Line 6 Spider II 112 Combo

i'm sure you know about all the features...loads of effects in that dinky amp...really $%^&loads of gain...get a gibson explorer with emg's, turn the gain knob in the insane mode till far right and see what the word "sustain" means...

I'm pretty surprised - i play a cheap hohner strat and that amp turns out all the evil in her...i mean - %#@$ the single coils i play in a death metal band (yes, with single coils).
Beneath that you can really play any stile of music with it...you just need some skills in using those knobs...the only thing i would criticize (or however it is spelled) is that it's not possible to create a sound wich really is apart from the spider II sound (wich is defined by bass bass bass bass and bass).
the amp is no noisy at all and the clean sound is overwhelming...oh and...erm...you shouldn't play it with master tone totally full...would be same as grenade in your ear...

the amp is build to last forever...only those knobs seem to be cheap plastic which will break into pieces if i look to angry

never dealt with themn

atfer all i can say i like that amp...i'm not sure if i would buy it again...because...mhm...it has no soul...it has $%^&loads of gain but it sounds cold...ok thats great if you do fear factory stuff (i like the bastard in these moments) but when you try to get a nice guitar sound for hair metal you're just ^$%#@* up...but every rose has it's thorn (i hate that song...)

you won't regret it...but you should be sure what you want...play only slipknot and stuff? thats your amp!
only cover kiss and manowar? better try somewhere else...

Not sure what year the Spider II first came out. It is a versatile amp for the money that rivals other digital amps costing two or three times the price. 1 channel with 4 presets (very handy), no effects loop (who needs one with this type of amp anyway?). Headphone jack / line out combo jack. 75 watts (plenty for a small amp).

3 different footswitches are optional accesories (all too expensive). The two button switch should be included with this amp. A lot of features on the amp and no footswitch? Minus 2 ratings points.

I use this amp with small groups on small club gigs. It is perfect for that. Any larger venue and you are miked anyway.

The Celestion speaker is good for this amp. A decent speaker with presence.

I use 5 different types of guitars as I play R & B (strat, 335), Country (tele, 335), Jazz (335), and Rock (strat, musicman, Ibanez). I am a MUSICIAN and get work because of my diverse styles.

The Spider II is a two dimensional amplifier. It has very good clean tones (like a Fender), and it has a good rectifier emulation for a dirtier sound. The effects are good and all are useable if you play 80s, 90s, vintage, and other types of cover songs.

You have to spend time with this amp. People who bash the amp are people expecting a tube sound. THIS IS SOLID STATE!!! It was designed to emulate, not replace a tube amp. It was designed to provide most everything you need for simple gigs, and / or rehersals in a lightweight package. A sort of MUA (musical utility amp).

I use what I think is the best effects pedal around: Digitech GNX1. I can emulate any amp, guitar, pickup combination, cabinet configuration I wish. So, I really need a clean solid state amp and nothing more. I bought my Spider II for the small cover gigs and don't want to lug big equipment around. The amp's effects are there for just about any cover song there is.

The Spider II is capable of many different sounds if you take the time to understand it. The different amp models are there to give you a start point. Each model is different in tone, volume, and gain, just like a Fender, Mesa, Marshall, Peavy, etc. are different.

I discovered that all sounds have the gain turned on at various levels. I understand the logic of having a little gain on to add harmonics / saturation when you pluck hard on the strings, or turn up the volume, but I need CLEAN to work with my effect pedal correctly.
The reason effects pedals sound crappy with tube amps is because of the harmonics and gain tube amps have. The same applies here: Turn off the gain on the Spider if you are using stomp boxes or multi-effect pedals. It will sound much better.

The quality of the knobs are good, but the pots are cheap. The master volume only works up to halfway and is useless after that. This was a cost cutting factor in the electronics, I'm sure.

The back is open and the speaker is very exposed. Mine was in the box with the power cord and manual resting inside the back of the speaker. Line6, your packaging sucks! Put the cord and manual in the box, not near the speaker. Dumb!!

Since it is solid state, it should last awhile. But I wonder about the pots behind the knobs. Time will tell...

Never dealt with Line6 support. Again, time will tell.

Been playing for over 30 years. I have had many amps and solid state is the way to go if you have a mulit-effects pedal. You need clean and let the pedal emulate and not be colored by the amp.

It seems amp designers think their equipment should be designed for rock players first and other styles second. Just as in life, guitar players are all different and have different needs. Luckily, you can get just about anything out of this amp if you take your time with it.

If it were stolen, I would get another. For the price, it is a good deal.

I wish the amp had better quality controls. The knobs are nice, but behind them I wonder...The back is too exposed.

12 amp models
7 effects (3 simultaneous)
4 channels
Headphone jack and channel pedal included.

Very loud 75W amp good enough for the gigs im doin at the moment which are relatively small scale but is loud enough for bigger venues if controlled through a PA

Very versitile metal sounds with CRUNCH, METAL and INSANE amp models.

Works well with heavy rock/ metal guitar. Good distoprtion sounds, very loud.
The INSANE setting gives quite a lot of feedback and is quite noisy but the settings can be edited for your preference. Drive can be increased with amp shortcuts from www.Line6.com/co.uk.
3 simultaneous effects which sound good but they are not overly versitile.

Havent had it long but so far no problems.

N/A

I played the guitar for a few years only got the amp a few weeks ago. Great features and sounds very easy to use and get the hang of, it may look complicated but its simple.
Much better than the other Spider series I tried in the shops. Very good value for money.

I don't know and don't care when was it made. It's not a vintage amp:)The specs were written a few times, so i'll pass. it's got 12 channels(well, actually 6, but each one has 2 modes). I really play 2 modes, the rest is... well, lets say it is:) A few nice effects(like chorus, delay, reverb, tremolo, and phaser, but the last one is to say the truth, shitty).

First thing: THIS IS NOT A BLOODY PRO TUBE AMP. If u remember that, you'll even get to like this amp. I play(or at least I'm try)jazz, rock, fussion, prog rock etc. I use only 2 channels. Note: I hate metal(with a few exceptions), yet I say the best sound for the music I play, is on the Metal channel:) If turn down the drive to a min. crunch, the sound is actually very good(a friend, who uses a Fender Std. Strat and a Fender Blues Junior even admits[though, he still claims, that this amp is a whore{worse, I kinda agree:)}]). I you pick lightly, You get a nice clean sound, but try to hit harder, and what You hear, is a really nice crunch(something remotely resembling McLaughlin in Mahavishnu and Steven Willson on the early Porcupine Tree albums)(but just remotely!). The rest of the channels are, in my opinion, made for a laugh. I can't believe ANYONE could play on the factory blues channel(PATHETIC, but funny, when You're with some friends:)), the Twang has something from the fender(but just something). The effects, appart from the phaser are really quite cool. Really, this isn't a bad amp(and of course it isn't a particularly good one.) It's for a first amp(but You have to spend some time, for gettin' a good sound, couse the fabric presets aren't good)

Never let me down. It's built like a tank(and as some say, sounds like one:))

Never dealt with Line 6

I like it! It's not perfect, yes, but sounds really nice. If it were to be stolen, I'd probably try to buy a tube amp(a small hiwatt, for which I'm currently saving some cash), eventually a higher Line 6(say a flexsound) or a hybrid(exemplum bono: a Vox Valvetronix)

This is a solid-state, 75W Mono moddeling amp. Not too sure what year this was made in, but some people have put 2003 so, read their reviews. This amp is brilliant for practice, and is possible to gig with it, however you will need to mic-it-up, as its only 75w, but it shoduld cut it for about 80-100 people. One great thing about this amp is that it has 4 channels, and they are programmable, so you dont have to worry about losing settings too badly. When I bought it the amp came with a FBV2 footswitch, which isn't that great as a FS, but as an accessory that I wasn't expecting, it's great! I'm only gonna give this a 9 because I dont think this amp is perfect for blues players, and the clean sounds aren't that great.

Im using an Ibanez sz520, and I always use the bridge P/U. My music style is Hard rock- Metal. My guitar isn't perfect for shredding, but I manage to churn out a few metal licks. This amp is anything but noisy! It's almost impossible to get feedback from the effects! This is because they are digital, and no feedback can be good... sometimes I forget the amp is switched on, even with the metal distortions. This can be bad though, I like playing lots of Muse stuff, and its hard to get the weird sounds unless I use stompboxes. One real annoying things is that its pretty pointless having an EQ on the amp! Im not joking, you can flatten the Eq and it wont make a difference. Its not too bad though, I like the sound im getting, its pretty sharp, and it has nice Dist. and the insane and metal have got to be its best setting. However im thinkling of buying a boss Eq pedal. The clean doesn't distort at high volumes either!

Builty like a tank, not broken in the 3 weeks I've had it, and probably wont for years to come.

Never dealt yet...

Great practice amp, will cut it in a gig if needed too.. just MIC-IT-UP! Greatb value for money, just try one out before you buy, you might not like it. I turned a Marshall AVT50 down for this, the marshall had no punch, and a lack of effects, when the shop assisstant recommended this I just loved it!

This is the 75 Watt Spider II 112. You can read the specs elsewhere. Use mainly in basement, with occassional jam with buddies. Its got enough power for what I use it for, but I wouldn't use it for gigging unless in a pinch or small gig.

I play either an American Deluxe Strat or Gibson SG into it (also own Fender HRD and Marshall AVT amps). The amp is versatile in that it does several things good, but nothing great. I think that one clean, one crunch, and one Metal channel are fine. To me, the rest of the channels aren't that good (blues and twang). The "insane" channels are a total waste. Nice thing is you can play this amp at low volumes while practicing, and its plenty loud for the "hobbyist."

I have had it for over a year with absolutely no problems. I don't gig with it, but do jam with buddies.

Been playing 20 plus years. I own a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe and a Marsall AVT20. If it were stolen I wouldn't replace it for I am happy with my other amps with the type of music I play. I like its versatility in that it does have a decent clean, crunch, and metal channel. I guess my biggest turnoff is that I just like tube amps better, but thats just a personal feeling

First I'll ask you to forget my poor english, because I live in Switzerland ;-)

My amp was made in 2005. This is a combo (i.e. the power amp is directly coupled with speakers), very powerful for it's size. The features are known by everyone, but let's write them again !

- Power : 75 watts mono
- Transistor amplification with numeric control to emulate tube sounds
- 12 amps settings, from clean sound to insane metal distortion
- 6 effects : chorus/flanger, phaser, tremolo, echo, delay, sweep echo
- reverb
- distortion boost
- noisegate
- 4 channels to save my own presets
- small footswitch to chose the 4 channels quickly while playing
- 1 guitar jack
- 1 line out (for recording & playing without disturbing the neighbourhood
- 1 RJ45 Ethernet cable to use the footswitch

This amp doesn't have :

- FX Loop
- MIDI interface
- More effects, like compressor, rotary, etc.
- A better Footswitch included : you need to pay the FBV Shortbord or FBV Xpress (which I use)

This amp features everything you need to get a good sound (jazz, blues, rock, etc.), and it's made to be easy to set. It's perfect for me, because I easily get some powerful, simple sounds, but if you like effects tweaking you would maybe prefer a V-AMPIRE combo amp.

Notice that, even if it features every classic guitar sounds, the Spider II is mainly made for metal. The distortion range is awesome, from rock, crunch, metal/nu-metal, to black/death metal. Other sounds like blues and twang are nice but not that good, but I think I don't use the right guitar to play them (see below). Clean is very good in my opinion considering it's not a tube sound.

I use only 1 guitar to play with my Spider II : a 2005 Dean 79 V series made in Korea (value : 750$), inspired from the original Dean guitars used by bands as ZZ Top in the 80's. This guitar is awesome for it's price, and even if the pickups are not EMG or DiMarzio, its loudness and power in bass/mid frequencies offers a warm vintage tone for clean sounds and a destructive modern distortion for metal sounds.

Notice that I play for 3 months only, and that the Spider II is my 1st amp. So maybe you won't agree with my opinion, but even if I'm not a guitar pro (yet ;-)), I know which sounds are crap and which sounds are good (well... I hope). I've heard some pro tube amps and expensive guitars playing with a Spider II, so I think I can judge those things (of course, with my opinion).

My favourite style is METAL : mainly Metallica in the mid 80's and their most powerful sound (like Master of Puppets/...And Justice For All albums), but everything from old metal like Iron Maiden/AC DC to Sepultura, ill Ni?o, Children of Bodom, Dimmu Borgir, Limp Bizkit, etc. I also like classical and warm BLUES (aaah, Albert King's solos...)

That's why I think the Spider II is perfect : for every setting, my sound is loud, warm, bluesy and screaming. Awesome for the price. Maybe it's my guitar that helps me to get good tones, but I don't agree with people who says this amp makes a cold, screechy transistor sound. My sound is very warm, dynamic and close as a tube amp. I play it at home now, and the 75W power could crush my house (I use only the 1/3 of the master volume knob). But I want to use it with my band to jam and play for some small gigs (100-200 people).

Also notice that the sound changes radically when switching guitar pickups, and I think this shows that Spider II really respects the original guitar sounds. People who says "This amp makes even a bad 50$ guitar sounds like hell" and "go buy a Vox amp to get your real guitar sound" are totally wrong in my opinion. Spider II emulates famous tube amps ; but those amps are famous because they apply THEIR sound to guitar : your Strat won't sound the same on a Fender amp and on a Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier. So why saying Spider II sucks and not Vox (which is a very good label), using the "transistor sound" argument to cover a mistake in judging amps sounds ?

Well, my main settings are :

1) RED CLEAN : very, very, very good sound for a transistor amp !! As every setting, you must do all the EQ stuff to get THE sound, because the factory presets, as said before, are shitty. But after this, you get a warm clean tone, perfect for classical and jazz (with bridge pickup), and blues (with neck pickup).

2) GREEN CRUNCH : many people say that crunch sounds (based on a 68' Marshall Plexi 50 & 100W) are not as dynamic as the original ones. I don't know if they are right, but I am happy with my crunch because I can honestly play AC DC/Deep Purple with high GAIN setting, and cool overdriven blues with a soft GAIN setup.

3) RED METAL : this is far my favorite one !!! This channel emulates the famous Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier to perfection ! Again, maybe it's my guitar, but I can easily get the exact sound used on "Master of Puppets" album. It's just awesome (sorry but I just know this word ;-)). The distortion is precise, fast, screaming, as deadly as an army knife ! And I don't use EMG pickups.

4) GREEN INSANE : this sound is the most powerful and versatile on the Spider II. You can get the Rolling Stones sound with a low GAIN, and Slipknot/Soulfly modern nu-metal sound with extreme GAIN and high BASS/MID frequencies ! And to get a black/death metal sound, just switch off the MID knob, use 50% of BASS, and 80-100% of TREBLE : this will cry 2 times more than the extreme "Death Metal" pedal by Digitech. The INSANE distortion is very, very dangerous ;-)The noisegate is very useful to prevent larsen... You just have to hit one string and the amp is ready to blow away with this monster sound. But, with such power, the bad thing is that INSANE sound is not precise. You must set your EQ very well then, otherwise your palm-muting sounds will be too much loud and not audible. So if you like nu-metal, chose INSANE, but if you like heavy/trash metal, use METAL.

Well, I think you get the idea, but the only bad thing I've noticed is that the CELESTION speaker is too much loud : I have to cut the BASS frequencies for every sound. Maybe it wouldn't be that loud with a Strat' with single coils, but if you want to shred like hell with precision (like on Metallica's "Kill'em All" album), think about using less BASS.

I bought my amp only 3 months ago, and I didn't experience bad problems. The amp looks like very solid.

I never used Line 6 customer support yet.

I play only for 3 months but I LOVE this amp. I'm not that rich, and I'm so much happy with getting some pro sounds packed in a small, versatile box, with very good features for a small price. I would kill myself if it were stolen or lost !!!

I was first looking for a V-AMPIRE combo, less expensive and offering more features (more effects, more sounds, like Engel distortion etc. etc.), but after listening to the Spider II at my dealer's shop with a Les Paul-3 DiMarzio humbuckers, I heard the difference. The sound is louder and warmer, and, let's be honest, even if it will NEVER sound like a 4000$ tube amp, the sound of this lil' weapon is very close to them. If you are a beginner, or a pro wanting to practice without an entire rig, chose the Spider II.

I bought the amp new about 4 months ago. As a rock band there are some needed sounds that this amp provides us. It is easy to transport and yet it is loud enough for the size of groups we play to (around 100 people).

I got the FBV shortboard petal to go with this amp and I love it. I have only used 4 of the 30 + sounds that you can make for our recent performances because many are way out for our band. I use a LTD ESP Vipor with this amp. I also use an acoustic amp (made by AR Acosutic) for my 12 string Yamaha.

It is new for me and I haven't used it to it's potential yet but I will grow using it. It has been there for me and has not caused any problems yet. Some times when I practice without the FBV shortboard pedal I have had the sound seem to change to a much louder setting without me doing any thing. When performing with it (using the pedal) there have been no such problems.

When I first got it and the pedal I didn't understand how to use it so I e-mailed the company twice and they got back to me in a day with help. The amp and the pedal come with little instructions and I am new to amps and effect pedals so it was great to have the company respond so quickly.

I started playing in High school and then left it for many years and have taken it up in the last 5 years. I would be depressed if it was stolen and I would replace it with the same. The price was the best for all that you get and I find it difficult to hear much difference between it and other amps that are more money and said to be better. I like the lights the look the pedal, the tuner. The manic rock sounds are a bit out of control but fun, I am not sure when I would use them. I will say it again this amp has been great for our band, with it we have new and different sounds that have taken our playing to a higher level and it is a blast for all of us.

2005 mod. Features are as the others.

I play a fender tele with Bill Lawrence 280 pickups and a strat with dimarzios. Amp sounds ok but not outstanding. good enough for practice or recording through which is why I have it. The effects are ok also.

The amp selection knob goes crazy and will not adjust sometimes,the corners are plastic. I would not gig with this amp because it is not made for it. good enough for the home but not road worthy.

I live in virginia and there are no service centers available that would be feasible to transport the amp to. Shipping cost outway the value of the amp. I have a two year warenty on this amp which is basically useless unless the thing blew up completly and you could get a brand new one.

This amp is three months old now and has had its problems. $299.00 would be better spent on something else. Buy a crate or vox or something with a better track record. I have a pignose g40v that blows this and many other amps away.

Well, where do I start. Distortion, clean, blues, twang, insane, crunch, tape echo, delay, reverb, phaser, d.i, 75 watts, 4 user presets and a modern sexy look!

Im using an Ibanez rg 7620 (99 model) fitted with Seymour Duncan Invaders (humbuckers). The Spider is my central hub, so playing music such as Cannibal Corpse, Slayer, Carcass, Suffocation, Aborted, Megadeth, Exodus, Kreator, Morbid Angel, Vital Remains, Deicide, Napalm Death, etc, etc....... this little gem covers a broad spectrum in distortion modelling. Now , before some critical bastard starts jumping up and down about my comments, lets just remember how much this thing costs. While the sounds are not exact, (pretty hard to get studio quality brutal distortion straight from a 75 watt combo) this amp does it better than any other 50 - 100 watt combo for plugging straight in. Marshalls are good for your average overdrive to light distortion and some of the Peaveys are 20% better again. The Spider 2 has a lot more grunt than both put together, add in the effects and you have a very cheap alternative to having 6 - 7 stomp boxes and a very loud combo. As with anything amp wise, try screwing with everything, there is a lot in this package. My only gripe with the distortions, is they can tend to sound a tad sterile and a little fuzzy, but apart from that, the bottom end is quite good and the mids have a nice presence. The clean sounds are not bad either. Now the on board effects are'nt fully programmable, but you can definately tweak them enough to satisfy all needs. They're not brilliant, but they're far from being bad. You can get away with the presets, but you'll probably create 4 of your own.

Well it's bloody sterdy, buttons and knobs are of good quality. Micked up for gigging, you would have a very reasonable sound. Owned this one for a year now and its still functioning perfectly.

No need so far!

Been playing now for 15 years and have had a bit of gear over that time frame. Had a great sound coming out of a boss gt-5 into a sonic maximizer (442) into a Marshall JCM 800 with Marshall quad until some low life came and stole it, (over $3500 worth), but for the 600 odd dollars for the spider, Im just as happy. I do all my recording into a Roland vs 1880 and the spider covers everything. Miked up or straight in, it is very pleasing. Couple this amp with a vs 880, (going for around $350 on ebay) and for under a grand you have everything you need to create half decent demos. Line 6 have to win the bang for your buck trophy as this for me is a complete package for a no fuss set-up. Oh and please, dont run this thing through a shitty guitar, or it WILL sound shitty!