Line 6 has just announce the release of the Spider V series of combo amps, the latest in their line of entry-level modelers aimed at the Guitar Center crowd. If the audio from this video is an accurate representation of the sound of this amp, then the answer to the headline question is BAD. Personally, I don’t like to judge something until I’ve had the chance to play it myself – there are too many factors that go into a sound, especially in something as complex as a modeling amplifier, to judge it based on one performance alone.
But, if we are meant to judge it based on this video alone, then it sounds terrible, and the comments section agrees. Normally I don’t give a shit what the peanut gallery thinks, but there seems to be quite a consensus that makes it difficult to ignore. It’s sad for Line 6 to take such a huge step backwards after making massive strides with the Helix this year. Let’s see if they react by recording a better quality video or maybe getting one of their favorite YouTube reviewers to do just that (hint hint).
Until then, here’s… this.
(edit – the original video was taken down. This one is the replacement. Just know that the first one was real bad, this one is much better.)
Turk / September 27, 2016 4:46 pm
Yep, sounds like a Spider alright.
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AlphaBetaFoxface / September 27, 2016 5:45 pm
Frontierer made his Spider sound like the most brutal amp on the planet.
That being said, he obviously knows his way around it more so than the guys who built the damn thing.
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μπουχÎσας / September 27, 2016 6:16 pm
The Spider is not for those looking for tone but for those looking for convenience and nice handy features. Having a built-in drum machine, amp models, effects or a wireless mode are all nice to have things. It doesn’t need someone to be a genius to realise that
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Joshua Rees / March 6, 2017 4:21 am
I don’t know why you all are bitching about the spider 5. It is marketed as a great practice/small venue amp. And as a man who knows he will never be a rockstar. I love it. And I have only scratched the surface of its features. If you want to play Carnegie hall. And you’re as talented as you say. Buy a Marshall stack. And a overpriced fender strat. If you want a solid amp. With a lot to offer. To jam on. This is my choice.
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sammyzoso / March 23, 2017 5:43 pm
Line 6 bashing by fake guitarists really gets as tiresome as Trump’s lies, but sounds a lot lot better. What this and other modeling amps can do for a small budget is nothing short of genius. Perfect? Not for you faux rock stars out there but for guys like me who just want to have fun, it’s great.
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Alan Avery / December 24, 2017 4:43 pm
I won’t bash Line 6 in comparison with other brands — it doesn’t need to be done and everyone knows the score.
I will bash this amp in comparison with other line 6 products. The Spider V 240 sounds much worse than my Spider III 150 did. It’s not too bad in the headphones, and has a lot of nice practice-friendly features, like the line in. It’s cool that it can be used as an acoustic amp as well…
But out loud it sounds like you’re listening to your guitar through a foot of foam rubber. The on-amp user interface is awful and editing presets is a slog if you don’t have the app. The least Line 6 could have done is allow the pod hd series to be usable as a foot controller…
This isn’t a terrible piece of gear, but you’re better off getting the smallest one and using it as an audio interface / headphone driver.
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