FAQ
How loud is it?
The HD147 pushes 300 Watts Stereo into 4,8 or 16 ohm cabinets. It is blistering loud. That would be the same volume as two 100W Tube heads.
Why does it need so much power?
Lots of power = lots of headroom which buys you tons of attack and excellent response. Plus, lots of headroom also means your clean sounds will stay clean even at loud levels.
Do I need to plug it into Line 6 cabs? What kinds of cabinets work with it? What sounds good with it?
The HD147 is tuned to work with Line 6 cabinets, which are loaded with custom Celestion speakers, or most standard cabinets loaded with Celestion V30s or T75s. Keep in mind though that the HD147 will work fine and potentially sound amazing with just about any cab.
How clean will it go?
The HD147 goes crystal clean. It can even handle super hot pickups, like PRS HFS for example, without breaking up. How is this possible you ask? Line 6 created some special models like Line 6 Clean and Sparkle Clean that are designed to stay clean and sparkly no matter what.
Are there really other great high gain amp sounds?
Glad you asked. You may know that Line 6 took high gain tone up a notch with the introduction of the INSANE custom model back in 1996. Today they've got 14 custom Line 6 models in the HD147 like Smash, Purge and Argo that go to high gain nirvana beyond the limited realm of most tube amp designs.
How is this amplifier different than other Line 6 amps?
The HD147 is dialed in for the needs of the high gain player. Its models were specifically chosen to cover both extremely clean and extreme high gain tones. The one other difference is a little mod we made to the power amp section that offers extended high frequency detail that’s dialed in for High Gain rhythmic chunk.
Is it only for Metal dudes? Are there any Vintage amp models in the HD147?
While the HD147 focuses on high gain models, it also has 8 essential vintage models based on the * Fender Deluxe, Twin, Bassman, and Champ, a Vox AC30, Marshall JTM45, Plexi Lead, and JCM 800. Plus the HD147 goes really clean. All to say Line 6 wouldn’t be surprised to see pedal steel players latching on to them to complete their chrome rigs.
What is the origin of all the Line 6 models?
HD147’s heart is its collection of Amp and Cab Models—resulting from Line 6’s meticulous study of a dream collection of vintage and modern amplifiers and cabinets. Each position of HD147’s Model knobs calls up a particular Amp/Cab combination, powered by many of the same coveted models that appear in the Line 6 Vetta series amps as well as PODXT. Here are some highlights:
- Line 6 Clean - To create this, Line 6 modeled the preamp and tone stack of a JC-120 (Roland’s popular "Jazz Chorus" solid state combo) and the power amp and transformer of a classic Marshall JTM-45 tube head. Now you have the crisp and clear front end typical of a solid-state amp, but with a rich, satisfying tube amp-style bite as you turn it up.
- Line 6 Super Sparkle - You know how all great amps have a certain sweet spot - a particular setting where they sound magical - dripping with tone? Super Sparkle captures that organic vibe with a new twist. It’s voiced in the clean/low gain realm where everything usually sounds too clinical or too dark. Super Sparkle is an edgy tone that will sparkle and shimmer if you treat her right.
- Line 6 Crunch - While having cousins marry is not such a good idea in real life, in the amp world, it can have a great payoff. Since the design of some early Marshall amps had a lot in common with the Fender Tweed Bassman circuitry, Line 6 wondered what it would be like if they modeled the preamp and tone stack of their JTM-45 and ran it into the power amp and transformer of their ’58 Tweed Bassman model. Point, click, cut, paste (it would be nice if it were really that easy, huh? They'd sure be able to get more sleep). What they got was way happening, as Line 6 Crunch will attest. Great grind and nice punch. A tone that the whole family can enjoy.
- Line 6 Spinal Puppet - The monster truck of tone. Big, powerful, tight and fast. Line 6 studied and modeled some of the best stock and modded Marshalls in the world to create this hybrid monster that goes way past 11. This is all about serious amounts of gain for discerning high gain players.
- Line 6 Insane - Imagine running their model of a Boogie Dual Rectifier as a preamp for another high-gain amp. Now you’ve got a pretty good picture of just how much sheer gain is involved in Line 6 Insane. It’s entirely possible to get completely out of control with this one, and they heartily encourage you to do just that.
- Line 6 Big Bottom - Just can't seem to get enough bottom end out of your cabinet? Try punishing it with Big Bottom. Line 6 crossed their model of a Boogie Triple Rectifier with a model of a Rivera Los Lobottom sub rig and dialed it in for serious disembowelment. But it’s not just about the bass. A super wide midrange control and an extra present high midrange maintain articulation and power throughout the tonal range of this amp.
- Line 6 Octone - Now here’s something we hope you’ll really like. What would it be like if you built a tube-based Octave Distortion preamp for a Class A power amp? Line 6 Octone provides the answer. You’d get an Octave box that track better than anything you’ve ever used, deals with consonant intervals with a degree of panache that just wasn’t possible before, and kicks some major rock and roll butt!
- Line 6 Agro - An aggressive high gain amp with a unique Mid control that will take you though the entire gamut of tone on one knob. How did they do it? The mid knob for this model changes the character of the distortion. When set to minimum the distortion exhibits Fuzz pedal characteristics. When the Mid is set to noon it creates creamy modern high gain amp tones a la Soldano. And when the Mid knob is turned up to Max it’s very much reminiscent of that Class A Vox sound. Of course, then there are all the places in between...
- Line 6 Treadplate - Treadplate marks the first time Line 6 has actually modeled another Line 6 product! This model is a recreation of one of their most popular sounds from the original POD. The original POD model was based on a Boogie Dual Rectifier Tremoverb. In addition, that model had some unique qualities that were all its own, and which they’ve captured here...in a way.
How do you guys make digital sound so fat?
Good amp tone is hard to come by. Tube amps are complex beasts, with all sorts of interactions between components, and the player. That’s why our extraordinary sound design team spends weeks dialing in the subtle nuances of each amp we model. It is this attention to detail, combined with some really spectacular "mojo" DSP code that delivers real amp experience to you with all the subtle colors and interactions of great amplifiers.
If I were to bury my HD147 in the woods for 9 months, would it still work, and what will happen to the chrome?
The moisture in the ground will most likely compromise some of the electronic components within the HD147, but the cool rust patterns that will form on and around the chrome chassis will more than likely make up for the amp’s inoperability.
If I play the HD147 really loud will I go deaf? How long will it take?
The HD147 can get really loud. Extended exposure, (more than 20 consecutive minutes) at high volumes will result in permanent hearing loss.
Why would I play the HD147?
The HD147 offers unique high gain tones, as well as some of the most coveted boutique high gain tones available. Plus the HD147’s power section will reproduce those tones at extremely high volumes unlike some tube power amps that adversely affect the tone of the amp when they start to clip. What does this mean to you? - New Unique tones that still sound great when the volume is pumped up loud!
I only need two sounds, Clean and Distorted. How basic is it to set up two sounds and switch between them?
Its easy to write two channel presets. Simply dial up your clean tone and press and hold A. Then dial up you dirty tone and press and hold B. Now you can switch between them with an FBV or an FBV Shortboard at will.
I only need effects every once in a while. How would I switch the built in effects on and off while at a gig? And do they suck?
The HD147 has 12 fabulous effects models taken from the Award winning Line 6 DL4 and MM4 Stomp Box Modelers. You can run a Compressor, Gate, Wah, Delay, Modulation and Reverb simultaneously. Use a FBV Shortboard to control which effects are engaged live. It is really easy.
I need something totally reliable. Is the HD147 for me?
Line 6 gear has been road tested and approved for years. Artists chose their amps because of their inherent reliability and their consistent tone. They torture their products early on to prove the design. They drop them, bash 'em up, ship them around the world and back, zap them with thousands of volts, and play them hard with low line voltages. Plus there's no fragile "glass bottles" in the back.
What does the "147" stand for?
147 decibels is the sound pressure level that will implode a human inner ear. Did we mention this thing was loud?
Many "scooped" high gain sounds don't cut through the mix. Will the HD147 suffer from this same problem, or does it address this?
The HD147 covers some of these scooped tones – and because we model the amps – our models will offer the same benefits and disadvantages. However, the HD147 also includes some other great sounds, like Line 6 Smash or Treadplate that maintain the articulation and chuck of beloved high gain tones while thickening up the mids and cutting though the mix.
If in my one bedroom apartment I jacked 4 HD147's into 16 4X12's and plugged them all into the same outlet, would I blow the breaker? Would my ears bleed? Would you put my picture on a cereal box?
Depends of the type and the rating of the circuit breaker used. A 15 amp breaker most likely would not pop, however you would certainly bleed, your neighbors would most likely complain, and no we don’t make cereal, yet.
* Line 6 and HD147 are trademarks of Line 6, Inc. All other product names used in this website are trademarks of their respective owners, which are in no way associated or affiliated with Line 6. These trademarks of other manufacturers are used solely to identify the products of those manufacturers whose tones and sounds were studied during Line 6’s sound model development.