Whose Line 6 Is It Anyway?

There are three types of loud; 1. Loud (someone shouting in your ear), 2. Very Loud (sticking your head in the belfry of Big Ben at noon) and... 3. Fucking Loud (listening to Slayer live at Donnington).

Another definition for the latter could be: Spider Valve HD100 guitar amplifier by Line 6. You can pick these up for a song thanks to our current economic climate and also because it is made in China. But don't let China's low wage levels cast you into a vortex of guilt, because the instruction manual that's included is a doddle to understand and that's a bonus for products that are manufactured in the far east. If you happen to be in the market for such an item and you're looking for something complete with valves and effects, then you should give this a try. Hold on...valves and effects? What rubbish is this? Aren't all proper guitarists worth their salt only supposed to be into class A amplification without bells and whistles so as to ensure a clean and natural signal path which benefits the overall tone?

It's a good job I'm not a proper guitarist and I'm here to irk the purists ('cos it's a right good laugh). Listen up all you stick-in-the-mud direct-injection wallies, you only think that nowt but valve sound is the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. That's probably because you are; A. someone who mostly listens to pre-eighties music, B. deluded or C. an old fart.

Pull your heads out of your botties and listen to some of the convincing tones that today's world of digital modelling can offer. For those not in the know, digital modelling is the process of impersonating the sound of various vintage and popular amplifiers using software algorithms and putting it all into one neat package, saving you the hassle of having to own, and more importantly, lug around all those different and heavy amplifiers to studios and gig venues. Line 6 has been at the forefront of modelling technology for quite a while and they have an excellent track record in this field. But they've gone one further by joining up with boutique amp manufacturer Bogner, and together both companies have combined their expertise to produce the Spider series (available in head and combo units). So not only do you get a couple of 12AX7 valves in the pre-amp, you also get four 6L6 valves helping out in the power section. It's class AB to be technical and yes, it comes with quality digital effects such as reverb, delay, flange (I like that word), chorus etc - all the usual sonic flavours that should satisfy many a guitarist's pallette.

The only downside to this product is the costly pedal needed for gigs (FBV2, FBV Express or FBV Shortboard) which is available as an optional extra. They at least should include the budget version which would present this as a well built and well thought out package. (Edit from 2020: I've long since got shot of this, although I've kept the Line 6 Pod Pro for recording purposes.)