Line 6 AX2

For me, there is more than enough sound flexibility. The nuance available with a nice tube amp might not be there 100%, but that is more than outweighed by the versatility, convenience and range of sounds available. I play a lot of high gain sounds: STP, Foo Fighters, Nickelback kinds of tone. The amp models are very forgiving, and it is very easy to get a big, rich crunch going. While the sound is mostly there at bedroom volumes, it *does* sound better when you crank it up a bit and get the speakers working. The sound is definitely superior to the original Flextones, both 2x10" and 1x12": the two 12" speakers (and an additional DSP chip) make this amp sound quite nice. The Flextones, in contrast, were unacceptable to me - not enough bottom end, weak and flappy tone.

The amp is certainly not built with the same mechanical quality as a Mesa Boogie, for instance. However, it is a very simple design with no fragile tubes to break, so I have not yet had a problem with the amp itself (though I have been VERY careful with it). The front panel knobs seem particularly vulnerable to injury if you're not careful. Like others, I have had some issues with the floor board. At one of my (rare) gigs, I got NO volume right before my big feature tune. Later, it turned out that the bendy plastic optical strip under the volume pedal had gotten slightly caught on the slot. When I pressed the pedal down, instead of going into the slot like it was supposed to, the strip got kinked, so it wouldn't enter the slot at all and the volume was stuck at 0. I emailed Line6, and they sent me up a (few) replacement strips for free, very quickly. Lately, the "C" channel button on the floorboard has been unreliable - it takes a firm press to guarantee that the channel gets activated.

I am totally satisfied with this amp.

 

If it were stolen, I would consider a Flextone III, though I believe it has a smaller patch memory, and I like having at least 40 slots available. I would consider a Spider II, but again, lack of patch memory may be an issue. I would absolutely stick with the 2x12 configuration. The Vetta is 1) total overkill for me, and 2) priced far beyond my means.

 

I would not consider a traditional amp, because I require the features of a modeling amp: good sound at low volumes, decent reproduction of a wide range of guitar sounds, a complete guitar rig in one package with lots of instantly-recallable presets/setups. I have casually looked at other modeling amps, but most seem like "me too" efforts, while Line6 remains the leader in realistic modeling.

 

I really don't need any more features. A pitch shifter or univibe effect would be fun to play with, but I don't NEED them. A digital input/output would be great toys for "re-amping" when I record, but I find that direct recording of modeling amps, despite any claims of "revolutionary" cabinet models, is disappointing. I always get a better sound when micing a real guitar speaker. Perhaps better mechanical build quality, especially in the floor board, would be in order.