tenorkeith

I have a question And am curious to know what you guys think. I own a reissue JCM800 and also a clone that I built myself. They both have similar gain structures, but when I use the Helix 2204 model, I find that the helix "drive" knob has to be at about 4 to achieve what my real amps do at 10. Now, mind you, they totally nailed the sound and feel of the amp. And I also am not complaining that I have extra gain on tap, I was just wondering if they were going for total accuracy when modeling the specific characteristics of each amp. If so, I think they missed the mark where gain is concerned. I would love to hear from someone at Line 6 on what they think. Thanks!

It is getting fairly tedious to spin the individual control knobs three or four times to raise or lower a given parameter. Is there anyway to increase the sensitivity of these knobs? Thanks!

Wow, I didn't even know there was a font of that big. I need to try that!

What about the Line 6 Litigator? Any thoughts?

Fair enough.

I am not a corporate trainer and I have not worked within a corporate structure for 30+ years. I am a consumer. And as a consumer, I/we have identified that there are certain things that other companies may doing better than Line 6. There are features being offered elsewhere that Line 6 is not. And if that hurts your feelings, too bad. It doesn't mean that I am abandoning Helix. Nor does it mean that I want or need a lame (and not at all relevant) lecture about tires. Helix is great and we only want it to get better. If Line 6 chooses to ignore us, then so be it. But to suggest that a user forum is not the appropriate place to express ourselves and our wishes is tantamount to saying "Just shut up because we know what's best for you". If that's the case, why even HAVE a user forum?

I really wasn't being critical. It was just a tongue in cheek way of saying that fractal are sort of responsible for this expectation. I would not part with my Helix for anything that Fractal makes.

As someone who has found himself in the "complainer" category more than once, I can understand the frustrations that Deneteus is exhibiting. I, too, would like more frequent updates and more amps & effects. And while I have found myself being more patient lately, I think we should place the blame for these discussions squarely where it belongs....Fractal! I think that they have set the standard for this type of fast and frequent update cycle. And quite frankly, I don't know how they are able to pump them out like they do. Maybe, as some have suggested, they are just tweaking existing models and passing them off as "new". But in any event, I sincerely hope that Line 6 continues to support this platform so as to increase its life-cycle beyond the typical 1-2 years of previous products. And if they do come out with a "Helix 2" in three or four years, I'll be on board with that as well.

Hey guys, I know that it is a Line 6 original, but does anyone know what the Fatality is based upon, or at least, what would you compare it to? Thanks!

Awesome, Line 6, THANK YOU!!! Now I'll stop bugging you..... Well.....no.....no I won't. I'll still bug you. But thank you anyway :)

And there it is. You have distilled this entire argument to its central theme. Anyone who enjoys the Helix, but would like to see additional content in the form of more amps or effects is just a malcontent looking to be offended. Ok, I see. And by the way, my gig at Walt's Trout Shack isn't for a few weeks so I'm confident that there will be models of every amp ever created by then, right? I mean, since our expectations are so unreasonable... I would submit that the ones who mock and marginalize anyone who doesn't think the Helix is absolutely perfect are the easily offended, professional victims here. I mean, GOD FORBID we should hold a different viewpoint from yourselves!

Ok, but how about just a little bit more quantity? :)

Point taken, but to some extent you must be affected by it, no? Take for example the helix editor. I think that the interface on the helix is incredible and stands apart as being fully functional without the need of an external editor. But People clamored for one probably because they have used them on competing products. So in some respects everyone is influenced by everyone else.

BigRalph, I can't really argue with anything that you've said. I think you are correct in that they are indeed different products and will suit different people's needs differently. You are also correct in stating that no matter what they add, someone will be disappointed. I think that the ideascale model is a pretty good one for allowing people to express their opinions and then vote. I am certain that in the end there will be some things I wish were included that are ultimately not, and I am totally fine with that. But since I cannot afford both of these products, I chose the helix for many of the reasons you cited. I am just a little frustrated with the pace of things, especially since I know that line 6 can deliver. And quite frankly, it pisses me off to see the AxeFx fanboys go on and on and on about how responsive Fractal is, and I suppose that's my problem to deal with. People on this forum can get angry with me if they like for bringing up this topic, but we really are on the same side. We all want Helix to be the best it can be.

Well DAMN, If I had known I could pick the serial number!!! Now, where's that IdeaScale link?..... :)

I'm pretty sure I read that the Atomic Amplifire has separate power amp models, like one each for 6L6, EL34, Etc. It could be cool to match them to different preamps. Not sure if anybody else does that sort of thing.

Mr. Igloo, Of course Helix was not complete, and this is not meant as a criticism. Line 6 always had future plans and things they couldn't quite implement by launch. That's the point. We all knew there would be more "stuff" to come. Not a problem for me. Also, I never even mentioned Line 6's lack of communication, as others have. Again, no problem here. The ENTIRE POINT of my post was to express my frustration with the lack of certain iconic amps that I thought would be there from day one, and my hopes that Line 6 has been listening. I love Helix, and I don't want it to be left behind. I deliberately did not buy a Fractal product, because I don't fancy wading through endless screens of blocky text to adjust the most minute of details. Helix is an altogether more intuitive and sexy product. Do I need 200 amps? Of course not. But yes, I would like some of the choices available on competing products, which I know you guys are fully capable of delivering. So if you find anything I've said to be of any value, great. If not, no problem. I just felt that this was the place to express such views. Take care, and thanks for listening.

This is why it is just not worth it to post here. Diverse opinions are not welcome, and your motives will be questioned. It is obvious that neither Line 6 nor their loyal followers can tolerate anything other than glowing praise, and that is a very dangerous attitude for any company to have. Peace!

Silverhead, You know, there was a time when products had to be complete before they were released. Back in the days of Pod and cartridge based video games, there were no updates or second chances. Now, everything is upgradable and expandable. Every company from line 6 to fractal to Strymon touts the ability to improve upon their product throughout its life cycle. The Helix was sold under this promise as well. They even went so far as to interview the different individuals working on improvements to the product, and invited us to participate in this process. So it seems a little disingenuous to paint us as malcontents because we have taken you up on your offer. Now, I will say again that I absolutely love my Helix, but it absolutely did not leave the gate as a complete product.

Cruisinon, all very good answers. Look, I'm not trying to start any arguments here, even though I know this can be a sensitive topic. I just don't want Line 6 to get so lost in the weeds chasing gremlins that they forget the other things that are important to some of us. But you're right, in the end they will do what they want, not what we want. I'll just hope for the best.

Cruisinon, are you serious? What's so "unrealistic" about holding a company to the expectations they created themselves? Besides, the car analogy doesn't work when we're talking about a product designed for the very expansion I'm commenting on. And explain to me exactly what the metaphor of participation trophies has to do with one's expectations of a product we've spent a good sum of money on. Yes, life is full of disappointments. I see them every day in the faces of the families I serve as a funeral director. But for some reason, people seem to go apesh*t if you dare to ask a simple question. Give me a break!

That's cute, Dunedin. But it sounds an awful lot like the "STFU and take what they give you!" mentality I've been witnessing lately. Thanks for the sarcasm, though!

Well, to be specific, I am a big fan of the Mesa Mk IIC+, Mk IV, and the Bogner Ecstasy to name a few. I don't need multiple versions of every amp ever made like Fractal does, I just would like more bases covered. As I said earlier, I love my Helix, which is why I want it to be the best it can be.

Inerzia, thank you for your measured response. To be honest, I don't care if people vote me down, I just wanted to express my frustration in an honest way. The issue I have is that Line 6, with the backing of Yamaha, has the resources to really propel this product to great heights. But what I see is smaller companies such as Fractal, Kemper and Atomic doing better by way of updates. Truth is, some people are happy with just a few great amps to work with, and some of us think differently. And I don't feel badly about holding Line 6's collective feet to the fire on this.

At the risk of being pummeled for this, I would like to ask why we haven't had any new amps or effects in the last five months. According to Line 6, it takes approximately one month for the one guy (!) who does the amp modeling to produce one amp model. So according to their own estimate, we should be able to expect at least another five amps by now. Add to this the fact that the largest request on Ideascale is for more amps and effects, and I wonder if Line 6 is listening. The Helix is generally thought to be a direct competitor for Fractal and Kemper, and in this respect, they are way behind. Now, before the flames begin to fly, let me say that I absolutely LOVE my Helix, and I even gave up my place in line for the Fractal AX8 so that I could buy the Helix. So I'm not trying to be excessively critical. But there are some glaring omissions in the amp list, and I thought they would have addressed this by now. Oh, and I would appreciate people refraining from telling me to "Just shut up and just enjoy what you have". I AM enjoying it, but I believe that there were some definite promises made, and I want to believe they will follow through. Don't get me wrong, I don't expect 200 amps or anything of the sort. But I do expect more, and I just wish they would spend as much time on these items as they do on bug fixes and editing software. End of rant.