[Soopahmahn]

New Line6 amp with the upcoming HD modeling and a Bogner power section.

Premier Guitar - October 2010

DT50 | Line 6

Could be a great amp. I dig the aesthetic, too. :yesway:

 

[79]

I was just going to post this. Looks very interesting. The newer Spider Mark II has the Vetta modeling, and the DT50 will have the POD HD modeling. Should be very cool indeed.

 

[zepp]

Where's the LCD display for patches?

 

[sami]

Where's the LCD display for patches?

Maybe it's on the footpedal?

 

[Rick]

Interesting...

 

[79]

DT50 | Line 6

 

[sami]

Dude's voice... "For dryyy eyes, get ClearEyes®"

I'm kinda interested in this amp now. It's surprising that Line6 did something that's not modeling. Props for that especially for it's plain and simple look. No need for an LCD.

 

[Josh]

Very cool. I'd be interested to try one at least.

 

[AxiomRoma]

That dude's voice put me to sleep...

Interconnectivity = good
Analog = good

It seems sort of convoluted and gimmicky though, maybe? Comes down to the same old question as with all modeling and gimmicky, "it does everything!" kind of amps. How many guitar tones does one really NEED? 20 mediocre ones, or a couple of really good ones?

That being said, this could be a great compromise. Would need to dial one in and see.

 

[darren]

That looks very interesting... much more of a tube/modeling hybrid than the old Spider Valve.

 

[Soopahmahn]

It's surprising that Line6 did something that's not modeling.

It's absolutely a modeler. This is simply a big step up from the SpiderValve, which was pretty cool IMO. I think this is a really neat product, but I'll admit the clips in the demo videos on their website weren't blowing me away. Would love to demo one at a GC when they come out.

 

[79]

The tones in this video don't really blow me away, and generally Premier Guitar's videos sound pretty good. The HD400 POD actually sounds a lot better.

 

[sami]

I think I heard the video wrong then. I thought it was all analog and the switches change the reactions of each "amp". They kept saying "like a Vox" and "like Marshall" etc.

 

[79]

I think I heard the video wrong then. I thought it was all analog and the switches change the reactions of each "amp". They kept saying "like a Vox" and "like Marshall" etc.

There's definitely modeling in there.

I - Fender-ish
II - JTM-45-ish
III - Vox-ish
IV - Engl-ish (Fireball, I think)

How do HD modeling technology and tubes work together?

Each one adapts and adjusts based on what the other is doing. For example, at high volumes the HD amp modeling technology "backs off" to allow for the natural power-tube distortion to take over and color the tone. At low volumes, the opposite happens. As a result, DT50 yields outstanding "sweet spot" tone at all volume levels.

 

[jacksonplayer]

It looks like the preamp sections are digitally modeled, but the power amp section is not. Well, I guess you could say they are "analog models" of different power amps, since it's physical, analog switching going on. Essentially, this is intended to be the ideal power section for using a POD HD live.

I didn't think the sound in the videos was all that great. The cleans sounded very good, but the gains were messy and fuzzy. It's a great idea, but I would also worry about reliability. Line6 stuff is always fragile, and now to add a shitload of analog relay switches too? Sounds like a major malfunction waiting to happen at the worst time.

 

[sami]

Aye, thanks for the clarifications. Yeah, it does not surprise me that their gains are still messy and fizzy.

 

[Toshiro]

Sounds like each "topology" setting adjusts the power amp presence/resonance/sag/etc. Similar to a Peavey XXX's "Tight/Medium/Loose" switch.

 

[Reverend 7 Strings of Hate]

once again, i think if you know what your doing you can get line 6 gear to sound pretty damn good. Its the reliability that just isnt there. I think thats how they get it to you so cheap. Thats where they skimp. On the quality of the components. Where as an axe fx or something like that uses much higher quality components(in addition to processing power obviously)

 

[sami]

On a reliability standpoint, out of all my friends that've owned Line6 stuff including me, only one of them had an issue with something, and that was his own fault.

 

[noodles]

On a reliability standpoint, out of all my friends that've owned Line6 stuff including me, only one of them had an issue with something, and that was his own fault.

It's funny that everyone says that, since I don't know anyone around here that hasn't had trouble with Line6 products. My AX2 was in the shop twice, since it kept blowing power caps. I've seen three Flextone II heads die live--two of them lost something in the power section, leaving the guitarist to run direct, while another one just refused to ever turn on again. I've seen a Vetta and Vetta 2 completely die on their guitarists at gigs. I've seen three POD Pros scramble their memory before soundcheck. Ty Tabor lost a POD Pro three of the five times I saw King's X come through (when he was using them). A guitarist for a band we play with puts his Spider Valve head on the floor with a fan pointed at it, or it overheats (he said it went into the shop once for burning out this way). My X2 pedal wireless just got shipped back, since the transmitter quit transmitting. That was my second one, since the first one was DOA. Between Mike and I, we have been through *five* of the transmitter cables.

People who say Line6 is reliable are either not really gigging much, or are extraordinarily lucky. They make cheap garbage, and I wouldn't rely on them for anything outside of my house. I am sure this new amp has some sort of design flaw that will manifest itself soon enough. They all do. If you want to do modeling, go buy a AxeFX and a good tube power amp.