Line 6 is a manufacturer of digital modeling guitars, amplifiers and related electronic equipment. Their product lines include electric and acoustic guitars, basses, guitar and bass amplifiers, effects processors, USB audio interfaces and guitar/bass wireless systems. The company was founded in 1996 and is based in Calabasas, California.

Marcus Ryle and Michel Doidic (two former Oberheim designers) had co-founded Fast-Forward Designs, where they helped develop several notable pro audio products such as the Alesis ADAT, Quadraverbs and QuadraSynth, and Digidesign SampleCell. As digital signal processing became more and more powerful and affordable during the 1980s, they began developing DSP-based products for guitarists. As Ryle tells the story, the name "Line 6" came about because the phone system at Fast-Forward Designs only had 5 lines. Because the new guitar-related products were being developed in secrecy, the receptionist would use "Line 6" as a code word of sorts, and paging them for a call on Line 6 meant to stop any guitar or amp-related sounds so that they wouldn't be overheard by other Fast-Forward clients or callers.^[1]

Line 6 launched in 1996, with their first digital modeling guitar amplifier, the AxSys 212. The company underwent a rapid expansion in the early 2000s due to the success of their Pod product line, which isolated modeling circuitry from the AxSys amplifier.

Digital modeling attempts to recreate the unique characteristics of musical instruments and pro audio gear. Early Line 6 products used digital modeling to emulate the signature tone of a guitar amp/speaker combination. Further development of Line 6's modeling technology has extended the emulation to include numerous guitar amplifier / guitar cabinet combinations, guitar effects, microphones, and even different guitars and other fretted instruments themselves. Digital modeling offers countless virtual combinations of a variety of music gear, but only as emulations, however convincing as they may be.

Though Line 6 began with a modeling guitar amp, their breakthrough product line was arguably the POD guitar processor line and its later variants ^[2], but this modeling technology has been the foundation for most of Line 6's products, from guitar amps to software and computer audio interfaces. Line 6 has an active user community, and provides software that allows users to easily download and share patches or device settings for many of Line 6's products.

In early 2008, Line 6 acquired Xwire, who had introduced digital wireless systems for guitar. Further developing this technology, Line 6 developed and introduced a family of digital wireless microphone systems in 2010. ^[3]

• AxSys - A 100 watt 2x12 combo instrument amplifier released in 1996. It contained amplifier and effect modes and could be controlled using an external floorboard controller (either the Floor Board or FB4) or MIDI controller.

• AX2 - An updated version of the original AxSys, released in 1997. Owners of the original AxSys could upgrade to the new version by replacing the software EPROM.

• Duoverb - A 100-watt stereo amplifier head/combo which provides the ability to model 16 different classic amps such as the '53 Fender Tweed Deluxe and the '65 Marshall JTM45. This amplifier can model two different amplifiers at the same time, either splitting or blending the two tones through to the speakers.

• Flextone - A line of guitar amplifiers which was basically the POD 2.0 (Flextone II series) or PODxt (Flextone III series) in an amplifier form, with 32 modeled amp tones, 3 reverb types, gate and compressor. The Flextone III series comes in a variety of configurations, the smallest being a 1x12" 75 watt combo and the largest being a 150 watt 2x12" combo.

• HD147 - A 300-watt stereo amplifier head.

• Spider - A series of guitar amps , Spider I , Spider II, Spider III and Spider IV. The lower wattage amps offered 4 channels and 6 effects whilst other contained 12 amp models and 7 effects and the spider III versions have 400 artist presets. Spider valve was the tube version of there and was made with Bogner.

• Spider III - A 10-product line of modeling amplifiers that range from the 6-watt portable Micro Spider combo up to the HD150 150-watt (stereo) head. Selling over 92,000 units in 2008, the 15-watt Spider III amp was the best-selling guitar amplifier in America. (In the same year, other Spider III amplifiers achieved similar success: the 75-watt Spider III amp was the best-selling guitar amp over $150 in America (and the fourth-best-selling guitar amplifier overall), 30-watt Spider III was the best-selling 30-watt guitar amp in America, (and the fifth-best-selling guitar amplifier overall.) [MI SalesTrak]

• Spider Jam - A “jamming” amplifier that has built-in jam tracks (as well as amp modeling) with which guitarists can play and record.

• Spider Valve - Modeling amplifiers for guitar that have a tube power section designed by Reinhold Bogner. Line 6’s modeling front-end is run through Bogner’s two 12AX7 preamp tubes and two 6L6 power tubes (1x12 and 2x12 40-watt combos) or four 6L6 power tubes (HD100 100-watt head). A 4x12 speaker cabinet was created for the HD100 head.

• Vetta I & II - The Vetta II is Line 6's current flagship amplifier, and can model two amplifiers at once, plus multiple effects and effects chains, both pre and post amplification. It is a 300-watt stereo amplifier which provides 79 amp models, 27 speaker cabinet models, over 50 stompbox and studio effects models, 6 different mic models. Inputs and outputs include stereo XLR balanced +4dBu direct outputs (with ground lift switch), stereo 1/4-inch unbalanced –10dBV direct outs, AES/EBU and S/PDIF digital audio ins and outs (up to 24-bit/96k), a Variax digital guitar input, and a 1/4-inch programmable stereo effects loop, and MIDI in and out. It is offered in both head and 2x12 combo versions (the combo produces 150 watts stereo). The unit is theoretically software-upgradeable, but upgrades and bugfixes for the Vetta series have been discontinued by Line6.

The Vetta I can be upgraded to a Vetta II with a software upgrade and the addition of a hardware interface. This interface provides both digital input and output for the amplifier, in both AES/EBU and S/PDIF formats, as well as a digital signal path for the Line 6 Variax brand of guitars. The interface takes the form of a standard 8P8C (RJ-45) modular connector, which provides not only the signal path, but power to the Variax as well. The Variax portion of this interface is available on the PODxt Live and Bass PODxt Live.

• LowDown - A 9-product line of modeling amplifiers for bass that range from the 15-watt LD15 combo to the 750-watt HD750 head. A 4x10 cab was created for the HD400 and HD750 heads. LowDown amplifiers model the sounds of amplifiers and effects that are popular with bass players of rock, R & B and many musical genres.

• Floor Pod - A pedalboard based on a subset of sounds from the Pod 2.0. It contains 12 amp models, 12 effect models. It is controlled via three foot pedals and an expression pedal.

• Floor Pod Plus - A updated version of the Floor Pod. It includes 32 amp models and 16 cab and 24 effect models. It is controlled via seven foot pedals and expression pedal.

• DL4 - This is one of the most popular pedals made by the company, sometimes referred to as the 'green box'. It is a modeling pedal for delay effects, and used by many artists as an alternative to the various original pedals upon which it is based. It also includes a 14-second loop sampler which can be used very creatively. It forms part of a series of pedals including the DM4 (Distortion Modeler), FM4 (Filter Modeler), MM4 (Modulation Modeler), and AM4 (Amp Modeler). An optional expression pedal may be attached for additional control.

• ToneCore - A series of smaller stompboxes which includes Echo Park, Über Metal, Verbzilla, Space Chorus, Roto-Machine, Tap Tremolo, Otto Filter, Dr. Distorto, Liqua-Flange, Crunchtone,and Constrictor. There is also a ToneCore DSP Developer Kit available which allows the user to make their own unique ToneCore stompbox using an attached computer.

• M13 Stompbox Modeler - This recent introduction seems to combine many of the effect available in the various "xx4" series of stompboxes in to a single unit. The Line 6 M13 also has a looper and onboard tuner built into it. The pedal board uses a unique setup of "scenes" allowing the user to switch presets on the fly. Thus, the user can have many different pedal boards preset into one huge pedal board.

• JM4 Looper - A “jamming” pedal that has built-in jam tracks (as well as amp modeling) with which guitarists can play and record.

• BackTrack / BackTrack+Mic - Portable recording devices with internal flash memories and adjustable parameters. BacktTrack + Mic has 1/4-inch inputs and outputs for recording guitar or bass, and a condenser microphone for recording acoustic instruments. BackTrack has a 1/4-inch input and output only.

• GuitarPort - an audio interface, replaced by the TonePort line.

• TonePort UX8 - A rack-mountable USB audio interface with inputs for eight simultaneous channels, and tone software for recording with the guitar, bass and vocal tones from POD xt and Bass POD xt.

• POD Studio GX, UX1, UX2 and KB37 - This line of USB audio interfaces has replaced most of the TonePort line. The product line features guitarist-friendly specs including a wide dynamic range, low latency and POD Farm software, which models the sounds of popular guitar amps, bass amps, studio effects and microphones.^[4]

• POD 2.0 - An effects processor with 32 amp models and many effects models.

• Pocket POD and Pocket POD Express – Portable, battery-powered effect processors with selections of models from POD 2.0. Pocket POD has 32 amp models, 16 cab models and 16 effects; Pocket POD Express has 5 amp models and 6 effects.

• POD XT - An update to the Pod 2.0, based on newer modeling technology, with an LCD screen, and more detailed editing of parameters. It comes in both the "kidney bean"-shaped version, the Pod XT Live (pedalboard) version, and rack-mountable Pod XT Pro version. All are expandable through the activation of additional "Model Packs" (add-on software that includes additional models).

• POD X3 - The most recent model in the POD series. It comes three designs: the "kidney bean"-shaped desktop design, the Pod X3 Live pedalboard design and the Pod X3 Pro rack-mountable design. The X3 is the first POD to feature dual tones, allowing the user to set up two separate rigs, either blended together or sent through separate outs. The Pod X3 Live is similar to the Pod XT live, it comes preloaded with the expansion packs that were available for the PODxt but includes an added XLR input option and double amp output.

• Variax - A line of acoustic, bass and electric guitars. The electric includes 26 different guitar models, including Gibsons, Fenders, Rickenbackers, a Gibson banjo, a Coral electric sitar, and five different acoustic guitars. Current models include the Variax 600 and 700 (electric modeling guitars), the Variax Acoustic 300 (both nylon- and steel-string models) and the Variax Acoustic 700. Discontinued models include the Variax 300 & 500 electrics, the Variax Bass 700 (4-string) and the Variax Bass 705 (5-string).

• Variax Workbench - A software application that can interface a home computer with a Variax electric guitar to create new types of virtual guitars, allowing the user to change the body type, number and position of pickups and even allowing the specification of alternate tunings. The Variax Digital Interface (available as a package with the Workbench software) allows the user to upgrade and/or modify the software on most versions of the Variax that have the digital connector. It has slightly different functions for the Variax Acoustic 700 series, and no editing functions for the Variax basses or the newer 300 model acoustics (which have no digital interface).

• Gearbox - Tone editing software providing a visual interface for dialing up the perfect tone for your guitar, bass, and vocals. Access meticulously crafted models of 18 guitar amp models, 24 speaker cab models, 5 bass amp models, and 30 stompbox and studio effects plus 6 mic preamp models. See screenshot.[1]

• Pod Farm - The POD Farm software contains all of the modeling features of the POD X3 emulated on the computer. Prerecorded audio can be passed through POD Farm and processed identically to how it would be if fed live into the POD. This allows for dynamic adjustment of tone after the audio is recorded.

In May 2008, Line 6 announced its acquisition of X2 Digital Wireless. The purchase entered Line 6 into the digital wireless market, and the company began shipping X2 digital wireless products for guitar, bass, vocals and wind instruments.

• XDR series - XDR95 guitar/bass wireless system, XDR955 handheld wireless microphone system, XDR959 cardioid lavalier wireless microphone system, XDR953 headworn wireless microphone system, XDR952 omni-directional lavalier wireless microphone system, XDR957 wind instrument wireless microphone system.

• XDS series - XDS95 guitar/bass wireless system, XDS-Plus guitar/bass wireless system.

• G30 Relay - G30 Relay guitar/bass wireless system based on 2.4ghz transmission frequency.

This is an alphabetized sampling of musicians, bands and songwriters who have made notable use of Line 6 gear in live performances or studio recordings. Musicians are listed here only if Line 6 gear is a key element in their sound or performance, and only if they have a history of faithful Line 6 use. (A complete artist list, as well as spotlights of new and emerging artists, is available on the Line 6 website.

• Ben Moody uses Line 6 HD147
• Jerry Cantrel uses a Line 6 MM4 Modulation Modeler, a Pod XT Pro and a DL4^[5]
• Eric Clapton uses a Line 6 DL4
• The Edge uses a custom-made Variax acoustic guitar and rackmounted Pod Pros^[6], a DL4 delay modeler, MM4 modulation modeler, FM4 filter modeler, and a custom made, rack mounted DM4 distortion modeler.
• John Frusciante uses a DL4 delay modeler.^[7] and a FM4 filter modeler
• Johnny Marr uses an M13 stompbox modeler.
• Bob Mould uses a Variax acoustic guitar.^[8]
• Omar Rodriguez uses an M13 stompbox modeler, a DL4 delay modeler, an MM4 modulation modeler, an FM4 filter modeler and a POD xt Pro.^[9]
• Robert Smith uses an M13 stompbox modeler, a DL4 delay modeler, an MM4 modulation modeler and a DM4 distortion modeler.
• Fredrik Thordendal and Mårten Hagström of Meshuggah use three Vetta II HD's apiece, and also use POD 2.0 Pro's in their live rigs.
• James Hetfield uses Line6 Variax acoustic guitar model.
• DJ Ashba uses Line 6 straight 4x12 cabinets with Celestion Vintage 30's, Two modified Line 6 POD Pro amp modules, Vetta HD and Vetta HD II amps.
• Buckethead uses the Line 6 FM4 Filter Modeler pedal.
• Jose Padro uses the Flextone II HD.
• Teppei Teranishi uses an M13 stompbox modeler.
• Dave Knudson uses four DL4 delay modelers.
• Howie Day uses two DL4 delay modelers, one for his guitar and one for his voice.

Line 6 products were placed in Guitar Hero World Tour. Line 6 guitar and bass amplifiers can be found on stage. In the Guitar Hero World Tour “Music Studio”, gamers can use a stylized Line 6 POD to create their own songs.^[10]

• Line 6
• Variax guitars
• Audio interview with Line 6 founder Marcus Ryle
• Line 6 Variax History by Jim Miller
• Line 6 POD and Variax Sound Samples and Patches