madhattr88 Posted March 25, 2009 Report Share Posted March 25, 2009 i've been playing in an 80's cover band for more than 15 years. we have a girl singer, so we do everything from the go-go's to blondie, even some cure and ramones. my current set-up = Fender Hot Rod Deville 4x10, Boss pedals - flanger, chorus, tuner, EQ i'm thinking about trading in all in for the new Line 6 Spider Valve 110 (which is tube). since we mic everything, i figure i don't need the 212. i'm scared though. i don't want to regret it...., but i love all the different tones u get from the line 6 i played one for over an hour and can't make the decision. what do u guys think???? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted March 25, 2009 Report Share Posted March 25, 2009 No...do not trade it in...Line 6 has alot of issues with dependability...the Fender you have is ultra-dependable. The only line 6 worth having is the top of the line stuff... http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/product...-Amp?sku=482238 but you NEVER trade in a good amp...you always buy the new one and store the old one...trust me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
borge Posted March 26, 2009 Report Share Posted March 26, 2009 (edited) the fact you want to trade a deville for a line 6 makes me think you haven't played a line6 with a band....... Edited March 26, 2009 by borge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madhattr88 Posted March 26, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2009 the fact you want to trade a deville for a line 6 makes me think you haven't played a line6 with a band....... u are correct...i don't want to lose the full sound of my deville, so everyone says make sure u stick with tube. but the new line 6 spider valve is tube. the only reason i'm thinking about this is because my deville squeals for no reason (once in a while), even if i have it on stand-by and nothing is plugged in! usually after 20 minutes. i have to turn in off and on a couple times for it to stop. NOT COOL WHEN you're at a gig. had it in for service several times....said there is nothing wrong with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dakhahn Posted March 27, 2009 Report Share Posted March 27, 2009 (edited) I like my Line 6 amp played through a 2x12 Celestion loaded cab. I've used it in all kinds of situations and have never had a problem with it. A couple of the factory presets on it can be noisy at times but make a great starting point for tweeking your own settings. I agree with wes though, don't trade in your old amp. Any time i have traded in an amp i have regretted it, same with any guitar I have owned. Guess I get to attached to my toys lol. BTW. My first post but I have been reading these forums for over a year now and I love the wealth of information here. Edited March 27, 2009 by Dakhahn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anderekel Posted March 27, 2009 Report Share Posted March 27, 2009 I agree that you shouldn't trade it in. Especially if you really like the tone of it. As far as a line 6. My friend and the other guitarist in his band both use line 6 amps and they both seem to really like them. They play thrash metal and similar, but I haven't heard of any problems with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sand Paper Posted March 27, 2009 Report Share Posted March 27, 2009 I play Hughes & Kettner because I'm a freak and I love their sound. However, Splawn is putting out some awesome stuff, same with Madison amps. The Carvin V3 is really nice as well. I've played on a Line 6 Vetta II a couple of times. My opinion on modeling amps is that they always seem like more of a toy or gadget rather than a musical instrument. Yeah 10000 presets is sweet, but most people can make all of those presets sound stupid with some tubes and a couple pedals. With the cash you'd drop on a new amp you could get some nice effects and maybe play around with some mods for your amp or something. From my own personal experience, some days I just don't like my amp at all. Heck, some months I wish I could sell it and buy something else. Then I listen to or play on other amps and realize that my amp makes the sound that I think my guitar should sound like. Then I'm happy with it again. Never compromise just because something seems bigger, better, nicer, etc. You love the fullness of your fender, so why abandon the fullness for some bells and whistles? No one ever comes up at and show and says "Wow that preset with the chorus and reverb is the best ever!" It's always the way the amp sounds that's important. The fuller the sound, the better it is to listen to in the audience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted March 27, 2009 Report Share Posted March 27, 2009 Engl makes a hell of an amp that can be tweaked with an EQ to hit almost every preset on a spider...but with a better tone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lou Ranko Posted March 27, 2009 Report Share Posted March 27, 2009 The Hot Rod Deville is a great amp, if a little loud. You might want to change your service people. There clearly IS something wrong with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madhattr88 Posted March 27, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2009 The Hot Rod Deville is a great amp, if a little loud. You might want to change your service people. There clearly IS something wrong with it. well i traded it in for a smaller fender deluxe. now if i can get a half decent distortion pedal to go along with this i'll be very happy. i like the stock distortion, but i think i need something more for 80's rock...everything from Poison, Def Leppard to The Cure, Go-Go's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muzz Posted March 28, 2009 Report Share Posted March 28, 2009 Engl makes a hell of an amp that can be tweaked with an EQ to hit almost every preset on a spider...but with a better tone. Solid advice, Engl is a class act, thick, lucious wall of sound guitar tone. And I agree keep the Fender, at least in the Family, give it to a little cousin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim37 Posted April 2, 2009 Report Share Posted April 2, 2009 but the new line 6 spider valve is tube. the only reason i'm thinking about this is because my deville squeals for no reason (once in a while), even if i have it on stand-by and nothing is plugged in! usually after 20 minutes. i have to turn in off and on a couple times for it to stop. NOT COOL WHEN you're at a gig. had it in for service several times....said there is nothing wrong with it. Do ya have a microphonic tube? http://store.tubedepot.com/microphonics.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madhattr88 Posted April 2, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 2, 2009 but the new line 6 spider valve is tube. the only reason i'm thinking about this is because my deville squeals for no reason (once in a while), even if i have it on stand-by and nothing is plugged in! usually after 20 minutes. i have to turn in off and on a couple times for it to stop. NOT COOL WHEN you're at a gig. had it in for service several times....said there is nothing wrong with it. Do ya have a microphonic tube? http://store.tubedepot.com/microphonics.html No, it was a lot more high pitched and screaching Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitarfrenzy Posted April 13, 2009 Report Share Posted April 13, 2009 I agree with Wes, I'm really loving the tone of Engl amps. I also like the newer Peavey amps, which kinda shocks me, because I used to hate Peavey amps. Egnater has some great amps as well, just depends on what sound your looking for. Randall is really making some great amps nowdays also.... So many amps, so little money Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sami Ghouri Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 (edited) I have not read most of the replies, but here are my 2c: DO NOT EVER TRADE ANY REAL BRAND WITH LINE6! HOOOGE, and i mean, HOOOOGE software issues! and while the spider valve head's power stage IS tube, the preamp processing is all digital. AND FLAWED! wes, steer clear from the VettaII (if u're saying top range) because after a little online research i found out that it has some major software bugs (again) that line6 aren't even going to bother fixing! It was mentioned on their own website's forums somewhere (terribly sorry forgot the topic) but it was clearly visible. Also, line6 is known for cheap build quality. That I can tell you from semi-personal experience (i've fixed a number of those floor processors' screwed switches etc). Horribly cheap stuff! Especially for the price. Hope that helped. Sami Edited April 14, 2009 by Sami Ghouri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 Well,let's be clear...most stuff in the "low" price range is cheap and undependable these days...Line 6 is only one of them... Behringer,crate,marshall,etc....all of them have dependability issues...including the Fender modeling series.. as long as there are people willing to buy $700 and cheaper (full sized...2 by 12 or larger) amps,there will be cheap crap available. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitarfrenzy Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 I used to be a Line 6 supporter, but their dependability has been an issue for me to not want to buy anything else from them. I have the original AXSys 212 Combo amp and I've worked on it so many times fixing various issues. Now I can't fix it because I think the mainboard is the problem, that causes the sound to cut in and out and I can't use it anymore. I had a friend whose same combo started to smoke and doesn't work anymore. The other day another friend was playing a gig and his Line 6 head just quit and so he's having it looked at. I could go on and on about them, but I won't. Just be sure to have a backup amp if your doing much gigging, or at least a pedal board to run through the PA just in case your amp bonks out. That's pretty much on all cheaper amps to some extent though, as Wes pointed out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 I can't fault the POD X3 Pro and the Bass POD XT Pro I have in my rack. Initially the X3s had major issues with USB 2.0 asychronicity causing audio drops and system crashes. This seems to have been ironed out. I accept the odd problem with Line6 gear on the basis that it's somewhat of a tradeoff for what you get in a small box for very little cost IMO. The X3 Pro is really really nice to work and to record with, but if I needed an amp then yes, I would go down that line instead. Arguments to and for, which as with anything should be borne in mind for consideration as opposed to flat out saying "avoid"! Haven't used the pedalboards yet so I can't comment, BTW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitarfrenzy Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 I never intended to suggest avoiding Line 6, just be aware that dependability on some of there stuff are suspect. I still like Line 6 a lot, when it works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 Yeah, that's pretty much the long and short of it. I suppose that with digital, it either works or not at all...analogue gear have various degrees in between working and not working! :-D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitarfrenzy Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 Very true, all electronic devices are prone to mess up at any time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sami Ghouri Posted April 15, 2009 Report Share Posted April 15, 2009 (edited) well i guess i was a bit harsh by saying "avoid" but i was a programmer myself and i really don't forgive incompetent software testing. I can understand random hardware failures (especially those related to long term and harsh environment testing) but when u're not creating a software that simulates a NASA shuttle and all you have is a couple of modules to test and you STILL fail at properly testing them before releasing the device to the market, you really shouldn't be given credit to begin with. As for using cheap hardware/parts, that's recognizable, and if you don't do a lot of live shows and you don't stump with all Thor's wrath, you should be fine. Software bugs are what ticks me off the most. Edited April 15, 2009 by Sami Ghouri Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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