Line 6 Spider Amps

I went to a store recently (Guitar Center) to test out Fender Standard Stratocaster. I had seen the Spider 3 30w amp on their website for $200. I am looking for a good sounding amp for practice only. I noticed the Line 6 Spider 2 30w on a website for only $120. I checked out the specs, features, and images, and it looked almost exactly the same to my un-trained eye. I read the online user's manual, amp setup, etc. on the Line 6 website. I could see no difference. I want to know if there is a difference in sound, quality, performance, etc. from the Spider 2 30w compared to the Spider 3
30w.

They are very similar amps...I think the Spider 3 might have some more "models and effects", but for general purpose...both are good amps. Also have a look at the VOX Valvetronic models. Many people I know preferred them over the similar Line6 models.

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I have to strongly recommend that you follow adaptable's advice and check out Vox modeling amps. I have the AD30VT -- see my original comments here: Modeling amps

Last night my brother-in-law and I played a small set of songs for about 25 friends and family. He's a great guitarist and plays out regularly in Phoenix, and he had not previously played through a Valvetronix. While getting ready for our "gig" we had a four hour practice session and he had a blast dialing in different tones with that Vox amp. During our performance we played everything from "Don't Be Cruel" to "Pride and Joy" to "Cat Scratch Fever" and we were able to quickly dial in great tones for every song. From clean, to a little overdrive with trem and reverb, to downright nasty high-gain overdrive, just by turning a few knobs. And we had MORE than enough volume. (As we switched back and forth to different guitars and amp settings, my Peavey Backstage was relegated to handling bass guitar duties only.)

The longer I own and use my Vox amp the more I like it. And more than ever I'm convinced that it is an absolute steal at $239.00. If you're in the market for a modeling amp it would be a shame not to at least give one of these a workout before you make your buying decision.

Thanks guys, but I got the line 6 Spider 3 30w before I saw these posts. I'm a beginner and I use it only for practice purposes, and its a great amp. The settings are nice, the clean sounds clean, and it's plently loud. The "insane" channel is ok if you turn the drive down so its not just noise and you can hear the guitar.

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Wes

I played through a Spider 3 75W last week, and whilst the amp sounded good and had some benefits (like the built in tuner).....I didn't like the fact that the preset tones are organized by Artist and what I think are song titles. It took me forever to find a decent clean tube amp sound. I wish they would organize the tones like they do on the Pods (Blackface Lux, Clean JC-120, Threadplate, etc.).

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