Spider III 150 Review

The Line 6 Spider III 150 guitar combo amplifier offers perfectly dialed-in sounds with 200 incredible artist presets created by over two dozen of today's hottest bands and guitarists, plus another 200 presets based on the greatest rock guitar songs of all time!

Features:	9.2
Sound:	9.2
Reliability:	9
Impression:	8.8
Overall rating:	9.1
Users rating:	8.4
Comments:	33

overall: 8.8

Featured review by: unregistered, on july 02, 2007

Purchased from: G.A.K

Features: The features on this amp are definetly up to at least a semi pro standard. This amp offers you 12 different amp models from the word go. You can the further manipulate these with the Drive control nob (less or more gain) as well as adding up to three simultaniouse effects, the tap button also lets you specify delay time as well as activating the built in tuner (very handy for when something starts to sound odd onstage)and noise gate. The cab also comes fitted with celestions. The endless patches are also great fun to toy with as you can manipulate them once loaded and most of them don't sound half band. I was a bit anoyed at the fact that a foot controler was not included but apart from that I can't really say it has any major flaws. Also the CD/mp3 jack is really handy if you want to play along to a bit of Stach for instance. // 9

Sound: Me myslef am a shreeder. So naturaly one of the first things I did when I got this home was to plug in my ESP/LTD loaded with some active EMG's I might add, Switch to insane and let rip. It is literaly mindbogeling how a sound that brutal dosn't smuge the notes. The other models are also equally as good in their own right epecialy the blues setting if you want to bash out some hendrix or Buddy Guy. Now I have played my fare share of vlave amps and solid states and I must say this is the best sounding solid state amp I have heard. It even in my opinion beats valve on some of the high gain settings. Also this amp is as quiet as a mouse when you'r not playing even with the noise gate off. // 9

Reliability & Durability: Havn't really had it long enough to give a fair judjment on it. Seems ok though. Havn't really noticed anything flimsy on it. // 8

Impression: This amp caters for all but if you like your music heavy then this amp will always diliver. If you need to have an amp that supplies for all styels quickely and effectifly and dosn't take a lifetime of tweaking to get a half deacent sound then don't hesitate to buy it or at least try it out if you come across it in a shop. If you do by it make shure you by a foot controler as well as one is not supplied. // 9

overall: 8

Reviewed by: stoneburner655, on september 29, 2008

Purchased from: Big City Music, Augusta GA

Features: I bought it new in 2007.Its a solid state, has built in phaser, flanger, reverb, noise gate etc. It covers a decent amount of tone that most novice guitar players would enjoy or those just looking to jam with in there free time. It has four "channels" that you can choose from that I still to this day haven't really messed with. The manual says there are different ways to get good tones out of the thing but I haven't figured quite how to yet. When I originally bought this I was in ecstacy but as of now I'm not that impressed with it. It gets the job done, but leaves something to be desired for those seeking to acheive the perfect tone; therefore, of you haven't gotten one yet, just wait for the spider IV. // 8

Sound: The amp comes with a variety of presets and such that can lead the user to almost become overwhelmed by the number of "different" tones that are supposedly offered. I play with a B\.C\. Rich Bronze Warlock used mainly for black metal and thrash metal types of music and the amp does a decent job for the playing I do, but I need more to get the sound I want out of it and after playing with the settings I only really use the For whom the bell tolls setting and the another brick in the wall settings to get and good tone out of it +/- chorus and reverb. If you are looking for a clean sound I would say get something to enhance the amp or soemthing because the clean is kind of buzzy in my ear (although that may be due to my guitar I suppose). The Overdrive is solid but doesnt't offer the growl I look for unless it's peaked. In my stlye of playing less is usually more, which means that my amp needs to give me more with less input and that's something I don't find in this amp. Also, the EQ is not very user friendly with the amp. It has pretty much none. // 7

Reliability & Durability: reliability eh? I would crawl inside of it if an atomic bomb was fixing to drop. This thing will probably last me my whole life since I try and take good care of it, and don't leave things on or around it that can corrode or spill on it. It has Celestion speakers that I beleive have gold wiring in them and the design is more than well planned out. I've had it for a year atleast now and the knobs all work fine, the tuner button might stick a little if overused I say but it's never given me any problems. // 10

Impression: Overall, I wish I had saved my money for a Krank or a 5150 or something like that but hey, what can you expect from a solid state. I've seen Eddie Van Halen using ine of these with his son so they couldnt be that bad, but for a more sinister tone, or a plain ol heavier tone stick with a Marshall or vader cabinet or something becasue this isnt going to make you a metal master by any stretch of the means, but again if you are just learning and get it for christmas or something and are just at home practicing then this is a great amp to have to explore the differnt ways to use effects and such. // 7

overall: 9

Reviewed by: BassGuitarGod, on july 04, 2008

Price paid: $ 550

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Features: It's a 2008 model. I play everything from jazz to black metal and this amp can handle it very well. This amp has nine banks, four channels per bank. It has channel switching via front panel or optional footswitch (several available). Sadly it has no effects loop for the few effects it doesn't have. It has a headphone jack located on the front panel in between the footswitch jack and power Switch. I wish the FBV express had a whammy model on it but that's about the only thing I would need that this doesnt't have. I don't like Floyd Rose, Kahler, or any other type of tremolo so I bought a whammy pedal now but can't really use it because it sounds like hell through the front of the amp. There aren't any features I don't use because I love effects. I use this amp for solo practice, band practice and gigs. it's a 150 watt beast, you shouldn't need much more than that power wise. // 9

Sound: I'm using a Schecter Damien 7 with EMGHZ 7A passive humbuckers and a Schecter C7 FR with Duncan Designed HB-105 Active humbuckers and a Liscenced Floyd Rose. It suits the styles of music I stated above very well. It isn't noisy at all because of a built in noise gate even though I run the gain booster on every channel. I can get every guitar tone from Ihsahn of Emperor all the wat to something like B.B. King or Eric Clapton. It's pretty much amazing. It's always distorted at some level because I have the gain booster running on every channel so yea, but without it no. The distortion kills you, kills you in the afterlife, and rapes your soul in the process. // 10

Reliability & Durability: I could definitely depend on this thing. It's built like a tank except for the casters, they fell off rather quick but that is very easy to fix and doesnt't effect the amp overall. I would and have use/d this amp only for a gig. It has never broken down because I take care of it and never neglect it though I have dropped it and cracked the tile it got dropped on so I'm not really worried about it. // 9

Impression: I play in a jazz trio, a deathcore band, and prog band and it handles all three very well, just still want my Whammy. I've been playing for two years with an eight hour a day practice regimen. I also own the guitars I stated earlier, as well as a Fender Tye-dye Stratocaster, and a Crate 65GLX 1x12 combo. I wished I would have asked if someone could mod it for an effects loop. If it were lost or stolen WWIII would begin in my search for it. I love everything about this with the exception of the lack of a whammy model or an effects loop. My favorite features are the gain booster and noise gate. I didn't really compare it because I knew it was amazing before I bought it. I wish it had the whammy model and/or effects loop. // 8

overall: 9.5

Reviewed by: mccneb_86, on february 05, 2008

Price paid: $ 630

Purchased from: Local music store

Features: It's made in 2007. It's a very versatile amp, I play a wide range of music hence the reason I bought this amp. I play a lot of metal, doom, death, melodic death, heavy, but then again I like to chill out and play blues, jazz. This amp has four channels, it has switching but I don't have a Line 6 pedal (a bit expensive). It has a headphone jack and a cd/mp3 player input so you can jam along with your favorite tunes. It has 7 effects, 12 amp models, a noise gate and a distortion boost. I use this amp at home, when I'm jammin with my friends. I haven't had a chance to try it out at a gig yet but I'm pretty sure it wouldn't let me down. Solid state amp, it has 150 watts of power which is more than I need but hey,. you never know. 36 programmable presets, with over 400 factory presets. // 10

Sound: I use an Ibanez SAS32FM with standard Ibanez pups. It suits me perfectly. I can change sounds quickly-no need to turn knobs when I want to play something different. Just push a button and rock on. This amp makes a big crack noise when I turn it on, other than that the only noise that comes through the amp is bone crushing metal. I never had the chance to crank it up. The highest I've ever gone is about half the master volume. It's really packin' power. I rate it a 9 because of the crack noise when I turn it on. It sometimes scares me. // 9

Reliability & Durability: As I said before I didn't have a chance to perform Live with this amp but it seems pretty reliable. As for durability solid, my girlfriend always puts her crap on it when I'm not around so yeah. It's pretty durable. I didn't have any mishaps so far. I hope it stays that way. // 9

Impression: I own a behringher 30W and Line 6 kicks it's ass so hard it's embarrassing. If it were stolen or lost I'd probably get the same but a 120 watt model. I'm so happy with this amp. I couldn't have found a better way to spend my money. It gives what I need. Nuf said. // 10

overall: 9.5

Reviewed by: Phil26, on may 14, 2007

Price paid: $ 513.5

Features: The Line 6 Spider III 150 guitar combo amplifier offers perfectly dialed-in sounds with 200 incredible artist presets created by over two dozen of today's hottest bands and guitarists, plus another 200 presets based on the greatest rock guitar songs of all time! // 10

Sound: This amp can unestly make any guitar sound amazing. Right now, I'm using a Ibanez Iceman, and a Squire Strat. I use my iceman for more rythem play. The squire is a pretty shit guitar, but unestly, this amp makes it sound good. I know it really doesn't compare to a real strat. but you can get so much tones out of this amp to suite the guitar your using. I play mostly hard rock/metal. I recently got into some COB, which sounds amazin one my new amp. Things like Metallica, Megadeth, Maiden can be pulled off easily out of this amp. Crazy riffs and intros like Cowboys From Hell can be easily played on this amp. It's pretty crazy how much things you can do with the effects. Chorus/flnager, tremolo, tap echo can all be adjusted so you get the sound that you like. // 10

Reliability & Durability: I haven't really had this amp for a long time. So I can't tell you weather or not this amp is reliable. But this amp really has great potential. I use to have a Marshall MG50DFX, and when you turned that amp louder and louder it just didn't sound the same. Now, I know mg's are the worst Marshall's ever created, but When you put this amp on half volume, you and your band will not get lost because you can here the exact sound coming from that amp. This amp can definetly over power the drummer, even if he tries to hit his drums like he wants to beat the shit out of someone. And it will Keep the exact sound you'll get when you are just playing in your room. // 9

Impression: Man, I love the metal. This amp can pull anyshit off, from blues, jazz and from classic rock, death. If you want a clean metal sound, just put it on the metal model and your set. If you want a deep, chunky, bassy Metal sound, just put your spider on insane and you won't be disappointed. If this amp was stolen I would definetly buy a new one. Even though it would take me a year to save up for, but you can't go wrong with this amp. My favourite feature about this amp, is all the different effects that you can pull off while playing. The only negative part about this amp is, it has 4 programable channels that you can set with their own sound. The problem is that you don't want to stop while your playing, to press a different channel, which is why you would need the Line 6 footswtich. It sounds easy, but when you see the price on the pedal you won't be to happy. It will probably run you about 350 Can. When I was testing this amp I really wasn't sure if it was reliable. But even if something happens to go wrong. You get warrenty, which will definetly come in handy. I don't really wish much more for the amp, I jus wish I had enough money to buy a M-400 ESP, so I can enjoy this amp even more! // 9

overall: 9.5

Reviewed by: unregistered, on june 27, 2008

Price paid: $ 500

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Features: 2008 Model Line 6 Spider III 150 watt Digital Stereo 2x12. This is amp is very versatile for every style of music I play, given I stick to black metal (i.e. Dimmu Borgir, Gorgoroth, etc.) and jazz. This amp has 9 banks with four channels each. It has four different footswitch options, but no effects loop, an extension jack for each of the speakers, and a front mounted headphone jack. It has just about everything with the exception of the effects loop. And as for me not using all the features, I use every effect, it just depends on what I'm playing. // 9

Sound: I'm running a Schecter Damien 7 with EMG-HZ 7A humbuckers and a Schecter C-7 FR with Duncan Designed HB-105 actice humbuckers. It suits my style well, though as stated before I have a pretty wide taste in music. It's never noisy due to the built-in noise gate. This amp can create many sounds through its 400 factory presets and 36 user-programmable presets. The clean channel has never been distorted at high volumes when I've played. The distortion is brutal enough to cover Gorgoroth and Dimmu Borgir so on a scale of 1-10, it ranks at about 50. // 10

Reliability & Durability: I can definitely depend on it Live and recording. I would definitely use it without a backup because it's a beast. The amp itself has not broken down but in about a week of buying it, one of the casters did come off but that's easy to fix. I personally don't think it will ever break down as long as you don't kick it in or something stupid like that. But I dropped it once and it cracked the tile I dropped it on so I'm a bit more worried about the environment I use it in thatn the amp itself. // 9

Impression: I play everything and this amp definitely fits that. I've been playing about 3 years now. I own everything listed in my profile. There is nothing I wish I had asked before buying it because the manual covers everything you could possibly need to know. If it we're stolen I'd commit genocide in order to get it back. I love everything about this amp and the best feature is definitely the distortion. I compared it to every digital amp I could find and test and this was the best choice hands down. // 10

Comments

[Landon54]

I wanna get this amp, but was wondering how loud it goes. I would need it for playing outside gigs, without a PA system or anything. I also heard that when hooked up to something external (like a PA) that no sound comes out of the amp, and only out of the externals. Is this true?

[jeordie1]

na man, normally if u play on a pa system u put mikes in front of ur amp that isnt turned up too loud and then the sound the mike picks up goes thru the pa system

[Phil26]

Yea jeordie 1 your right man
if u buy this amp ull love it 100% ive been usin it for 3 months and recently bought a Esp M400
the thing sounds like a God through that amp

[Viva-la-mark]

I really like this amp, and really want it. But does it keep the great sound when turned up pretty loud?

[.:Darkness:.]

It doesnt have a great sound to begin with sorry.

[vivalasteve]

It has sort of a tinny electronic sound...That's how I can describe it. If you want some real crunchy ripping sound, this isn't the amp for you.

[freaktabs]

sound is amazing coming from a spider, they are all amazing and if retards like this are giving you a hard time bexcause theyre a "marshall guy " or whatever and arent smart enough to figure out how to turn the knobs to get a better sound, no the sound isnt tiny or electronic its larger than life and is an amazing piece of equiptment

[E V H 5150]

I was thinking of getting a ValveKing, but if I can't get it, I've been thinking of getting the biggest Spider III that my money will allow...

[andysmuck]

I used to talk crap about Line 6 and digital amps untill i tried one I got the spider III 150 HD and the spider III 4*12 cabinet, sounds amazing! Can use it to play literally anything!

EVH 150, get the combo if you need to move the amp alot, if not, get the stack or halfstack

[HH_Emo_666]

Theres no reviews for the Spider III 120 W. So ill just say it here.

This amp is amazing, along with all of the effects they give you to use. I also bought the FBV Express foot pedal, and its fun to change between channels and also play with the wah.

With my 120W, I put the volume up to about 6 1/2 and all my neighbors were all wondering what the hell the noise was. Haha it was amazing.

[Sameagleye]

Anyone who thinks this amp sucks is a faggot. There's a lot of diversity and the artist presets are sweet. Being in a Slipknot tribute band, it's nice to have the Mick Thompson tones right at my fingertips.

[damm_punks]

bloody hell were on a spider reveiw and 90% think its good and this is UG everyone on here hates them. i have a spider 2 150watt and its ace

[brush200400]

this amp is super loud and sounds great. when i cranked it up half way with distortion it hurt my ears. that was in my house. The clean sound is perfect and the distortion is awesome. The presets are very handy because you can find the sound you want without having to dial it in yourself. In a gym of 1100 noisy teenagers this amp would be plenty loud.

.arkness:. wrote:

It doesnt have a great sound to begin with sorry.

i doubt youve ever played it. sounds excellent

[atkinson_91]

Hey, could someone pelase tell me, if this amp sounds tinny, or is it the spider 2...and which is better, the spider 2, or 3...AND, if the 400 presets were taken from the spider 3, would the two amps be the same ?

[atkinson_91]

Hey, could someone tell me if this amp sounds tinny, or is it the spider 2 ?
Which is better overall, spider 2, or 3 ?
and if the 400 presets were taken from the spider 3
would the two be the same

[getOuttaTown!]

I used to be one of those 'Marshall guys', but I overcame my prejudice after playing a Spider III 150 through my Marshall cab. I love the sound of it!!! Of course there are instances where a Marshall will sound better and more 'musical', but all things considered (tonal range, presets, effects), you get much more out of a Spider III than you do out of a Marshall (and I'm comparing this to my Marshall TSL). A Marshall is a master at one thing, and it does that one thing very well (or, three things if we're talking a TSL). The Spider III will not beat it at that one, or those three things. However, the Spider III will beat the hell out of the Marshall in every other 'thing' that the Spider III has in its arsenal, because Marshall can't do it. Well, that's one side of the argument for Line6. In addition, the sound quality of the Spider III is pretty amazing. I'm happy with it, and I'm a discerning musician...maybe even a tone freak at times. Which brings up a valid argument in the other direction: if you're a complete hard-core tone freak most of the time, you likely will not be 100% satisfied with anything but a Marshall, Soldano, Bogner, Hughes & Kettner, Matchless, Mesa Boogie, etc. However, if you're a discerning musician who considers tonal range, diversity of sounds (redundant?), features, effects, etc., then you may very well be pleasantly surpised and ever-happy with the Spider III 150.

[getOuttaTown!]

Oh, and to answer the last question, it does NOT sound tiny. It's a great amp. I've been playing for 23 years, through lots of amps, mainly using Les Pauls, and this is a cool amp. Get it!

[getOuttaTown!]

Well, at least check it out. See, now I'm talking to myself and risking the appearance of insanity, or at least possibly dis-crediting myself. For the love of God! Somebody, please log in! AAAHHHHH!!!!!

(throat clearing)... uh, Line6, yeah, it's cool.

[chad_houser]

can i hook up extension cab and still hear the amp speakers

[chad_houser]

i have this amp and love it but need more umph. if i hook up an extension cab of say 2 12inch speakers can you still use the amp speakers at the same time to get a full 4 12 inch speaker at once.can any one help?

[Gwynnell]

I am a marshall guy, i love the warmth and texture but for i thought this would help my playing more, it is amazing, yes the insane isn't quite what it seems but not many amps can go from 50's chuck berry to slipknot, if you want a good amp for around £300, get this it is amazing.

[nemethpista]

I'm thinking about getting this amp or the flextone III XL amp. Please could someone tell me , which amp is better for heavy/thrash metal?
Thanks.

[nemethpista]

I'm thinking about to get this amp or the Line 6 Flextone III XL. Please could someone tell me , that which amp is better for heavy/thrash metal?
Thanks a lot.

[nemethpista]

Sorry for the double posting

[CrabShrapnel]

atkinson_91 wrote:

Hey, could someone tell me if this amp sounds tinny, or is it the spider 2 ?
Which is better overall, spider 2, or 3 ?
and if the 400 presets were taken from the spider 3
would the two be the same

I know it has been like a month since you posted the question, but I'll answer it. They both have a certain amount of tinnyness to them depending on the channel. If the 400 presets were taken away from the spider 3, it owuld still be much better than the spider 2 since they cleaned up all of the channels and got rid of the annoying insane channel that the 2 had.

[Sublime Stylee]

I've played around with a spider III extensively, and let me tell you, the tone is quite crap. Regardless of setting the tone is consistantly hollow and flat, and sorely lacks any sort of kick. On the plus side the amp is capable of playing quite loudly. I would not advise anyone to buy this product, and if you do, I feel very sorry for you and wish you better luck in future decision making. All in all, this amp is purely for beginners.

[Tdevil333]

This amp sounds good and a at a great price for what it is. I've always like line6. But I always suggest not taking anyone's word for it and trying out yourself and deciding if you like it or not. And to CrapShrapnel you obviously don't know what you are talking about....it still has the nsane channel.

[coachspurlock]

I just bought the 120. My band has a regular gig each week, and I needed a good amp for live performances. We play a broad range of Christian music styles (from P&W to country to southern rock to hard rock). I was immediately impressed by how easy it was to figure out. I was also amazed at how easy it was to operate on stage with the FVB Express pedal board. When I set it up for rehearsals, I wanted to test its volume capabilities, so I had my bass player turn up his 450 watt Behringer to 10. I turned my 120 up to about 6 and it cut right through the bass noise. I was almost unbearably loud which was totally cool. I turn it up to about 4 and mic it when we play live. Works like a charm.

[bdof]

You know, I used to think this was a great amp. I had bought it back in Jan 2007 and a Marshall 1960 cab to boot. For $400 for the head, it really is a descent SS amp. So many different amp settings and FX's to boot. Problem was that there was no point to switch from one overdriven sound to another because they sounded nothing alike and sounded just plain wrong when playing. From clean to distortion was cool I guess.
So it seemed like a really cool amp to me and then I heard about the new tube Spider coming out, and I'll admit that that's a pretty cool amp for $800, but it shares the same faults as the SS version.
Sounded great....till I tried a true all tube amp. I made the mistake of trying a Soldano HR+ 100 out at a guitar center, which forever spoiled me
So I agree this is a decent amp for the price, but it also deserves all the flaming it gets from people. That's only if you have tried this amp and are not just hoping on the "hate Line 6" bandwagon.

[24fretsftw]

Okay this amp annoys me. I've had it for 8 months, I use an Ibanez RG350DX/behringer UM 300/FBV express. Problem is, everytime I get close to buying a new amp with a better sound, I discover a new setting on my 75W spider III which blows it out of the water, and I forget the whole thing again. It's just amazing for the £200 I paid, I'd reccommend it to any relatively new player (up to 3/4 years I'd imagine).

[D_Force 4 EVER]

at the risk of trying not to repeat what everyone has said about this amp already i have played on the amp with an ibanez s320 with stock pups and i have to say to me it sounded pretty dern good. this thing will NOT out do a marshall stack or anything like that by any means but this is a pretty dern good amp. but for all you who are trashing it, just because you hate doesnt mean the next guy will too, its all about taste and preference. i suggest that if you decide to buy an amp, try a few and buy what fits your playing style. this amp is pretty to me but that just my preference. try some out, find one that fits you, buy it.
=] keep rockin everyone!

[korn56]

can i drive a cab with this amp?

[roarinflames]

my buddy has this amp
i used to not like it
now i realize it has really amazing tone for a solid state