Brazzy

I have read in a post that a Pod HD500X can be used for MIDI switching with a DT25,i have read the Midi document for the DT25(didn't understand most of it).but i have a couple of questions,

If i use a 500X via L6 link,to alter DT amp settings,does the Guitar signal have to go through the 500X,or can it plugged directly into the DT?

so,if Ch A -B settings are altered by the 500X,with the Guitar in the DT input,would it connect to the settings set by the 500,or do i have to plug into the 500?

I'm trying to avoid running the Guitar through the 500,initially.

Yes, I've done that from time to time. Plug the guitar into the DT's preamp and run a midi wire from out of the pod into the DT. It's been a while but I think I was able to even use the foot pedal for reverb or volume.

:ph34r: Not me - he who popped it rocked it.

I haven't heard that one in some time. Good one! :)

Hahaha!! No one wants to have Bill pop an "O-ring". :D

I hear Ya Man. I was going to to use this emoticon but just couldn't make up my mind, lol.

The GAS is building here but I am looking at a Variax in the near future. A DT is planned for next year though - I have a few tube amps and a new Vetta so I am not jonsing too bad right now but that "could" change! :D

Sounds like a plan but don't let that "GAS" build up too much or you might explode.

I know what you mean about cranking up the amps Brazz. Sometimes it has be loud.

 

I've found that an EQ in the loop for almost every amp helps too.

 

 

\m/ B \m/

I think I like it so much that if I needed to fix it I would either learn how to fix it myself or actually send back to Line 6 and let them have it if they'll do it.

But back to the upside. The tone and versatility is killer in this thing. Maybe I can find a DT25 Head somewhere in the future just for it being lighter, lol.

Rock On! BillBee

RR

Man, every time I fire up the this amp I'm so impressed with the way it sounds and feels it gives me the goosebumps. Granted I don't use it like a work horse since I don't gig but I'll turn it on, crank it up and pump out some great music for about an hour when I do.

The cleans, crunch's,  heavy and smooth distortion I can get is wild and just moves me. I've got a EHX Tube EQ and when this is in the FX loop it can add a really nice change to the different amp models. I don't how to explain it other than "Thickens" the tone and/or EQ it however you want

A big "Thanks" goes out to the guys & gals at Line 6 in Calabasis.

They still sell them NEW at the major chains. I know cause I just bought one for a sweet deal! 

That's cool glad there's someone else around that has some to sell. Line 6 isn't going to make anymore of them though. So ya got to get them while they got them.

Thanks, Brazzy. Same right back at ya.

 

I'm not really concerned about the brand of the internal speaker or how it is voiced. I just turn of the EQ adjust the sound using the amp knobs or the app until it is as close to what I want as I can get it, then turn on the EQ and fine tune. The only reason I asked was not to try to steer steiny2801 away from opening up the amp and performing a speakerectomy/speaker transplant, but maybe to save steiny some money if all that was needed was an EQ adjustment.

Right On! Saving money is high on my priority list.

This is all I have been able to find. Basically, the speaker size changes with the Spider V model, but the only description is size and "custom speaker and tweeter". I guess you'd have to open it and see for yourself, but that may void your warranty.

 

http://line6.com/support/page/kb/_/amplifiers/spider-v/spider-v-3060120240-faq-r834

 

May I ask why you would want to change the speaker? If you are not happy with the frequency response, there is an EQ block on each tone after the cabinet model that you can use to tweak the frequency response. The power rating of the speaker should be the power rating of the amp, I would think, so that a Spider V 60 with 1x10" speaker should be rated at 60W? The only exception would be the Spider V 240, which has 2x12" speakers, which would mean each of the two speakers would handle 120W.

I think some people find that different speakers yield different tone. I also think people like to experiment. Experimentation lives in many humans. While it may be true to certain degree it's usually not enough of a difference to me. Like you said there's EQ's to utilize.

I like your avatar.

My back agrees with that. :-)

Ya know? One day the body just tells you to say "NO" to liftin' heavy stuff, lol.

Hmmmm poor guy, just suffer with the DT50. :)

I was hoping someone would notice that comment, lol. :)

Seriously though I'm looking for light amps as I get older and the DT25 would probably be perfect.

Man , alot of hate for line 6 spider online. Ive got all the gear in my band room ,Marshall,Fender ,Egnator , all the pedals,32 track tascam , an elaborate looper system running thru three amps, and i cant stop playing to the jam tracks on the spider.All players should own one.I just got mine a few weeks ago on craigslist.     Checked out your soundcloud, You got a BUNCH of cool stuff man.                                                                          

Yeah, I can't understand all the hate. It's an amp and like all amps they have something the other might not, lol. I also like to play around with the drum tracks on the SJ and I got a Beat Buddy to have some fun with that. When I play many times I never have a game plan it's just me trying to have fun, lol.

I also have a DT50HD/Dt25Cab, a Peavey Valveking II 20MH and a Jet City Picovalve & JCA12S+ Cab. I like them all and use them in a sort of rotation, Hahaaaa. It's fun.

Thanks for the good words on my soundcloud uploads. I haven't uploaded any lately so I'm due to create a new one.

Wow, thanks Brazzy. I think i found the switch on the first page for $1.65 hahah.There is a phone # for parts help so ill give them a call and order one before i open it up in case it cant be cleaned. Spider jam is pretty fun man

Cool! Glad you found the actual part you were looking for. I just did a quick search for "Spider Jam" in the their search bar and found that item. Glad it helped ya.

I like my Spider Jam too. I've been using since 2008 and have had more good times than bad with it. It's getting older though so I was thinking about getting one of the Spider V's since I'm familiar with all the amps and how to navigate it efficiently. That doesn't mean getting rid of my Spider Jam though, lol, It still looks and sounds as good as the day I bought it.

I run my HD500 in studio direct mode into it's Aux input quite bit. I just turn the amp on turn it's master wide open and regulate the HD500 with it's master volume and tweak from there. Works really good for me but the amp itself can sound great on it's own. Over the years I've heard many people who put down the SJ but considering my experience I've come to the conclusion it either wasn't what they were looking for, they couldn't figure out how to use it, or the one they got was broken.

Rock On!

My inputs/level button is stuck down and makes it hard to use the other buttons.Can i program my FBV express MK11 to bypass the button?

I'm not sure about that but you might be able to get a new part. Then again maybe it just needs to be cleaned out. Sometimes dirt or other debris gets under the button causing it to stick.

http://www.fullcompass.com/prod/240310-Line-6-50-02-4017

Ok,thanks,so the revision is just the document.

Amps here :D

Uh Oh Someone's about to have some good fun. I think your going to like it. If I could get a DT25 I would but I do have DT50 so I can still have at it, lol.

Don't worry Braz, those "infra-structure upgrades" are part of our bills. but how much is needed before they start "upgrading"  is the question.

Sooo True! The "question" is what bothers everyone, lol.

Outages -> from storms? If so I believe it. Our block "used" to go dark if someone sneezed. At the first sign of weather I used to go around clicking stuff off. I did scavenge an old battery back-up UPS I used for the pc and would plug the Pod into that. The UPS gave 5 minutes of beeping to save and turn-off your valuables.

 

Thankfully, after the local grocery store's power kept going out too they repaired or tied into somewhere else. Lots of $$$ were thawing - good manager's specials though. :)

I would say storms play a good role in the outages here but the lines are more than 20 years old and still with wooden poles. Just recently I see a bunch of hurricane poles going up and they hung the old line on that too.

I worked in a job shop "machine shop" and we used to make giant contact points and a million other things, I believe they were very large breakers and we used to make new ones out of solid copper every now and then so I would imagine they get old and burned up and need replacement. We also seen a lot of transformers that come in to be rebuilt. There are so many things that can cause a power outage it can boggle the mind. Even a thing like a large iguana getting stuck between the 2 poles of a transformer can cause a lightening show, lol, or a rat walking along the power lines from house to house that tries to take a rest on the top of a transformer. Seems to be getting better here although we might just be having a good streak.

Those puppies can throw out some heat. Prior to picking up a Spider Valve - I ran into a couple of people who swear that putting a heat sink on the processor stopped the random issues they were having.

I believe it. I gave my nephew a Spider III 75 years ago but I used it a little with my Spider Jam and both produce a good amount of heat. I usually have small portable battery powered fan around "O2 Cool" and place that to blow along the back of them this helps scavenge some of the heat away. I never had a shutdown from over heating as far as I know. Now power outages where I'm at are common but that's another story.

So,  After updating the firmware and having the same problem, I did a factorey reset with the new firmware. I have played the amp for about 5 hours and gave it a pretty good workout this evening. At this time it seems to be working again the way it should. Maybe this did the trick.

Cool! glad it working so far.

If the problem persists it should go in for service. If it runs on a cold start but starts misbehaving after warmed up it very well could be a failing component or a bad solder joint. Those puppies generate a lot of heat in an enclosed space.

It keeps me nice and warm in the winter sometimes, lol.

Basically the DT25 an DT50 are a digital preamp and configurable power amp section. Yes the preamps are the same as

the "pre" versions on the HD500(x) roughly. The real kicker power of this amp is it is configurable real power amp section. You can go from as real (AB) power section to Class A. Like swapping out a Marshall for a Vox amp. Yes both great amps but really very different beasts.  And as spaceatl points out the DT-50 is a 50 watt version and DT-25 is 25 watt version so you will need to pic you poison based on how much clean overhead you want in the amp. Basically if you want really clean clean tones the the DT-50 is likely better but if you want to get real tube break up sooner without as much volume the DT25 is a better choice. Although I will warn you I have DT25 combo and rarely get it over master volumme 5 even outside. That little thing is LOUD. The DT amps are indeed designed to work with the HD500(x) to give you more options of digital preamps and effect but of course the DT works standalone as traditional amp just fine.

 

Pro:

REAL POWER TUBES.

Configurable power section. Only amp, I know of that change it's "stripes" in a instant.

Well built. I can say that for at least the DT25 combo I have. It's quite heavy and been knocked around a pretty good bit with no issues.

Works like any other amps. Pedals in front, in the loop etc... all function as would be expected for any amp.

On board reverb (kind of standard these days but a nice to have thing). It's a digital "Room" verb I believe. 

You can change a good bit of the digital side using a MIDI interface and third party editor. So you aren't exactly "stuck" with all of the exact factory setting. You have a bit of room. Search this forum for more information on what is possible with that.

 

Cons:

Pretty much NO support. It breaks and it's likely just done. No one in almost any area is going to know how to work on it. It's a hot rod even on the tube side and does not seem to follow traditional conventions. Also Line 6 indeed appears to be focused on the FRFR solutions so I doubt they will be of much assistance, other than if you have warranty during the warranty period . It's still have active product but most of us don't expect to be for long.

Channel volumes: Some of the clean setting can be pretty quite. Not that it's unworkable for that. Just need adjust channel and master volume accordingly. Do wish they were a bit more balanced. Since I used a HD500x with mine I adjust these on that to match.

 

Lastly before you look at DT amp or modelling etc.. in general you really need to know. Why do you want modelling or any amp for? If your after one or two specific tones, you may be better off just getting that amp/rig or a close approximation that is in your budget. I say this as you mentioned having trouble with getting a satisfying experience with modelling. In my case I did as well. I could get "good enough" tones but it just lacked the feel of an amp and the slightly spongy compression of real tubes. To a DAW for recording I think modelling works great but live it seemed to just lack something. Putting some real power tubes in it made it much much better. The DT looking and physically feeling like an amp and of course with the configuration section completed it for me. Going forward from here I can say I really don't use a whole lot of different tones and the future supportabilty of the amp concerns me. 

Very good explanation post Palico.

I like my DT50HD/DT 25 cab set up and use it all by itself most of the time even though I have an HD500. The only thing I don't like about it was it's weight, the L6 link didn't work very good for me, I had warranty issues a few times and possible tube failures leading to more outgoing money. Oh yeah, Like Palico said finding a tech to work on it might be tough. Otherwise it sounds so fantastic I put it in a class all by itself.

For semi simplicity I just use the HD500 in studio direct mode or stack mode and run it into the DT's FX return. For complexity I use the 4 cable method.

Even more complex I also use the HD500 as a midi controller for the DT but run the guitar into the guitar input of the HD500 so that I can use the onboard pedal to control volume, reverb, or other effects and I can also run a separate path (right analog out) with effects into the FX return of the DT while running the other path (left analog out) into the DT's preamp for some interesting wet/dry.

I noticed the DT50 preamp is separate from the FX loop. I don't all FX loop amps are like this but I'm no expert. This allows me to take my Beat Buddy & KB37 and plug that into the FX loop return and just plug my guitar into the preamp for some quick fun with drums & keyboard.

Most of the time I just use the DT50 alone in 25w mode 'cause there is something good to be said about simplicity.

Looking for some ideas. My spider Jam will work fine and then the sound cuts out. When I turn the tone selector to a different preset and turn it back the amp works again. If I turn the amp model preset know and turn it back the sound comes through again. It will cut out randomly again. I have plugged my guitar into the aux port and the guitar works fine. It does not cut out.  When I plug it back into the guitar output, the same thing happens. I have factory reset the amp but the problem continues. I have had this amp for 4 years and this is the first issue. Hope there are some ideas.

I don't know what to say except for I recommend you reinstall the latest software. I've got my Spider Jam, still use it, had it since '08 and it works great. From experience I've had to reinstall the software once after using it for a while after the last update and have not had to reinstall the software since.

On the other hand, there could be a loose connection inside the chassis somewhere that is affected by vibration. Sometimes ribbon wire connections need to be unplugged and plugged back in to make a better connection. I've seen some people even hot glue the connections in order to make a more secure connection on them.

Hope this helps some. If you know someone who has experience with electronics maybe you contact them and ask them for help.

Hi licoLFC, the YouTube video you linked to won't play. It just says just says "This video is private".

 

Just in case my experience is useful to anyone, I've just tried (and failed) to repair the USB interface on my son's PODHD500.

 

His PC started saying "USB device not recognised" and he saw the USB port on the pod was damaged, so I replaced that but it didn't make any difference.  (That was pretty much as I expected since the PC was able to connect and see there was a USB device present but it wasn't able to identify what it was.)

 

Having done some searching online, he ordered a USB chip from a supplier on eBay and asked me if I would fit it.  It's a CY7C68013A-56PVXC.  I changed the chip but found that the pod would not now start up.  It got stuck in a cycle of constantly rebooting, just flashing up the "Line 6" splash screen over and over.

 

I removed the new chip and tried repowering with no chip in place.  That gave the same behaviour of constantly rebooting.

 

Finally I soldered the original chip back in and now the pod starts up as normal, but of course the USB interface is still not working.

 

I don't know why it didn't work but there are various possibilities.  It may be that my soldering wasn't flawless.  It could be that the chip was faulty or not as labelled.  It could be that the new chip needed programming to give it an identity as a PODHD500 but I have no idea how to do so.

 

I'm not sure if any of that will be useful info but having desoldered and resoldered these tiny 56-pin chips twice over, I think I'm done experimenting.  If he wants it repaired, I think it'll have to go to a service centre who will presumably just replace the whole board.

Thanks for sharing that. Sorry it didn't work for ya. It always sucks when this kind of thing happens.

The amp works fine after the power transformer and two power capacitors were replaced.  It cost me $250 out of pocket.  Will it work forever...only time will tell.  I really like the tones out of this amp, especially the Marshall tones.  My knock against the DT50 2x12 is the weight.  It is a beast, almost too much for one person to load into a vehicle by himself.  Unlike Steve Howe, I don't have roadies moving my gear for me.

Glad ya got it working. May I ask where you got it fixed?

Ooooops, sorry I see it was fixed in Wellington in one of your previous post's.

I have a fender champ x2, with input, out, and footswitch. Sadly no fx loop

I've read that channel 1 on the super champ x2 bypasses the modeling in the amp. If yours is the super champ x2 maybe you should set the pod to studio direct and input the pods 1/4" analog out into the amps channel 1. If not try to figure out how to get a clean patch on it and try the aforementioned.

I'm not familiar with that particular amp I just searched a little and found this thread > http://www.strat-talk.com/threads/superchamp-x2-clean-channel-quick-question.197988/ . Read that thread for more ideas. Also > http://www.strat-talk.com/threads/champ-x2-thoughts-review.152568/

You could just try to set up the most transparent patch on your amp and do what I mentioned. This way you could try to set up the pods graphic EQ if you want to try to cut your guitars highs and lows before the amp. If I had that amp I would try every possible logical combination until I found what works best for me. Hope this helps some.

same here; got computer updated to win10. now i can not install gearbox from the original CD, error not compatible with 64bit

Installed podfarm2 instead but that is giving licence issues, no podfarm to licence found.

 

help appreciated! how can i get gearbox to run again??

When I search for it I have to use Windows 7 for OS to get it. Using Windows 10 will not find it, maybe Windows 8 would work but ​​I just use Windows 7 'cause it works.

Here's a link to the direct download of Gearbox > http://line6.com/software/readeula.html?rid=3121.