Helix or Kemper for bass?

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KebabkidKebabkid Frets: 3301
edited May 2019 in Bass
Hi,

I just wondered if any owners of these modellers were using them for bass? I'm more interested in a live capacity rather than *recorded, as by their very nature, I'd imagine they deliver very well in that *scenario.

If so, any standout bass amps or rigs for you?

Thanks
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Comments

  • fretmeisterfretmeister Frets: 23955
    Helix.

    It's frankly astonishing on bass. No doubt helped by 2 of the lead guys on Helix being bassists themselves.

    Plenty of pro bassists swapping to it - from the Funk / Soul approach of Phil Bynoe to Billy Sheehan at the other end.


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  • guitarfishbayguitarfishbay Frets: 7953
    Haven’t tried a Kemper but I think Helix is good on bass
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  • sgosdensgosden Frets: 1993
    edited May 2019

    depending how complex you like your signal chain, check out the HX stomp.. Quite a few bassists I've gigged with have moved over to one for their live use now. 

    Either going DI , feeding an onstage amp, or a combination of both.


    Super smug* bassist at one gig, rocked up with a single gig bag with bass + stomp in. Then sat with a pint with his feet up whilst guitars and drums struggled in with their gear. 

    *intentionally not helping, for the giggles as opposed to just being an arse.

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  • MusicwolfMusicwolf Frets: 3627

    I can't help you re live but I’ve often used my Kemper to record bass (I usually take a profiled feed + a DI for processing later).  Having recently acquired a Helix, and inspired by this thread, I tried the Helix on bass last night and it sounded great.

    On guitar I've been favouring Kemper for recording and Helix for live but I think that the Helix may have the edge for bass.  Probably not surprising as I suspect that a lot of commercially recorded tracks use a processed DI'd sound rather than a mic'd bass amp.

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  • KebabkidKebabkid Frets: 3301
    Thanks guys and I'm thinking for my first foray into modelling, I might actually go for the Stomp (for guitar and bass) as I can integrate it onto my existing board and use the fx but I also have it there as a back-up and see how it works as a standalone amp unit.
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  • FunkfingersFunkfingers Frets: 14323
    sgosden said:
    Super smug* bassist at one gig, rocked up with a single gig bag with bass + stomp in. Then sat with a pint, with his feet up, whilst guitars and drums struggled in with their gear. 

    *intentionally not helping, for the giggles as opposed to just being an arse.

    Who does he think he is, the lead singer?
    Be seeing you.
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  • fretmeisterfretmeister Frets: 23955
    Kebabkid said:
    Thanks guys and I'm thinking for my first foray into modelling, I might actually go for the Stomp (for guitar and bass) as I can integrate it onto my existing board and use the fx but I also have it there as a back-up and see how it works as a standalone amp unit.
    Quite a few guys on basschat using the Stomp.

    I'm quite tempted as a back up / easy carry version of my Helix rack.
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  • digitalscreamdigitalscream Frets: 26458
    The signal routing of the Helix is what helps here - not least because it's trivially easy to have two parallel signals going, which tends to be essential for dirty bass sounds (one clean and one driven). I don't know a huge amount about the Kemper's current capabilities with that, but I'm pretty sure it couldn't handle it internally a couple of years back.
    <space for hire>
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  • I'm using an HX Stomp for both bass and guitar. I've used it live with bass very successfully, and tried it out at a studio for the 1st time on the weekend, and it was stupidly easy to get a good tone from. 
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  • KebabkidKebabkid Frets: 3301
    edited May 2019
    I'm using an HX Stomp for both bass and guitar. I've used it live with bass very successfully, and tried it out at a studio for the 1st time on the weekend, and it was stupidly easy to get a good tone from. 
    Out of interest, what bass amp(s) did you use and are you going through FRFRs? In the 'real world', I'm a fan of Aguilar's and Gallien Krueger's and both are modelled in the Helix/Stomp
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  • fretmeisterfretmeister Frets: 23955
    The GK is VERY good in the Line 6 stuff.

    It's usually the one I build most patches around. The model of the Aguilar isn't as good to my ears. If I want that warmer low end thump thing then I tend to use the Woody Blue model which is the old Acoustic 360. That is another great model. 
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  • KebabkidKebabkid Frets: 3301
    Thanks @fretmeister ;
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  • PolarityManPolarityMan Frets: 7273
    The helix is pretty badass on bass, I use a split chain with the SVT models with the highs being gritted up witht he darkglass model. 
    ဈǝᴉʇsɐoʇǝsǝǝɥɔဪቌ
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  • meltedbuzzboxmeltedbuzzbox Frets: 10337
    A bass?

    A DI box and go stand in the corner and behave
    The Bigsby was the first successful design of what is now called a whammy bar or tremolo arm, although vibrato is the technically correct term for the musical effect it produces. In standard usage, tremolo is a rapid fluctuation of the volume of a note, while vibrato is a fluctuation in pitch. The origin of this nonstandard usage of the term by electric guitarists is attributed to Leo Fender, who also used the term “vibrato” to refer to what is really a tremolo effect.
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  • Helix is great for bass. I don't like the Kemper for bass.

    Bye!

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  • Owner of a Kemper and Helix here. Helix rules for bass no question.
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