Customer Reviews

Line 6 Spider III 30-Watt Guitar Combo Amplifier

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Line 6 has released a wide variety of products over the years and of trying various items, this amp has so far become one of their most first-rate music accessories in my book (you can find my book at your local library...haha) with a extensive assortment of features and attractive sound output eminence, it certainly deserves a purchase from any guitar enthusiast who is in need of quality presentation.

The features are beautifully user responsive, with simplicity for any skill set guitarist which, comprised of various sound effect alternatives, as well as common and greater preset amp tones, is designed with the well-known guitar legends in mind. As listed in the product details and manufacturer's description, the presets are clean, crunch, metal and insane and can be altered and saved to your own unique profile settings.

*Clean is actually perfectly set, in my opinion, for the classic smooth sound. The only tweak I made to it was an increase in the bass tone which is just a personal preference in tone.
*Crunch - The slightly distorted, heavy bass setting is a decent alternative to clean and is a useful tool for more of a "Zeppelin" sound. I had to make a few tweaks to all tones settings to get my preferred sound, but overall it's great as is.
*Metal is self explanatory and is quite useful for new-age, 4 chord rock (grunge/alternative) and of course, metal. My favorite use for it is palm muted power chords and lead guitar/solos. My only tweak to this setting was to increase treble (oddly enough) to actually give it more of a "crunchiness" for string mutes and pinch harmonics.
*Insane to me is the same as the metal setting, just with a lot more distortion and I rarely use it, so I unfortunately cannot say much about it.

The other effects are for the more glam guitarist but included a few that I found useful, including Phaser, Chorus and Tape Echo.
*Phaser adds an interesting "sci-fi" sound effect added to notes and is really only very audible when used with a clean effect.
*Chorus production gives you that watery after ring (think "Come as you are" by Nirvana) that can be used lightly or tremendously, depending on your preference, with a simple adjustment of the knob and additionally, is best with clean notes, but is more audible with distortion than the phaser cousin.
*Tape Echo modification has been used on the first song I ever recorded and I was amazed with the adaptability and precision of this effect, leaving variation open to any amp effect of individual partiality. Furthermore, to alter the delay of the echo is exceptionally straightforward and amazingly accurate; with a simple push of the button and repeating the tapping the button again for ½, ¼, eighth, sixteenth note, etc. softened duplicate resonation.

The amp's only blemish I would consider is the MP3 jack used for recording the music in which Line 6 would've been better off utilizing a USB jack. The connection to the amp for this jack seems touchy, but perhaps that is just a flaw with my amp individually. This alone was definitely not enough to give it any less than a five-star rating.

To conclude, this amp is, as stated previously, a must for anyone who enjoys intuitive accessories for their guitar and is fine compliment to any band or musical endeavor.

Cheers to all,
Raoul Duke

I bought this model amp several months ago at a local Guitar Center. Mainly due to the fact my then current amp was a generic squawk box of absolute zero quality. I walked in, and began my search for a nice $200ish amp.

And boy, oh boy, let me tell you I made the right choice. I shopped around the store, trying out every single amplifier of similar price (my range was between $150 and $300) to make the best call of judgment that I could. I plugged in my Ibanez and played to my hearts content, mostly thrashy, deathy stuff. Being mostly a metalhead, the four individual channels (especially Metal and Insane) really appealed to me. The versatility they allow is outstanding. Believe me, you will find a tone you like with this machine. The only complaint is that you do get some effects that you most likely will never use (like Tremolo, or the Echo). And each effects knob controls three separate effects, so you cannot intermingle flange and phaser, for instance. Then again, I almost never use them, so it doesn't bother me in the least.

Now before I made a purchase with the salesman who looked like he needed to shower and wash the cigarette stains from his teeth, I played every single amplifier they had of similar price and specifications. I played two different Fender combos, a couple of Marshalls (which were the most expensive, mostly because you pay extra for the marshall name), a Raven combo, and a Crate. Now obviously, I shan't go in to fine detail relating to all of them, but rest assured all these manufactures make decent good models in their own right, and you would not be shorting yourself if you went with any of them, but for shear value, this Line 6 is an excellent choice.

I went with this amp because it suits my needs: I play Heavy Metal style music %90 of the time, and the "Metal" and "Insane" channels both sound very nice considering this is a solid-state modelling amp. I loved the tone, and it really gave me that warm feeling inside to play better and louder for the hell of it. Add a little (just a little) reverb and push the gain knob to around 8 and I'm a happy guy. the direct input is also a really great feature, my former bandmates used it often to record late at night when our bassists dad would head off to slumberland.

Now, it's obvious that better amps exist. But it would be unfair to rate this amplifier in comparison to, say, a Marshal JCM all-tube model half-stack. So one must consider the context this amp is for. I've used this amp for a couple small club shows, and many people are surprised such a small machine can be loud enough to work in a dingy little cafe or public center.

Unless you're playing in the Garden or touring with Heaven & Hell, this is a definite value for the rock guitarist.

Bottom Line: Need something versatile and affordable? Look no further

I've never had to turn this amp up to half volume, it's pretty loud for having a low wattage. While the amp is intended for rock and metal, the clean setting sounds great, too. I don't use the Crunch setting often, preferring instead to use my Zoom pedal for that sound.

One thing that might bother some people: occasionally if you turn on the amp, you will not hear anything. All you need to do is turn it off and on again. Also, sometimes when you turn on the amp, the settings are forgotten by the amp. If you twiddle with the knobs, then you can get back your settings. This isn't a big problem, but can be annoying.

The built-in effects are alright, but again, I prefer to use my pedals. The headphone output is useful if you're playing at night or recording. The MP3 in is alright, but naturally when you play music from your iPod in the amp, it will sound different (since the amp was built for the specific frequency range of guitar sounds). However if you use headphones and the MP3 simultaneously, there should be no problem. I have never used the FBV pedal input.

It's a simple amp, but it's loud, durable, and not too expensive. For most people this amp should be adequate if you have a store of effects pedals to use it with.

When I was shopping around for a combo amp I tried all the brands and this little guy was cheaper, sounded better, and was easier to use then the rest. It gets loud so neighbors beware.

my dad got this amp about a week or two ago or something, well he let me play my lp copy on it and it sounded and felt great. This is great for any type of music but it focuses on the rock sound. BUY THIS! GREAT AMP FOR UNDER 100 DOLLARS!

We had tried this amp in the store before buying it on Amazon. It works fabulously, our son loves it. He will be able to plug in his MP3 player and play along, plus he can use ear phones as well.

I've bought the Spider III last month, and i really love it, is a great amp for a great price, i play guitar on a metal band, i was'nt looking only for a metal amp, but also for one whish i could use to play other kind of songs, and i find all i was looking for on this amp, it's really versatile amp, i really recommend it.

I really recommend you to bouy the foot controler, the one which have the volume-wha pedal, i recently bought it and it is a grate add for a grate amp.

I bought this amplifier, and I hooked it up, thinking, "Is this amplifier going to be good? Or bad?" I read the instructions, I put it on clean and I was AMAZED at how good the sound was. I tried the other features and I was so happy with the desicion that I made to choose this amplifier. I'm the kind of person who enjoys to ROCK and this amplifier is so much fun. I would encourage EVERYONE who needs a new amplifier... BUY THIS ONE! 5 STARS!

I have been playing guitar for a while, and decided to get an electric guitar. I purchased a Les Paul, and this amp. This amp is pretty good. There is no hiss at all, which is really great. None of the nobs crackle, and the body feels strong. I don't like the built-in effects. If you are buying this for effects, don't. They sound thin and cheap, except for the echo. Also, you cannot get a real clean sound because a preset is always changing it a little. I f you want effects, it would be better to get actual pedals.
However, if you are on a budget, this would be a good amp. It has all the things you want in a first amp. If it is your first amp, then you should buy it.
PROS:
No hiss
solid construction
good price

CONS:
bad sounding effects
to many adjustments needed to make a clean sound.
If this is your first amp, buy it.

The EXTREME setting kicks mega butt. The effect knobs are cool. But the clean setting is kinda bad, its ok, just not that good. And if you set the setting to CLEAN, it auto sets the effect knobs on, gets annoying. If you low on money, and wanna play rock n' roll, heavy metal...or more, GET IT.