Helix LT is now available for order. Cut down version - ish.

gibsongretschfan

stickyfiddle said:

Fairly sure it'll be David Ryan Harris, JM's long-time on/off sideman. 

He's started seeing other sidemen 

Jalapeno

Interested to see what Roland/Boss are up to .....

guitarfishbay

Jalapeno said:

Interested to see what Roland/Boss are up to .....

I thought that's what the Katana stuff was

ThePrettyDamned

Well, there is a decent chance I'll sell my pedals bar a couple of specials (probably get a good couple of hundred) plus board (60 quid?) PSU (25 quid or so?) and then my amp (!) for a couple of hundred quid (hand wired vintage ef86 ac15 alike, probably get a couple of hundred even given its built into an old solid state amp that's been gutted). 

That would probably cover a line 6 lt second hand. If not, damn close. I would have to test the fuzzes to see if my zoom ultra fuzz and boss Ds2 could be replaced by it. 

Holy shit this is a real possibility. All of that into a fifty quid peavey, Laney or old Marshall ss amp and I've got everything I need. In a smaller package, less wires, easier to keep tidy, records direct to pc... 

Jonathanthomas83

@ThePrettyDamned putting it into a SS amp? Any reason?

ThePrettyDamned

Jonathanthomas83 said:

@ThePrettyDamned putting it into a SS amp? Any reason?

Cheap make-louder box. 

I've ran computer models (le pou sims) through a peavey bandit and it's made fabulous bedroom tones. Means a proper 1x12 cab and a decent power amp and speaker with a digital front end. The cab also has its own tone shaping controls - just dial in to taste. 

Not a technical reason and perhaps not as accurate as monitors but if you compare different monitors you'll realise they're just "more transparent" rather than "transparent" - they all sound different! 

I don't care about accuracy. A low cost, easy to use amp and pedalboard set up that gives me jazz to death metal in a tidy package is the bedroom guitarists dream. 

If I gigged, a bandit or similar is plenty loud enough and would easily do the job. Pubs are not carefully built for optimal sound quality, so you can only ever do your best no matter the gear. 

Jonathanthomas83

Fair point! 

Sporky

ThePrettyDamned said:

I would have to test the fuzzes to see if my zoom ultra fuzz and boss Ds2 could be replaced by it. 

The Industrial Fuzz block does do that paint-stripping fuzztortion thing very well, but not the oscillation.

Jalapeno

guitarfishbay said:

Jalapeno said:

Interested to see what Roland/Boss are up to .....

I thought that's what the Katana stuff was

Thought the Katana stuff was the not-made-in-Japan versions of the Waza stuff ....

Just wondered if the GT-001 was their answer ... ?

ThePrettyDamned

Sporky said:

ThePrettyDamned said:

I would have to test the fuzzes to see if my zoom ultra fuzz and boss Ds2 could be replaced by it. 

The Industrial Fuzz block does do that paint-stripping fuzztortion thing very well, but not the oscillation.

That'd probably replace the Ds2 at least then. It has a fuzz factory in it so that'd probably do most weirdness... 

Compelling arguments for selling everything tbh. 

Sporky

I think it can cop most of the Ultra Fuzz sounds - I've not used mine since getting the Helix.

It depends, as it often does, on whether you need the exact sounds of that specific pedal, or if you can live with something with the same sort of character.

ThePrettyDamned

Sporky said:

I think it can cop most of the Ultra Fuzz sounds - I've not used mine since getting the Helix.

It depends, as it often does, on whether you need the exact sounds of that specific pedal, or if you can live with something with the same sort of character.

Similar character is fine - I have a couple of juansolo specials (and a Sporky!) that I couldn't let go, but I'm not so fussy as to think going 95 percent there isn't enough. It's broadly more about fuzzes for certain amp types - muffs into powerful amps (my favourite), ultra fuzz/middier fuzz into vox style amps. Ds2 is a safety fuzz really - works into everything for a ripping lead fuzz tone. 

TimmyO

stickyfiddle said:

John_A said:

Good choice!  There's a guy in Bulgaria on eBay sells a padded case for about £50.  I got a Gator G-mix 12x24 case which is nice and fits really well, has wheels too:

https://www.studiospares.com/Accessories/Cases-Other/Gator-G-MIX-12X24-Wheeled-Mixer-Case_471190.htm

Or you can get a custom made flight case for less than the price of the backpack

Cheers. I'll hold off on the case for now. I'm not gigging anyway so it'd only be for storage purposes. Now I need to have a big clearout of the "guitar corner" to make room for the thing! 

There are a couple of threads on the Line6 forum where people post bags and cases they are using - there are a few decent looking either generic or made-for-something-else ones that seem to be very good solutions

gearaddict

guitarfishbay said:

gearaddict said:

Has anyone seen a comparison of the Helix versus the Pod HD through a power amp into a guitar cab?

I am pretty tempted by the LT but most of the comparisons I have seen are using the cab sims into a DAW and that's not how I would use it. I'm conscious that people often say the main weakness of the Pod (soundwise) is the cab sims, so into a guitar cab there might be less of a jump in sound quality.

If you listen to a comparison using the exact same cab IR in a DAW that would be pretty representative of the modeling differences as the unit would be the only variable.  

Starting at 2:30 



Personally I always found the HD500x low end hard to control through a SS power amp and cab.  It was either bassy but boomy/loose in the wrong places, or it was tight but quite thin sounding.  I've not owned a Helix

Yeah, that video is interesting. It's listening to things like that that make me hesitate coz they really don't sound all that different.

TTBZ

Regarding the cases, I'm surprised someone hasn't made a proper fitted one with a sturdy beer guard made of plexiglass so you can still see the screen etc and try to prevent it from getting damaged at pub gigs etc.

EricTheWeary

TTBZ said:

Regarding the cases, I'm surprised someone hasn't made a proper fitted one with a sturdy beer guard made of plexiglass so you can still see the screen etc and try to prevent it from getting damaged at pub gigs etc.

There's someone who makes/sells beer guards (in the USA I think) and peeps have improvised them as well. There is a Discussion on here somewhere, if you have more patience than me with the Search system. 

sweepy

It always intrigued me that the HD500 was always more gig-ready than the Helix, those tall alpha pots are terribly exposed, if inhad kept mine d have stuck a Toblerone shaped bar under the knobs to avoid size 13 feet

dindude

Regarding cases, I was thinking of getting a few of these made up in Helix and AX8/FX8 sizes. Although I'm not sure I could get the cost to be palatable even if I reduced my own margin to a bag of Haribos.

http://i1137.photobucket.com/albums/n505/dindude/IMG_1560_zps6mn0bqdy.jpg

TimmyO

dindude said:

Regarding cases, I was thinking of getting a few of these made up in Helix and AX8/FX8 sizes. Although I'm not sure I could get the cost to be palatable even if I reduced my own margin to a bag of Haribos.

http://i1137.photobucket.com/albums/n505/dindude/IMG_1560_zps6mn0bqdy.jpg

That looks swish - what does it weigh?

I think price-wise folk have been happily buying the relevantly-sized t-bone (Thomann) hard cases for their Helix, so that's a decent indicator of what would sell easily. Yours may have other benefits/be more desirable though of course 

guitarfishbay

gearaddict said:

guitarfishbay said:

gearaddict said:

Has anyone seen a comparison of the Helix versus the Pod HD through a power amp into a guitar cab?

I am pretty tempted by the LT but most of the comparisons I have seen are using the cab sims into a DAW and that's not how I would use it. I'm conscious that people often say the main weakness of the Pod (soundwise) is the cab sims, so into a guitar cab there might be less of a jump in sound quality.

If you listen to a comparison using the exact same cab IR in a DAW that would be pretty representative of the modeling differences as the unit would be the only variable.  

Starting at 2:30 



Personally I always found the HD500x low end hard to control through a SS power amp and cab.  It was either bassy but boomy/loose in the wrong places, or it was tight but quite thin sounding.  I've not owned a Helix

Yeah, that video is interesting. It's listening to things like that that make me hesitate coz they really don't sound all that different.

Maybe it doesn't sound enough better to you then. The video won't convey if it feels different though.

Personally I think the Helix sounds noticeably better in that clip. Especially the higher gain amps.