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Back in '96 we came out with our
first amp, the Axsys 212, and it really revolutionized what a guitar
player could do in a single amp. We started off with the Axsys 212, the Ax2
and the Flextone. Those were awesome amps but they were still at a bit of a
premium for price. I think there was a need for a more
entry-level amp but that still had a lot of versatility
and that also was simpler to use.
So what if we could take this software modeling idea and bring it down to a price point of an amplifier
where virtually anyone could afford a great modeling amp?
People had this idea that digital wasn't going to hold up. It was something new
that no one had seen before. We weren't sure how well it was gonna
work out and how good the acceptance would be. So one of the first goals
with Spider was to get the sound quality and feature set
down into a price range where it was more affordable to have
this experience than it was to actually get it in its analog counterpart.
When the original Spider came out,
it was successful. But it was still out of reach for a lot of guitar players.
This was really a new concept for a lot of people. It wasn't
until we transitioned from Spider I to Spider II and
added some functionality and gave it a total facelift.
We really tried to make it a lot easier to get a good sound right away
from the front panel. Spider I and II sold phenomenally but when you get to Spider III
and it becomes the number one selling amp...outsells
the titans of the industry. The amp did so much that it was
just undeniable. The modeling technology was
giving the guitarist or the player so much for the money,
people just had to have it. Now what you see is that all these other manufacturers are now trying to do digital
amps. It was a game changer. It changed the field for everyone
and it proved that the idea of getting digital down to
the mass market would work.
Some of the big things we wanted to do for
Spider IV to improve it over the previous generation of amps
was to improve the things that people had been asking about.
When you get into Spider IV, the FX section has really
been amped up. With Spider IV, the modeling technology
has gotten up to the point where it's pretty much the same as
X3 and XT. The FX section now takes the FX
that were available in a POD XT level product or POD X3 and
brings those to a Spider customer. So we still keep the Smart FX
so you can turn a *** and just have something happen instantly. You can deep edit now
and actually get into adjusting some of the internal parameters. So that
works out really nice. We surveyed Spider III customers. We tried to identify
those things that we thought were the highest value to them. Interestingly enough,
one of those things specifically as an effect was this intelligent harmonizer.
Spider IV was the first one to get this efficient and great sounding
great tracking harmonizer technology. As we add features,
to Spider, we never make it more complicated.
Now that the Spider's foot pedals have USB, it opens up a whole other arena
of possibilities, namely the ability to update your Spider.
Our foot pedals work as fully functional USB foot controllers for your computer
and then when you're ready for a gig you can pack them up with your Spider and now it's a live
performance pedalboard, too. It's not a toy amp.
It never was, but it's now playing with the big boys.
I've done blindfold listening tests, let's just see how it plays against a
$1,800 amp. On multiple occasions had everybody choose in a blindfold test
choose this Spider over the expensive amps.
It's pretty surprising. You're able to discover your own sound.
We're not trying to limit you in any way. If you prefer things clean
or crunch or over the top insane, it's all in there for you.
Spider is really great for everyone. You step back and you think "Wow. That's really
a cool amp." We're really proud of it.
Any guitarist at any level can appreciate a Spider.