Lovin My LowDown 150 - Plus 2 Questions and a Suggestion

[jaywa]

Hi guys.

I've been a LowDown 150 owner for the last 3 years and the more I use this little thing, the more I like!

2 1/2 months ago I joined a very regularly gigging band that was using a 900-watt, 8x10 bass rig and one of the first things they asked me was, "ya got anything smaller than this"? I showed up with my LD 150 and they all kind of looked at me like, "are you serious"... then I proceeded to plug into our P.A. and it blew them all away. They promptly ditched the arena rig and with the space we've saved we can ride two more P.A. subwoofers in our trailer. WIN!

Also I love the four presets as I switch between two different basses during a show and this allows me to equalize the signal strength between the two which is important since we run our own sound from the stage and don't have a lot of capacity to tweak on the fly.

My questions are:

1) Does Line6 sell some sort or vinyl or other "soft" covering to go over the LD 150? My amp has been dead steady reliable under heavy gigging but I'd like to give it an extra measure of protection if possible without going all the way to a hard Anvil style case.

2) Is there a footswitch solution for the LD150 that would allow me to toggle between the four presets and also turn on or off the onboard effects... without all the other functionality (volume pedal, etc.) in the more advanced Line6 pedalboards?

And finally, a suggestion. For a future version of the LD150 it would be great to have a pre/post-EQ option for the balanced out.

Thanks in advance for any answers you can provide, and for creating a great little combo amp that is rugged, easy to transport and sounds terrific.

[Stumbo]

From the website:

COMPATIBLE FOOT CONTROLLERS:

FBV Express™

* Switches for channels A, B, C, & D
* Volume/Wah Pedal
* Chromatic Tuner Interface
* Self-powered through the included locking RJ-45 cable

FBV Shortboard™

* 9 banks, 36 channel memories
* Dedicated channel switches
* Dedicated effects switches
* Large LCD display
* Volume/Wah pedal
* Expression pedal input for dedicated volume control
* Chromatic tuner
* Self-powered through the included locking RJ-45 cable

Here's another link on sub-woofer stage placement to check out if you haven't seen it already. Sub stage placement w plots/graphs

[jaywa]

Yeah I guess the FBV Express is close to what I want but I was hoping there would be something even more basic than that. I.e., no wah pedal, no tuner interface. Honestly I could even get by with something that did nothing but toggle thru the presets, since I could program my effect into one of the presets.

[richrenken]

You might be able to find one of these on Ebay or Craig's List. Line 6 - Legacy

It will work with the lowdown. It is just 4 presets only.

No cover, sorry.

Jimmy Haslip uses a LowDown LD150 also, and told almost exactly the same story. He went to a rehearsal with Alan Holdsworth and Alan looked at it and said, "that is all you brought?" because Alan brought two stacks. Jimmy said, ummm, yeah... and then he said he plugged it in and blew everyone's head off. Great to hear you tell the same story.

I wonder why the LowDown series didn't continue to sell, they are awesome amps. We still sell the little 15 and the Studio 110 and LD150.

[jaywa]

Rich,

Thanks for the suggestion re the FBV4. It looks exactly like the simple, durable footswitch I need. I'll see if I can find one of those used someplace.

Jay

[scotch]

Originally Posted by richrenken

You might be able to find one of these on Ebay or Craig's List. Line 6 - Legacy

It will work with the lowdown. It is just 4 presets only.

No cover, sorry.

Jimmy Haslip uses a LowDown LD150 also, and told almost exactly the same story. He went to a rehearsal with Alan Holdsworth and Alan looked at it and said, "that is all you brought?" because Alan brought two stacks. Jimmy said, ummm, yeah... and then he said he plugged it in and blew everyone's head off. Great to hear you tell the same story.

I wonder why the LowDown series didn't continue to sell, they are awesome amps. We still sell the little 15 and the Studio 110 and LD150.

Hmmm,... have you discontinued the larger LowDown combos?

I love my LD150! I use it regularly in my home studio as a practice amp (that doesn't sound like a 'practice amp'!), for recording (most of the clips on my website to demo other products are through the LowDown) and I've been using it for smaller local gigs here in Nashville. I'm always leery of bringing such a tiny amp to a gig w/ drums and full band - but I'm always impressed with how much great usable volume the LD150 puts out! I use a fair amount of effects (drive, octavers, filters, etc...) and I love how the LowDown responds to them the same as my actual big tube amps! It's very helpful in getting sounds at home that sound the same on the big stage. The xlr out is always strong w/ no noise & its' independent volume level really helps in the studio!

If the bigger LowDown combos didn't sell well, I wonder if it might be due their size. They're pretty bulky to move around- other than that I always thought they sounded amazing!

Anyways, enjoy your LD150, jaywa! It's a great little amp!

Oh, and Rich, if you ever want a product demo'ed - please give me a shout. I'm doing more reviews on my website that are fairly comprehensive & get used in real-world scenarios (shows & sessions)... My buddy/colleague Jackson Eppley always speaks highly of you!

[jaywa]

Originally Posted by scotch

I'm always leery of bringing such a tiny amp to a gig w/ drums and full band - but I'm always impressed with how much great usable volume the LD150 puts out!

FWIW and your mileage may vary, but my LD150 is my backline in a 6-piece band (2 electric guitars, acoustic drums, bass, keys, vox) that routinely plays relatively large stages including outdoor venues. My master volume rarely goes past high noon (1 o'clock at the very most, ever) and I have never had in issue volume wise. Disclosure: We are on in-ear monitors, and we roll a full P.A. including up to 6 sub cabinets and a max 25,000 watts of power at FOH.

If the bigger LowDown combos didn't sell well, I wonder if it might be due their size. They're pretty bulky to move around- other than that I always thought they sounded amazing!

That's why I went with the 150 vs. the bigger LowDown options. I loved the size and the "kickback" configuration and as I recall, the higher powered LowDown models were a standard "box" configuration and were also significantly bigger and heavier.

[scotch]

I actually remember auditioning the LD150 and the LD300 side-by-side in a GC when I bought mine. It may have had something to do with the room acoustics (very likely), but the '150 sounded like it had more bottom! I tilted it back and set it perpendicular to the floor & I preferred the sound of the LD150. Both were pretty close to the wall...

Bottom line? Great amp! I'm not expecting to do sheds & arenas with it, but it definitely holds it own in a broad range of environments. I've even gotten good feedback in the studio from producers/engineers that generally poo-poo modelers.

While the xlr sounds pretty great, for professional tracking situations (in a proper studio) I have miced up the '150. For whatever reason it sounds just a little more legit, IMO. I like to run a long ethernet cable from the amp (in a closet or small room) to wherever I'm tracking (drum room, control room). Using an FBV Express, I can mute and change amp models without interrupting workflow- nice!

[jaywa]

Originally Posted by scotch

While the xlr sounds pretty great, for professional tracking situations (in a proper studio) I have miced up the '150.

Good to know. I actually haven't taken my 150 into a studio situation yet but if that ever happens I'll keep that in mind.