Spider Valve MkII, moving away from AXE FX

[Mark C]

I got this amp about a month ago after some deep thought about my rig. Ever since the idea of modeling amps came about, I've been interested, but it took a while for me to be convinced. Over the years I've owned a bunch of great tube amps, vintage and boutique, and the line 6 stuff never felt right.

Fast forward to a couple years ago and I became intrigued by two new developments, the Spider Valve and the Axe FX. I love many different tones, most of them more in the vintage camp, and I simply can't afford to have twenty amps around, plus I like to be able to switch tones at a gig. So, the idea of having all these sounds in one box was very appealing. I tried out the Spider Valve at guitar center, and I really dug it, but I didn't like the fact that you couldn't tweak the effects very well. So, I decided to buy the Axe FX, since it had a return policy.

The Axe FX sounded great, had everything I needed, but it actually was TOO tweakable. I dug the sounds, but I couldn't stand using it! So, after about two years, I decided it was time to get something that worked for me, and read about the new spider valve MkII. It seemed line 6 addressed all my previous issues with the effects. Now you could set your delay times and feedback, you could adjust levels of effects to your taste. Plus, you can plug it into your computer and use the editor to build patches (seems they took a page from Fractal audio). I sold my AXE FX rig, and made enough to buy a spider valve, a GDec 3 (another thread) and pay off some bills. I figured if I didn't like the spider valve, I'd return it and go back to a good tube amp and pedals.

As I see it, the basic difference between using this amp and the Axe FX is this - the Axe FX lets you design everything. You can tweak not just the controls of your amp, but you can change the bias, tweak the transformer, adjust the bright cap settings, etc, etc, etc. You can build a wah exactly as you want, set the sweep, the Q, adjust the frequencies. Which is fantastic if you dig that kind of thing. However, it's too much for me. The spider valve is like having a bunch of tube amps and pedals. You can adjust the basic parameters, and that's it. If you like the amp or effect, it's a no-brainer, but if you don't like it, you can't tweak it until you like it as you can with the Axe Fx. I don't want to design a wah, I just want to plug in a good sounding wah.

Fortunately for me, I really do like the tones and effects in the Spider Valve, and I'm having fun again. I plug in, and within a minute or two have a sound I really enjoy. The floorboard is also a no-brainer, plug and play.

Ok, how does it sound? To my ear, it gets damn close to the tones I want and need, mainly vintage Fender, Marshall and Vox tones. Are they dead on? I don't really care, they just plain sound good, and they feel good. So, I can easily go from great country twang, to smoky jazz, to AC/DC crunch, to beatlesish jangle, to, well you get the idea. The response of the amp is very good, not as responsive in feel as the absolute best tube amps, but it feels like a tube amp (well it does have tubes). Like any tube amp, it doesn't sound it's best turned way down, but that's what a practice amp is for. This is designed to play at a gig, and it should do the job very well (I have the 1x12 and it is LOUD).

The effects sound very good to my ear. The spring reverbs aren't as good as my old Fenders, but they're very useable. Haven't used the overdrives and distortions much, as I do that with the amp models, so I don't know if they're good or not (didn't dig the fuzzes, but I just might need to tweak them a bit). Love the tremolos, delays, choruses, phasers, flangers, pitch shifters and wahs. Are they as good as the best? No, but they sound damn good to my ear.

Basically, this amp is finally the realization of what I really wanted. A simple to use tool, that gives me lots of cool sounds so I can stop chasing tones and get on with practicing and making music. For many, that could be as simple as a tweed deluxe and a chord, for others it's as complex as the AXE FX. Somewhere in the middle is what I need, and this is it.

Kudos to Line 6, this thing kicks butt. Also kudos to Cliff - The Axe FX is an unbelievable tool, just wasn't right for me.

[chunkomatic]

nice review/update! glad to hear that the mkII is markedly better than the mkI. I had a mkI 1x12 40 watter, but sold it in the pursuit of all-tube tone because of stupid forums like this one that make you gas for everything under the sun.

[Gtrman100]

Marc C- nice review, glad you found a rig you're happy with. Now, duck and cover....

[ripoffriffs]

This is the same reason why I sold my Axe-Fx. Too much tweaking and not enough playing. The tweaking is I think why so many folks like it so much. Some people are just tweakers, I prefer to be a player.

I'm trying out the Digitech GSP1101.

Originally Posted by Mark C

The Axe FX sounded great, had everything I needed, but it actually was TOO tweakable. I dug the sounds, but I couldn't stand using it! So, after about two years, I decided it was time to get something that worked for me, and read about the new spider valve MkII. It seemed line 6 addressed all my previous issues with the effects. Now you could set your delay times and feedback, you could adjust levels of effects to your taste. Plus, you can plug it into your computer and use the editor to build patches (seems they took a page from Fractal audio). I sold my AXE FX rig, and made enough to buy a spider valve, a GDec 3 (another thread) and pay off some bills. I figured if I didn't like the spider valve, I'd return it and go back to a good tube amp and pedals.

As I see it, the basic difference between using this amp and the Axe FX is this - the Axe FX lets you design everything. You can tweak not just the controls of your amp, but you can change the bias, tweak the transformer, adjust the bright cap settings, etc, etc, etc. You can build a wah exactly as you want, set the sweep, the Q, adjust the frequencies. Which is fantastic if you dig that kind of thing. However, it's too much for me. The spider valve is like having a bunch of tube amps and pedals. You can adjust the basic parameters, and that's it. If you like the amp or effect, it's a no-brainer, but if you don't like it, you can't tweak it until you like it as you can with the Axe Fx. I don't want to design a wah, I just want to plug in a good sounding wah.

Basically, this amp is finally the realization of what I really wanted. A simple to use tool, that gives me lots of cool sounds so I can stop chasing tones and get on with practicing and making music. For many, that could be as simple as a tweed deluxe and a chord, for others it's as complex as the AXE FX. Somewhere in the middle is what I need, and this is it.

Kudos to Line 6, this thing kicks butt. Also kudos to Cliff - The Axe FX is an unbelievable tool, just wasn't right for me.

[Mark C]

Originally Posted by Gtrman100

Marc C- nice review, glad you found a rig you're happy with. Now, duck and cover....

Yeah, but I'm a high school teacher, so I'm used to having my opinions questioned!

[ejecta]

Originally Posted by ripoffriffs

This is the same reason why I sold my Axe-Fx. Too much tweaking and not enough playing. The tweaking is I think why so many folks like it so much. Some people are just tweakers, I prefer to be a player.

I'm trying out the Digitech GSP1101.

I did the same thing with a SV MKII. Sold an Ultra due to too much tweaking and after AB'ing the two the Axe didnt have near the in room presence that the SV MKII does. Even though the MKII got me so much more closer to that experience... I honestly just went back to tube amps, analog OD's and the M13. I much happier now.

[ripoffriffs]

Sorry, what's SV MkII?

[Flyin' Brian]

Originally Posted by ripoffriffs

Sorry, what's SV MkII?

Look at the title of the thread