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4604 Views 6 Replies Latest reply: Jan 23, 2010 7:38 AM by metalman1221 RSS
Peeweepeat Just Startin'
Peeweepeat
8 posts since
Jan 7, 2010
Currently Being Moderated

Jan 9, 2010 7:07 AM

Spider Valve MKII vs HD147

Hello!!! After many hours of searching I have come to a conclusion that I want either a Spider Valve MKII or a HD147.

 

My 2 combinations are...

 

Spider Valve MKII 212 combo, with a 2X12 extention cabinet with Vintage 30's

HD147, and TWO 2X12 extention cabinet with vintage 30's

 

(The reason Im using 2x12's is that these ones are good value for money, and are easier to transport)

 

So... the main question... Which one do I buy???

 

I play mainly Metallica, Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Airbourne, etc

 

This is my list of pro's and con's for each, please add to this list and post suggestions

 

Spider Valve MKII

 

Pros - Tube amp so a good sound, lots of pitch shifting effects, looper, only 2 units to transport rather than 3, 128 user presets,

Cons - Cost to replace tubes, time to wait for tubes to warm up, (im not sure about this one) is 40watts enough power?

 

HD147

 

Pros - Lots of different amp models and cabs, won't have to buy tubes, 300W so PLENTY of power,

Cons - Solid state so it might not be as good tone, by using two 2X12 cabs at 120w each possibly wreck the speakers?, only 4 presets

 

So your opinions guys

 

Ooo a 3rd option, a Spider IV hd 150 going through two 2x12's with vintage 30's? How would this sound? How does it compare to the tone of the Spider Valve and the HD147? And would it work aswell? On the back of the ext cabs it has a 8 ohms mono input, and on the back of the Spider HD 150 it has a 8ohms right out put, and a 8 ohms left out put, could i use a cable to connect the right out put into one of the ext cabs, and the left output into another output so it become a half stack sort of?

 

Spider IV HD 150

 

Pros - Same effects as the Spider valve but no tubes to worry about, cheapest,

Cons - Solid state not a good tone at loud volumes,

Tags: tone, amp, 147, hd, hd147, cabinet, cab, replacement, spider, 212, tube, valve, sv, iv, mkii, vs
  • Rowbi Expert Line 6 User
    Rowbi
    7,548 posts since
    Nov 25, 2006
    Currently Being Moderated
    Jan 9, 2010 7:45 AM (in response to Peeweepeat)
    Re: Spider Valve MKII vs HD147

    tone is subjective.  if you know you like the sound of V30's then that's fine.

    i wouldn't risk the HD147 with 240watts of speakers, as it's a 300watt amp... isnt it?? or just check out the possibility to run it with a higher ohm load so that the amp runs at a lower wattage.  i.e. some solid state amps you can use a 16ohm load instead of an 8ohm load, and this would half the watts that are output.  remember that half the wattage is only 3dB I think, so it's hardly any actual volume and it's still 150watts.  but you may as well just get a spider IV HD150

    • Hirokotzu Just Startin'
      Hirokotzu
      42 posts since
      May 3, 2009
      Currently Being Moderated
      Jan 9, 2010 2:18 PM (in response to Rowbi)
      Re: Spider Valve MKII vs HD147

      It depends. Have you played through both the Valve and the HD147? I have a HD100 Spider valve MKI and the cab with 4 Vintage 30s, and I also have a Spider III 15w small little transport amp. Tube amps take far more care then solid states due to the fact of replacing tubes, its more delicate inside so things usually go wrong more. 40w is still damn loud, and if you drive it, it will naturally saturate and be at its best sound if you crank it where solid states can tend to get worse when you crank them (thats in my experience) My HD100 (100watts) destroys my ears if I even put it to half in my garage, so 40w is still damn loud. 300watts isnt a lot louder then 100. I dont think you'll ever need to be 300watts volume unless you play open concerts.Tube amps feel louder then solid states too, IMO.

       

      the MKII would probably save your back though, and its tone, in my opinion, is far better then any pure solid state amp. you can also upgrade your Spider valve with the SVpre made by strymon to give it full tube dynamics and make it even better, cant really do that with a solid state unless you put a preamp in, but then its still nowhere near a full tubeamp. I think you should try both out and mess with them both. Buying expensive gear means you have to think everything over, even if your pretty sure you know what you want. I wanted a Marshall halfstack when I upgraded, but that changed to a Bogner Alchemist, but I finally decided on the Spider valve. Try them out man.

      • Apologist Iknowathingortwo
        Apologist
        627 posts since
        Jan 24, 2007
        Currently Being Moderated
        Jan 9, 2010 8:24 PM (in response to Hirokotzu)
        Re: Spider Valve MKII vs HD147

        +1 to the above

         

        Always, always, always, try it out first or make sure if you do buy it you have a generous return policy like Musicians Friend who offers like 45days on most items for exchange or return.

         

        I can only tell you I have a SVMKII HD100 and an older Vetta II/HD147 Slant 4x12 cab ... and I love it ..but as previously stated it is incredibly loud ...drum volume at like 25-30% and overpoweringly loud at even %50.

  • Nick_Mattocks Expert Line 6 User
    Nick_Mattocks
    9,066 posts since
    Mar 26, 2007
    Currently Being Moderated
    Jan 10, 2010 4:31 AM (in response to Peeweepeat)
    Re: Spider Valve MKII vs HD147

    Hi

     

    I have a Spider Valve 112 MkI which I believe uses more or less the same power amp stage as the Spider Valve 212 MkII.  For 40w output into the single internal speaker it's loud, but with an extension 1x12 cabinet it moves more air.

     

    I've used my 112 with an extension cab for gigging on a number of occasions and a couple of them with two other guitarists using 4x12 cabs and Marshall JCM2000 TSL100 100w heads - one of which is also mine.   The Spider Valve more than held its own.  It is a surprisingly loud amp for its stated power rating

     

    I'm not sure what impedance speakers the Spider Valve 212 MkII comes with but if you are going to add a 2x12 extension cab to a 212 amp you will probably need to ensure that ALL the speakers are individually rated at 16 ohms as in parallel that will give you an overall load of 4 ohms.

     

    Nick

  • line6lm Iknowathingortwo
    line6lm
    594 posts since
    Sep 17, 2008
    Currently Being Moderated
    Jan 22, 2010 5:12 PM (in response to Peeweepeat)
    Re: Spider Valve MKII vs HD147

    It's been a couple of days since we've heard from you. We're going to assume your question has been answered and close this thread. If you feel your question(s) have not been answered, or, if you have further questions, please feel free to re-open this thread with us and we will answer your questions accordingly. Thanks!

     

     

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  • metalman1221 Just Startin'
    metalman1221
    28 posts since
    Oct 28, 2006
    Currently Being Moderated
    Jan 23, 2010 7:38 AM (in response to Peeweepeat)
    Re: Spider Valve MKII vs HD147

    It's always tough to choose. I have been a faithful HD147 user for 4 years but have grown tired of it. Plenty of power for sure but after awhile the processed tones started to annoy me. Yes, you can get a great tone from this head but it still sounds too processed for me.Also, I run mine at full power(In stereo,300w)and I there are times I get drowned out by the drummer,even cranked up with the master on a litle more than halfway.Our former other guitar player in our band was running the Spider Valve MK 1and he was alwyas louder and had a warmer tone than me....which is what started me on the MK II. I just bought the MKII head yesterday and it will be shipped to me this week. I am sticking with LINE6 right now because I gig weekly and love having effects and my settings stored. I just use the shortboard on stage rather than having a floor full of effects. So,the HD147 is a great head.....can it hang with a real tube? No..... Can you play live with it and get a great tone? Yes......but a tube its not. I am keeping my HD as a back up just in case. If I dont love the MKII,then I will move on to something else. Tone is subjective and hard to find.

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