Overall User Ratings

"Well Worth the Price of Admission"

This reviewer purchased this item from Same Day Music.

Feature:
I am a die hard tube amp man, but I have played with a number of Line 6 modeling amps at the music store since they came out, and I was very impressed with Line 6 ideas from the beginning. I played the Spider amp at the music store extensively before purchase - they were nice enough to let me turn it up. I played the valve 112 and the 212 and I was greatly impressed by both amps! However, the 212 sounds incredible when turned up about half way, and the 112 sounds a little too 'pushed'for my taste due to the 1 12" speaker. So, if you always need to play at low volume, the 112 is ideal because it gets incredible balls even at low volume. I own a Bogner Ecstacy amp which I think is the finest amp out there. So, when I saw the Bogner name on this amp, I felt it might be good. I was instantly impressed not only with the power amp section, but also with the built in Line 6 POD preamp section. I really like SIMPLE selector interface. I don't really take to complicated rack efx boxes due to the crappy and difficult to use hierarchical menu structures. They just kill the creative process unless you are a recording engineer - a professional tweaker so to speak. What struck me right off about the Spider Valve was that I could plug in, turn a few knobs and have absolutely ripping, wonderfully saturated sound. The built in effects really work for me because I usually use simple effects and rely on my hands to make the sounds - I guess that's kind of an old school point of view. But this amp includes all of the basic effects that you could want starting out, and you don't have to buy a bunch of amps and stomp boxes to accomplish that. And the effects sound NICE. They're not junk - although they lack a little flexibility. For the price, I won't argue the point. Further, the fact that you have 16 world class amp models to select from is a blessing to me! In search of the holy grail of tone, I have spent tens of thousands on amps and effects. With this amp, you can rob the sounds of famous amps for a tiny fraction of the cost of owning them. In my opinion, from a budget point of view, there is NO other way to go! Line 6 has the right formula for any future guitarist. All that gear is so expensive to try out, that this amp makes itself an incredible value for anyone who wants to get the taste of famous tones, but does not have the pocketbook! For $499, to be able to get a nice tube power amp, with a sophisticated, flexible and really nice sounding preamp, and to be able to get shimmery cleans (Fenders), crunchy crunches (Marshall Plexi), and really powerful high gain (Mesa Recto), is a STEAL. So much so, that I have a wonderful sounding big guitar rig, but I decided to pick one of these up for practice because it gets every sound I can make with my larger rig, but its 40 watts (won't deafen me) and easy to take to practice sessions and gigs for quick set ups.

Quality:
The amp looks cool, and it looks like it is made reasonably well, but if you use the king of all well made amps as a benchmark - the Mesa Boogie (any model, especially the Rectifier), I have to rate this amp as a 7. Listen, this amp is made in China and is designed to sell for a very attractive price. In all reasonableness, you certainly can not compare that to an amp that costs $1,500 more, can you? That's my point. The Spider Valve is designed very well, delivers incredible sound and flexibility, has all the goodies that you might find on more expensive amps like Celestion V30's and 6L6 power tubes, all for a bargain basement price. I think I will cut Line 6 a little slack in the bulletproof department.

Value:
No contest. At the current price of $499, you get way more amp with the 212 than you bargained for. The fact that Bogner was involved with the power section of the amp really wakes up the tone of the Spider line. You really notice it when you turn it up and the power section starts to cook.

Desirability:
The I want it factor is lower because this amp does not really stack up to all of the really expensive sexy gear out there that you might drool over (Marshalls, Mesas, Bogners, Matchless, Dumble, Fenders, etc). However, from the point of view of a budget conscious axe man (or woman), this amp really delivers a value which is hard to beat for the money. The current price is a steal for what you get, and the amp will make you a better player because it gives you access to a number of famous amp sounds that you might never get the chance to touch otherwise. Also, the fact that the amp comes with a well designed power amp section removes much of the harsh, metallic character of the standard Spider line, which I also tried. The solid state spider sounds pretty good (like the POD X), but is has kind of a tinny quality without the tubes. However, the tube section really wakes up the overtones when turned up, so having a POD into your computer is NOT the same as having the POD installed in this amp with two Celestions on it. If you have the dough, I recommend grabbing this amp at this price and giving it a try. You may not like it as much as I do, but for the price I feel you will be pleasantly pleased enough to keep it for a while.

Sound:
I find the sound to be just perfect for what I want this amp for - a lower wattage practice amp that I can use to improve my chops and not go deaf in the process, and that gets all of the fullness and crunch of a turned up, saturated all tube amp without the hearing loss penalty. I admire the simplicity of the interface, and this amp lets me quickly dial in a sound and get rocking, which is my goal whenever I pick up a guitar. I give the sound of this amp an 8 because, if you are a real tube amp loyalist, you can hear the slightest metallic character to the Spider Valve preamp (thus, the -2). However, this preamp is so good that it made me want to go out and buy this amp, hands down. I love the built-in amp simulations and the flexibility this gives me at home or at a gig. And in my opinion, that flexibility far overrides the slight metallic character of the preamp (what I mean is, it is not quite as warm as an overdriven tube preamp with a fuzz box on it - to the trained ear). What this amp does offer is all of the sounds a practicing or working guitarist needs; nice clean, nice crunch, full out metal. This amp can cover any need for a bargain price which is why I bought one. The standard sounds you might want are covered; the Fender cleans, the Vox AC30 crunch, the Marshall Plexi crunch, the Mesa Rectifier metal. Also, the Line 6 insane gain setting is one of my favorites! How they got this amp to sound so huge even when turned down is simply amazing, and is another reason to want this amp. Dynamite sounds at lower volumes means less tinnitus in your ears. Yes, you do get hearing loss if you play loud all the time. The amp is 40 watts, but it really screams turned up just half way. The volume is plenty for the studio, and adequate for the stage with some miking and mixing. I was really taken back by how useful all the sounds in the amp are to me, and how it responds to my hands. The amp squeals, cries and screams with the best amps I've played. Can you tell I'm impressed?

Ease of Use:
In my opinion, the Line 6 engineers have done a wonderful job on the interface. The amp is super easy to plug into, turn on, tweak a few knobs and get right into playing and creating sounds. I really like simple setups. I on't want to be sitting there tweaking, I want to be playing. This amp delivers that very well. You can select your own amp with an amp selector, or you can go to another POD interface on the front panel and select a preset someone else created. It could not be easier. I identified about 5 sounds that I think are very useful to me, but found many of the sounds in the POD interface sound quite similar. There are a lot of high gain power chord sounds that sound alike. Not really a problem, you can tweak them, but I feel the amp actually has about 5 useful sounds total. That's not a criticism. Every amp I have ever owned did one or two things really well, and not much else. Your job as a musician is to discover what those useful things are for every tool you pick up. The fact that this amp covers all 5 of the sounds that I would normally use makes it incredibly useful as a 'daily driver'.

Support:
I have been on the phone with them (not about the amp), and they are really knowledgeable about their products. But I don't know what happens if your amp takes a dump.

Overall:
In my opinion, the 112 or 212 version of this amp is the perfect practice amp, and is a really good tool for rehearsing with your band. I don't think you can beat the value for the current price. If you really need a good amp that covers many of the classic amp sounds for pennies on the dollar this is it. That's why I had to have one. I'm not sure how long I will stay happy to have this amp. For now, I'm quite happy with it for the reasons mentioned. I guess it really depends on what else comes along in the future. I think that Line 6 is redefining the future of guitar playing recently so I am kind of psyched about what they might come up with.

"Had it for a month."

Feature:
Pretty much feature laden this side of a Mesa Roadking.

Quality:
Pretty to look at, very cleanly built. It is digital so I don't know how it is going to holdup.

Value:
Man, for freakin 499..you can't touch this..hell, just the speakers, tubes, and cab are worth 499.

Desirability:
It is a very futuristic sexy amp in low lighting...will have techno people drooling.

Sound:
This amp is so plain jain..until you crank it..man..it's got such great tone at gigging volumes. At bedroom volume, it sounds like a cheap practice amp.

Ease of Use:
Learning curve is very steep...it was very much a hate relationship until I really worked the EQ and TURNED IT UP.

Support:
Not sure. none needed. Other users have said CS is awesome, tho.

Overall:
I really hope it lasts more than I am expecting to, due to it's digital nature. I have a handwired Traynor that is 36 years old that I compare things to, so I don't know.