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Flextone Iii Xl Volume Issues


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Hello,

I've recently bought a Flextone III XL and I'm pretty disapointed.

 

I have the same problem detailed in this old post (I don't know why Line 6 locked all topics)

http://line6.com/support/message/476712

 

In my case, volume changes coicide when the light of the channel turns off (both in the floorboard and in the amp).

 

Can it be caused by a digital issue?

I know lots of people had the same problem with this amp. Does anybody knows how to fix it? Technical support is very very far away from my home.

 

I can't belive Line 6 don't tell me anything but "take it to the technical support". For what I've seen this is a typical issue of this amp.

 

I would apreciate any help you could give me.

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old topics are not locked, they are simply only available for archival reasons as the forum software has changed.

and of course i'm going to tell you to go to a service center with any hardware issues.... sorry but that's the best source of help for you.

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  • 2 months later...

I have a Flex III too and there are fluctuations on volume output with selecting an amp.  Some of the existing presets have great volume, but then selection changes cause volume to decrease drastically.  Been baffled by this for some time.

Hello,

I've recently bought a Flextone III XL and I'm pretty disapointed.

 

I have the same problem detailed in this old post (I don't know why Line 6 locked all topics)

http://line6.com/support/message/476712

 

In my case, volume changes coicide when the light of the channel turns off (both in the floorboard and in the amp).

 

Can it be caused by a digital issue?

I know lots of people had the same problem with this amp. Does anybody knows how to fix it? Technical support is very very far away from my home.

 

I can't belive Line 6 don't tell me anything but "take it to the technical support". For what I've seen this is a typical issue of this amp.

 

I would apreciate any help you could give me.

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I have a Flex III too and there are fluctuations on volume output with selecting an amp.  Some of the existing presets have great volume, but then selection changes cause volume to decrease drastically.  Been baffled by this for some time.

 

 

Well, the levels of the amp models are all different, so when you select different models, the output volume will change. Also, the volume between different presets is likely to be different as well.

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I have a Flex III too and there are fluctuations on volume output with selecting an amp.  Some of the existing presets have great volume, but then selection changes cause volume to decrease drastically.  Been baffled by this for some time.

But, you can adjust the volume of each amp separately, and save them one by one with your personal configurations.

To do the saving, simply press the model knob for 4-5 seconds, until the led of the knob from fixed go to flashing and again to fixed.

Repeat the process to each amp separately.

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I am having a similar problem with my Flextone III... after 10-20 seconds it drops about half volume. I hit the foot switch channel (same channel) and it brings it back to the volume it was originally set to. It can't be (at least I don't think so) the volume pod because I direct plug the amp out from the stereo outputs in back through the mixer (smokin' tone btw!)... stage volume isn't even on. I did test it using both ways tho, through the amp speakers and direct out and it drops both sources in volume.

 

I did read on one of the blogs that some one thought it might be a digital problem. is there a way to check that? is there a way to reboot the system and reload it?

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated, don't want to ditch the amp!

 

Thanks

Brian

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

Based on the comment above, I have a question regarding line 6 monkey.  I've been trying to help a friend solve an issue with different patches having different volume levels.  He said that someone suggested reflasing the firmware, which sounds reasonable, but the issue here is that when I install monkey, during the install process, the software asks what device will be connected and the Flextone III is not listed.  What could be the issue?  Does the Flextone III have to be connected during the software installation process?

 

Also, based on another response in this thread, "But, you can adjust the volume of each amp separately, and save them one by one with your personal configurations.

To do the saving, simply press the model knob for 4-5 seconds, until the led of the knob from fixed go to flashing and again to fixed.

Repeat the process to each amp separately."  This kind of makes sense, but will it work?

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Here's another interesting problem I'd like to get solved.  When selecting any preset from the A/B/C/D buttons, the volume is at level X (and let's just assume that since the channel volume knob is at MAX, it is theoretically at a maximum value of "10").  If I back down the volume know from it's max pinned position, at about what would be the "8", the volume makes a jump up to a louder level.  That can be something less than the original start value.  When I got the Flextone III, the firmware was at v1.02.  I used Monkey to update the firmware to v1.1, but that did not affect the condition.  What compounds this is the fact that I cannot a bi-directional communication via USB/Midi to my computer, so I really have no way of knowing if the firmware re-flash actually worked.  Using the manual method of determining the firmware version, before the re-flash, powering up while holding the "B" button, the "B" button LED flashed once and the "D" button LED flashed twice.  This told me the firmware version was v1.02.  I then used Monkey to reflash.  Monkey said the reflash was successful, but since the computer could not communicate from the amp midi out to the computer midi in, Monkey could not get the firmware version.  So I repeated the manual method and saw the same LED flashing sequence as when I started with v1.02.  Any ideas on any of this?  Let me know if anyone needs more info.

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OK, RealZap, that makes sense.  Is it possible, just on the amp, to modify and save the volume level of the preset so that its saved volume level is at the MAX level while the channel volume control is at the MAX position?  I'm hoping that then when I back off the channel volume, there will be a linear reduction in volume without the spike at the "8" position.  The thing that puzzles me is why does this happen at the "8" position to begin with?  Why not as soon as you start manipulating the volume knob?

 

Regarding the issue with not having bi-directional communication between the amp and the computer via the midi ports, do you have any info regarding this?  I did not fully explain the situation, so let me try.  I spent a considerable amount of time trying to get get both Monkey and Line 6 Edit to work.  I kept getting the message about "midi cables not connected, etc, etc", so I assumed there was no connection at all between amp and computer.  As a last resort, I decided to try to flash the firmware anyway just to see.  Upon doing that with Monkey, I saw that all the LEDs on the top amp panel lit up and Monkey actually showed a progress bar that was updating itself.  When that finished, Monkey presented a dialog that said the firmware update was successful and to power down then power up the amp.  That surprised me!  So if I can trust this, it answers a question regarding the amp and computer actually being connected.  It seems that there's a one-way connection and the computer is able to send a MIDI message to the amp and apparently the amp is able to receive the message.  However, either the MIDI out port on the amp is malfunctioning or the MIDI in of the computer is malfunctioning (or both of those are malfunctioning)...  or the midi cable is defective.  I'm using an MIO USB to MIDI cable that's similar to the M-Audio UNO,  Initially, I could not find a way to get Win7 to recognize the MIO MIDI output.  I found a software MIDI mapper that at least allowed the computer to expose the MIO MIDI out device.  At first windows would only expose the Microsoft GS Wavetable Synth, but using the mapper software, I could then select the MIO as my MIDI output device.  Anyway, the real reasons for wanting access to the amp via computer MIDI interface were (1) use Line 6 Edit to rectify the volume issue and (2) update the amp firmware.  I've read somewhere (probably on this forum) the the preferred MIDI interface is the M-Audio UNO.  Would using that interface make the whole process work?  Is it really as simple as that?

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you can put the channel volume where you want it, and re-save the preset should be that simple.

 

it still could be your midi interface... because the amp will update with only one midi port connected successfully.

I'm fairly confident that 2way communication should work. I do recommend the m-audio UNO (and most importantly with the m-audio drivers installed!)

other interfaces have worked of course it's not the only one... but has proven to be very reliable when others weren't working.

i found the UNO to be one of those purchases that have been well worth it... when i really didn't think i'd use it much at all when i bought it.

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Thanks a lot for the info.  I'll get the UNO and see what happens.  Only reason I got the MIO was that it was available at guitar center.  They used to sell the M-Audio UNO but switched to the MIO.  Probably a better profit margin on the MIO.  They sell it for the same price as the UNO.

 

Just one more thing.  Regarding the firmware version indicator of the flextone 3.  As I mentioned before, holding the "B" button while powering up should show the current version of firmware with a sequence of blinking LEDS on the channel select buttons.  What should the correct sequence of LED flashes be to indicate v1.1 firmware?  I thought maybe there would be:

 

"B" button one blink, then "C" button one blink.

 

The sequence I get is still as if firmware version 1.02 were resident.. I.E, "B" button one blink, then "D" button two blinks.

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  • 3 months later...

Did anyone ever find a way to fix the problem mentioned on the beginning of this feed? As shown below. 

 

Hello,

I've recently bought a Flextone III XL and I'm pretty disapointed.

 

I have the same problem detailed in this old post (I don't know why Line 6 locked all topics)

http://line6.com/sup.../message/476712

 

In my case, volume changes coicide when the light of the channel turns off (both in the floorboard and in the amp).

 

Can it be caused by a digital issue?

I know lots of people had the same problem with this amp. Does anybody knows how to fix it? Technical support is very very far away from my home.

 

I can't belive Line 6 don't tell me anything but "take it to the technical support". For what I've seen this is a typical issue of this amp.

 

I would apreciate any help you could give me.

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  • 1 month later...

We had an a Line 6 Flextone III come through for repair, customer complaint was that the presets were turning themselves off after about a minute of play, this resulted in a volume drop similar to that experienced by some users on this thread. The preset selection LED would stay illuminated but the actual preset values disappeared. 

 

I flashed the firmware and the problem is now gone, the amp also seems to have more overall volume.

 

Anyway I can confirm that flashing new firmware can resolve these issues (at least in my case).

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  • 1 month later...

Hi all,

 

I am having a similar issue, volume cutting to roughly half after a few seconds of play on some patches. This is probably a very silly question but do I need to attach the MIDI in and out of the amp to my PC to get monkey to recognise the amp?

 

At the moment I am connecting the out of the PC to the in on the amp but it refuses to recognise the Flextone :(

 

Any help or suggestions appreciated!

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Hi TheHero83

 

I recently bought a secondhand Flextone Line II and was experiencing problems with intermittent volume, delay etc. changes, so this evening I flashed my amp's flash memory from version 1 to 1.10. I don't know yet if it has improved matters, as I am reading up on issues on this website and now replying to your post, but anyhow this is what I did:-

 

I registered on Line6.com as a new user.

I already had the recommended M-audio midisport Uno interface so that part was sorted!

I would imagine most PCs need an external midi unit like the Uno to interface to the Flextone III.

The Uno has 3 leads: a USB lead to plug into the PC, a midi lead to plug into the Flextone Midi In socket, and a midi lead to plug into the Flextone Midi Out socket. The Midis are marked appropriately on the Uno plugs and above the Flextone sockets.

I installed the latest M-Audio drivers for my PC running Windows 7 SP1.

I hooked up the Uno's USB plug into the PC's USB port and checked it was now recognised (message temporarliy displayed in the PC display's bottom right tray).

I downloaded Line 6 monkey latest version and installed it as Administrator (right-click on .exe to see option).

I plugged the Uno midi lead saying 'To Midi In' on the plug into the Line 6 amp's Midi In socket.

I plugged the Uno midi lead saying 'To Midi Out' on the plug into the Line 6 amp's Midi Out socket.

I ran Line 6 monkey, which recognised the Flextone immediately.

I selected to update the Flash Memory.

It wanted me to register the product so I entered the serial number on the website (two or three different times), but got 'error 532 could not be validated'.

So I went back to Line 6 monkey and tried again, this time clicking 'Remind Me Later' (to register).

I did not bother backing up the patches in the next step.

Following this the flashing started and progressed smoothly (maybe 5 minutes) and the monkey program confirmed the flash memory is now the latest version 1.10.

 

HTH

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  • 1 month later...

Hellow I own a FLEXTONE III   1X12

 

I turn the amp on and it sounds amazing, but afert 2 minutes it loose all the equalization and preety sound,  i need to change the preset and go back to where i was to make it sound good again, 

 

Help me please! I all ready did the firewire reset and nothing helps

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  • 5 years later...

Hi Y'all

I have several Flextone III's - I can't say all the factory presets do me much good, but I've been able to build my own tones that sound and feel very much like my vintage tube amps.

Tube amp players know that compressors just don't work on tube amps, but the FT III has an overall natural, subtle compression that works great!.

It's a huge benefit. I'm playing all my shows with 'em.

 

I'm also having issue with my 1x12 - I've flashed the firmware twice, but 2 problems persist

1 - volume changes arbitrarily (usually gets louder)

2 - The tone under the B button doesn't load at boot up - it defaults to the tone under A - I have to remember to press the B button to make sure my tone is present before a show.

3 - Line6 Edit won't run on my 2016 MacBookPro Sierra - Java runtime errors galore...

 

I really wish Line6 would support these wonderful, unique amps again.

 

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  • 1 month later...

This volume issue has puzzled me since I bought a used Flextone III last month. For me it's a perfect little amp, as I'm just a casual electric guitar player. But, whenever I use it the volume and bass drops levels drop drastically after a minute or two of playing. The amp would kind of settle in and work, but there was still some strange behavior with levels of certain things.

 

Last week I noticed some other strange behavior after I found and installed the Line 6 Edit 3.04.0 software. (FWIW, this software is the key to making the most of your Flextone III.)

 

So, after I installed that software I start tweaking some things. The strange behavior I noticed was that I actually saw the "DRIVE" knob in the software on the computer was moving down steadily without me touching the actual amp knob or anything in the software. I wasn't playing the guitar, so it wasn't because the amp was so loud it made the knob twist on the amp itself. So I started twisting the actual knobs on the amp and found that most of them didn't track on the computer screen and match the positions they were on the actual amp. So, something was wrong.

 

Then today, I read this:

https://line6.com/supportarchivenew/thread/30202

 

To summarize, the last post on that thread says to spray some contact cleaner in the volume pots on the amp and it'll fix the "Volume Issue." I started thinking about that and it made sense to me. I removed the electronics box from the amp and looked inside. I noticed that those potentiometers  (DRIVE, BASS, MID etc... pots) are the open design, not sealed like many of them are today. I'm an electronics tinkerer and I happened to have some pot cleaner spay in my shop. So, I sprayed inside each pot and twisted them each knob a few times to make sure the cleaner got into the pot and distributed properly. I let the cleaner do it's job for about an hour and twisted the knobs again a few more times. 

 

Before I installed the box back into the amp I plugged it in and connected the midi cable to my computer to see if that fixed the knobs from moving on their own and track properly. Success!

 

Now, when I turn each knob they track perfectly in the software on my computer! They don't move on their own anymore too. So, I put the amp back together and have been testing it with my guitar plugged in tonight and it's like a whole new amp. The volume doesn't drop a minute or two after I open a new preset. The onscreen knob positions are perfectly in line with what the position on the actual amp are now.

 

I'm convinced this is the "fix" for the Flextone III volume issue. I'd be happy to provide more detail if anyone is interested. Maybe someone else will try this and report back their findings. If anything changes I'll report back.

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  • 8 months later...

Dear all,

 

I have had problems with my Flextone III dropping for about 8 years. The volume / tone returns when the channel is re-selected.

 

I have started using my guitar again during lockdown and decided that I should either attempt to repair the amp or throw it away. With nothing to lose I followed some of the advice on this forum. I purchased electrical contact cleaner, opened the amp and then sprayed it in the 10 dials (drive - master).

 

It has completed fixed my amp. At first the dials felt very easy to turn but they have now returned to about normal.

 

Worth a try if you are having the same trouble.

 

I have never posted before but was really pleased to have found a solution after waiting so long :) 

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