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

Cabicular

This is phone footage obviously but I don't think it's obvious there is no Guitar Amp
onstage?

4:22 if you want to hear the lead tone and an embarrassing lack of appreciation for my stellar guitar playing

John_A

Cabicular said:

This is phone footage obviously but I don't think it's obvious there is no Guitar Amp
onstage?

There's a distinctive digital fizz on the top end

Only joking - It sounds great, and great playing too. Who needs an amp

gibsongretschfan

Cabicular said:

This is phone footage obviously but I don't think it's obvious there is no Guitar Amp
onstage?

4:22 if you want to hear the lead tone and an embarrassing lack of appreciation for my stellar guitar playing

Would have sounded better on an Axe mate, almost like Jimmy was in the also a bit like Tron

good stuff hope that shuts a lot of these bedroom dwellers up

gibsongretschfan

@Cabicular  you still just going direct sans Fryette/Orange these days?

if so what's changed for you? Improvements in Helix or was the backline just a mental crutch or what?

ps. What's on the board these days?

Jonathanthomas83

Sounds great, @Cabicular, nice one!!

Clarky

guitarfishbay said:

Yeah for recording at home I prefer to use my Axe FX 2 and impulses over a real amp and cab. If I could put the cab in another room I might change my mind, but being able to dial in tones in context at a comfortable volume is just so much more productive, enjoyable, and quicker. And recall... I've punched in multiple times and it's super easy - being able to store hundreds of patches is a big help with that.

I'm sure I'd also enjoy valve amp + loadbox + impulses but to get all the amps I like and use would be more expensive than using the Axe FX 2, plus it'd take up a lot of room.

add to that the massive advantages of reamping so you capture the performance and are not committed to the tone..
so after the event, being able to switch amps, cabs, settings etc… very powerful stuff
I know you can reamp with real amps, but it's not as easy

Clarky

Sporky said:

I should point out that I don't mean to criticise the people making the detailed comparisons - nor to suggest that they don't also play (probably more and better than I do). And I do get the appeal of a trouser-flapping level of volume (not sure if trouser-flapping has much to do with valves).

It's simply that I've always gone both-feet into whatever setup I'm going to use. I spend a bit of time comparing options (mostly on paper) and then get on with what I've got.

I am a bit curious how much two amps of the same model sound alike - my suspicion is that component tolerances, valve age, how the speaker's been treated and so on probably create differences.

I still get the trouser flapping..
a pair of 4x12 cabs and 500W per channel of power amp takes care of all that..

like you, I dive in with both feet.. and when making kit choices, tone quality is a big part of the equation but not all of it..
lack of flexibility and control capabilities will make me walk away from a piece of kit that sounds absolutely stellar

fretmeister

Clarky said:

Sporky said:

I should point out that I don't mean to criticise the people making the detailed comparisons - nor to suggest that they don't also play (probably more and better than I do). And I do get the appeal of a trouser-flapping level of volume (not sure if trouser-flapping has much to do with valves).

It's simply that I've always gone both-feet into whatever setup I'm going to use. I spend a bit of time comparing options (mostly on paper) and then get on with what I've got.

I am a bit curious how much two amps of the same model sound alike - my suspicion is that component tolerances, valve age, how the speaker's been treated and so on probably create differences.

I still get the trouser flapping..
a pair of 4x12 cabs and 500W per channel of power amp takes care of all that..

like you, I dive in with both feet.. and when making kit choices, tone quality is a big part of the equation but not all of it..
lack of flexibility and control capabilities will make me walk away from a piece of kit that sounds absolutely stellar

Amateur.

my Rig of Doom V2 was 2600W per side.

Every day I'm tempted to rebuild it, using the Helix as the primary preamp, with the Ampeg SVP-BSP as the parallel one. Then I remember how heavy the Yamaha P series power amps I was using were, and that's before we get to the cabs (the cabs were 110 lb each).

And then to cap it all, I remember I had an estate car then.

Never mind.

Cabicular

gibsongretschfan said:

@Cabicular  you still just going direct sans Fryette/Orange these days?

if so what's changed for you? Improvements in Helix or was the backline just a mental crutch or what?

ps. What's on the board these days?

Still Direct
you're absolutely right I was leaning on the backline as I was scared to let go and do a full 2 hour plus set with a set up I didn't like
I was forced into it in Arran due to space limitations and it was fine
in fact it was better than fine so I did it the next gig
I don't know if I would go back
Ive taken all the drive pedals off my board so all that is on there is the Helix a G30 wireless unit, a line6 expression pedal a Buddha wah and a clock

welshboyo

gibsongretschfan said:

Cabicular said:

This is phone footage obviously but I don't think it's obvious there is no Guitar Amp
onstage?

4:22 if you want to hear the lead tone and an embarrassing lack of appreciation for my stellar guitar playing

good stuff hope that shuts a lot of these bedroom dwellers up

This^ - I get fed up with people who have never played the Helix in anger (or even played one!!) to be giving their views on why modelling ain't this/that etc

@Cabicular absolutely awesome mate

Cabicular

Cheers folks
It sounds and feels legit to me. I had a lot of predjudice of my own to get over but I'm glad a kept a semi open mind.
I can now do things that are impossible with any other rig without losing any of the joy of making a big Guitarry noise

John_A

^ Wisdom awarded - keep an open mind - There's nothing about real amps I miss at all now, apart from how they look on a big stage, might get a couple or cardboard 4x12's .  I hear the old ones sound better than the new ones

professorben

Cabicular said:

Cheers folks
It sounds and feels legit to me. I had a lot of predjudice of my own to get over but I'm glad a kept a semi open mind.
I can now do things that are impossible with any other rig without losing any of the joy of making a big Guitarry noise

Sounds great man, where's the Dragon print jumpsuit tho?

Cabicular

I only wear that after the gig

NelsonP

A good valve amp is still better than a modeller. No doubt about it. It's really not cork sniffery or not being open minded.

Valve amps just 'feel' better than a modeller when playing them. Feel being a combination of things (tone, responsiveness, mental difference of seeing / feeling a big amp etc).

Having said that, a high end modeller does a pretty damn good impression, is ultimately much cheaper and is so much more convenient for everyday use - you can use headphones, portable, contains all the effects you need, much easier for recording etc.

I am open minded, love modelling and what it brings. But a good valve amp is still king in terms of ultimate tone / feel.

professorben

NelsonP said:

A good valve amp is still better than a modeller. No doubt about it. It's really not cork sniffery or not being open minded.

Valve amps just 'feel' better than a modeller when playing them. Feel being a combination of things (tone, responsiveness, mental difference of seeing / feeling a big amp etc).

Having said that, a high end modeller does a pretty damn good impression, is ultimately much cheaper and is so much more convenient for everyday use - you can use headphones, portable, contains all the effects you need, much easier for recording etc.

I am open minded, love modelling and what it brings. But a good valve amp is still king in terms of tone / feel.

Nah. 

Sporky

NelsonP said:

A good valve amp is still better than a modeller. No doubt about it. 

There's considerable doubt about it - enough for a lot of people to make the switch and be perfectly happy about it.

"Feel" is just a blend of confirmation bias and volume.

professorben

Sporky said:

NelsonP said:

A good valve amp is still better than a modeller. No doubt about it. 

There's considerable doubt about it - enough for a lot of people to make the switch and be perfectly happy about it.

"Feel" is just a blend of confirmation bias and volume.

So is a 'bad' valve amp better or worse than a Cheap Modeller??

Peavey ValveKing vs Pod Hd?

dindude

You digital lot are more defensive (and closed minded) that us analog purists at times!

digitalscream

NelsonP said:

A good valve amp is still better than a modeller. No doubt about it. 

Define "better". The only think that a valve amp can possibly have going for it is the way it sounds; for flexibility, ease of use (in a gig context, not necessarily in a setting-up context), reliability, consistency, maintenance, portability...modellers win every time.

So yep - if you only care about sound, and you absolutely have to have every last bit of that particular sound 100% spot-on...yes, a good valve amp is probably better. In all other situations, modellers are at least a coin-flip from being better.

dindude said:

You digital lot are more defensive (and closed minded) that us analog purists at times!

Funny you should say that...I currently use neither a modeller nor glass bottles in my signal path