modeling heads

[clint_41]

Ok, so another option for my never-ending quest for a louder, better sounding amp setup is a modeling head. more specifically, the flextone II heads. since they are outdated, they go for relatively cheap on ebay, and my local shop might have a few lying around. My thoughts were to maybe get this head and a nice 4x12 (or 2x12) cabinet, probably a marshall or a mesa. the reason for getting an outdated Flex II is that i would keep my POD 2.0 for recording, and have this head for jams and gigs, also its a lot cheaper. Do any of you have experience with modelling heads, especially this one? How would this sound compared to other options i have with my POD (these options are tube power amp + cab or Atomic). Any thoughts? what can you guys tell me about this? thanks for the help.

 

[elvhfan]

Re: modeling heads

Ok, so another option for my never-ending quest for a louder, better sounding amp setup is a modeling head. more specifically, the flextone II heads. since they are outdated, they go for relatively cheap on ebay, and my local shop might have a few lying around. My thoughts were to maybe get this head and a nice 4x12 (or 2x12) cabinet, probably a marshall or a mesa. the reason for getting an outdated Flex II is that i would keep my POD 2.0 for recording, and have this head for jams and gigs, also its a lot cheaper. Do any of you have experience with modelling heads, especially this one? How would this sound compared to other options i have with my POD (these options are tube power amp + cab or Atomic). Any thoughts? what can you guys tell me about this? thanks for the help.

i've been running line 6 modeling amps for years now...
i started with an ax2...then moved up to a flextone II (which was great) and now a vetta (which has all the bells and whistles)...the other guitar player in my band runs a flextone II based off of my old sound...these are GREAT amps...anyone that knocks them is either pissed off by their versatility or just doesn't know how to set it...

my band is a cover band so i have to cover alot of ground tonewise...there is no better amp for that than the flextoneII/vetta...

check out http://gammaraysband.proboards1.com for audio/video of the vetta/flextone live...

i highly recommend them...

the models have fooled all my marshall snob friends and even impressed the guitar player in one of the biggest cover bands on the east coast...darik and the funbags...

 

[clint_41]

Re: modeling heads

alright, im glad to hear this nice feedback. the only other concern i have about these modeling heads/amps is that i have heard bad things about how they hold out. ive heard about a few line6 amps blowing out, one of um was really new when it happened. so is that typical with these? any other comments?

 

[elvhfan]

Re: modeling heads

alright, im glad to hear this nice feedback. the only other concern i have about these modeling heads/amps is that i have heard bad things about how they hold out. ive heard about a few line6 amps blowing out, one of um was really new when it happened. so is that typical with these? any other comments?

never had any problems with any of my line 6 equipment

 

[FretFire]

Re: modeling heads

Also, Line 6 cabinets will do the amp MUCH more justice, as they have custom Celestions in them that are very transparent like a PA speaker. A Marshall or Mesa cab will color the sound quite a bit, whether that's good or bad is a preference thing on your part, but you might at least try a Line 6 cab out...

 

[FretFire]

Re: modeling heads

Oh yeah, and Line 6 rocks . I use a POD XT Pro as the preamp in my rack, and I love it.

 

[Skarekrough]

Re: modeling heads

alright, im glad to hear this nice feedback. the only other concern i have about these modeling heads/amps is that i have heard bad things about how they hold out. ive heard about a few line6 amps blowing out, one of um was really new when it happened. so is that typical with these? any other comments?

The Flextone I series had some serious QC issues awhile after they'd been on the market a bit. If you go on Harmony Central you can kind of track when they had problems and when they resolved them. Most issues with Line 6 amps I've heard of come directly from that era.

They're great amps. I've owned both a Flextone and a Spider and gigged both. I had alot of fun with them, half of which was just tweaking and creating new sounds.

The thing to keep in mind is that the tones aren't dead-on all the time, and Line 6 doesn't aim for them to be. When they created the models they got as accurate as they could and then they typically added aspects that they believed folks would want (like being able to get a cranked Fender Twin sound at lower volumes). They improved upon it in a sense and I think that throws alot of folks who are very used to the amp it's modeled after.

The Line 6 floorboard also has, hands down, the best Wah I've ever heard. They did a greta job with it and it's very much the unsung feature of the line.

 

[elvhfan]

Re: modeling heads

The Line 6 floorboard also has, hands down, the best Wah I've ever heard. They did a greta job with it and it's very much the unsung feature of the line.

i agree...the line 6 floorboard wah is the best ever...it's so friggin' quiet!

 

[clint_41]

Re: modeling heads

good good. thanks guys. does anyone else have anything for me?

 

[aleclee]

Re: modeling heads

alright, im glad to hear this nice feedback. the only other concern i have about these modeling heads/amps is that i have heard bad things about how they hold out. ive heard about a few line6 amps blowing out, one of um was really new when it happened. so is that typical with these? any other comments?

It'll be a long time before I trust a modeling amp the way I trust a tube amp. I once owned an AX2 212. The sounds were pretty impressive. Having all the FX built in was convenient as heck. The pedalboard, though overpriced, was quite useful.

Now for the bad news. When playing in my unfinished basement, the wah wouldn't work if the Cat 5 cable was touching the cement floor. I tried switching cables. No joy. I sent the amp back to Line 6. They found nothing abnormal. It never caused trouble anyplace else, even in other parts of my house. If I suspended the cable so it didn't touch the basement floor, it worked fine, too.

Anyway, despite the convenience and versatility of DMAs, I'm now rather paranoid about depending on an amp that is, in essence, a computer. I worry about power surges and static discharge (it's a beeyotch here in arid Colorado). I worry about gremlins like those that plagued my AX2. Yeah, I know that any piece of gear can fail but a DMA's problems are harder to diagnose and repair. If a stompbox fails, I can pull it out of of my signal chain and limp home. If a tube blows, I can generally replace the tubes and fuse and am ready to go. If something gets whacked out in a DMA, I know from experience that the repair won't be quick and, if the amp isn't under warranty, won't be cheap, either.

My $0.02, IMHO, FWIW, YMMV, etc.

 

[clint_41]

Re: modeling heads

thanks guys