A buddy and I were at Guitar Center today because he was amp shopping. They had an interesting Line 6 amp with 4 preset channels and some digital signal processing. He said he knew a bunch of people that had Line 6 amps fail on them. Anybody here have knowledge of Line 6 amp fails or why they might be prone to failure?
I’ve owned a 15-watt Line 6 for more than a year and a half now, with no problems. They are a good, inexpensive option for a practice amp–but it does take some time and tweaking to get those presets adjusted.
No experience but I read somewhere they are the top selling amps in the US now
We were checking out one with 5 or 6 amp models, each of which could be assigned as one of 4 preset channels. I really liked the sounds coming out of this amp. The metal model into the flanger sounded great. I confess the thing I didn’t like was that the effects each seem to be given a single adjustable paremeter.
No experience with the amps, but I’ve used a Line 6 Pod XT for around two years with no problems at all. It’s incredibly ‘tweakable’ along all of its parameters. I still prefer the sound of the real amp or pedal to its digital modeling cousin, but it’s very cool to show up to the gig with one large effects pedal that will do a passable job of everything.
Unfortunately, it is rare when you can give an entire brand of amp a thumbs up or thumbs down - it really depends on the model. And, if anything, Line 6’s have the reputation of being versatile and reliable for a digital amp - that may have changed as their production volumes have increased, as apparently happened to Toyota, but I have not heard.
When I am checking out a particular model, I will cruise the various websites, like The Gear Page (link to the Amp and Cab forum; there is also a Digital/Modeling forum). Do a search - TGP provides a tighter overall sense of the gear’s quality vs. Harmony Central - but you have to still filter through online hype and hearsay. I would also check out HC, but only really for macro impressions, i.e., if 6 out of 10 reviews are crap, your antenna should go up. Beyond that, I place no stock in HC reviews.
Research the specific model - and for that matter, if you don’t like certain features, cruise online for other digital modeling amps and see what features they have. Vox, Fender, Behringer, Peavey, Crate, Marshall - they all have digital models that should be listened to and checked out before judging. Peavey amps are known for being meh, but the Classic 30 is an excellent all-tube amp - very different from a Line 6, but illustrates my per-model point. There are a lotta amps at the local GC - make sure you’ve thought about your needs and wants and checked out the selection. I always check out their used stuff, too - some good deals. I got a Mesa Boogie 22 Calibre (IIRC) for $250. And make sure you know you want a digital amp vs. tube; they are great for, like, 80% of uses, but for some tones and approaches to playing, only tubes will do.
As a rule, digital amps are decently reliable - they’re basically a computer with a big speaker. Tube amps can also be quite rugged, due to the simplicity of the circuits.
My $.02
I don’t have much amp knowledge, but my brother’s had a nice Line 6 Spider for several years, and it’s still going strong, for whatever that’s worth. And I’ve been using a PodXT since I started playing and love it.
Peavey Vypyrs are better.
I bought a Line 6 Spider 3 2x12 combo last year and, while Impressed with the sound found the way the thing was set up to be too restrictive (I found the flanger/chorus being modified by the same, single knob to be particularly maddening).
I traded it in for a Line 6 Vetta (which can have its software upgraded to that of the Vetta II) which I’ve been MUCH happier with. A warning on the Vetta series, though: the controls can be a TAD intimidating until you get used to them (the thing’s basically a programmable computer), but, the flexibility they allow is one of the reasons I love the amp so much.
This. For an inexpensive modeling amp, I was absolutely blown away by the Vypyr 75. I was able to bring it home and try it out, and I was floored by how good it sounded. The power soak option works very well, and the various models react quite naturally to increases in volume/rolling off guitar volume/etc. Very reactive and easy to play.