SH-5 + Line 6 Spider 15 settings suggestions for metal?

Z

Zares

New member
Any1 that has Line 6 Spider III 15 and SH-5 pickup can post here some good settings for metal? I hate this amp, can't get satisfying tone, always there is something wrong with it.

I have these settings atm and they are pretty ok, but not perfect:
Channel: insane
When first dot is 1 and last dot is 11; 6 is 12 o'clock, there are my settings:
Drive: 7/11
Bass: 6/11
Mid: 3.5/11
Treble: 5/11
Chan vol: 7/11

I know settings should be individually adjusted, but I'd like to try your settings, maybe I'll enjoy more yours and maybe you enjoy more mine :)
 
Last edited:
Re: SH-5 + Line 6 Spider 15 settings suggestions for metal?

I don't know how much flexibility is in the newer Spider amps.

I have found in the PODs using the graphic eq can really open up the sound-- typically by rolling off the lows, and tweaking the ultra highs.
 
Re: SH-5 + Line 6 Spider 15 settings suggestions for metal?

What kind of metal sound are you going for, and what kinds of playing are you doing? I have a Spider IV 15, and I like it quite a bit as a small practice amp. I wouldn't call any of the sounds I get from it "perfect", but I would consider it "pretty darn serviceable".
 
Re: SH-5 + Line 6 Spider 15 settings suggestions for metal?

Prog metal like Dream Theater and maybe something heavier like Keith Merrow/Jeff Loomis
 
Re: SH-5 + Line 6 Spider 15 settings suggestions for metal?

The best setting on that amp is "Off" IMO.

Deal with the amp as long as you need to save up for a better amp. You can't do much with the amp if it just doesn't sound right. To me, the Spiders are amps that will amplify an electric guitar, but the amplified sound isn't good. There are much better modelers, both for more and less money than whatever version of the Spider Line 6 is on now. Even the PODs are better. My complaint with every Spider I've played and heard is that they sound way too thin and treble-dominant, and trying to add any girth to the sound creates the sound of mud.

Best advice I can give for what you have now is to turn up your mids, and use either the metal or crunch setting with whatever sounds best.

Some amps I recommend looking into:

- Marshall Valvestate (the MG series is as bad, if not worse, than the Spider)
- Jet City amps (they have a combo amp or head/cabinet, whatever you prefer)
- Blackstar HT series
- B52 AT100 (you'll need a speaker cabinet, but you can get stupid good deals if you are patient and wait/search enough)
- Peavey 6505+ combo
- Peavey Ulta 120 Plus (I've seen this head go as low as $200 - it is a GREAT amp)
- There's even more great amps out there that I can't think of at the moment. If you're interested, I'm sure others will chime in. Peavey is a brand to check as a whole.

Check your local craigslist and pawn shops. Don't skimp on the speaker cabinet, as it is extremely important on how good your amp sounds. If you really want a 4x12, go for it - but it'll be heavy. If you feel you don't need one, that's perfectly fine too, and there are plenty of great 2x12s and 1x12s out there. There are some well-built cabinets out there for cheap, but have crap speakers (like the B-52 AT412 - it has baltic birch plywood construction with decent craftmanship, but the speakers are pretty bad). Your choice. If all of this seems too expensive - don't stress. Just save up, and don't settle for something too lesser of quality. If you do, you'll just be in the same situation of wanting a new amp later on, but you'd have spent money which prolongs the process of getting an amp that satisfies you.
 
Last edited:
Re: SH-5 + Line 6 Spider 15 settings suggestions for metal?

Thx for long reply. The problem is, that here in Poland electronics are very expensive in relation to min monthly salary ($365,73 in theory, $267-$332 in reality).

If I would have to upgrade amp it has to be a valve amp. I love Mesa Boogie sound so much, but it's beyond my budget, a dream that never come true... ($3750, about 14 salaries without paying rent, electricity, etc)
So, you recommended Jet City amps, I listened them on YT and the JCA22H is pretty good and cheap (still it's more than one min. salary) valve amp. But it's head, so I'd have to buy speaker or combo like JCA2212, but I can't find any shop with this amp in stock.
It sounds bright so I think there would be good synergy with SH-5 (with low-mid accentuation) and bright JCA2212.

BlackStar HT5 is also good if not better than Jet City (I like more killer sound, more crunchy than grainy), but more expensive.

Next, I don't need 100W amp, because I play in a residental block, so I would disturb my neighborhoods so this 20W Jet City or BlackStar would be great, I read on YT comments that it sounds good even on low volumes.

Still, I would be grateful for some settings to my Spider, because buying a valve amp is far in the future :(
 
Re: SH-5 + Line 6 Spider 15 settings suggestions for metal?

I'm pretty sure there are free amp simulators for download that might actually fare better than the spider, assuming you have good computer speakers or headphones.
 
Last edited:
Re: SH-5 + Line 6 Spider 15 settings suggestions for metal?

Back when I was learning to play, my best friend had the 2x10 combo version of your amp. I got semi familiar with it since he left it at my place a lot, but this was over 5 years ago now.

If there's one thing I remember, it's that the Insane channel sucks. The best channel to use, even for metal stuff like Conquering Dystopia, is the Crunch channel. It's lower gain, but the eq responds more like a real amp on this channel, and would give you better note definition, and sensitivity. Try the eq and gain flat (all straight up) and tweak from there. Not sure if you're using pedals or the built - in effects, but I suggest turning them off since it never worked well with any except a wah.

The sooner you can get a new amp, the better. Good luck!
 
Re: SH-5 + Line 6 Spider 15 settings suggestions for metal?

Geez, myaccount, he didn't ask for advice on a new amp. He asked how to get a metal sound with HIS amp.

"I want to get a serviceable metal sound with a Spider."
"Easy. Buy a Bogner Uberschall."

:nono:

The Insane setting can be usable. Again, is there a graphic eq setting in the Spider? If so, it can do a lot to open up the sound.

Piggy? Zares?
 
Re: SH-5 + Line 6 Spider 15 settings suggestions for metal?

The line6 site shows these song settings. I would think at least one of them should get you close to what you want (e.g., Crazy Train).
 
Re: SH-5 + Line 6 Spider 15 settings suggestions for metal?

Hey, man. Welcome to the forum.

When I started out, my settings were similar to yours and I developed a bit of "ear fatigue" from scooping the mids.

Try lowering your drive, increasing clean volume, and dialing in more mids. It will be much more clear and crunchy. Then adjust from there.
 
Re: SH-5 + Line 6 Spider 15 settings suggestions for metal?

the first thing I would do is take it off of the insane setting.
 
Re: SH-5 + Line 6 Spider 15 settings suggestions for metal?

I still have a Spider Jam combo and when I play through it, I generally go for the 'green' rock setting and mess with the knobs from there. Keep in mind that the anger lives in midrange and to a point, too much gain turns you into bees in the mix.
 
Re: SH-5 + Line 6 Spider 15 settings suggestions for metal?

When I've had questions or issues with L6 products, I have found the forum on their website to be especially helpful. It is a fairly low traffic forum and might take a day or so to get an answer, but they're usually correct. Many times an L6 employee/technician responds.
 
Re: SH-5 + Line 6 Spider 15 settings suggestions for metal?

Just another comment echoing the suggestions above... Try the crunch channel with reduced gain and increased mids. Before our ear develops we hear the entire mix of a song and try to have that overall EQ profile fit our guitar sound. Those bass drum and bass lows, crashing cymbal highs, etc. fill out the mix and we want our solo guitar mix to sound like that too.

My two experiences with Line 6:

-Recording my band's second "album" (used loosely ;)) we were using a Line 6 Spider instead of the old Marshall Valvestate. We used the "recto" setting quite a bit. At the time, we thought it was heavy and awesome, but listening back now 12+ years later it seems comical. The songs we used lower gain and more realistic models sound so much more authentic.

-Recently I met a guy who is playing covers. He uses the Insane and Recto settings on straight rock songs and again, just doesn't sound right. For him a nice Deluxe Reverb or Blues Junior with a Tube Screamer and a Crunch Box or Bogner pedal would be an enormous step up.

That all being said.... Try listening to soloed guitar tracks on YouTube and tryto match the tone and feel with playing chops, not with increasing gain and scooping mids. Hope this helps. Plus, turning knobs is cheaper than a new amp and kind of fun to explore everything the amp can do. Read the manual too, it explains how all the controls interact.
 
Re: SH-5 + Line 6 Spider 15 settings suggestions for metal?

LesStrat said:
Geez, myaccount, he didn't ask for advice on a new amp. He asked how to get a metal sound with HIS amp.

"I want to get a serviceable metal sound with a Spider."
"Easy. Buy a Bogner Uberschall."

:nono:
Click to expand...

Too bad I never even mentioned Bogner or anything near the boutique tier of amps.

I used to use the amp for at least two years - I started with it - and I'm just giving my best, yet most honest, advice. I, albiet briefly, mentioned where I'd start to EQ the amp, but you can only do so much with the Spider. It'll get you by, but again, it is easier to get better sounds from other amps - some of which can be found for cheaper in the US and the UK. I didn't know the OP is from Poland, which wasn't stated until I had already posted. Now I understand his situation and how much harder it can be to acquire the gear. I'm only trying to help - just as much as anyone else here is.

Again, I suggest using a lower gain channel (like one of the crunch channels) with adjustments to the EQ, mainly by adding in more mids and decreasing the bass, which should decrease mud/add note definition.
 
Last edited:
Re: SH-5 + Line 6 Spider 15 settings suggestions for metal?

With my Spider IV, I use the Crunch channel a lot and even the Metal channel -- seldom turning the Drive up beyond 3 o'clock on the Metal. Max out the gain on the Crunch, though, and try every other setting on the Drive for that channel; you might find your favorite "clean" sound with just a little Crunch.

Watch the Treble; that's where the fatiguing fizzy edge comes from.

Keep the Bass rolled down to where it doesn't get flubby; don't forget you've got an 8" speaker and 15 watts that don't crap out gracefully. So you basically have a paper midrange driven by a power section that's going to be pretty linear until it breaks up (which is going to be ugly). No euphonic, tube-like colorations, so the character mainly comes from the preamp.

It's fun to noodle on the Insane once in a while, but I don't spend much time there. Again, fatigue.

I can't speak for the Spider III, but the Spider IV takes pedals really well. I use a Rat 2 or a Voodoo Labs Sparkle Drive, usually.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

S
Direct Mounting Hot Rails Neck in my Charvel DK24 SSH
Replies
4
Views
858
Mincer
Mincer
U
Need help with EQ
2
Replies
24
Views
1K
Utsu
U
G
24 guitars & Line 6 Helix/HX Stomp!
Replies
1
Views
425
Metalman_666
Metalman_666
R
Big Pickup Sell Off, Over 100 Duncan Dimarzio Mojo Barden etc.
2 3
Replies
54
Views
4K
RayBarbeeMusic
R
BleedingFingertips
Bridge PU with specs similar to Nazgul for mahogany guitar
Replies
10
Views
3K
BleedingFingertips
BleedingFingertips
Back
Top