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Pros:
- Easy to use
- Leaves a lot of room for experimentation
- Great for starters
- Has built in drum loops
Cons:
- Dialing in the perfect sound might be a bit time consuming at first
The history of musical devices stores the innovations of numerous brands. Some of them have been around for years, while others are new players in this ginormous game. Line 6 belongs to the latter group, however, this has not interfered with their ability to create something completely new. In 1996 they introduced the first modeling amps, which basically revolutionized the way we perceived our sonic possibilities. Their strive towards development has not changed even a bit, triggering the urge to bring out new models all the time. Today we are going to discuss Spider V 30, a practice amp that will turn your world upside down.
Features
Line 6 Spider V 30 is packed with features. It is too good to be true and I will let you know why in just a sec. This is a solid-state amp with a single 8” speaker and 30 watts of power. It has a full-range speaker system that combines a custom-made guitar speaker and a high-frequency tweeter. This bad boy is equipped with 78 amp, 23 cabinet and 101 effects models, which is pretty surprising considering the wattage of the unit. What is more, it allows you to utilize 8 effects simultaneously.
It has 128 Artist and Standard Presets that add up to the possibilities this device offers. Spider V 30 also packs some additional features: we have an onboard tuner, a metronome and a special collection of drum loops. This amp can be connected to the free app, which allows you to edit your sound with your tablet or phone. And let’s not forget a single input for your instrument (compatible with acoustic guitars as well), 1/8” aux input for mp3s, input jacks for iOs devices (USB-C) and Mac/PC or Android devices (USB-B), an input for optional FVB 3 foot controller and a headphone output for silent practice.
Controls
After considering the number of features this fella offers, you might start assuming that it will be difficult to control. However, Line 6 did quite a good job at making everything easy to tweak. The knobs on Spider V 30 can be assigned with two different functions: they can control either amp or effects settings. In the amp mode, the knobs modify Drive, Bass, Mid, Treble, and Volume (which means you get a three-band EQ, as well as distortion and level controls). In FX mode, however, they manage Comp, FX1, FX2, FX3 and Reverb. Spider V 30 has LED display that shows you what parameters each of the knob is in charge of.
Below the LCD display you will see three buttons and a knob. One of them activates the metronome and drum loops, another one triggers the Edit mode, while the other acts either as a tuner or a tap tempo. The single knob situated right under the display can be utilized to scroll through all the 128 presets, which can be further modified in Edit mode. Last but not least, there is a Master Volume, which adjusts the overall level of the amp. As you can see, it takes some learning and tweaking to fully understand the potential of this device, however, once you get the hang of it, these controls will open up a lot of doors for you.
Line 6 Spider V 30 Sound
And we have come to the most important part of this review. There is a lot to discuss when it comes to the sound of Spider V 30, so I will get straight to the point. There are four basic groups of amp models: Clean, American, British and High Gain. The first one includes a tube preamp, Roland Jazz Chorus and some Line 6 originals, which create a unique pristine tone and some crunch if desired; the second features Fender amp sounds, as well as Gibson, Boogie, Matchless and Budda; the third group combines Vox, Marshall, Orange and Hiwatt sounds – everything you would expect from these classics and delivers anything from subtle overdrive to cranked up craze; and finally, the fourth category delivers authentic, textured and dimensional distortion with some legendary models as well. The effects are also divided into Drives & Dynamics, Mods, Delays, and Filters/Synth/Pitch. Each of these effects has a beautiful tone with just the right amount of definition and presence. In brief, Spider V 30 delivers the sound quality that you would rarely expect from a 30-watt speaker.
Conclusion
To conclude everything said above, Line 6 Spider V 30 easily stands out among its rivals. It packs a number of useful features that contribute to creating diverse tones. The quality of the speaker is truly outstanding and I am saying this without any exaggeration. I recommend this amp without any hesitation. Listen to the demos and you will understand why. Good luck!
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