General Music Chat

Ordered this got it last Tuesday!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qr68gvAC9V8

review to come?

Yes sir, programming it tomorrow. I have already bought an acoustic IR and 2 speaker IR's. It has taken all the self discipline I can muster to practice for tonight's gig and not set this thing up. We got a new female singer and pretty much a whole new set list. My plan after setting this thing up is to use it no amp needed. I fooled around with it last Tuesday and damn it reacts to your guitars volume just like a real amp. I'll run it into 2 channels of the mixer panned hard left and right. You can literally have any amp, speaker, mic combination you want!

I am selling my Marshall JVM 215C thats how good this Helix is. Imagine if you will a universe where you can have any amp, speaker, Mic combination you desire. alternative tuning s, harmonizer, B3, Synth anything your heart desires! It is a learning curve for this non-techy guy. I dove in and immersed myself in it. It has literally become an obsession. When I get it tweaked I'll do some video to share.

glad you found something that gets your ankles hard, jeff.....but i'd hold onto the amp were i you!

I would Mark but my apartment looks more like a music store. A tube went out on the Marshall, before I replaced it I started using the Blackstar series One 50 and wondered why I ever bought the Marshall. The guys in the band said we LOVE your Blackstar. Other guitar players started asking what type amp it is an loved the tone. I have the same sound loaded in the Helix and it is WAAaaaay lighter on this old man!

I would Mark but my apartment looks more like a music store.

and you say that ...like it's a PROBLEM????

I have the same sound loaded in the Helix and it is WAAaaaay lighter on this old man!

yeah, i hear that. ain't NONE of getting any younger (or in better shape)!

i try to carry as little as possible these days....i gigged tues and last night (low volume restaurant gigs both) and i had to schlep a vibraphone, my FENDER Deluxe, two gtrs, AND an elec mandolin! happy days...tomorrow i leave the vibes at home as our sax man will be on board. (truth told...i'll miss playing vibes!)

i'm bigly looking fwd to a Mere Mortals (bluegrass band) gig next tues when i just show up w my acoustic mandolin!

I can certainly understand not wanting to lug a marshall cab around. I had one for a while, it was tough enough when I was 18!
I've got no problem with modelers at all, and Line 6 has been in the forefront of modeling since it first appeared. A lot of people cut down Line 6 because the early models sounded pretty crappy - a lot of fizzy distortion. And the first software modelers were the same way, too.
When I first started recording I was taking the (stereo) DI out of my Spider IV, rather than miking up the amp, as it was easier and less bothersome noise-wise in my house. But what I noticed that all dynamics got lost - whether I played softly or hard, the signal recorded was all the same. Also, when the amp is DIed, it cuts out the speaker, so there is no guitar-speaker feedback (I don't mean high-pitched squeal, but the interaction of the sound making the strings vibrate). How does the Helix accomplish this?
Since I started miking the amp, I'm a lot happier with my tones, and have had compliments (except for Schmeddie, who didn't like my super-crunch sound!)
I still miss my old 68/69 Fender Bandmaster/Bassman head/cabinet, but not lugging them around or spending $200 for a full set of tubes!

Mike, The Helix responds just like a real amp, If you want that interaction of speaker and strings it requires a speaker. Most guys that are using them carry an active p.a. speaker and set it up like a monitor in front of them to get that.
The reason I got the Helix is because I fell down some stairs during load out from a gig and broke the middle finger on my right picking hand in early February. I can't finger pick quite as good as I use to. I was carrying my heavy Mesa 2"x12" cab when I fell. The Helix allows me to not carry a heavy amp/speaker cab anymore.

The reason I got the Helix is because I fell down some stairs during load out from a gig and broke the middle finger on my right picking hand in early February. I can't finger pick quite as good as I use to. I was carrying my heavy Mesa 2"x12" cab when I fell. The Helix allows me to not carry a heavy amp/speaker cab anymore.

damn, jeff! and i bet you're a guy that does a fair share of hybrid picking (pick+fingers).
you guys got me to pull out my old prehistoric J Station and i think i'm actually gonna use for tonight's gig only i'll be using it in front of my Deluxe. (no PA for this gig)

all your injury begs the question.....so, how have you been flipping off liberals.....using your left hand???

That's funny Mark, I know this is hard to believe but I have many liberal friends. I am at the point where I don't really need to argue politics anymore. I certainly never did with my liberal friends. I am still as conservative as I have ever been.
I have a lot going on now. Musically I am looking forward to living my musical dream. I ain't settling for less than my dreams! Don't break your finger during load out!

Mr. Haley

I have several friends with Line 6 gear including my brother. They all love it. I like it myself but I already have a small and king size modeling amp from Fender. (G-Dec and Mustang V 200)

btw My strat is the same color as yours. Is yours a Lonestar US model?

Went to guitar museum in Chattanooga a couple weeks ago and it reawakened my interest in Fenders many versions of the same products- so many models of the same guitars. One custom build was a single strat, and a single tele, both in tobacco sunburst.

And Mark - there was a Thunderbird bass that me drooling on the counter top where I was chatting up a young lady who worked there. etc...sorry.

Talbot

Mr. Talbot,

I have two Strats they are both American Standards and have been modified with pickups. One is HSS the other is SSS. The SSS was pretty worn out. I took it to the only luthier that will ever touch my guitars and had him rebuild it installed Hot Strat Noiseless pups, and refret it. Now they are the only guitars I play.
This new Helix is way above any modeler you have heard. I am not using amps anymore!

you still have the Paul Reed Smith guitar? and the Carvin amp?

Dayne,

No sir I didn't like those. I still have the Blackstar Series One 50 head and Mesa 2x12 cab, as well as the Marshall JVM 215c. The Blackstar/Mesa combination is really bliss to me.
The coolest thing about the Helix is I can have all those sounds without carrying all the heavy stuff!