Line 6 amps... comments after a few years of use?

[Inconnu]

Hi!

Line 6 amps have been out for a while and, now, they are easy to find at a decent price, used. I'm thinking of maybe getting one (the LD150), for when I don't need/want to carry my good old SVT.

The questions I have... reliability on the long run? issues? etc.

Well, I mean, after the shine of it being a new toy, how does it hold up after a few years of use?

[jaywa]

I have a LD150 that has been my sole onstage amp (usually with PA support) for the last 3 years at 55-75 shows per year up to and including 1000 capacity rooms and large outdoor stages. It pretty much lives in my car and goes to every gig I do whether I wind up using it or not. The finish is coming off the logo on the front and the grille is dented in so yeah, it's been used.

For my needs it has been good (not great) sounding, easy to use (and carry) and extremely reliable. I would NOT recommend it if you need it to carry a room sans PA or for ANY non-PA outdoor work unless we're talking a restaurant gig with a jazz combo or similar low volume scenarios.

With regard to the amp "models" I use the SVT ("Rock") about 75% of the time...its a good one. The rest of the time I use the Eden ("Clean")... Also good but prone to mushiness at least with my 78 PBass. The other amp options dont really do it for me and IMO the synth emulation is useless. The onboard effects are nice (chorus, octaver and filter) and the compressor works well.

To me the biggest shortcoming of the LD 150 is lack of headroom... the sound from the cabinet gets pretty harsh and boxy once you push the Master Vol past 1 o clock which is not what most would consider extremely loud. But of course at only 150 watts you can't expect to move the earth. To me the speaker (1x12) is the weak link of this combo... I would NEVER mic it for live or studio. It would also be nice if the DI had a pre/post selector (it's all post except master vol). But again if youre in situation where the bulk of your sound is carried by a PA and others arent running insane stage volume, it is a very serviceable stage monitor that will send a nice sounding signal to the house, has a nice small footprint and can stand up to heavy usage and travel.

I think I paid around $430 for mine new and have gotten every penny's worth. If you can score one used for under $300 and it fits your needs I'd say go for it.

[seamonkey]

I though Line 6 gave up on bass amps?
Just selling off stock

[JimmyM]

Line 6 is OK...their B-15 model isn't bad. But it's low-cost digital, which to me sounds more like a lower bitrate MP3 version of a recording of an SVT rather than an SVT itself.

[Thornton Davis]

I bought my Lowdown LD300 Pro five and half years ago. I initally bought the LD150 but quickly realized that it didn't have the headroom that I had hoped it would have had.

My LD300 Pro has been used for hundreds of gigs, rehearsals and studio sessions. It's well built and I really like everything about it. I generally use the SVT (rock model setting) or the Eden (clean model setting) if i'm using a modelling program. I only play 5 sting basses and it handles everything they throw at it with ease.

As a rule, I will use it for gigs with up to 100 people without PA support. With PA support I will take it before I haul out my 810 and 300 watt tube head. One thing I did do was to made a dolly for it so it's easy to move around. I also had a cover made for it for protection from the elements and bumps.





All in all i've been very happy with it over the years.

TD

[Inconnu]

Originally Posted by jaywa

I have a LD150 that has been my sole onstage amp (usually with PA support) for the last 3 years at 55-75 shows per year up to and including 1000 capacity rooms and large outdoor stages. It pretty much lives in my car and goes to every gig I do whether I wind up using it or not. The finish is coming off the logo on the front and the grille is dented in so yeah, it's been used.

For my needs it has been good (not great) sounding, easy to use (and carry) and extremely reliable. I would NOT recommend it if you need it to carry a room sans PA or for ANY non-PA outdoor work unless we're talking a restaurant gig with a jazz combo or similar low volume scenarios.

With regard to the amp "models" I use the SVT ("Rock") about 75% of the time...its a good one. The rest of the time I use the Eden ("Clean")... Also good but prone to mushiness at least with my 78 PBass. The other amp options dont really do it for me and IMO the synth emulation is useless. The onboard effects are nice (chorus, octaver and filter) and the compressor works well.

To me the biggest shortcoming of the LD 150 is lack of headroom... the sound from the cabinet gets pretty harsh and boxy once you push the Master Vol past 1 o clock which is not what most would consider extremely loud. But of course at only 150 watts you can't expect to move the earth. To me the speaker (1x12) is the weak link of this combo... I would NEVER mic it for live or studio. It would also be nice if the DI had a pre/post selector (it's all post except master vol). But again if youre in situation where the bulk of your sound is carried by a PA and others arent running insane stage volume, it is a very serviceable stage monitor that will send a nice sounding signal to the house, has a nice small footprint and can stand up to heavy usage and travel.

I think I paid around $430 for mine new and have gotten every penny's worth. If you can score one used for under $300 and it fits your needs I'd say go for it.

Saw your other posts about this amp and wondered if you still had it.

From what you say, it seems to be a good choice for my use... I'll ad this amp on my "to look for used" list... I think I all ready saw a few listed.

[mjac28]

Originally Posted by Thornton Davis

I bought my Lowdown LD300 Pro five and half years ago. I initally bought the LD150 but quickly realized that it didn't have the headroom that I had hoped it would have had.

My LD300 Pro has been used for hundreds of gigs, rehearsals and studio sessions. It's well built and I really like everything about it. I generally use the SVT (rock model setting) or the Eden (clean model setting) if i'm using a modelling program. I only play 5 sting basses and it handles everything they throw at it with ease.

As a rule, I will use it for gigs with up to 100 people without PA support. With PA support I will take it before I haul out my 810 and 300 watt tube head. One thing I did do was to made a dolly for it so it's easy to move around. I also had a cover made for it for protection from the elements and bumps.





All in all i've been very happy with it over the years.

TD

Great looking amp I heard they really sound great and the only people really knocking them are the ones who haven't owned one.

[Hobobob]

I've used a bunch of the Line6 bass amps (school I work at uses them). For a practice/rehearsal amp, they're not bad. But don't expect clean and clear with any sort of real volume. Even the 750 watt head with the Line6 4x10 really struggles to produce a clear tone on a decent sized stage. And the modeling just bugs me. As Jimmy said, they're lo-fi enough to be very noticeable to someone who hasn't used a modeler as their primary amp. Slap technique through one really bugs me, but a player who only does fingerstyle or pick may not be as annoyed. And I agree, the synth is practically useless. It tracks terribly.
If you're looking for an amp that's loud enough to play with a band, and aren't super picky about tone, one of these could be a good, cheap option. I even suggested that my new-to-bass buddy get one, because I figured he'd really enjoy the variety of tones and tricks it does. I wouldn't be too happy about using one onstage, however. But I'm completely anal, so there you go.

[Inconnu]

Originally Posted by Hobobob

I've used a bunch of the Line6 bass amps (school I work at uses them). For a practice/rehearsal amp, they're not bad. But don't expect clean and clear with any sort of real volume. Even the 750 watt head with the Line6 4x10 really struggles to produce a clear tone on a decent sized stage. And the modeling just bugs me. As Jimmy said, they're lo-fi enough to be very noticeable to someone who hasn't used a modeler as their primary amp. Slap technique through one really bugs me, but a player who only does fingerstyle or pick may not be as annoyed. And I agree, the synth is practically useless. It tracks terribly.
If you're looking for an amp that's loud enough to play with a band, and aren't super picky about tone, one of these could be a good, cheap option. I even suggested that my new-to-bass buddy get one, because I figured he'd really enjoy the variety of tones and tricks it does. I wouldn't be too happy about using one onstage, however. But I'm completely anal, so there you go.

What's the problem when slapping?

[greggster59]

The LD150 was my first amp and it was fine for home practice. I preferred the 'Clean' setting.

When I joined a band it quickly became obvious that it wasn't going to cut it, volume wise, so it went. I should add that my band has two guitarists and we all play loud.

[Inconnu]

I'm not too worried about volume. My band is quite quiet (amplified acoustic guitar and quiet drummer). At band practice, I set my SVT's gain just before overdrive and my master volume around 9 o'clock. I'm not playing in a metal band (anymore)!

[gjbassist]

Originally Posted by Thornton Davis

I bought my Lowdown LD300 Pro five and half years ago. I initally bought the LD150 but quickly realized that it didn't have the headroom that I had hoped it would have had.

My LD300 Pro has been used for hundreds of gigs, rehearsals and studio sessions. It's well built and I really like everything about it. I generally use the SVT (rock model setting) or the Eden (clean model setting) if i'm using a modelling program. I only play 5 sting basses and it handles everything they throw at it with ease.

As a rule, I will use it for gigs with up to 100 people without PA support. With PA support I will take it before I haul out my 810 and 300 watt tube head. One thing I did do was to made a dolly for it so it's easy to move around. I also had a cover made for it for protection from the elements and bumps.





All in all i've been very happy with it over the years.

TD

I had one of those for a while. I liked everything about it except the weight. It was fairly heavy, over 70lbs if I remember correctly. I didn't have casters on mine though, so that might help. It sounded good and had a nice variety of effects. If you get one I would also get the FBV Express foot controller. It allows you to change your stored channels on the fly as well as having a built in tuner and expression pedal.
http://line6.com/footcontrollers/fbvexpressmkii.html

[Hobobob]

Originally Posted by Inconnu

What's the problem when slapping?

Just made the fakeness of the tone that much more apparent. I don't want to sound like I'm bashing these things too hard, they're built solid and are more than capable of working just fine for someone who digs em. I'm just not that someone.

[ronlitz]

I gigged with a LD300 for over 2 years - I rather liked it. Used the "rock" model. Built-in tuner and compressor is very handy. I had trouble carrying it up stairs by myself - which is why I stopped using it.

[Marko5657]

Don’t know if this relates to any of your Line6s, but I was gigging the HD400 head, and would leave it in the band trailer through the week.

Winter came around, and bringing it in from the cold trailer to the stage, it wouldn’t power the cab. Everything else worked fine, thankfully including the line out to the board, so I got stage monitor.

Didn’t work the whole night (4-hour bar gigs), took it home, and many hours later, after I slept and got around to checking it out, it worked fine again. A couple weeks later it ended up back in the trailer for some reason, and next gig, same thing.

Otherwise I liked the head just fine, so I stuck it on the stack in the music/rehearsal room and used it there for a while.

I’m assuming the condensation from cold-to-warm affected it this way, so just a heads-up if you ever encounter that particular scenario.

[Thornton Davis]

Originally Posted by gjbassist

I had one of those for a while. I liked everything about it except the weight. It was fairly heavy, over 70lbs if I remember correctly. I didn't have casters on mine though, so that might help. It sounded good and had a nice variety of effects. If you get one I would also get the FBV Express foot controller. It allows you to change your stored channels on the fly as well as having a built in tuner and expression pedal.
http://line6.com/footcontrollers/fbvexpressmkii.html

The LowDown LD300 Pro weights 89 pounds, which is a lot. It's the reason I made the dolly for mine. I attached it to the bottom of the amp with velcro so I can pull it off anytime I want, but haven't had the need too yet. And it really makes moving the amp around a piece of cake.

I looked at the FBV Express and Shortboard when I bought my LD300 Pro but decided on a Boss ME-50B instead because I can use it with my other rig.

TD

[turbo chicken]

I have an ld300 with a shortboard... i added casters and usually use a handtruck if the distance from van to the venue is far. Yeah it's heavy. Something I can look past.

I can't really say anything bad about it... mine has been flawless and has performed well over the last year and half gigging in a coverband. And I'm rough with it... it's been knocked over, dropped ... etc and still works and looks great.