Guitar Tricks Insider February/March Digital Edition | Page 57

GEAR REVIEW

FEATURES
The Spider IV 15 cabinet houses a Line 6 designed
8” speaker with a 15-watt power amp. Tone is
modified using the 3-band EQ (bass, mid, treble)
and the Drive knob controls gain/overdrive. One
of the most impressive features is the wide range
of outstanding amp tones it produces: everything
from clean chorusing reminiscent of a Roland Jazz
Chorus, classic British tones similar to a VOX AC30, excellent representation of a Marshall Plexi
overdriven with a Variac, and searing high gain
shred tones of a Mesa Boogie Duel Rectifier. At
the touch of a button you can go from shimmering
clean tones to red-hot overdrive. I happen to
own a Line 6 POD and absolutely love it! In fact,
it’s used on song and lesson tutorials I do for
GuitarTricks.com. And like the POD, the Spider
IV 15 has amazing sounds and memory banks
to save and store your own tonal creations for
future recall – all at the touch of a finger. Desired
changes in EQ, gain, and effects are saved by
holding the channel button for two seconds.
The save has been accepted when the channel
light flashes once. The amp comes with four
killer-sounding factory preset amp tones: Clean,
Crunch, Metal, and Insane. The Metal and Insane
channels are over-the-top and provide more than

enough gain and distortion to satisfy the most
hardcore metal fan. Plus, six effects have been
dialed in that sound spectacular when partnered
with the presets: Chorus/Flange, Phaser, Tremolo,
Sweep Echo, Tape Echo, and Reverb. A very useful
feature is the Tap button, which enables you to
set the tempo for the Tape Echo and Sweep Echo,
and doubles as a guitar tuner for quick and easy
tuning. Additional attributes include the Phones/
Record Out, which are perfect for late night,
private jamming with headphones, or recording
direct into a recording console/mixer. The auxiliary
CD/MP3 input accepts an external audio source
(CD player or iPod) making jamming with your
favorite backing tracks or songs an easy breezy
treat. The FBV Pedal input for a Line 6 FBV2 foot
controller (sold separately) allows hands-free
channel switching, which is nice if you’re playing a
song with several different guitar tones like clean,
distorted, and effected parts. If you choose to
go the foot controller route, check out the FBV
Express MKII by Line 6, which expands on the
capabilities of the FBV2 and includes tap tempo,
volume/wah control, and tuner capabilities.backing
track and your guitar.

VERDICT
Line 6 left no stones unturned. Considering
all that Spider IV 15 offers at a street price of
under $500, it’s an excellent practice amp for
beginners and pros looking for a variety of
great sounds, and additional options in one
affordable package.

FEB/MAR

DIGITAL EDITION

57