Line 6 Spider II 30 112 Combo

I bought this amp a couple of years ago. I play everything from pop, indie, to thrash metal. I found this amp only really suitable for heavy rock and heavy metal. This has a single channel, with built in effects; no effects loop - DO NOT expect to be able to successfully use this with external effects. It also has a CD-in, which sounds truly awful. I would have liked the ability to bypass the built-in effects and use an effects loop (but I guess that's not very 'Line 6'). I used this purely for home use and the 30 watts was more than enough - I've seen a couple of bands successfully use this amp (mic'd up to the PA) for pub gigs.

I used this with Gibson Les Pauls, a Squire Tele and a cheap Epiphone. I also have the Line 6 FBV4 floor board, which I found essential. I like to try my hand at as many styles as possible. This amp is marketed at metallers and this is it's main strength. As the effects are built in, it copes with it's own effects very well, removing noise quite effectively, even when overdriven to hell. I found the clean channel sounds 'treated' and very difficult to get a good sound using external effects with it, I would only recommend this amp if you are happy with the built-in effects (try it out in a shop). The 'Insane' distortion is possibly the best OTT Pantera-style distortion I have heard from a combo - if this is what you're after, look no further.

It's very plasticy. I'd imagine, if it toppled over onto a hard floor, it would probably suffer some damage. I would use it for gigging (and people do), but I would be careful with it.

I have been playing 6-string guitar for about 15 years (bass about 17). I am getting rid because I want a more versatile sound and it reacts badly to having effects plugged into it (HORRIBLE sound and volume fluctuates heavily, trying to deal with the additional gain). I have liked the (albeit limited) built in effects, but, as I have already said, I would have liked a more transparent clean channel and an effects loop. I now have a somewhat unconventional setup where I play a Boss multieffects unit into a Roland keyboard amp, which much better suits my wants. I used to use a Marshall combo which, although had a much better tone than the Line 6, could only do a couple of sounds - 'Marshall clean' and 'Marshall emulated tube overdrive'. If you want an 'all in one' heavy metal combo amp, you can't go wrong; if you're looking for a more versatile setup, look elsewhere.

Bought late 2006, probably a year old when I got it, but in mint condition, still boxed.
This is a 30W modelling practice amp with a 12" Celestion speaker.
4 Channels attempt to imitate various classic amps sounds.
On board FX - chorus, flange, reverb, delay, etc.
Sounds can be saved (only one per channel) once you have found what you like so this is a nice feature.
Footswitches are very expensive extras but I tend not to use them for home practice anyway.
At 30W this was really too loud for my requirements - anything above 2-3 on the dial caused my floor to shake! It's a very bassy amp which I liked for my sound, probably due to the large speaker.
I'd say you could jam with another guitarist/bass player with this amp but it wouldn't be loud enough for full band rehearsal (not my band anyway!).

I have used an Ibanez RG550 and a Cort M200 with this.

I have read a lot of criticism about the sound of this amp, sounding digital, etc. Well, firstly I wanted it as a late night practice amp, so wasn't too fussy about it being perfect because at those kind of volumes it will never be perfect.

Anyhow:

Clean channel was ok. Never really cranked it, but with touch of chorus I found a nice sound.

Crunch: I got a very decent Black Sabbath sound out of this which I was happy with (think "Into the Void"). I'm not sure how good it is at classic rock sounds as I don't really go for that, but got a decent "Ziggy Stardust" sound as well.

Metal: Found this channel too thin and not meaty enough - the Insane did this much much better.

Insane: I loved this channel. I play lots of styles, including death and black metal and this did the business. Tons of distortion, plenty of bass. Good for shredding with heavily palm muted picking. This was definitely the best thing about this amp. Managed to get very decent recordings simply by using the line out straight to the desk from this channel.

Seems ok, I never had any problems with it.

Never dealt with them as I bought it used.

Have been playing electric guitar for 25 years or so.
These amps get a lot of bad press, but believe me they are far superior to the terrible transistor amps of the 80's and early 90's at a fraction of the price.

I have now sold this amp, simply because it was too large and bulky for my requirements. It is quite a large amp for the power, and quite heavy. I wanted something I could tuck into a corner and carry about the house much more easily (I bought a Micro Cube).

What I loved about this amp was the insane channel. Rock purists may hate it but it is pure shred!
I thought the Crunch channel was very decent as well.

I compared it to the Vox VR30 which, although it is a hybrid amp and gets a lot of recommendations was pretty poor at the high gain death metal shred sound I like.

Firstly, i would invite everyone to read this review. i have obviously spent alot of time, and went into a lot of detail. Just because you see a lot of text to read don't just skip over this.


I think the features to this amp are the ONLY good thing about it. This is a pratice amp... period. The nice thing about it as a pratice amp is the ability to save presets on 4 different channels. (Clean, Crunch, metal, Insane) This means you are doing less fidling and more playing. This is good. The effects are nice to be able to combine two at once. I would prefer that there were more parameter switches for the effects, like a speed/rate button for the chorus.. oh well. For a practice amp the features do quite well. having a celestion stock probably boosted the rating from a 6. The footswitch, whichis a basic scrolling one costs $45 canadian, which is ridiculous. The four button one costs $90!! Way too much for somehting that should have been included. Oh and no fx loop which would have been really really really nice. (i don't know if it is even possible to have on a digital amp.)

I'm playing this amp with a fender us made highway one strat and an ibanes AG95 artcore jazz hollowbody.

Three words about the tone of this amp... DIGITAL DIGITAL DIGITAL. i know Line 6 only does digital, but still. An amp with an analog preamp is just too hard eh? This would mean that you could not save presets if it were analog, but it would be worth it. The effects obv have to be digital but i don't mind digital effects as much as digital distortion. The effects are below average, except for the tape echo which sounds very good. I am a delay abuser so i rely on this effect. This and the reverb are all i use. The annoying thing about it is you can't use both the reverb and delay at the same time. The reverb really only sounds good on the clean channel though.

I will pick all the channels to bits now:

Clean: The best channel on this amp by far. its a pratice amp so i don't care if it distorts at high volumes. But i don't think it really does too much anyone if anyone was wondering. I can get good dark jazz tones out of it, but thats about it. If i try and do blues, its too dark, but when I turn the treble up it gets way too bright. I want warm cleans but with some brilliance and presence, this amp won't be able to achieve it.

Crunch; A bad imitation of an early marshall plexi or a JCM amp. This channel cannot be a rhythm and a lead channel at the same time. bottom strings are way too bassy and muddy, and not a good kinda mud either. notes are not defined. With the exact same settings these extremely bassy low string are a wevere contrast to the upper strings which are piercing thin. Even if i use the bridge pickup for rhythm and the neck for lead, the neck is still way too bright for myliking.

Metal: This is the most useless channel and the worst feature by far on this amp. There is very, very little sustain, even worse than a $15 pedal. No matter what i dowith the knobs,(and i spent alot of fiddling.) i cannot get a good sound out of this without sounding really bassy or too thin. Even if i take the noisegate off, which is a hidden feature, (nice to have) i get the sound i want, but there is this really, really gritty sound i can't explain. its not the instrument or the cable, belive me.

Isane: This is one of the better channels on this unit. I don't play metal, but this is the only channel where i can get the sustain, tone, and definition I want. The gain is a little over the top, but the quieter you play, the more gain you need, and since this is a practice amp, this channel combined with a little tape echo sounds good for singing sustained leads, and ballsy rhythms. This also sounds great for metal even though I don't really play it.

Two or three times my preset patches have been erased when powering up the amp. This is unaccpetable. I've ahd to use it live when I'm without anytoehr amps, and once all the patches were erased literally 5 minutes before I had to play. That is unacceptable. i know you can erase patches by holding the clean button when powering it up, but i was no where near the clean button when my patches were erased. Otherwise it's been ok.

i think the warranty is 2 years? but check out the website. But if you go near their website ignore all sales pitches saying this amp is the best thing. Still, i have never dealt with the line 6 team before so i can't really judge how good, or more likely bad they are with customers.

This is an ok pratice amp, but i would rather get a vox modelling amp, or possibly a roland cube. Still, a cheap randall would probably make a better Solid state pratice amp. But apparently Carvin and traynor make the best tube emulated solid state amps. I really liked how chep this amp was. This amp really is designed for kids who don't know how to play who like to max out the gain and scoop the mids. Both of these should only be done in certain situations, and the scooping of mids shouldn't really be used too much. Anyway.. About the amp, its good for bedroom players, or as a first amp, i like some of the features, the sound just sucks tone out of your guitar and makes it sound like a phonebook with strings oh well.

MAKE SURE YOU TRY THIS AMP OUT FOR YOURSELF BEFORE YOU WRITE IT OFF. THERE ARE ENOGUH IDIOTS ON THIS SITE WHO KNOW NOTHING AOBUT GEAR, SO TRY EVERYTHING OUT.

Once again, this is a great first amp for those who like effects but don't have money to spend on pedals. It lets you see what effects do. This is especiialy useful for delay, but don't expect to use a delay pedal without an effects loop. For those REAL players out there... outdo yourself and get an all tube amp! For those just playing around this house, give it a try, it can't hurt... But for me... nahhh

The amp is a 2005 or 6. The amp was purchased for practice and to take to friends houses.
I own a Roadking, Twin and a Gibson Duo Medalist( see my reviews on these amps). The amp is 4 channel A foot switch is available I wish it had the ability to mix more than two effects simultaneously. I have a GNX 4 and an ME -30 which would do if I needed to layer effects. The amp was chosen for size and convenience.

The sound quality is great for clean Jazz, or surf and the effects sound nice. I don't use this for high volume but it sounds clean enough to the point my ears can handle the sound pressure level. The distortion sounds like what you would get from a solid state amp it fuzzes out well and there is a lot of control between the drive, channel and master volumes. I use the amp with a Strat for surf and a Les paul for Jazz. The amp suites me fine for plug and play. The amp sounds relatively noise free at the intensities that I am using.

If you are using this amp to gig than I trust that you are doing very small venues. I purchased a floor model and I believe that there is a dead spot in the master VC.

I used the web site to access the settings for the channels. The site is confusing at first, however once understood the files were easily found.

45 years see above. If it were lost I'd feel stupid, if it were stolen I'd be pissed at that price level I might invest in something better. I love the low level playing and the ability to fuzz out at very low (ie others asleep) volumes. I compared it to a Marshall which I found for my Brother-in-Law which ended up being more expensive and didn't sound quite as good. My choice was based on a friends recommendation and price. Again, I wish it had the ability to combine more than two effects at one time. Seriously, this amp is what it is. Reviewers condemming this amp appear to want Bubbly on a beer budget. This is a fun device to take to a friends house or a party. If you are looking for an amp with a personality then only tubes will do. If I want to wail the blues I'll put my Roadking to work. This amp is great for the intended purpose.

4 channels and some decent effects.

Having the 4 channels is nice but they are all sub par and do not have independant volume which is kind of annoying. But they channels sound good for what I bought this amp for... My dorm room! I have a Peavey XXX if I want to be loud.

Not sure.

Haven't dealt with them.

This amp gets a 7 because it is good for what it was designed for. Recording and Practice. Line 6 amps sell well because they are cheap because they are so highly manufactured and they sound GREAT int he store because they sound good at low levels. They sound shitty once you get them loud enough to play with a drummer. So, if your looking for a relativly inexpensive, decent sounding practice amp you might want to consider this amp.

made in 2004
Well this amp has 30 watts,4 channels clean,crunch,metal,insane.built-in Effects including Phaser, chorus, Flanger, Tremolo, Sweep Echo, Tape Echo, distortion Boost, and Noise Gate, a custom 12" Celestion Speaker, Tap Tempo, headphone Jack.

well this amp has 4 channels but 4 channels that will never get close to any amps its simulating.the clean channel it?s the best that the amp has but it?s still not close to a good amp.the insane channel is the worst this amp not satisfied at all to muddy to sterile

this will never be used o a gig if a ever do one

never dealt with them wouldnt even bother

i?ve been playing fot about 10 years ,i?ve had about 26 guitars.if it was stolen i wouldn?t even bother and be happy that i fdon?t have to see it anymore ,i just wish these companies made good stuff and not any shitty amps with lot of publicity and videos showing the amp in the video then having a mesa boogie in the back playing never gonna buy any thing on the lone 6 name

Four Channels: Clean, Crunch, Metal, and Insane. It has 6 effects built into two knobs so you can use 2 simultaneously. One knob allows you to use Chorus Flange, Phaser, and Tremolo, and the other has two kinds of echoes and reverb. This amp is all solid state and has a headphone jack/line out for silent practice/recording. Footswich is sold separately and the effects sound very gimmicky except for the reverb so this gets a 7

I play a Gibson Les Paul Studio and play mainly blues and classic rock. The Clean channel is decent at low volumes up to about 10 oclock on the master. After that it starts to lose any warmth and becomes sharp and more sterile. It gets the job done for just practicing though. I find that the Clean channel is better suited for clean lead parts than rhythm. The Crunch channel I find lacks character. Granted there are some okay sounds in there, I find that it feels stiff and lacks smoothness. Very one dimensional sounding. Again, it's alright for noodling but I wouldn't want to record with it. The metal and insane channels are all fizz. As far as effects go, the reverb is okay, but I've never found a usable context for the other effects. This gets 5 cause the clean channel sounds alright at lower volumes.

No issues, but I haven't used this amp except for just jamming with some buddies.

Haven't dealt with Line 6.

I've had this amp about a year and a half. It's not bad for practice, and the clean channel isn't bad. I found the crunch channel to be okay, but the metal and insane channels to be way too fizzy. If it were lost/stolen, I think I'd go with a modeler and headphones since I'd only ever use this amp for practice.

Well i dont think I have to mention what features it has since other reviewers already have written that. But there is one thing I have to mention is that it has an "smart-control fx" sectiod, and that thing can be really enoying. When you switch to for example the clean channel the delay automatically switches on.

I use it with a Fender american standard stratocaster with a seymour duncan hot-rail at the bridge.
I play mostly metal and I'm in a rock/metal cover band.

The only thing positive I really come up with about this amp is that isn't noisy. The sound is really shitty. It sounds cheap and ugly.

I haven't had any problems with it.

I haven't had to deal with them but after what I've heard line6s customer service is very good.

This is not a good amp and I would not buy a new one if it where lost.
The roland micro cube is a hundred times better and only costs about 1000 kroners.

Interesting concept; poorly executed.
Made in 2006. 4 digital modeling channels: clean, crunch, metal, insane. Effects are chorus/flange, phaser, tremolo one one knob; sweep echo, tape echo, reverb on the other. Effects are not tweakable like those in a Behringer amp. Amp comes with headphone/record out that defeats the speaker (so you can't use it for line out to a PA and use the amp for a stage monitor).

Using Fender Strat w/ Tex-Mex pickups, all channels are somewhat thin and weak. You can tell from the sound that this is a solid-stae amp. The tone(s) do not even come CLOSE to a tube amp sound. (Sounds kinda like the solid-state amps from the 80's).

This does not mean the tones are not useable. Clean is OK for funk/R&B/Creedence; Crunch will give you Led Zepplin sorta crap; etal will give you ZZ Top,Mountain and other Marshall-simulation tones; Insane will give you "My Head's in Mississippi", "Smoke on the Water", and "Iron Man"-simualted tones.

You cannot use reverb & delay together (they're on the same knob). Slap-back echo is impossible to obtain (echo is multiple-repeat). There is no real delay effect on this unit.

Nowhere near loud enough to cut through the mix at a gig.

Amp is not as loud as a Behringer or a Crate (soid state or tube). I can only recommend this amp for practice purposes. Sounds are not good enough for anything else.

Cheaply made in China.

Would not even think about gigging with this amp, much less recording with it.

Cabinet is 1/2" particle board; all knobs are lightweight "chromed" plastic; footswitch cord has plastic computer-type connectors.

Speaker has 12oz-16oz magnet; good amps have minimum 38oz magnets. Voice coil will probably burn out if you play too liong with channels and master volume cranked up.

Haven't dealt with them. Gonna send this sucker back to Same Day Music.

Have been playing for 41 years. Have retired my 59' Bassman, '65 Deluxe Reverb, and '62 Ampeg Portaflex. They are far too valuable to keep lugging around.

Would not even consider another Line 6 product, if this amp is a representative sample of the quality of workmanship and tone the company hypes.

If you want good tone w/ tweakable effects in one amp, get a Behringer (same price, much better build quality). If you want great tone with good reliability and quality, you're gonna have to spend a whole lot more money. DO YOURSELF A FAVOR; BUY A CRATE V1512 OR V3112, A TRAYNOR YCV 20, OR A FENDER BLUES JUNIOR, AND A COUPLE OF STOMP BOXES. IT MAY COST YOU $500+ TO DO SO, BUT BELIEVE ME, IT'S WORTH IT WHEN YOU COMPARE IT TO WHAT LINE 6 HAS TO OFFER.

2006 Model
4 Channels
3 Band EQ
6 Effects
Record Out
Headphone Input
FBV Pedal Input
30 watts

Well, I play metal, and man I tell you it rocks. On the Insane channel it gives you a heck of alot of distortion, but its no way near muddy. You can still hear all the notes ure strumming in a chords, just exremely distoted, which is wat thrash/death metalers want. Heaps of reverb and echos to play with. I dont use the metal or crunch channels much, so wont comment. The clean is FANTASTIC as the effects come so well together with it. The reverb, chrous, and echos make this sound like studio done stuff. For acoustic its great to, with perfect cleans. Overall, if this stuff is for you, for its price you cant get better. Oh and did I mention INCREDIBLY LOUD???

No problems, absolutley fine, feels very solidly built. Only had it for a month though, so ill see how it goes.

No problems.

Bloody brilliant, if your into wat this amp makes. For me, thats metal, and its a bloody dream. Couldnt ask for better, apart from maybe a seperate chorus and flanger instead of combined? And a built in compressor would of been awesome aswell. But, so cheap, so couldnt ask for more I guess. GET THIS AMP!

This amp has many features, such as 4 solid state channels (Clean crunch Metal Insane.) with factory made tones for each channel. But if you dont like the factory tones, you can substitute them with your own. This amp has 6 effects, and two knobs for effects. (Thus implying that you can use two at once since there are 3 per knob.) This amp is ok for effects, but it falls short. Plus, the footswitch came seperately, and for a two button scrolling footswitch, it cost me $40 (Canadian) Not eneogh features to keep me happy. But, you can save your own presets which is a bonus. no fx loop!

Firstly, please note when i talk about the amp's channels, there are 4 in total: clean, crunch, metal, and insane which are all pretty self descriptive. If you cnat figure it out, do your homework!!!

The factory presets were ok, but the metal channel just sounds like crap. I can't get any good sound out of it, so i put the volume to 0 and saved it to use as a mute pedal. (The ONLY useful use i could find for this channel.) The clean channel renders a better than average Jazz tone, and i really like the insane channel's distorsion. But... all of the effects sound bad except the tape delay (just your average delay.) But the phaser, tremolo, sweep delay, and especially the reverb are pretty bad. The chorus is fairly good, but i've seen better. But the distortion on the crunch and insane channels is good. Too bad its not tube.

Never had problems wouldn't need a backup.

No Dice. Never dealt with them.

The main thing I like about this amp, is the option to save presets. It really makes the amp worthwhile. But, if it were stolen or lost, i would use my crappy fender amp until i could afford a nice tube stack, or half stack. But for a second amp, it has been good, and I kinda like it, even though the effects suck. But I still think it to be one of the best amps for its great price, and i do not regret buying it one bit, and even though the metal channel sucks, the insane channel is basically what a real "metal" channel should sound like. If you like some effects sometimes, this is a perfect amp for you. If you dont wnat to spend money on a whole lotta effects pedals, this is for you. But if you already like your effects, this amp doesn't have an effects look, so you might want to skip this amp, and save up for a bigger/better one.

It's been said. What sold me on the amp was the ability to save various settings to each of four channels. All SS amps should do this. It sounded like a dream. but I woke up from this one.

I was persuaded by the glowing reviews of this amp. I bought it for home, band practice and as a go-to if my Crate tube amp failed. Bottom line, it's not my cup of tea. To my ears, harsh, buzzy, no sustain. The clean was fair, not a lot of headroom. I got some reasonable sounds on channel two but this and the other channels sounded different to me at different times. I was always fiddling with the knobs trying to get a good preset. Channels 3 and 4 aren't my sound but I didn't like those either for what they were trying to do. I've tried the Roland Cube 30 and that does more convincing emulations, more organic and pleasing to the ear. If the Roland had the tone saving features of the Line 6, it would be unbeatable.

I think it has to be reapeated that I don't think this will please you if you're not into heavy distortion. Tube-like tone? Not by a country mile. It's a heavily processed sound and you can't dial it out. I think it's more for the bedroom. Didn't cut well at band practice.

I only had it for a few weeks before I sold it. I noticed some noise in the background of the high gain channels, not just hiss but garbley sounds.

Never used them.

Been playing a long long time. If you're used to tube amps, pass by this one. I hate to be a contrarian but perhaps this will give a little balance. No one amp is going to be IT for everyone.

Made 2006\Late 2005
4 Channels
3-Band EQ
6 Effects (2 can be used at the same time)
Record Out
Headphone Input
FBV Pedal Input
30 watts o' sweet power

The Line 6 Spider II series is built to be compatible with humbuckers but however when I bought this amp the only gear I had to my name was an Encore KC3 (Strat Copy) and a crummy B.B Blaster amp. The single coils don't sound half bad on it, all you need to do is rise the gain, lower the treble and bring home the bacon! When I recieved my Gibson LP Junior I was AMAZED! This amp is soooo built for humbuckers you can feel it when you switch between them. I've got a Boss AB-2 Guitar Selector so when me and my band play (due to one of the dudes only havin' a 10w amp we have to take turns do I use the selector, I start playing with the HB's and it's a powerful, dominant sound then he plays with SC's and it's just weak.

I play mostly punk (Green Day, Blink 182, The Clash), grunge/modern rock (Nirvana, Foo Fighters) and some Indie/Alt. Rock (Kaiser Cheifs, Franz Ferdinand, Oasis etc.). I know this amp is made for metal music (which I don't play at all) but this thing is so freakin' versitile. You can even pass it off as a bass amp sometimes 'cos it goes so low.

I also love the secret effects such as the noise gate and distortion boost, that really gives a kick to playing.

When I bought the amp off Digital Village.com it has a slight crack in the corner plastic but it's unoticable really. This really hasn't lest my room apart from one practise which was awesome! It's never broken down, never let me down, and never will (touch wood).

The company is great. They provide you with tone tips for the amp and you get free 6 month warrenty. Also you can register your gear online so you have proof of purchace (POP). This is a definant plus. Also they don't answer your questions personally, as such but they host a whole forum thread about it so other Line 6 users can share their experience and wisdom with you. If it is financially urgent then yes they will e-mail you straight away, even on week-ends.

I've honestly been playing for two and a half years and I'm only 14. If it was stolen or lost I might upgrade to the 212 model but it would be another Line 6 definantly. I just love it's sound and the way it looks and makes you feel so professional. It's definantly better than the Hughs and Kettner 15 Edition Blue which I would've bought for #180 and it's only 15 watts. Since Line 6 is a Marshall company I won't bother comparing it to a Marshall but I will say this. If you want digital effects go for the Line 6, if you want analogue kind of effects and want a richer sound go for the MarshalL MG30DFX.

This is definantly a must buy! Also purchace the FBV 2 as well 'cos that is worth buying (don't bother with the FBV 4). Looking for a budget combo amp, this is your man. \../(>.<)\../

Spyder II 30 watt amp made in 2005 - solid state - this amp is basically a simple computer circuit attached to a power amp and speaker - you can read the details of the features on other posts - basically i wanted decent sounds, both clean and distorted that were easy to dial up - i wanted a small practice amp that was versitle, fairly inexpensive, and not compicated - this amp does works great for most of us players that do not gig out very often - i would speculate that 95% of guitar players do not gig very often - with the four basic channels you have the ability to easily adjust your sound - pretty simple once you play with it a little - capable of good clean sounds to all the distortion you may want - don't try to compare a $200 amp to more expensive models - you are getting your money's worth with the features on this amp - there is no 10 in my book so i give it a 9 for versatility

i use everything from rick 12 string to fender strat, tele, p-90's and humbuckers - i find i can dial up whatever tone suits me - i do not try to sound exactly like a certain player - so i cannot comment on if you can perfectly get hendrix, clapton, van halen, bb king or whoever. - strive to develop sounds and tones you like rather than trying to exactly copy someone - the world does not want or need another exact copy of hendrix - been there done that - right? - ok back to business - amp is quiet - i play classic rock, surf, blues, blues rock, a little country, 60's, rockabilly, and folk rock - yes i am a 60's dude -
for $200 you can get a great sound if you work at it - but at this price you do not get the quality and adjustability that i would like for the effects - you can not get that for this price and we need to understand that -

in two month no problems of any kind - so far so good on reliabilty

no experience with the line 6 company as to customer service - i will give them the benifit of the doubt and give them a 9

i am a 60's / 70's dude - been playing since 15 years old - professionaly for a while and lately play in a church praise team - if stolen i would not replace it - i would try something else - that is because i like to experiment and play with different brands, etc. - there is not one perfect amp - that is good - i also own a vox pathfinder 15r amp ( another great little amp for the money). a crate VC30 ( great sound but unreliable) , a small marshall solid state amp ( cannot remember the model - good sound for the money), a fender princeton chorus ( great fender clean sound) - for what it is worth i used to own a vintage fender vibrulux reverb - 64 black face - tough amp - it fell off the stage once and still worked - but i had a harder time getting a good sound with it compared to the modern more flexible amps - i sold it for $125 in 1970 - i guess it would be worth $1500 or more now - i been there and done a lot of things - seen a lot of artists and played a lot of equipment - for what it is worth by far the best rock band i have ever seen was a 60's and 70's group called the underbeats - based out of minneapolis - later changed thier name to gypsy - gypsy was the house band at the whiskey a go-go in la for a while - so they were good ! - guy by the name of jimmy johnson was the leader and lead guitar guy - gypsy records are still available - jimmy johnson now has a group called calvin james - check it out on the internet - i have no association with them but it was watching jimmy johnson play and sing that inspired me to start playing music - so i owe him a plug - he sitll plays around the minneapolis area - if you get a chance to catch calvin james band do it - you won't be sorry - i give the spyder II 30 amp a 9 and myself a 5 for blabbering on too much in this post

Made in 2005, bought it at Sam Ash. It has a lot of bells and whistles for the price. Four channels, manual switching(foot switch not included), no effects loop. On board noise gate(a nice addition), memories for creating your own patches. Very easy to operate, but read the manual so you don't miss any of the features. It also has a distortion booster and will save your amp settings (snapshot) to mememory!Plus a Celestion 12" speaker too!

I have several guitars, 335, strat,Danelectro 12 string, explorer. I bought this to use for practise only, looking for mainly a GOOD clean sound. I wanted an amp that had some onboard effects so I didn't have to carry my pedals to practise. This amp fills the bill perfectly. The effects are really basic, and you don't have a big range of adjustment. You can have chorus and flange(together) or tremolo, but they can't be separated. In otherwords, you can't have chorus with a little bit of flange and/or tremolo, or flange with a little bit of chorus or tremolo. The same goes for the sweep echo/tape echo/reverb.
Choose one and only one. The dirty channels can get really dirty, as nasty as you want to get. The insane channel is just that, insane distortion, not my style . You can go to Line6.com and get 25 settings for this amp. At first I thought this amp wouldn't do what I wanted, but then I realized that you really have to make small exact adjustments to get it just like you want, it does have the ability. Don't just spin the knobs, take the time to dial in your sound. The REALLY cool thing about this amp is once your find the sound you want, hold down the channel button for two seconds and it saves all the settings to mememory!

So far so good, no problems yet. Comes with a one year warranty, and I also purchased for $20 another year from Sam Ash, so I'm covered either way.

I haven't had to deal with them, so I don't know. THe people I know with Line 6 equipment have never had a problem with it, that helped me make my choice. The web site is well set up and quite helpful, which says a lot about a company.....

I've been playing since '65, owned more amps that I can remember(really). This is not what I would consider a gig amp, it's only 30 watts, but that doesn't mean its not loud, it is. I play old school rock, and blues, and in two different gospel bands. The auditoriums seat about 400 people and this thing has plenty of power for those venues, especially for practise. This thing runs with the Fenders, Hartkes and the Marshalls just fine, in practise. I use a Hartke stack when its time to get serious. The thing with power is the more power your have, the easier it is on you amp, it doesn't have to work so hard, like horsepower in a car. To use this amp for a gig would be like driving your car redlined all the time, its gonna blow up sooner THAN later. I run this at about 1/2 volume and it still pristine(clean), and I have plenty of power left. When you kick in the other channels the volume really increases, another thing about this amp is that it has a volume for the channels, so when you switch it doesn't blow everybody away, very cool. If you need more control over your sound then throw a pedal in front of it, but as far as the distortions go, you really don't need it. I am very pleased with this thing, for the money it is amazing, for MY needs it is perfect. A very good trade off for power verus weight and options. If stolen I would replace it, and I would use it for a back-up if needed. If you need an amp that can cover it ALL, doesn't cost an arm and a leg, light easy to carry around, and has some really great features, this is it.

Just got this a few months ago,so it would be a 2005.Many possible sounds,enough for most anyone,unless you have a giant rack or whatever.4 channels,some cool little effects thrown in,headphone/line out jack,cd input,some small hidden features with the tap button.Gets loud enough for my use,which is practice/late night recording.This is a solid-state amp,as are all Line 6 types.

I use it with either of 2 Dean Z '79 reissue guitars:A stock one in brazialaburst,tuned standard,or a modified black one with a Kahler tremelo.Both have a SD Distortion in the bridge.Then.....Peterson Strobostomp tuner>Marshall ED-1 compressor>either a Boss SD-1 overdrive,or HM-2 Heavy Metal(for swedish death metal buzz)>Boss CE-3 chorus>MXR Phase 90 EVH>amp input.Sometimes I plug straight in too,when I don't wanna use pedals.Well,this amp is great! I have a big old Marshall half-stack,but that sucker is NOT for bedroom practice,or recording,becuase it's too loud! So I use this little guy,and get HUGE tones out of it.you have 4 channels here:Clean/Crunch/Metal/Insane.I mainly use the Crunch channel,and it was the reason I bought the amp.This channel has a wonderful "plexi" tone to it,and I drive it harder with the above Boss pedals,for nice Metallica crunch,or lower-gain AC/DC raunch.Plus it cleans up really well,like the real amps do!The delay is awesome too...real subtle,and the tap button rules for getting whatever time you want from it.I don't like the chorus/flanger on it though.....but that is why I have pedals haha.Slap an SM-57 mic on this,and get nice,thick sounds real easily.I use the Insane channel for solos and rhythms sometimes,and the clean channel is very nice,even better with my compressor in front of it.This replaced my Pod.I wanted a practice amp that I could put a mic on,instead of the dry,sterile sound of recording direct that I had with that unit.Much better for me.....never used half of the features on that Pod,so I don't miss the versatility.I think this has more realistic thing happening,becuase it's comin' out of a speaker....a Celestion,at that! The only complaint is the speaker don't handle low-end too well.It is a bit farty and all.I may replace it with a Vintage 30.....someday.And yeah,the Insane distortion is quite BRUTAL....total death metal there!Great amp models,for sure!

Seems to be pretty strong.It was taken on the road for 5 weeks,and survived,so there ya go! The knobs look nice,but seems a bit cheap.....they may fall off eventually.It is digital so I am sure one day it will just quit working,but then I will just buy another,unless the warranty is still valid at that point.Digital stuff doesn't last forever haha!

Never talked to Line 6.....but they are about an hour from where I live,so that's a good thing.

It is a great amp for my purposes,and serves well.I have owned too much gear,so I won't get into that.Nowadays it's all about downsizing!All I need is this thing,a few pedals....that's it.For playing live I break out the big ol' Marshall,but I could see using this in a bar gig or whatever,miked up.I like all the sounds it has,but just dislike the "woofy" speaker.Now I just turn down the channel volume to half,and crank the master.....seems to solve that problem a bit.I got this version after trying the 2x12(too loud),and the smaller one,which sounded to fizzy,due to the very small crappy speaker in it.Tried out the little Marshalls,Behrengers,Vox,etc. and this is constructed/voiced much better....and looks much cooler! If it were stolen I would DEFINITELY buy again!

if your lloking at this you already know the specs!

this amp sucks, i was lucky that the store i bought it from would take it back after i had it for a few months since i kept the box.
some of the problems i found;
1-if you prgram your own channels & you want a clean one & you would like a little chorus, there is no little!its so fucking wet even if you turn the knob a little. same with the phaser. & who the fuck still uses tremelo as an effect? what a waste!
2-if you dont want delay & you would like reverb then your fucked. the reverb on this thing sounds like crap!
3- you cannot use reverb & delay at the same time. they put the reverb on the effects knob with the dalay!
the only thing good i can say is that for the two months i owned it i just used it for the insane channel with a 1 tap delay & its ounded ok.

i didnt tell the store owner but the little jack to plug your stereo in was noisy.

sucks,sucks,sucks
i called them about the chorus issue & the dude was like thats how it is.like it or not!

get the line 6 flextone combo. the spider series is for kids!
stop being so cheap & spend the extra 400 & get a real amp!

Purchased brand new on 11/12/2005, I'm assuming it was made this year.

Features and specifications are detailed quite a bit by other reviewers, but basics: 30w solid state, 4-channel selection on amp face or by footswitch (sold separately) 12-inch celestion.

I've now gigged with this amp twice, in smaller bar venues, and found it to be more than adequate (though obviously, it needs to be mic'd if you want a lot of power).

Noticeable is the lack of an effects loop, but that can always be worked around.

I play a couple of knockoff dual-humbucker designs (one relatively new 335-style, and one very old LP style) and the amp performs very well with those two guitars.

Built-in distortion is smooth and robust, and comes with three factory presets, in addition to the "Clean" setting:

- Crunch (for your more bluesy/classic rock feel)
- Metal (for harder rock/metal)
- Insane (for really heavy stuff)

6 built-in effects consisting of a chorus, phaser, echoes, reverb, etc. The only problem I have with the effects is Line 6's standard 3-effects-per-knob setup... it makes it difficult to get the same tone consistently, however... this is what I have floor effects for, and I just set the amp effects off (except for a little bit of reverb), leave the amp generally on the clean setting, and let fly.

The amp itself is beautifully clean and as close to noiseless as possible with a standard hookup, I think it has a built-in noise gate. I use a Samson Stage 5 VHF wireless (I tend to get inebriated and trip over cords :-p ) and while this generates a *little* bit of a hiss, the noise suppression of the amplifier kills it without help.

Additionally, being solid-state, the amp doesn't break up at all even at maximum volume... its 12-inch Celestion can obviously handle much more than the amp itself can dish out.

I haven't had it long enough to tell, but it hasn't failed me through 2 gigs.

Obviously I haven't had to get it repaired yet, but Line 6 is well known for their customer support, and I do not feel I will ever have to worry about that.

My normal setup is guitar -> Samson Stage 5 VHF Wireless -> Zoom GFX-5 -> Boss GE-7 EQ -> amp. This amp has performed well in a more relaxed, oldies/country/blues setting, and a harder, more edgy punk/metal setting. I seriously look forward to playing it a lot more, I'm already thinking of getting another one just so I can keep one in my car and one in my house. :-) If it were stolen, I'd definitely buy another. This amp is a fantastic value for beginners and veterans alike, and after 20 years of playing vintage Fender and Peavey amps, I am definitely a new convert!

New amp, assuming 2005 vinatage.

You all know the features by this point, 30 W 12" Celestian, 4 channels, programmable and onboard effects, footswitchable.

No effects loop, no line out or speaker out.

Have had this unit for 24 hrs only but like it so much already I felt motivated to write a review.

I have lots of gear and I play a bunch of styles from Mclaughlin type voodoo jazzy crap to modern stuff.

This little unit is the best value in an amp I have EVER owned.

The four presets work pretty much righ out of the box and you can use them as a departure point if you want to tweak the sounds.

The documentation supplied with the unit is atrocious, so take your time and figure it out before you come to a decision but I don't see how someone can't be very satisfied with just plugging into one of the 4 basic algorithms.

The clean channel is sweet the only change I made in the preset is to use just a bit of reverb for effect.

You can get great jazz tones that way.

What I really like about this amp is that there is great string response. Didn't see anyone refer to this in the other reviews of this amp but even the clean settings have enough sensitivity to give a bit of life to the strings i.e., when you use finger vibrato the amp responds, there is a feedback loop...no not THAT kind of feedback but you can play the amp not just the guitar, not sure how to explain it aside from that.

That is the type of thing I never expected much of in a 200 buck solid state combo amplifier.

The distortion settings are great, thought the crunch factory preset is not to my liking that much, way too much bass it sounds muddy but of course it can be tweaked.

The metal channel is really astounding, it's not really a Boogie sound and its more aggressive than a JCM Marshall. Its very tight, not overly bright and has great definition. Legato type leads just flow.

The insane seems a bit over the top to me havent played much with it yet.

Oh, this unit is quiet, MUCH quiter than just about any high gain amp I have ever used.

Can't say, its a new unit and just because it hasnt blown up yet doesnt mean it wont but it works perfectly and usually solid state stuff fails out of the box or works forever.

Great website with some custom patches available.

My one suggestion is to get someone to write a real manual, what comes with the unit is pretty useless.

You buy amplifiers for sound, this unit is such a value that...well Im at a loss for words.

It's a new amp, so 2004 or even 2005.

Incredibly versatile. I play prog-metal, and the insane channel covers it perfectly, but all 4 channels all have their charms. There is a headphone jack. My only complaint is a weak distortion, but why use distortion while insane is there? I use the amp at home and in a community centre, more than loud enough. It could do with an amp-out jack though.

I'm using it with a a bog-standard strat. Not noisey at all, suprisingly so, even with a low-quality cable. Clean/crunch do not get distorted. The distortion is kinda weak, but the insane is way better.

Totally dependable, I would definetely use it in a gig situation. It has never broken down, even after playing at the highest volume.

Never had to deal with them, and probably never will. Line 6 is owned by marshall, which are un-surpassed in customer support. The warranty is 1 or 3 years, can't remember =/

Amazing amp, if it were stolen I would buy it again, even over the oh-so amazing Roland Cube. I love when the click it into insane, and it beats your ears brutally (in a good way =]). The only, and slight let-down is the distortion. But even if it was good, i'd just use insane instead.

My amp is about a 2003 or 2004. I mainly play hard rock and stuff similar to that (which this amp handles very well). But i also play acoustic stuff which this is also great for. This has four channels, two effects knobs, etc. I'm happy with what it has especially with it being so small. Note this is mainly a practice amp but can be used for small jams.

As said i usually play hard rock. i use a Jackson JS30 with this amp and it sounds fine. Mainly everything sounds how it should.

This amp is very reliable. I carry it around to my friend's house about every other day and its holding up great. I'd definatly gig without a backup.

Not sure here, i think the site has a lot of info tough...

been playing around 2 years and i really enjoy this amp. if it were stolen id probably get a line 6 spider, just a bigger one. i did compare it to a Marshall (25 watts i think) and i chose this simply because of how much more you can do with it.

I don't think that you can find a $200 new amp with more features than this one. Four channels, nice on-board effects. Headphone jack, but no separate line out. Mini stereo jack for plugging in a CD playder, IPod, etc. The foot switch is only $29 (FB2) and it works very well. I bought this for my 16 year old son to use primarily in the basement, but I use it also. Loud enough for us. I've yet to turn it past 4.

My son is playing 3 years and he mostly plays rock n roll. He uses a Parker Nite Fly with HSS style pick-ups. This amp is a perfect match for the guitar. Very good definition of sound with the single coils and the humbucker. Loads of sounds. The factory pre-sets were not to my liking, but it's really simple to create your own saved pre-sets. The four channels each have a unique character. Clean, crunch, metal and insane are what they are intended to be. You can really get a wide variety of sounds from all four channels just take some time to fiddle around with the controls.

I've only had this amp a few weeks, but it seems very well put together.

Don't know and hope not to have to find out.

I've been playing for 30 years, but mostly acoustic. I play an Ovation Legend and use a Crate CA125D. There's a lot to like about this amp. Musician's Friend sells this amp for $229 with the footswith and free shipping. For that price I don't know of anything that compares. I also looked at the Vox AD30VT which I liked, but that amp is really for those who are looking for AC30/AC15 sound without going for the big bucks. According to reviews on this site the Vox had some reliability issues. There is nothing that I dislike about this amp. I also have an old (early 80's) solid state Marshall Master Reverb 30 which is similar in size and output to this Line 6. The new technology in the Line 6 is amazing and this amp blows the Marshall away in terms of features and variety of sounds. The only way to get the Marshall to sound better than this amp is to play though a multi-processor like the Boss GT6, but that box alone costs double the price of this amp.

Bottom line-the most bang for the buck in a 30 watt amp.

I'm not sure how this amp will perform at a live gig with a drummer, but for a basement amp this is as good as it gets.

The basic features you need PLUS a master volume, which is handy. I have been playing through an original Flextone Plus w/floorboard for years now, having played every tube amp you ever heard of in the past 35 years that I have been playing - original '65 Deluxe Reverb, Fender Supers galore, 50 watt Marshall heads & combos, Hiwatt 50, Peavey Classics, etc. Flextone DOES THE JOB and for practice amp and even going to jams, this little Spider II is just the ticket! If you're going to be using this amp for anything more than playing in your room, get the FB2 so you can channel switch. Forget the FB4 - too expensive and the cheaper switch does the job. A better bang for the buck in a small amp I don't think you'll find.

The only channels that really work for me are the 1st three (1st two really...). The fourth is a bit too over the top for the stuff I play. I have the first (clean) channel set with the distortion on full, bass and treble @ 9 o'clock and mid at 3 o'clock. I can get a great Fender vibe going with my Strat with this setting. The second channel can be kicked in for a bit more dirt - I set distortion around 9 o'clock - and leave the tone controls pretty much the same as for the first setting. I think it sounds bloody marvelous for a little modelling amp with a fairly dinky 12" speaker. I had an Acoustic 120 years ago - supposedly 120 solid state watts - and this little sucker would have trounced it volume wise! I am thinking of trying a Celestion Century in it for a higher-watt rating speaker, but to also keep the weight down!

I've had it for a few months now - so far so good. Never have had any problems with my Flextone either (touch wood...). Also obviously never burned my fingers on tubes with these either!!

Never had to use them. Their website has a ton of info.

As I said earlier, I've been playing over 35 years. I NEVER would have believed that I would end up with anything but a tube amp, but I just love these (Line 6) amps. Would I buy another one if lost or stolen (heaven forbid!). In a flash!

You know the features by now. 4 channels based on 4 amp models, 12" Celestion, effects, EQ, etc. The Headphone Out/Emulated Line Out is much better than I was expecting. At first I didn't like the distortion when using the direct out for recording, it sounded like a small amp. Then I flipped on a feature that removes the tone modeling that matches the cabinet and it opened up the sound immensely...sounds like a 212 easily. My 9 rating in the category is based on the "bang for the buck" factor and the fact that an amp under $200 has a built in noise gate and distortion boost, plus had a servicable direct out. A dedicated reverb effect (rather than sharing it on a knob with Sweep Echo and Tape Delay) would have earned a 9 out of 10. Hey, I need something to complain about, right?

It sounds surprisingly good for a 30 watt practice amp. It's not so much the considerable volume that this thing generates as much as it is the truly great tones that you can get at a high volume. They did a very good job of nailing which 4 amp models to put in here and an even better job of tuning the cabinet/speaker combo. I got it as a practice amp and to do some project recording, but the fact that it is good and loud enough for rehearsals and gigs (for gigs if mic'd or using the direct out) is really a shock. I had a 40 watt Peavey with a 110 speaker that would start to crack up with the volume at 6. You can push this all the way with no degredation in sound quality at all. I have a feeling the the speaker is capable of much more than 30 watts, that would explain it.

I haven't really travelled with it so much yet. The construction appears to be very solid. There are no marks of shoddy craftsmanship, it's a digital solid state so there is't much to break there, the cab feels sturdy, everything is securely mounted. The knobs are plastic rather than metal (I know, $200) but they turn very smoothly and feel secure. I know many people with various Line 6 amps and none have had a problem so I'm not too concerned.

I have only dealt with the company via the web site, which is quite good. I had questions on the compatibility of the FBV4 vs. the FB4. I found my answers on the web site within 5 minutes. I also had questions about the Vetta II I am now saving for which were all answered on the site. They get a 9 only because I did encounter a broken link :oP