gjdjservice2012

Has anyone determined if the channel switching feature (EXT AMP output) of the Helix is compatible with a Friedman Runt 20 amp head? Also, is the Helix supposed to be connected to the Runt 20 channel switching input jack via a TRS cable?

I have had great success using the Helix into Hughes & Kettner Grandmeister 36 head, then into Mesa Boogie 1 x 12 Mini Rectifier straight and slant cabinet mini stack, with 16 ohm speakers. Using a "5 Cable Method". Guitar in on Helix to 1/4" output to H/K input; 2 cables going into and out of the effects loop of the Helix and H/K; MIDI cable out from Helix into MIDI in on the back of the head. I create the sound settings I want on the H/K, then select MIDI Channel and CC# for that preset, punch the 'Store' button on the head and then hit the Helix footswitch. Now I can use the natural distortion from the amp, and run the Helix presets into the effects loop. (An important element that makes this all work is using an EQ block from the guitar input to the Grandmeister. I tweak the EQ settings so it sounds just like a guitar plugged straight into the amp head.) The absolute best guitar amp rig I have ever had!

I have my Helix connected to a Hughes & Kettner Grandmeister head with Mesa Boogie speaker cabinets. I use the "5 Cable Method"! Cable from guitar to Helix guitar input, 2 cables from Helix's effects loop going into the send & receive of the Grandmeister, cable from the mono output of the Helix to the input of the Grandmeister, and a MIDI cable going out of the Helix to the MIDI in on the back of the Grandmeister. I not only set up presets on the Helix, I use the Helix as a MIDI controller! Once I create a preset with the effects I want, I assign a MIDI Instant Command for that preset using the Command Control (CC) functions, such as: Channel 1, CC# 1, Value 0. Then I follow the steps with the Grandmeister to 'Save' the settigs on the amp. Voila! I call up the preset and the amp settings with tap of that preset's footswitch. I now have the best guitar amp set up I have ever had!

I recently put together my finest guitar amp set-up! Here it is: Helix to Hughes & Kettner Grandmeister amplifier head to Mesa Boogie mini rectifier 1 x 12" speaker cabinets. Each cabinet has a Celestion Vintage 30 16 ohm speaker. One cabinet is slanted, the top one, and the other cabinet is straight. So it looks like a mini stack, something on a par with the old Marshall Haze system. (The 16 ohm speakers were a special order; Mesa Boogie usually puts 8 ohm speakers in these cabinets. But a special order will get them to put in 16s.) I did this because the Hughes & Kettner amp heads may only go down to 8 ohms speaker output. The Grandmeister head is about a half inch less wide than the Mesa cabinets, so it looks 'correct' and balanced. Now, here is the way to get the Helix to act as a MIDI controller for the Grandmeister: instead of using the Program Change part of the MIDI section of the Helix, I use the Command Control (CC) to make MIDI changes to the Grandmeister's amp settings. I go to the Helix MIDI section, select the Command Control part (CC), select Channel 1 (this is the default setting for the Grandmeister), and then use any of the CC# settings, from 0-127 to call up specific settings on the amp. (The Value number does not need to be used, so I keep it at 0). So once I create a preset using the Helix, such as a Chorus and Reverb, I then take that preset and go to the Command Center and assign an 'Instant' command for that preset that calls up the amp settings I want to use with that specific preset. Once I assign a MIDI Instant command to that preset, I then touch the STORE button on the Grandmeister, then press the footswitch on the Helix that controls that preset. The Grandmeister has up to 128 different MIDI settings for these sounds. Way more than enough when coupled with the more than 1000 different presets that can be created on the Helix. So now I have a complete guitar system that allows me to call up my presets and at the same time adjust my amp for the exact sounds I want. This is especially cool if you favor your amp's distortion or that of the Helix. Now you get a great mix from Helix and the amp: Distortion or Overdrive from the amp, other effects from the Helix. The best of both worlds! The Helix is my MIDI controller and my 'sound machine' for my new ultimate guitar amplifier.