cruisinon2

It screws in...righty tighty, lefty loosy.

Okay, I opened it up again. These are the findings....

 

The Celestion G12P-80 "special design" is made in England in this case!!!! LOL It is an 8 ohm speaker. My vintage 30s are 16 ohms. What would happen?

 

 

What happens is you lose power. You're doubling the resistance the amp is expecting to see, thus your 150W amp isn't 150W anymore. Will it damage anything? Probabaly not, because in this case you're pushing uphill...though this seems to be a debated topic, as I've had people tell me that it's impossible to do without damaging something, especially with a tube amp. Despite that opinion, I ran an 8 ohm rated power amp into a 16 ohm cabinet for years with no issues. What you never want to do is run an 8 ohm amp into a 4 ohm load...that's asking for trouble, and may require a fire extinguisher. Generally speaking, it's best to match the amp's impedance to the an appropriate speaker. That's why the numbers are there in the first place, and then you don't have to think about any of this crap.

Hi Guys,

 

I have one on hold at my local music store but after reading some of the posts here, I'm having second thoughts. I really want something that will work for live performance and this unit seems a little weak for that. Limited preset control and weak sound seem to be a consistent issue with many contributors to this forum.

 

To really get the benefit it seems like you must get the pedal and an iPod so....more bucks to spend. Even then, it seems live performance is not a strong use even though the ads say it is. The tone matching feature really sounds interesting if it really works and the Blue Tooth sound cool too but there seems to be issues with those functions as well.

 

Also, why not at least allow usb connection like previous Line 6 or Fender Mustang stuff?

 

Has any one used this amp in an actual performance environment...Like in a bar standing next to a full grown drummer! Of course you can mic up to get to the audience but I wonder if there is even enough volume to be able to hear yourself?

 

Any thought would be greatly appreciated.

 

 

equ2me2

IMHO, the HD series is more suited to live performance. Not that the Amplifi couldn't be used for gigging, but if you want versatility, HD is the way to go.

Hours is a good start, but it took me a few weeks of messing around to get familiar enough with this thing to get sounds I wanted.

 

Could be many things. Are you using pre-amps only, or the full models? What output setting are you on (studio/direct, combo/front, stack/front)? Do you have the cab sims on or off? All of these things will drastically affect your tone.

 

I don't have A DT series amp, but I believe that the intended set-up is a pre-amp only model with cab sims on. The output setting will then depend on exactly how you've set your signal chain...straight into the front of the amp, or into the fx return, or the 4 cable method which is detailed in a bunch of threads on the forum.

 

All of those options can be mixed and matched too...no hard and fast rules. You need to experiment a little...actually a lot, before you will be comfortable with it. Took me weeks. The 500 is a complicated beast...modelers take a little getting used to.

In regards to the impedance thing; I haven't found anything concrete but I was able to find references in the Line 6 support archives and on some other forums. The support archives have multiple posts that refer to an answer, by a Line 6 tech support person, to a question about headphone impedance. I can't find the original post but the answer seems to have been 150-600 ohms.

Fair enough...but you'd think that if were that much of an issue, they might want to consider documenting it SOMEWHERE in one of the manuals. Especially given that many common headphones, even good ones, are not high impedance. AKG 240S for instance, an industry standard for studio monitor cans for neighborhood of 20 years, are 55 ohms.

Thanks for the replies guys, much appreciated. The main issue with studio monitors for me is portability, as I doubt I'd be able to fit them into my suitcase, and they'd take up quite a bit of weight. The reason why I was hestitant with headphones is also partially because everyone seems to have mixed experiences with them, regardless of impedance. With that said, the vox and roland amps do seem like good options. I'll look into those.

I suspect the mixed results are due to using the wrong cans for the job. You really need a good pair of studio monitor headphones with a fairly flat response. There are a bunch of choices, preferrably open or semi-open back, as the closed back ones tend to give you an artificially pronounced bass response, which might be nice for listening to certain styles of music, but not so much for tweaking guitar tones.

 

As for impedance, I honestly never gave it much thought until I started seeing the topic pop up on here, and I still can't find anything in either the Pilot's or Advanced guides that says what the impedance rating is for the phones output. Everybody keeps saying "high impedance" cans, which it may be, but I'll be damned if I can find it anywhere.

Never noticed the delay issue, or dropouts, but there is an issue with the latest JTV firmware and a very audible 'pop' or 'click' when switching patches. More noticeable if switching guitar models and going from heavy dirt to clean at the same time. Rolling back to the previous JTV firmware gets rid of it. A fix is supposedly in the works.

If by "can't use" you mean that there's no sound, then you may need to reflash the firmware. If on the other hand "can't use" means "I don't like the way it sounds", then its like anything else...tweak, tweak, tweak.

I bought these unbranded tuners which are a perfect fit:http://www.axesrus.co.uk/Rear-Disc-Locking-Single-Hole-Machine-Heads-p/jn013x3.htm

I understand that Planet Waves Auto Trim tuners are also a perfect match but they are over double the cost of the ones I found at axesrus.

I've had 'em all...Schaller, Sperzel, Gotoh...but the Planet Waves auto-trims are the most satisfying invention ever. Don't need wire cutters or the clipper thing on the end of the peg-winder, neither of which I can ever manage to find when I sit down to change the strings. But with these things, changing strings is totally painless. Thread the string through, twist and the end just falls off. Best thing ever. They're not the prettiest tuners I've ever seen, but certainly not hideous and the convenience is priceless.

I'm sure the speaker experts will chime in shortly but your Shure SE215's are only 20 ohms, which is fine for phones and mp3 players, and the HD500X is designed to run higher impedance headphones like the Beyerdynamic DT880's, which are 250 ohms.

 

I've seen this on the forums a bunch of times, and I'm in no position to dispute it, but I can't find any reference to headphone impedance in either the pilot's guide or the advanced guide. Anybody know where this info actually is?

Well that's a new one...add it to the list. Other strange firmware related weirdness has been cured with a reflash of the firmware...or two, or three, or four reflashes. Only the big warranty repair bench in the sky knows why...worth a try. Probably won't make anything worse, and you can always roll back again if there is still no joy...

Unlikely that anything is broken.

 

I downloaded a whole bunch of stuff from customtone when I first got my 500X...never used one of them for more than 2 seconds. Same goes for the factory presets. There are WAY too many variables to expect any patch to sound the same with your rig as it did to the guy who created it. Might have sounded just like Pantera to that guy, but with your amp, guitar, and fingers it might sound like the Ramones. You will learn more, and waste a whole lot less time if you start from scratch. Customtone is a nice idea, but without a whole lot of real world practicality. You might get some ideas seeing how others go about building their patches, as far as fx placement, etc...but a drag and drop tone solution it's not.

 

All that said, I love this thing...but there's a learning curve, sometimes a steep one. Took me several weeks of daily use to get to the point where I'm comfortable with it. There are MANY deep edit parameters to tweak that will have a huge impact on your sound...just fiddling with gain, bass, mids, and treble is only scratching the surface of what this thing can do. Try different models, even if its not one that you think you'd like, or wouldn't even consider buying if it were the real thing...you might find that to be your favorite...that's exactly what happened to me. I really dig the Soldano models, and I've never been in the same room with a real one.

 

You'll get there, but you gotta give it a while.

We'll it's $90. And in the past (ceiling at college collapsed and they refused to pay) guitar center has been very good to me with the extra warranties, they even gave me a Spider IV as a replacement for my III when it broke. Does L6 offer any extensions? Cause they have a 1-year on pedal boards I think. Though on my SG I never got a warranty as I can fix it myself

IMHO, thats just nuts. All those Big Box chains got balls of steel. Just order it from Sweetwater. You'll have it in 3 days with a 2 year warranty...and no, I have no affiliation with them whatsoever...just a customer.

 

You're better off buying $90 worth of shoe laces than assuming another ceiling is gonna collapse on your gear.

I was recording few days ago.. an acoustic guitar track. I used Martin D-28 with LR Baggs. It sounded like Marsahall/LR should sound lke.. I pulled out my Variax 300. dailed in D-18,.... It sounded so bad...

 

Is there ae big improvement on JTV guitar acoustic modeling??

You don't say what other gear you're using. Were you recording direct, or through an amp? Point is the problem may not be your 300...million other things can contribute to a lousy sounding acoustic model.

Thanks for your reply, That's pretty much what I expected but the Variax being as much an "electronic" guitar as an electric guitar Iwas wondering if "B" stock implied any kind of defect-prone anomaly in the modeling electronics.

Also, I found what kind of frets are on the '89...JUMBO.

Well, these guitars are not without thier quirks. Read through the forums and you'll find a variety of problems that some users encounter. Buggy firmware, model selector knobs that have trouble engaging sometimes, a few different issues surrounding the alternate tunings, "quacky" piezos, etc etc. Traditional guitars they ain't, and it will probably take some getting used to at first. Some of the issues I mentioned above seem to be related to playing style (especially if you have a heavy picking hand and really dig into the strings) and how much gain you like to use. Piezos are VERY sensitive as compared to mag pickups, which can result in some funky noises till you get used to them.

 

Don't take any of this as discouraging though...you may not have any issues at all, and as a whole I think they are very good guitars, and I now tend to reach for my JTV more often than any of my other axes, but there is a learning curve. Its amazing technology, incredibly versatile in terms of the variety of tones you can get, but not totally without its issues.

Cool! I've got it on layaway at guitar center, will probably get the 2-year warranty for replacements too, I love plinking around with line 6 stuff, maybe the next generation of "amplifi" I might get into as the software develops. I eventually want a DT head but geezus they're expensive, I hear the 500X works USB to computer as well?

Just out of curiosity...how much are they asking for the extended warranty? Volumes have been written on what a comical scam those things are. Half the time they expect you to part with 20-30% of the purchase price for something that in all likelihood, you'll never use. If you were purchasing a $10K rig, maybe...but for something thats only $500, its thievery. Just my humble opinion...

B stock, or "scratch 'n' dent" models generally have some minor cosmetic issue somewhere. Half the time its hard to tell what it even is...I have a 69 scratch n dent from Sweetwater, and I couldn't find anything aside from some very superficial swirls in the laquer on the back of the guitar. Normal wear and tear is guaranteed to do worse on a long enough timeline.

 

Sometimes b stock means a demo guitar that was played in a store or showroom too. Some similar minor wear could be expected.

 

I have no complaints...Sweetwater is great to deal with. Same factory warranty, plus an extra year that they tack on themselves. 30 day no questions asked return policy. Can't go wrong. Other vendors may not be as forgiving on a b stock item. Sometimes they're sold "as is" and you're stuck with it if you don't like it. Gotta read the fine print...

I'm probably doing something wrong. I have it going into the PA, all EQ settings are set flat.

 

Even with the treble and presence up on every patch, I hear a lot of woof.

 

How do I fix this? :(

EQ is often more about cutting what you have too much of, rather than trying to mask it with more of something else. Cutting the low end is likely to give you better results than boosting the highs.

I have a JTV that had some problems when I got it home. Battery life, model selector and first string slipping out of the nut...frequently. I opened a ticket and had to ship it to line 6 for repair. I was told it got a new neck and setup, battery replaced ( although I was told the original was fine?!) and model selector switch fix (was told it was a common issue)

When I play my first string even unamplified you can hear a ring or harmonic. When I lay my finger behind the nut ever so gently like I'm trying to create a harmonic it goes away. These are not inexpensive guitars and I continue to read about issues. The features the company advertises are desirable. Obviously many of us have purchased them because of what they promise. I wish the company would make the products they advertise deliver on the promise of function and quality.

It does sound like a problem with how the nut is slotted. If you don't want to send it back again, any decent luthier should be able to take care of it, and it shouldn't be a million dollar fix. Not sure if it would need a whole new nut or not, but either way it won't be that expensive. You don't say which JTV you have, but if its the 69, then you have replacement neck options too. Mighty Mite, Warmoth...basically anything that will fit a Strat neck pocket should fit nicely on the 69. Obviously that route will cost you more than just dealing with the nut, but it might work for ya. Good luck.

Everybody running 2.0

Line 6 support have come back to say that they don't think this is a bug or an issue and that it is something that will happen with any stomp box if you attack a note as you press the footswitch to engage the effect or change the patch.

 

I know that this problem started happening when I moved to fw 2.0, I know I get the problem even when I mute the strings between patch changes, I know the problem goes away or diminishes significantly when you go back to fw 1.9, I also know that I am not the only one that has had this problem and surely everyone who has reported it can't have just happened to have changed their playing style and forced the issue.  Furthermore, if it was as simple as attacking the note and pressing the footswitch then surely anyone can recreate it - yet my Line 6 support rep said he cannot recreate it.

 

I have pointed all these issues out and have asked that they look at it again - and I have asked what the engineers say about the problem - but if anyone else would like to chime in and raise a support ticket to add substance to the case for fixing this bug then I would greatly appreciate your help.   

 

Thanks!

Line 6 support have come back to say that they don't think this is a bug or an issue and that it is something that will happen with any stomp box if you attack a note as you press the footswitch to engage the effect or change the patch.

 

I know that this problem started happening when I moved to fw 2.0, I know I get the problem even when I mute the strings between patch changes, I know the problem goes away or diminishes significantly when you go back to fw 1.9, I also know that I am not the only one that has had this problem and surely everyone who has reported it can't have just happened to have changed their playing style and forced the issue.  Furthermore, if it was as simple as attacking the note and pressing the footswitch then surely anyone can recreate it - yet my Line 6 support rep said he cannot recreate it.

 

I have pointed all these issues out and have asked that they look at it again - and I have asked what the engineers say about the problem - but if anyone else would like to chime in and raise a support ticket to add substance to the case for fixing this bug then I would greatly appreciate your help.   

 

Thanks!

Raise your hand if you're surprised....anyone?

I have recently experienced the same issue with my JTV59 (non-US). I am in a bit of a pique about it. :angry:

 

Purchased the JTV59 end of March, worked great, a defintie asset fore my gigging, but needed to add in open E tuning for slide work, so wanted to use the Workbench, which requires ver 2.0 of the FW. Turns out this was a mistake, should have just done it on the axe in the old FW. Anyway, two days ago decided to do the alternate tuning creation. Battery was almost fully charged, should not be an issue. Running 64-bit Win7 home edition on a dual-processor Intel platform. USB connected directly to the PC.

 

After some monkeying around with the software (pun intended) to get all the software ducks in a row, I got the flash updated, sort of. I received an error message box similar to the one below, but it differed in that it said the MIDI drivers were already in use and please correct. Or something to that effect. Uh oh. Unplugged the guitar cord to shut it off and disconnected the USB cable to the PC, then reconnected and powered up the guitar, ran the Monkey, which reported flash 2.0 successfully installed. Hm. Then opened the Workbench, it recognized the guitar, ok great. Created the open E tuning, assigned it to Reso G (not one I am likely to use), uploaded it (successfully, according to the Workbench) and shut it all down. I did not have my guitar plugged into an amp, I assumed it was all straightforward. Bad assumption.

 

Plugged it in last night to woodshed, went into model mode, and... no models or tunings. None. Just the same flat tone, much lower level then the mags. The LED selectror LED lights up as normal, and when I turn to ResoG on the Alt Tuning now the LED turns deep blue, but no models or tunings. At that point, just put it away, I wanted to woodshed my chops, not chase down firmware bugs.

 

So there it sits. When I get a chance, I wll try to reflash (with the guitar connected to an amp this time!) and try to get it to work, but... this is ridiculous. It should not be such a pain to do this, seems the much vaunted Line 6 technology is still a bit hinky and neds some fixes. When I bought my HD300 a few years ago, I tried to update the FW but it was so trouble-filled I gave up, it is still at ver 1.0! I will say the JTV59 models sound and play much better then the old models, they feel like real guitars, and in modelling mode the axe responds almost identically to mag pups,. And the mag pups are pretty good (just have to back them away from the strings to get them to open up). But the software/firmware issues are just plain silly. I am an EE by profession and deal with all kind of SW tools and rarely see anything that is as flaky as this. Well, maybe Windows. But come on, guys. I know it's just a $1000 guitar (!?), please fix this instabilty, if my company sold stuff this flaky we would be in deep trouble. Please fix!

 

I sympathize with ya...and I agree. The firmware shouldn't be affected by realtive humidity, sunspots, seismic activity, which way the NASDAQ is headed, or whatever the other arbitrary circumstances are that makes it get all pi$$y. But you may find that just reflashing will clear it up...I've had a couple of unexplainable issues that occured after seemingly successful updates that went away with another firmware flash...or two.

I wish I could hold the faith that this is a batch issue and that there are units out there that are immune to the resonant frequency fan grind.

However I am more confident that the issue is more a design problem than a mere QA problem. If the fan vibrates against a piece of metal at one boxes resonant frequency I'm sure it will develop the same problem at another boxes resonant frequency (all things being equal). I am also assuming the same fan is in all speakers, mounted against a heatsink or metallic backing and controlled by the same smarts.

 

Like another contributer to this discussion, I would prefer minimal moving parts inside the unit (except for the cone itself) if the amp can stay cool enough. From my experience with fans (and I have serviced a number of musical electronics in a previous incarnation) they draw more dust than you would expect normally, eventually fail their bearings, can short out a power supply and can leave a device vulnerable when not working.

 

I would be prepared to suffer a heavier speaker if that would get a heatsink big enough to do the job and porting that used driver air displacement to move heat away from the amp.

 

I agree...too many people with multiple rattling units for it to be a random problem. It's a shame because I really wanted one...but this has spooked me a bit. Too much money to gamble on what could easily become a major hassel.

I'm not buying one unless I get a pony with it....a white one named Louis.

 

I believe Apple makes financial or design or both contribution to companies like Line6 and many others that make iDevices and prohibits them from providing support for other OSs for a certain amount of time. Want proof? The non functional USB port on Amplifi is the proof.

 

Some members on this forum are talking about Line6 being in business for money that's why they decided to cater to iDevices! Since when alienating more than 1/2 of potential buyers is good business decision?

 

 

 

On the surface it would seem that it's not...but as you also pointed out, if there's some sort of exclusivity deal with Apple going on behind the scenes, then whether or not alienating Android users is a "good business decision", is a moot point. If your supposition is correct, then they have no choice.