Community: Message List

Re: Floor board connection alternatives?

support@line6.com — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 16:54:21 GMT

Hey TZR, thanks for the suggestion. That would certainly improve things, but I've read a few posts on the web that ethernet cables generally don't hold up over time in a live environment with the retaining clips breaking. I've just been researching DB-9 connectors and cables and they have the advantage of screwing together so the cable can't get yanked out accidentally. It would require some cutting of the floorboard's case and the amp's back panel, as well as soldering the wires from the RJ45 jacks to the DB-9 but I can do that no problem. Just wondering about the pin-out wiring and whether the twisted pair wires inside the ethernet cable were actually necessary to cut interference, or was the choice of RJ45 made because ethernet cables are fairly cheap and available at big box electronic stores?

Andy

Floor board connection alternatives?

support@line6.com — Mon, 03 Dec 2012 16:18:19 GMT

Has anyone successfully modified their Line 6 floorboard to use a different connection type than RJ45 ethernet? Most RJ45 ethernet cables don't lay flat very well like a guitar cable does, and I need a 25' run back to my amp, so I'm thinking of installing an 8 pin DIN connector at each end instead. Has anyone done this, and if not, does anyone know of a pin-out diagram for the Floor board RJ45 connections? I'm sure I could just wire up the 8pin DIN cable the same at each end and it would work, but I'm wondering if all 8 wires are used? If for example, only 5 wires are being used then I could possibly use a 5-pin MIDI jack instead. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Andy

Re: Flextone II HD static & buzzing after cleaning pots & new battery

support@line6.com — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 19:11:05 GMT

Hey TRZ, thanks for responding. The Save function now works properly so the new battery definitely solved the orig problem but I don't think the battery has caused this new issue either, and I was pretty careful to spray the contact cleaner only into the holes on each pot though some of them were pretty buried. But something else happened last night. Using a little old school TV troubleshooting 101 technique, I worked a little more with the amp, and with the static/buzzing sound going on I gave the amp head cabinet a light rap with the bottom of my fist to see if it was a loose connection causing the noise and sure enough, as I moved along the top of the amp from right to left (facing the amp) the static/buzzing began to fade until it was completely gone. If I continued tapping, this time moving back to the right side of the amp, the static/buzzing started to come back. I then rapped directly over the left-hand top corner and the sound disappeared again. I then remembered that when I was inside the amp earlier to change the battery, I had noticed the input jack (which is directly below where I was rapping when the sound vanished) was not quite horizontal so I loosened the plastic nut and gently twisted it around, only a degree or two so the PCB was horizontal, and then tightened the plastic nut back down being careful not to over-tighten. I suspect in doing so I may have pulled on a wire without knowing or tightened the jack too much??? Not sure, but I am going to open it back up and check it this weekend.

Andy

Flextone II HD static & buzzing after cleaning pots & new battery

support@line6.com — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 04:21:25 GMT

Picked up a Flextone II HD amp earlier this week and I was told by the seller that when he last used it several months ago it would work for a while, sometimes an hour or more, and then it would power off. So he put it away to collect dust. I tried the amp before buying it and it worked and sounded fine for the 10 mins I tried it. I then took it home and played it a couple of times, both for about 30 mins with no problems, but I noticed it wasn't holding any of the patches. So I did some research and replaced the CR2430 coin battery (the orig battery measured 0.00V). This procedure requires removing a large metal cover over the electronics and several screws, so I figured while I was inside the amp I should spray electrical contact cleaner into all of the pots. I was very careful not to touch anything else or move anything. I then carefully reassembled the amp and now when it powers on I get a constant static & buzzing sound that pulses in time with the tempo button setting. I can turn the Master volume off and the buzz/static stays the same volume. If I turn the Master volume up and play my guitar I hear my guitar signal and it sounds normal except for the static/buzz in the background. Not sure why spraying the pots and changing the battery would have caused this, but has anyone else run into this problem? Thanks.

Andy

Re: What do you use for amp with Line 6 pedalboards?

support@line6.com — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 18:39:42 GMT

Hey guys, sounds like you're all experiencing similar issues. I am getting a good sound on stage and out front but only because I'm lugging a Marshall 4x12" with me. For the P.A. I go direct out, but for distorted tones it can sound a bit too brtittle-bright so sometimes the soundguy will slap a mic in front of my cabinet and blend it with the D.I. Out to warm the tone up. For stage, I don't like the looseness of the bass frequencies from open-back speaker cabinets (playing mostly hard rock and classic metal so bass has to be tight) so a standard 1x12" or 2x12 combo is out as most are open-backed. And the Tech21 PowerEngine looks cool but I'd like a stereo 2x12" solution and a 1x12" PowerEngine is $339 at Musician's Friend so 2 of those starts to get expensive. I've been thinking that my solution will be to build a 2x12" cabinet using 2 speakers from my 4x12" and then build my Marshall stereo power amp into the cabinet. I still think this is a product that Line 6 could really do well with considering how many people use pedalboards and are plugging into the clean channel of a combo amp and not using the bulk of the electronics of the amp.

Guitarzan, I have a very specific tone I am chasing, and I know what you mean about the fuzzyness of many of the X3 patches. The closest I've got to a cleaner distorted tone from the Line 6 is a tone a friend and I cooked up based on the Dual Rectifier amp model. I'm at work now but I can post details later. I've always prefered real tube amps, but it's hard to beat the flexibility of the effects patching from the X3 Live and the convenience of carrying it all around in a lightweight pedalboard. It would take a lot of fancy dance moves to replicate some of the effects chains that can be switched instantly on the X3 with a standard pedalboard with individual pedals, and though I am still carrying the 4x12" around it's nice not to carry around a 50 lb. amp head as well. As far as powered monitors, in theory they should provide a great sound when speaker emulation from the X3 is used, but in real life that's not been my experience. They still tend to sound muffled and/or fuzzy. IMHO a better solution is to make an amplified speaker cabinet without preamp controls, with guitar speakers in it to more accurately produce the frequency range of a guitar, despite the cabinet emulation in the X3 live and other Line 6 products. I just have to figure out the cabinets dimensions for the project I mentioned above and then I can get started building. I'll report back with the results.

Andy

What do you use for amp with Line 6 pedalboards?

support@line6.com — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 16:32:26 GMT

I have an X3 Live pedalboard, and I connect the Line Out from the X3 to an 80W Marshall Valvestate stereo power amp and then into a Marshall 4x12" stereo cab. I've been thinking of down-sizing this rig, but I don't like the idea of buying a 1x12" or 2x12" combo amp and just plugging into the Clean channel. Seems like a real waste of money and electronics. Does anyone know of a 1x12" or 2x12" "powered" cabinet that just has a power amp in it? I've already sent an email to Line 6 requesting they make such a product (makes sense with all the pedalboard products they make) but until they produce something, any other ideas? And feel free to share what amp you use with your Line 6 PBoard. Thanks!

Andy

Can POD HD do pitch doubling effect?

support@line6.com — Sun, 28 Nov 2010 22:46:14 GMT

Hey guys,

I've got a POD HD300 to try out today and one effect I can't seem to find is a basic pitch doubling effect. All of the pitch effects available from the FX1 knob seem to only do harmony functions, but I want to set the interval between the original note and the effected noted to just a few cents above or below to thicken up the sound. Is this possible with the POD HD series?

Andy