Electric guitar players: what think you of the Line 6 Spider III 75 amplifier?

[Rabrrrrrr]

http://www.amazon.com/Line-Spider-Guitar-Combo-Amplifier/dp/B000JKRFUE/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

It got 6 good reviews on Amazon.

I'm looking to replace my teeny tiny little cheapo amp with a real one, but also want to spend less than $300.

I'm fairly new to electric guitar, so I don't need what Alex Lifeson uses; but I'm not at all new to music, and so I know what things should sound like.

I'm looking for an amp with good sound, no hiss and no other foibles that come with cheap amps, but also some versatility that will grow with me as a guitarist. Nor do I need something that I can take to gigs, since I have no gigs to which to take it.

I've also looked at a Crate tube amp. Love that tube sound, yum yum. This one: http://www.amazon.com/Crate-Tube-Guitar-Combo-Reverb/dp/B0013O95D0/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=musical-instruments&qid=1228158924&sr=1-4

Also $299.

But the Line 6 one seems more like what I'd want. However, not really knowing what I want, I also look to input from you experts out there who can help me out in deciding, and/or send me off to a far better amp and/or better deal.

Thanks in advance!

[CBGLuthier]

1. Use Harmony Central to get more info

I haven't found a better resource for reviews of equipment.

here is the link to the line 6 amp

http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Guitar+Amp/product/Line+6/Spider+III+75/10/1

and here is the Crate

http://reviews.harmony-central.com/reviews/Guitar+Amp/product/Line+6/Spider+III+75/10/1

Myself I am happy with a dinky little Vox sub $100 amp but that's just me.

[guitar man]

2. I haven't played that exact amp

But I've played a few Line 6 amps at jam sessions lately and well, they sounded ok I guess. The whole modeling thing really isn't my cup 'o tea, I'd rather have a real amp with warm glowing glass myself.

The Crate you have linked there might not be too bad, probably a bit overpowered for my tastes. I haven't used a tube amp over 30 watts on the gig for quite some time.I know what some may be thinking, but a good 30 watt tube amp will bust you right in the chops for volume. If it's a a Class A tube amp, 15 watts can really hit you right in the seat of the pants.

The amp I've been reccomending lately is the Epiphone Valve Standard, but I think they stopped making them. Its a 15 watt class A amp with a 12" speaker and built in digital effects. The other guitar player in my band uses one and it has no trouble keeping up with my Marshall Artist 30w tube head on a 4x10 cab. They were selling for right at $300 last time I saw one on any of the catalog sites, if you could find a gently used one you might score a real deal.

Good luck!

[SacredCow]

9. Hey GTRMAN....

A while back I was telling you about my Bassman- I finally got around to putting a pic of it on photobucket...

[guitar man]

11. sweet!

I'm green with envy! :thumbsup:

[SacredCow]

12. I've never gigged with it...

and had it for well over 10 years. It's just too damn loud, for one thing, and I just really don't want to risk having beer spilled all over it.

[guitar man]

13. If I had it

I don't think I could resist gigging with it. My best bud has a modded silverface bassman head I've been trying to pry from his grasp for years. On top of a 4x10 marshall cab, it is undoubtedly the sweetest thing I have ever played through.

[SacredCow]

14. There are fantastic mods for them...

but this one is just too clean to consider messing with the circuitry.

I would like to try mine through a nice 4X10 cab to see what it would sound like...

[guitar man]

15. If you ever come to Tulsa

I've got a sweet mid-'80s Marshall 4x10 cab that you can play it through. ;)

[Bake]

3. You can also find product reviews on MusiciansFriend.

http://www.musiciansfriend.com

Bake

[Rabrrrrrr]

4. Probably more guitarists late at night ... and so thus I offer this kick.

And I offer it to you free of charge, for I am a tyrant, but I am a beneficent tyrant.

[mitchum]

5. It's trash (and not in a good way)

go with a tube amp (even if it's a Crate)

[Rabrrrrrr]

6. Any particularly helpful reasons why?

Not that I don't value your judgment, but you don't offer much in the way of specific reasons.

[mitchum]

18. Both the modeling and the solid state aspects....

Having the option of dozens of effects does initially seem like a good idea, but those ones that are built in... they very quickly sound rather...I dunno...cheap and fatiguing to the ear.
You can always later just add separate effects pedals. Full disclosure: I'm a pedal junkie :)
Brian Eno once said he would much rather have a synthesizer capable of 10 good sounds rather than one that possessed 1000 pretty good sounds. He is a wise man.
Also, you said this isn't for gigging, so $300 will get you a decent tube amp that will be plenty loud for playing around the house.
The Pro Junior that is recommended down thread (with or without the mods) is a fine amp for your purposes (as is the Crate that you mentioned)

Also, I do apologize for that rather breezy and admittedly unhelpful original post :)

[CrownPrinceBandar]

7. I've played both of the amps you're interested in.............

In the bang-for-your buck department, the Line6 rules. Everything you need is on board: tuner, effects. Great practice or just sitting around the house amp. I have had a Line6 Flextone for about 8 years and I love it.

That said, there is no sound like a warm tube. And Crate makes a pretty decent tube amp. But why not save up some extra money and get this:

http://www.amazon.com/Line-6-Spider-Valve-212/dp/B000VJTZSS/ref=sr_1_45?ie=UTF8&s=musical-instruments&qid=1228223498&sr=1-45

Best of both worlds, my friend. And the Celestions sound like God.

[old mark]

8. Just a couple of opinions:

The Harmony Reviews are about the best I have found for instruments and equipment.

A lot of people like the Line6 stuff, but I'd recommend the
imported Peavey tube amps that are sold everywhere. Try Guitar Center online for prices, etc.

Peavy amps are very underrated, great flexible sound, great output and build to last for decades.

Good luck - enjoy your music.

Mark

[SacredCow]

10. I've not played that specific one...

but a bandmate had one of the original Ax/Sys amps with the pedalboard that I used a fair bit.

But for the $300 range, I'd suggest checking out Fender's Pro Junior. Out of the box, it's only OK; however, there are numerous mods that can be performed fairly simply that really make it stand out. Even just swapping the speaker (or using an external cabinet) and the tubes makes a huge difference.

That said, I'm planning to purchase a Line 6 Pod X3 for a few bonehead gigs that I have where it would be much easier for me to plug directly into the facility's PA system (churches, etc). Their stuff is OK, but for lack of a better description, it's not "real." They don't respond nearly as well to your playing nuances (pick attack, etc...) and therefore sound a little sterile to me.

Best-case scenario- get the tube amp and save up for a Pod of some sort at a later date.

[Locrian]

16. Valve Jr

You really cant go wrong with these.

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/search.php?s=Valvejr


Do a search for reviews. And there are tons of mods and info out there. For the $$ its a great way to get into a real tube amp. And 5 watts is actually PLENTY loud.

[PVnRT]

17. That's the one I have

Great little amp with plenty of power of I love having the built-in effects on it. My one complaint is that it resets to defaults whenever you turn it on, so you have to twitch a dial to reset them to what you want.

[Ahpook]

19. I played a few of those Spiders at a local shop.

Just wanted to see what the buzz was about. Lots of goodies on them but...stale:)

Anyway, if you are looking at those amps for the built in effects I would recommend staying away. They are decent for starters but you will soon find them lacking as you gain an ear.

I would much rather have a nice tube amp and chain in a couple pedals of your choice. Pedals have a much more dynamic effect and can be closer dialed in for any application.

I played a Crate for a bit and it was a solid amp. Give it a go:)

[Mike 03]

20. I had a little cheapo amp for years and it was okay, but last year I got this monster

called a Vox Valvetronix (the AD50vt) that is incredible. It can do anything. It can sound like anything from Pink Floyd to the Smashing Pumpkins, or clean like Sheryl Crow or Natalie Merchant, or a complete gothic meltdown like Jesus and Mary Chain. It's remarkable. It's just very big and very heavy.

I am pretty sure it was less than three hundred.

[harmonicon]

21. I might not be the best person to ask....

since I mostly play very quiet music, along with un-mic'd acoustic instruments. I use a Roland Micro Cube. Yeah, it kind of sucks, but it can run on batteries, and has a few different sounds that are ok. If I start taking this guitar thing more seriously, I'll buy a nice little tube amp.

So... I wouldn't get the Line 6 - I don't really like modeling, even though I use it. I would love a tube amp. There are several nice small tube amps... Orange recently released one, and there are less good options from Fender and Epiphone, which I think are under $300. For more power, the fender blues junior is great and not too expensive.

I guess a lot of it has to do with what kind of sound you want. The really small tube amps can't do a nice clean tone, which is what I'm after, and why I use the little solid state thing. If you always want distortion, a 5 watt tube amp could be just what you need.

basically, line 6 = fake, tubes = real.