Why Line 6's Powercab loudspeaker is a great investment for your guitar tone

With live music presently corralled due to the pandemic, it might seem a little odd to be talking about speaker cabinets, however Line 6’s Powercab range are not ordinary speaker cabinets. 

Powercabs feature technology that’s extraordinary even by Line 6’s standards, as they model specific loudspeakers. This is quite different to cabinet simulations or IR’s, which approximate a mic’d up loudspeaker in an enclosure; the Powercabs feature hyper-realistic digital recreations of different loudspeakers; six for the non-MIDI Powercab 112 and twelve for the Powercab 112 Plus and the new Powercab 212 Plus, so at the touch of a button you can hear different virtual loudspeakers in a real cabinet. 

This is accomplished with a unique co-axial driver that combines the benefits of FRFR (Full Range, Flat Response) monitor speakers with the rapid transient response of a regular guitar speaker. 

The cabinets themselves are beautifully made, designed to look as good at home as they do on stage, featuring one-piece lightweight poplar plywood backs and sides, with curved rear corners and a subtle sparkle fabric grille cloth.

While the Powercabs feature stage-ready 250-watt amplifiers – two of them in the new Powercab 212 Plus – they’re also massively flexible studio tools, with contemporary good looks that fit anywhere. The Plus models feature MIDI, USB, digital inputs and outputs and fully integrate with Line 6’s incredible Helix Floor. 

You may be thinking ‘Why buy a Powercab Plus when I need a Helix to use it to the full?’ Well, if you buy a Powercab Plus now, Line 6 will bundle it with a Helix Native license, normally worth $399, absolutely free. 

Helix Native is the plugin version of the Helix Floor, available for PC and Mac, and compatible with all the top DAW programs, including Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Cubase, Ableton and Garage Band. 

Not only for guitars, Helix Native’s amp simulations and effects offer an infinite vista of creative inspiration, ensuring you’ll never run out of ideas. While some features like the L6 Link digital connectors are hardware only, Helix Native packs ample functionality to satisfy every recording need. It’s compatible with the Powercab Plus, Helix Rack, LT and to a slightly lesser extent, the HX Stomp.

The Powercab’s unique modelling capabilities mean you can instantly swap between up to twelve virtual loudspeakers in a real cabinet, something that would take a ton of equipment to achieve with traditional loudspeakers. The special co-axial loudspeaker combines high and low frequency drivers into one unit, so all the sound emanates from one source. As a bonus, you can record it with one microphone, just like a conventional driver. 

The standard Powercab 112 has six built-in speaker models, with more than enough volume for stage use, while sounding rich and full at practice or recording levels, thanks to the ported poplar plywood enclosure. 

The  flip-out kickstands also deliver more efficient monitoring for players onstage or in the rehearsal room. 

There’s a balanced input and output, together with a volume control, ground lift and a low-cut filter, to kill unwanted resonance on boomy stages. A model select knob gives you a choice of six industry standard speaker models, together with a ‘flat’ (no model) option if you want to use external cabinet emulations, and a ‘HF Off’ option, which uses the low frequency driver only, to approximate a regular guitar speaker.

 The speaker models are easily identified by the illuminated Mode button, which has a different colour for each of the six options. The Powercab 112 Plus and 212 Plus models offer significantly increased functionality, with an extra six speaker model options. Features include USB, MIDI in and out/thru and an illuminated control panel to edit, store and recall up to 128 user pre-sets. 

As well as balanced ins and outs, there’s a pair of AES/L6 Link digital in and out connectors, so you can keep everything in the digital domain with suitably-equipped floorboards. 

Powercab Plus also supports IR’s and comes with Line 6’s Allure collection, although you can load your own as well. All of which makes the Powercab a perfect studio companion, with any amp modeller. 

The fun really starts though, when you connect a Powercab Plus to Line 6’s Helix, especially if you want to bring your tones to life in full stereophonic splendour.

A pair of Powercab 112 Pluses or the new Powercab Plus 212, which features custom low-mass neodymium drivers, can be run in Stereo or Dual Mono and of course you can assign different speaker models to each side. 

That’s when you’ll start to appreciate how much more inspiring the ‘amp in the room’ dynamic response is, compared to hearing your guitar through a pair of studio monitors. 

While the Powercabs work with any amp and effects modeller, they’re obviously intended to be the final link in the Line 6 signal chain; the digital L6 Link connectors not only maximise signal integrity and latency performance, they also let you customise the Powercab Plus’s behaviour, including swapping speakers, playback mode (e.g. FR for acoustic guitars), and wet/dry rigs or dual mono rigs with the Powercab 212 Plus, either on a pre-set or even a snapshot basis. 

Meanwhile, if you use a Helix, the Powercab Plus’s built-in IR function can help free up Helix resources for other cool things.

We all know these aren’t the best of times for artists who perform in front of audiences and their fans, however we’re beginning to see faint glimmers of light at the end of the tunnel and at some point, live music will be back. 

Meanwhile, the lockdown has seen a surge of interest in home recording and social media broadcasting, something that some guitarists, even top-level professionals, have found difficult to get to grips with. 

There’s a whole range of Line 6 products that combine brilliant design and ease of use with studio quality audio; as well as being powerful tools on stage, they’re ideal for home recording and internet performance, and guaranteed to give your music a creative boost. 

The Line 6 Powercab range is a perfect example, and with the offer of a free Helix Native license, we reckon there’s no better time to invest.

Powercab speaker models available 

VINTAGE – Based on the ubiquitous Celestion Vintage 30 which, despite its name, is commonly used and beloved for "modern" tones.

GREEN – Based on the Celestion Greenback speaker, typically paired with vintage Marshall® Plexi amplifiers for a signature classic rock tone.

CREAM – Based on the Celestion G12M-65, a higher-powered version of the ceramic C12N with a brighter top end.

JARVIS – Based on the Jensen® P12Q, often paired with Fender® amps for great rich, full clean tones.

BAYOU – Based on the Eminence Patriot Series Swamp Thang™, which provides big aggressive bottom end with classic American tone, perfect for blues and jazz.

ESSEX – Based on the Blue Bell speakers often paired with Vox® amplifiers and Class A style amps for a "chimey" tone.

HF OFF/ Natural – This is the natural sound and feel of the speaker in the Powercab with the high-frequency compression driver disabled and no EQ of any kind applied.

The following models are only available in the Powercab 112 Plus and 212 Plus running firmware version 2.0 and higher:

DINO – Based on the Eminence Cannabis Rex™. Uniquely constructed with a hemp-based speaker cone material, the Cannabis Rex is described as having a smoky, smooth high-end definition, with a full, clean tonality, with lots of body and sparkle.

LECTO – Based on the Electro-Voice® EVM 12L. Designed for professionally precise, fully overdriven, punchy tones and brilliant cleans. They are a signature component of the classic Mesa/Boogie® sound.

HERALD – Based on the Celestion G12H(55) Heritage. Featuring a heavier magnet than the original G12M Greenback, this speaker replicates the original G12H.

BROWN – Based on the Celestion G12 EVH®. While the Greenback 20 played an essential role in the sound of Eddie Van Halen's unmistakable sound, this speaker was the based on the 60s version Greenback and used in his signature amplifier.

Specs

Three Powercab options to suit your needs

• Line 6 Powercab 112 
• SRP: £782.40
• ORIGIN: Designed in USA
• SPEAKERS: 1 x custom-design co-axial 12”
• MAX OUTPUT: 250 watts RMS.
• INPUTS: 1 x XLR/Jack combi 
• OUTPUTS: 1 x XLR
• FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 70Hz - 20kHz
• DIMENSIONS: 567 (w) x 462 (h) x 305 (d)
• WEIGHT: (kg/lb):15/33
• CABINET: Poplar plywood.
• CONTROLS: Volume, model select.
• ADDITIONAL FEATURES: Loudspeaker modelling (6 models), retractable kickback stands, ground lift and bass cut switches

• Line 6 Powercab 112 Plus
• SRP: £1002.00
• ORIGIN: Designed in USA
• SPEAKERS: 1 x custom-design co-axial 12”
• MAX OUTPUT: 250 watts RMS.
• INPUTS: 2 x XLR/Jack combi, 1 x L6 Link/AES digital
• OUTPUTS: 1 x XLR, 1 x L6 Link/AES digital
• FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 70Hz - 20kHz
• DIMENSIONS: 567 (w) x 462 (h) x 305 (d)
• WEIGHT: (kg/lb):16/35
• CABINET: Poplar plywood.
• CONTROLS: Volume, edit/select, save, home.
• ADDITIONAL FEATURES: Loudspeaker modelling (6 models, 12 with firmware upgrade), 128 pre-sets, impulse response support, USB audio in/out, MIDI in/out/thru, editing via Line 6 Powercab software, retractable kickback stands, ground lift and bass cut switches

• Line 6 Powercab 212 Plus
• PRICE SRP: £1654.80 
• ORIGIN: Designed in USA
• SPEAKERS: 2 x custom-design neodymium co-axial 12”
• MAX OUTPUT: 2 x 250 watts RMS.
• INPUTS: 2 x XLR/Jack combi, 1 x L6 Link/AES digital
• OUTPUTS: 2 x XLR, 1 x L6 Link/AES digital
• FREQUENCY RESPONSE: 70Hz - 20kHz
• DIMENSIONS: 711 (w) x 537 (h) x 305 (d)
• WEIGHT: (kg/lb):22/48
• CABINET: Poplar plywood.
• CONTROLS: Volume, edit/select, save, home.
• ADDITIONAL FEATURES: Loudspeaker modelling (12 models), 128 pre-sets, impulse response support, USB audio in/out, MIDI in/out/thru, editing via Line 6 Powercab software, retractable kickback stands, ground lift and bass cut switches

More info

Line6.com/powercab
CONTACT: YAMAHA Music Europe GmbH, +49 (0) 4101 3030