Off Topic Line 6 Spider Valve impressions?

[Zaarin]

Just wondered if you knuckleheads have tried the newer line 6 Spider Valve head. I've heard good things, and it's got tubes designed by Bogner. As you can see, I have a JP6 with a JP7 hopefully ready any time now. Any of you guys played through this? I'm thinking I'm going to call locally and see if I can test drive one. Thanks!

Line 6 - Spider Valve

 

[edrod]

I am big Line 6 addict but to be honest I was not to thrilled about it. Unfortunately I have only tried the 212. I have heard very good things about the HD 100 though.

 

[Meedleyx10]

Don't let the bogner name fool you, this thing is absolute garbage IMO. It's essentially a digitial preamp going into a tube preamp going into a tube poweramp. No difference than just putting a Pod in front of a clean tube amp. This product is what happens when great concept meets horrible execution. I've tried 3 or 4 of them with various guitar (my axis super sport, a bfr petrucci, strats, teles, a les paul or two, and I think even a hollowbody) and the thing honestly just was not happening.

 

[edrod]

The best solution is trying it yourself, your ears will be the best judge.

 

[shredderbetter]

being a "tube snob" from WAYY back I can say that the line 6 stuff is very good but like most dsp units YOU are responsible for the sound,I have lots of equipment mesa's marshalls carvins crate but the line 6 is my go to for quick practice and copping tones from artist ,i think the presets really don't do it justice once you learn the ins and outs you can tweak the sounds to your own instrument and styles,I'm NOT saying that it sounds better than tubes but it's a lot less troubles to use the pod xt /x3 than haul around a road rack,the spidervalve just puts it all in a nice box,I'd say if you had some time with it, it would convert you,My buddy has always looked down on them prior to trying mine he was blown away by how realistic it was huge sound out of a pc board basically,give it a try you get a lot of bang for the buck!If you aren't a giging musician and play for home enjoyment I'd tell ya' get one and learn the ins and outs even go to the web and cop some other users presets!That's one great thing about line 6 they have lots of fans and put tones up to share!All in the name of great tone!Some are really bad others well thought out ,you'll find out soon enough,people sometimes have bad taste on programs often kids will just slap junk together and think that sounds cool wheras guys in the know will actually tweak a sound to be realistic sounding, try one out you'll dig 'em!

 

[MrMusashi]

i like the punch you get from it... aint happening with any of the other spider amps of the transistor breed

its versatile. it will not be for everyone, but if you are playing top40 covers you pritty much cover all grounds. my only wish would be that they put the boards from the x3 in it instead of the spider series board

MrM

 

[Lou]

I tried one out for a few weeks- 1x12.

Pros:
Very versitile. Plenty of different sounds available for the gigging cover band.
Lightweight.

Cons:
Noisy - I found it sounds great with the master at noon and the channel level at 10 oclock, but it's noisy no matter how much gain you use.
If you are an effects tweaker (like me) you'll hate the available effects. Kinda over the top and all or nothing.

So until they address these (maybe in version 2.0) I'm passing for now. I was watching Jay Leno the other night and the guitarist from the musical guest (The Time) had a head and cab. He was playing a strat and it sounded killer.

 

[koogie2k]

I love my Vetta II....

Tried the Spider Valve and walked away.....quickly. Was not impressed with it to be honest.

But, you may love the thing. Everyone is different and hears things differently. Try before you buy is the best thing to do if you can.

 

[jamminjim]

Maybe this is a little off topic - but - why not get a real tube amp? Get a real Bogner, Mesa or a real 60's or 70's Fender tube amp. Preamp it to your hearts content with any pedals or emulators or what have you. Probably be much happier in the long run.

BTW - just went to Bogners website - saw a pic of the dude leaning forward and holding two feathers, one in each hand...... the dude is as skinny as a bean pole.Is he healthy like that?

= Bogner Custom Shop =

Maybe it's none o my........

 

[Geno_xl]

Before you buy you might want to try the new Peavey Vypyr. I've been told it's coming out in August. It's similar to the spider but looks like it has a few improvements. It looks like it has more effects and you can use up to 5 at once plus the distortions are analog. Also, it is actually modeling the amps like the pod instead of just having a couple different tones like the spider.

It looks like it's worth checking out to have a decent combo but I haven't actually tried it out yet.

 

[roburado]

Honestly, I hated the Spider Valve amps I tried. I thought the cleans were thin. I thought that they tried to put tremolo on too many patches. There just seemed to be a lot of useless and redundant patches. But...that's just me.

 

[Tim O'Sullivan]

I love Line 6 and hated the Spider Valve. It just did not sound good to my ears. The FX were not that great, and there is no FX loop.

I will stick with my Duoverb's.

 

[edrod]

I love my Pod X3 bean with the Atomic 212-50. I couldn't ask for anything anymore.

 

[Luiz Gustavo]

being a "tube snob" from WAYY back I can say that the line 6 stuff is very good but like most dsp units YOU are responsible for the sound,I have lots of equipment mesa's marshalls carvins crate but the line 6 is my go to for quick practice and copping tones from artist ,i think the presets really don't do it justice once you learn the ins and outs you can tweak the sounds to your own instrument and styles,I'm NOT saying that it sounds better than tubes but it's a lot less troubles to use the pod xt /x3 than haul around a road rack,the spidervalve just puts it all in a nice box,I'd say if you had some time with it, it would convert you,My buddy has always looked down on them prior to trying mine he was blown away by how realistic it was huge sound out of a pc board basically,give it a try you get a lot of bang for the buck!If you aren't a giging musician and play for home enjoyment I'd tell ya' get one and learn the ins and outs even go to the web and cop some other users presets!That's one great thing about line 6 they have lots of fans and put tones up to share!All in the name of great tone!Some are really bad others well thought out ,you'll find out soon enough,people sometimes have bad taste on programs often kids will just slap junk together and think that sounds cool wheras guys in the know will actually tweak a sound to be realistic sounding, try one out you'll dig 'em!

You said all. Agree 100%.

 

[RobertS]

I have tested 1x12 combo twice (I wanted to give it a second chance ) and twice I was not impressed at all.
A lot of tones, but not even one very nice.
At high volume combo was shaking so much, that I was afraid it will fall into pieces

 

[k.gormley]

i like and use line 6 gear.. I still have and use a flextone amp...the first ones I bought the amp 10 years ago. I love that amp. I also use the guitar port for recording on my computer ...I like that so much it got me playing guitar again everyday a couple years ago, wich led to me buying my y2d last year. I was actually one of the first people to play the spidervalve at my local music store and I didnt like the spider valve. It sounded thin and valume seemed to jump or lower drastically at times switching models (or channels). There was a lot of high end hissss on some of the gain sounds. Its not a tottal turd but just not that impressive.

 

[Roubster]

Line6 Stuff is good for what it is, but the bottom "line" is that none of those amps sound as good as a good tube amp. I have been using a Line6 forever now, because I always have spent money on EBMMs instead of getting a proper amp. However I am in the market for one now, and have been doing some research and tested out a Genz Benz El Diablo 60 the other day. That thing sounds absolutely fantastic, and concerning that you can get the head version for $1000 for a high quality tube amp...its amazing. I also tested out a Mesa Boogie Lone Star the other day, and that thing kicked some serious a$$. Of course this one is close to $2000, but whoever is thinking of getting a Line6, you might as well save for an extra few months and you will really see what great tone is.

 

[metalmarty]

Haven't played one myself, but listened to an awesome guitarist abusing the head-version in a musicstore last week. And it totally blew me away. It actually blew everything in the store away. It had immense punch and clarity, both clean and distorted. Shred-solo's sounden fantastic, staccato palm-muting also not a problem. Cleans are not exactly it's forte, but it's good enough none the less. For the money, buying a more powerfull, more versatile, better sounding amp would be kind of hard, especially here in Holland with a small second hand tube-amp market.

Cab was an Engl 4x12 with V30's btw

And that's coming from a once-upon-a-time tube-snob. Engl, Diezel, the whole deal...

 

[Slingy]

The talent has obviously left Line 6. Though I still use their products for recording. Over the past few years we've seen nothing but rehashes of the same ingredients, looks like they are using the Taco Bell business model for new products. The Spider Valve is using Pod 2.0 modelling, that's not even their newest modelling algorithms.

Here's hoping they get innovative again.

 

[CarbonTim27]

As a Spider valve owner, I have a list of pros and cons. Keep in mind that I live in an apartment building.

Pros:
-Tubes. The amp has a power section and a pre-amp section. They're both rigged up with tubes. I get a sound that's dynamic and clear. Sounds good to me!
-The amp still sounds good at a low volume. It's really great when it's turned up but still sounds good turned down.
-Effects are simple and you don't have to over-complicate your life. Chances are you prefer that phaser pedal you have anyway so why bother with the on board one?
-You can sound however the hell you want. If you want that Jimmy page sound, it's there. Tweak a bit. If you want a Petrucci sound, tweak around. There is a library of patches out there.
-The vintage 30 mounted in an oversize cabinet sounds fantastic. My 112 SV sounds bigger and fuller than my Peavey XXL 212 ever did.
-Price. Okay...you're going to drop a little under a thousand dollars on this with a pedal system. Can someone quote me on a comparable amp with a delay pedal and a reverb unit? It has to have tubes and a vintage 30 in it. Also, 40 watts or higher.

Cons
- The amp models don't sound quite like the amps they were modeled after. Of course they don't. But they sound damn close and only you notice.
- Effects are simple. No real tweaking can be done with the effects, but again, nobody's stopping you from getting pedals for the specific effects you want. Besides, when you "upgrade" yourself to an amp without effects you'll need pedals anyway.
- Volume jumps from patch to patch. There's a pretty simple fix here...build your own patches.
- last, and my personal favorite con, I have to read the posts from the tube snobs hammering this amp. Spend some time with it and if you still don't like it that's cool. But if you've really only spent 15 minutes jamming on one in a guitar store with the thing pointed at your knees...is that really a good evaluation?