Anyone rocking the FBV3 yet?

[ColonelForbin]

Just saw it's in stock in Sweetwater! Anyone picked up one of these yet?

[Sing4LTS]

Mine should be here tomorrow along with the amp.  I hope this thing is easy to dial in, I have gigs Friday and Saturday night.  LOL  I'll post back next with my impressions.

[ColonelForbin]

Mine should be here tomorrow along with the amp.  I hope this thing is easy to dial in, I have gigs Friday and Saturday night.  LOL  I'll post back next with my impressions.

 

Nice! I just ordered my FBV3 today; should be here tomorrow! Good luck with the gigs, hope they go well!

[Sing4LTS]

So the amp and the board both showed up a couple of hours ago.  Got it all plugged up along with my JTV59.  Couldn't really dive too far in to it.  I was able to hook up the ipad, stream some tunes, grab an Alice in Chains patch, and play at the lowest possible volume available (I had it shipped to my office, don't wanna tick off my boss by playing loud LOL)...and my initial impressions;  I'm blown away!!!!  I can't wait to get this thing home and really dial in a few sounds.  I'm also going to experiment with running my vocals from an Aux on my StudioLive 16.4.2ai back to the Firehawk.  I'm really hoping they come out clean so I can ditch my vocal monitor and run everything through the Hawk.  I'll post up another update tomorrow!

[Sing4LTS]

I've just about got my presets dialed in the way I like them.  Just need to do a bit more tweaking with overall EQ and volume matching.  I did get a chance to run an Aux feed out from my StudioLive 16.4.2ai into the monitor inputs on the Firehawk 1500.  I will say that it sounds extremely good!  I did have to fiddle around with the levels quite a bit to get a nice blend, but now they are close enough that I can control the blend from my aux send on the board.  This is such a great tool!  I have eliminated the need for another stage wedge now.  Anything that speeds up my setup and teardown time is a winner in my book!  I have two gigs this weekend, so I'm gonna give this thing a real run for it's money.  LOL

[oscillateX]

How would you guys rate the quality of the tones? I'm a long-time user of the Spider Valve Mkii 212 and I absolutely loved the combination of the classic tube sound with modeling. Does the Firehawk compare at all? 

[Sing4LTS]

How would you guys rate the quality of the tones? I'm a long-time user of the Spider Valve Mkii 212 and I absolutely loved the combination of the classic tube sound with modeling. Does the Firehawk compare at all? 

Having owned both; I like the Firehawk more.  My guitar player has the SV mkii HD100 head, and he had his first experience with my FH1500 this weekend at our gig.  He was absolutely blown away, and is now considering getting one for himself.  

[oscillateX]

Having owned both; I like the Firehawk more.  My guitar player has the SV mkii HD100 head, and he had is firs experience with my FH1500 this weekend at our gig.  He was absolutely blown away, and is now considering getting one for himself.  

 

Has solid state improved that much? What sold me on the SV Mkii was that it had some modeling functions with the Bogner tube backend. I just remember playing with a guitarist who had a solid state Line 6 years ago and when you cranked that thing for shows, it sounded like a radio tuned to static.

 

I don't quite understand the Firehawk amp (compared to the FX unit). Is it supposed to be an all-in-one stereo speaker? It seems quite complicated in its attempt to do everything, so that's kept me away. How does it handle at higher volumes and do you find you've lost anything giving up the tube portion of the Mkii?

[Sing4LTS]

Has solid state improved that much? What sold me on the SV Mkii was that it had some modeling functions with the Bogner tube backend. I just remember playing with a guitarist who had a solid state Line 6 years ago and when you cranked that thing for shows, it sounded like a radio tuned to static.

 

I don't quite understand the Firehawk amp (compared to the FX unit). Is it supposed to be an all-in-one stereo speaker? It seems quite complicated in its attempt to do everything, so that's kept me away. How does it handle at higher volumes and do you find you've lost anything giving up the tube portion of the Mkii?

Solid state has improved tremendously!  The new modeling technology has grown exponentially in the last 5 years or so.  My guitar player was running his SVmkiiHD100 rig this weekend next to my FH1500 rig.  He had the biggest grin on his face for 2 days strait.  The tones I'm getting out of it are just unreal; or in this case insanely "real."  What really had him envious though, was the fact that I was running my aux send back to the FH1500 and not only using it for my guitar amp, but for my vocal monitor as well.  One piece of gear and a foot controller connected via cat 5. Small simple and loud as hell. He had his HD100 head, Marshall 4x12 cab, FBVshortboard, and about 6 other pedals tied to to huge pedal board, plus his vocal monitor, and took up half the stage.  I had it all in once nice convenient package with a small foot print, and had the same volume, feel and tone that he did.  It's just extremely well thought out tech.  If you have the time here is a 45 minute in depth video that was posted on youtube last week, that really gives you an idea of what all this amp is capable of.  

 

[ColonelForbin]

Solid state has improved tremendously!  The new modeling technology has grown exponentially in the last 5 years or so.  My guitar player was running his SVmkiiHD100 rig this weekend next to my FH1500 rig.  He had the biggest grin on his face for 2 days strait.  The tones I'm getting out of it are just unreal; or in this case insanely "real."  What really had him envious though, was the fact that I was running my aux send back to the FH1500 and not only using it for my guitar amp, but for my vocal monitor as well.  One piece of gear and a foot controller connected via cat 5. Small simple and loud as hell. He had his HD100 head, Marshall 4x12 cab, FBVshortboard, and about 6 other pedals tied to to huge pedal board, plus his vocal monitor, and took up half the stage.  I had it all in once nice convenient package with a small foot print, and had the same volume, feel and tone that he did.  It's just extremely well thought out tech.  If you have the time here is a 45 minute in depth video that was posted on youtube last week, that really gives you an idea of what all this amp is capable of.  

 

 

 

SWEET! Love the Anderton's reviews, they are awesome

[oscillateX]

Solid state has improved tremendously!  The new modeling technology has grown exponentially in the last 5 years or so.  My guitar player was running his SVmkiiHD100 rig this weekend next to my FH1500 rig.  He had the biggest grin on his face for 2 days strait.  The tones I'm getting out of it are just unreal; or in this case insanely "real."  What really had him envious though, was the fact that I was running my aux send back to the FH1500 and not only using it for my guitar amp, but for my vocal monitor as well.  One piece of gear and a foot controller connected via cat 5. Small simple and loud as hell. He had his HD100 head, Marshall 4x12 cab, FBVshortboard, and about 6 other pedals tied to to huge pedal board, plus his vocal monitor, and took up half the stage.  I had it all in once nice convenient package with a small foot print, and had the same volume, feel and tone that he did.  It's just extremely well thought out tech.  If you have the time here is a 45 minute in depth video that was posted on youtube last week, that really gives you an idea of what all this amp is capable of.  

 

Just finished watching the entire video. All I can say is...WOW!!!

 

I went into that demo/review video expecting it to sound like the horrid days of Spider solid state past and was very pleasantly surprised. It's funny because I've been looking for a set up that is easy to set up and covers a lot of ground since I'm singing lead vocals, playing lead guitar, and switching between keyboard and synth sections as well. I had just about written off playing acoustic guitar live because of the practicality, but clearly that is a non-issue with the FH1500.

 

I'm practically sold and ready to pick up the 1500 and the FBV 3 since it pretty much kills three birds with one stone for me. Before I jump the gun, I would like to get some feedback from those of you who own a FH1500 if you wouldn't mind.

 

1. The modeling functions are amazingly well done. The Anderton's video showed a very pristine version of the tones. My sound is geared more toward the balancing act between chaos and control, so feedback and a gritty done is important to a lot of my material. Does the FH1500 have the ability to be unpredictable in that sense, something you can easily get with some humbuckers and a tube amp?

 

2. At higher volumes does the amp really maintain its tone and avoid the static sound of earlier solid state amps, or do tubes still win out in that regard?

 

3. Can you mic this amp effectively as you would a normal guitar amp? I know one of the selling points is it is loud enough to carry (1500Watts, after all), but not everyone wants to destroy their ears live, especially if they're using IEMs and would prefer to set their amp at a decent volume and let the larger PA system (especially at bigger venues) do the work.

 

4. Say, for whatever reason, you wanted to run the amp through a 4x12 cab or even through a standard tube amp head to take advantage of the effects (akin to recreating something like the Spider Valve Mkii), would this be possible? (Essentially using it as you might use the Helix as an effects unit rather than an amp).

 

5. Can you use MIDI to automatically change patches and presets during a song you're playing to a track/click?

[Sing4LTS]

Just finished watching the entire video. All I can say is...WOW!!!

 

I went into that demo/review video expecting it to sound like the horrid days of Spider solid state past and was very pleasantly surprised. It's funny because I've been looking for a set up that is easy to set up and covers a lot of ground since I'm singing lead vocals, playing lead guitar, and switching between keyboard and synth sections as well. I had just about written off playing acoustic guitar live because of the practicality, but clearly that is a non-issue with the FH1500.

 

I'm practically sold and ready to pick up the 1500 and the FBV 3 since it pretty much kills three birds with one stone for me. Before I jump the gun, I would like to get some feedback from those of you who own a FH1500 if you wouldn't mind.

 

1. The modeling functions are amazingly well done. The Anderton's video showed a very pristine version of the tones. My sound is geared more toward the balancing act between chaos and control, so feedback and a gritty done is important to a lot of my material. Does the FH1500 have the ability to be unpredictable in that sense, something you can easily get with some humbuckers and a tube amp?

 

Yes just turn off the noise gate (or better yet assign to a switch on the FBV3 so you can kick it in and out as needed)

 

2. At higher volumes does the amp really maintain its tone and avoid the static sound of earlier solid state amps, or do tubes still win out in that regard?

 

Yes it maintains its tone very well.  I personally don't play extremely loud, as I am also live sound engineer and know the value of a low stage volume, and letting the PA carry the load.  But yes, it's very consistent all the way from bedroom levels to fully cranked.

 

3. Can you mic this amp effectively as you would a normal guitar amp? I know one of the selling points is it is loud enough to carry (1500Watts, after all), but not everyone wants to destroy their ears live, especially if they're using IEMs and would prefer to set their amp at a decent volume and let the larger PA system (especially at bigger venues) do the work.

 

No.  Mic'ing doesn't really work with this amp.  It has a pair of stereo XLR outputs to feed the PA.  Assuming that you have a well tuned PA, the sound coming from the PA will be the exact sound that you're hearing from your amp.  This thing is a front of house engineers dream.  

4. Say, for whatever reason, you wanted to run the amp through a 4x12 cab or even through a standard tube amp head to take advantage of the effects (akin to recreating something like the Spider Valve Mkii), would this be possible? (Essentially using it as you might use the Helix as an effects unit rather than an amp).

 

You probably will not want to do this, as you're going to be very pleased with the tones that you're going to get from the amp.  There really is no need.  However; "Can it be done?"   I'm really not sure.  I'm going to say probably not, simply due to impedance balance issues.  I wouldn't try it.

 

5. Can you use MIDI to automatically change patches and presets during a song you're playing to a track/click?

 

The amp does have MIDI support, however I'm not sure to what extent that support is implemented.  I would assume that it allows for midi program change messages to be sent and received via the MIDI in/out ports on the back.  But you would probably want to do a little more research concerning it's functionality.  

[Smashingpuffins]

I just got my 1500 and the fbv3 and im overwhelmed but i love the sounds so far...i only wish i could setup the fbv3 before my gig on june 10th. Any tips for thise of you that use the 1500 live? I play classic rock and blues covers so having the versitility to change to completely different tones from song to song is sooo awesome. So far i usually start jamming with it then i never get around to actually dialing it in for hiw i need to use it live. what are you guys doing for your live setups?

[Tboneous]

How much more functionality does the FBV 3 give you over the FBv Shortboqrd MKII? Is it worth purchasing?

[amp2]

Got mine too - love it - let the color LED's lead the way :P  

[Tboneous]

How much more functionality does the FBV 3 give you over the FBv Shortboqrd MKII? Is it worth purchasing?

Anyone?

[Tboneous]

How much more functionality does the FBV 3 give you over the FBv Shortboqrd MKII? Is it worth purchasing?

Is this thing on? Check, check one, two.....

[Splitear]

Got mine last week and gigged with it this past weekend. It does what it's supposed to, though I haven't had a ton of time to tweak it yet.

[Sing4LTS]

Best I can tell, it just gives you the fancy LED indicators (which are useless for outdoor gigs during the day).  I could be wrong though.  My other guitar player has the FBv shorty MKii, that he's using for his HD100 rig.  I might try to plug his in to the FH1500 so that I can do a comparison.  

[Tboneous]

Pretty lights? That's it? No wonder no one has anything to say about the difference between the two!

[amp2]

To me the feel of the MK2 SB is spongy compared to the soft click of FBV3.  Plus the colors are not just there for pretty. Better display too.

 

FBV3 Rocks!

[treyrhodes27]

I got one with my amp. It works well. Very simple technology, mind you, and probably almost not worth the price tag. But, still, very very nice. Seems rugged enough to complement Firehawk 1500. Makes patch switching bone both quite simple and less error prone than twiddling knobs or using the iPhone app. Time will tell if I can see these fancy LEDs and the backlit LCD at an outdoor gig. (Anyone have experience, here?)

[cnw1122]

Anyone know how to calibrate the FBV3?

[Smashingpuffins]

I got one with my amp. It works well. Very simple technology, mind you, and probably almost not worth the price tag. But, still, very very nice. Seems rugged enough to complement Firehawk 1500. Makes patch switching bone both quite simple and less error prone than twiddling knobs or using the iPhone app. Time will tell if I can see these fancy LEDs and the backlit LCD at an outdoor gig. (Anyone have experience, here?)

I have played my first outdoor gig with the FH1500 and FBV3...the leds and screen are super bright and easy to read, this gig started when it was still daylight and our last set was in pitch black night and the fbv3 held up well under both lighting conditions. If you have a FH1500 its a must to have the FBV3 because switching using the app is much too cumbersome.

[Tboneous]

FBV does a good job. Though I keep my iPad on a stand for quick editing in the gig situation. It works really well.

[cyberguitarist]

I'm thinking about diving into the Firehawk 1500/ FBV3 rig. Does anyone know if you can assign the volume pedal on the FBV3 as an expression pedal to control effects parameters, specifically the delay levels or does it only function as a volume and wah wah?

[richiecat]

I have recently got the FBV3 and have to say it's great.. makes the Firehawk 1500 much more usable!

 

And to answer cyberguitarist's question - you can assign most effect parameters to be controlled bt the "tweak fx" knob, this can also be assigned to the expression pedal on the FBV3 to control these parameters - there are some limitation as to what can be controlled, but i suspect these will be fixed in future updates..

[gordonius1]

I love the Firehawk 1500 and FBV3.  I get to try it at rehearsal this weekend.  One question on the FBV 3...

 

While the LED Indicators work fairly well, I've noticed that with some switches, the colors don't really match.  For example, the "Stomp" should be a yellow color (as in the Remote App), but on the FBV 3, it's more of a greenish color.   When using a switch for "Reverb" which is orange in the app, the FBV 3 displays a yellowish color.  This is somewhat annoying. 

 

Is there any way to tell the FBV 3 which LED colors should display?

Many thanks!

[jerryratpack]

I love the Firehawk 1500 and FBV3.  I get to try it at rehearsal this weekend.  One question on the FBV 3...

 

While the LED Indicators work fairly well, I've noticed that with some switches, the colors don't really match.  For example, the "Stomp" should be a yellow color (as in the Remote App), but on the FBV 3, it's more of a greenish color.   When using a switch for "Reverb" which is orange in the app, the FBV 3 displays a yellowish color.  This is somewhat annoying. 

 

Is there any way to tell the FBV 3 which LED colors should display?

Many thanks!

I am having the same issue. I reloaded the firmware and it still shows green on the overdriven, Dist comps etc. line 6 suggested taking it to a store that has a spider V , and seeing if it still has that same behavior . This way they know if it is the floorboard or the amp is sending the wrong color code. I have not had a chance to do this yet. I do know that it is choosing the correct stomp , so that's a relief

[gordonius1]

Thanks!

[leomel]

Is there any smaller pedal available to do patch changes?  I only need to switch between 4 patches .. so the FBV3 is overkill

and too big for my pedal board. 

[johnsga7]

Just got the FBV 3 two days ago.  It switches  through tones fine with bank switches A –D. I have not yet checked out the 5 FS buttons. I have  found 2 problems. The Function button changes the amp to function mode but does no illuminate the button the FBV 3 will not edit parameter. Second, pressing the tuner only shows the tuner on the amp and not the FBV 3. I have found the documentation and line 6 online support very superficial and will be calling support.

 

One thing to note. If you use the bank up and down buttons, it must be followed by a bank A - D press. So if the amp is using tone in 01 A and you only press the down bank, it will flash 02 B but if you don't quickly press A - D, the tone will go back to 01 A. If after you hit the down button and then hit B, the tone will change to 02 B. Likewise if you to hit D, it would switch to 02 D.