Line 6 Amp Head - do you need a cab for it to drive?

A 'head' is a pre-amp and poweramp in one. You'll still need speakers though. You can NOT use a head on it's own.

By the way: IMHO Spiders are among the worst amps in history and half-stacks are plain nonsense with amps like these. To add to it, the Marshall cabinet you linked to ain't that good either IMHO. Getting that Spider with the Marshall cab will result in:

1) You paying lots of money.
2) You ending up with a plastic, fake and 'flat' sound.
3) You owning a setup that's a total pain in the rear to move around.

Do yourself a serious favor and reconsider your moves. I would personally find it very difficult to come up with a setup around that pricelevel that's even remotely as bad as this. No offense to any Spider owners, just my opinion.

If you're set on modeling, get a Line6 Flextone3 combo (2x12 if possible) or Vox AD60VT. If you have a hi-fi poweramp laying somewhere you could also consider a Boss GT8/pro. With your budget lots of tube amps are availlable as well, recommendations are not easy to give as it depends on taste a bit too much.

Ouch...how about this:

Fender FM 100H Guitar Amp Head ( http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Fender-FM-100H-Guitar-Amp-Head?sku=483716 $249.99)

and this:

Fender FM 412 4x12” 100 watt Cabinet Amp ( http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Fender-FM-412-4x12-100-Watt-4Ohm-Cabinet?sku=601726 $249.99)?

From what I've seen in the comments on Musicians Friend, lots of people that play rock and classic rock (my style) that have these say they're great and lots of people have two or three of them. Am I wrong?

Thanks for the help!
Cody

Haha, the Fender FM series would be runner-up to the Line6. It's #1 forte seems to be volume. If you have any further wishes, like actually a decent sound, don't bother. People who got three of these are either lying, joking, kidding or downright insane. Wouldn't surprise me if those comments were placed by MF themself.

I strongly suggest you try as much as you can yourself. Online reviews are usually pointless, people simply praise whatever they just bought.

In general:$500 half-stacks sound like crap. Either get a combo or pay more and get quality. Some suggestions in the $500 range:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Peavey-ValveKing-112-Combo-Amp?sku=481442
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Epiphone-Blues-Custom-30-Watt-2x12-Combo-Amp?sku=480288
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Hughes-Kettner-Edition-Tube-20th-Anniversary-Model-Combo-Amp?sku=480426X
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Line-6-Flextone-III-Plus-1x12-Stereo-Combo-Amp?sku=482241
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Fender-Hot-Rod-Deluxe?sku=480862

Some decent heads possibly worth checking out:
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Epiphone-So-Cal-50-Watt-Amp-Head?sku=480289
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Vox-AD120VTH-Valvetronix-Stereo-Head?sku=482489
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Peavey-Windsor-Tube-Amp-Head?sku=481331
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/B52-ST60A-60W-Tube-Guitar-Amp?sku=481307

Ok, so if I do get one of those heads...can I just use a combo amp for a speaker? (This is, of course, temporary.) I'll probably get a nice cab or cab set after Christmas, so it should all work out in the end.

Maybe. Maybe not. It depends on the output of the amp and the maximum load the speaker can handle, both measured in watts and ohm. And read this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attenuator

You also may be missing the point about the tube amp combos. You may be seeing these solid state heads at 100 - 120 watts of power and think that is a lot more powerful than a 30 watt tube combo. It is not. If you get a 30 watt tube combo with a speaker out jack you can then drive a 4x12 cab, easily and the tone will be better than a solid state head with cabs. A 15 watt tube combo is LOUD. If you were a touring musician, you could 'mic' the speaker in the combo via the PA system and have all the loudness you need.

Ok yeah...I definitely need to read up on this more. I feel "special" now. :oops: I wish there was just a definitive guide to this kind of stuff. Or is there?

Just read some of the older threads in this forum. Ask questions like you already are. There are lots of knowledgable people here. You won't learn unless you ask questions and read what has already been said.