Line 6 SpiderValve

stratobastard27 · Post by **stratobastard27** » Tuesday Sep 09, 2008

This looks like it's right up my alley! Anyone played around with one yet? Also, has anyone tried the Peavey competitor? The Vypyr, I think. The local Peavey guy told me there's a tube modeling amp out. Just wondering if anyone has tried either and what opinions?

I'd post links but I'm a dumbass.

metalchurch · Post by **metalchurch** » Tuesday Sep 09, 2008

My buddy Keith is in love with that Line6 Spidervalve in the worst way. It is perfect for what he wants and needs in an amp.
I personally have never tried it, or seen it in person, but it does appear to be a nicely built unit. The reviews that I've read have mostly all been positive in the areas of sound, and quality/craftsmanship, and durability, even though it is somewhat new to the market.

Music Emporium in Altoona are a Line6 dealer I believe, so maybe they can hook you up on a good deal if your interested in getting one.
I think I'm gonna ask them to order one in next time I stop by, that way there's one in stock for those interested to try out. I know a few other guys that like it, but the only draw back is being able to play it. So that may solve that problem, by them having one on the floor. And from all the good things I've heard, it will not last very long either.

Merge · Post by **Merge** » Tuesday Sep 09, 2008

A friend of mine had it, and it had a few problems. It developed some kind of glitch where the knob used to switch amp models stopped working. After that, the amp stopped working. I did play one back in Jan and it was a great, he could have just gotten a lemon.

stratobastard27 · Post by **stratobastard27** » Tuesday Sep 09, 2008

Was that Bubba?

metalchurch · Post by **metalchurch** » Tuesday Sep 09, 2008

Merge wrote:A friend of mine had it, and it had a few problems. It developed some kind of glitch where the knob used to switch amp models stopped working. After that, the amp stopped working. I did play one back in Jan and it was a great, he could have just gotten a lemon.

Wow! that would suck!
Was it fairly new when that happened?
Was it also covered under warranty?
Hopefully it was that's for sure, if so, did he replace it with another one or not?

Merge · Post by **Merge** » Tuesday Sep 09, 2008

Yeah, that was Bubba, stratobastard27. I'm not sure what he did with the amp, metalchurch. I think he sold it.

songsmith · Post by **songsmith** » Wednesday Sep 10, 2008

metalchurch wrote:My buddy Keith is in love with that Line6 Spidervalve in the worst way. It is perfect for what he wants and needs in an amp.
Music Emporium in Altoona are a Line6 dealer I believe, .

We've had a number of them... they keep selling out, and the demand must be fairly high... Line 6 orders sometimes take awhile. We did recently have a very lightly used one, it may still be there.
We sold out of the SpiderJam in a little over a week. Those are really cool practice tools... the Fender G-Dec has onboard songs you can play along with, but they're basically midi files. The SpiderJam has onboard loop-recordings of actual musicians... on some songs, you can hear someone counting in. The songs are actually pretty tasty things to groove to, and I quickly realized I could use the practice. I don't really make sales pitches here, this thing is just one of those fun toys for guitarists. It's a 75W Spider amp otherwise, and people gig with those, so I guess it's a little more. Very cool.
The stompbox modeler gets the Johnny stamp of approval, too. I think it sounds awesome, and it's super-easy to get cool sounds.
Line 6 is really putting out some good stuff. I think all the mergers of the super-giant music gear manufacturers have hurt a few of them, but Line 6 actually still put some effort into their price-point stuff. ---->JMS

VENTGtr · Post by **VENTGtr** » Wednesday Sep 10, 2008

Haven't tried one either, but would certainly like to. I was always so against
the modeling thing. Then got the little 30w Spider and was surprised with
how well it did. Sounded good, was REALLY convenient, lightweight, with
4 channels, the Wah on the controller is better than most bigger name stand
alones, including the CryBaby, which I use. It was also loud enough to use
live and cut through great.

Still selling it, but that's only to help cover the whim-o-the-week and there's
too much stuff sitting in the basement.

Have heard more good things about the SpiderValve than bad. Guess my
concern, as with most things technological, is this is the first run. Often it
seems to take a version or 2 to get bugs out.

Banned · Post by **Banned** » Wednesday Sep 10, 2008

They have a Spider Valve on the jam stage at Rainbow Music, and I'm impressed by how good it sounds in a band setting.

My only strike against it is that it has the over-simplified "effects for dummies" of the Spider series. The Peavey Vypyr seems to give you a lot more control in the effects department. If/when they bring out a Vetta Valve, I'm on that like a monkey on a cupcake.

Johnny, are you talking about the M13 stompbox modeler? That is one sweet looking bit of business.

VENTGtr · Post by **VENTGtr** » Wednesday Sep 10, 2008

L6, obviously, has some good built-in FX. I just never used them. Might
have put a hair of reverb on the Clean and Drive channel, but that's it.

Still used floor pedals for actual effects (With the exception of the Wah).
Probably would...no...definitely would, even with the SV.

Will certainly be interesting to see how it evolves.

songsmith · Post by **songsmith** » Wednesday Sep 10, 2008

Jimi Hatt wrote:
Johnny, are you talking about the M13 stompbox modeler? That is one sweet looking bit of business.

Yep, that's the one. Y'know, when I was playing with that thing last week, the thought crossed my mind that you'd like it. It has all the stuff you generally like, especially the modulation effects. The thing I liked most, besides the ease of operation, is that most of the sounds I came up with are actually useable... so many of the modeler/multi-FX have maybe 3 or 4 settings I'd ever actually use (and really, I'd use 2 of them regularly), but the M13 sounds are a bit more grown-up, not space-aliens-on-acid sounds that are super-difficult to fit into a real song.
Oddly, I'm not the biggest fan of the stand-alone Pods (I prefer the Boss modeling myself, like your GT-8), but the M13 puts great FX and overdrives into a package a bonehead like myself can operate without a manual.
Very little gets the Johnny stamp of approval. Beyond that, there's the Alvarez RD8C electric acoustic (cheap, tough, sounds & plays great), the Fender American Standard Ash Tele (schwing!!), the Hohner Countryman acoustic (best starter acoustic EVER), and the Schecter Omen 6 electric (inexpensive workhorse that begs for customization, excellent factory quality & setups). A few other minor ones, but I love those goodies, especially.------->JMS

VENTGtr · Post by **VENTGtr** » Wednesday Sep 10, 2008

Do have to say, Schecter makes some of the sharpest looking
gits nowadays. The Hellraiser 006, Stargazer & Stiletto are all
pretty cool.

Have only played a couple of Schecters (None of those above)
but they seem to be pretty well made, even at the lower end of
the price spectrum.

A former bass player has an REALLY nice Schecter bass...but
if I remember correctly, it's on the upper end of that spectrum.

Didn't mean to deviate...

orangekick · Post by **orangekick** » Wednesday Sep 10, 2008

I had a Schecter from back when they were all still hand made. That was a fantastic guitar. I only got rid of it because I just wasn't digging the tone of swamp ash anymore.

VENTGtr · Post by **VENTGtr** » Wednesday Sep 10, 2008

And there were amps to be bought?

orangekick · Post by **orangekick** » Wednesday Sep 10, 2008

This is true. I seem to have a couple of guitars that I dig and I have been more into amps than guitars. Don't even get me started in pedals.

I haven't tried the Spider Valve yet, but I have seen it at the Guitar Center's out this way. I'm really just not into all that extra stuff in my amp. I'd rather have stuff on the floor and a killer amp behind me.