vetta II considering buying it but.....???

To be honest, and no insult intended, it kinda seems as if you are in head over heels. Let me explain:

"it says on the web site that the head can run effects through any other amp speaker how does this work!!! and does that mean i can run line 6 effects through a vox tube cab!!!!!!! "

A cab is not an amp, and there are no cabs with tubes or such. Pretty much *every* amp can be run through another cab, and if it isn't possible it is a $20 fix to make it possible. So nothing special.

"3.and all these features are capable with computer recording"

This goes for *all* digital modeling amps of all companies. Again, nothing special.

So what is the special thing? The ammount of models and effects. The ability to mix two amps together (then again, the excellent $350 Boss GT8 does this better with the dynamic mode) and send them out over seperate stereo outputs. The ability to connect the amp directly to a Variax guitar and switch presets on both using one footswitch. Very nice for some people, pretty darn useless to most.

The number one thing you must ask yourself: Do I really need 75+ amp models and all those effects? Because if you don't, like most people, you could ask yourself if the few models you do use sound better then the amps they are modelling. For example, the Line6 has a very nice Vox AC30 model inside. But if that's the only model you'll be using you might just as well get a real Vox AC30CC.

On the internet there have been countless discussions about tube vs digital and the opinions vary wildly. Personally I would consider the Vetta II an excellent investment if you are a session-musician or guitarist in a (semi-)profession coverband. If you don't I'd suggest you just get yourself whatever amp you really like, hook up the effects you always liked and get some chips and a beer on the way home with the money you've saved.

$1600 US plus tax is very expensive. You can really get something special for that price ...
Here are some of my favorite amps of all time:

A Blackface Fender Twin or Deluxe Reverb Tube Amp
Either a vintage one that was recently serviced or a new handmade replica. (Not a reissue.)
A 70's Silverface Fender is also darn good, and is easier to find. A replacement speaker is a must.

An 18 Watt Marshall Tube Amp
These are VERY rare, but a few people make them new or have DIY kits.
It's more crunchy than the Fender, and has a different tone.

Either of those would be so special that you'd most likely not want to take them out of your home.
They are collectors items.

I would definitely shop around and play a lot of different amps until you find the one that suits your musical tastes and sounds so sweet that it makes you shiver and your hair stand up when you play it.

:D

PRDNL: In case you didn't know, Marshall recently re-introduced an 18W all tube amp with their 'handwired' series:
http://www.marshallamps.com/product.asp?productCode=1974X&pageType=SPECS

As for flaws with Line6 gear:

1. These are computer models of vintage amps. They are close to, but not identical to the real thing.

2. Computers and digital stuff break down over time. That's fine when under warrantly, but repairs can be real expensive.

3. Digital stuff, in general, are not collectible, mostly because they are hard to repair and have parts (computer chips) that are only available from the manufacturer. By not collectible, I mean that the price declines over time. At some point they will come out with the Vetta 3 to replace the Vetta2, which replaced the Vetta 1.

4. Digital stuff can be flaky, in the same way that a PC crashes or has funny glitches. I can't say exactly what problems the Vetta 3 has, if any, but my neighbor could tell you a lot about how weird his Line6 Spider acts.

5. Did the $1600 price include the footswitch? I'd check on that. The footswitch could add another $500!

6. If you want to sound exactly like your favorite guitar hero, then you're going to love the Line6. If you want your own unique sound, then it's going to be a bit difficult.

7. Having an amp with a computer can make you feel like a computer programmer instead of a musician.

PRDNL: In case you didn't know, Marshall recently re-introduced an 18W all tube amp with their 'handwired' series:
http://www.marshallamps.com/product.asp?productCode=1974X&pageType=SPECS

Sweet!!!

thank you for the explanation Arjen...........your right!!!! up untill now i have only used 2 amps both combos i have no idea how heads and seperate speakers and all that stuff work .......i have line 6 spider( which is crap) the tone varies with different volume levels the louder the amp the blurier the sound!!!

DO NOT BUY A SPIDER blurry distortion+ weak effects= absolute shit!!!

thank you for the input I now am looking at different amplifiers!!!

I have a Line 6 FLEXTONE III and I love it.
I used Marshall amps for about 15 years but wanted more flexibility with my sound.I could have spent 100's bucks on pedals but decided to try the flextone as I gig regularly and play a very wide range of songs (everything from Bob Marley to AC/DC).tHE Line 6 just about does it all in one box.Its never going to sound exactly like a Marshall or Fender HRD but thats not really what its designed for.Unles you actually own all the models it emulates you will never no the difference.A friend of mine does have an old VOX AC30 and this thing does sound the same.If you want to create your own sound the possibilities are endless and the editing system is easy to use.Been gigging regularly for 18 months with my Flextone and its been solid as a rock.With the 32 channel floor board with Volume and Wah pedals you'll have more sounds than you'll ever need.

If you want some idea of what it sounds like check out my band at http://www.myspace.com/indy900
all songs were recorded using my flextone.

Hope this helps.

yes my rythem guitarist plays a flextone III ...and he swears by it!!!! but his has strange volume swings wile playing ....is this common or did he just buy a fluke modle???

chaisewilson

A very common problem with multi-efx boards or even amps like the Line 6 is that the volumes of the presets are often mismatched horribly. You will be playing a nice clean preset, when you switch to a distortion preset you get blasted! Or it can even be the opposite, sometimes when you go to distortion it is too quiet. I have never figured out why the manufacturers do not set the volumes of their presets in the way a guitarist would use them, with distortions a little louder than clean presets.

But it is really not such a big problem, you just have to read your manual and set the volumes yourself. And often you will find you want to tweak the effects too. I don't like huge effects myself, I almost always tweak everything way down.

As far as getting this amp, if you like the way it sounds, get it. Many gigging musicians use Line 6, I have heard them many times. They usually sound a little overboard on effects, but that is a personal thing with me. Many people love to play with big effects, and many people love to listen to them. I even like them myself sometimes. :D

What is nice about these amps is that you have all the classic sounds available. So if you play a Country song and you want that clean tone with reverb and slapback echo, it is right there. If the next song you need high gain distortion, it is there too. And they have copied the tones of many famous players and amps, so it usually sounds pretty awesome. They do not completely sound like the real tube amps they copy, but they are so close that most people cannot tell the difference at all.

The biggest problem I have with multi-efx units is that you get too many sounds. With me, I was always scrolling through all the presets. I like this distortion, no... I like this one... no, I like this one..... and on and on. It is overkill. You usually end up using just 4 or 5 presets.

But the others effects are nice too. It's fun to try the different sounds. Sometimes a certain effect will inspire you to create music you wouldn't have normally.

So, if you are a person who enjoys many different classic guitar tones, go for it. These are good amps, used by many pros.

thank your for your advice but ........myband members volume will change while playing the same channel.........like halfwaythrough a solo the volume will decrease aout 20% then we will have to take a midsong break for him turn reset his volume knob or just play through it and be annoyed!!!

but all your other sdvice was vey helpfulll...........i guess i will just kepp playing and trying out as many different amps as possible till i hit the right one......could be vetta II who knows!! haha

what make me get more into this amp is that one off my guitar heros bumble foot has listed on his site that this is his primary amp( I love his solo tone and try so hard to imitate it on my buddys flextone!!)

That's different. Your buddy needs to have it serviced. I had a Digitech multi-efx that started doing that after about 2 years. I had to constantly calibrate the pedal, but it would go out again. It would also stick using Wah at whatever tone you had it on at the moment. I ended up taking the footpedal out of all presets and didn't use it.

But for the cost of this amp, you really shouldn't have problems like that.

If he hasn't done it alteady get him to download the latest firmware update from Line6.Should sort the problem out and it also updates and improves some of the tones.