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Just been offered a Line 6 M13. Any experiences with it?

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  • Just been offered a Line 6 M13. Any experiences with it?

    Hey guys,

    I've been itching quite badly for a good multiFX unit - something to get mostly reverb, delays with tap-tempo and vibe/swirly modulations.
    (Yeah, you can forget about my "Marshall in a box" thread, already fixed that with my current gear)

    I was offered a used Line 6 M13 in very good condition; the seller lives about 3 miles from my place so I'll test it through my own rig.
    The price is very good I think, and I've checked reviews and comments and it seems for what I want it's perfect.
    Apparently the drive, fuzz and compressor models aren't so good, but I'm mostly set in that aspect so no biggie.

    I don't think I'll use it through my loop. I'd prefer to set my amp for a boring clean tone, get the dirt from my regular pedals, and use the M13 as the last unit through the front.

    What's your experience with it? Only thing that terrifies me are the plastic knobs and the size of the damn thing.
    Last edited by Diego; 04-12-2017, 02:29 PM.
    Epiphone LP Standard PlusTop Pro
    Ibanez SZ320 / A8 DD103 bridge.
    Ibanez RG270 / Screamin' Demon bridge.

    Egnater Tweaker 15 Head / Laney Cub 8 / 2x12 - Celestion V30+K100
    Line 6 M13 and plenty of stompboxes I rarely use!

  • #2
    Re: Just been offered a Line 6 M13. Any experiences with it?

    I have one. Haven't gigged with it, but the plastic knobs are not an issue. They do have a metal bar in front of them so you can't accidentally stomp the knobs unless you're wearing golf cleats.

    The Distortions and Fuzzes are not bad IMO. The RAT, SuperOD, and MetalZone models compare favorably to the real thing. I was able to cop the Ride The Lightning tone through my JCM800 using the BigMuff model, and a Jackson KV2T with a Duncan Custom in the bridge, so that and Puppets should be just fine.

    The effects are indeed nice, and even has the Chorus used in the clean intro for Welcome Home (Sanitarium).

    It does have Tap Tempo for almost any time-based effect.

    If you can get it for the price of an M9, or not too much more, I say go for it, otherwise get the M9 and 2 Line6 Expression Pedals if that cost would be the same. As far as I can tell, the M9 does everything the M13 does, it's just the M13 has more buttons.

    You can do 4 effects at once, one on each channel, and each channel has 3 optional pedals. You can set any pedal/effect anywhere, and the effect types are color-coded, and the screens reflect that so it's easy to see on stage (unless you get flooded with a purple, blue, green, or yellow light that washes them out).

    You can only have one effect of each channel active at one time, and, as far as I can tell, you can't stack two effects into one slot (i.e. Chorus + Reverb).

    The spacing of the knobs might become an issue if you try to turn two effects on/off at once and they're on different channels and banks (like Chorus on Channel 1 Bank 3 and Delay on Channel 3 Bank 1), so you'll definitely have to set it up beforehand or keep the changes simple.

    An external expression pedal can be assigned to anything, but you can set it for multiple things at once, which can be both good and bad. Each individual effect in each channel and bank can have its own settings for the expression pedal, so you can set it for Wah sweep on Channel 1 Bank 1 and for Volume pedal on Channel 1 Bank 2. However, if you switch from the Wah to the Volume pedal and the expression pedal is all the way down, you won't have any volume.
    Again, that's something you'll have to plan ahead for, and why I suggested 2 expression pedals - one for volume, one for wah, just for that possibility.
    And of course, you wouldn't want the same pedal for Wah on Channel 1 Bank 1 and running your Volume on another Channel at the same time, either, unless you find you need a slow tremolo with wah effect.

    You can assign any Channel or group of Channels to the loop, and every Bank in those channels will go to the loop, which also takes some consideration. However, if you're running into the front of the amp, it shouldn't be an issue for you.

    From what I have done with it, which isn't a whole lot as compared to my rack units I've had for 20 years, it does have potential and power, but it may take a lot of working with it to make it do everything you want it to do, the way you want it to do it. It's definitely easier to set up individual pedals, but you won't have as much variety, though the flexibility would be about the same.
    Originally posted by Brown Note
    I'm soooooo jealous about the WR-1. It's the perfect guitar; fantastic to play, balances well even when seated and *great* reach for the upper frets. The sound is bright tight and very articulate. In summary it could only be more awesome if it had b00bs and was on fire!
    My Blog

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    • #3
      Re: Just been offered a Line 6 M13. Any experiences with it?

      I know a guy who swears by them as a solid multi effects without all the amp processing. Dave Knudson from Minus the Bear uses an M5 for songs that use certain effects like an EH Hog, v cause he doesn't want to bring 5 or 6 more single purpose pedals for those songs. The M13 uses the same engines as the POD's but don't have the amp sims. If you can get it for a song then definitely pick it up.
      Schecter ATX Blackjack C7 BKP Painkiller (B) and Abraxas (N)
      Hagstrom Hj800 Jazzbox stock pickups
      Fender Jazz Bass EMG MJ Set
      Music Man SUB Ray5 stock pickups
      Line 6 Helix
      Dunlop Strings and Picks

      The opinions expressed above are my own and do not reflect normal levels of sanity.

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      • #4
        Re: Just been offered a Line 6 M13. Any experiences with it?

        I like the M13. I currently use an M9. You will be able to find some good sounds on there- I was able to clone my Tube Screamer, and my DL4. The thing to watch for is switches that don't engage on every press. The switches are a terrible design that has a plunger hitting this tiny switch directly on the PC board. Many people replace these, or have someone do it. I replaced a few of mine already. But if those switches aren't failing, they will soon.
        Administrator of the SDUGF

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        • #5
          Re: Just been offered a Line 6 M13. Any experiences with it?

          I bought it!

          Been toying with it the last hour or so. Man, it's got a learning curve for sure.
          But this thing is a little world, waiting to be discovered. Holy crap it's an impressive piece of gear.
          Epiphone LP Standard PlusTop Pro
          Ibanez SZ320 / A8 DD103 bridge.
          Ibanez RG270 / Screamin' Demon bridge.

          Egnater Tweaker 15 Head / Laney Cub 8 / 2x12 - Celestion V30+K100
          Line 6 M13 and plenty of stompboxes I rarely use!

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Just been offered a Line 6 M13. Any experiences with it?

            First update:

            I'm being boring, just using two cables and not worrying about the FX loop usage and such.
            I can tell straight away most of the onboard OD models are slightly off, the fuzzes aren't quite right. However they're workable and I might get something cool out of them.
            I'd read the compressors were pretty bad, but I'm getting usable response out of a few of them (loving the Boost Comp, but I'm still testing...)
            I'm still preferring my Jet City OD pedal in front of the M13 for dirt.

            The rest of the FX are worth the admission price alone. The possibilities are damn near endless here.
            First time I've ever had a MultiFX unit, and I went for a sure winner I think.
            Epiphone LP Standard PlusTop Pro
            Ibanez SZ320 / A8 DD103 bridge.
            Ibanez RG270 / Screamin' Demon bridge.

            Egnater Tweaker 15 Head / Laney Cub 8 / 2x12 - Celestion V30+K100
            Line 6 M13 and plenty of stompboxes I rarely use!

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Just been offered a Line 6 M13. Any experiences with it?

              Yeah, I agree. But it is also more like a configurable pedalboard than menu-driven multieffects. Ergonomically, it is amazing. The manual is well-written, too, and really helps you understand the different models. Get an expression pedal, too (Line6's plastic one is way too expensive, so get the specs off that and buy a cheaper one).
              Administrator of the SDUGF

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              • #8
                Re: Just been offered a Line 6 M13. Any experiences with it?

                Originally posted by Mincer View Post
                Yeah, I agree. But it is also more like a configurable pedalboard than menu-driven multieffects. Ergonomically, it is amazing. The manual is well-written, too, and really helps you understand the different models. Get an expression pedal, too (Line6's plastic one is way too expensive, so get the specs off that and buy a cheaper one).
                I wouldn't go with a cheaper one, but getting one that works for Line 6 units, like the Mission Engineering pedal would be a good idea.
                Schecter ATX Blackjack C7 BKP Painkiller (B) and Abraxas (N)
                Hagstrom Hj800 Jazzbox stock pickups
                Fender Jazz Bass EMG MJ Set
                Music Man SUB Ray5 stock pickups
                Line 6 Helix
                Dunlop Strings and Picks

                The opinions expressed above are my own and do not reflect normal levels of sanity.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Just been offered a Line 6 M13. Any experiences with it?

                  Line6 has a vintage-pedal fetish, and that's all they model, especially the Fuzzes, so unless you've got the same model of Big Muff Pi they've been modeling for years, there's no comparison.

                  That said, I was able to get a useable Ride The Lightning rhythm tone using the M13's Big Muff model through a JCM800 and 2x12 with Carvin's 12" Celestion copies.

                  I've also got a RAT and MetalZone and BOSS SuperOD for direct comparison, and I found the M13's models to be "right there".

                  Line6's expression pedal is certainly pricey, but it's guaranteed to work. If the ABS plastic housing is a problem, put the guts into a metal housing like the Dunlop volume pedal or an old broke Dunlop Wah.
                  Originally posted by Brown Note
                  I'm soooooo jealous about the WR-1. It's the perfect guitar; fantastic to play, balances well even when seated and *great* reach for the upper frets. The sound is bright tight and very articulate. In summary it could only be more awesome if it had b00bs and was on fire!
                  My Blog

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Just been offered a Line 6 M13. Any experiences with it?

                    I use the Dunlop pedal or an Ernie Ball 25k volume pedal with mine. More expensive than the plastic Line6 one, but will last a lot longer. The Line6 one is just expensive for what you actually get.
                    Administrator of the SDUGF

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                    • #11
                      Re: Just been offered a Line 6 M13. Any experiences with it?

                      Reading the manual helps a lot with the M13, so if you don't have it, download it.
                      Administrator of the SDUGF

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                      • #12
                        Re: Just been offered a Line 6 M13. Any experiences with it?

                        The first test I give any piece of gear is how intuitive it is, especially when it claims to be.

                        The M13 is intuitive enough to set up, but I did have to refer to the manual to save presets, as each company has their own standard. With rack stuff, you press Store. With Line6 stuff, it depends on the pedal. For the AM-4 amp modeler pedal, you hold in the switch for a few seconds, but then again, that's a single-function pedal. The M13 uses a similar method, but different enough because of the extra features.

                        I will say that you do have to draw up some sort of plan for how a given patch of 4x3 pedals will work in reality, especially if you add the expression pedal.

                        I will also suggest setting up your levels for various non-volume pedals without the expression pedal connected, because whatever tweaks you make will be linked to the expression pedal's current position. Meaning that if you set the expression pedal to about halfway and then tweak your Chorus output level, when the expression pedal is full-on your Chorus output level will also go up.

                        Alternatively, you can set a given effect to reduce as the expression pedal increases.

                        Say you have the M13's Volume Pedal in a bank and have it linked with the EP, so that when the EP is all the way up/off, the Volume Pedal only goes down to 8. Kick it up to 10 for solos, then back to 8 for rhythm. Whatever.
                        You can set another effect to be more prominent/full-on when the EP is all the way up/off and less prominent when you're soloing on 10.
                        This will save you from the dropout of swapping effects.

                        You can also set up all the effects in a bank to react in different ways to the Expression pedal, with the exception of turning them completely On/Off, which is one feature I do wish it had.
                        Imagine being able to turn the Drive/OD and Reverb/Delay On while you turn the Compression and Chorus Off using only the Expression pedal and one foot in one motion.

                        I guess you could simulate that by setting up identical banks and switching between them, but you still get the dropout.
                        Originally posted by Brown Note
                        I'm soooooo jealous about the WR-1. It's the perfect guitar; fantastic to play, balances well even when seated and *great* reach for the upper frets. The sound is bright tight and very articulate. In summary it could only be more awesome if it had b00bs and was on fire!
                        My Blog

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Just been offered a Line 6 M13. Any experiences with it?

                          That made my head hurt, but it's good! I haven't bought an EP yet but I'm sure I will in the next months. Thanks!
                          Epiphone LP Standard PlusTop Pro
                          Ibanez SZ320 / A8 DD103 bridge.
                          Ibanez RG270 / Screamin' Demon bridge.

                          Egnater Tweaker 15 Head / Laney Cub 8 / 2x12 - Celestion V30+K100
                          Line 6 M13 and plenty of stompboxes I rarely use!

                          Comment

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