Line 6 Vetta II 300 Watt Modeling Guitar HD VS Hughes&Kettner Switchblade 100 watt HD

[OLIE_ROCKS_THE_80'S]

I have been reading the forum and researching on past threads about these 2 amps but I found some of the info to be a bit outdated and since I'm about to purchase a new Rig to gig with, I need opinions on the 2 amps.
I'm also considering the Line 6 HD147 Stereo Guitar Amplifier Head 300 Watt.
I definitely need to play through them to make my final choice but I want to know pros and cons before I go out there and try them out.
I'm looking for good tone and plenty of headroom at higher volumes without the effects or distortion thining out.

Thanks in advance for all your suggestions,

Oliver

[gu1tar]

I've had a Vetta II Head for about a year and a half. I'm a bedroom player so I've never gigged with it but you can definitely get some good sounds out of it if you spend some time with it. (the soldano SLO-100 setting is my favorite)

I've never heard the H&K, but the Vetta will give you some more capatilities than the H&K because it is stereo so you can blend any two sounds together you want.

For gigging, if you buy a footcontroller, you can program your presets to go with the songs you play so you can play Stairway to Heaven, tap, Comfortably Numb, tap, Back for more, tap, Always with me, always with you, etc. as opposed to having to tweak individual knobs as you go like with normal heads. Of course, you can do it without the foot controller but you'd have to walk back to the head and push a button or turn one knob.

Another somewhat popular thing is to just get a Pod XTLive (I have one of those too) and run it into a tube power amp, (or PA) which gives you the same capabilities as the Vetta II except for the stereo/two amps at once feature.

If you are going to go for the Vetta II head, just make sure if you get a 2x12 or 4x12 that it has two inputs so each speaker gets it's own amp signal. I bought a Avatar 2x12 and had them wire it that way and also got two different models of speaker in it (V30 & H30) for even more variety.

The HD147 doesn't have as many amp models/features as the Vetta II does, or the two amps at once.

Give it a listen and see what you think. It's not tube snob heaven but will your audience even notice?

[OLIE_ROCKS_THE_80'S]

Thanks for the info! I will definitely try before I buy!

[sniperfrommars1]

Originally Posted by gu1tar

I've had a Vetta II Head for about a year and a half. I'm a bedroom player so I've never gigged with it but you can definitely get some good sounds out of it if you spend some time with it. (the soldano SLO-100 setting is my favorite)

I've never heard the H&K, but the Vetta will give you some more capatilities than the H&K because it is stereo so you can blend any two sounds together you want.

For gigging, if you buy a footcontroller, you can program your presets to go with the songs you play so you can play Stairway to Heaven, tap, Comfortably Numb, tap, Back for more, tap, Always with me, always with you, etc. as opposed to having to tweak individual knobs as you go like with normal heads. Of course, you can do it without the foot controller but you'd have to walk back to the head and push a button or turn one knob.

Another somewhat popular thing is to just get a Pod XTLive (I have one of those too) and run it into a tube power amp, (or PA) which gives you the same capabilities as the Vetta II except for the stereo/two amps at once feature.

If you are going to go for the Vetta II head, just make sure if you get a 2x12 or 4x12 that it has two inputs so each speaker gets it's own amp signal. I bought a Avatar 2x12 and had them wire it that way and also got two different models of speaker in it (V30 & H30) for even more variety.

The HD147 doesn't have as many amp models/features as the Vetta II does, or the two amps at once.

Give it a listen and see what you think. It's not tube snob heaven but will your audience even notice?

The floord pod live has stereo outputs for blending tones it hought, but requires two amps.

[Roland]

I've tried the Switchblade - definitely a contender! Though I'll say that my experience with Line6 is that they're very versatile, so unless the Switchblade provides exactly what you're looking for, the chance is that Line6 will, if not get you there, get you very close to what you want.

[Drow Swordsman]

I haven't played any of these amps - but I will say at a concert I went to, the guitarist of a death metal band called The Faceless

http://myspace.com/thefaceless

was using the HD147. Honestly I thought his tone was the only thing lacking about the performance, as his playing is superb. I just wasn't a fan of the amp.

He played it through a Vader 4x12.

[OLIE_ROCKS_THE_80'S]

Thanks a lot guys for all the responses. I will definitely make a careful choice!

[wilch]

What did you end up choosing Olie?

[OLIE_ROCKS_THE_80'S]

Originally Posted by wilch

What did you end up choosing Olie?

I ended up getting a JSX half stack as my giging Rig and a JSX combo for home use and I'm loving them!!! I tried everything else and at the end of the day the JSX was the best for me, however, the Mesa Boogie stuff came very close second...

[wilch]

Very cool.

So the Vetta just didn't cut it as an "all rounder"?

[OLIE_ROCKS_THE_80'S]

Originally Posted by wilch

Very cool.

So the Vetta just didn't cut it as an "all rounder"?

Nah!!! The effects sounded a bit sterile and fake at times and the variation of voulume on some of the presets ticked me off a lot, not to mention having to buy the floor board in order to be able to control the effects from the floor!
The Vetta is nice but it just wasn't for me, same for the switchblade! there's nothing like tube amps and stomp boxes!!! sounds great for Classic Heavy Metal and 80's stuff!

[wilch]

The Vetta is now scratched off my "must try" list.

[OLIE_ROCKS_THE_80'S]

Originally Posted by wilch

The Vetta is now scratched off my "must try" list.

I'd still say "Try" it It was not for "me" that does not mean that it might not do it for you! I always take all the advice I get here as a guideline, then I go and try things out and I form my own opinion.

Good Hunting mate!!!

[wilch]

Oooh, nah. I started reading about them last night when I couldn't sleep that's all.

I already use a Pod XT Pro through a BBE Sonic Maximizer direct as my practice "rig" at home, and have a 100w marshall head for other times. I was just thinking (after reading the line6 site) that I could replace both of those with a single Vetta II head.

But if it doesn't "breathe" or at the very least seems to breathe less than the XT Pro, which is what I'm gathering from what you've said, and because of the music I know you like which would influence your taste in amp sounds/tones (also from what I've read on this site ), then that's good enough for me to say no to the Vetta. hehe

Hope that makes sense. My logic is a bit screwy this Christmas day.

[Tank]

I ended up with the same as Ollie so I totally agree

I tried the switchblade and it is a very good and versatile amp. The good thing about it is the built in effects are very nice sounding.
For me though I did not need so many effects as I just add some effect over my stompboxes anyways.
The channels on the switchblade are very nice but are a bit less versatile than what you can do with the JSX. The plus is that you can save all settings and get them via the midi footcontroller, that is a very nice feature.
Make sure to play the switchblade through the right cab, it is relatively picky on speakers. Through the Celestion 30s 4x12 is sounded way to "tweety" for me on clean and crunch, then I took it through a Mesa 2x12 and it sounded awesome.

I wish I would have had more time to test the switchblade, it is definately an awesome amp.