Amped: Line 6 Spider IV and FBV Shortboard

Our resident axeman Rob Chappers aka The Monkey Lord is a bit of a purist when it comes to amplification, being immersed in the world of Rock., Metal and Blues as he is. So when the opportunity came to to pair him up with the brand new Line 6 Spider IV 75 combo with  the "most advanced Line 6 amp modeling to date" 16 models to be exact, and 500 tone and effects presets to choose from - we couldn't resist. So, first thing he does? Turn off all the effects and see what kind of classic tones he could eek out of it, to complement his excellent playing ability.

 Also featured in this review is the FBV Shortboard MKII , which adds comprehensive floor control to compliment the Spider IV.


Spider IV 75
SOUNDS

• 300+ presets hand-crafted by 50 world-famous bands and guitarists
• Almost 200 song-based presets from the 50's to today, plus pitch-based presets
• 4 channels, 64 user-created presets
• 16 of the latest, most advanced Line 6 amp models
• 20 Smart FX (up to 4 at once)
• Quick Loop 14-second looper
• Tap Tempo
• Bass, Mid and Treble knobs
• Drive knob
• Channel volume
• Master volume
• Manual button

HARDWARE

• 75 watts (mono)
• 12-inch custom Celestion® speaker
• Built-in tuner

INS AND OUTS

• 1/4-inch guitar input
• 1/4-inch headphone out/direct out
• 1/8-inch CD/MP3 input
• FBV™ foot controller jack

DIMENSIONS

• 20.75"W x 19.25"H x 11"D
• 36 lbs

FBV Shortboard MKII

• Total floor control of your Line 6 amp and POD
• Reliable steel footswitches
• Dedicated footswitches for preset bank select, bank scroll, effect select, tuner, tap tempo, and more
• Burly, full-sized volume/wah pedal with plenty of grip
• Oversized and bright LCD displays chromatic presets and tuner
• RJ-45 cable included
• Back panel: USB jack, RJ-45 jack, 1/4-inch expression pedal jack

Available now

Spider IV 75 
    £274.85    Street £239 (source Dolphinmusic.co.uk)
    $419.99    Street £299 (source MusiciansFriend.com)

FBV Shortboard MKII
    £195        Street £179 (source Dolphinmusic.co.uk)
    $279.99   Street $199 (source MusiciansFriend.com)

More Information

• Line6
• The Monkey Lord

That's a very balanced view of the SpiderIV - and probably one that's going to take a lot of Line6 H8rs by suprise.

For the money you're in direct competition with the Peavey Vypyr and Vox Valvetronix as well as the amps you mentioned so essentially it comes down to two factors - what do you like the sound of, how reliable is it.

I'd say the Line6 is roughly equivalent tonally, but ahead of the game in terms of reliability.

16-Oct-09 11:29 AM

Nice review Rob, think that review will raise a few eyebrows but I applaud your honesty!

Not quite ready to trade in my tubes yet though!

16-Oct-09 11:54 AM

you should definitly check out the spider valve it's way better in my opinion

great review btw

16-Oct-09 12:02 PM

Nice review mate, loved the Star Wars, lmao!!

16-Oct-09 09:09 PM

The force is strong with this one!

I've always found that the Spider's Insane setting left something to be desired. Rob seems to have gotten a great tone out of it, though, so either I'm completely wrong (and should thus be ignored) or its down to his technique!

17-Oct-09 06:08 PM

Nice work. I really like your video production style as well as the comprehensive info presented. Very thoughtful approach to the digital vs. tube foolishness that most people enjoy taking sides upon.

I just picked up a Peavey Vypyer 30 to try out. I am hoping it will be quiet enough for a bedroom amp.

21-Oct-09 09:45 PM

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