Line 6 Spider II 112 Combo

Probably made in 2005
I play mostly Metal and some Blues, it works great for that (see below)
The only features it lacks that I might want would be a line out ( yeah I know, if I want that I could buy the head) but I don't really need that now, it's plenty loud for my purposes, which are practicing and jamming. Also, a MIDI interface would be nice since it's a digital amp.
I like the fact that it comes with a tuner and drive boost, and some other stuff like that.
The red insane channel is basically useless, as everyone says, but it's kind of fun sometimes.
It's got a direct out for recording, which i look forward to using sometime.

I use a Jackson Randy Rhoades V, which works well with this amp I guess.
I play metal mainly (like Thrash metal like Megadeth, Metallica, Anthrax, Slayer, etc. and also some Death metal like Children of Bodom) and I also mess around with blues for fun. I've heard that the blues channels aren't very good but I disagree. THE MOST IMPORTANT THING about this amp is: don't judge it by the factory presets. I had opened it up thinking "Yeah, this is gonna be great!" and then used it and on the distorted tones it sounded like mud on the low end for rhythm stuff. I had almost decided to return it, but then I started messing around with the controls and BAM! everything line6 said about this amp came true. It has quite a few sounds, so I'll only talk about the ones I use most:

Red "Clean": basically a vanilla, crystal clear clean tone, it sounds equally good on both pickups, and you can have volume and tones all the way up and strum 6-string chords hard and it wont break up or sound harsh. (although you really must pay attention to EQ and Channel Volume like on all the models on the amp, they are very finicky, by which i mean that turning one knob a little bit will change the tone drasitically)

Both "Twang" models: these are actually better for blues styles than the "blues" channel. I like to put the Distortion Boost feature on these for a really gritty sound for leads.

Red "Crunch": Sounds vintage, I use it to play old Judas Priest stuff like from Sad Wings of Destiny album.

Green "Crunch": With a lot of tweaking you can get a good sound out of it like a Van Halen sound.

Both "Metal"s: OK this is where you REALLY have to get to work messing with the controls. They sound muddy when first heard from the factory, and you gotta commit to reading the manual and you need to really "get into" the amp. I spent a good hour working on these, and now I have an AMAZING mid scoop tone and an equally good, um, general purpose metal sound.

Green "Insane": this is the only model that I've experienced feedback on (but only at high volumes) - the noisegate is not an option, it's a requirement. Even out of the box it has a good lead sound, and it's REALLY REALLY responsive to anything. Tapping really comes off nice on this, and any legato stuff that would normally be hard to pull off on another amp can be heard clearly. With the distortion up you can make it sound almost like liquid, just smooth and flowing. AWESOME. This is the reason you buy this amp! Also, it's versatile. You can get a Jimmy Page kind of tone from it by turning the gain down, the channel volume down, and the master up to compensate.

Effects: well I don't really use effects generally, so I'm not gonna say they're good or bad, but certainly a wide variety.

I've only had it a few days, and had no problems, but that's just sitting in my room. It looks pretty sturdy but I can't say one way of another for sure so I'm not gonna rate it here.

Never talked with 'em.

Been playing about 2 1/2 years, but I practice a lot. I own my Jackson RRV, and an Ibanez ICX120 (my first guitar) and use my sister's acoustic guitar cause she's away at school. Until buying this I was using a Digitech RP-100 modeling box through a cheap-ass Drive amp (but I played an EMG-equipped les paul through a Spider I amp at my freinds house and that's what got me intersted in Line 6) I also own the FBV-2 footswitch for this amp, and an Ibanez weeping demon wah pedal.
If it were stolen I would be seriously worried because there are so many rooms the theif would have to go through and I'm sure he'd take other stuff. If it were lost... I would commit myself to a mental institution because I'd have to have a second personality that hides stuff from me. How the hell do you lose an amp like this?

Four programmable channels for storing presets. If you use the FBV Shortboard, You can have 9 banks of 4 presets, Thus, you can have 36 total patches at your disposal. The shortboard also acts as a overall volume pedal, regardless of where your volumes are set. You can also punch your effects, i.e. chours, reverb, and boost on or off. The one feature that is missing is the ability to adjust the effects parameters more; chours and delay could have more flexability. With that said, the amp still does a great job.

I mainly play strat style guitars with various pickup configurations. From Kinnman to dimarzios, the amp excels greatly. There is no noise that needs mentioning. The amp can make a fairly wide range of sounds, probably more that most players will ever need. The distortions are Great. The cleans are just as good.

Too early to tell.

OK guys here it is. I am a working pro, and have been playing for 40 years. I have all the toys. Mesa boogie: DC-5, Studio preamp, nomad 100, Various powewr amps, Marshall Jmp-1, Access preamp, Carvin tube 100, Various cabinets 4-12, 2-12 stereo, I think you get the Idea. I love them all, and they all sound a little different. Now you must be wondering why with all those heavy guns, why I'd get a line 6 spyder 2? When you have your roadies carrying and setting up your gear, you can use whatever your heart desires. However, when you start playing smaller venue gigs in between the bigger shows, and you carry the rig, A lite, all-in-one amp, that sounds almost as good as my big rigs, that can be set-up in 5 minutes and kick-ass, well need I say more. Just some side notes. In my experience I have noticed that there really are just 2 sounds. Clean And Dirty. Whatever you tweaking preference. The effects we choose just color those sounds. The way you EQ your clean and dirty, again, just color those sounds. The amount of gain you use again, just colors those sounds. And finally, the guitars and pickups you use, ditto.... The line 6 spyder gives you Great distortion and great clean. Do the Math.

My amp has gone nuts, it pushed the volume up all by itself!
Just once one month ago, then more often, to the point you don't dare to power it on.
So I've had a quite special problem, since the only failures are total blackouts or strange noises.
My dealer says he has almost no problems with those spiders, he is quite astonished.
Still, mine can't work again...
With a processor as central brain, one can't be too sure of what will happen next...
My confidence in line6, and modelers in general, is very weak just now...
I baby my equipment, have a warwick ampbag to transport it, and I only used my guitar and a cable with this amp (NO PEDALS!) so I am not responsible for the amp's failure I think.

Can't be beat where I live. I came to the store with my defect amp, and left with a brand new one! It was one week next to the warranty's end so I'm quite lucky...
Incredibly kind and helpful: absolutely!

Still love the amp.
Note that the effects knobs does have better action, hence control on the effects, on this new spider. Maybe some improved software?
Or more like another tolerance of the part itself...

This posting is a follow-up, one year's use later
I used it intensively, and way loud. Main guitar is Ibanez RG7 strings, and a Squier stagemaster7 as b-up.
I tried other axes, 6strings like Artcore semi-solid talman, maple fgbd strat&tele, Ibanez rg170, but I didn't like the sound with them; lacks presence and punch. A SG fine copy was way good sounding through it though.

An Aphex Xciter did a huge job to bring this amp to life, no side effects since it fully eliminates hum automatically whatever the gain level. Perfect for humming guitars, and there are a big lot of them out there...

I also changed the speaker for an Eminence legend 121, huge improvement with my axes. OUt of curiosity I tried an Eminence Kappa12 and man my amp moved 3steps higher(see my review on the kappa), as did the weight...

I play funk, rock, power blues and a little bit metal stuff so I'm not your average 7strings player.
This amp is powerful, versatile, reliable (only one issue during rehearsal: the channel volume rose all by itself, way problematic! Cured by powering off and on.)
It is a perfect gigging amp, you always get a suitable tone and with the band going who cares about tubes and that. If you play well, that is.
I took it home, didn't like its lack of subtlety, so Mario early on this page (great guy, go on telling the very truth!) is right.
A V-ampire is better at home, way clearer (I've got one as well).

The feature I like is the hidden boost function, works exactly like a clean booster pedal, nice compression and clarity. Of course the amp's gain must be set low otherwise you only get mud.
Speaking of mud it is all the stock celestion produces on this amp.
I tried this speaker in another combo (Harley Benton HB80R) with very good results so see it as a mismatch.

Bottom Line: great gigging amp with a proper speaker replacement, otherwise no way. Aphex (or similar) exciter a must.
Thanks for reading, I did intend to put it on ebay but I like the way it does simplify my gigging musician's life (no cables, pedals, tuners and all this ++++) so I 'm keeping it.

-75 Watts, 1x12" Celestion speaker
-12 Channels (Clean, Twang, Blues, Crunch, Metal, Insane) x 2 (Red and Green settings)
-3 Band EQ w/ Master and Channel Volume
-7 Effects, up to 4 at once:
==>Tape Echo / Standard Delay / Sweep Echo (1 at a time)
==>Chorus Flanger / Phaser / Tremolo (1 at a time)
==>Reverb
-4 Footswitchable memory slots (A,B,C,D) to hold custom tones. (This number can be increased by purchasing a line6 shortboard)
-Tap Tempo
-Built in tuner
-Noise gate
-Headphone jack

I use this amp for practice and in my band, and it is loud enough to completely drown out all the other instruments without compromising sound quality too much. Of course I never play it THAT loud.

This amp is loaded with features, some of which I never use (will discuss later), but other than my Dunlop Crybaby I play straight into the amp: no effects. I'll give it a 9 because it didn't come with the footswitch.

I play 2 guitars into my amp: My Fernandes Ravelle Elite ($999.99 online) and my Jackson DXMG (about $450, but I've upgraded the pickups to EMG81s).

I play a very wide range of rock, from classics such as Led Zeppelin, to heavier stuff like Metallica & Guns N' Roses, to newer kinds of rock, like Jimmy Eat World. This amp is versatile enough to accomodate all my sonic needs. However, the following features are useless:

-Green twang
-Both blues (they sound like television static)
-Both cruch (they don't have any crunch to them)
-Red insane (I'll admit it's fun, but useless)

I use the red clean for most of my cleans; the green one for more of a fender sound. I use the red twang with the gain all the way down and the bass all the way up to get an accoustic guitar sound (a real nice one I might add). Red metal channel is for the old Metallica sound with the gain up, or more of a GN'R sound with the gain half-way. The insane channel is by far the most versatile, oddly enough. I can get a perfect Jimmy Page sound by rolling back the gain almost all the way (lol) and messing with the EQ. Switch to the neck pickup and that same sound is now a Slash lead tone (very accurate).

The speaker has plenty of low end once you turn the volume up a bit, and the highs are clear, not screachy.

If you use the right effects, this amp sounds great. If you don't, it sounds awful. Just read the manual and play around with it for a while (the standard presets are awful).

This thing is built like a tank. I gig with it every week, and I've only had to tighten 1 screw after a year and a half of playing. Awesome construction. The footswitch broke on me though, and i had to buy a new one. I bought the cheap footswtich, so I guess I have myself to blame, but still. 10 for the amp, 4 for the footswitch.

Luckily the amp is built well enough that you don't need to call them. However, when I tried to ask them a question about my footswitch's warranty, they were completely useless. Their page online leads you in circles, and you can't actually talk to someone. They don't answer e-mails for at least 2 weeks, which is how long I had to wait. They really were not helpfull at all, basically worthless.

I bought this amp primarily because i needed something bigger than my 10 watt marshall... something to Gig with. It has served me well as an amp. Once again, I can get all the right sounds, just not from the channels Line 6 intended me to. At $300 it was an excellent value, and was the only amp in its class. I would definitely recommend this Line 6 as a 2nd amp because of its amazing versatility and value.

If it were stolen though, I would probably buy something better. I've been playing for a while now, and now that I own a very nice guitar (Ravelle) I'd like to play it on a real tube amp, like a MESA Boogie or a Peavy XXX.

this amp is awsome. it can play all kinds of music because it has 6 different amp types, u can create 4 presets of your fav amp tones plus add an echo, a modulation, and reverb. i wish it had more on-board effects, but i suppose 7 is enough, right? if your an effects freak (like me) get a multi effects pedal! i use it in my bedroom, but i will use it live when i get old enough to play live!

don't listen to the guy that says the distortions are crap, there great! if you turn it to insane and turn the pickups on your guitar to a bassy sound, then you've got your own fuzz pedal that sounds almost like john frusciantes tone when he uses an EH big muff.
and the effects are great too, youve got a flanger, chorus, phaser, tremolo, delay, tape echo, sweep echo, i think.....plus reverb. with the chorus up at full you can get a nice nirvana solo for smells like teen spirit. as for amp models, you can choose 6 types-clean, tweed, blues, crunch, metal and insane, all based on real amps, plus theres 6 other presets they have done for ya.

i have had it for more than a year, and its fine. my brother spilt lemonade in the power switch... and it didn't turn on, but after an hour or so it worked again, the lemonade must have dried up.

haven't dealt with them

my setup is a fender jagstang or a vintage strat or a gibson sg, into a 535q dunlop wah, into this amp, and it sounds perfect to me. if it was stolen or lost, then i would probably save up for a fender bassman or something, only because when i bought this i wasn't really caring about amps. on the other hand i would never sell this thing, its too cool. i wish it came with a ferrarri or something, but ya can't get everything.

The amp I bought was made in 2005. I play mostly punk, metal, and classic rock. The features on this amp are really very good. LED's are a bit gimmicky. Four programmable channels with a footswitch included, 12 different amp models, loads of effects. Particularly good are the extra 'tap' functions. The noise gate is very good, actually it's neccesary because the amp would be hissing very loud without it. There is only a headphone jack however, no FX loops, cdinput or speaker extension, which is dissapointing on an amp like this and hence only a 7. It's loud enough for small gigs. I didn't like the way the tones for each model were preset, made for too much tweaking and not enough playing.

I play an Epiphone Les Paul Standard. I bought the amp mainly because of its vast possibilities of sounds. This is where the amp is seriously let down. Any distortion channels are scratchy and hissy with absolutely no character, muddy tones and no clarity. This is one of the worst sounding amps I've played on (and yes I spent hours trying to find the right settings - they don't exist!). Want an AC/DC or a Guns and Roses sound? - forget it. Even with the six distortion models you can't even get a good Metallica sound. That was only possible through the clean channel with an MT-2 pedal! As for the red Insane setting, I think the guy who thought of putting that in must have been insane, who's going to use that crap?. I'm afraid this is a gimmick amp with all it's LED's and crap sound. If you want a modelling amp forget this and have a closer look at a Vox.

Had no problems with it. It seems very robust and well made althought the facia and knobs don't look like they would take much abuse without breaking. Then again I had only had it 4 days! I definitely would not use it for a gig because it sounds so bad.

Never had any dealings. The shop I bought it from had no problem exchanging it without a handling charge (top marks for them).

If you want toneless, scratchy distortion, this is the amp for you. If you actually like to hear what your playing, buy something else.
I had this amp for 4 days and swapped it for a Marshall AVT50.

I mostly play metal and classic rock. the amp is very versitile with 12 different amp simulations and you can adjust and store them. there are also 6 effects to choose from such as delay and phaser. it has four channels, very convient for live shows and you can customise amp settings into each channel. i got a free footswitch to navigate through each channel. this amp is very versitile from jazz and blues to metal but i would say it best suits metal. i have gigged with this amp and although it's only 75 watts it was loud enough by far. one problem is you HAVE to read the instructions because working the speed and noise gate out without reading them is hard. after reading the instructions everything is easy.

i use this amp with an epiphone leas paul standard, a customfender with seymour duncan invaders and an ibanez s520ex. all pickups are humbuckers. suits my style brilliantly and my band mate loves the crunch setting for classic rock. it can get a bit noisy on the insane setting with the epiphone but thats cos the pickups are shit. this problem is easily dealt with by using the built in noise gate. This amp has a lovely clean setting with chords ringing in all the right places, the crunch setting with a bit of delay is wonderful for solos and the metal setting is the best sound,the distortion is cracking, the best you'll get for this price! there is a pointless shit sound where line6 have made their own model- never use it. the clean channel never gets distorted.

i use it without a backup but thats cos i can't afford one! i think i can depend on it and it's never let me down, i've had it about 4 months now. only thing is like with all amps tighten the nuts on the input jack regularly.

i've never dealt with the company so i wouldn't know. comes with a years warranty

i've been playing 2 years and have tried many amps such as the marshall 100dfx combo and the vox valvetronix 50 watt and this is better.
if it was stolen or lost i'd definetly buy it again. i love the sound but don't like the weight (not as heavy as some though.

No idea on when it was built as I bought it second hand. Versatility is the forte of this amp from clean to grunge. I play an odd mix of folk and blues influenced rock, I also dabble in "Latin jazz" and various covers (Beatles, Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, The Who, etc.). Single Channel with 4 user banks which can be stored & switched via foot pedal (optional). More user banks are available through the Line 6 Short board (more moolah)which can really help tap into the flexibility of this amp.

It has a combined headphone/Direct output jack (not voiced to sound like a speaker cabinet and using it disables the amp's clip protection, better watch them dynamics & levels). It also features a built-in tuner, distortion boost, noise gate (enable/disable), tap tempo for the built in delay, 12 presets (2 clean, 2 Twang, 2 Blues, 2 Crunch, 2 Metal and 2 Insane), delay, reverb & modulation ... a lot to chose from.

It is a digital modelling amplifier and is quite loud at 75 watts.

I use a MIM Fender Stratocaster, a home made Double cutaway Les Paul (Kent Armstrong pickups), and a Line 6 Variax 300. Get ready to sit down with a paper pad and note which settings sound best 'cause it's easy to get lost in the options, no jokes. For instance, the "Red Twang" setting which you would think would bring out the best in my Strat ... it doesn't! My Strat sounds sloppy and hollow using that preset but ... switch over to "Red Metal" turn the drive down and fuss around with the EQ and reverb ... that gives my Strat body and smoothness without muddying it up.

The home made LP ... it just overdrives that same setting that sounds fine on the Strat, but ... "Red Twang" which sounded awful on the Strat sounds fine on the LP ... that is with the drive turned down, the EQ adjusted accordingly and the reverb set at about 40% ...

That modified "Red Twang" patch also brings out the best of the "Semi" and "Jazzbox" of the Variax ...

My point is: don't give up on the amp if the factory presets and user banks don't sound right on your guitar, this is an amp that can bring out the best of any guitar, as long as you're willing to spend the time and tweak it until it sounds right.

Clean to dirty, no problem. It delivers.

I haven't gigged in much too long, I use it in my Home Studio setup, so I can't give it an accurate rating. For my use, it' plenty reliable.

Browse their Web site, it's awesome! Great knowledge base, great product page (complete with sound samples), and great users Forums where Line 6 owners get to share info. Never dealt with Customer service per se, but 9 times out of 10 the answers can be found in the knowledge base and /or the Forums.

I've been playing for about 26 years (ouch!) and had I had access to this amp back in 1983 ... can you imagine? One amp, one guitar (in the Variax) and complete flexibility ... amazing! If it were lost or stolen I'd either get the same or perhaps a Flextone or Vetta (I wish! They're so expensive!). I love the the fact that it's compact, loud and flexible.

The direct output however ... it sometimes is a bit noisy and sputtery (then again it's only noticeable when I plug in cheap high impedence headphones) but I do wish Line 6 included a speaker cabinet voicing to the direct output (and it could be made to be enabled or disabled in the same way the distortion boost & noise gate are, using the tap tempo button) and that the clip protection wasn't disabled when the jack is in use ...

Rather than to bash the factory presets that don't sound that hot as is (Blues Green and Insane Red come to mind) I come back to my point: those presets can be manipulated to sound cleaner or dirtier.

Oh yeah, by the way, a Presence control would also be nice if they ever come up with a Spider III line ... cabinet voicings on the direct out, clip protection for the direct out and a presence control ... yeah those would be welcome improvements! ;) All in all, this amp packs a serious punch for the price, and is very, very flexible.

A VERY flexible, versatile and easy to use piece of kit. Name another similarly priced practise amp, with 12" speaker? This could so EASILY be upgraded. (perhaps even to say a Classic/Vintage Greenback, if the impedance could be matched).

Some of the FX are unuseable because of the poor range of settings except for beginners....(we all remember buying every effect we could and turning it up full)...but the FX are there if you need them to pratice the odd cover song!

The Vox AVT range are more money, but arguable much better due to the presence of that Valve in the Pre-amp. The FX are more controllable, more useable and there are more of them. But the 8" speaker? The 30W has a 10"...better but still not compatible with the sweet noise it could be making.

As I was on a tight #130 budget, (wife's orders!!) the 15W VOX was my original choice, but after an extensive home test over the weekend, although I got some nice sounds, and loved the 100ms to 8s delay range on the reverb etc. BUT -- because of its noisy nature and the CRAP 8" speaker, (NB The Vox is VERY hissy, even with the noise gate adjusted correctly!) -- I swapped it for the Spider II 112. I MAY have gone for the AVT 30 which I tried, but at more than #50 extra, I may as well have gone for say a Second Hand "Blues Junior" and used a OD-1 if needed!

My other concerns, apart from the lack of precise FX parameter adjustment, I would have liked a dedicated LINE OUT for DI purposes, rather than the Headphone/Line Out function. If you are working in a small band going through PA, you have ZERO personal backlin!! Same in the Vox etc tho! The #239 Marshall does, but it's nearly twice as much!!

What's wrong with this amp guys? Come on.....You can get this thing for #129, (or $243.879!! - 190.248 Euros)

What are you expecting? Should the 4 "quick" patches match the JC-120, A vintage AC30, A Mesa-Boogie Studio and Marshall JCM-900?

I can get Most sounds that I want for LOW LEVEL practising. This thing can still deafen someone in the firing zone though, so don't be fooled. You CAN achieve a clean, or "dirty sound out of ALL the preset voicings, whether they are matched to the Modelling engine or not, who gives a ***T! ALL the EQ's work well!!

Now, the BIGGEST contributor to this sound is the size of teh speaker, and cabinet. Can anyone name another similarly, or any priced PRACTISE amp, with a 12" speaker?

Purely from a cost and value assessment, this amp is very good. Even if it were more, (ie purchased at RRP) it would still be a credible combo.


NB Rating based on a comparible products basis, not against the sound of my own boutique head, with a couple of 4 x 12 cab attached!

Feels, seems and looks VERY solid and well built considering, eg Thickish wood with standard plastic coatied construction. Nice corner protectors and positive control knobs. Should be a turn up and go scenario. I am wondering if the battery for retaining the 4 preset sounds goes, would the rest of the amp still be as normal?

Only emailed ythem once about my POD.

I don't remember getting a response!!

I would not have bothered with a practise amp if I didn't want, or need one. I DEFINATELY would not of bought this actual model if it took AGES fiddling to get a particular sound.

Disappointing FX sounds and controls especially from Line 6, but what did I EXPECT for the price myself, when everything else is MORE than reasonable??