HOW WE USED IT

I got it over to Larry’s shop where we could really crank it up without disturbing the neighbors (or our wives). I plugged in an Ibenez Artcore hollowbody and started playing with the sounds at the cleaner end of the range. Being an open-back combo amp guy I was impressed with the takes on the Fender and Vox sounds I tend to use most. Larry, is a 4x12 closed cabinet Marshall guy. He plugged in a Strat and a Les Paul and moved to the heavier sounds. And was initially unimpressed.   But then he moved into the song-specific sounds and found a patch based on the Ozzie tune “Bark At the Moon.” Note here that Larry plays in Unauthorized Ozzie, one of the country’s premier Ozzie tribute bands that has played for Ozzie-size crowds. He played for a minute and said “the tone is wrong but they nailed the flanger. It just doesn’t have that closed-back sound.” We looked at each other and the same light bulb went off in both of our heads.   We dragged over one of his 4x12 cabinets and took the output of the Spider valve and ran it into the Marshall cabinet. Magic. Then we lit up a real Marshall half-stack and put it next to the Spider-driven 4x12.

Larry’s verdict”?

“It’s damn close.” He was still wailing with the amp when I had to leave an hour later.   A few days later, we got together again and took advantage of the fact that Larry owns some pretty extensive amp stock as part of the backline inventory for his sound company. We already knew what it sounded like up against a Marshall so we set it up in a line of three combo amps. On the left was a silver-face Fender Twin (an amp that will set you back about $1500). On the right, a reissue Vox AC-30 (about $1200) with the Spider Valve in the middle.   We spent a couple of hours going through presets and then trying to find the same sound on the original amps and, again pronounced the Spider “damn close.” Keep in mind that damn close is a huge thing here. There can be major tone differences between tow tube amps of the same make and model and even year of manufacturing—it is one reason I have gravitated towards modeling amps. While the sound may not have been exactly the same as the Fender and Vox on either side, the sounds produced by the Spider were excellent and immediately useable and in some cases it sounded better than the originals.   Finally we dialed in what we consider good sounds on the Fender and Vox and tried to match them with the Spider Valve, starting from scratch. We got so close that the only way we could tell which amp the sound was coming from with our eyes closed was by the direction it was coming from.  

CONCLUSIONS

Larry is in a situation where other people carry his gear. In fact the next day, he was playing at the Las Vegas marathon and his crew was setting up four full stacks and a Roland JC120 combo amp that he uses for one song. I generally have to carry my own gear. We agreed that, on it’s own, the Spider Valve was enough for any working guitarist playing the club circuit and that, if he had the stage space and willingness to carry another piece of gear, The Spider Valve along with a 4 cabinet and an A/B switch would work for pretty much anyone.   The really good part is that this is a very affordable amp. OK, so it does not have the flexibility of my Vetta. But the list price is about 1/2 that of the Vetta. And the street price is about 1/2 of just one of those original combo amps we put it up against and that does not even take into account the built-in effects. It is an incredible value.   In fact, and this is the highest praise I can give to any piece of gear. My budget is limited but I am buying this amp. Line 6 dudes? Please just send an invoice. This one is not going back. Oh, and Larry wants to buy one for himself. Do we get a discount on two?