Texxxxx

TaperChuck- Came across this ole thread that I started 8 years ago...lol.  Here is 8,000+ pages off presets for a Flextone III.  Yes, you need to download and install Line 6 Monkey and Line 6 Editor if I remember correctly.  I haven't done it for a long time.  You need a midi to usb cable.  It's not that hard, just takes some getting used to.

Presets: https://line6.com/customtone/browse/flextoneiii/

Download page for Line 6 Monkey and the Editor.  Not sure about the licensing: https://line6.com/software/

Brain fart…you guys are right, it wasn't the 500...

http://line6.com/supportarchivenew/thread/77958

It wasn't until L6 gave me my third HD500 that it worked correctly...

I hadn't put in any time with my Flextone III+ for a while.   I usually just use it with my RC-50 looper for some backing tracks to fool around with and the occasional theater gig.  My main amps that I use are one of my vintage Fenders.  I have a '66 Super Reverb, '73 Pro Reverb, '66 Vibrolux Reverb, '73 Deluxe Reverb, '68 Princeton Reverb, '69 Champ and a P2P 6G16 Twin Reverb.  I use them with a pedal board and the Pro and Deluxe have had selective blackfacing.

Anyway, I have always thought the Flextone III was an awesome amp.  So awesome that I own four Flextone III+'s, two of the Flextone III 1x12 extension cabinets and three of the FBV Shortboards.  I didn't want to be without one; lifetime supply.  I spent a couple hours each on Saturday and Sunday going through the amp models in manual mode.  I have had the same presets set for years and hadn't really *played* with the amp for a long time.

Man, the amp models sounded GREAT!  I A/B'd the clean models with my Pro (the Fender that just happened to be set up) and the biggest difference was that the Pro was much more dynamically touch sensitive.  Tone-wise, however, it was darn close.  The Flextone III tweed and gain models shined and the amount of tonal variance still impresses me.

I went through the whole HD series.  I ended up owning one HD400, three HD500's and two HD Pro's.  I had so many because of problems that warranty covered.  I never really liked them (on and off love affair) and always thought my Flextone III's sounded better.  The Flextone III never had the dreaded 'Fizz' of the HD series.  Yes, I read meambobo's excellent guide and saw how the Fizz could be reduced in a number of ways, EQ's, signal routing, etc...  Too much of a hassle; I don't own an HD, anymore.

I stopped using my Flextone III's live years ago for Rock shows, because it seemed my Fenders just had more presence and cut through the mix better.  The Flextone III's sure sound awesome in the bedroom, though, and I still use them for Theater Orchestra Pit gigs.  Best amp ever for that situation!  Theaters always want you to be quiet and you can make the Flextone III thick and crunchy and quiet all at the same time.  JCM 800 whisper...

I am definitely going try them live, again, and work at tweaking the tones a bit more.

This is just a thumbs up for, IMO, the best modeling amp ever built that gives *real* amps a run for their money!

Actually, it's been out since 2010. It was announced in September 2010, and was available for purchase almost right away. I got mine in October 2010. So it's been almost three years, which if you consider the typical life-cycle of electronics, that's getting up there.

 

I actually think that the HD stuff has probably been a pretty solid release for Line 6. It has been nearly bug-free from the start.

Nearly bug-free, but those few bugs hounded me.

I, too, bought my HD500 in Oct 2010. It had the volume start up problem. I started a support ticket, but returned it while I could. I bought a HD400 to replace it. I liked the HD500 better, so I bet that L6 would probably fix it, at some point. I traded up to the HD500, again, and with the new unit and new firmware, the low volume start up problem was gone.

It was OK...I figured I would get a handle on the fizziness/harshness because so many others seemed to be having no problem.

I had always wanted a rack-mount and when that was available I sold the HD500 on eBay and bought the HD PRO. The Pro had the volume-dropping problem, which is different from the volume start-up problem. I started a Support Ticket and L6 was very helpful. Their support team worked with me for months and eventually sent me three units before I received one that worked properly. My experience with L6 support is that they are excellent and thorough. It did take a long time to get there, as they had me try a lot of things along the way.

I ended up selling the HD PRO a few months ago. I just couldn't achieve, live, what so many of you seem to do. No matter how many times I read meambobbo's excellent guide, or how many threads I read, I couldn't get rid of the fizziness/harshness. I heard it in the cleans and I could never get the high-gain amps to 'cut through the mix'. Even though I read meambobbo's guide many times, I couldn't bring myself to have mulitple EQ's running to reduce fizz and/or boost different mids to cut through. I tried...too much effort and not worth it to me.

I never found the presence and ambiance in the HD's that I get with my vintage Fenders and pedalboard.

I just gave up and went the simpler route.

ps...I still own lots of L6 gear and continue to be a fanboi. Four Flextone III+'s with two extension cabs and three FBV Shortboards. They sound great to me for recording, theater orchestra pits and my bedroom...lol...don't really cut through in a high-volume 'live' situation, however, but talk about a great saturated OD at low volume...wow! I own two G50 and one G90 wireless, also that are great. I look forward to future L6 releases!