bloodychoir

Look I get it.  It is expensive, given not 2000$ where I live but the 1500$ I put down wasn't easy.   It seems like you already have a judgement about line 6 sounds in the helix based on your experience with other line 6 products.  One of my first amps was line 6 and I admit that some of the spiders and earlier amp models sounded extremely brittle and unlistenable.  However my more recent experience hearing line 6 stuff has convinced me otherwise.  I have had my M13 for years now and I have to say it is one of the best purchases Ive ever made.  Sound wise this thing is anything but brittle.  Some effects are better than others yes, but say the Tube Drive is the most authentic sounding distortion in a multifx I've ever heard and actually beats out many boutique pedals that I've heard in quality.  The delays, reverbs, compression, and some of the filters are really awesome as well.  Since then I've heard demos of the HD500 and 500x and I have to say that in the world of 500$ and under pedals that do the trick, there is no other company on the market that is competing.  The one time I bought a Boss multifx unit, I ended up returning it same day it was such a bad interface and sounded so terrible.  I guess what I'm saying is this company has impressed me enough with their recent products to earn my trust and thats why I have the Helix pre ordered.  My M13 was under 500$ and I am a happy camper with it.  Ive seen pros such as Oz Noy live using his M13.  If this thing is $1500, it is that price for a reason.  

 

Now as far as samples of the helix goes; While there is a ton of plexi sounds coming through in samples, I think the fact is that there are also great examples of clean tones, delays, filters, and distortions so far already in the samples as well.  The clean track of Sean playing in the office video sounds amazing to my ears.  I haven't heard a tone so far that I didn't like on these videos and clips and personally I think they have done a good job of listening to their customers and doing their best to release what people want to hear.  You can distinctly see in this forum that after all the plexiness, people wanted to hear clean tones and metal tones.  So line 6 released the 6 tracks with exactly that.  Now people are saying, well we want to hear this this and that.  

 

Hey I understand its a lot of cash.  Obviously you are not happy with the sounds you've heard so far.  And if you think you can create the tones we've heard with a DI box and a nice rig, by all means save yourself the money.  Personally based on the sounds I've heard and the flexibility in the IO and having everything right there in one neat shiny pedal board with a great user interface sounds pretty awesome to me.  As a professional player I deem this worth pre ordering, but everybody's different.

 

I appreciate all that Eric and your pretty personal take on things, but I feel like you didn't read my post very carefully. Which is fine, I'm not saying anything new. What I am reiterating then is that the recent sound clips are, especially if you listen with decent headphones, swaddled in digital delay. Like every store demo ever. Why, well only the makers can tell you. Perhaps we should be using the word "dry" instead of clean. I also said I fully expect the kinds of useful and revealing demos that lots of people need before they make a decision to come from the company. After all what's to hide? A simple run through of core tones with application of fx one at a time in real time. Bam, a million units sold because it sounds so damn good! And right with you on the IO, awesome implementation. Means lollipop if the tones aren't true. The HD500 sounds pretty good, and I agree better than any Boss fx unit (certainly not pedal though), but while it may cut it for soloists in certain kinds of acts, it just isn't there for a lot of players and purposes. And for the price point I don't expect it to be. It's not the unit we're discussing anyway. All I'll say is I'm not the only one thinking like this and it's with high hopes that I await that definitive demo. Justified skepticism is healthy, doesn't mean I'm suddenly, what do the kidz call it? a hater? Love my JTV59, genius thing, it wants a real box to plug in to.

All these people that are saying to put simple samples up, while I understand the sentiment, L6 is a big company with years of experience. Do you really think they are not going to put together produced content with a great player with a great guitar having fun and making good use of the sounds that suit him? Their intention is not to give you information about the helix. I doubt they have any incentive to do that. Their purpose is to get people excited and to build hype. The lack of certainty only gives people more to talk about ie., But he's using a suhr! But hes a good player, How come they don't show this, that, and everything in between? Obviously they know what they are doing because they have achieved amazing customer engagement. Frankly I've know about line 6 for years but just because of my research on the helix that is the only reason I've found out about fractal or kemper. And I've been playing professionally for years. Personally I think the tones so far sound great and i trust that if this thing is costing what it is, I have faith that it will be worth it in some way

That's well and good Eric, and I suppose it would be nice to drop the skeptical bit for a while, but this is not a toy, it's over two thousand dollars where I live and in that case I don't want to hear processed, multi-delayed cover band tones by Dudebro at my local chain store, or what sounds pretty much like the 500 plexi over and over. I want to know that base tones are honest, good and move the air (or at least create the illusion!), and that when I'm playing to a real audience they're not distracted by how brittle the sound is and that briefest of delays in switching. That is in no way too much to ask and it's owed to a loyal user group who desperately want this tool to be what it should be. And if you tell me a company doesn't owe me anything well I guess we're at an ethical impasse. I reckon Line 6 people appreciate that it's a mutual and reciprocal relationship, their literature says so. That couldn't just be fertiliser for a dumb crop could it? Anyway, I have faith that such demonstrations will appear once the company feels the product is ready. But no pre order from me until then. Those sound clips could be replicated by a DI and Guitar Rig. Delay obfuscates in demos as in politics.

Hey all,

 

I've heard that Line 6 has only chosen select dealers in Australia for the first run of Line 6 Helix. A distributor in Brisbane is only getting 4 in the first batch. Then who knows how long before the next batch arrives. $2399 was also the price I was told and I was also informed that at this stage, there is no discounted price. They are ready to take deposits though - September is when they are expecting the first arrival. Exciting stuff!

can't get excited by that RRP, that's gross

The HD500 clips aren't Sean. This isn't an official Line 6 video.

Not to state the obvious, which everybody is already stating under their breath, but the thing is cleared for pre order - where are the official videos? Need tones, need real time re amping, need, um, tones!

 

Edit : Sorry Phil, just realised I'd assumed the Line 6 insignia denoted employment at the company, still if you have any insight on the dearth of vids and an incipient end to that dearth, most welcome.

Hi, still waiting on more raw tones and a decisive illustration of preset lag but the reamping bit has me 70% sold on its own - as long as those fx are as good as it sounds like they are. I know of a couple of exporters but wondering if there's any recommended route for Oz preorders? Or any dealers other folks from the distant, scary, spider, snake and koala infested continent have used in the past that they'd suggest? Many thanks in advance

Wow, just starting to read up on this unit as, being in Australia, the usual electronics mark up combined with a weak dollar have put the Helix in the 2k range which is kind of silly. Sounds like this is a pretty piece of crap at the moment. Latency in a board designed for live use is an instant no. I like my JTV but if this is what the boards are about then I may just stick with a combo and a slew of pedals. I'd love to hear that this has been rectified, but your experience scares me away from the Firehawk and gives me grave doubts regarding the Helix at near four times the prices. Concerning also is the lack of Line 6 presence on this Hot topic.

Seems that way, but you have to click on the second half of the link. Looks like the "!" causes some weird break in the link if you click in the first half.

 

I'd like to see the Boss T-Wah. Great little unit.

If we're talking Boss, VB2 vibrato, discontinued, crazy prices. Dedicate the expression pedal or a switch to the "unlatch" mode. Really wonderful sounding pedal.

Guys is it just me or the sounds are very similar with here ? 

https://www.reverbnation.com/billzproject (he is line 6 member and recently posted this also https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1OhPCNfPXk)

 

I mean, the helix is a beauty, but the tones are what matter...

It's just you, I can hear big differences. I really appreciate that they're using two classic amps without auto wah, awful studio verb and excessive overdrive (not referring to your vid btw). Most vids for these kinds of units seem to cater for modern metal, boutique soloists or teenagers. I know there's a hell of a lot of people in bands starting to get interested in not lugging enormous rigs about, purely from a financial pov, who want to know how close these things can get to behaving like a valve amp. I mean, I can hear the difference when a compressor is added to yet another flavour of HiGain but I really, really don't learn anything from it. That said, love to hear more dry amps and then very transparently added effects, one at a time, not stacked in a pre made patch called Vaitheevon or some such.

Nice vids, and almost entirely free of showroom fx which is unheard of! Helix sounding very nice. What I really want to know is why that colour in the 69 isn't available? Or in the Standard? I would've bought it in a heartbeat. Bizarre they went for Lake Placid - pretty but too "look at me" - and not this, it actually diminishes the ungainly warped strat look of the 69 and makes it seem more compact and elegant. Assume it's his own custom?

Excellent Phil, thanks, I was up on the other lovely Variax integration just needed assurance on the powering. Not a small thing to my mind. It's looking the goods

I have to assume the Helix will power a Variax, like the Firehawk does? I know there's reference to the VDI but I think that's the Ethernet in right? I won't use battery live but I don't want to have to use my Line 6 DI with a Helix. So, does the guitar jack, with the right lead, power my Variax? Thanks, much like the preset lag question there seems to be little info on this. But I'm guessing both areas will be taken care of given the price and the obvious attention to quality

See my comments here http://line6.com/support/topic/13832-variax-standard-initial-thoughts/ - the neck is slightly narrower than my strat with similar string spacing so less fretboard at the edges but no string slippage issues for me so far - I mention in my post it has a very flat fretboard.

 

Comfort wise - it is lighter than my Fender strat - haven't measured scientifically but quite a bit lighter from feel.  The neck is not as comfortable as I am used to although hard to say why - possibly because it is narrower I think I am having more of my hand come around the top than normal.  Great if you use your thumb on the bass strings a lot but just takes a bit of adjustment I think. Generally though it feels good and plays well - my issues are mainly with the modelled sounds - as a basic electric guitar it is actually better than I expected.

 

Fantastic Elwyn, really appreciate it. It sounds like what I'm after, not expecting the best axe in the world but good quality and playability. I've had the 59 for a couple of years now and despite my issues its been a warrior. I hear you on the acoustic models, I was vainly hoping I could get away with not lugging a real one along, but apart from the odd solo gig it just doesn't feel or sound right. That said, great effort Line 6, if ever there was an uphill battle! I'm also not a fan of the Spank sounds, could be the models they chose, so I end up using Workbench to craft something out of the Les Paul and Ricky banks which have genuine character and life. Above all else it's the tuning capability that won me over, I've gone from 7 guitars to 2 on the road which is simply enormous. Hope you enjoy the guitar and start to get a bit more out of it, thanks again.

Thanks for both replies. I'm not interested in any workarounds, just a review of the Standard that isn't restricted to the Variax guts, which have been reviewed a million times. It's an instrument and I'd love to know how it feels and plays. The 69 was kind of appealing though I don't like the look much and I read a lot about that high E slippage, sounded like a fraught purchase. I like the 59 but as I said, too heavy and the neck is too Les Paul for my tastes. I've contacted a couple of distributors and they talk like they have it in stock but clam up when I ask about the specs and how soon they can ship. It's a very weird rollout folks.

Hi, I'm in Hobart, Tasmania and I really doubt I'm going to get a chance to try one of these out. I've been using a 59 for live shows for the last two years and while I love it I'd prefer something lighter and with a slimmer neck - a strat, obviously. I know there's a topic on the neck already but the only answer compares the Standard to the 69 which apparently has a weird chunky neck, so not very helpful. If anyone has managed to get hands on one of these things your impressions would be so helpful. I can't believe there are promo vids out there that focus entirely on the modelling (which is already documented millions of times over) and not the feel of the damn thing.

 

Many thanks

I'm used to this kind of nonsense but really, can anyone shine a light on the specific instance of nonsense? I'm ordering the unit, it's what I've been waiting for, why hamstring us and yourselves guys? If it's an Apple thing then all is forgiven, if not...