LowDown LD150 delivers five carefully crafted amp models that can take you from vintage punch to modern grind. You also get a critical set of effects that no bass player should be without.
LowDown LD150
Reviewed by:
ryenzio1, on august 18, 2007 4 of 5 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 399
Purchased from: Guitar Center
Features: Made in China, probably late 2006 or early 2007. Solid state amp with versatility good enough for any genre. It has 5 Amp models, a synthesizer, and 3 effects. The amp models are: Clean (bright and funky), R&B (deep and bluesy), Rock (modeled after an Ampeg head and 8X10 cab), Brit (modeled after a late '60s Marshall, with just enough overdrive), and Grind (heavy distortion). The Synth has resonance, envelope, attack, decay, cutoff, and waveform controls. The built-in effects are an Envelope filter, sub-octave, and bass chorus, which all can be dialed into varying levels of intensity. There is a 4-band EQ and gain control, as well as a built-in studio compressor. The amp has 4 channels which can be modified at any time at the push of a button. Pick your amp, EQ, gain, level of compression, and effect, then push the button and the amp saves it until you overwrite it. The amp is 150 watts and has a 12 inch speaker. It can stand up straight or be tilted back for use as a monitor. Other features include: Headphone jack, effects loop, MP3/CD input for jamming along, direct out to an extension cab, ground lift Switch, Passive/Active inputs, and a special Line 6 jack for use with a Line 6 pedalboard or Variax modeling bass. // 10
Sound: I use this amp with a Dean Playmate, and for such a cheapo bass, it sounds awesome with this amp. The lowend is totally awesome and rattles the windows. The gain can go from the slightest hint of overdrive to the heaviest possible distortion (although the distortion does suck out a bit of the lowend, just like a Big Muff or Tube Screamer would). The overdrive is great though, and responds to how hard you are playing, as does the envelope filter. The volume will go as high as you want and the clean channel stays clean. The only thing making unwanted noise is the pictures on the walls. It suits just about any style: Rock, Blues, R&B, Funk, Jazz, or Metal. // 9
Reliability & Durability: This amp is very sturdy and rugged. The cab is made of some nice hard wood, and covered with thick carpet. The speaker is protected by a metal grille, and the knobs are nice and heavy. It's just barely too big to carry with one hand, but one person can easily carryy it by themselves. It's never broken down on me, and I don't think I would need a backup for it. // 9
Impression: This amp is a good match for just about any style. I compared this to an SWR WorkingPro, a Fender Rumble, and a Fender Bassman, and they just didn't compare. This thing has an endless array of tones. If someone stole this baby I'd get it again, except maybe I'd go for the 300 watt model. Believe me though, this ones already loud enough for any small or medium gig. I've been playing for less than a year and in my opinion this is a way better second amp than the Fender Rumble 100 that everybody seems to have. This ones louder, sounds nicer, and has so many more features (ok, so it doesn't have the pretty red light, but oh well). The only thing I wish it had that it doesnt't is maybe a horn for the more trebly sound. I usually go with the earth shattering low end a la John Paul Jones, but occasionally I want the more modern feel. The larger models with the 15 inch speakers both have the horn, but apparently they couldnt find room for it in the 12 incher. // 9
LowDown LD150
Reviewed by:
HalfMoonBay98, on december 10, 2012 1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 125
Purchased from: A Friend
Features: I don't know what year, I bought it from my friend who's step-father found it in a dumpster with a bass. You can play just about any style on this amp. I usually play rock, metal, and funk, and the amp gives many options on effects and equalizers. I think it has one channel. There's a passive and active input depending on the type of bass you have. It doesn't have channel switching as far as I'm aware of, but I haven't explored it that much since my bass is a Squire. I wish I had the synth setting on there, but that setting and the octaver doesn't work at all. There are a few I don't use like the "filter" setting and the "drive". I use it for practice, jamming, and performing. The power is very universal and I think it's great. // 8
Sound: I use a Fender Squire Affinity P-Bass, it has the regular pickups on it. I mostly play hard rock and this amp works very well with it. Sometimes the bass will overwhelm the rest of the band so I have to turn that down a lot so nobody complains. But it's usually at my youth group that it bugs them. It has a chorus, filter, octaver(which is broken on mine), overdrive, synth (which is also broken), and different equalizer settings on the far left. It isn't distorted too much, but I usually never get to play loud. That distortion setting is such a monster. I love using it when I have the chance to. // 10
Reliability & Durability: I can depend on this amp for just about anything. The equalizer settings are: Clean, R&B, Rock, Brit, Grind, and Synth. I would totally use this anywhere I could. It has never broken down on me at all. Some of the paint on the front is scratched off because I had to fit it in the back of a small trunk and it got scratched off. The only things that don't work are a couple effects and stuff. I turn to this amp for everything I play. I haven't tried to see if a mic would work well through it though. // 9
Impression: I play hard rock and the amp delivers the sound I want perfectly. I've been playing for almost a year now. I also own an acoustic Ibanez bass, a Berhinger overdrive pedal, and a Memphis bass, currently under repairs. I think this amp is perfect just the way I bought it. I'm actually thinking of selling it for a smaller amp, this amp is amazing, but it's pretty big and heavy and hard to carry around. I just love how I can plug an electric guitar into it and make it sound good as well as a bass. I hate how big it is and how hard it is to transport everywhere. My favourite feature is the overdrive. I bought it because I really needed some equipment, and the price was great so I took it.
LowDown LD150
Reviewed by:
Bygde, on april 28, 2008 2 of 3 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: 4sound Skelleftea
Sound: I normally play 2 basses with this amp. The first one is an Eagle AB VI (6-string, active), and my homebuilt bass (4-string, passive J-style). Both basses sound amazing through it, and I play everything from metal to funk, and a lot of other styles, and the amp performs amazing. It's extremely versatile, and I like that my FBV Express pedal from my Spider III 30 guitar amp works with this amp, so channel switching is possible when playing. Also the distortion is awesome! I haven't had the time to tinker around with sounds (bought this like a week ago), but it gets very close to the sounds that Fear Factory uses, and maybe with a 5-string J-bass, it would sound identical. I've played this amp at fairly high volume, and it handles it extremely good! No distortion at all! A world apart from my old 16w amp. // 10
Reliability & Durability: Nothing has happened so far, but as I said, I've only been a proud owner for a week. I wouldn't even think of getting a backup at all, it seems really sturdy, and reliable. The "cab" feels well built, and there's a sturdy metal grill in front of the speaker, so it should be protected if something bad would happen to it. // 10
Impression: If this amp was stolen, I wouldn't buy a new one. I'd buy two, just in case it would happen again. Before deciding to buy this, I tried a Gallien-Krueger Backline 115, and a Hartke Kickback 15, and althought the Hartke sounded amazing, the Line 6 was a bit more versatile, and had some things the Hartke lacked. The only thing this lacks is a 1/4" out jack, for recording. I think it can be done through the headphone jack (my guitar amp has the same for recording and headphones), so it might not be a problem. It does have XLR out, so it isn't really a big deal if you have some form of mixing table (which I don't). A small problem on an awesome product though. // 10
LowDown LD150
Reviewed by:
Tabassco, on october 21, 2008 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: € 350
Purchased from: Key Music Belgium
Features: The Line 6 Low Down is a bass amp, that is ideal for starters and advanced players, Who need a sturdy amp with the necessary wattage to gig with, for a reasonable price. Me being a long time guitarist, I started out one year ago playing bass. At first, I was planning on buying a Randall amp, but the sales-guy in my music shop convinced me to buy this one. It is a versatile amp with five different sorts of sounds, and one synth-channel. You can choose between clean, R&B, Rock, Brit and GRIND, the amp's distortion channel. You can store up to four settings in the internal memory of the amp. It's a pity that there's not a foot Switch included to Switch between 'em. Other features include a Headphone jack, an mp3/audio-input and three effects: Filter (auto-wah), Octaver and chorus. (I don't use them alot, except for the chorus sometimes) The nicest feature is the internal tuner, to remain pitch-perfect all the time. The amp has 150 watts power, and it is definately enough to gig in in small venues etc. // 8
Sound: I play an Ibanez SRX 590, and I play all sorts of styles: metal, blues, funk, jazz, reggae. The Line 6 Lowdown is not noisy at all. Sometimes, I even forget it is on. The only setting it is a bit noisy is the grind distortion channel. The amp's versatility lacks a bit of colour, but I can get most tones out of it I want. // 7
Reliability & Durability: As I said before, this is a sturdy amplifier. It has been bumped against, rolled around etc. and it has never, ever let me down. I never gig with a backup amp, just for the simple reason I don't have one. I have done about 20 gigs with it, and never had any problems. // 10
Impression: This amp suits any genre or any kind of bass player, if you don't have the cash to cough up to buy a Laney or Hartke. I've been playing on it, approximately one hour a day, and it still does it's job well. If it were stolen, I'd probably buy an other amp, because I've got a little more spare money now. A lovely detail about it by the way, is it's furry finish. // 8
I started playing Bass a couple months ago, and have been saving up and shopping for my second amp. I compared this to the Bassman, and Rumble series, and after doing some research on Line 6's site, I went into Guitar Center and found the amp, and the same bass as mine. now i'm a huge heavy metal, punk, etc type of person (Fender Squier series) and holy shit, it was absolutely amazing on "Grind" with it extremely low. I am definitly buying this model.
the only down side of this is it makes evrything in my room rattle and vibrate... when it gets nice i'm gonna take it outside and unleash holy wars or peace sells... on all the neighbors!!!!!
i got the 300watt version, and i am very impressed, it has such nice tones on it that really impress me, would love to get a head version of this so i can get a nice stack going, very nice tone for a good price!
I played one of these in a shop today, and I'm going to buy one of these. I compared it to a GK Backline 115, and this one spanked the GK in all aspects! Especially the distortion. I'm a huge Fear Factory fan, and I hate all distortions I have tried so far, except this one! It sounds really close to the sound of Christian Olde Wolbers/Byron Stroud. I did some research and found out that it's based on a Sans Amp distortion. Don't know if it's the same as they use, but it sounds awesome!
I'm getting one of these bad boys pretty soon, read the reviews and stats of this, and the fender rumble and bassman. I know that this is no substitute to plugging in and listening to each one individually, but hey, i trust the judgment of the UG musicians..
Great amp, I buyed it with my fender, awesome sound, awesome effects, real funky sounds. I hate R&B, but the R&B style on the amp is funk, awesome for slapping.
I had the 175 for a year and a half. A lot of good features, and you can get an ok tone out of it. Definitely a solid practice amp. Loved the built in direct out. But for gigging you'd be better off saving up and buying something with better tone.
I've had my 175 for over a year. Great amp. I play alot of heavy music and I don't take it easy with it. Great for the slowest breakdown or your hard rock riffs. Also I bought the FBV express which helped alot.
This amp is class. I use the 68 Marshall Super Bass model for my Hofner CT 500/1 and the 74 Ampeg SVT for my J-Bass. The sound is amazing. And it's ****ing LOUD.
