I dont think Helix is for me.

John_A

digitalscream said:

Actually, there's a funny/interesting point in all this.

Often, folk use 4 years as the benchmark for depreciation (I have no idea why, but it often comes up), and they were saying exactly that when it was released.

The Helix was released on 11th June 2015 - 3 years and 8 months ago, almost to the day.

Still the same going rate, and it's actually more useful than it was then. I don't think that's going to change in the next four months

(yes, I'm being pedantic, but it's fun )

EDIT: Actually, looking at the Classifieds section, I honestly think that it's disingenuous of at least 50% of our members to suggest that being worth something in 4 years' time is even relevant . Far more realistic to assume they'll flip it within a year like everything else, at which point the depreciation is actually better than a valve amp. Amps tend to lose about 30-40% of their value just from being second hand, whereas the Helix family seem to lose 15-20%. I have no idea why, mind.

Good point, well made

Another factor is plain old enjoyment, if I held off for 15 years to buy a £50 Helix that's 15 years without a Helix to save £8 a month

theflyisback

And on that note, there’s an LT version in the fx trades forum for £575 local to me as well.

Maybe that’s where I’m supposed to dip my toe...

John_A

theflyisback said:

And on that note, there’s an LT version in the fx trades forum for £575 local to me as well.

Maybe that’s where I’m supposed to dip my toe...

That's £3.20 a month over 15 years for all that Helix pleasure

theflyisback

John_A said:

theflyisback said:

And on that note, there’s an LT version in the fx trades forum for £575 local to me as well.

Maybe that’s where I’m supposed to dip my toe...

That's £3.20 a month over 15 years for all that Helix pleasure

When you put it like that! 


[whispers under breath...]
Just hope i'm not sticking in the cupboard in the spare room next to the £1000 laptop i gave up on when it started taking an hour to boot up after 5 years   
[/whispers under breath...]

Cirrus

Again, strange comparison to make - a laptop for £1000 where you're paying for a general purpose device that needs to work with countless permutations of 3rd party programs and patterns of usage vs a £1500 modeller that only ever needs to run one pre-loaded piece of software and is designed to do one task well. I just don't really get the mindset.

digitalscream

theflyisback said:

John_A said:

theflyisback said:

And on that note, there’s an LT version in the fx trades forum for £575 local to me as well.

Maybe that’s where I’m supposed to dip my toe...

That's £3.20 a month over 15 years for all that Helix pleasure

When you put it like that! 


[whispers under breath...]
Just hope i'm not sticking in the cupboard in the spare room next to the £1000 laptop i gave up on when it started taking an hour to boot up after 5 years   
[/whispers under breath...]

I guarantee you won't.

You're a guitarist. Gear will be flipped after a couple of year maximum

With that said...my Helix LT has been with me for about two years now, and because it keeps getting better I have less reason to change it than anything else. Other than my guitars and the old JCA50H I hang on to for sentimental-ish reasons, it's literally the only piece of gear I've kept for that long. There's a good reason for that...it simply makes my life easier.

John_A

Had my Helix nearly 3 years and it's killed 90% of GAS urges, everytime I waver and think of buying something we get a free update and that' s me cured

It does make everything so much easier, best bit of kit I've ever bought

theflyisback

Cirrus said:

Again, strange comparison to make - a laptop for £1000 where you're paying for a general purpose device that needs to work with countless permutations of 3rd party programs and patterns of usage vs a £1500 modeller that only ever needs to run one pre-loaded piece of software and is designed to do one task well. I just don't really get the mindset.

Sorry, my cynical sense of humour and irony really isn't coming across very well today at all

All the observations I've made today and yesterday have been a personal challenge for me more than anything to change my mindset and perception of modelling/totally digital etc. as it is an alien world to me.  I've said all along that i am swaying towards one and gave my reasons for it.  


I've no doubt it will blow my mind. I just have to shake off the classic gear fanboy side of me who watches rig rundowns on youtube and see my guitar heroes with pedal boards and amp rigs i envy (and think, wow.. he's got a proper klon and two, TWO bassmans!).

I'm not a technically brilliant guitarist doing legato licks all over the show, i'm a shoegazey chord orientated strummer who does the odd solo in as passable a local regular gigging band environment to some success. 

I just need a good solid clean platform, a couple of drive stages - i.e. loud, and a bit louder, with a couple of delays, some reverb, and a kick on of trem here and there and a synthy pog part here and there.  But i am learning that in general good gear is good gear, and classics are classics for a reason.      

I'm not so invested in my sound that i'm going to deliberate whether i go comp before distortion, or clean boost after OD but before the delay etc.  I am the king of setting up and making whatever work for me.  

I've found more and more that in most of the clubs and music venues i play that all the nuances of the amp i have are lost by the overall noise of the (quite loud) band, poor soundmen, the fact that i'm turning the amp down to just past one on the vol anyway, so the classic valve amp tone i crave is only viable in our practice room where the space and volume level is optimum for getting the perfect balance out of it.  Most of the people im playing to will be too pissed to notice whether im playing a pod, a helix, or a 100 grand vintage dumble.         


I just need a system that i can set up, know how it works, and know its going to see me through the gig and im not going to have to bend down halfway through a song to nudge the volume on my rat pedal, or back off on the decay on a reverb.

In many respects the helix is probably exactly what i need and I'm sure I'll grow to love it and get invested in it.  

And, despite some line6 snobbery over the years i will say that the 2 M5 stompbox modellers on my pedalboard have essentially outlived some of the finest boxes that strymon, meris, boss, source audio etc have every made. 

I just, as i say, need to to eliminate the perception that as it is a bit of processing tech/gadgetry that it'll start becoming obsolete or undesirable and i'll feel compelled to ditch it for the "Helix 360" that might come out down the line (i have bi-polar disorder which i manage well but i am naturally impulsive) . 

And that i'll still look cool on stage with one of course! 

It's a step change.  Not an easy one.  









 

Cirrus

Oh man, no I'm all for Cynical humour and irony so keep it up!  


I think that, for me, it's simple - tools to make art, either make your life better or worse. There's no one-size-fits-all approach and I used valve amps until my band split last year. I was actually surprised when I got a Helix to do a specific job and started to feel like I was getting better sounds and being more inspired by it than I had been plugging into my pedalboard + AC30 for the last few years..