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Has Anyone Upgraded From One Spider Iv Amp To Another?


jbailes
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I'm considering trading in my 75 watter for a 120 watter. I understand that with a 2x12, you can get a stereo sound using the ping pong delay. Has anyone switched out amps and if so, what was your experience> Thank you.

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A number of the FX on the Spider IV are stereo (you can hear them on your 75 by plugging in headphones to the back jack).  The 'ping pong' will be noticeable if you are up close to the 2-speaker amp, but the effect will diminish the further away you are as the sound from the speakers combines.

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That I didn't know. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I figure 120w is all anyone would need for playing out, right? I know a lot have the 150, either combo or half stack, but I just don't see needing that much volume in any situation. Besides, if I got the 150, it would be the head only, but another brand of 4x12.

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The beauty of the 150 (either the 2x12 combo or the head) is the stereo outs. The 120 does not have speaker out jacks. With a 150, you can run two separate 4x12 cabs and spread them as far apart as you wish. However, the amp is designed to see an 8 ohm load on each side. Therefore, you either need to run two 8 ohm cabs on each side, or you can safely run two 16 ohm cabs, with a minimal drop in volume. What you would NOT want to do is run two 4 ohm cabs, as this will cause damage to the amp. I have both the 2x12 combo and the HD150 (head), and I run either one into two Marshall 1960 cabs with each cab set to 16 ohm mono operation and it sounds fantastic, especially with a stereo effect, such as chorus.

Also, speaking from experience, if you are in a band practice situation and you are not mic-ing your amp into a PA, you may find that you will need the extra wattage to stand out in the mix. Typically you would have a cab mic'ed for a gig, so you get your volume through the PA in which case the extra wattage is not necessary.

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Volume-wise, it really depends on your band situation, your practice space and the type of music you are playing.

 

I found the 75 watt amp adequate for band practice in a Beatles-tribute band with 6 members (including lead singer), but in a metal band, it probably would not be loud enough.  As jjack says, mic-ing amps to the PA shoudl be done whenever possible for live use to ensure good sound dispersal.

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Great input guys. I learned a lot. I think, however, since I'm just a mediocre bedroom guitarist, I'll go with the 120 in order to hear that stereo sound.

 

I love the stereo sound from my hd150. The stereo echo is good and the chorus is incredible. I could be wrong, but I think that's one advantage that the HD150 and the 150 and 120 watt combo spider amps have even over the tube versions.

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Volume aside, I understand that the 150 head is the only "HD" product in the spider IV line-up. What precisely does the HD mean, and would it

be that much of an advantage over, say, the 120 or 150 combos in terms of sound quality? (bear in mind, I'm but a poor bedroom guitarist whose been playing for about 35 years and still have no skills whatsoever)

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The HD here only stands for "head." My understanding is that it has exactly the same amp modeling, efx, etc... as the spider iv 150, 120 and 75 combos (although the 75 is mono, not stereo). It is confusing though that Line 6 uses HD for two different designations for their products. 

 

 

 

Volume aside, I understand that the 150 head is the only "HD" product in the spider IV line-up. What precisely does the HD mean, and would it

be that much of an advantage over, say, the 120 or 150 combos in terms of sound quality? (bear in mind, I'm but a poor bedroom guitarist whose been playing for about 35 years and still have no skills whatsoever)

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The HD here only stands for "head." My understanding is that it has exactly the same amp modeling, efx, etc... as the spider iv 150, 120 and 75 combos (although the 75 is mono, not stereo).

 

Note that although the 75 has a mono output through the (single) speaker, the DI/headphone output is in fact stereo and you can get all the stereo effects that way - great for recording!

In the semi-pro music world, stereo set ups for live work are seldom used because it can cause unbalanced sound to the audience - those over on the left won't hear the 'right channel'. and vice-versa.

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JBailes, I have the Spider IV 120. I would say the only complaint I have about the amp is, is the volume control on it. You are either very hard to hear any sound or your just blasting your face off and the volume control knob is barely at the 9 o'clock position (counter clockwise volume control) from the 0 position. I keep the amp in my bedroom and at the 9 o'clock position, I know several of my neighbors can easily hear me...LOL. I can't even imagine why a person would need the volume higher.

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JBailes, I have the Spider IV 120. I would say the only complaint I have about the amp is, is the volume control on it. You are either very hard to hear any sound or your just blasting your face off and the volume control knob is barely at the 9 o'clock position (counter clockwise volume control) from the 0 position. I keep the amp in my bedroom and at the 9 o'clock position, I know several of my neighbors can easily hear me...LOL. I can't even imagine why a person would need the volume higher.

What you are describing is because of the CHANNEL VOLUME settings on your preset patches.   The presets do not save the MASTER VOLUME.  If your channel volume is turned WAY up, then adjusting the master volume just a little can really change the volume drastically - but at the same time you will hit a 'maximum' volume before the master control is turned all the way up.

Conversely, if your channel volume volume is saved way down, then adjusting the master volume will make little difference.

 

Remember that the dial position of the channel volume and other controls (bass, treble, gain, etc) does not indicate the patch setting, and by touching any one of those controls ('waking it up' in Spider terms) you will change that setting to where the dial is pointed.

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Yeah. Over the weekend, I did a pretty thorough test drive between the 75, 120, and 150 combos (as much as you can minus the shortboard). And I think I'm just gonna stick with what I have.

 

I bet that's a good decision. Haven't ever played through a 75, but it seems to have exactly the same of everything that the 120 and 150 have anyway. The stereo speakers of the 150 on chorus and stereo echo is pretty cool, but not that big of a deal.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I bet that's a good decision. Haven't ever played through a 75, but it seems to have exactly the same of everything that the 120 and 150 have anyway. The stereo speakers of the 150 on chorus and stereo echo is pretty cool, but not that big of a deal.

I hear ya. Back in the day I had 2 Fender twins and a tc electronic chorus Y-corded to both of them. As far as clean tone is concerned, I don't think I could ever beat that.

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I went from the little Spider IV 15 to the HD 150 and while I absolutely love it, I wish that I had a smaller amp for "bedroom" sessions. The lowest volume I can get on the head itself is still too loud sometimes. lol since I have a pedal board, its only a minor annoyance. 

 

As for a recommendation, I would put it out there that for similar setup you may want to look closer at the 75. Truth be told, the 75 would rock from the bedroom to a small venue, like a bar designed to play bands. really the only venues, around here, I'd worry about is the LARGER (5000+ setting) outdoor venues with a 75. 

 

 

That's just my thoughts. I love my HD 150 but would also love a 75. 

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  • 3 weeks later...

I actually DOWNgraded by getting a 75 to add to my 150 (combo). I agree with other users that the 150 is frankly too loud for anything other than full band rehearsals or gigs. Even then as my many patches tend to be saved with high volume (to achieve a fuller tone) I find as do other posters that I need the Master Volume at 9 o'clock and any tiny increase risks blasting my bandmates away - handle with care! I also cannot play it in the house as, even with no patch and turned right down, the 2x12s are just too loud.

 

So I got a 75, would have bought even smaller, but of course the 75 is the smallest Spider iv which shares all the same tones and amp models as the 150, so I needed this to be able to fully copy all my patches across when using the 75 at home and in rehearsals where I can't face lugging the big 'un around.

 

Incidentally, that is another factor to consider when upgrading....those bigger amps are damn heavy.

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  • 2 years later...

I deliberately set my patches up with the channel volume cranked up pretty high and/or use of the Boost & Eq and/or using the Boost in Active On mode. Tone is still great, and it's easier to keep up when I set the patches this way. 8 o'clock is okay for practicing during the evening, 9 o'clock is good for practicing during the day when you don't have to worry about waking anyone, and 10 o'clock is furious! I had lots of problems setting the channel volume too low and not getting the kind of power that lives in the 150. I have the 75, but I lined out stereo to a power amp, then to two Marshall MX412A cabs. It was okay, but I had the 75 that has only one speaker, and I detest playing through one speaker, so I don't use the 75...

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