Spider V 60 MkII 1x10" 60-watt Modeling Combo Amp Review

Maybe the perfect practice, small room gig amp.

I'm a bedroom rocker, and an occasional garage band gigger. I've owned tons of tube and practice amps over the years (Orange's, Yamaha THRs, Grid Sparks, Roland Cubes et.al), and I'm well immersed in the digital versus tube arguments, even as they've been applied to the Line Six Spyder series. But these days I just want something that sounds reasonably natural, offers a bunch of… read more cool tonal and effect variations -- and most importantly, is easy to use. I don't want to spend my life endlessly tweaking pedal nuances. I just want to simply turn to a tone that's consistent, suits my mood, and rock. (The Grid Spark drove me nuts, and I could never seem to get the right tone...) That's where this amp excels. Yes, you can tweak it to your heart's content, and I confess to experimenting on occasion, but for the most part it offers at least twenty-five tones that are just perfect. They're a combination of built-in Line Six creations, favorite hit song tracks, and famous artists' tracks. And let me emphasize, the Line Six creations are really excellent. So go ahead and give your Yamaha THR and Grid Spark units a try, but I'll save you the time and money. Go for one of the Spyder Mk II combos. You'll thank me.

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Spider V 60 MK II-Great first amp and tone crafting fun

After playing acoustic guitar for about a year, I wanted to venture into electric. I worked with Lucas Payson at Sweetwater to set me up with my new rig - the Spider V 60 mkII and a Squire CV 70s HSS strat. He was very helpful and patient with my many questions - Thanks Lucas. When they arrived, I waited the suggested 24 hours to acclimate the guitar then plugged in and tried… read more all the different presets. Most were quite good and usable, but some were not (in my opinion). The acoustic guitar settings also sounded great. Overall, I was very happy with the sound of the amp. Fast forward 4 weeks later, I started playing with the Spider V Remote software (on Windows 7 computer), and I have a whole new respect for this amp. I first leveled out the volume of all the presets by setting the noise gate and adjusting the amp volume in the software to make them all about the same volume. This eliminated the annoying volume change from preset to preset. Then I started to download tones from the Line 6 site and crafing my own tones. This was the game changer for me. Now when I set out to learn a new song, I first try to either download or recreate the tone and save it to the amp. Even though there are only 4 empty presets, you can overwrite any of the 120 presets with custom tones. This makes learning and practicing songs more enjoyable for me. I have uploaded a few tones to the Line 6 website already (Bryan Adams - Its Only Love and Jay Ferguson - Thunder Island). Still lots to learn about this software and amp, but truly enjoy playing through it and creating new tones with it. While I have nothing to really compare to sonically, after only 6 weeks of ownership, I am extremely happy with my Spider V 60 mkII purchase. For my practice needs, this is a very versatile amp that sounds great to me.

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Is that, ?? ..a Marshall?

Was in my house the other day when I heard the sweet-sweet sounds of somebody playing The Trooper riff by Iron Maiden outside, and LOUD, on their guitar.. So, as you do, I went outside to find out who/where etc., and, up the road a-little, I glimpsed a couple of older guys just rocking out on their back porch! ..sounded like they were playing through a Marshall? …well, after listening… read more to them having fun for a minute or so, and, as much more fun as playing in a band can be, I thought I would introduce myself, and them to backing tracks they could REALLY have some fun with. …Well…after introducing myself, …and five hours later, and some dude showing-up with a keyboard, and etc, …. :0) …anyway ..I was amazed that the sound I was hearing from my house wasn't coming from a big-dollar amp, but coming from a small, old, pawn shop, Spider, amp. Now, I own all the Fractal gear, so modeling isn't new to me. I own a bunch of amps including spendy tube amps, and, over the years, I had heard all the reviews claiming the Spider amps were just not that good (putting it mildly). Well, I'm here to say that they are a Great back-yard BBQ, Birthday Party, impromptu jam / practice amp for anybody looking to bridge the gap between their THR and their spendy Big Rigs. They are loaded with everything you need to have a good time with friends and to practice. They sound GOOD! Really good for their price point! ..and probably make for a better first amp than the Katana range (I own a 100 and the Artist Mkll). These Spiders are much easier to dial in effects on the fly, they have plenty of volume, a drum machine, looper, metronome, audio and wireless in, …and very affordable. I don't know why these amps get the bad press? For what they are, and for what you can use them as, they are a real tool for a real job. It's a Five Star amp in regards to value for money. I came home from making a few new friends that day and immediately bought me the 60watt Spider as it's small, light - easy to lug around, and will sound just great on back porches everywhere.

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It Rocks

It's been many years since I played in a Rock band. Having recently picked up the guitar again, I read reviews on this amp and decided to give it a go. After having used it some now, I have decided that it's the best little amp I have ever personally owned. Sure, I've played through bigger but I never owned them. I especially like that I can lay down tracks directly from the… read more amp to my DAW. Worth every penny. Yes, I would recommend it.

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Great for beginners to pros

Have had this Spider MKII 60w for a few months. Working great for practicing with my Gretch Electromatic and Taylor acoustic. Fits both smoothly. Software is great even without pedals. Easily portable too. Well worth the $$. Great Sweetwater service too. One small con is why the heck couldn't they have put the on/off switch on the front panel? I guess I'm just lazy.

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