I play all kinds of styles and this amp has awesome tone for every one of them. The presets are pretty cool, and some are responsible for inspiring new tones that I created. I had some trouble finding my clean sound, but after a few weeks, I had it all dialed in. The overall versatility of this amp is amazing, and the value for it is simply the best. Thats why I bought it at least. Another great thing is once you've got a tone you like, you save it in its place. And if you get the shortboard like I did, you can access them very easily. If you can go out and try it yourself and dial in your own tone.

Just played through this version of the spider valve today and i have to say that other than the price tag its a great buy. the tubes definitely give it a warmer sound then the MUCH lower quality spider II and III amps. i agree that it has a SMALL unrealistic feal but nothing major. i would recommend this or a BUGERA for somone in this price range

Line 6 isn't the best out there but it's the best for your money. If I was a millionaire I would go spend thousands of dollars on boutique amps. I won't argue with you, they would sound better. However, if you're the average guy that jams with friends, plays at church, or does small gigs check this out. It's a great deal. The effects are pretty good. The delay is good for coming built in to an amp. I won't comment on flange, phaser, or tremolo because I don't use them. The reverb is alright too. The only pedals I would use would be a compressor, DL-4, and reverb in the effects loop. The great thing about this amp is all models. My favorite are the blues, metal, and insane. They are all great. The distortion on this is way better than the Spider III. I can't believe some people can't tell the difference. It doesn't have the "pssshhhhh" fuzz sound on the insane like the white fuzz channel on your tv. That's kinda what the Spider III red insane sounds like to exaggerate a bit. On the SV the Insane setting still sounds brutal but it has more clarity, body, and cuts through the mix better. I would recommend this amp to anyone. A lot of old bedroom rockstars will hate on this amp because it says Line 6 on it but don't listen to them. Go to the music shop, fire it up, and create your own opinion. Chances are you'll be impressed. I am very impressed with Line 6 and Mr. Bogner's work on this amp and it will be my next amp.

Not that I claim to be the expert, but I do have about 30 years experience which includes years of performing in groups that played country, classic rock and heavy metal. I have also had the pleasure of using a vast array of music equipment from high end to low end guitars and amps. I've experienced Marshall, Soldano, Fender, Randall amps along with every imaginable effects product from A-Z. My guitars include Gibson Les Paul's, American Fender Stratocasters/Telecasters and Taylor Acoustic. I have to say in my opinion; the Line 6 Spider Valve has fulfilled my quest for finding a combo amp that can be used virtually for any genre of music delivering professional sounding tones. It provides a simplistic set up with variety of tones and sounds at the touch of a finger or foot. It has the sound and response found in most high-end tube amps with out compromise. In addition, I have used my Spider Valve 2/12 continuously for the past two months to include playing shows every Friday and Saturday night with out any mechanical failures. Overall, I am proud to be a new owner of the Line 6 family.

Well, I was really excited about this because I've owned lots of Line 6 stuff over the years and still have pedals on my pedalboard, but I have to say no to this one. It just seems to me that Line 6 is caught in this cycle of using the same stuff in different packages instead of coming out with truly new stuff. The sounds are OK, but not great and the bottom line to me is that there aren't any stage ready tones in this amp. Everything just seems compressed and hollow and doesn't cut in the mix. I'll be selling mine.