Yamaha-owned Line 6 says its new Spider V guitar amplifiers come with more amps, cabinets and effects than any other amps in their class. What's more, most of the models in the series have a cooked in wireless receiver that's compatible with the company's Relay transmitters, giving players the opportunity to go cable-free with ease.
The 5th generation Spider amps are available in four flavors, with only the baby of the bunch not coming with built-in wireless technology that will work with Line 6 transmitters such as the Relay G10. This essentially means that, for the most part, players looking for the freedom to move around the stage without tripping over long cables no longer need to make sure there's a Relay receiver in the gig bag.
There are also more than 200 modeled amps, cabinets and effects are on offer, and once an amp and cabinet combination is chosen, up to eight effects can be chained together simultaneously. The Spider V series has been designed for ease of use, with settings and parameters called up using familiar knobs and a simple editing interface. Color-coded controls are reported to make selection a breeze.
Artist-designed presets allow noodlers to dial in pro tones created by world-renowned guitarists, though the company hasn't revealed which artists are featured, as well as Line 6 originals. Rig presets are also on tap, which are based on the studio setups from "legendary songs and albums," while genre presets give access to tones designed to fit different styles of music.
Should players find the included sonic arsenal too limiting, a Spider V mobile app for iOS and Android gives access to over 10,000 tones stored in the cloud, as well as the ability to upload and share their own creations with the Line 6 online community.
Each model sports a full-range speaker system that's been designed to easily cope with the different demands of electrics and acoustics, and even digital music, as well as useful practice tools like a metronome and looped drum samples recorded by professional drummers.
An included USB interface means that players can connect to a computer or mobile device straight from the amp, without the need for external gear like IK Multimedia's new iRig HD 2. There's an integrated tuner, too, and each purchase comes with a free Cubase LE 8 recording software download to enable the capture moments of inspiration or to lay down full songs.
The only member of the series that's not wireless-ready for Line 6's Relay transmitters is the Spider V 30, which features a bi-amped 8-inch loudspeaker and a tweeter for full-range sound. As with all of the V series, the number at the end of the name denotes the rated output, in this case 30 watts. Next in line is the Spider V 60, that's rated at 60 W output and comes with a 10-inch speaker and tweeter setup. This amp also has a 60 second looper to allow guitarists to play along with their own layered chops.
The Spider V 120 is rated for 120 watts of output, with a speaker system made up of a 12-inch loudspeaker and tweeter. This model features a 60 second looper and XLR direct outputs. Lastly, Line 6 has given the top of the range Spider V 240 two 12-inch loudspeakers and two tweeters for 240 W of rated output. Again, there's a 60 second looper and XLR outputs.
The Spider V series is available now. The 30 carries a suggested retail price of US$279.99, the 60 comes in at $419.99, the 120 at $559.99, and the 240 at $699.99. The video below shows the Spider V in action.
Source: Line 6