The three combos have one thing in common: heaviness. Yes, sound-wise (I’ll get to that later), but also back, arm, and chiropractor-wise. No casters. Bummer. The combos have other, much more likable things in common, too. They’re rugged and solidly constructed, although I can’t say what the long-term prospects of the soft switches used for deep, channel memories, and tuner activation would be. Considering the quantity of information Line 6 packs onto the LowDowns’ front panels, the three are reasonably legible and well laid out.
The LowDown concept revolves around a well-chosen array of modeled amps and effects with user programmability. They have no “home tone,” instead each sound starts with the six amp models, chosen to provide the gamut of fundamental bass tones. Actually, the sixth is an insane synth model; not an amp model, but fun as hell. The other five include models of an Eden Traveler, all-tube Ampeg SVT and B-15, a Marshall Super Bass head, and a grindy Tech 21 SansAmp-inspired dirty tone. The EQ and drive controls change in relation to the chosen amp model, behaving as their equivalents might have in the original. The smart fx circuit also gets the modeling treatment, with envelope filter, octave, and chorus effects based on corresponding classic stompboxes. It’s a cool design, increasing individual effect intensity and switching via one knob. Dialing in a tone was as simple as picking an amp model, futzing with the EQ, maybe tossing in an effect, and having at it. Once I found a setting I liked, I depressed one of the memory buttons for a few seconds and locked it into memory. The LowDowns also have a few other groovy features, like a basic tuner and robust balanced outputs with Line 6’s A.I.R. speaker simulation, which emulates cabinets appropriate to the chosen amp model.
The Line 6 FBV Shortboard pedal controller augments the LowDown combos significantly. With it, many more factory and user presets are instantly available—36 with the FBV compared to four without it—as well as stompbox-style control over the effects, expression pedal control over a variety of parameters (including an otherwise inaccessible wah model), and a clearer tuner readout. If these enhancements seem important to you, factor in the FBV’s $269 street price.
Get Down
The three combos, despite their power and speaker differences, actually sound quite similar. The LD300 is loudest, while the LD150, with its tilt-back design, is about equivalent to the LD175 in volume. Otherwise, the three are in the same tone neighborhood, with differences appearing at the upper reaches of their volume ranges. My impressions are of the three collectively.
Think of an amp’s tone like the light spectrum, each visible color representing a different classic sound. Those of you who paid attention in physics know that there is light just outside the visible spectrum, too: infrared and ultraviolet. Well, if the average bass combo offers a significant chunk of the visible spectrum, the LowDowns are a moderate slice of the visible part, and a whole lot of the other stuff.
If your personal tone spectrum is all about rock & roll, then you’ll find the LowDowns luminous. They each had remarkably thick, wooly, and bass-heavy tone, especially on the r&b and rock settings. The drive knob added pleasing color and grit to my tone, allowing for slightly edgey pickstyle grind to thick, trashy punk tone. The combos have exceptional low-frequency response, belying their relatively small size. There’s a visceral cushion of air under each note, an effect that translated to a high sense of apparent volume. It did remind me of the strong stage presence of an Ampeg SVT and the dynamically sensitive grit of an Ampeg B-15. When pushed hard, however, the LowDowns had a slightly compressed quality, even with the onboard opto comp compressor disengaged. Not a big deal when playing loud rock, but it did become problematic when I went for cleaner, more articulate tone at high volumes, lending notes a slightly unusual attack and decay. When desired, the compressor does work well. And the onboard effects are all excellent caricatures of their inspiration, with the oceanic chorus being my favorite with a clean bass tone. The octaver tracks well and the filter quacks heartily, presuming its hit with enough signal to open up the filter.
The Line 6 LowDowns are not as well suited to sparkly fusion and clacky slap tones. While each has a defeatable piezo tweeter onboard, the low-end thickness and murkiness were ever-present. The crystalline articulation and multi-textured dimensionality that some call “hi-fi” is not really what the LowDowns were all about. That’s not to say good slap tone and workable modern fusion fizz are unavailable, they’re just not the combos’ strong suit.
Now synth and effects, that the LowDowns have in spades. Behind the the amp models knob’s unassuming synth setting a remarkable palette of freaked-out weirdness lurks. The LowDowns have a beautiful sounding bass synth—one of the best I’ve heard. A huge variety of tone is available, and since the EQ knobs and opto comp change function when in synth mode to control synth parameters, there’s a lot of adjustability. Used in conjunction with the onboard effects, the synth is deadly, doling out Moog-ish funk tones, prog-ish outer-space sounds, and everything in between.
The LowDown combos offer excellent value, presuming you’re a rock & roller with a penchant for spaced-out experimentation. They’re loud enough for most medium-size gigs, and their extra features make them capable stage or practice-room companions.