So - will I regret it if I buy a Helix?

guitarfishbay

Get a valve poweramp and use the modeller into it, through your usual cabs.

The Magnum 44 is loud - but it's not very big sounding at higher volumes.  Nowhere near the headroom and punch of a 100 watt valve amp, or even a 30 watt one for that matter.  Failing that get a high headroom SS power amp, for the same reason.

digitalscream

guitarfishbay said:

Get a valve poweramp and use the modeller into it, through your usual cabs.

The Magnum 44 is loud - but it's not very big sounding at higher volumes.  Nowhere near the headroom and punch of a 100 watt valve amp, or even a 30 watt one for that matter.  Failing that get a high headroom SS power amp, for the same reason.

Funnily enough, I used a mid-gain patch on my Helix at the jam, and it sounded and felt very valve-esque...through a Rocktron Velocity 120 solid-state amp and my Matrix NL212 cab with neo speakers in it (ie the kind of rig which should never sound or feel like you're playing with glass bottles).

It was quite a weird jolt - not what I was expecting at all.

gearaddict

guitarfishbay said:

Get a valve poweramp and use the modeller into it, through your usual cabs.

The Magnum 44 is loud - but it's not very big sounding at higher volumes.  Nowhere near the headroom and punch of a 100 watt valve amp, or even a 30 watt one for that matter.  Failing that get a high headroom SS power amp, for the same reason.

Well, I was using my TH30 for that (for gigs rather than practice) and just going into the fx return...valve power amps are kinda pricey and I guess the TH30 is essentially doing the same thing...

...but it does mean I have to cart the amp around still...

guitarfishbay

digitalscream said:

guitarfishbay said:

Get a valve poweramp and use the modeller into it, through your usual cabs.

The Magnum 44 is loud - but it's not very big sounding at higher volumes.  Nowhere near the headroom and punch of a 100 watt valve amp, or even a 30 watt one for that matter.  Failing that get a high headroom SS power amp, for the same reason.

Funnily enough, I used a mid-gain patch on my Helix at the jam, and it sounded and felt very valve-esque...through a Rocktron Velocity 120 solid-state amp and my Matrix NL212 cab with neo speakers in it (ie the kind of rig which should never sound or feel like you're playing with glass bottles).

It was quite a weird jolt - not what I was expecting at all.

Why not?  If you put a model of an amp (pre and poweramp) through a clean solid state poweramp with enough headroom into a traditional cabinet it should be pretty close to an amp if it's a good model.

John_A

gearaddict said:

I was thinking I would probably still need the amp and cab to be honest...even if only for monitoring...plus I'm not sure how I will get on with going direct...that's very much an unknown for me atm. What I had been doing with the HD500X was going to practice just with that and a Magnum 44, then using whatever cab was around. One issue with that was I really struggled to get any sustain going.

You'll get used to going direct in no time, it's so much easier.  Leave the amp and cab at home.  Of course it's going to be a bit different, but if you want to lose all the disadvantages of a traditional amp and cap then you need to lose the amp and cab

simonk

guitarfishbay said:

digitalscream said:

guitarfishbay said:

Get a valve poweramp and use the modeller into it, through your usual cabs.

The Magnum 44 is loud - but it's not very big sounding at higher volumes.  Nowhere near the headroom and punch of a 100 watt valve amp, or even a 30 watt one for that matter.  Failing that get a high headroom SS power amp, for the same reason.

Funnily enough, I used a mid-gain patch on my Helix at the jam, and it sounded and felt very valve-esque...through a Rocktron Velocity 120 solid-state amp and my Matrix NL212 cab with neo speakers in it (ie the kind of rig which should never sound or feel like you're playing with glass bottles).

It was quite a weird jolt - not what I was expecting at all.

Why not?  If you put a model of an amp (pre and poweramp) through a clean solid state poweramp with enough headroom into a traditional cabinet it should be pretty close to an amp if it's a good model.

Check out some of the little Quilter heads. I regularly gig an FX8, Quilter 101r head and the same cab as @digitalscream uses above and it moves plenty of air. The FX8 and Quilter fit nicely in the same backpack.

guitarfishbay

Volume isn't the issue, I found the Magnum was loud enough even at 16 ohm to be heard even at a loud rehearsal against another valve half stack, but it was the headroom and low end that was lacking.

I tune to a low B, so I'd rather have too much power if anything, just so the low notes can be punchy.

Right now I use a Matrix GT1000FX.  I really don't use that much power from it, but it never gets anywhere near close to being pushed.  Same as when I used valve amps - I preferred using 100 watt heads because they just sound bigger.  Totally unnecessary in terms of volume, but in terms of tone and feel I've always preferred it for heavier styles of music.

gearaddict

John_A said:

gearaddict said:

I was thinking I would probably still need the amp and cab to be honest...even if only for monitoring...plus I'm not sure how I will get on with going direct...that's very much an unknown for me atm. What I had been doing with the HD500X was going to practice just with that and a Magnum 44, then using whatever cab was around. One issue with that was I really struggled to get any sustain going.

You'll get used to going direct in no time, it's so much easier.  Leave the amp and cab at home.  Of course it's going to be a bit different, but if you want to lose all the disadvantages of a traditional amp and cap then you need to lose the amp and cab

So you have nothing on stage, other than foldback?

John_A

Yep, nothing at all except my monitor

professorben

Jonathanthomas83 said:

@gearaddict ;Yes, it is. 

Do you really need to concern yourself with all the other bits? I have hundreds of things I could do with the Axe FX (I explore them occasionally), but it speaks volumes that I only have and use 3 very basic presets 99.9% of the time. 

Worrying that you only use a fraction of the Helix options is a bit like saying my guitar can play every song ever written but I choose to only play my favourites on it. 

Cabicular

John_A said:

Yep, nothing at all except my monitor

Me too

gearaddict

Do you have your own monitor or just kind of use the band setup?

Cabicular

gearaddict said:

Do you have your own monitor or just kind of use the band setup?

Depends on the gig
most of them we use our own PA so I have an L2 as my vocal monitor with guitar
drummer likes a lot of guitar and I give a bit to the bass player
In gigs where it is an in house PA I just give the instructions to the engineer
if I'm not sure or don't know the venue I take my own L2 just in case

NelsonP

How about selling the helix and pairing an atomic amplifire box with the magnum 44? Then maybe add a boss ms3 at a later date if you want more effects?

John_A

gearaddict said:

Do you have your own monitor or just kind of use the band setup?

Same as Cabicular 90% of the time We use our own PA, and I have. Yamaha DXR10 as my monitor with guitar and fox in there, the guitar gets fed to other monitors depending on the size of the venue.  Really small gigs where we use a vocal PA I've been known to use the DXR as backline, and it works great for that.  Where we use a house PA I'll just use whatever foldback they have, but have the DXR in the car just in case it's shit.  

John_A

NelsonP said:

How about selling the helix and pairing an atomic amplifire box with the magnum 44? Then maybe add a boss ms3 at a later date if you want more effects?

A nice little rig, but almost as much as a Helix (more than. LT) and it's back to patch leads and midi cables and less flexible

Musicman20

Once you have kinda got over the hump of investing £1k-1.4k into a Helix, and it's paid off, I definitely think it starts to open up a lot of opportunities. As I'm normally a bassist, the fact I can use it for both, very well, is a MASSIVE bonus for me.

I mean, some single drives and delays can be £400-500 now....yes they will be excellent, but with the Helix you can add the odd pedal and also know that more are coming.

robinbowes

John_A said:

gearaddict said:

Do you have your own monitor or just kind of use the band setup?

Same as Cabicular 90% of the time We use our own PA, and I have. Yamaha DXR10 as my monitor with guitar and fox in there, the guitar gets fed to other monitors depending on the size of the venue.  Really small gigs where we use a vocal PA I've been known to use the DXR as backline, and it works great for that.  Where we use a house PA I'll just use whatever foldback they have, but have the DXR in the car just in case it's shit.  

I had a learning experience over the weekend.

I generally go XLR -> FoH (fixed, 100% vol) and 1/4" -> onstage (controlled by volume knob). On Saturday's wedding gig we had a good PA (shout out to Kenross Sound) so I left my own wedge in the car and used the provided monitoring. It sounded great, but I didn't have control of my on-stage volume and, when we got going, I was too quiet and could barely hear myself.

Next time, I'll use my own wedge and put the PA-provided send into input 2.

R.

John_A

@robinbowes. Yes, I do the exact same thing.  Just ask the PA guy to take a separate feed for your monitor mix and start with the volume at the mid point.  Much easier than spending half the set gesturing at the sound guy.  

gearaddict

Musicman20 said:

Once you have kinda got over the hump of investing £1k-1.4k into a Helix...

...or £725 for a Helix LT...