Newbie... FBV3 and Spider V30

[boby0228]

I have a spider 30 and wanting to get into the world of pedals and effects. I am really interested in getting a looper. I also would want to have effects pedals at some point so curios if  FBV3 would be a good investment? I understand the V30 does not have a built in looper. Should I buy a stand alone looper and connect via the input jack on the amp and have the FBV3 by itself using the RG6 dedicated connection or should I get a looper and wire it as the on external petal you can add to the FBV3? I am very new to this and could use any input. Not sure if there are any pros and cons to either method.   

[fflbrgst]

You can't add a looper to the FBV3.  Only option is to have the looper on the input (guitar>looper>amp).  The main drawback of using ANY Spider amps is there is no effects loop - so you can't put any FX pedal (or looper) AFTER the FX of the amp.  Basically this means, if you use an external looper on the input, if you change the amp's sound patch, the sound of your recorded loop will change, too, not just the new 'layer' you are playing over the loop.  The only way to get past this with a Spider amp is to use the 'headphone/DI' output of the amp (which disables the built-in speaker), run that to the looper, then run the looper output to another amp or PA system/powered speaker.

[01GT]

On 9/9/2021 at 7:23 AM, fflbrgst said:

The main drawback of using ANY Spider amps is there is no effects loop - so you can't put any FX pedal (or looper) AFTER the FX of the amp.  

Agreed -- Honestly, the answer to your question is that you should have bought a Spider V amp model that includes the looper.  I believe the V60 and above have the looper built in.  When buying Line 6 stuff, they are notorious for adding significant functionality as you move up the model line, as they are not just increasing size, power, etc.  The best thing to do is buy the upper end of the model line to make sure that you are not missing out on some functionality that you may very well end up really wanting.  I am sorry that this advice is no help to you now.  Also, the FBV3 is only a "controller" for your existing amp's functionality -- it does not have any additional memory presets or effects (except for the wah pedal, I guess) beyond what is on your amp.  That being said, it adds significant convenience (and the wah pedal), along with being very well designed and constructed.  Once you have it, you will never want to part with it.