For the most part, when searching for an amplification setup to help your electric guitar rock some noise, you're faced with a couple of choices. You can go for an all-in-one combo model that puts amp and speaker(s) into a single cabinet or you can aim for a separate amp head and speaker cab. Line 6 has just announced a third option. Thanks to built-in speakers, the Spider V 240HC head unit can work as a stand-alone combo amp or be cabled to a speaker cabinet to create a stereo half stack.
The Spider V 240 HC has a full-range speaker system made up of two 4-inch speakers and two tweeters mounted inside the head module, meaning it can be used as a 50-watt practice combo or acoustic guitar amp. The speaker system can also be used for device-sourced music playback, and the amp can be used as a recording interface out of the box thanks to having its own USB port for connection to a computer or mobile device and access to a free download of Cubase LE recording software.
Connection to a Spider 412 cabinet (packing, as the name suggests, four 12-inch speakers) transforms the setup into a bi-amped 240-watt stereo half stack. Though the newly-updated Spider 412 has been optimized and aesthetically matched to the 240HC, Line 6 says that the new Spider V head/combo will work with most standard extension cabs.
As it's a modern Spider amp, the 240HC benefits from cooked in digital amp/cab modulations and effects, with over 10k tones ready and waiting in the cloud for use via the free Spider V Remote app for iOS/Android. The head/combo amp also has a 60-second looper to allow players to layer backing tracks to solo over, an included metronome and a selection of drum loops. And there's a built-in receiver for the Relay G10 wireless receiver, too, for cable-free stage roaming (with a Relay G10T transmitter – sold separately – plugged into the guitar's output jack, of course).
The Spider V 240HC head/combo amp and matching Spider 412 cabinet will be available from March, though we've no word on price for either. Visitors to NAMM in California this week can get more information at the Line 6 booth.
Source: Line 6
