JTSC777

As far as versatility goes I have used my HD500 for Worship/live gigs indoors and outdoors/casinos with a great soundman/small clubs with no soundman etc...into amps/direct/FRFR etc....and now that I am familiar with it and can make little tweaks on the fly(very important) I am confident with using it effectively in any situation.I am digging it so much I am having trouble not buying another one LOL!

One-yes Two-I believe it models the impedances but they are fixed and not adjustable (no parameter for that). I have had no problems using my M13 in 4 cable method with the following amps- Marshall JCM800 combo(1982 w/effect loop mod) Fender BDRI/HRDLX Egnater Tweaker and probably a couple of others. The M13 can also sound pretty darn good just into the front of an amp if you set the effect levels right. I will use it Friday night in a small club in front of a Crate V1512T that has no effect loop. Three-The loop does not use up a block like it does in the HD500 etc...all you do is place it in the chain where you want it and that's it. The M13 is very easy to use compared to the HD500( I have both) and I found it good enough to record almost an entire album with the band Follys Pool last year called "Out Of A Dream".We start another album in a couple of months and the producer has already asked me to use it again for the upcoming sessions. I hope this response is helpful. Good Luck with your M13 and Have Fun!

Agreed .This forum is a great resource. Stick with that unit and take the advice given from all of these guys here and soon that HD will be your best friend.I am having a blast gigging my HD500 into my Marshall tube combo and my FRFR powered speakers and my Atomic Reactor wedge.If you can play the HD into a good amp or FRFR speakers at a loud volume you will really understand how powerful these things are.

The HD with your Vettas power section should work well.I am a new user of an HD500 and I am really digging it.The input settings are critical.Some of the customtone patches are pretty good and a time saver.Todd Rundgren still records his old AxSys amps and uses Flextone 3s live to this day.He can use any amp he wants so that ought to tell you something.I hope you enjoy your new HD unit!

As a player who plays a good amount of clean jazz gigs I would like to have that one in my HD500 but don't think it will happen.I keep a used Boss GT10 around for those kinds of tones.I typically don't use my Line 6 stuff(M13/POD 2.0/HD500) for jazz gigs.If you have a good clean tube amp(Fender BDRI/HRDLX/Twin etc...) you can get close by just using POD effects and no amp modelling in a patch. I have done this and it works well. Good Luck!

Is it sitting on the floor? That will make it boomy.I have several bass heavy combo amps and when I play them live I get them off the floor onto an amp stand/stool etc...to decouple the cabinet from the floor. Depends on the room though and if I am playing outdoors I want some bass so I will put a piece of 2x4 under the front edge of the amp to angle it towards my ears and at the same time still keep the low end intact.And yes the volume you play at will make quite a difference too I agree.

Played my HD500 through the effect return of my JCM800 1x12 combo with a 1x12 ext. cab for a three hour club gig that requires lots of mid gain tones(think Fleetwood Mac/Blondie/The Cars/Jewel etc...) and it was pretty darn good.Seemed less fizzy than when I played through my FRFR(Alto powered cabs or Atomic Reactor) amps.Of course in a club with people dancing and making merry you can't hear much in the way of fizz anyway.I think this is probably very apparent when using the HD500 etc..for recording or listening through good headphones or in-ears.I don't record with multi-effects though I only use them live.Under a microscope fret wear/intonation/fizz/reverb quality etc...all become problematic. I know as I recorded television and radio commercials for 15 years in sanitized studios.I had to take my wedding ring off to record an acoustic guitar part at one session because it was making a tiny clicking noise on the back of the guitar neck. It took the engineer and producer three hours to figure out what was causing the noise while I composed music to a voice over on the spot.I play more these days than I worry about stuff so once again good luck and if you have to try a Digitech/Boss unit more power to you. I keep several of those around. Whatever it takes to get you playing and enjoying music do it.

Before you give up turn the cabinet resonance parameter in your patch all the way down.I turn all of them off in every patch.Reduces fizz.My Fender Twin patches are ice pick clean and that is what I use for clean on my HD500.A lot of these high gain amp models in the HD series are gainy/sizzly /fizzy etc...even with the pre amp gain almost off.The real amps are that way too.I tried for years to get my old Laney combos to do pristine cleans and finally realized I needed a clean Fender amp to do those sounds.This was before modelling was around.I have a lot of tube amps (Fender BDRI/HRDLX/Egnater Tweaker/Marshall JCM800 etc...) and much to my horror when exploring this modelling "fizz" issue many players post about found that my tube amps all have a little fizziness to them especially when notes trail off.When I hear it from one of my tube amps it seems normal.When I hear it from a modeller it seems weird but I think it is there to be as accurate amp modelling wise as possible.Even a Fender Twin makes some strange noises after you play it a while at high volume.Go down to the music store and play one loud for about an hour. It will make noises too.Line 6 even models the "hum" of these amps for realism.I am an old tube amp guy and I am having a great time with my recently acquired Line 6 HD500. Stay with it a bit longer before you give up. Good Luck!

Just for fun before work this morning I plugged my HD500( set to combo return) into the effect return of my 1982 Marshall JCM800 combo.I usually play my HD through FRFR or an Atomic Reactor wedge.It sounded and felt amazing! WOW!!! I have played many other modellers this way going back to my old Digitech RP-1. I highly recommend anyone with a good well maintained tube amp try this.I may gig it this way this week!

Do you have any soldering skills? Any soldering tools?.A friend who does?The stock switches are not hard to replace. The tough part is getting at them.I have replaced a few on my older M13 and they work fine.I don't use it enough to spend 300 dollars on it for switches but if it was my bread and butter I would. Look up the how to repair the Line 6 MM4 Delay video and that guy shows a good technique you can apply to the M13. Good Luck!

The second night went even better. Not one minute did I miss my amps or individual pedals.I can't say that about the GT10 I used for about a year before that.I rehearsed last night with a different female singer lead band I work with and used my VG Strat and My Epiphone Mandobird 8 string electric mandolin through the HD500 straight into the PA. Low volume/high volume same great pleasing results and the HD500 works very well with my mandolin! We are starting rehearsals for a "Women Of Rock" show and the HD500 is just what I need for that gig. Thanks again to everyone here at Line 6 Forums!

I live in Californias Central Valley.We are in the middle of a 20 to 25 consecutive 100 plus degree stretch of weather that may go on longer.I play a lot of gigs outdoors during this season and this battery thing would be a problem for me. I keep looking for more reasons to go with a newer Variax instead of my VG Strat.I will keep looking.

I typically play 9s on everything these days except my electric mandolin(10s). String gauges shouldn't be such a big deal.My VG strat does not care what string gauges are on it.I am familiar with touchy piezos as I am a Roland GR55 user and I only use the GK Roland pickups.All the piezo guitar players using the GR55s have a lot of problems interfacing with the GR units. They are by nature highly sensitive and that is what enables them to do so many wonderful things. Of course they have some drawbacks as well like everything else we use to make music.

I too may give this a go with my HD500.I play occasional bass gigs(I have one this coming Saturday) and usually use my sons bass amps/basses and a small pedal board I put together.For this gig though I will use either my HD500 or Boss GT10 and one of my sons bass amps.Not sure yet.I will report back if I go with the HD500.

My GC here does not keep any around nor would they know how to sell one LOL! I will have to try one in my travels away from my area.I played one of the first generation 300s years ago and liked it a lot.I don't do a lot of high gain palm muting so that would not be a problem for me.Soldering peizos in and out of guitars is something I can certainly do but I really don't want to.

I took my new(new to me) HD500 out for it's first gig at a large casino here in central California where I live last night.An excellent PA and sound man(woman) are provided at this venue and the sound engineer is a very good one. I used one Alto 10 in. powered speaker(which I did not really need) the HD500 a GR55 an inexpensive Laguna guitar with a GK3 pickup on it and a Talk Box. The band consisted of a bass player/ vocalist and drummer/ vocalist both very good players with strong skill sets.We played everything from Herbie Hancocks "Chameleon" to "Pour Some Sugar On Me" and the HD500 was an absolute joy to use and listen to.Typically I find that most of these inexpensive modelling devices fall apart at high volume.The HD500 did not show any of that and actually got better as the engineer turned me up in the system and I am talking about ear splitting "where are my ear plugs?" volume.I found it easier to navigate than any of my previous Boss units and it sounded good with all the GR55 sounds I blended with it(B3-piano/strings/electric piano/synth leads etc...).I think the best thing I discovered is how many sounds and levels of gain I could get while staying in one patch.Very amp like in feel and behavior.Not good news for my 6 or 7 tube amps LOL! With all the negative stuff I see on some other forums I just wanted to share my experience at a gig that requires that I bring my "A" game tone wise/gear wise and skill wise.Taking it back tonight to finish our two night stand. Thanks to all the helpful people on this forum for all the hints/tips and tricks on getting the most out of the HD500!

I want to use my old Tube Works Tube Driver in the loop of my HD500 but may use my OCD instead.The Tube Driver I have is the one with 3 band e.q. and works really well with my Marshall JCM800 combo.But, it is very old and very valuable to me for recording.

Been looking at some clean used Variaxes on GCs website.After reading this thread as much as I could use one( I have a "Women Of Rock" multi-female vocalist show coming up I am music director for) I will just continue to get all my alt. tuning/acoustic 6 and 12 string/electric 6 and 12 string and all the other guitar sounds I will need from my HD500 and Roland GR55s.They are a bit of a pain(the GR55s) but they are tough as nails and they work.Period.

I have had some good results using the search function on the customtone page. I usually enter an artists name.Found some good Jeff Beck patches and David Gilmour too both of which are a pain to make.YMMV.

Andres' Segovia-Pat Travers-Eric Johnson and a bunch of other high profile classical/rock and jazz players all use the method I described but do it the way you like. It's just a suggestion. Watch a good piano tuner tune a piano and ask him some questions as to why he works from one end and tunes a few notes and then goes to the opposite end and continues tuning towards the middle of the piano.If your frets aren't crowned and seated and your bridge saddles are not adjusted along with the neck on your guitar tuner or no tuner you will be out.I play with really good keyboard and sax players a lot so my tuning has to be right .If you play in a trio or with other guitars only you can get away with being a bit "out" of tune.

I set up most patches like I do with my tube amps. Amp with very light gain/ compressor pedal/tube drive and then a fuzz or other overdrive all assigned to the top row of foot switches. I like to have three levels of gain in each of my patches so I can boost for solos at any time.Also roll back the vol. control on the guitar a bit so you have headroom any time you need it. This and all the above approaches will work well.Lot's of boosting options on the HD500. Good Luck and Have Fun!

Yes it is an embarrassment of riches LOL! Along with building patches at VOLUME through one of my FRFR powered speakers(Atomic Reactor/Alto 10s and 12s) I will especially with lead tones increase the midrange up to the point that it starts to sound a bit unpleasant and leave it there. When played in a band context I never have any problems being heard with out being too loud when I apply this concept to my patches.Don't over do it.Stop adding mids when it starts to get a bit "ugly". I learned this from Will Ray of the Hellacasters who wrote a great article about how we guitar players do not know how to manage midrange frequencies. My modelling adventure has been a lot better since I started following his advice.

The tuner in my HD500 works good.The tuner in my old floorboard did not. I tune a bit differently though. I tune the strings from the outside in. I tune the high E then the low E I tune the B then the A string I finish by tuning the G and then the D string then I do it all over the same way again. I never tune the strings straight across this is the same way a piano is tuned if you tune them from high to low by the time you get to the last one the first three are a little bit out it is the best way to tune tremolo equipped guitars

I have been a loyal Roland/ Boss user for over 20 years.From the GR-1 synth and GT-3 to the GT10/GR55 these days. This is how many model packs and updates upgrades I was offered during all those years=1.1 for the GR55 which was nothing to crow about mostly presets and piano tones behaving a little better. I have never been mad about that and have never complained about it I just learned to work with whatever limitations the units I was using at the time had to get my work done.This is Rolands philosophy regarding upgrades/model packs/firmware changes/piano sounds being glitchy and a whole bunch of other bugs etc....with every thing they have ever offered to musicians-" It's perfect when it comes off the line.We(Roland)do not need to ever improve on anything we make as it is already better than anything else". No I'm not kidding.That is how they deal with customer dissatisfaction and quibbles about bugs/upgrades etc...Do I still buy/use their gear?Yes. Do I appreciate Line 6 offer to update/fix bugs/give me killer customtone patches etc....?you bet I do. I will roll out my HD500 for the first time this weekend with my trio at a large casino for a two night engagement.I will use it with my Roland GR55. I programmed and tweaked my Boss GT10/Roland GR55 for almost a year before I was able to use them at a gig. I have had the HD500 for about three weeks and it was actually ready to gig last week but I left it at home and used my other stuff. Tone wise for amp modelling/effects and cover gigs it kills the GT10 and I can't wait to use it. If you really want to get upset start using Roland /Boss gear and wait for nothing as far as support forums/upgrades etc...oh and yes you get to use 3rd party editor software that crashes before you can even perform a patch write. Sorry but some of you don't know how good you have it. My 2 and a half cents

I can attest to the fact that funky out of spec tubes can make any amp sound weird with any guitar. I am encouraged by psarkissians' post and will continue to consider the purchase of a JTV for my general gigging needs.Thanks to everyone on this forum for sharing your knowledge and opinions!