Hello,

I just got back from the pawn shop, with a Spider 2 (150w) and 4 x 12 cabinet for $200.  I have a few small 10-15 watt practice amps since I got back into it, but for a $200 1/2 stack, I could not say NO.

So far, I love it.  The cleans are VERY clean, and the distortion is OK, I need to play with it to get it to work.  For a modeling amp, it sounds WAY better than my GDEC.  I hated the lack of a true "clean" sound from my GDEC1, I tried all possible settings to no avail.  It got cleaner, but never clean and sweet, like the setting on this amp.

As for condition, I can say some rich kids Christmas present went to the local pawn shop.  The thing is spotless, not a scratch on it!  It still smells new, perfect Tolex and cables.  The only thing I am missing is the footpedal.

Here is my 1st noob question:  Can I use the FBV type pedal, or do I have to use the simple up/down type?  Is the cable from the amp to the pedal a standard 8P8C CAT5/6 type for ethernet?

Question #1 - If I can use the FBV type, can the pedal be used for Wah and volume?

I am also looking around the site for a downloadable PDF manual?  I might find it before someone responds, but if not, I would appreciate a URL?

SO, other than wonderful clean sounds, what else is there in store for me with this amp?  This is my 1st ever Line 6 product, I have the Fender GDEC's, and a Fender 100 keyboard amp for my VDRUMS.  In the past, I had a Roland JC120, and Yamaha 212 from the 80's, and my best'est was a Peavey 5150 when they first came out.  Unfortunately, I sold all of those.  But, this new amp looks like it will be fine.  Even if I don't like the onboard stuff, I can set it to clean and buy pedals if the sound I would like is not easily obtainable.

Question #2 - Is this the right place to ask about settings?  I would like to try and get the modeling as close as I can to the Van Halen "Brown" sound with the built in effects, if that is even doable?

Question #3 - If I want to go to a full stack, what are my options?  Should I buy a matching bottom, or do I need to get another brand for that?  What connections do I need?

Question #4 - Tuning; I figured out how this works, but what about drop tuning, like a 1/2 step down to D#, is there a way to change that, or just tune the top to, then do the top E string 6th Fret trick (tune the top 2 strings, then tune the E down using the 6th fret instead of the 5th, then tune the rest down that way).

Well, that's by 1st post here, so:

Hello World!

David