The Line 6 Spider IV 15 Guitar Amp is a Great Amp for the Price

The Spider IV by line 6 continues their line of modeling amps for the musician on a budget. Not only does it make having a quality amplifier very affordable, but it is also very versatile compared with most of the competition that is on the market today. I highly recommend anyone looking for either a starter amplifier or one for practice give the Spider IV some serious consideration.

It has a three band equalizer that features bass, mids, and treble along with a gain, master volume, and channel volume knob in addition to two knobs that control the effects that are included. These allow you to dial in you various sounds and tones you want to use. There is also a CD/MP3 line in so you can play along with your favorite songs and a line out for recording. If you need quiet practice you also can plug a pair of headphones into the amp. The Spider IV, unlike most amps in its class, allows you to connect a footswitch to control the different effects and switch between the various amplifier channels.

You get four amplifier models to choose from with the Spider IV. There is a clean channel that has a pretty standard Marshall clean sound. It is a little more bass heavy than I like, but it is definitely not bad either. The next channel is called the crunch channel. This is like a very early fender on the overdrive channel. This is really my least favorite channel. I think it really just sounds like a muddy clean channel so I rarely use it. The next channel is called the metal channel. This is a more high gain tone. I would compare it to some 1980s Marshall amps. It has a pretty good sound to it and I use it when I play some 80s and classic rock songs.

The Spider IV also gives you four modulation effects, two types of delay, and reverb in addition to a built in noise gate and tuner. The effects are ok but not super. The chorus/flange effect is pretty good as is the phaser. I personally don't like the vibrato effect that is included as it sounds way too artificial, but it's not as bad as some built in phasers that I have heard. The sweep and echo delay are very good as is the reverb. You have a little bit of ability to tweak the various effects to suit your individual style and taste.

I actually have pretty good impressions of the Spider IV. You can often find this new for around $100 and used for $50-$75. It is built pretty sturdy and sounds really good when you practice in your room or practice area. There really is not a whole lot negative about the Spider IV when comparing it to similar priced amps. Like most things it is made in China, but the craftsmanship is much better than I typically find in their goods. I think the bass is a little more heavy than I would like, cut that can be fixed with a cheap EQ pedal. I practice with headphones a lot and the amp is not good with extra pedals when you have headphones. It appears to get really noisy or have a high bass response with more than one or two pedals.

If you are just starting out or want a practice amp this is the one for you. It is not anywhere near what you would need to play with other musicians, but you get a super value for under $100.

Sources and to purchase.

www.line6.com

www.musciansfriend.com

www.ebay.com