What is the deal with Line6 amps... some like them and some hate them... what gives?

[Rez]

I'm in a band that plays anything from jazz, funk, rock, disco etc... George Benson, AC/DC, Stevie Wonder, Nile Rodgers (Chic), and so on. I'm using an Epiphone Dot with the SH-1 59' blues set (neck & bridge). I'm playing out of a Peavey Deuce and also have a Marshall Valvestate 8080.

I'm looking for an all around amp that can "do it all". I've been looking at Line6 and have been reading various threads / comments regarding Line6. It seems that some people like them and a whole lot of folks despise them.

I've never really found a specific reason though why people don't like them. They mostly state that the Line6 models are junk. Does anyone have any insight to these amps?

I'm also not trying to spend crazy money.

Thanks in advance,

Steve

 

[shinyprize]

Re: What is the deal with Line6 amps... some like them and some hate them... what giv

I'm in a band that plays anything from jazz, funk, rock, disco etc... George Benson, AC/DC, Stevie Wonder, Nile Rodgers (Chic), and so on. I'm using an Epiphone Dot with the SH-1 59' blues set (neck & bridge). I'm playing out of a Peavey Deuce and also have a Marshall Valvestate 8080.

I'm looking for an all around amp that can "do it all". I've been looking at Line6 and have been reading various threads / comments regarding Line6. It seems that some people like them and a whole lot of folks despise them.

I've never really found a specific reason though why people don't like them. They mostly state that the Line6 models are junk. Does anyone have any insight to these amps?

I'm also not trying to spend crazy money.

Thanks in advance,

Steve

Line6 can do it all . . . poorly. Better to find a versatile tube amp that covers as much ground as possible and make up the difference with pedals. That's all Line6 amps are anyway- clean solid state amps with a bunch of digital pedals in front of them.

But then again if you are playing corporate gigs or small clubs no one is going to know the difference but you anyway . . .

 

[Rez]

Re: What is the deal with Line6 amps... some like them and some hate them... what giv

Line6 can do it all . . . poorly. Better to find a versatile tube amp that covers as much ground as possible and make up the difference with pedals. That's all Line6 amps are anyway- clean solid state amps with a bunch of digital pedals in front of them.

But then again if you are playing corporate gigs or small clubs no one is going to know the difference but you anyway . . .

We're mostly playing weddings, casinos, corporate gigs and small clubs like you mentioned. When you say they do it all poorly... what do you mean? Is it the tone? I'm assuming the Marshall / Fender modeling doesn't quite sound like a Marshall / Fender etc?

I'm looking at a used Line 6 Flextone Duo 100 watt. I've read that these are much better than the newer models. Any thoughts?

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: What is the deal with Line6 amps... some like them and some hate them... what giv

Like all digital modelling amplifiers and pre-amp devices, Line6 products convert the guitar signal into ones and zeros. Almost invariably, this saps some of the tone and dynamic range away. If you have never played through professional rig, you probably will not miss anything.

I am of the opinion that the Fender Mustang series of digital modelling products is better than any Line6 that I have ever tried. The recent Blackstar modellers are reputed to be better again.

My approach to amplification tends to be guitar > cable > cranked valve amp. Even though my amplifier has footswitchable channels, I just select the filthiest channel and regulate the degree of overdrive saturation from the guitar's volume control(s).

 

[richard parker]

Re: What is the deal with Line6 amps... some like them and some hate them... what giv

Line 6 isn't going to get you much closer than the gear you've got already. You'll spend endless hours setting it up at home to find it sounds totally different onstage and is really hard to adjust on the fly. Peavey Classic 30 and a couple of o/d pedals will do a better job. Honest.

 

[Edgecrusher]

Re: What is the deal with Line6 amps... some like them and some hate them... what giv

Ive heard modelers do cleans I liked and modelers do high gain i liked. But ive found none of them ever that did inbetween light gain sounds that didnt make me want to stab myself in the face with a pen.

I can do all the sounds your talking about with your VS 8080 just give me a Chandler tube driver and a tube screamer and i can mix and match that with the 2 channels and get anything I want from sparkly clean to light over drive to metal.

 

[DankStar]

Re: What is the deal with Line6 amps... some like them and some hate them... what giv

Vetta heads can be had for super cheap now. I'd consider if I was in a band. Lots of bang for the money.

 

[Reload in 5]

Re: What is the deal with Line6 amps... some like them and some hate them... what giv

Does the duece have a loop or preamp in? POD HD or any of the moddelers that do preamp only into the effects return on somethng like that is a thing of beauty.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

 

[mantis]

Re: What is the deal with Line6 amps... some like them and some hate them... what giv

Amp Modeling mostly sucks in sound quality vs the real thing. Line 6 IMO does it the worse. They don't sound like the original tome of what they are modeling.
I have tried many Line 6 products and returned all of them including stomp boxes and modelers.
Now The Bogner / Line 6 stuff I heard wasn't to to bad , probably the best sounding Line 6 anything I have heard. But I wouldn't buy one.
Vox Makes Valvtronix amps and they sound much better but have reliability issues. I also owned the 120 and it failed. In the time I owned it , I found many useful tones I could achieve with it.
Now for Modeling in a cover band I strongly suggest checking out the Boss GT100. One you learn how to use it , you can dial in some nice close to original tones , not a home run but for coverband stuff , I can see this really working out for you.

If your looking for a new amp anyway I suggest a Fender Twin Reverb and the Boss Gt 100 together. This would make for a very powerful Modeling setup. You can run the entire Gt100 out in front of the Twin and not have to use the 4 cable method. You could also check out a Rolland JC120 amp and get incredible versatility out of it with the GT100.

Currently I own the Boss GT 10 and find it to be close. I'm not really into close but It's much better then what I have heard from other modelers especially Line 6.
Further then the Modeling , the effect Boss makes are far superior to anything Line 6 makes , they all seem like modelers and don't have a real or analog type sound or attack to them. This is where the Gt series from Boss excel , I have no issues with the quality of the effects in the Boss , they are IMO the very best sounding effects company dollar for dollar.

There are many amps on the market that are very versatile and not modelers , the ID series from BlackStar would be something I would check out. They look very good but I can't speak of quality as I have not personally played one. I did hear the clips on you tube and thought it would really make for a worth while trip to the guitar store to check one out.

Last but not least , I see you already own a Marshall , Check out the JVM line , Versitility is it's middle name and you can dial in some awesome tones from them. I did play one and almost came home with a 1/2 stack. Killer blues , rock and metal tones , excellent blues and country tones yet has a very nice clean channel which is rare for most amps I have played.
Ok maybe not last but not least check out mesa Boogie Mark V , crazy nice sparkle clean but with a touch of dirt , nothing to serious but enough to not be Fender like clean. But all the drive tones you can get out of that amp ? Man is it nice. Funky metal thrash , 80's metal , rock classic , you name it I believe you can get it done . Down side is if you in a cover band and have to play wildly different stuff , there is no on the fly settings to retain that much so you would have to dial in on the fly which I would not want to do live. Home hell yeah.

 

[Reload in 5]

Re: What is the deal with Line6 amps... some like them and some hate them... what giv

If your looking for a new amp anyway I suggest a Fender Twin Reverb and the Boss Gt 100 together. This would make for a very powerful Modeling setup. You can run the entire Gt100 out in front of the Twin and not have to use the 4 cable method. You could also check out a Rolland JC120 amp and get incredible versatility out of it with the GT100.

Not to be a jerk, but he says he is not looking to spend crazy money and you suggest a $500 gt100 and a $1200 amp to go with it? After he says he was looking at a used flextone?

He has a peavey duece. It is somewhat like a twin. If it is a model with the loop he has all he needs in an amp.
Now if he adds a modeller that does preamp only (plus effects) he should be able to get many awesome sounds. Is it going to sound like a cranked marshall full stack? Sure it is. Exactly the same? No.

Take the money you have and find a modeller that suits you. Run it through the duece.

And if you cant get usable sounds out of the line 6 HD stuff you have issues.


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Not sent from a PC......or a red delicious.....but from a robot with a human appearance.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: What is the deal with Line6 amps... some like them and some hate them... what giv

So, an amp with 6L6 valves as the basic chimey clean sound, a couple o' nice overdrive pedals and a finger hooked around yo' guitar volume knob.

Dirty Little Secret mk3, perhaps?

 

[mantis]

Re: What is the deal with Line6 amps... some like them and some hate them... what giv

Not to be a jerk, but he says he is not looking to spend crazy money and you suggest a $500 gt100 and a $1200 amp to go with it? After he says he was looking at a used flextone?

He has a peavey duece. It is somewhat like a twin. If it is a model with the loop he has all he needs in an amp.
Now if he adds a modeller that does preamp only (plus effects) he should be able to get many awesome sounds. Is it going to sound like a cranked marshall full stack? Sure it is. Exactly the same? No.

Take the money you have and find a modeller that suits you. Run it through the duece.

And if you cant get usable sounds out of the line 6 HD stuff you have issues.


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Not sent from a PC......or a red delicious.....but from a robot with a human appearance.

Your not being a jerk , your version of crazy money and mine must be completely different. Buying a Bogner is crazy money , buying a Twin to me is very affordable. Buying a Boss GT 100 is very affordable for doing modeling IMO.

You can buy a used Twin and a used Gt 10 or GT 100 for a lot less then new so that might be the ticket for him. He also didn't say that crazy money meant.

 

[Reload in 5]

Re: What is the deal with Line6 amps... some like them and some hate them... what giv

Your not being a jerk , your version of crazy money and mine must be completely different. Buying a Bogner is crazy money , buying a Twin to me is very affordable. Buying a Boss GT 100 is very affordable for doing modeling IMO.

You can buy a used Twin and a used Gt 10 or GT 100 for a lot less then new so that might be the ticket for him. He also didn't say that crazy money meant.

Your right he didnt....i (wait for it) assumed what he meant by his next post mentioning a used flextone.
Your suggestions were not bad. Will the gt-10 do preamp only? He could run that to his existing amp as well if he likes it better than the line 6 stuff. Or he could do one of the vox ones if they do preamp only. If he runs any of them into his valve power amp and real speakers it will sound better anyway, i think we would both agree on that.

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Not sent from a PC......or a red delicious.....but from a robot with a human appearance.

 

[Agileguy_101]

Re: What is the deal with Line6 amps... some like them and some hate them... what giv

I don't like Spyders because they sound inferior to 90% of other amps.

 

[Johnny the Kid]

Re: What is the deal with Line6 amps... some like them and some hate them... what giv

I like my Line 6 POD HD. I don't know what people say that it doesn't sound like a real amp. I don;t think the average person knows exactly what a Mesa Triple Rect sounds like, so as long as you have a decent tone, people don't care.

 

[TheLivingDead]

Re: What is the deal with Line6 amps... some like them and some hate them... what giv

You be the judge. Go out and play one. Personally I really like my Spider IV 75. I have a distinct feeling that most people that talk crap about them have either never played one or are just being elitist asses.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: What is the deal with Line6 amps... some like them and some hate them... what giv

I can appreciate modelers for what they offer, and I have a Valvetronix AD60 blue grill head and table top unit, and can dig them.

The flipside is that I have a large number of great classic amps and dirt pedals. I'll only use modeling when I want ultra low volume and good tone. Above that, there's nothing in the world that can beat the sound of world class tube amps along with the best pedals available.

 

[AG2997]

Re: What is the deal with Line6 amps... some like them and some hate them... what giv

I've played Spyder IV 75 Watts regularly at my school for 2 years now. They are not good, especially the distortion on the amp and the EQ does little to nothing to help fix the distortion. However, I've also played a Spider Valve MkII, and that was much better. I've also played a DT25 with a Pod HD 500 and that setup was EASILY the most versatile setup I've ever used (I've owned only 2 electrics and 2 amplifiers, so keep in mind I'm not even half as experienced as others here).

If you want an amp that can do it all, I will recommend the DT25 + HD500. I realise that you don't want to spend too much, but if you are able to save up and by later, this setup is what I would recommend.

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: What is the deal with Line6 amps... some like them and some hate them... what giv

I've done cover-tune gigs with a Flextone III for almost 10 years. I read how bad they sounded and how unreliable they were at the time I bought it. When I was shopping, the Vox Valvetronix did a vintage Marshall better than anything in it's class, including newer combo Marshalls in the same class, but the Line6 was able to do a greater variety of amps that I needed with reasonable fidelity, so I took it. The amp itself has never failed me or needed repair. After 7 years the speaker started to give up, so I put in a Celestion 80 from an old Randall I had and it breathed new life into the Flextone.

I get good sounds out of mine because I set it up in a studio next to the actual amps it was imitating and did an A / B until I got my Flextone presets sounding like the good settings on the actual amps. The problem is the modeling has microphone emulation and compression (which you can turn off via MIDI) that contributes to making the sound less consistent from room to room (e.g. it flattens the dynamic of the amp models so that they don't cut through the same from room to room the way the real amps do. This is why most people say modelers don't sound like a good amp, they sound like a recording of a good amp). But because of that issue, I've found modified versions of my presets that survive different rooms pretty well now.

The Flextone III does a lot of different amps pretty well, but none of them great. However it's perfect for cover tune gigs where every other song is a different genre and you don't want to lug around several amps and/or a bunch of pedals. I just sling my guitar over my shoulder and wheel in the Flextone and I'm ready to play in less than 60 seconds.

 

[Drunken Bowling]

Re: What is the deal with Line6 amps... some like them and some hate them... what giv

Some people that bag on Line 6 don't realize that when you're tweaking your own sound in manual mode, you need to "zero out" all the knobs before you do so. Otherwise it doesn't sound right. That may account for some of the negative reviews you've read. That said, I've only used 1st and 2nd generation Line 6 stuff. It was okay, but mainly for a bedroom player in 2004. The Vox ad15 vt series I got after that had better tone and feel.