JTSC777

Get another 2.0 older POD bean and a used floorboard.Cheap and killer tones for direct PA or for recording.

My POD 2.0 and HD500 kill into my Bands Bose systems(2) using the 1/4 in outputs.Hey are made for direct electric guitar.

Inside my POD is a chip that can loosen a little and cause all kinds of problems.Occasionally I open up the casing and snug the eprom? into its socket.

This modeling guitar business is not for everyone.

Yes Mr. Sarkissian it has been interesting.So much so that I will absolutely not be buying a JTV at any point for any of my projects.I am a working pro player out in the field using many products to make music and generate money.Not many of us left these days. I am an expert guitar synthesizer player with over 30 years of pro use of that technology in the field and studio. My technique is cleaner and more accurate than yours very likely is.Playing guitar synth well and subbing for keyboard players( yes I am that good at it) is a bit unusual to say the least.To imply that these hard core JTV devotees can't play properly is ridiculous.Anyone with any elevated guitar technique has already got the chops to play any modeling type of guitar. My older used Variax 500 has none of these problems.I Am currently preparing for an Eagles tribute with some really great players / singers.We considered using some newer Variax guitars but have decided to use some conventional and Roland/ Boss modeling tech for these gigs. High pressure/ High paying gigs.We will do very well after rehearsals are over and we are doing shows.I would suggest you stay at your workbench doing repairs and troubleshooting.You are probably very good at it. Best of luck in all your endeavors!

This is the best way.I used a DI box for a long time but now I just use the XLR on my HD500.Less cables is always better!

After a few years of going it totally on my own for sound creation I downloaded various starred patches and many of them are very very good. It is a great resource so I recommend it.Many users here have gotten a lot better at building patches. The metal and Petrucci patches are excellent as are many P & W tones. I was pleasantly surprised. YMMV

I play sometimes with five different bands in the course of one week.The POD can do almost anything. @ Uber Guru- what foot switch do you use for the expression pedal jack on your POD? That might be a cool addition for me. Thanks Uber Guru!

I downloaded some custom tone patches for my HD500 and am in love with it again.Through my FRFR speakers it kills. Going to use some new and different tones for a while.

Tell your band mate that to be a good band ate you need to play together and listen to each other. Loud is never a substitute for good. I am so thankful I play with seasoned players who have nothing to prove. Use the 1/4 in. Out jack on your POD. If that's still not enough buy another powered speaker and put it on a pole and beam it right at his head.

I spent some time downloading some custom tone HD patches yesterday for my HD500 for live direct use. I was amazed at how good many users have become at sound creation. If you have good well set up guitars and a good set of hands and ears an older HD unit will do a surprising amount. My wife and I have raised two sons now 19 and 22 years old.Priorities can be tough to set. I now have much more money for music gear purchases and still have not even considered a Helix as of yet. Good Luck!

When I play in a trio the patch change gaps are not acceptable.In those situations I typically do not use any of these modelers. My little Boss GP10 being the exception as it changes patches stupid fast. Instead I use a modest pedalboard or my M13. I may not be able to change between 3 modeled amps with reverse reverbs and 2 chorused delays but at least I can turn stuff on and off whilst singing and keep the guitar droning away. In a larger band the lag between patches is not a problem.In a smaller ensemble context it can be a real distraction especially if you are expected to deliver a vocal tune and play the guitar. My HD500 is pretty quick between patches too but more and more I just use it with one of my amps and the 4 cable method. I find that sometimes even with all these guitar " supercomputers " we have available finding work arounds a is a very important skill. I agree though $1500 dollars is a lot of money. I am sure L6 engineers will eventually shore this up somewhat with firmware updates but I will wait until the Helix has been around a while longer before I jump into the Helix. It looks and sounds like one hell of an amazing unit. Something I could never have imagined in 1972 when I started playing.

I am 54 years old.Began getting payed to sing and play when I was 12. Enjoying reading these posts.I am somewhat wistful about the good old days but am encouraged by some of the new things happening in music. A couple of points re: guitar playing and guitar music. Guitar players are incestuous and only listen to other guitar players. My teacher encouraged me to listen to vocalists/sax players / keyboard players etc... I am very grateful for that. EDM is very hot these days and that's okay. My only problem with any of this marketed predictable dance music is that young people will think that that is all music has to offer. It is up to those of us who still play out/ teach etc.. To do what we can about that. That is the older experienced musicians commission .

Paul Pesco of Hall and Oates tours with two QSC K10s in front of him and plays through an older POD XT live I believe.I started putting one or two Altos in front of me about a year ago and really like it.I can crank my volume up as loud as loud as I like without messing up the FOH mix.Used this setup with my HD500 in a 250 seat club last night with a 5 piece band on a very shallow stage and was able to have very real reactance between my guitars and my modeler and my Alto monitor much like a guitar amp without having to play so damn loud.

As time goes on I pretty much gig with PODs/ GP10/ GR55 etc... All through FRFR.Much of that is because in the good old days we had house gigs 3-5 night s a week.No moving of gear.Tube amps were great for that.All the gigs are one nighters now so FRFR and a modeler or two direct rules . I know one guy in my are still shlepping a huge pedal board/ Mesa Lone Star/ keyboard rig and a bunch of other crap to each one nighter he does. Those days are over for me forever.I have 5 or 6 really nice tube amps for jams and to enjoy at home.For the gigging needs of today's working pro modeling and FRFR are much more practical.And a lot of fun too!

you must enable( turn on) the effect loop in the HD500 to use the 4 cable method read the Meambobo guide it will take some time to get it right but its well worth it if you have a decent tube amp after a month of trial and error I finally have my HD500 working well using the 4 cable method with my 1982 JCM800 combo most important thing is to get send/ return levels right in the PODs effect loop every amp is different those little Jet City amps are really nice! good luck!

HD500 XLR outs are nice and quiet. They just have a very low output.Have to work around that.After using a DI box for a while I just started cranking the HD500 master volume 3/4 of the way up and sent the XLR to the FOH mixer.I then use the 1/4 out to my Alto 10 on the stage for my own guitar monitor. Works very well and no noise at all. If the Helix has inherent XLR out noise tha is indeed a problem in quiet environments and I fully understand the frustration.An all in one should be an all in one device.Especially at a $1500 price point.

The global e.q. makes the HD500 a really powerful tool.I use it a lot more now than before I updated it .

Modeling wise I currently use the HD500 and a Boss GP10. Got rid of Boss GT10 and a couple others.They are both doing the job for me but at some point a used Helix may work for me. Great thread and interesting discussion.

Variax500 VDI jack finally failed.My tech is repairing it with the one from Full Compass (the wrong one) for the JTV69. He is an electronics engineer with several degrees.A master tube amp builder.Builds computers for large companies as prototypes.Does remote computer troubleshooting from his home computer in the US for off shore oil rigs in Canada.He laughd at Psarkissians posts when he looked at the jack and the guitar for about 5 minutes. The jack works great. I try to be sure I know what I am talking about when giving technical help or advice. Thanks to the players who helped me with this. That is all.

I am preparing to do some touring with a country artist.His material requires 4 tunings.Standard/Eb/ dropped D and Baritone .I am back and forth between using my older Variax (I am getting its VDI jack repaired tonight ) or a JTV ( a bit of a crapshoot) a new Variax Standard( not much love here for that one) or just use my Roland GR55 which is rock solid for alt tunings.I would much rather use a Variax for reasons of portability and ease of use/ ability to be used with a wireless etc...but the stability of the GR55s tunings so far is winning. Otherwise I am faced with carrying 5 guitars on a tour bus.Any opinions from any touring pros here would be appreciated.

I play the same patches with my older Variax 500 as I do with all my other guitars.I can use my acoustic HD500 patch with my Variax or my real Breedlove acoustic and they work the same. I have some touring to do next year and the artists material will require having guitars tund down a half step and some drop D tunings as well.Debating whether to just get a decent JTV69 or try to deal with several guitars/ tunings etc...My Variax 500 has a dead VDI jack so until I fix that it is not useable for touring. I would like to hear any observations from any players who have done any touring with a JTV.

The Axe FX heavy hitters list is pretty funny.Most of those guys have not been musically relevant for a while now.Mr Zappa is certainly doing some pretty serious playing but Mega Chugga Deth lol! A whole lot of big time players missing from that list. I am excited to see what comes next and I belive that Helix is the beginning of part of that. I will believe the Ax Fx hype when Robin Trower starts using one.

Participation Trophies Rule LMAO! exchellent post!

Lower the pickups slightly on the hollow body humbucker pickup guitar.