Now you can rule the stage with the Insane model with its truly massive gain or explore your sensitive side in the studio with the Clean model. It's all up to you.
Featured review by:
unregistered, on february 06, 2007 7 of 7 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 237
Purchased from: Long and Mcquade
Features: This is one of the recent amps designed by Line 6. It has 4 channels (clean, crunch, metal and insane) which is great and also features 6 effects (flange, phaser, tremolo, tape echo, sweep echo and reverb. It also features a headphone jack which I don't use because I like to have angry neighboors come to my door because of this powerful thing. // 9
Sound: I use an Ibanez RG370DX and I must say lf you love metal, this amp is great! The only channel that I seriously hate is the crunch channel. It has too much bass and even if you raise the treble knob to 10, it doesn't sound that great. This still has a great clean sound, and the insane channel just blasts amazing sounds. Even my guitar that i got from the starter kit by Robson doesn't suck. // 8
Reliability & Durability: I think that this amp could've been better in terms of reliability. Sometimes when I turn this amp on, none of the buttons work and my guitar won't work so I have to turn it off and turn it on again. I probably wouldn't take this to any gig. I think that this is more of a practise amp so I would leave it at home and use a Marshall instead. // 8
Impression: So far, I'm a metalhead and I think that this amp is great for death metal bands such as Slayer, Metallica, etc. I was comparing this amp to a Marshall MG50DFX and I chose this one because it's cheaper. If this amp was lost/stolen I would save the extra money to buy that Marshall amp. But for the price, it's great! The only dissapointments with this amp was the crunch channel and that small problem when the buttons don't work and the guitar's sounds can't be heard. // 9
Reviewed by:
*Spoonman*, on february 05, 2007 3 of 3 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 309.27
Purchased from: Sound control
Features: The 30 watt Spider III doesn't have the preset song settings and artist settings like the 75 watt and has less channel's: clean, crunch, metal and insane. There are 6 effects: chorus/flange, phaser, tremelo, sweep echo, tape echo and reverb. The head phonejack is also a line out so you can record from the amp to a computer. You can also connect your mp3 or CD player through the amp and play along to your favorate songs. I use this amp at home but I bet it would be able to handle small gigs easily. There is a noice gate that can be activated by holding down the tap delay time and turning the tape echo knob past the 12 oclock point. There is also a distortion boost when you hold the tap delay and turn the Drive past the 12 oclock point. // 8
Sound: The spider III is certainly a great practace amp. I am playing through a Epiphone Les Paul Studio with stock pickups. The insane setting is definately its best feature. It's well insane. Huge amounts of gain and distortion excellent for brutal styles of metal. For squeeling pinch harmonics use the reverb effect. The metal setting isnt much different from the insane other than less gain but more suited to the classic metal sound (Metallica, Megadeath ect). The crunch needs a bit of tweeking because it can sound muddy and bassy. this is the channel I was least impressed with. I tried it useing my single coil guitar and it sounded slightly better. The clean is very good and stays clean near enough to full volume but sounds better when played at lower levels. The effects sound fairly good but I wouldn't use them if your music involves the use of lots of effects because you can't really change the depth, speed ect. The tap delay button can be used to change the speed of the echo effects which are basically delay. It beats me why they would combine the flange and chourus, they should have been seperate. You can only hear the flange if you turn the knob to the top of the chrous/flange before it goes to phaser, other than that all you can hear is chorus. the noice gate is very good and at lower volumes it stops almost all hum and I sometime forget the amp is switched on it's so queit. However at higher volumes on the insane channel if you are within a few feet of the amp there is some load feedback and squeeling, but this is stoped by holding the guitar strings. This maybe the quality of my guitars pickups and the fact I have to play the amp in my small room. // 8
Reliability & Durability: This amp is very strong and there's No Doubt that it would with stand a lot of knocking around. Easy to carry with the handle and portable because it's not to heavy. I can't see this amp breaking anytime soon although maybe the speaker front should be protected by the metal grate things I've see ons ome other amps. // 10
Impression: Me and this amp have had a love hate relationship. At the shop I loved it, but when I got it home began to think that it wasn't versitile enough. I then took it back to the shop and ended up comeing back with it again lol because after tryin several others I decided for the price range it's the best I was going to get. For playing metal it's amazeing and the cleans are also great on it but anything inbetween is kinda hard to get. The crunch channel was a let down and I didn't see much point in the metal channel. If it was stolen I wouldn't get anouther one because I'm not entirely happy with it but for the price I would say it's an all round good amp. I was told on the ug forums to try the Roland Cube but I didn't like it at all and the spider is much better for playing metal which is my main style and jsut as good for cleans. I wish it had more effects options and a few more channels that could get a more blues rock sound. // 7
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on may 26, 2008 1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 219.5817
Purchased from: Andertons
Features: This is a 4 channel amp: Clean, Crunch, Metal and Insane. I initially found this amp not very versatile, to me it was clean or heavy distortion. However after owning it for quite a few months now I've found that this is actually a pretty versatile amp. I can get great crisp cleans or more grinding cleans with the Drive at 10. The crunch channel while harder to get a good sound out of isn't bad at all it's great for like classic rock rhythm guitar. I use this as a practice amp and I rarely have it past 1/4 full volume it is a very loud amp for it's class and I have no trouble being heard when playing all with friends. This amp lets you plug in headphones if you so choose as well as record straight to your computer if you have the appropriate adapters. I find the channel memory an excellent feature it saves all my favourite EQ settings. // 8
Sound: I use a cheap Washburn X-10 with an HSS stock pickup configuration. I find this amp great for whenever I play blues it can provide either a fresh clean tone or a nice silky warm tone even with my not so great guitar. I wouldn't describe this amp as noisy, not that I have noticed anyway. I'd say this amp is very capable for the price and has a very broad range of sound. The effects are probably the biggest disappointment as they cannot really be tweaked and they are quite weak, but I can't complain seeing as they are all built in. when compared with the Marshall MG series I found this amp far more versatile. If you love high gain distortion this amp is excellent, I have no need for a separate distortion pedal thanks to this amp! // 8
Reliability & Durability: I have no intention of gigging with this amp largely because I'm not good enough but having said that if it was a small venue then I'm sure this amp would hold up fine. So far this amp has given me no problems it's solidly built, I should mention it's not a closed back amp so the speaker is left vulnerable. I haven't had any issues with this amp but I'll mark it down to 7 purely because this amp is vulnerable to abuse if the owner is on the careless side, not the amps fault entirely but it is still vulnerable. // 7
Impression: I have only been playing about 8 months, some may say this puts this review at the bottom end of credibility however due to me still being an early guitar player I have experiment in a very broad range of musical styles from blues and country all the way to metal so I have put this amp to it's limits. If this amp was lost or stolen I would consider whether perhaps to get a higher output amp purely so that I could gig with it in the future. // 9
Reviewed by:
Stentroll, on august 18, 2007 1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 315
Purchased from: Local store
Features: This is the newest in the Spider series, it has 4 channels: Clean, Crunch, Metal and Insane. It also has 6 effects: tremolo, phaser, chorus/flanger, sweep echo, Tape echo and reverb, 2 of them can be used at the same time. It has bass, treble, mid, gain and 2 volume knobs. It also has extra things like gain boost and noise gate. You can use headphones with it, as well as your mp3 to play along with your favourite songs and a pedal for switching between the channels and effects. It is 30 watts so it is good for home practice and maybe loud enough for recording. It is very versatile with all of it's effects and it's easy to find your sound with it. It is solid state. I'll give you a warning though: When you turn it on or Switch channels it is always at the highest volume (which is very annoying) so mute the strings on your guitar and turn the Channel volume down a bit before playing. // 9
Sound: I use a very nice Jackson with Seymour Duncan pickups through it and it sounds pretty good. I play metal mostly, bands like Slayer, Pantera, Metallica and such and it fits it pretty well. The clean channel is nice, although I don't use it very much. I don't use the crunch channel at all or the metal channel. The metal channel lacks gain and feels a bit unnecessary, because you might as well use the insane channel. The insane channel has a lot of gain but gets a little muddy at high gain, so I usually keep it at the middle, where it sounds great. I've heard that the clean channel distorts at high volumes and has a lot of feedback, but that's nothing the noise gate can't fix. This is a great amp for the metal fan, but also fits other styles. // 8
Reliability & Durability: I'm not in a band and I have never played on stage, but this amp would probably do well on stage but maybe with a backup since in some cases it could shut down and stop working when you turn it on. That's pretty rare though, I think. It has never shut down for me or any other problem like that, so I think this is a pretty tough amp, but not reliable to 100%. // 7
Impression: I play metal that requires good gain and this amp has it, along with my Jackson. I've only been playing for a year soon, and I'm not in a band but this amp is very nice for home practice. I wish I had tried a few more amps, or ANY more, because I might have found something a little bit better but definitely not for this price. What I love about this amp is the crunchy gain of the insane channel, the channel I use the most. What I don't like is that it's at the highest volume possible when you Switch channels or turn it on, and this thing gets loud (almost had a heart attack once) and I don't like the metal or crunch channels so much either, but they're OK. I wish the insane channel wasn't so muddy at high gain and that the metal channel had a bit more gain, but it's nothing serious. If it was stolen I would definitely buy it again, because I'd have to search for a long time to find something this good at this low price. // 8
Reviewed by:
Draltos, on july 29, 2009 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 200
Purchased from: Steve's
Features: The Line 6 Spider III 30 has four channels: Clean, Crunch, Metal and Insane, as well as six effects: Tape Echo, Sweep Echo, Reverb, Chorus Flange, Phaser, and Tremolo. Each setting is good for getting a different, unique, sound. The Crunch setting is a bit harder than the others to coax a really good sound out of, but once you have it can be really good for classic/hard rock tunes. The Metal setting is good for, well, mostly metal, whether it be Metallica, Sabbath, or anything really. The Insane setting is, as promised, insane. It gives massive distortion great for anything really heavy sounding. Turn the distortion boost on (which can be done by holding the tap button while turning Drive past halfway) while in Insane mode and this amp is just plain scary. The only feature on this amp I don't really like is the preset tone/effects. When my Drive knob says 8 points of Drive I want 8 points of Drive dammit! Other than that everything is good... This amp is really powerful for just 30 watts. // 9
Sound: I use the Spider with a Godin Exit 22, and they seem to be pretty well suited for each other. I mostly play hard rock and some metal, and this amp is really well suited for that. The Spider gives a lot of sound in a fairly small package, and the distortion you can get out of it is just awesome. I don't find this amp to be noisy at all and it even has a built-in noise gate. // 9
Reliability & Durability: This amp's been used in multiple small gigs since I got it, and I haven't had any problems with it so far. I'd rather not use use it for a gig without a backup, but then again it's always good to have a backup amp. That said, nothings gone wrong with this amp since I've gotten it, and I doubt it would break down in the middle of a show. The Spider is made in China and there might be some problems with quality control, but I seem to have gotten a good one. // 9
Impression: This amp is a really good match for the style of music I play, and was a very good purchase in my eyes. This is definitely the best amp you can get for around $200, and if it was stolen I would buy another one for sure. The presets on this amp are annoying, but they can be fixed fairly easily, and, frankly, for a $200 dollar amp this thing can get some pretty kick-ass sounds. I've been playing for almost four years now, and own a Peavy Raptor, Godin Exit 22, and a Peavy amp that gets it's ass handed to it by the Spider. I recommend this amp whether your an experienced guitar player or just starting out, and looking for an amp with a fairly small price tag and a great sound. // 9
Reviewed by:
mr. awesome001, on october 23, 2009 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 150
Features: First off before you even read the review let me say if you have any additional questions about this amp just ask, I'm on UG quite often and I always have my amp right beside me so I can make sure I answer your question(s) right. Hopefully this review is helpful.
This amp has 4 channels (clean, crunch, metal and insane). 6 effects (chorus flange, phrase, trembolo, sweep echo, tape echo and reverb). You can plug in a CD player or an mp3 if you have the jack(plug-in) to do it. It also allows you to plug in headphones or a recorder if you feel like recording yourself playing. The final feature it has is a spot to plug in an FBV pedal, if you have one.
I use this amp when I practice in my room and even when I practice with the band. i find it has enough punch to keep up with the 50 watt amps and sometimes the 100 watt amp we have. // 9
Sound: Ok, when it come to this amp it is great for playing heavy metal with the metal and insane channels. It has great distortion for stuff from Metallica to Black Sabbath. I was very disappointed with the clean channel. It has an echo that you cannot get a rid of. I find myself putting it on the crunch channel and killing the distortion.
Like most amps your going to get that buzzing sound, on this amp it's very noticable on the clean and crunch channels basically whatever volume you have it on. On the metal and insane channels it doesn't pick up until you turn the volume up about half way. When your playing though the buzzing goes away. It seems to only have an buzzing noice when you plug in the guitar and don't touch anything.
My rating is based on the fact I play a lot of metal stuff and only a bit of clean stuff. If your into more of a clean sound then I would tell you I rated this section as an 5. // 9
Reliability & Durability: This amp seems very durable so far. It has points where it will not allow sound from your guitar, in that case just turn it off then back on (not a huge deal). When you turn it to different channels it set it to the default settings automatically, which means you have to turn every nob for (Drive, Bass, all the effects nobs, etc.) to get it to where you set it. All of this is not a big deal unless your not patient.
Great practice amp, it could be used in a gig, but keep in mind of how many watts it has. If you playing in a band where they have 100 watt amps, it probly will not keep up. // 8
Impression: After playing the guitar for almost 2 years, my style goes from heavy metal to stuff meant for the piano. I'm glad I bought this amp for the metal stuff I play. I probly would buy this amp again if it breaks or if it is stolen, its worth the money, but at the same time I might spend a little time to look for another amp.
I recommend this amp to any beginner and to any intermediate-advanced guitarist who is on a budget. I bought this amp for $150 but then I payed an extra $25 to a two year warrenty, so I actually payed $175 for this amp. // 9
Reviewed by:
natelforman, on june 12, 2009 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 200
Purchased from: Robb's Guitar Center
Features: The amp has a chorus flange knob and a reverb knob, as well as channel volume, master volume, bass, and treble knobs. It has four channel settings: clean, crunch, metal, and insane. I wish it has a blues setting like another Line 6 I saw in a store, Guitars, Etc. It has a headphone jack. The most annoying part of this amp is when you turn it on, you have to turn up the reverb knob up and back down or you'll have some reverb. I use the Line 6 during Jam sessions and recordings with my band, Bay of Pigs. // 6
Sound: I use it with hard rock and latin stylings. It doesn't coorespond perfectly with my sound, but it's a convinient travel amp. It can make a huge range of music stylings sound good, and it has a very spacey sound, like a fretless bass almost. I gets pretty loud if you want it to. The clean channel gets distorted on any volume because of the strange reverb effect, but it's not very noticible; it's minor. The distortion on the insane setting is...insane. // 7
Reliability & Durability: I can definately depend on this amp as a reliable travel amplifier, just have to be careful about having the reverb up. I would be completely comfortable using this as a backup, but I would prefer to use an amp that isn't supposed to be a travel amplifier. It's never broken down, and I keep it in a leaky barn without air conditioning. It works great as a travel amplifier, and I wouldn't mind using it Live at an outside venue or inside. // 9
Impression: I play hard rock, latin, jazz, and some Acoustic music. It is not the best match, but again, it is a reliable travel amp. I've been playing for 3 years and counting. I own a Fender amp, a pedal board with a Line 6 Green Monster and a digital tuner, and Monster cables. I wish I asked about the reverb effects. I love the spacey feel you can get, but it sucks if you don't want that the whole tune. // 7
Reviewed by:
The Funkshake, on september 06, 2008 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: £ 135
Purchased from: musicroom
Features: I like this amplifier, simple as. There are enough features with this amp for me. One knob controls flange/chorus, phaser and tremolo, the tremolo being particularly good for a song I'm writing. The other effects knob controls sweep echo, tape echo and reverb. Your normal Drive, bass, middle, treble, channel volume and master volume are here too. There is a 1/8 inch line in and a 1/4 inch line out (suitable for headphones and recording gear), with the option of adding a FBV foot controller into the mix. Clean, Crunch, Metal and Insane are the included channels and are easy to tweak to what you want. You can save a decent tone you get by holding down one of the channel buttons which is cool. // 8
Sound: I think the sound of this amp is great for the price. It suits what I play a lot (Muse, RATM etc.) as I can tweak different stuff off of the presets like the echo from the Clean preset or the reverb off of the Insane setting. The amount of distortion on the Insane setting will blow you away. However when not playing on the Insane and Metal settings there is some background noise although I think that is my single-coil pickups doing that. The amp doesn't lose tone with high notes and is perfectly fine. I normally practise just in my room but will be using it some time in October in a bigger room so I will see how it handles then. By the way, talk of it having a digital sound is a load of rubbish. It's fine. // 9
Reliability & Durability: I think I would be able to gig small venues pretty well with this amp. I doubt that I would need a backup unless I put my foot through it. It's never broken down on me so I am pleased with that. // 10
Impression: For The Music I play, this is a great amp. I've been playing for four years but only two years of lessons. Even so, I have a good idea of what a decent amp is like. This is a decent amp. I would replace it if it was stolen as it is fantastic. If you're in for a relaxed practice amp, then this one is for you. // 9
Reviewed by:
Krauser, on march 01, 2008 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 199.99
Purchased from: Guitar Center
Features: For my style of playing which is mainly rock, alternative rock, progressive metal, thrash, and metal in general, it suits my needs well. The Spider III 30 has 4 channels named clean, crunch, metal, and insane. It has built in effects which are a chorus flange, a phaser, tremolo, sweep echo, tape echo, and reverb as well as the standard Drive, bass, mid, treble, and volume knobs. I never really find myself using anything other than the reverb but it's good to have when I play things that benefit from it (I play a lot of Rage Against The Machine so having the effects is better than nothing at all). Since I don't really find myself using a lot of the effects, I really can't say it doesn't have anything I wish it did. For my needs, it suits me well. I like to mainly just sit in my room and write music and am in no need for that large of an amp. It's not a tube amp, and it's mono not stereo, but for my needs, it's almost perfect. // 9
Sound: Using this guitar with my HH configured Ibanez RG yields nice results and completely suits my playing style which is mainly rock, alternative rock, progressive metal, thrash, and metal in general. I must say though that I don't demand much from the amp when it comes to volume. The most I really ever demand from the amp is when I jam with friends and, trust me, for its size, it screams. I get over the sound of a drumset at 4-5 on the volume and 6-7 will get you around loud enough to play a small venue with the rest of your band. To tell you the truth, I've never had it louder than that because, frankly, it provides and is very loud for a simple 12 inch 30 watt "practice" speaker. With the feature of an added noise gate, there is absolutely no hum from my guitar or the amp and sometimes I think either my guitars volume is off or the amp is. It's really that quite. When it comes to the sound though, it is rather good and for the price I paid and the quality, it is excellent! Some will try and tell you that the clean channel isn't very good and sounds too mechanical and cold. They are entitled to their opinion, but I have discovered that when you really start to tinker with the controls, you can get a very warm sounding clean from this amp when using the neck pickup and with some added reverb. It will sound very warm and pleasent. The crunch channel is nice to. I found that it's the hardest to get sounding the way you want to, but when you do, you can nail those classic rock tones for Zeppelin, AC/DC, Yes, and most classic rock songs. Next is the metal channel and, to be honest, I like it the least. Everything about this channel is weird. It is very muddy first off and, for metal, you want a clean crunch so each note is ringed out while still being heavy so mud is that last thing you want. Next, there isn't enough gain, or atleast when you start to get it where you want it, it turns to fuzz and the distortion boost only makes matters worse. In my opinion, skip the metal channel all together and go right to my favorite channel. Insane, it's what it's name implies. But it isn't insane because of how Line 6 brags about it being "just shy of a meltdown" but because the tone for the insane channel is excellent. It offers the perfect amount of gain when the knob is at about 5 or 6 without the distortion boost and does everything the metal channel tries to only 5 times better. Trust me, with the noise gate on the and the boost off, this channel provides some serious chunk and the chugging palm mutes you want while still remaining clear as a crystal to let each note be heard. Just don't put it down at first because it isn'tt easy to obtain the tone you want as quickly as you might expect, but once you do, you will find that the insane channel is what you will use the most! Overall, the sound of the amp is excellent and, for the price you pay, the wattage, and the features, as well as some added bonus effects and goodies, I firmly beleive it is the best sounding amp of the bunch in it's range even if the tube amp purists claim that a solid-state is no where close to a good old tube. It may lack some of the natural and warm sound that is present in a tube amp, but it makes up for it in pure sound quality and more features and options than any amp in it's price range. // 9
Reliability & Durability: So far for the 4 months I have owned it, it hasn't let me down. It's not really anything special when it comes to materials. The usual plastic and wood design with a handle that seems as reliable as the rest of them. Nothing really stands out in it that would make me say it is more reliable or durable other than the custom 12 inch Celestion speaker which leads me to believe that it is more reliable than I think. Overall, I am confident in its reliability as I have yet to have a problem and don't see one occuring in the near future. // 8
Impression: I play mainly rock, alternative rock, punk, progressive metal, thrash, and metal in general so it it's an excellent match. I've been playing for about a year and own the standard fare of things one should own when playing guitar (picks, clothes, necessary cables, etc.) If this amp were stolen or lost, I think I would upgrade to a Line 6 Spider III 75. It's essentially the same thing but with 75 watts and 150+ artist presets. I love the sound for the price and size and I really don't hate anything about the amp with my favorite feature being the excellent metal and clean channels as well as the effects. When buying, I was mainly comparing it to the Roland Cube 30X and similarly priced Peavy. I liked the Spider III the best for my playing and music preferences and because of how things sounded on it. I just prefered the sound. The Roland Cube 30X was a close second I may say though. It is indeed an excellent amp and you should also check that out if you are in the market for an amp. But for me, the Line 6 Spider III 30 came out on top and I could not be any happier with it! I highly recommend it! // 9
Reviewed by:
Mistaa Man, on october 22, 2007 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 218.04
Purchased from: Music Stop
Features: I have a feeling, going by reading the instruction manual, that this amp was made in 2004. I am not 100% sure though. Definatley a versatile amp, especially with 4 distortion channels; names and descriptions: clean (pretty much self explanatory, sounds great with my Ibanez GSZ120), crunch (great sounding clean/distorted channel, if you EQ it right you can make it like a lightly, but crunchy distrorted sound), metal (perfect for all your favorite metal stuff, ranging from Metallica, to Van Halen, to anything really), insane (my favorite! Super heavy distortion only from Line 6, no pedals needed for this setting. Amazing for heavy metal, hard rock, anything that is heavy sounding. You'll need to hear it to believe it! I wish it had something like, you can put a blank CD in, and just record it right to the CD from your amp). I have to use a bunch of programs, and a webcam that doesn't have the best mic. I use it in my room, it is very powerful, if I took it outside to my garage and cranked it, then it would probably set a bomb off with it's power, for a 30 watt amp, this is one loud little bugger. It also has 6 effects, you can turn on two at once, chorus flange, phaser, tremolo, on one knob, and the other knob has sweep echo, tape echo, and reverb. Sadly, you can only have one effect from each knob on at the same time (that is what I meant by two at once). // 9
Sound: Ibanez GSZ120 with standard Ibanez humbuckers. Perfectly suited music style especially with that "Insane" setting. I play lots of (hard) rock, and (heavy) metal. I never experiends any noise really, only when I first turn it on and then it buzzes for a second but then I play and it stops, it only happens occasionally, I play it in my room, a ground level, probably 15 x 20 foot room. Clean channel does not seem to go distorted at a high volume, I don't want to crank it in my room cause I am risking breaking a window or something because of the volume. Absolutley brutal distortion! This distortion does not suck at all. I love it. It can kill you, that is how powerful it is! // 10
Reliability & Durability: A very, very dependable amp. I would for sure gig it with no other amps, Line 6 is a very awesome company anyways, so I know I can depend on them for my amps. The amp has never broken down for me, plus, I have only owned it since like last Wednesday, but I have used it a lot. But I think this might be a hard amp to break down. // 10
Impression: As earlier mentioned, I play a lot of (hard) rock and (heavy) metal, and this is a perfect match. As mentioned in my Ibanez GSZ120 review, 1 year and 10 months, Perviously owned a BC Rich Warlock (which sucked), a Peavey Milestone III bass (was great, but I sold it for the amp), an ION started guitar, and a Fender Gemini II 1987 acoustic guitar. I wish I had asked how to shut off the delay from the Clean channel, but that is not really a porbalem, I can just tap it to make the delay more like a slapback 100 ms delay, so it is no big deal. I would definatley buy this again, but maybe with a higher wattage, but that is it. I love everything about it, except for the fact that I don't know how to shut of the Clean channels delay. I love the distortion mostly, and the built in effects, it saves me some money (I don't have to go out and buy more stomp boxes). Compared to my Kustom 100 Watt, this is actually way louder. And it has distortion, I had to buy a pedal just to get some distortion with the Kustom, plus, that one is a bass amp, but guitar sounds pretty good with it too. I only wish it had a higher wattage like maybe the 175 model. But I don't care. I love the amp, it is amazing. I am happy with it and most importantly, it is very loud. // 10
Reviewed by:
Quinlan, on january 05, 2009 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 199.99
Purchased from: Alison's World of Music
Features: This is my first review so here goes. The Spider III 30 is a modelling/solid state practice amp with a Celestion speaker. It is probably either a 2007 or 2008 model, made in China. It has 4 channels which "model" other popular brands. As far as accuracy goes between tonal replication I can't really say. It has a Clean channel, a Crunch channel, which emulates a Marshall Plexi 100W, a Metal channel, which emulates a Mesa Dual Rectifier, and an Insane channel. It has 2 effects knobs the first being a chorus flanger/phaser/tremolo, the second being a sweep echo/tape echo/reverb. It also has a tap delay button to adjust the amount delay time for the echo effects. It has an 3 knob EQ board for bass, mid, and treble, along with a Drive knob (or gain) and a channel volume knob. It has a mp3 jack so you can jam along with your ipod or similar device, a headphones jack/recording jack, and a special plug in for Line 6's effects board. // 8
Sound: I play a LTD MH-400 with EMG active pickups (85/81) through it, and I think it sounds great. I've also messed around with my friend's Ibanez acoustic guitar and that sounded okay too. I find it suits my style well, but probably about as far as a practice amp. I got the amp, figuring I'd probably stick around the Insane and Metal Channels mostly, but I was mistaken. I play a lot of hard rock and metal, but I actually play a wider variety of music than I'm accustomed to listening to. I'm a huge RATM fan, and actually use the Crunch channel most often. I've read a few reviews where people hardly use the crunch channel, and I can barely imagine why unless they're too br00t@lz for it and can only stand to play with heavy amounts of distortion. The crunch channel offers me a channel that can hit some nice distorted tones all without losing the real sound under. This makes it good for most non-metal genres of rock, including classic rock. (with the treble turned up I can hit an AC/DC sounding tone.) I use it primarily as a practice amp in my room, so the volume is rarely past 9 o'clock (10 o'clock max). As the volume gets louder (anywhere past 12) the sound gets a bit distorted on all the channels. This is only really bothersome on the clean channel, and then again it isn't unbearable distorted either. I can get some really great cleans on the volumes I play at, all the way up to heavy metal distortion. It fits well enough, and doesn't seem to be lacking anything on any of the channels. The only complain with tone that I do have is that I think the EQ knobs could be more responsive. I keep a simple setup (Drive, Bass, Mid, and Treble all at 12) but turning any of them down or up, you don't notice much tonal change unless you max it out or turn it off. (which a friend told me is unhealthy for the amp) As far as sound it's good for my purposes. // 9
Reliability & Durability: It seems reliable enough. It was made in China and I've only owned it for 2 weeks, so I'm not sure if quality control is going to be an issue in the future or not. I guess I'll find out if the speaker falls out or any of the knobs mysteriously stop working. There is a minor issue involving one the clean channel. Whenever I turn the amp on and set it to the clean channel I somehow have effects turned on. The knobs will be set to off, and I'll still hear the chorus flanger and sweep echo in the back ground. It's not a deal breaker for me, as it's only on the clean channel and can be remedied by turning both effects knobs on and back off. It also don't remember it doin that all the time. I would certainly gig with a backup, as the reliablility of this amp is still in question. And even then I would stick it with small gigs when volume isn't an issue, since I think it sounds best with the master volume at or below 12 o'clock. // 8
Impression: Overall this is a nice amp especially at it's price. It was cheaper than the Vox AD30VT-XL and more versatile than the Ibanez TBX15R. I chose it over the Vox because it had a few deal breaking issues concerning modelling channels and effects options. (there was no off option for effects) It's a great practice amp, but I'm not if it's really gig-worthy. It sounds great and has great variety and it was definitely worth what it cost. If I did manage to lose it or it got stolen, I would either shank the thief or go in a corner and cry. I would probably replace it with something more gig-worthy. I will probably be upgrading to an all-tube combo eventually, like maybe a Peavey Valveking or something similar, but for now this will certainly suffice.
(I've been reading that some people mistake the reviwer's score for being what they rated it compared to everything else. Please note that my rating is compared to all solid-state amps in this amps size and price-range. It is certainly not comparable to a Mesa Dual Rectifier, or a JCM800 Stack) // 9
White Pony
: I'm thinking of getting one soon... POSTED: 03/04/2007 - 08:54 am / quote|
cyclefreak207
: I am looking at one of these from a pawn shop for 119.00, but i don't know for sure, but should i buy it for that price?? POSTED: 03/15/2007 - 12:03 am / quote|
tortex199
: this amp is awesome, only problem is the crappy crunch channel. POSTED: 03/19/2007 - 10:56 pm / quote|
Ben S
: i agree, the crunch channel is a little pointless, but i love this amp. POSTED: 03/22/2007 - 12:43 am / quote|
maiden owns
: i just ordered this amp yesturday because i played it at my buddies house and it was amazing POSTED: 03/25/2007 - 04:52 pm / quote|
atkm2891
: is there any difference between Spider II and III, cause i have Spider II, and its exactly the same as this one
You're kidding me, right? RIGHT???
Anyways this is a really nice amp for the price, the insane channel is immense, but the only thing I absolutely hate about it is that when you change channel the volume is on max. I don't know how many times it has happened to me that I by mistake have pressed the insane channel button and nearly destroyed my eardrums POSTED: 05/18/2007 - 06:32 am / quote|
TIRxNOVA74
: im not sure if i should get this, or a 65 watt crate for the same price. decsions..... POSTED: 05/28/2007 - 01:21 pm / quote|
ROCKAHOBO
: this or the HD75 Head ? POSTED: 07/06/2007 - 03:03 pm / quote|
S.D.M.F.
: im gettin one soon and regardless of this review im confident ill be happy. POSTED: 07/08/2007 - 06:58 am / quote|
this amp is awesome, only problem is the crappy crunch channel.
Ben S wrote:
i agree, the crunch channel is a little pointless, but i love this amp.
yo guys, crunch is great for rock! indie rock mostly... and i play it all the time... great amp... my recommendations! POSTED: 08/25/2007 - 08:04 am / quote|
stradivari310
: I love this amp.. it makes my $150 ibanez g10 sound better than my friend's strat. POSTED: 08/28/2007 - 10:38 am / quote|
the-kid66
: I must agree this is a really good amp for the price. But there are just bettor amps out there that make this one obsolete. Im not ganna say AC30, or a JCM800, or a Fender Hot Rod, im saying an amp within this same price range. The Roland Cube or a Valvetronix would easilly beat this amp, because of one simple reason, they just SIMPLY FUCKING SOUND BETTOR. The Roland Cube cost the same if not cheaper and it beats the sht out of this amp. Like I said its good but why the **** buy this amp when you you could buy an even bettor amp for the same price, that has numbers of amp models on it and effects just like the line 6 but bettor sound and tone. In my opinion any one who buys a line 6 or a marshall mg or a crate within the same price range is a dumbass.
I love this amp.. it makes my $150 ibanez g10 sound better than my friend's strat.
oh ya and this guy by the way either you have a problem where your mind interprets good sound like crap and crap sound like good sound, or your friend really sucks, or he just plays a complete sht amp like a crate. POSTED: 08/29/2007 - 05:43 pm / quote|
I must agree this is a really good amp for the price. But there are just bettor amps out there that make this one obsolete. Im not ganna say AC30, or a JCM800, or a Fender Hot Rod, im saying an amp within this same price range. The Roland Cube or a Valvetronix would easilly beat this amp, because of one simple reason, they just SIMPLY FUCKING SOUND BETTOR. The Roland Cube cost the same if not cheaper and it beats the sht out of this amp. Like I said its good but why the **** buy this amp when you you could buy an even bettor amp for the same price, that has numbers of amp models on it and effects just like the line 6 but bettor sound and tone. In my opinion any one who buys a line 6 or a marshall mg or a crate within the same price range is a dumbass.
I love this amp.. it makes my $150 ibanez g10 sound better than my friend's strat.
oh ya and this guy by the way either you have a problem where your mind interprets good sound like crap and crap sound like good sound, or your friend really sucks, or he just plays a complete sht amp like a crate.
Holy shit...graduate the third grade before posting a comment anywhere. It's spelled BETTER. And a better sound, is matter of preference. POSTED: 10/15/2007 - 03:23 pm / quote|
ROCKAHOBO
: why does every 1 think this amp is crap? iv seen a sig saying Line 6 Spider iii's will give u aids :P is not that bad, i never tried a roland cube because it wasnt in stock in the shop i was buying from so i got the spider instead and it beats my crap Yamaha Ga-10 which came with my guitar :O POSTED: 10/20/2007 - 10:15 am / quote|
paccko137
: this amp is probably the best you can buy on a tight budget, its great POSTED: 10/29/2007 - 03:21 pm / quote|
SilentGhost
: The clean sound on this is just horrible. The Insane and Metal tones are pretty good though, much better than whatever you can try to pull out from a Vox or a Cube. I don't use clean much (or at all unless its for Opeth) but when I do, I just use the neck pick-up on my guitar and lower the drive on clean. If you do that, you get a half decent clean sound for the price. POSTED: 11/03/2007 - 10:53 pm / quote|
Bygde
: This amp rocks! Especially the insane and crunch settings. I know that many of you guys hate the crunch, but at high levels of distortion it handles rock pretty good I think. To me, the metal channel suck. I don't know if it's just my amp that does this, but it has very little sustain. All the other channels have about the same sustain, but the tones when playing the metal channel dies after just a few seconds. I've tried with reverb, but it was hardly any better, it was just annoying. POSTED: 12/11/2007 - 12:43 pm / quote|
Bygde
: Actually, the problem I mentioned above was solved with a simple invention called the humbucker now I can use the metal channel as well POSTED: 12/16/2007 - 04:49 pm / quote|
LesPauldude667
: lol awesome amp, have this exact model and wattage = SUPERSICK POSTED: 01/28/2008 - 12:16 am / quote|
seriouslycrazy
: This Amp sounds great but after it went dead on me a few times, I took it back and picked up a Fender FM65 DSP. More bang for your buck! POSTED: 02/18/2008 - 10:36 pm / quote|
rancidryan
: i have this i done a reveiw but its not up yhet its kicks ass POSTED: 02/29/2008 - 02:43 pm / quote|
sebar001
: I love this amp line six all the way from now on i own this amp and am currently playing a godin detour with a boss ME-20 guitar multiple effects pedal,a quality sound is what it is!!I will never switch to any other amp 4 as long as i play!!line6 rules!!next step is a spyder112!!!!! can't wait POSTED: 03/03/2008 - 12:57 pm / quote|
sebar001
: I love this amp line six all the way from now on i own this amp and am currently playing a godin detour with a boss ME-20 guitar multiple effects pedal,a quality sound is what it is!!I will never switch to any other amp 4 as long as i play!!line6 rules!!next step is a vetta2
!!!!! can't wait POSTED: 03/03/2008 - 01:01 pm / quote|
metalmouth3130
: Got a question about this amp. Does it have enough sound projection to be heard in say a school auditorium? POSTED: 03/30/2008 - 02:54 pm / quote|
VORTEX3333
: i got one and it rocks, btw to all people who write reviews, the dude who served me said that you shouldn't believe everything on the internet especially reviews because people spend more time writing then actually using the thing, plus its thier opinion (just thought i'd say that) POSTED: 04/02/2008 - 04:53 pm / quote|
Itchyknee
: its a quality amp but i've had two and both broke down within a year, both with the exact same problem when i switched it on it buzzed but then nothing would happen no lights no sound!
soo got a crate vtx200s instead much better amp altho i'll miss the metal effect POSTED: 05/25/2008 - 04:07 pm / quote|
Freshnoise
: For a while I had second thoughts about buying this, but recently I have fallen in love with the tone and versatility of this amp. The clean channel is amazing. Despite other reviews, I believe the crunch channel is great if you don't have an overdrive pedal. It doesn't get as muddy as the other channels. I don't use metal very much, but it also has great distortion. The insane channel is truly insane, but can get muddied up by just the slightest tap against the strings. The insane makes it easy for an amateur guitarist to look like Eddie Van Halen because tapping is so easy and you can play with just your left hand by tapping and pull ons/ pull offs.
I'm glad I got this amp, overall its a good buy. POSTED: 06/11/2008 - 08:16 pm / quote|
Poolar
: I have a spider III 30 and i absolutly love it, but 2 of my friends have the 75 watt and mine rapes their's in sound quality. Their's sound all watterd down when playing with distortion. Either i just got lucky and got a good amp or theres somthing wrong with the 75 modle. POSTED: 06/16/2008 - 09:10 pm / quote|
TheBax
: i'm pretty happy with my amp, i'm still looking to trade it in for a Roland Cube 30, but that's MY preference. It's all about what YOU like.
And like ROCKAHOBO said, it's not THAT bad, i mean, there's definately worse amps out there.
The only problem i have, is that the only channels that sound good to me are insane and clean. I'm okay with not using crunch, but i don't like using insane all the time, because if i played metal all the time, which i don't, i would love it, but i rarely play metal music... but when i do, it sounds great on this amp.
I just want an amp with better sounds at lower distortions.
But overall, this amp is an OK amp, especially for it's price. POSTED: 06/19/2008 - 06:04 pm / quote|
CSoup369
: I have already replaced crunch and metal with personal settings POSTED: 06/25/2008 - 11:07 pm / quote|
Shredder30
: the amp sometimes doesnt turn on right away and also i was pretty dissappointed with the crunch and metal channels
canadianeh?
: does this amp also work well with pedals? I have a G1X and it works good but with all the effects on this amp, I'm not sure. POSTED: 07/07/2008 - 06:56 pm / quote|
Anyways this is a really nice amp for the price, the insane channel is immense, but the only thing I absolutely hate about it is that when you change channel the volume is on max. I don't know how many times it has happened to me that I by mistake have pressed the insane channel button and nearly destroyed my eardrums
Yeah, I wish it didnt do that! I just got mine and that happened the first time i tried insane POSTED: 07/08/2008 - 04:39 pm / quote|
nathraq
: the electrical connections on my Spider III 30 are messed up: turn the amp on, and the phaser light comes on. Turn it from crunch to insane, and the tape delay button lights up. Turn the bass knob from 8 to 6, and it actually cuts off the bass, and need to play with it till it's gets that juice to power it back up to teh correct setting. it's a dog POSTED: 08/07/2008 - 01:54 pm / quote|
WARLOCK123
: i can get it for £120 is it worth it or should i get the cube 30 POSTED: 08/08/2008 - 08:36 am / quote|
B u b b l e s
: Does any one know the amp tone for this amp for blood brothers(paparoach)?? POSTED: 08/13/2008 - 05:53 pm / quote|
cant_touch_this
: This amp is incredible for anyone who likes Avenged sevenfold(on insane) POSTED: 09/04/2008 - 02:59 pm / quote|
dmalee
: whats up guys
ive been playing for 9 months and never had a lesson.
im started to get relatively decent at guitar and i wanna move up from my epiphone 15 watt starter amp.
i play a wide-range of music from classic rock, alternative, and small amount of metal (like metallica)
i like the range of effects and the 4 channels on this amp, but im torn between this and a Marshall MG30DFX. Anyone have an opinion on this? any other suggested amps? POSTED: 10/06/2008 - 11:35 pm / quote|
death metal bands such as Slayer, Metallica, etc.
You're kidding me, right? RIGHT???
Anyways this is a really nice amp for the price, the insane channel is immense, but the only thing I absolutely hate about it is that when you change channel the volume is on max. I don't know how many times it has happened to me that I by mistake have pressed the insane channel button and nearly destroyed my eardrums
haha yeah mine does that 2, also my clean channel is really quiet,i've tried turning up the channel volume, but then the other channels r even louder
Great amp, nvr had problem sept that ^
thou it don't come with pedal POSTED: 10/28/2008 - 03:03 pm / quote|
A Bad Guitarist
: Does this one have the artist preset menu like the 75? POSTED: 10/30/2008 - 08:54 pm / quote|
0h The Horror
: I've had this amp for about 3 years now, and tbh, I regret ever looking at it. The tone seems to vary on the time of day, and the constant obnoxious buzzing can get very taxing. I don't recommend this to anyone. POSTED: 11/17/2008 - 07:07 pm / quote|
BADDAYTOBENUKED
: I own one of these. Only been playing a few years so I still suck, but this was my first amp, and I love it. Reading the article kinda felt like I wrote it, hahha, but I learned some stuff about it. Good to see that it isn't junk! POSTED: 11/28/2008 - 04:48 am / quote|
Slash11214
: in the reviews it says the bought it for $300.00+, but when i checked samash's website for the amp (i like to shop there) it was 200 dollars. POSTED: 11/28/2008 - 08:58 pm / quote|
tigerking615
: How does this have an 8.7 overall? POSTED: 01/02/2009 - 03:50 am / quote|
SN1P3R CHURCH
: can someone help I have had this amp for about 4 months and it just stoped working. When I turn it on the lights wont come on and I cant play my guitar, if you know whats wrong please help me thanks. POSTED: 01/04/2009 - 02:40 pm / quote|
this amp is awesome, only problem is the crappy crunch channel.
I know a lot of people like to rip on the crunch cannel for being useless, but I think that it's only main flaw is that there is WAAAAAY too much Bass. i just roll back the bass inbetween 10 and 7 oclock and it sounds better. Obviously not perfect, but better than super earbleeding bass. POSTED: 01/21/2009 - 11:41 pm / quote|
kaizerkhan13
: i LOVE this amp. people give it alot of crap, but playin this thing one time sold me on it. POSTED: 02/03/2009 - 10:09 pm / quote|
Got a question about this amp. Does it have enough sound projection to be heard in say a school auditorium?
at about 12'0 clock hell yes. POSTED: 02/03/2009 - 10:11 pm / quote|
black mailman
: i have this amp and ive had it for almost a year. the insane channel is awsome, great for soloing. the metal channel is good, but ive seen better.
the crunch channel is good for indie rock, or even playing some older stuff. i played through Kashmir on this setting and it sounds great. the clean channel is great too, especially with the reverb in combo. POSTED: 02/09/2009 - 03:44 pm / quote|
Bavardia
: one of the guitarist in my band has this amplifier the crunch channel works very well(believe it or not) the clean channel on the other hand is very crappy
but I think it's rather a good amplifier
one more thing I think paying 250 € for it is rather much no? POSTED: 03/13/2009 - 06:00 pm / quote|
can someone help I have had this amp for about 4 months and it just stoped working. When I turn it on the lights wont come on and I cant play my guitar, if you know whats wrong please help me thanks.
is it plugged in? POSTED: 04/24/2009 - 04:28 pm / quote|
can someone help I have had this amp for about 4 months and it just stoped working. When I turn it on the lights wont come on and I cant play my guitar, if you know whats wrong please help me thanks.
is it plugged in?
lol, good one POSTED: 08/03/2009 - 02:14 pm / quote|
EvilAngel93
: Eh, I owned one of these played through an Epiphone Les Paul Custom, and it was decent up until I bought a Mesa Rectoverb. There's no question which is better. POSTED: 08/27/2009 - 09:28 pm / quote|
dean_reaper
: why does noone mention that this amp sucks for hooking up pedals. i have one and im trying to get rid of it cause every pedal sound like crap through this amp. POSTED: 09/11/2009 - 08:25 pm / quote|
Indie Purist
: I disagree, I play through a Zoom G2 pedal and a EHX POG 2. They sound really great through the amp. I definitely don't like using the crunch setting along with everyone else. If I have a pedal, why would I? The clean is the best part, I think. POSTED: 09/28/2009 - 12:40 pm / quote|
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