Line 6 LD150 LowDown Bass Combo Amplifier (150 Watts, 1x12 in.)

Product Description

The Line 6 LD150 features all the tones and modeling available on its big brother, the LD300, but in a compact 1x12 enclosure with 150 watts of power. The LD150 brings you the greatest rock bass tones in a powerful combo!

Overview
The first ever line of bass amps from Line 6, LowDown delivers an incredible array of dialed-in, stage-perfected bass tones. While most bass combos focus on volume and clean tone, LowDown amps offer five must-have effects and five killer bass amp models, that cover everything from funk to classic rock and beyond. Plus, the oversized, high-speed power amp has incredible articulation and bottom end punch that's ideal for live or studio work.

Finally, there's a line of bass combos that give you great tone, performance, and flexibility all at an incredible price.

Amps
LowDown delivers five carefully crafted amp models that can take you from modern punch to a thunderous, full-on assault! Each model automatically dials up a great sound that you can change to your liking and save into a preset using the channel memories on the front panel.

Clean -- Inspired by the Eden Traveler, this model is all about clean, funk and fusion bass tone. It'll give you all the warm lows and punchy highs you need.

R & B -- Inspired by a 1968 B-15 Flip Top, this model is a tribute to those late 60's and early 70's clean fat bass tones. It is the kind of tone you here on most Motown recordings, as played by a pioneering young James Jamerson.

Rock - This model is inspired by the '74 Ampeg SVT . This workhorse has appeared on innumerable recordings and arena stages worldwide. And now all the tone of the 300-pound behemoth 8X10 and head is available in your combo!

Brit -- Based on a '68 Marshall Super Bass, this model delivers the kind of overdriven bass sound brought to us by late '60's British rock pioneers like Cream and The Who.

Grind -- As the name would suggest, this is for modern rock lovers, Alice in Chains to Mudvayne and Rage Against The Machine. Based on a distorted SansAmp PSA-1 into an SVT in addition to a direct clean bass signal mixed in, this model gives you that angry, clear and punchy aggression that takes your sound to DEFCON 1.

But that's not all...

Synth -- Sitting at the back of the model knob is this secret weapon that turns LowDown into a '70s classic bass synth. From funk to modern rock, this synth model delivers incredible tones and tracks every dynamic move you make with ease!

Effects
LowDown features a critical set of effects that no bass player should be without! You get a full time, vintage studio compressor model, and the Smart FX knob dials up three different heavyweight effects that are custom tailored for bass.

Envelope filter -- Based on a Q-Tron, this is the baddest envelope filter on the planet. This effect can be heard on tons of major funk and rock tunes.

Octaver -- Based on the EBS OctaBass , this effect produces a single note one octave below the pitch of the played note, adding a powerful new vibe to your sound.

Chorus -- Based on the much loved TC Electronics Chorus. This is the most transparent, smooth and expressive chorus for bass ever built. Using it does not reduce your low end and it's especially beautiful on fretless bass.

Amazing Tone On Stage and In The Studio!
The XLR Direct Output was designed for recording or sending your sound to a house sound system when you're playing live. This output utilizes our exclusive A.I.R. processing which has made Line 6 products like POD the undisputed standard for direct recording. Whether you're playing a gig in a club or rushing off to a recording session, this POD-based direct out will give you huge, mic'd amp tone everywhere you go!

Features
5 Incredible Bass Amp Models: Clean, R&B, Rock, Brit and Grind

5 Essential Bass Effects: Synth, Compressor, Envelope Filter, Octaver, and Chorus

Deep Switch With Special Tone Shaping for Supreme Fatness

XLR Direct Out With Exclusive Bass POD Modeling

4 Programmable Channel Memories

Headphone Out

Jam along CD/MP3 1/8 in. input

Built-In Chromatic Tuner

Foot Switch Jack for FBV Express or FBV Shortboard

FAQ
LowDown 175 and 300 has a horn, can I turn it off?
The LowDown amps include a horn for all the great players that like to slap their basses or value some extra articulation. However, being sensitive to the rock players in our midst, we made a special provision to disable the horn by pressing the small "Horn" switch located near the XLR Direct out jack.

Is there a ground lift on the XLR direct out so I don't get hum from the PA
Every once in a while you may experience a ground loop problem which sounds like a buzz in your signal, when connecting gear to a PA system. If this happens to you, simply alert your sound person, and try pressing the ground lift switch. Usually this will eliminate the ground loop.

Is the LowDown cabinet ported?
Yes! The LowDown cabinet uses a proprietary waveguide port designed to enhance sub resonant bass frequencies.

What is the deal with active and passive inputs?
A "passive" instrument has no built-in preamp and does not use a battery. An "active" bass utilizes a battery-operated preamp. Each type of instrument has a different signal level range, so we have included two inputs to best address each input range. The funny thing is that some passive instruments can produce more signal that many active instruments, so here's what we recommend: Start by using the passive input. If your bass' output distorts the input section (the Tuner LED will momentarily light to indicate when you're clipping the input), switch to the active position.

What is the difference between the direct out on my "your bass amps name here" and the LowDown's direct out?
The LowDown features Bass POD style "Miked Up" Cabinet Emulated direct outs. That means you get the same tone coming out of your amp going to tape or to the sound system. Most bass amps with a direct out simply offer your original bass tone or your tone after amp eq, but LowDown is the only amp to offer real sounding amp AND cabinet tone.

I like to keep things simple. I only use one tone. Is LowDown for me?
LowDown is a toneful alternative to some really expensive, and tremendously heavy vintage and modern bass gear. If all you want to do is play one sound, get to "Manual" mode by simply pressing the active Channel button to turn off the LED. Now you're in the land of "What You See Is What You Get". Turn knobs, then groove.

What should I do if I get my foot stuck in the port?
To date we have tested Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Pam , Bag Balm and Cod Liver Oil, all of which we recommend as excellent lubricants for bass port pediectomies.

Why would I want the LD300Pro over the LD175
While the LD175 will have no problem keeping up with your drummer in a rehearsal or small gig setting, the LD300 Pro can annihilate most drummers.

Tell me about the grind model.
As the name would suggest, this is for you modern rock lovers, Alice in Chains to Mudvayne and Rage Against The Machine. This model is based on a distorted SansAmp PSA-1 into an SVT with direct clean bass signal mixed in for that angry, clear and punchy aggression that takes your sound to DEFCON 1. zZounds is an authorized dealer of Line 6 products.

* 5 Incredible Bass Amp Models: Clean, R&B, Rock, Brit, and Grind

* 5 Essential Bass Effects: Synth, Compressor, Envelope Filter, Octaver, and Chorus

* Deep Switch With Special Tone Shaping for Supreme Fatness

* XLR Direct Out with Line 6 exclusive A.I.R. processing

* 4 Programmable Channel Memories, 36 with FBV Shortboard

* Headphone Out

* Jam Along CD/MP3 1/8-inch Input

* Built-in Chromatic Tuner

* Footswitch Jack for FBV Express or FBV Shortboard

* 12-inch Speaker

* 150 Watts

* Convenient Tilt-Back Monitor Design

zZounds Expert Review

I have an Eden stack that I use for larger gigs, but the extra-tall XLT cabs are heavy and take up a lot of space on stage. I keep it in my basement, and dread having to carry it up and down the stairs for smaller gigs, rehearsals, etc. I use a Line 6 Bass Pod for some recording stuff and have been impressed with that, so a Low Down seemed like a good choice for a knockaround amp. I went with the LD150 because it seemed small enough for easy portability and had enough wattage to handle small gigs and rehearsals.

First Look

When it arrived at my door, I spent some time going through the amp models and effects. The interface is super easy to use, and storing custom tones is a no-brainer. Simply dial in your tone, then press and hold one of the four preset buttons to load in the new sound. The stock presets were completely usable for my needs, but the effects were hit or miss. The autowah wasn't all that responsive for me, and I found myself having to adjust my playing technique to get a smooth effect. Some of the chorus and octaver positions sounded decent, though. I don't use a whole lot of effects on bass anyway, so not a huge problem for me. If you're wanting effects, the Bass Pod does a much better job than those onboard the LD150, in my opinion.

The Clean amp model is based on an Eden similar to the one I have, and is a good emulation of that kind of tone. Not so much that I'll be getting rid of my stack any time soon, but close enough for the situations in which I plan to use it. The R&B model is nice and thumpy, and the Rock model is tight and aggressive. The overdriven tones on the Brit and Grind models sounded ok, but I think I'd go with a Bass Muff or something if I needed that sound on a regular basis. I couldn't get the Low Down's secret-sauce Synth model to track correctly. I had to pluck pretty hard to trigger the effect, and the threshold would usually cut the tone off before I was ready for it to quit. After a few minutes spent fiddling with the controls, I gave up on it.

Up On Stage

I had a small gig with a cover band the weekend after the Low Down 150 was delivered, and was looking forward to hearing it in a real-world setting. It was definitely more portable than my stack, and I was able to carry it into the venue with one hand. That's not to say it's feather-light; by the end of my walk, I was using my knee to take some of the load. But I was able to get into the venue in one trip, and that was definitely one of my goals for getting this amp. Setup was simple and I really liked the tilt-back cabinet design. I had no problem monitoring both my tone and volume up on stage. The venue was a fairly typical bar & grill with maybe 70 - 80 people in attendance. I was able to hear myself over the acoustic drums, and it was easy to get a good blend with the guitar, keyboard, sax, and vocalist. No complaints from the crowd, either. The bass came through loud and clear.

This band does a variety of different cover tunes from the 50s and 60s on up to present day Pop songs. I used the R&B preset for the Motown material, and got that nice, round Jamerson sound when I pedaled up by the neck. The Rock preset was also very faithful to some of the edgier tunes in the set list, and I was able to dial in some dirt with the Drive knob when I needed it. When in doubt, I opted for the crisp, progressive, Clean preset and used the tone controls on my bass to shape the sound to fit the tune.

Overall, I'm very happy with the LD150 for its great sound and easy transport. Again, if you're looking at this amp mainly for the effects, it might not be the best choice. Also, if you're going to use it live, I highly recommend the FBV Express controller. You can tune and change patches much quicker than having to go back to the amp every time. If the expression pedal also functioned as a wah (it only controls volume on the Low Down amps) it would be a must-have.