube amps. This little thing holds it own...what can I say? I am the guy who Cut the Floor board in Half so it would fit in the Back of the amp...Was the Best thing I did. Sometimes I dont need the Pedals but both item go with amp -- all the time..Its a Great (and reliable) mod..I recommend it. I wish LIne 6 would do it!!
The other night a a job I went into some of the Presets and ran across thier Tweed Blues (Bassman) preset. It was Killer...Used it almost All Night. The P1 preset Bank has a bunch of Fenders on it so switching between them was nice and seamless for the covers I play. A LOT of fun...and I was playing my Tele...front pickup...Very Cool

Seams great...I had some Tequilla kind of dry overnight on the Reverb Pot. When I turned it in the morning (or afternoon...) I accidently pulled it out of the amp...just the post...brilliant, huh? SO, I always like a challenge so I pulled the amp apart and put the Pot back together...works fine...I have really used this thing quite a lot and have had No trouble.

I am taking this little monster up to a friend of mine in Ohio this summer to do our Yearly Jam... I live in NC. He just went out and bought a Dr. Z Route 66 hand made tube amp. Probably spent $1800 on amp and 2-12 spkr cabs. I can't wait to see how the Flextone ho0lds up to this Boutique amp....I'll let you know....BUT, if it does sound as good has his, I won't tell him...after all, he supplies the Scotch and the House for the Jams!!

This is an update of a previous submission. Many features.

Many of them.

What is the deal? I have had two of these amps fail on me in a row. I did not neglect or abuse the amp. In fact, the flextone rarely left my bedroom and was rarely turned up past half way. I use a standard strat with stock pick-ups. The first amp started making a sound which sounded like a digital glitch. In an attempt to fix the problem I messed with the knobs and did a "reboot", where you hold down the A B C and D bottons while powering it up, no dice. Since it was still under the 45 day warranty period a Mars I swapped it for a new one. When I got the new one less than a week later it started fucking up too. This time the amp made a clicking or knocking sound when I would sustain a low note. Thinking it might be the speaker I plugged in my head phones, still the same problem. So I returned this one for a cash refund.

They are nice and helpfull. I played the amp over the phone for the guy and he told me to return it.

When the amp worked I loved it. I think the people at Mars music are begining to thick I am trying to scam them b\c I keep returning amps. So what should I do? The people at Line 6 say "get another one" I know people who have had them work fine for the entire time they have had them. Line 6 says they have sold thousands w\o any complaints. I like the amp so much I will try one more, you know "third times a charm" or "three strikes your out" Let me know if you have had a sim. problem

I bought this amp about 3 weeks ago and ive been experimenting with it quite a bit. So far, I've been quite impressed with it's versatility. I like playing a wide range of music from metal to country and I find that I can get a very appropriate tone for every style. I do most of my playing at home or in my church band. I also ocassionaly get together with friends to jam.

I play a Fender American Standard strat. As I said before, I play lots of different styles and I've been able to find a good tone for each style. I especially like the black panel setting for country and the rectifier setting for for hard rock or metal. The British class A and Hi gain settings are also great. One thing that I've found helpful is to read the manual and set the tone controls for the various models as per their suggestions. This made a big difference in the sound of all the British models. When I first got the amp, I was very dissappointed with the sound of the matchless model. I thought it sounded boxy and lifeless. After doing some research on the "FRATERNAL ORDER OF FLEXTONE" website, I discovered that the treble control also acts as a presence control when you hold down the Tap Tempo button and turn the knob up or down. This really opened the sound of the amp up and made several of the models sound way better, especially the Matchless Model.

I've only had the amp for a few weeks so I can't really speak for it's reliability.

I havn't had to deal with deal with company yet.

I've been playing for about 25 years and have owned Fenders, Marshalls, Acoustics, Silvertones and Crates. I have always loved the sound of tube amps but have always hated the wieght and maintenance hassles involved with owning a tube amp. I have been on a long quest to find a powerful, lightwieght solid state amp with a tone just as satisfying as a good tube amp. I feel that I have found this in spades with the Flextone. I'm not saying that this amp nails every tone that it attempts to emulate perfectly. I havn't had the opportunity to try all these amps and really don't know. I do know good tone when I hear it and I think that most of the sounds that this amp produces are very good to excellent. It is extremely versatile. I am not super impressed with the built in effects but I think they are useful for adding variety and tone. to sum things up, my advice to prospective buyers is to keep things in proper perspective when considering this amp. If you buy this amp with expectation that its going to perfectly nail all the amps that it models, I think you'll be dissappointed. If, on the other hand, you buy this amp expecting to get a lot of great tube tones from a light,powerful solid state amp, than I think you'll love it.

This is a followup to my post here on 10/27/98. Have a few things to report about the floor board. First the good news: I have cables and other goodies like folding guitar stands, and was looking for some sort of gym bag for it. Well, the stuff you see at Wal-Mart wasn't quite right. If it was long enough, it was too deep. So my sister suggested "why don't you get a hockey bag," so I went to a sporting goods store. Well the hockey bags were huge (she forgot about the pads etc). But a baseball/softball bag was PERFECT. Though the zipper opening was shorter than the floor board, you can get it in by putting one side in all the way first. They are a trapazoid shape (wider at the bottom than the top). You can get cheaper vinyl ones for $20 maybe less, but I got a $35 "Easton" canvas one in black. Has a side pocket and I fit two "ultra" mini guitar stands in it. I put styrofoam eggs in the bottom pouch where the baseball bats go (a narrow pocket on the underside of the bag). This prevents the floor board from smacking against the floor if it is not put down carefully. I put a thin piece of foam rubber over the floorboard when it is in, then there is room at the top for a smaller cloth bag to keep my other goodies in (slide, tools, power cords) etc.

Now for the bad news, but there's good news (the problem is easily fixed). While packing after a gig, I noticed the bank down button was gone and there was a gaping hole in my floor board. Fortunatly the nut was nearby, and the button fell inside. So, Saturday morning I went down the basement scratching my head wondering what I could do to fix this. After opening it and carefully examining the board, I noticed that there are no lock washers on the top side of the board. There are tiny lock washers on the inside. So I felt around on the outside, and almost all of the foot buttons were jiggly loose. So I went to hardware store but could not find electronic lock washers. But the guy suggested this stuff "LocTite" which you put on threads to secure a nut. There are two kinds: One kind you must apply heat to ever get the nut off again. The other kind you can get off with tools and a little elbow grease. I opted for the tools/elbow grease kind. The bond is pretty darn tight, after it cured. I also went to radio shack and though did not find the 3/8" lock washers, I got control nuts with rounded, ridged edges. The originals are hex control nuts on top. So I have the round nuts on the bottom, with the original control nuts on top plus the loc-tite. I'd recommend regular lock washers instead of double nutting it, but I had a gig that night as well so I wanted to finish the job.

If yours are loose and you have to do the above fix, please study how the springs/buttons go together on one that's intact before taking all the nuts off. It's not rocket science, but there are about 5 parts including the nuts and two conical springs that ultimately push the real control switch on the PC board. This fix took less than an hour to do, not including the time to round up the parts and talk to the hardware store guy (Branchburg NJ, Ace Hardware, cool guy!). And also, be careful not to get loc-tite in the sliding button assembly, just keep a little on the threads. I got a little on the tap tempo button and it was kind of sticky (the worst button to make that mistake on). I WD-40'd it, and it works fine now.

I'll forward this info to Line 6, so knowing how customer focused they are, if other users have the same problem, they will surely add the lock washer or whatever to resolve the problem for future buyers.

Regarding my nit on 10/27 about the volume pedal. I tried to use it again last saturday to back off. And again the sound dropped too low, and I tried to be REAL SUBTLE about it. So when I had the board open, I was thinking about the one guy who did the mod where he cut the wah/vol section off so he could fit both pieces in back of the amp! (Presumably he attached them again with some kind of connector when in use- pretty bold and wild). The thought actually crossed my mind to chop off the volume pedal as I can't really use it currently. That would save me a precious 4 inches of floor space! But I know that our friends at line 6 will respond with an eeprom upgrade if enough of you mail support@line6.com and tell them that the volume control via pedal has too fast of a sweep. At least on the flextone, I'm sure the AX2 has all that junk programmable. Just kidding about detaching the vol pedal. That wouldn't be so easy as the wah and vol share the same PC board, (but they don't share with the control buttons, that's how that guy was able to do that mod). Cheers, still love that amp though (at loud volumes)!

Nuff said by everyone else. I'll add a few points. Two separate delay buffers: when you switch patches, your delays from the previous patch finish. Way cool! The AX2 doesn't even do this. (Bad move guys; the budget amp has a cool feature that's missing on the flagship). The interface is fun and easy. This is a "stripped" version of a modeling amp, so if you ask for much more tweaking than this can provide, well, you need an AX2. But for basic sounds and basic effects, this could be all you need.

Use lots of guitars, and they all maintain personality with this amp. I play manys styles as well, and my live setups require a boatload of different tones and effects. This amp is quite the chameleon, which is what it's intended to be. I would have liked a "twin" model, for a slightly bigger clean sound; the deluxe sounds great, but sometimes you want more breath. But they had to choose sixteen models, and something had to go. I found that I get a bigger, lusher clean sound from the tweed deluxe model rather than the blackface, with a little tweaking, just because that model has more low mids. The in-between bluesy sounds are great. You can get a very convincing Larry Carlton/Robin Ford grind. Don't be afraid of the compressor!! I never used one live before; however, I found that many of the amp models take on a new and exciting personality with a very low level of the compression setting added. Especially for country and heavy rock sounds. Interestingly, you get nice even-order harmonics and feedback with this thing, very tubelike. If you're into over the top distortion, this amp won't dissappoint, either. Really, the hardest person to please with this amp will be someone who demands a huge, lush, complex clean sound (which by the time you're miked and the sixty thousand screaming fans in the blimp hangar you're playing in hear it...you get the picture). If you play thru a stack with two 4x12 bottoms, or pile up three old twins and need a huge lush sound to be happy, hey, this is a 1x12 combo. Be reasonable in your expectations. However, if you can be happy with, say, a boogie mark IV or some other such smaller thing, check this out. I use it as a backup to a very large, complex rig, and it does very well. Does it sound like a tube amp? Yes, more so than any other non-tube system I've tried. Crank up that matchless chieftan and you'd swear some power tubes were mighty hot. Will it make you sell your matchless? Depends on how perfectly pristine you want your sound to be. I've owned or extensively used most of the emulated amps, and it's pretty damn close. Will it fool a purist? Depends on how good his ears are! Live, in a band situation, no way the audience will know. The sound is perhaps not as complex as some of the high end tube amps it models, but hey, it costs thousands less! My deal with this was, "does it sound good?". I could care less if it sounds exactly like the amps it models, as long as it sounds good. And it does. Regarding speakers; they are very up front about this. The models were created using the stock speaker. I've put all kinds of cabs on this thing, and it sounds fine with the custom emminence it comes with. Since it's the Plus model, you do get a bigger sound and stereo effects with the added speaker, whatever you use. Impedance matching would be a plus; as of now you're tied to an 8 ohm load. But again, they want you to use thier own cabinet, and the sounds are based on their cabinets.

Hasn't blown up yet. It *is* a computer, so...it may crash someday! Regarding some of the bitching here about the footswitch cable. Have you guys priced a seven pin midi cable lately???? Have you tried to buy one at Wal-Mart?? At one in the morning?? You can get these ethernet cables anywhere, which is much nicer than some proprietary thing you can only order every other thursday from some big music mart. I *like* the footswitch cable! Just don't step on it, goofus!

They return their email immediately, even my doofus questions and suggestions. They're nice on the phone, too.

Overall a solid 9 or better. It does what it's designed to do; give you the sounds of many amps in one, with a reasonable palette of built-in effects. This thing is way beyond channel switching and eq tweaking; it totally changes character with the different models. Don't be afraid to experiment! I love messing around with this thing. Sometimes I just choose an unlikely setup and play for awhile; it's like being a kid in a store sometimes. I've used it at a few gigs, and while it doesn't blow away my rack rig, it cost me, no exaggeration, less than a tenth! I've easily got five grand in my live rig. That this can even cut the mustard as a backup is quite impressive. I'm seriously considering picking up an AX2. Also, it's nice to have the wah and volume and some tweaking (and a silent tuner) on the floorboard, without running all kinds of cable. This thing sets up in five minutes and breaks down in four. Can't argue with that! I got called for a pickup gig with a former band, on a thursday (had to work in the AM). Showed up at 9:15, set up in five, got a couple of beers, broke down in five, was home IN BED fifteen minutes after the last song. No lie. (I live kinda close to that bar). If you need a big sound and lots of volume, go for the HD or AX2. If your a real effects tweaker (I am) definitely go for the AX2. I like being able to tweak my delays, reverbs, chorus, etc. all separately. I bought this as a backup rig, and it does the job incredibly well. Many if not most gigging musicians who aren't doing progressive music requiring dozens of patches and effect variations could get by just fine with this. If you're thinking of trying one out and are worried if it sounds good, hey, it sounds great. As I said, it's a one twelve combo, so as long as you don't have some expectation of it moving as much air as a Marshall stack, have no fear. This little thing kicks butt.

Since I'm getting beaucoup e-mail requests for my "personal" opinion on these amps, I'm going to repost my thoughts. I still believe this line of amps to be the most feature laden on the market. They are very versatile with one exception. You must own the footswitch for practical usage of any of these amps. And the switch is expensive. Features I've never appreciated on these amps are the effects, I don't care for them. But for switching mods you really need the foot-switch. I don't own either of the flextones anymore (The Duo, The Plus). While I don't remember exact wattages, I do remember they had more than enough power even playing with the loudest drummer. The "Plus" offers an extra cab extension, which is a big, well plus. Medium high rating because of so many amp mods. Would be higher but footswitch is invaluable, and it's too expensive.

I A/B'd the Flextone Duo & Plus next to a Marshall JCM600 tube head thru a Marshall 4X10 cab and also a Boogie DC-3 head thru a boogie 1X12 recto cab. The only guitar played was a 62 R.I. Strat w/ Texas Specials. I intensely dislike the Texas Specials, but that's another story. Keep that in mind when I comment on tone. These amps just don't fit the bill in my search for a spongy, brown sound. Neither do the current boogie or marshall I own. Most of the mods sound shrill and brittle. Not warm and spongy at all. "One exception"; the so-called Soldano mod. I found this sound to be a very killer sound. If the real Soldano sounds like this, I have to get the real one. Interestingly, the soldano mod sounded better through the Duo's 2X10's rather than the Plus's 1X12. I didn't think the Fender or Marshall sounds were very good. And if this is what a Matchless sounds like, I'll pass. The Soldano mod is the "Only" mod I liked. So, even though there is a plethora of different sounds available, I only liked one, the Soldano. I can't rate this category. None of the mods hit me just right except the Soldano which I really thought was killer. Obviously I'm looking for a very thick rich sound, and my guitar loaded as it is right now with "specials" is not helping. My opinions in this category would be more useful if I had a couple of different guitars to A/B. The bottom line is: you need to try these amps with different guitars and not in a music store either. Amps never sound the same in store as they do at home or at the jam or gig. If you are lucky like me, and the local will let you take one home to A/B, coolio.

Well, the computer I'm typing this report on has been very realiable w/ just a few small snags here and there. I put the flextone amps in the same category. If it's gonna break, it will break within a month unless mis-treated.

GVW is a very cool dude. I can't imagine Line 6 offering less than stellar support. Then again, I've never needed support, so there you go. Ask someone who has gigged the amp(s) longer than me for this rating.

I started playing the drums in Vietnam, was asked to switch to bass, and started guitar thereafter. I played in rock bands up until the early 80's then quit stone cold. Started again in the early 90's. Current rig is a Marshall JCM600 head thru Marshall 4X10 cab, 60's re-issue strat loaded w/ texas specials. The allure of a guitar plugged into an amp and the sounds that you can make is too much to resist. You know that already or you wouldn't be here. My primary interest right now is in getting a portable rig that sounds spongy and brown, warm and thick. Nothing small I've played in the past few years does the trick, including the Flextones. The patina of brilliance wipes off quickly with these "model" amps. So close, yet something is missing (tubes). A different guitar may have made a difference. As stated above, the flexones were A/B'd directly along-side a Marshall and a Boogie. The only sound that matched up well, was the modern high-gain (soldano) mod. The footswitch is expensive. The flextone "type" amps probably are the "amps" of the future. Honestly, if I was living in an environment where I needed to rock at low volumes, I'd buy a flextone. Right now, over-driven tubes is my gig. Really, I hate to offer up a rating for this amp. Sure, I could brag and state (like so many others) how many "great" vintage amps I've owned and played. But that is pointless unless you have them side by side to A/B. Talk your local into letting you take one home to demo. If that isn't an option, find a mail-order with a liberal return policy. That's the only way to find out whether YOU will like this amp. Yes, I will continue to answer any and all e-mail. Show me a guitar player unwilling to offer up an opnion, and I'll show you a comatose guitar player. Now, aren't you glad that you've read an opinion that didn't offer up automatic 10's in all categories? Happy playing....Smokin'.

I use the flextone plus to play rock n roll and the blues. I like it alot. It has a bank of 16 amp models to chose from. Most of them accuratly resemble the originals. It has many effects, actually more than I need. I like the delay, rotary speaker and tremelo. The amp models I use most are the black panel (fender twin model) and the brit class A (Vox AC15). It has 4 channels which would be really cool if it came with the floor board($220). You can set each channel with the amp, volume,drive, reverb level, and effects you choose. The amp has plenty of headroom espeicially when you go stereo with an extension cab. I haven't bought the line 6 cab but I use a 15" cab and that puts a great bottom end esp. when using the Brit Blues (JTM 45) and Fuzz tone models. The other day I was jamming with my 4 peice band, the first time I used the flextone in a jam session, and I was amazed. My friend plays through a seymour dounken (however you spell it) all tube 60 watt and a 120watt amp, I was very happy when the flextone put out like a french whore on speed. Before I had the flextone I was constantlly being drown out durring my solos, but not any more. The black panel realy kicks ass for blues solos. thus, it has plenty of power. I bought the amp new. It is a 12" combo at 60 watts but jumps to 100watts with an extention. Felxtone has effects loop headphone jack and a neat tap tempo feature to controll the effects. Flextone is small (in size) and is attractive. I have been playing guitar for only 3 years however I have played many cool tube amps Mesa,Fender vibrolux, Vintage Marshall Jtm 45 and many cheaper tube amps. It would be nice to own all of these but it is not practical. The flextone does a good job of modeling tube amps. I just wish it came with the foot pedal.

I play a Fender Strat with 3 singles and a strat with 2 singles and a humbucker, And a Gibson LP studio 2 humbuckers. Flextone is a great amp for rock and roll. The clean amp model(Roland JC120) on the won't distort very easily. The amp is kind o noisy on the high gain settings but nothing that really bothers me. The Fuzz, Rectified, and Modern Hi Gain can really scream and distort. Brit Hi gain is alright. It has a wide varriety of sounds so you can find whatever you need, basicly. It has cool built in effects.

It looks ruggedly built and it has no tubes so I guess I will be fine for a while to come.

Nice web page.

I have played for about 3 years and have owed a peavey classic 50. If my flextone were stole or lost I would definatly by a new one. I love the versitility and the volume, I love the Black pannel model and the Brit class A model. I don't hate anything about it, I would like it if it came with the floor board but that is a bit much to ask. I compared many products (for a long time) from Mesa to Marshall to fender to Naylor what it came down to was the Flextone had versatility that the others didn't have. It was affordable powerfull and atractive. Did anybody notice on Saturday night live when jewel played the guitars were amplified by line 6 flextone amps. I was excited that pro musicians use the same amp I use

(Price was $649 amp, $220 floorboard, plus 6% tax = $922). There's tons of stuff in this forum about features (see 60w model), so I'll focus on tone and what's of secondary importance to me: switching easily between sounds. And thirdly, effects. But to recap, the Plus is 100w stereo when using the ext. speaker. Anyhow, I think the layout is great, aesthetics great (I hate the look of the AX2, and thus was not thrilled with the sound :-) I've been looking for a long time for a system (not neccarily integrated with the amp) that allows me to switch individual effects sounds on/off, with out midi, that takes up little floor space. I previously was using a Bassman with and RP-7 and a bunch of stomp boxes and wah's because the RP's distortion and wah was awful. Well let me tell you the line 6 has given me close to what I need. I still need work at navigating the floor board a little better but it wasn't too bad even on the first gig. e.g Sometimes I would be in bank mode inadvertantly and change amps when I meant to shut off delay. But you get used to this after a while. The first gig I used it without any stomp boxes attached and found that just one 15' cable was a little resticting. So for the next few jobs I've put a blues driver pedal on the floor so I have my usual 15' cable out to the mic on the floor. And then another one from there. I'm really glad I got this one and not the Duo (the 60w only was out of the question) because I no longer need to mic the amp playing in small bars and restaurants. I just run the ext. spkr to the other side of the stage, but up front so it's not behind another guys ear. I've been told that I'm heard much more clearly now than when I was mic'ing the fender (a little) thru the PA. This amps has a lot of muscle. I also learned on my second run thru of programming the user presets, is to keep the master volume at 12 O'Clock (half) and use the channel volume to set desired sound levels. And the even neater thing is that I fine tuned it during songs at the last gig. I just turned the channel volume up or down depending, and hit save twice right in the middle of a song. Same goes for other settings.

I'm using a strat with Lace HG-1000's mainly. I give a lower rating on the sounds because some of the models I feel are a 10, like the Fender, Vox, and Boogie. The Marshall's all sound too muffled, especially the Bluesbreaker. The plexi is OK when I was farting around in the basement, but when I used it at a gig I had to make an emergency amp change :-) In general, I think all the sounds are darker than the orginals, but more so on the Marshall models. The least so on the Rectifier and the Black Panel. On most of my user programs I find I have the treble on or near max, and I would never do that on a real amp. I had the Opposite problem with a Hiwatt 100, I had to have the treble/mid off, and bass on full just to get a barely usable tone out of it. Well that amp is sold and part of my Flextone financially. Mind you, I really do like the tones of this amp, and the stuff about the treble is a minor nit, I just wish I had a little more headroom on the treble (without using the presence "EQ" switch). This may be due to the Xsistor power amp, I feel I can hear it and it sounds more Roland'ish at lower volumes, but warms up at higher volumes (which is good). NOTE: this is the opposite opinion of some posters here (see 60w version). I prefer higher master volume sounds.

So far so good. I'm usually pretty careful with this kind of stuff so I'm not concerned. I gig w/out back up amp.

Customer support is good, they respond to email. I want to use this space to talk about the floor board. I like the fact that it uses a catagory 5 LAN cable, the cables are pretty darn tough I work in the computer biz, and rarely come across broken ones (it's always a configuration problem, not the cable :-). The layout of the board is good, not too much floor space. Tuner is good, tap tempo is neat. The channel/effect-on-off button is neat but the arrows are small enough to get me confused once in a while when trying to change settings in a hurry. Some of the things I wish for here they probably cut intentionally to keep the cost of the flextone down (limited system resources). One wish would be to program the amount of distortion boost you get from that button. Another is the sweep of both pedals. First the wah, the tone is really really good, better than a mediocre dunlop (jimi pedal) but only 95% as good as a real good cry baby, tone-wise. The problem I have with the wah is the sweep is a little too much and covers that whole range of that pedal which is the about the max most people can lift their toes when their heel is planted. So to do the "theme from the shaft" type thing you have to move your foot like some kind of weirdo. Rather than the subtle movement on the dunlop producing a gut wrenching yak. I emailed that request in to George VW, I don't know if he agreed it was such a big deal, but he knew what I meant. It would be cool if they could make the sweep adjustable if they have the resources for it. A similar complaint is the linearness of the volume pedal sweep. I move it back slightly mid song and the sound goes out. I wish it was inverse square? or something. (Little change around the toe postion, lots of change toward the heel). I may stick a little wooden block under the heel so I can only go from 100% to 80% volume.

Overall I really like this amp, and unless the things breaks and gives me headaches, I'll probably be a line 6 customer for a long time. (I really like the amp farm concept and would love to record thru it some day). The "8" I give to sound can be easily changed to a 10 with the right firmware upgrade. Actually, I had and idea about their firmware, and that is to make diffrent chips for different markets. e.g. make the amp come like it is now, but have a blues chip, a grunge chip, etc, etc. What made me think of this is that some of the presets are too dark sounding especially the high gain ones (geared to grunge chords rather than biting leads). Of course they can sell these chips as add-ons like keyboard manufactures do.

Versatility is one reason I bought this amp. My band plays all sorts of classic rock and I need sounds from a clean tone with a doubling delay to a high powered VH tone. I bought the floor board with the unit and it is really designed well. You have access to 12 user-defined presets in banks 1-3. They have a bank 0 but you cant store anything in there (I dont know why). I do wish that i could have a few more presets. 12 sounds like alot but when you are playing live and you want to pull off all the cool sounds you hear on albums, 12 presets get used up pretty quickly. I also wish you could adjust the amount of boost the amp delivers when you step on the boost button. It is a very cool feature, but I find that I need more of a volume change than what the amp gives me. If there was a knob on the pedal board or on the amp itself that could adjust the boost amount, that would be wonderful. Right now I have to use a few presets for lead sounds, which are basically the same as the rhythm patches except they are louder and have more delay on them. I'm sure alot of players could use the floorboard's volume pedal for volume boosts, but I dont like to see-saw on a pedal when I am coming out of a solo and have to concentrate on singing. I really like the cable that connects the board to the amp. It is a regular 10baseT computer networking cable and one of the pins in the cable supplies power to the pedalboard from the amp. So you could walk into any computer store and buy a network cable if yours went bad on a given night. Cool! I havent recorded with this amp yet, but i have heard from other players that the direct out/headphone jack sounds great.

The sound that you get from this amp is great. The amp models are quite accurate, especially the high-gain models. Even at low volumes this amp sings forever. It isnt noisy and if you are in an environment with a little noise, there is a built in noise-gate that is very effective at stopping what little noise you encounter on your lead settings. It doesnt seem to really chop off your notes either. I was worried that in switching from a rack system with a 4-12 cab, I wouldnt get the bass response that I needed. Our sound tech said he was actually cutting my bass frequencies the first night I used the Flextone!

I havent had a problem with it yet and I've played with it for a couple months. I have done about 7 shows with it and it performs like a champ. I do always take my Dean Markley tube amp with me as a backup however cause you never know.

I havent dealt with the company yet. I have been on their web site however and it is a nice user-friendly site.

I have been playing for about 16 years and have played in alot of bars and clubs. I used to use a simple tube amp with one set of eq knobs and a dirty and a clean channel. I still have it, a Dean Markley CD60. It wasnt versatile enough so I went to a rack system which was definitely more versatile, but I lost all the nuances in my playing. It was a constant struggle all the time to mess with my tone. That ended with the Flextone. I dialed in some presets and boom! I'm done. My playing just comes alive through it and I have gotten alot of compliments from other players since I've been using it. I would like to see more user presets and an adjustment on the boost button to make it perfect. For the money I dont think there is anything else out there that can match it. I was skeptical at first when I heard about this 'digital modeling' stuff. But after playing through it, I couldnt leave the store without one. I can finally relax on stage and JUST PLAY! And I can fit all my guitar equipment in the trunk of my car.

Updating a previous entry--been using my Plus (100w) for 4 Months now and still really like it. It is a GREAT club amp in that by steppin on a button, you can truely have MANY different sounds to very convincingly (?) copy tones. I really like the Marshall sounds..the JCM 800 is Killer... I did buy the Floor board but had to Cut it half and make Two pieces out of it so it would fit in the back of the amp. If you want to know more about the process, let me know. It works fine.

Been very reliable...everyone who does the Bar scene knows about the Beers and smoke and crap the "somehow" fall on the amp. Well, I have had the knobs almost glued in place by some Cuervo Gold and the sucker still works! I hand an old 18" Bass enclosure (8 Ohm) that my Bass player wasn't using SO, I hooked it up the the Ext Spkr and Man what a Big Sound! Especially with some of the Stereo effects (FLanger)

To sum it up, when I am at home looking at my Silverface Super Reverb, my '78 Marshall 50W MKII Combo, my Tech21 Trademark 60, and my new Fender Twin Amp, I usually turn on the Flextone cause it just a whole lot of FUN! And thats why I play rock and roll for the last 30 years...I have gotten LOTS of complements since I started using it, too. Its like when your tone is working, your fingers (and your head) do better too...you guys/gals know what I'm talkin' about...Jam on

This amp is in a whole 'nother class. It uses digital amp modeling to produce sounds from most of coolest classic and modern amps going, plus some of its own unique sounds. The amps are: Roland JC-120, Fender Tweed Deluxe, Fender Tweed Bassman, Fender Blackface Deluxe, Matchless Chieftan, Vox AC-15, Marshall JTM-45, Marshall "Plexi," Marshall JCM 800, Mesa Boogie Dual-Rectifier Trem-O-Verb, Soldano SLO, Flextone Clean, Flextone Crunch, Flextone Drive, Flextone Layer, and Dallas-Arbiter Fuzz Face. It also has built-in effects - compression, tremolo, chorus, flanger, delay, swell, and noise gate. With the optional floor board you also get control of a Vox style Wah-Wah and an Ernie Ball style volume pedal that adjusts its taper depending on the amp model. You can save four settings with the amp alone plus another eight with the floorboard. The floorboard also gives you sixteen built-in presets (one for each amp model). Each effect can have two paramters adjusted - usually speed and effect level. The floorboard also has a built-in chromatic tuner. For each setting you can save Gain, Bass, Treble, Mid, Reverb (Spring or Room depending on the amp model), Channel Volume, and Presence (adjusted by holding the tap tempo and turning the Treble - this is an undocumented feature). The amp also has a Master Volume which controls the sound volume and has no effect on tone. Thus you can sound like a cranked Bassman at bedroom volume or turn it up on stage and still get the same great tone. The amp is 60 watts with a 12" speaker but by adding the Flextone Cab you go up to 100 watts (50 per channel) and get a stereo amplifier (with stereo effects). It also has a headphone out, which is a nice feature to have for those in apartments and dorms. There really aren't any features I wish this amp had. What more could you ask for?! The AX2 does have more features but most of them are pretty useless, and the Flextone is much easier to use, looks cooler, and is cheaper. By the way, it ways around 40 pounds and it also has an effects loop. Oh yeah, the floorboard also has boost and distortion switches, plus an EQ switch that works like a bright switch.

Every amp sounds great. They may not sound exactly the same if you A/B'd them with the original amps, but they are awfully close. This amp isn't a jack of all trades but master of none - it can really do it all. With the press of a footswitch I can go from jazz clean, to surf, to jangly Beatles, to blues, to Hendrix, and so on through the decades. I'm really very impressed with all of the models. My personal favorites are the Matchless, Vox, Bassman, JC-120, Plexi, and Boogie. As for the effects, they are good but not great. I'm still keeping my flanger and echo pedals, but I'm getting rid of my Vox Wah and my Tubescreamer. The choruses on the amp are very good though, as are the tremolo and reverb. The best part about the amp is that you can get consistently great tone at any sound level.

I asked the salesman about reliability, he said that no one has ever come in with a problem with any Line 6 amp. It seems very well made, and since there are no tubes or sensitive old electronics to blow out this thing should last a lifetime. Plus, the amp is upgradeable!
It comes with a 1 year parts and labor warranty just in case though.

I've never dealt with them, but they have a great website.
http://www.line6.com

I can't see any reason to buy anything else, unless you only want to play one or two basic styles of music. This thing does EVERYTHING and it does it all really well. Truly amazing and an incredible value - I couldn't have bought any of the amps it models except for a few for less than the total price of this amp with the floorboard!
I don't know why anyone would buy anything else. Who needs tube amps! I traded in my Fender Vibrolux to get this thing, and I haven't regretted getting rid of that thing and never will.

Everything you REALLY need. I actually bought the Plus model, which lets you run an extension cabinet for more volume and stereo effects. It has 16 amp models to choose from, along with various effects to sweeten it up. I had the opportunity to demo the Flextone, the Johnson Millennium, and the AxSys 212 through my local music store so I was able to take the amps to practice and let the other guys in the band hear them. The first amp I tried out was the Flextone. At first I wasn't sure that this was the amp for me. I reasoned (incorrectly) that the Millennium and AxSys would be much more "flexible". They both have many more effects and effect combinations than the Flextone. However, I have found over the past few years that when playing out in the real world all I ever use is some slapback delay and compression or chorus. The Flextone has all of these and more with an exceptionally easy format in which to use them. Although the Millennium and the Axsys are both 2x12 combo amps, the Flextone has plenty of volume for most of the playing situations that I deal with. (and how often do you really ever mike up more than one speaker anyway?) I strongly recommend buying the "optional" Floorboard. It opens up this amps total potential. The Flextone is a more cost-effective amplifier than its competitors if you don't need pitch shifting or redundant effects. Even if you do want to add an EQ or pitch shifting to this amp, you can via the mono effect send and return on the Flextone, or the stereo send and return on the Flextone Plus. The headphone jack works great if you wand to run a line out to the board (save a mike). I wish Line6 had made a switch on the headphone jack that turned the speaker on or off. Running out of the headphone jack turns the speaker off.

The sound quality of the Flextone is AWSOME. I can't believe Line6 can get this much sound out of this little combo amp. I have found a use for nearly all of the amp models. I was able to run out into a 4x12 cabinet and could really tell a huge difference between tones. I have used several guitars with the Flextone, and they all sound great. Most of the processors I've used tended to over-color the guitar tone. With the Flextone a Strat sounds like a Strat, a Les Paul sounds like a Les Paul, etc. The Millennium sounded O.K., but there was a large volume difference between patches, and the overall sound was a little bit synthetic to me. Maybe I'm just seeing too much DigiTech and not hearing enough Johnson. The AxSys had a good sound, but was a little too hard to dial in. In comparison, the Flextone just sang to me with little or no tweaking necessary. Just plug in and play it. You'll get what you want. My only gripe about the Flextone is the clean sound. I just can't get a super clean, bright clean sound at any high volume yet.

Who knows? I'll bet it won't break, but I'm an optimist. Sounds kinda like a space heater when you turn it on. Maybe that's why it sounds to warm!

I called Line6 with questions about the AxSys and they were very helpful.

I've been playing for over 20 years (God, am I that old?) and have always had to fight my amp sound. I own or have owned several other combo amps and heads. The various processors I have owned are not real enough for me, and the tube amps are only able to give me one or two really good sounds. With the Flextone I got all the effects I need and a multitude of amp tones to work with. You can pick up an AxSys for about $200.00 more than I paid for the Flextone, but why? I know the AxSys will be upgraded to the AxII in May with more effects, and some new amp models (including a Dumble!!) but for the money, I really think the Flextone is a better deal for me right now. I just don't need the extra editing capabilities, and don't have time to spend editing it anyway. The Millennium costs WAY more ($1800.00). For the extra grand I could buy a great effect processor or a backup Flextone, or a great guitar, or my wife's birthday present (tomorrow) or a crappy used car. The other guitar player in my band is going to pick one up as soon as he sells his crappy used car. He used one in a gig and fell totally in love with it and he's had Marshall stacks, Boogies, 5150's a Bassman, etc. It all boils down to great sound at a low cost. Line6 really hit the nail on the head with this one. I can highly recommend this amp to anyone shopping around.