How to backup and restore Line 6 Spider V amp presets

This is easy once you know how it's done.

I received an email asking how to do this, and rather than put it all in a reply I decided to put together a quick article about it.

If you own a Line 6 Spider V guitar amplifier, be it a V 30, V 60, V 120, V 240 or V 240HC, the easiest way to back up all your custom presets is to use the Spider V Remote software.

The software is free, but unfortunately does not contain a help file telling you how to do anything. There is probably online documentation for this on the Line 6 web site, but I couldn't find it.

Once you see how this is done, you'll say to yourself, "Oh, okay that was actually pretty easy." Yes, it is once you're actually told what to do.

Why back up?

The main reason to back up your presets is for whenever you perform a Spider V system update. Periodically, Line 6 will release an amplifier software update that adds in new features and/or applies fixes. It is a smart idea to back up your presets before applying any updates so you don't lose anything.

Step 1. Get the drivers

(Important note: If you are prompted to create a Line 6 online account during any of this, do so.)

If you've never plugged in your Line 6 Spider V amp to your PC or laptop before, you'll probably need the drivers.

Go to the Line 6 web site software area.

Choose your amplifier from that page to get the drivers, and install them.

Step 2. Connect the Spider V amp to your PC with a USB cable

Check the back of your Spider V amp first to make sure USB is selected. You will see a small slider switch. One side will be marked iPhone/iPod, and the other MAC/PC ANDROID. You want the switch to have MAC/PC ANDROID selected, otherwise the USB connection won't work.

After you do that, connect the USB cable to the amp and then to your PC. Windows will detect it since you already have the drivers installed. It may take 1 to 2 minutes before the first detection is complete.

Once successfully detected, leave the amp on and connected via USB.

Step 3. Download and install the Line 6 Spider V Remote Software

Go to the Line 6 web site software area.

Choose your amplifier on that page, then your operating system.

On the next page, you'll be prompted to download the software and then install it to your PC. Do so.

Step 4. Launch the Spider V Remote software and back up your presets

When you launch the Spider V Remote software, it will first read all the presets and then bring you to the main screen.

After that happens, click Backup.

A small window will appear asking you what you want for the name of the backup file, and where you want to save it.

Name the file whatever you want, or just take the name the software gives you.

Save your backup file (it will be just one master file) in a place where you will remember it.

After saving your file, you're done and the backup is complete.

Step 5. Restoring a backup

Repeat the instructions in step 4 above, but instead of clicking Backup, click Restore.

You will be asked where your backup file is. Navigate to where the backup is located, and perform the Restore process.

Note: Restoring takes slightly longer than backing up; this is normal.

How do I perform a system software update?

Use the Line 6 Updater software. Go to the Line 6 web site software area like you did before, choose your amp, then Line 6 Updater and your operating system. You will be prompted to download the updater software.

After downloading, install the software.

Before launching the Updater, make sure your amp is turned on and plugged in via USB first.

Once you've connected your amp via USB, launcher the Updater and follow the instructions it gives you.

Remember: Back up your presets first before performing any updates.

Cheap guitar string 3-pack sets that are actually good

When you play guitar, you buy a lot of strings. There's no reason to spend any more than you have to.

In places like Guitar Center, guitar strings are usually sold as single packs and it's not often you find 3-pack sets. I don't know why this is but that's the way they sell strings.

More often than not, most guitar players prefer to buy string sets in packs of 3 simply because you can actually use them before they rust. Sure, you could get a 10-pack or even a 25-pack, but will you use all those strings before rust sets in? Nope. This is why you buy in sets of 3.

Quick list of generally available 3-pack sets:

• D'Addario EXL120 9-42 3-pack
• D'Addario EXL110 10-46 3-pack
• D'Addario EXL115 11-49 3-pack
• Ernie Ball Super Slinky 2223 9-42 3-pack
• Ernie Ball Super Slinky 2221 10-46 3-pack
• Ernie Ball Super Slinky 2220 11-48 3-pack
• Cleartone 10-46 3-pack (not exactly cheap but some players really like these)
• Fender 250 9-42 3-pack
• Fender 250 10-46 3-pack

...and for the acoustic players:

• D'Addario Phosphor Bronze 10-47 3-pack
• D'Addario Phosphor Bronze 12-53 3-pack
• D'Addario Phosphor Bronze 13-56 3-pack
• Ernie Ball Earthwood 12-54 3-pack

Is it worth it to buy coated strings?

Coated strings are only good for guitars you play infrequently.

You don't buy coated strings for longer string life, because with regular play they don't really last any longer than non-coated strings do.

You buy coated strings for guitars that spend most of the time in storage. The #1 reason to buy coated is for corrosion resistance.

For electrics, sure, you can get coated electric string 3-packs in 9-42 sets or 10-46 sets. You will pay more for those. But again, I'd only get those for guitars that aren't played often and stay in storage most of the time.

For acoustic strings, you could get coated strings but don't really need to. The D'Addario Phosphor Bronze is already corrosion resistant and cheap to buy, so just get a 3-pack of those.

Line 6 "Classic" speaker mode upgrade for Spider V amps

This is how modern guitar amps work. And I very much like it.

Line 6 recently released the MKII versions of the Spider V amps. I use the V 60 because it's pretty much the perfect size for home use. Small but not too small, very lightweight, great interface software, USB, smartphone connectivity, and so on. It also just sounds damned good.

A problem that a lot of owners complained about is that miking the amp basically wasn't possible because of the full range speaker. This has been fixed with the new V 60 MKII that now has a "Classic" speaker option that "turns off" the full range and makes the amp sound more like a traditional combo.

Does that mean the old MKI amp is now obsolete? No! Line 6 released the software update for free along with newly updated Spider V Remote software, also for free.

This literally means you can simply update a MKI to a MKII. No "hacking" required. No need to buy a new amp.

I really, really like this. Line 6 did so well here by not requiring a forced hardware upgrade just to get the latest features.

Also, yes this new Classic speaker option is easily accessible in Spider V Remote in the "Cab" section for any preset.

Why does anyone care about miking a guitar combo modeling amp?

If you take something like the ever popular Shure SM57 and use that to mike a Spider V amp with the full range speaker enabled, the recorded sound isn't good. With the full range on, it's like trying to mike a home stereo speaker.

What the Classic option does is get that old-school combo amp sound, and like magic, now the Spider V can be miked and it sounds right.

In the way guitar amps are progressing these days, yes it is necessary for this feature to exist. Guys want amps that will do everything. They want something that can be used live, used over USB, used DI, controlled via the amp, PC connected software or smartphone, emulate basically everything, be stuffed with all the effects, be able to be miked, and so on. Spider V now does all this.

It is very convenient to have everything done at the amp. Sure, you can use 100% software. Or you can go old school and use a tube-type amp recorded with a microphone. But having it all in a nice, lightweight combo amp is something many guitar players prefer, myself included.

Line 6 offered everything I wanted in an amp at the best bang for the buck, and that's why I bought it in the first place. The fact Line 6 offered the Classic speaker software upgrade totally for free to existing Spider V amp owners is just cool. This lets me know my money was well spent getting the amp.

Epiphone DC Pro has a very cool factory mod

This guitar comes with a factory mod that most Les Paul players wish they had in their guitars.

The Epiphone DC Pro in Mojave Fade (which by the way comes in 4 other colors) is one of those "true" Epiphone guitars in the respect it holds its own.

DC stands for Double Cut, and it absolutely does not compete with Gibson. If you look at the Gibson Double Cut, that's a totally different shape. And even if you look at the old Gibson Double Cut from the early 2000s, the Epiphone still doesn't look like that guitar either; this is why I say the DC Pro is a "true" Epiphone.

I'm glad Epiphone put their best headstock design on the DC, which they call a Tree of Life. It fits this guitar well.

So what's the deal with this guitar? What's the secret weapon? What's it got that Les Paul players wish they had?

Answer: Phase switch.

In this guitar is a pair of ProBucker pickups with coil split and push-pull for changing the phase on the neck side pickup.

What that feature basically does is "honk out" the sound, Peter Green style.

With the Epiphone, you get this out-of-phase mod. It's in the DC Pro. Switch back and forth to it whenever you like.

And being the DC Pro is an Epiphone, oh yeah, it's affordable. Not a rock bottom price, but still a nice price nonetheless considering what you get. What do you get? Bound body, bound neck, bound headstock, fancy fretboard inlays, premium pickups, premium wiring option, strap lock connectors, premium tuners... this guitar is totally decked out for what it is.

You don't need a '59 Les Paul to get that Green sound. You just need a DC Pro, which costs way, way less.

Back to a manual

It's been 20-ish years since I've regularly driven one of these things.

I recently traded out the terrible Versa because it had issues. What I replaced it with was a Japanese subcompact. Used, of course. It's a little car that easily achieves a 35 MPG average, but can achieve 40 and even better with hardly any effort.

The big deal however is that the car has a manual 5-speed transmission.

In America, finding a car with a true mechanical manual transmission is rare. Go to any shopping center parking lot, and it's a sure bet that fewer than 1% of all the cars there will have a 5 or 6-speed stick in the floor. You just don't see these things anymore.

It's even more rare to see a car with manual gearbox that is not a kid racer piece of garbage. My car is 100% unmodified. No stupid aftermarket tint. No "cold air intake" buffoonery. No Flowmaster muffler. No "upgraded" wheels. A car like this is so rare that I can confidently say it is most likely the only stock unmodified car with a manual gearbox whenever parked in any parking lot.

Advantages of driving a car with a manual gearbox

If you know how to handle 3 pedals and a stick, there are some nice benefits.

• Stick Discount - If the model of car I bought had an automatic transmission, it would have cost 25 to 30% more just to buy it. With the 5-speed stick I got a massive discount just because of the stick.
• Possibly the best anti-theft deterrent device - I could take the car, park it in any lot, walk away leaving it running, unlocked and with windows rolled down... and on my return the car would be right where I left it. Nobody would bother stealing the car because nobody knows how to drive stick anymore.
• Stupidly easy to increase gas mileage - The automatic version of my car is 33 pounds heavier than what I have. That's like carrying two 16-lb bowling balls in the trunk 100% of the time. A 33-lb weight reduction may not sound like much, but believe me, it matters. I can also do other things now like short-shifting, proper coasting, and so on.
• Engine braking to save brakes - When done properly, downshifting to slow the car when approaching a stop extends brake life (particularly the fronts) a great deal.

How does it feel going back to a manual?

Pretty cool.

Modern cars pretty much operate like a Barbie Jeep in the respect everything is all push-button and sterile.

It literally has been 20+ years since I've daily driven a manual, and I totally forgot how organic the driving experience is with a stick. With the car I have now, a Barbie Jeep it is not.

Driving stick is not as smooth as the auto, but that's not a bad thing. I can really feel the car more when upshifting and downshifting. It has actually caused me to drive more safely and deliberately.

Where fun factor is concerned, obviously the manual is better than the auto. Running through the gears or even just downshifting to pass someone is fun.

My car is thankfully modern enough to be equipped with two things I can't live without, that being A/C and cruise control. Having A/C is self-explanatory. It's the cruise that's awesome. I've never owned a car with a stick that had cruise that actually works. This one does.

It's neat driving the manual. I dig it.