jjack972

Also, I've found that a 10 band EQ pedal can GREATLY enhance the tone capability of my Spider Valve. I use an MXR in the effects loop.

Here's my quick and easy solution to that pesky looper feature on the FBV MKII. Grab yourself a zip tie... http://line6.com/support/topic/8815-simple-fix-for-the-fbv-shortboard-mkii-and-others/

Thanks man! I actually saw a thread on here somewhere, where someone went to great lengths installing a cooling fan for the DSP chip. I cranked mine for about fur hours straight the other night, with the bass damn near maxed out on both the insane channels and while it did get warm, I noticed no ill effects.

Check the fuse in the back?

Nice! Whatever works! I'm just glad I'll never kick that looper on again by accident, and then wonder who else is playing my riff, but out of time! hahaha!

I have used the FBV Express and the FBV Shortboard to tune to all kinds of different tunings, from standard E to Drop A, and they both recognize and diplay the "correct" notes. I have noticed that sometimes it will display a flat note above what you are looking for. For instance, an F# will be displayed as a Gb on the display, but it still works fine and keeps me in tune! The answer to your question is yes!

I doubt I am the only one who has ever accidentally kicked on the looper function (by stepping on the "Function 2" button). Considering I never use the looper feature (on purpose, anyway...LOL) I decided to disable the button. I considered finding a small box the appropraite size and taping it to the board over the button to prevent me from accidentally stepping on it ever again. Then I thought of a different solution. Behold, the zip tie fix!!! This idea could certainly be used to disble ANY of the buttons...

Thanks for the response, napynap. I figured out that the patches are not transferrable, as they have a different file extension. I had considered renaming a few patches from the Spider IV to the correct extension for the SV just to see what would happen, but I didn't want to brick my amp in the process, so I decided against it.

Ummm...okay? Thanks guys :blink:

Hello all, As the title states, I am a long time user of the Spider family of products. I am about to receive a Spider Valve MKII head I recently purchased, and I have a couple of questions. 1.) Are the custom patches that I have dialed in and saved on my Spider IV HD 150 transferable to the Spider Valve? I do have the FBV Shortboard MKII and Spider Edit software on my computer. 2.) What are the most common problems/issues with the Spider Valve MKII Thanks in advance for any responses!

This is a problem inherent with both my Spider IV HD 150 and my Spider IV 150 combo. The master volume control is uber-sensitive around the 8-9-10 o clock position. The volume output rises and maxes out very quickly. Also, the pots move so freely, that at high volume levels, the master volume knob can and will move from vibration. The only solution I have come up with is to try to set the channel volumes of your presets lower, and I put a #10 o-ring behind the knob itself, between the knob and the face plate of the amp, which offers a little more physical resistance (depending on how hard you push the knob back on the shaft of the pot after installing the o-ring) and my master volume no longer moves when I don't want it to. It also makes the master volume a bit more manageable.

Is the volume on your guitar all the way up?

The amp automatically cuts the speakers out when the jacks are used. Make sure to connect both outs from the amp to both ins on the cab, and switch the cab to 8 ohms per side Stereo. Also, for best results, use speaker cables to connect the amp to the cab, not instrument cables.

Push the "Settings" knob on the amp, then arrow left or right on the directional pad until you see "GATE". Then you can arrow up or down through the settings. You can set the mode, threshold, and decay, just as you would on a pedal or rack mount noise gate. I hope this helps!!

I have been considering lowering my channel volumes to try it with the master up a little higher. With the channel volumes set high (as most are with the default presets) it makes the master volume control so touchy. You can go from bedroom practice level to what seems like stadium concert level by moving the master control ever so slightly! Why did Line 6 set all the presets with such high channel volumes if the amp sounds better with them rifled back a bit?

Mine does the same thing. I notice it mostly on the mid-gain amp models. I messed around with the built in noise gate settings and made it better.

I have a six string warlock that I set up for baritone strings and tuned to drop A. Sounds killer!!

Do you get any sound through headphones plugged into the headphone jack?

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.

Pretty much the only way is to buy the FBV MKII, or borrow a friends' ;)

...and THAT is good enough for me ;)

You have contradicted yourself.

In my experience, muddiness comes from too much bass and not enough mid and/or treble. Try adjusting the EQ on the amp after you choose a preset. You can also adjust the tone knob on your guitar. Typically, all the way counter-clockwise is more bass, and the opposite is more treble. I have never played through a Het Set, but I do have a guitar with EMG active pickups. To me, they sound smoother and more rounded out compared to other humbuckers. I find it difficult to get the "bite" that I want out of an EMG pickup. Also, make sure you are switched to the bridge pickup if you are looking for more of a "bite" to your sound. I hope this helps!

#1.) Yes you can make a full stack, but if you want to use two Spider cabinets, they would both need to be rewired for 16 ohm mono operation. This can be achieved, as the speakers in a Spider cabinet are 16 ohm, so each cabinet would need to be wired in series/parallel. In this configuration, there would be a 16 ohm load on each side of the Spider head, which is perfectly safe, but you will lose a small amount of volume. #2.) The Spider 4x12 cabinets do not default to mono operation if only one connection is made. What you would get is sound coming from only one side (2 speakers) of the cabinet. #3.) Trust me, using two 4x12 cabinets (twice as many speakers) will move more air. So, technically the amp will still deliver the same amount of watts, but to four extra drivers, and yes it will be louder. I invite anyone who disagrees to stand next to me in front of my two Marshall 1960 cabs running off the Spider IV HD150 and try to explain how it's not louder than only one cab connected. ;)

Maybe you can find a setting close to what you're looking for here: http://line6.com/media/pdf/spider2_settings.pdf