Community: Message List - HD500 Made me sell my Axe-Fx (clip)

Re: HD500 Made me sell my Axe-Fx (clip)

support@line6.com — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 02:30:26 GMT

the thread that refuses to die!

Re: HD500 Made me sell my Axe-Fx (clip)

support@line6.com — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 19:41:18 GMT

Nightrain28 wrote:

.....
All in all, I really do like Line 6 equipment, the people, the community, etc etc. but to say one is better than the other, well thats just marketing BS and people trying to validate their chosen brand.
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Very well said, sir. The entire post is excellent but this phrase in particular captures what I think is the most important point. I'm glad you have found the right equipment for you, and I think everyone can do that without trying to impose their choices/beliefs/biases on others.

Rock on!

Re: HD500 Made me sell my Axe-Fx (clip)

support@line6.com — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 17:45:40 GMT

Lots of interesting views, opinions, ideas, etc. I am not trying to sway anyone one way or another but this has been my experience....

I LOVED my X3 pod and if it didn't break on me I would still but using it. But it did, and it took over 3 months for anyone to figure out that it would require a major fix that was worth more than buying a new unit. Plus I still have my XT and Spidervalve and shortboard. So I am by no means a hater of L6 equipment.

So why did I buy a Ultra? Because I added up all the modelling gear I've boughten over the last 5 years and it was more than an ultra. I bought a GT-6 ($675), GT-8 ($675), Pod XT ($400), and Pod X3 ($475). Thats over $2200 I've spent on modellers, and doesn't even included the $1000 I spent on my SV 212. After adding this up I asked myself, "do I want to keep spending money every year or 2 getting the next best bargain equipment that I have to relearn or do I want to take the full leap and get something I feel will last for a very very long time and has a solid reputation for customer service?!?" Seriously I just want a piece of equipment that I have confidence in both the longevity of the unit itself and the service from the company. When I had a question I e-mailed Fractal support and the creator himself e-mailed me back within 5 hours. 5 HOURS!!! Not days, weeks or months. Thats insane.

At this point I still question spending the big money and wonder if I would have been just as happy (personally, not tonelly) with the new HD Bean, but whenever I plug into the ultra I come up with the same answer..... Probably not, but I would have enough money to buy the strat I've been wanting years for lol.

What keeps me going back to the ultra is that it's not just the recorded sound but it really is about a "feel" and how it responds to touch. I can really tell that I've become a sloppy player and the ultra really brings out the small nuances of how my fingers are moving and touching the fretboard which I've never heard. I find it also responds like mad to the qualities of different guitars. I hooked up my brother's tele and it was a whole new beast once again. The Dr.Z and fender amps sounded so good even my brother was like, "damn, never sell this thing". I also think the ultra really shines in a mix and stands out better than my Pods/GTs ever did.

I feel I have a piece of equipment that will last a very longtime and that will grow with me as I learn more and more how to use it. It is as deep as you want it, but on the flip side, all you have to do is pick an amp and cabinet sim and you can easily get a very good tone. I have 4 main patches that I love but as I evolve as a player and personal engineer I am slowly making even those sound better and better.

All in all, I really do like Line 6 equipment, the people, the community, etc etc. but to say one is better than the other, well thats just marketing BS and people trying to validate their chosen brand. They are as different from one another as a Fender strat, a Jackson Strat, a G&L Strat, etc are different from one another. I say pick the one that works best for you but don't say other equipment is crap. They are all amazing and if you compare them to the stuff that was around even just 10 years ago you'd agree we are indeed luck to have any of them. Bring back any of these units 20 years and everyone would fill their pants!

So in the end, was the $1500 I paid for my Ultra worth it over the $400 for the Pod? Hell yeah, for me. For the extra $1100 I love the touch and how it repsonds to other equipment and feel it is the complete package. If it was only for recorded sounds I would have the Pod as they produce a very nice recorded tone. But its not.

Wow, sorry for the novel.... Peace all.

Re: HD500 Made me sell my Axe-Fx (clip)

support@line6.com — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 21:40:24 GMT

Ahhh....Thanks Nick...I was trying to remember exactly what the trick was...

Re: HD500 Made me sell my Axe-Fx (clip)

support@line6.com — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 20:42:43 GMT

spaceatl wrote:

ok maybe I am losing my mind but I thought assigning the pedal to the mixer block was a cool way to open up an FX block? I could of sworn I have seen nick post about this more than several times...I have never tried it...maybe I will try that tonight...

The assignment of the Expression Pedal to the mixer block has never been an option as far as I'm aware. I think you are thinking of the trick to assign the Expression Pedal to an amp model's Channel Volume control. I have talked about that a fair bit in the past but it wasn't my idea - someone else put me on to that, and I think I was more interested in it when I was looking into the Volume Pedal spike issue

Re: HD500 Made me sell my Axe-Fx (clip)

support@line6.com — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 20:33:09 GMT

ok maybe I am losing my mind but I thought assigning the pedal to the mixer block was a cool way to open up an FX block? I could of sworn I have seen nick post about this more than several times...I have never tried it...maybe I will try that tonight...

Re: HD500 Made me sell my Axe-Fx (clip)

support@line6.com — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 19:47:22 GMT

phil_m wrote:

What I'm talking about is more about people having all these options in front of them while simply having a rather nebulous goal of "good tone" or whatever. I think people can get bewildered. Honestly, I'm not interested in a piece of gear as complex as the Axe-FX simply because I think I would get lost in the process of tweaking and re-tweaking as opposed to actually recording and playing.

I agree with you completely.

For the most part I am very impressed with the attention to detail that was paid by Line 6 on the amp models. I also really love that they've included deep editing options (though that can also be bewildering). My only real gripe is that the gain is all lumped under the drive control, when it could easily be split out between using the channel volume control as a master volume and the drive control left for the preamp gain. The mixer block can handle level differences when it is in the post postion and I doubt it will take much effort to include a second one in the post position when there is one in the pre position without burning an extra effects block. Furthermore, it would be great if the mixer block could be adjusted via foot pedal, or have levels toggled via the assignable footswitches. IMO, this is a far better solution then coloring your signal with the boost comp model (again, without having to use an effects block). Sorry for going off-topic, it's just that this has been on my mind since I first started really digging into the HD500.

Re: HD500 Made me sell my Axe-Fx (clip)

support@line6.com — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 18:41:48 GMT

So many viewpoints here and many of the issues are subjective. First off, Phil it's not just you, I like to keep things somewhat simple. There are times when I like to sit down and tweak some new tones, but for the most part I rely on my bread and butter patches all in one bank on the HD500.

I can say that if someone gave me an Axe FX unit for free I might switch over from the HD500. But I would never dole out the money for it. Its not that I'm cheap, if there was no HD500 I might spend the money but it's not $1500 better than the HD500 tone-wise. I could give a flying you-know-what about the components used to get the tone. There is a difference in spending money on a hand wired boutique amp and a spending money on a hand built modeler.

Now that have had the HD long enough to get familiar with it I can get great tones out of it. It really does sound great. As far ad the earlier points about getting great sound just out of your fingers, I can't get any sound out of my fingers unless I'm snapping them. My fingers manipulate the strings on a guitar. If the components in the guitar work then the signal goes to the amp. My point is simply this; it's a pretty simplistic view to say practice and you will sound good. I'm sure many on here a fairly accomplished players. I think most of us ate at a level where we are discerning about our tone. It's the reason BB King plays an ES 335 while Jeff Beck plays a strat. Or why blues players in general will choose one amp while metal players choose another. You can't get an over driven sound out of an unplugged guitar no matter how much you practice.

Re: HD500 Made me sell my Axe-Fx (clip)

support@line6.com — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 17:58:13 GMT

My point isn't that there shouldn't be more amps or effects added. I think there's room for both. If people know what they want, and Line 6 doesn't offer it right now, I completely understand where they're coming from.

What I'm talking about is more about people having all these options in front of them while simply having a rather nebulous goal of "good tone" or whatever. I think people can get bewildered. Honestly, I'm not interested in a piece of gear as complex as the Axe-FX simply because I think I would get lost in the process of tweaking and re-tweaking as opposed to actually recording and playing. That may just be me, though.

Re: HD500 Made me sell my Axe-Fx (clip)

support@line6.com — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 16:17:47 GMT

Speak for yourself regarding the limited number of amp models, Phil. I can name a few effects I'd like to see in Line 6's arsenal as well, in addition to improvements in some that currently exist.