My Vetta story...

[nateb]

So, I have been a POD user for 2 years. I loved the thing. I realized that at one point, I needed something with a little more power and flexability. I decided that it was time to upgrade to their flagship model. I called up our trusty dealer Matt. Matt totally hooked me up, got a model from Line6, and sent it over. Mind you, when Matt received it, it looked like someone kicked the box so, he benched it, repacked it (seriously repacked it) and sent it over to me. I was so excited. I began to tweek. The planets align and I love my tone.

October of last year :: http://www.jcfonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=60857

Two weeks later, I turn the amp on. I get display but there is no signal. I turn it off, turn it back on, no signal. fuck.... I notify Matt and call up Line6. They tell me it is going to be 3-4 weeks(I believe this was the turn around time) before I get it back. I ship it off. They get the amp, they cannot reproduce the problem. My first thought was that something happened at UPS like they were playing forklift polo with it. I am without my vetta for 3 weeks. They replace a few parts on it which could be the problem and ship it back to me.

Two days after I get it back, it craps out on me again. This time, the display lights up and it gives some system error. I cannot even get into diagnostic mode to reset the thing. I sigh in disbelief. I call up tech support and they say that they are going to have to get it back to repair it. I am upset because LIne 6 will officially have my amp 3 times as long as I would have had it. I call up Matt to discuss what is going on.

**Mind you, I wish to put this out there that Matt stands behind everything he sells. I would say he is probably the best persons I have ever delt with in the guitar world, saleswise. I would do business with him in a fucken second.

Matt hooks me up with the Line6 rep who calls me up and is quite a nice guy. We talk about gear, line6 gear and all sorts of stuff. He asks me what I would like to do about this. I told him that I Love line6 products and I would continue to use them but, if I am going to be playing anything live, I needed to get something that is more reliable. They even offered to ship me a brand spanking new Vetta to replace it. I loved the POD series and I would not write them off as a company. I understand that things can happen but, this has left a little bit of a sour taste in my mouth and after 2-3 months of sadness, I wanted to get something simple and bulletproof. He allowed Matt to take the return and I was gien a credit for the Vetta (I asked for a credit because I wanted Matt to keep my business.)

Now, I decided to write this after I say Powertube post and what his conclusions about the Vetta. It is more of a computer then a amp. I 100% agree with that statement. They are a bad ass amp but, it is not all roses out there with them. I think they are prone to problems just like any other electronic gear. Especially when a buch of monkeys like UPS get their hands on them.

This is not a bash on Line6.
This is a post about UPS and how they need to play in gas and have a smoke.

-Nate

[jgcable]

So, I have been a POD user for 2 years. I loved the thing. I realized that at one point, I needed something with a little more power and flexability. I decided that it was time to upgrade to their flagship model. I called up our trusty dealer Matt. Matt totally hooked me up, got a model from Line6, and sent it over. Mind you, when Matt received it, it looked like someone kicked the box so, he benched it, repacked it (seriously repacked it) and sent it over to me. I was so excited. I began to tweek. The planets align and I love my tone.

October of last year :: http://www.jcfonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=60857

Two weeks later, I turn the amp on. I get display but there is no signal. I turn it off, turn it back on, no signal. fuck.... I notify Matt and call up Line6. They tell me it is going to be 3-4 weeks(I believe this was the turn around time) before I get it back. I ship it off. They get the amp, they cannot reproduce the problem. My first thought was that something happened at UPS like they were playing forklift polo with it. I am without my vetta for 3 weeks. They replace a few parts on it which could be the problem and ship it back to me.

Two days after I get it back, it craps out on me again. This time, the display lights up and it gives some system error. I cannot even get into diagnostic mode to reset the thing. I sigh in disbelief. I call up tech support and they say that they are going to have to get it back to repair it. I am upset because LIne 6 will officially have my amp 3 times as long as I would have had it. I call up Matt to discuss what is going on.

**Mind you, I wish to put this out there that Matt stands behind everything he sells. I would say he is probably the best persons I have ever delt with in the guitar world, saleswise. I would do business with him in a fucken second.

Matt hooks me up with the Line6 rep who calls me up and is quite a nice guy. We talk about gear, line6 gear and all sorts of stuff. He asks me what I would like to do about this. I told him that I Love line6 products and I would continue to use them but, if I am going to be playing anything live, I needed to get something that is more reliable. They even offered to ship me a brand spanking new Vetta to replace it. I loved the POD series and I would not write them off as a company. I understand that things can happen but, this has left a little bit of a sour taste in my mouth and after 2-3 months of sadness, I wanted to get something simple and bulletproof. He allowed Matt to take the return and I was gien a credit for the Vetta (I asked for a credit because I wanted Matt to keep my business.)

Now, I decided to write this after I say Powertube post and what his conclusions about the Vetta. It is more of a computer then a amp. I 100% agree with that statement. They are a bad ass amp but, it is not all roses out there with them. I think they are prone to problems just like any other electronic gear. Especially when a buch of monkeys like UPS get their hands on them.

This is not a bash on Line6.
This is a post about UPS and how they need to play in gas and have a smoke.

-Nate

I haven't had a single problem with my Vetta.
I have had several high end tube amps shit the bed though in the last 30 years or so.

I also have an el-cheapo Behringer LX112 modeling combo that everybody swears is going to fall apart any minute. Read the reviews. Its almost like a timebomb to some people. I have been beating the snot out of it for 5 months now and it hasn't even given me a hiccup. I also think its a very sturdy amp.

[skorb]

that sucks bro.

if I may, someone mentioned in the other thread that it appeared that more of the breakdowns with Vettas are with the Vetta II models, the new ones, and the older Vetta models which are upgradeable to the 2.5 software like mine, don't seem to fail as often.

I've literally never (knocks on desk) had any problems with my first gen Vetta combo, as I noted in the other thread. got it second hand off eBay from a conscientious owner and it's been going great for almost a year now. I'm sure someday it will die and I'll be faced with a decision. but until then, I'm in tone heaven.

[quiksilver]

2 Dead Vettas

I'm in the same boat as you, Nate. I like Line 6 gear. I have a Pod XT Live and a UX1, and I previously had a Pod XT. My XTL in particular has been flawless and very useful.

On the other hand, my Vetta experience has been bad. I have bought 2 used Vettas - a Vetta I combo and a Vetta II head. The combo was DOA, never worked. I felt that it wasn't fair to blame it on Line 6, because the packing job the seller did was atrocious. So, a year later, I bought a Vetta II head. It worked upon arrival, then died within the next few days. It was packed well, so I can't really blame that.

Both times, I checked out online forums and info, contacted Line 6 tech support, and tried seeking repairs, and found out that, for me, at least (in WI), no one knows how to fix them, and the only real option was to send it back to Line 6 and hope it worked when it came back. Fortunately for me, in both instances, the seller graciously agreed to accept a return, so I was "only" out about $150 each time ($75 shipping each way) and the wasted time and aggravation.

My conclusion is that the Vetta is very complex and fragile, and if you want one, you should be sure to have good backup gear ready because depending on where you live, it can be very difficult-to-impossible to get it fixed. If I ever got one again, I'd get it new, and I'd buy the longest extended warranty available and only keep it as long as the warranty was in effect. Since I don't want to spend that kind of money, as an alternative, I am using my XTL with a power amp and a speaker cabinet. This way, if the XTL goes down, I still have most of my system intact, and it's only a few hundred dollars to replace, so I need not worry about repairs.

Like I said above, I'm not trying to slam Line 6. I like Line 6. But this has been my experience with the Vetta.

[chrisolson]

Never had a Line6 problem here, and I have owned well over a dozen of their amps, etc. Sorry to hear this about the Vetta - they are sounding almost as fragile as a tempermental tube amp...

...and UPS really needs to take a look at their operations.

[PowerTube]

My replacement Vetta that arrived on Friday has been pure gold so far. For all it's worth, the first one that came in (the bad one) had a hole in the box and I could look through there and see knobs.

After dealing with this, I did some searches about UPS. There are multiple pages out there talking about how abusive UPS is. Why in hell does anyone ship with them anymore when FedEx is available?

On the flip side, American Musical Supply has been awesome. Not only do they have 24/7 support, but they also had the replacement for the bad Vetta on the truck the next day for overnight shipping.

[charvelguy]

well.. I've had 'overall' minimal problems with UPS considering they have been the carrier for the majority of my deliveries.
I would say, only the very large and heavy items have suffered the worst for wear.
Where they packed incorrectly?..no, they probably were packed well enough if they had a shorter distance to go or had been prepped better. Sometimes I see things get rolled, screws have been loose or loosened in transit that a person shipping had not been aware of. I've had more problems with UPS honoring claims.. it seems like rebates, hit n miss as whether you'll get it or not.

I can't believe I'm actually saying something nice about UPS, but on the whole, they have done a pretty good job considering all the items I've gotten over the years. As if shipping wasn't already expensive, it's gonna get worse.

With gas prices going up and the postal increases going into effect in about a week, don't be surprised when everybody else starts following suit.

Everything is going through the roof pricewise..I could not believe some of the grocery prices last night as I shopped.

[hippietim]

Vetta's are not the pinnacle of quality or reliability. I got one of the first Vetta II's and it had to go back to the factory twice due to transformer issues.

[Cleveland Metal]

At least the tubes don't break...

[Dreamland_Rebel]

my xtl survived a flood. and i mean not it its bag or road case. i'm talking sitting on the floor of my basement taking in muddy and sooty (from the fireplace) water. dirt and particle water all inside of it.

i let it dry for 7 days under a fan and light. - works great.