Thinking about a Line 6 Spider IV...

[Jenesis]

NZG: a community of guitarists helping other guitarists.

[hamo]

I luuurved the HT-5 through a 1x12, but recently when I played one through a 4x12 (using a better guitar too), I was less blown away. Still mad keen to try a Studio 20 though...

[tekhammer]

Fair enough. I didn't try a Studio 20 when I got my HT-5. Do RS wgtn have them in? I can't imagine why I didn't try one given that they're not too far different in price. Are the studio 20's full size? If they are, maybe that's why I skipped it.

[hamo]

Fair enough. I didn't try a Studio 20 when I got my HT-5. Do RS wgtn have them in? I can't imagine why I didn't try one given that they're not too far different in price. Are the studio 20's full size? If they are, maybe that's why I skipped it.

I missed the one they had in Welly before it sold, so I'm not sure. I want to try and get out to Lower Hutt where they have (or had) a combo.

[afiman86]

I used to gig with a spider 2 150watt head with a 4x12, i could get it to cut through, but i was never happy with the sound. So then i got a spider valve, but that didnt suit me either. The funny thing was that even though theres all the modelled amps for clean crunch etc, whenever i changed between say the metal one based on a mesa, and the clean channel based on a fender, the change would be really jarring to me, and i just ended up using one model and adjusting the gain to suit what i wanted.

The low gain channels never really sounded any good anyway.

ive got a student with a spider 4, and it sounds good at low bedroom volumes, but turn it up a lil and it quickly sounds nasty.

Id recommend finding what sound you want, based on the type of music you typically play. Its damn expensive to get an amp thats effective as a jack of all trades. For rock probably an orange tiny terror or dual terror, metal id say a mesa subway rocket if your lucky enough to find one on trademe otherwise the krank could be an option one just popped up on trademe too. For clean stuff theres a few, i recently recommended a mate get a crate valve something or rather and he's enjoying that for light crunch and clean stuff.

[tekhammer]

I missed the one they had in Welly before it sold, so I'm not sure. I want to try and get out to Lower Hutt where they have (or had) a combo.

Going by the photo on RS's website, it looks like it's the same form factor as the HT-5. So I must have been blind or they didn't have any in stock at the time.

[hamo]

I missed the one they had in Welly before it sold, so I'm not sure. I want to try and get out to Lower Hutt where they have (or had) a combo.

Going by the photo on RS's website, it looks like it's the same form factor as the HT-5. So I must have been blind or they didn't have any in stock at the time.

Likely there was no stock. I think they only had one, and it walked out the door pretty fast.

[tekhammer]

I used to gig with a spider 2 150watt head with a 4x12, i could get it to cut through, but i was never happy with the sound. So then i got a spider valve, but that didnt suit me either. The funny thing was that even though theres all the modelled amps for clean crunch etc, whenever i changed between say the metal one based on a mesa, and the clean channel based on a fender, the change would be really jarring to me, and i just ended up using one model and adjusting the gain to suit what i wanted.

The low gain channels never really sounded any good anyway.

ive got a student with a spider 4, and it sounds good at low bedroom volumes, but turn it up a lil and it quickly sounds nasty.

Id recommend finding what sound you want, based on the type of music you typically play. Its damn expensive to get an amp thats effective as a jack of all trades. For rock probably an orange tiny terror or dual terror, metal id say a mesa subway rocket if your lucky enough to find one on trademe otherwise the krank could be an option one just popped up on trademe too. For clean stuff theres a few, i recently recommended a mate get a crate valve something or rather and he's enjoying that for light crunch and clean stuff.

I had a play with a Tiny Terror, and I think it should have been named a Tinny Terror. I didn't like its sound. Maybe I hadn't played with the dials enough, but yeah, didn't like it as much. I'm more into metal, and a bit of rock, and I like high gain & high distortion, but I think the Orange amps appear to be design for nu-metal and metalcore, which I think is a bit craptastic.

I never tried a huge number of amps, mainly because they were out of my price range. The one exception was the Dual Rectifier which was waaay out of my price range, but way in my tone range.

My plan is to try out the HT-5 on a 4x12 cab thanks to Polar Bear's kind offer, and then next plan after that may just be to get a Krank Jr -- either a Rev or a Krankenstein -- given that Music Planet have some in stock now.

The Blackstar makes noises that make me warm inside with a Boss Metal Core pedal, but ideally I'd like something I'm happy with without external effects. Hence my looking toward a Spider III or IV.

The journey continues.

[tekhammer]

Likely there was no stock. I think they only had one, and it walked out the door pretty fast.

Damn thieves.

[rocklander]

The one exception was the Dual Rectifier which was waaay out of my price range, but way in my tone range. .

sounds like your answer is a roland jazz chorus and a dr. boogey

[RUDENBARK]

I can't remember which line6 amp it was, but the only guy to ever audition for us with one was instantly lost in a sea of meh when the rest of the band was playing. fine for bedroom, but didn't cut the mustard in terms of 'being noticed' in the live situ. not saying all are like that, just saying that when you're trying one out to bear in mind that what you hear in a shop with one guitar may not be what you end up hearing amongst other musos.
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not 'defined' enough.. it's usually the same with multi processed signals in a band situ.. the heavily digitally processed ones just turn a bit to mush when bass, other guitar and drums are there... I guess they can be less dynamic too.. dig in, and signal level says same-ish etc. imagine a band playing, and someone plays a recording of a guitar loudly at the same time... it'd just get 'lost'.

Sorta agree and disagree.
Have experienced that very problem on occassion, and sometimes it can be just what you've described, not enough definition or dynamics, etc. But imo that's where using the tools on hand properly plays a part. Inotherwords knowing the processor, tweaking tones, etc etc.
That's the downside compared to a decent amp, generally can't just plug-and-play from the box. But with a bit of time and tweakage (preparation I mean) there's no reason why digi's shouldn't be able to hold their own.

Typically though, the main problem I've encountered (in not standing out)is simply being over-powered, at times ridiculously so. By that I don't mean digi's "not having enough power" (which for sure was the case when I was first getting my gear together for instance, though not anymore), rather that other band components are either being cranked way to loud or just sound way too harsh ('other components' pretty much always being either gat or bass) ergo 'standing out' by drowning out the other components. Third party input in "drowned out" situations seems to confirm that problem.


But that's just from my experiences anyway. "YMMV" and all that, lol.

Id recommend finding what sound you want, based on the type of music you typically play. Its damn expensive to get an amp thats effective as a jack of all trades. For rock probably an orange tiny terror or dual terror, metal id say a mesa subway rocket if your lucky enough to find one on trademe otherwise the krank could be an option one just popped up on trademe too. For clean stuff theres a few, i recently recommended a mate get a crate valve something or rather and he's enjoying that for light crunch and clean stuff.

Problem I've always had with that though (and a reason I haven't bothered with a proper amp yet) is:
What do you get that will give you a decent amount of versatility?
For example, I don't really have a "type of music I typically play", dabble with a bit of everything (sound-wise).
That's why I still maintain that if you need a range of options and have the patience (and inclination, lol) to dial up decent tones, then a modeller is the way to go. Certainly damn cheaper than buying two or three amps to cover your bases!

[Bg]

why shouldn't a Line 6 be able to cut through in a live situation? I think it says far more about the person who is tweaking the thing than the amp... if you can't dial in a tone that will sound good in a band situation does it really matter what you're dialling? Valve, S/S or Digital, they all sound great by themselves, the skill is in getting them to sound good with a band and the fight for 'band'width... it shouldn't matter what you're tweaking the EQ on.

[afiman86]

Id recommend finding what sound you want, based on the type of music you typically play. Its damn expensive to get an amp thats effective as a jack of all trades. For rock probably an orange tiny terror or dual terror, metal id say a mesa subway rocket if your lucky enough to find one on trademe otherwise the krank could be an option one just popped up on trademe too. For clean stuff theres a few, i recently recommended a mate get a crate valve something or rather and he's enjoying that for light crunch and clean stuff.

Problem I've always had with that though (and a reason I haven't bothered with a proper amp yet) is:
What do you get that will give you a decent amount of versatility?
For example, I don't really have a "type of music I typically play", dabble with a bit of everything (sound-wise).
That's why I still maintain that if you need a range of options and have the patience (and inclination, lol) to dial up decent tones, then a modeller is the way to go. Certainly damn cheaper than buying two or three amps to cover your bases!

oh i dont disagree with the ideas of modellers entirely, but the spider is a poor modeller. better off with a vetta, or as i hear, axefx

[rocklander]

why shouldn't a Line 6 be able to cut through in a live situation? I think it says far more about the person who is tweaking the thing than the amp... if you can't dial in a tone that will sound good in a band situation does it really matter what you're dialling? Valve, S/S or Digital, they all sound great by themselves, the skill is in getting them to sound good with a band and the fight for 'band'width... it shouldn't matter what you're tweaking the EQ on.

yip.. which is what I meant by

Most n00bs turn the drive on to 10 gazillion and dial the effects to max ... giving you a fantastically processed sound. But then I do that on my UX1 as well.

I think that's totally what this cat did... we tended to call it "the bedroom sound".. just doesn't work well with others

[RUDENBARK]

oh i dont disagree with the ideas of modellers entirely, but the spider is a poor modeller. better off with a vetta, or as i hear, axefx

Oh TOTALLY!!
lol
Nah, right with ya there. Haven't heard/played a Vetta, but I hear they're pretty kick arse.
Only tutu'ed with the smaller Spiders, not the biggers. But those smaller ones are pretty shitty, and if they're anything to go by I wouldn't imagine the big brothers to be all that flash.