Classic Vs. Full Range questions

[Nos402]

Does anyone choose to use FR instead of "Classic"? I'm a bit puzzled by this new feature as it seems like isn't that removing half the "model" since you aren't modeling the original cab any more?

 

Also, if I choose to run the XLR to the board (which would be how I always would run it live), then how does "classic" mode affect that? Do I need to switch all the new presets (which I notice are all Classic mode for the electric amps) to FR mode since I will never be using a mic on this amp? 

 

And random bonus question: Can the Spider V 120 (MkI with 2.0.0 firware) be used for bass or will that possibly damage the speaker? Thanks!

[guitardad123]

I still prefer the FR version. I'm still working out the Classic stuff.

I don't think the Classic mode does anything but disable the HF drivers and substitutes the cab model with a more traditional voicing.
I'm not sure it impacts the XLR's, but I suppose it would if it is disabling the actual Cab model.

The idea behind Classic mode is to get a more classic guitar speaker tone out of the cab. FR tone is more like using a powered speaker used for PA. 
For me, I like the FR system. That is why I bought this amp. I can make it go more like the amp models I want them to be. If I go Classic mode, that defeats the idea of modeling the cabs I use. Problem with FR is not the FR system, it's the lack of punch and midrange that most guitar speakers have. Using a PEQ block after the Amp and Cab model can bring a lot of that energy back. I'v e used this Spider V for a couple years now on many stages. It just sounds great with a few tweaks. Every sound guy I have had from Hard Rock Cafe, to other casino venues love the idea it can be used direct, and no amplification if IEM's are required. So it fits many situations. For a traditional backline it works great too.

I would never use these amps for bass guitars.

[deadastronaut]

I use FR for absolutely everything.  "Classic" sounds like a ratty little combo with a speaker on the edge of blowout.  You may be able to dial in a few vintage tones where the "classic" setting is appropriate –say something like Pete Townshend, or the Kinks, or some really nasty early punk guitar – but even those could probably be better approximated with careful tweaking of the FRFR.  

 

I think this update is mostly for metal dudes who think an amp should deliver a huge block of bass under 250Hz, a huge block of treble over 5kHz, and nothing else.  If you want to crank the noise gate and distortion, turn the mids to 0, and dime the bass and treble, feel free to go CHUGGA-chug-chug-CHUGGA-chug-chug-(pick squeal.  I myself have no interest in that, and if, as I suspect, you don't either, I'm going to keep running Full Range/Flat Response, dialing in a reversed "smile curve" EQ (in my case, bass 3-6, mid 6-8, treble 2-4, depending on patch & usage, plus gain according to the sound I want – don't be afraid of either zero or 10!), and playing the 5 Mesas, 2 Bogners, 11 Marshalls, 3 Diezels, 7 Fenders, and a few signature-tone patches I've dialed in for people like Shawn Lane, Jonny Greenwood, Omar Rodríguez López, a couple of pre-Marshall Jimmy Pages when he was trying things like Supro and Hiwatt, 3 different Hendrixes (Hendrices?), et al.

[deadastronaut]

(Tip: you want that Led Zeppelin I sound, JP was using a Telecaster, not a Les Paul, and his amp was probably the Supro S-6616, modeled in the Spider V as the Super O.  It's naturally very tinny, but give it a lot of gain, mid, and bass, and then send it through either a Screamer, Tube Drive, or Boost+EQ – I believe I used the Screamer – with some real drive on it and a very moderate Tone setting, plug in your Tele if you're luck enough to have one, and bang, early Zep.

 

(I've been meaning to try a similar trick with the legendary Royal Albert Hall show from 1970 to get a Zeppelin II sound: the Plexi Lead 100 with everything dimed and the Boost+EQ will get you there, but he was specifically using that famous DR-103 Hiwatt stack, so I want to try that with a Screamer, since Hiwatts are naturally more snappy and sharp than resonant or sustaining.)

[Kilrahi]

I prefer the full range choice for a lot of the reasons given above. If done right, you have a much wider palette of sounds. Without a doubt, for acoustic guitar you want the full range sound. 

 

However, for a lot of posters it screwed with their heads. Classic cabs weren't full range, and we've gotten used to hearing that. Plus, players never gave them much thought. They chose the cab they loved, and plugged in. I saw many players grab the original Spider V, assume that there was no sculpting needed with the sound, and then be perplexed and confused by all the high sonic frequencies that came through it. They'd call the amp crap and move on. The classic mode is designed for those people who just want to plug and play. 

 

There's no shame in either approach. In my opinion, the classic mode is easier to dial in, but the full range takes it to another level in the right hands. Try it out and see which you prefer. It's always great to have options. 

[Random1643]

+1 or 2 for the FRFR > Classic mode. 

 

I perform swing, folk, early country, blues, pop/rock songs using electric and acoustic guitars in standard, drop and open tunings playing rhythm, comps, bass lines, slide, etc - but at core I'm a fingerpicker. So I'm looking for clarity, presence, balance across the strings. Which is what I get from FRFR mode. I did the free firmware 2.0 upgrade - Thank you, Line 6 - and, like others, I'm still trying to figure out the Classic mode. I have found it useful to develop custom profiles in the Spider V for each instrument. 

[gtrman100]

When I updated to MkII, it became readily apparent that the base tones of the presets were more "amp like" which is what I think the vast majority of guitar players expect when they demo an amp for the first time. I got very good tones with the MkI software, but I think if you readjust your presets, you'll find that the tones are markedly improved. I still use the FR software for acoustic tones, and for some more exotic sounds where I want it to be a "mixed" sound. YMMV

[colek98]

One big question - If you do the upgrade to MK11 and then decide you prefer FRFR, is there a way back or are u stuck w it?

 

[Nos402]

All the new presets are classic by default but there is a setting in each patch where you can set it to FR if you want to.