Line 6 Lowdown Bass Amps, any oppinions?

[Loserchief]

So i seriously need to get a real bassamp for live use(currently ueing Bass V-amp at home), but i can't go with just a single channel amp and i don't need head+cab(combo should work better for me). I need lots of stuff for my bass sounds since they range from clean jazz to heavyly distorted meshuggah style sounds, and i also like to add some chorus and other effects. The V-Amp does all this but the only real amp to do it would be the Line6 Lowdown series.

From the clips on their homepage and the reviews on HC(i'm looking for either the LD 175 or LD 300) i'm quite tempted, but to test one i'll have to go downtown and see if they have them in stock.
So before i make the trip in the near future, has anyone here tryed one of the Low Downs and what did you think about the tones and so on?

 

[eleven59]

I sat down and played with one for a while when I was looking for a bass amp a while back and loved it. If I was going to buy a bass amp in that price range, it'd be my choice for sure. Could handle any tone I wanted, and sounded great. I couldn't believe how close it sounded to a real Ampeg stack, and I'm a regular Line6 user for guitar already The tones on the website are very accurate, that's how it really sounds, and with tweaking it can sound even better. And, being a 1x15 combo, it's plenty loud enough with plenty of low end. I couldn't afford one at the time, but I still plan on getting one someday.

 

[rummy]

I advise you against it. First, it's not loud enough for a gig. It's a decent practice/acoustic amp, but you will get lost with drums and a half stack. It sounds ok up to about half way up, but after that, it breaks badly, and farts. Plus, the electronics are quite noisy, and people are reporting issues left and right. If you're set on digital modelling, get a Pod with a poweramp/cab.

For that kinda money, I'd get a Carvin combo like this one here.
Carvin Guitars and Pro Audio
It has more of pure and flat sound rather than its being modelled after another.

Or an Ashdown.

Buy Ashdown MAG C210T-300 Combo Bass Amp online at Musician's Friend

 

[Loserchief]

Carvins are pretty much not to be found here in germany, though i gotta say the ashdown looks nice and the pricing around here is way below the LowDowns. Only thing i'm worried about is the lack of tones. I'd need to get at least a compressor,chorus and drive to get what i'm used to. That might get pricey. But i'm seriously eyeballin' the 4x10 MAG combo(imo 2x10 lacks punch and bottom but 4x10 is the ultimate combo for my playing that includes lots of slap,tapping and fast runs where clarity is important)

 

[rummy]

Yeah, nothing moves air like 4 10s.

Ashdown has some decent bass amps. As long as you stay with the ABM or the Mag line, you'll be fine. As far as tone goes, it'll take some tweaking. There's so many different sounds in them, you just gotta take your time to dial it in. A buddy of mine also uses the Mag 300 head with a 2x10 Aguilar cab. It sounds amazing.

 

[Loserchief]

Judging by the reviews i've read so far the MAGs are some serious bang for the buck. Might get the 4x10 and one or two pedal to get everything started(depends on the deal i can work out)

 

[eleven59]

I hadn't heard those things about the Lowdown's. I'd still get one as a practice/recording amp, but if I'm going to be playing live, I'll probably go for a Yorkville or something and a Bass PODxt Live.

 

[Loserchief]

So far i've read at several places that even the LowDown 300 isn't loud enough for gigs and louder drummers(didn't read anything about defects or noise) and that's not really good since i don't want to rely on PA at the rehearsal space or at gigs.
Looking at the offerings in Germany and my price range i guess it's gonna be the MAG 300 4x10 since it has the Watts and a 4x10 and that sounds great to me. Might not have all the tones i'm used to from the V-amp but with 2-3 pedal it should get me where i want and look way cooler than 1x15

 

[eleven59]

So far i've read at several places that even the LowDown 300 isn't loud enough for gigs and louder drummers(didn't read anything about defects or noise) and that's not really good since i don't want to rely on PA at the rehearsal space or at gigs.
Looking at the offerings in Germany and my price range i guess it's gonna be the MAG 300 4x10 since it has the Watts and a 4x10 and that sounds great to me. Might not have all the tones i'm used to from the V-amp but with 2-3 pedal it should get me where i want and look way cooler than 1x15

You could always get a PODxt Live, PODxt/xt Pro and floorboard, or even a V-amp to run through whatever bass amp you get.

 

[jrok]

I picked up this amp for free in 2024. It needed a new plug replacement as the ground broke off. I have a Trace Elliot 715x 200W that I was using and I found it was just too quiet in order to get anything substantial during rehearsal. Needless to say, the LD175 brings the boom. I cranked this to about noon and used the 2nd preset which gave me a fat punchy clean tone and I was able to hear myself off of my friends recording on his phone. I literally felt the air moving over my feet from the two bottom vents. I also really like the built in tuner as well as the clipper warning light which I wouldn't have known about unless I read about it in the manual. The effects are ok, but kind of bring the volume down. I don't really see any of them as being useful and they mostly hurt the overall tone, however for something to play around with, it's an added bonus more than a useful tool. Keeping up with the drums and a 100W fender amp was no real issue. Just to give some insight, we covered "I believe in a thing called love". At home ,I got a decibel reading of about 100 for the TE and the LD was averaging about 110. I'm not sure why a 200W Trace Elliot amp is struggling to create as much volume as a 175 Line 6 amp, but for something that was literally free, I am just glad that it works. Aside from the TE, I have also owned a Yorkville 200B which was able to bring the boom but it crapped out years ago after I stopped playing the bass. It was also a very vanilla and boring amp with very little features. The LD175 weighs about as much as the TE, so I hope to get something lighter in the future, but for now, this can do the job.