Realistic amp-modeling with artist-created presets!
Imagine walking into the amp room at a million-dollar recording studio. All of the best vintage and modern amps and effects are there, ready for your sonic exploration. Now imagine your favorite guitar players are standing there with you, ready to be your sound tech for the day. Sounds like fun, right? Now, you can bring the dream to life with Line 6's Spider III combo amps. Their cutting-edge modeling technology puts hundreds of detailed tones right at your fingertips, with special presets designed by the best players in the world.
Easily customize your tone with the simple interface
The Spider III 75-watt combo amp gives you all the tonal variation you'd expect from Line 6, with a friendly interface for changing patches and tweaking your sound. None of your bandmates want to wait around while you twiddle with the knobs, so this amp makes it easy to get good tone right away. For starters, there are twelve custom amp settings, quickly accessible through a two-stage, six-position controller. Only twelve, you say? That doesn't seem like much, especially compared to the POD. Don't worry, all the sounds are there. In the past, each setting was based on a different amplifier model, which meant lots of extra fiddling to navigate from one patch to the next. This time around, Line 6 grouped amp models with similar characteristics together, so you can move much faster.
Twang Red and Metal Green, demystified
Each of the six settings has two stages, indicated by a red and green LED. The Twang setting, for example, is where the Fender amps live. When the red LED is lit, you can dial-in that classic mid-60's blackface tone. Once you're there, just tweak the EQ to get the snappy character of a '65 Twin Reverb or glassy treble of a '64 Deluxe Reverb. Jump over to the green LED, and you've got instant access to a bunch of vintage tweed amps, including the '53 Deluxe Reverb and '58 Bassman. Maybe Metal is more your style. The red LED on the Metal channel delivers tight, crisp Dual Rectifier tone, while the green LED offers even more aggressive high-gain sounds. Use the Mid control here to access a wide range of sounds. Down low, you get classic dirty fuzz. Half-way up, you get smokin'-hot power for modern Metal assault. Set the Mid to maximum, and you get that gutsy Class A distortion made famous by Matchless. You won't believe how many distinct tones you can pull from one little knob.
250 artist-created sounds
The six-position controller couldn't be easier when you know what amp sound you're going for. Want a thickened-up '68 Plexi? Choose the Crunch model, add a little reverb, then slide through the expanded midrange section to get just the right bite. If you're not sure what amp is going to get the job done, though, you'll be better off starting in familiar territory. Line 6 gives you 250 artist presets, so you can build your tone based on your guitar heroes' signature sounds. You'll find preloaded patches designed by Albert Lee, Maroon 5, Scissor Sisters, Hawthorne Heights, Slipknot, and many more of the most famous artists on the planet. All of these presets are totally tweakable, so you can add your own special flavor to the mix.
150 song-based patches
The Spider III 75 also includes 150 song-based presets if you're looking for a more specific sound. Let's say your singer shows up at the rehearsal space with a brand new song. He hasn't fleshed it out yet, but has some ideas. The verse came to him while he was listening to Guns & Roses, but there should be some added boost in the chorus, with a super-heavy Dimebag groove. You could tell him to mind his own business; you're the guitarist and you'll decide what tones fit best. Or, you could try the 'Sweet Child O' Mine' patch, then switch to Pantera's 'Cowboys from Hell' setting and see if it's a good fit. It only takes a second to humor him, and nothing will get accomplished if he's pouting all through practice.
Layered effects with easy tweaking
That same ease-of-use approach applies to the effects section as well. Line6's exclusive Smart Control FX feature automatically dials in different effects parameters, so all you have to adjust is the intensity. Up to three effects, including chorus, phaser, flanger, tremolo, echo, delay, and reverb, can be used simultaneously for detailed layering and tone-shaping. The tap tempo button lets you adjust the timing of delay and echo effects to match your groove. Hold this button down to access the onboard tuner, and you'll be on-pitch in no time. Use these effects with the amp models to build your own custom sounds from scratch, or combine them with an artist- or song-preset to add a new twist to an old favorite. Save your creations, then call them up whenever the mood strikes. It couldn't be easier.
All the ins and outs
A standard 1/4-inch instrument jack lets you plug-in any guitar, and you can jam along with your favorite songs through the stereo miniplug CD/MP3 input. Trying to nail 'Cliffs of Dover' note-for-note? Make sure you warm up first; that song's a killer. When you're good and limber, you can play in-time with the actual track using Eric Johnson's custom preset. Since the tone is spot-on, all you have to worry about is getting your fingers to work their magic. For even more versatility, this amp is compatible with the FBV2, FBV Express, and FBV Shortboard foot controllers. Switch patches on-the-fly, tune up, and take advantage of the volume/wah pedal, all hands-free. On stage, everything gets pushed through a custom twelve-inch Celestion speaker with 75 watts behind it. You'll have all the stage-volume you need to cut through the thickest mix. In the studio, send the stereo headphone output straight to the mixer for POD 2.0 direct-recording quality. Your guitar tracks will have tons of professional polish. At around 35 pounds, you can carry all of these amazing tones anywhere you want to play!
