John61254

After not using my JTV-89 (purchased new in 2013) for awhile with the battery, I tried to power up the effects. No go. I got 2 lights showing on the battery indicator (on the guitar) but no juice to the effects on the guitar (LED on knob does not light up like it should). I notice when I try to charge the battery the charger lights solid red for awhile (like it's charging), then goes out completely (does not blink like it used to). A few questions: do you suspect a) bad battery? b) bad charger? c)what is the best source to replace either the battery and/or charger? d) is it possible to buy an AC power supply/direct box that I can plug the guitar with special cable into and then into amp from the box with standard cable? If so, where can I get one of these? thanks

musicmaing: that is very interesting to say the least. It makes me wonder if there is something to your question: Is the amp-out jack failing? Perhaps the issue in my case (and possibly others having trouble finding a use for "amp out") is that it never worked like it was supposed to in the first place! (like yours did for 3 months). Line 6 has never really come up with a good explanation as to what the difference is between "amp out" and "main out". I honestly haven't played much with the FX100 lately, as I've been occupied with other projects (and pedals). I also became a bit disenchanted with it because I couldn't find, or achieve, some of the sounds I was hoping to find (always looking for that mind-blowing tone/effect!). I'm coming close with a new Blackstar amp I recently bought (HT-5R tube combo amp). It has one of the best sounding overdrives I have ever found in an amp. Combined with other effects, it is amazing. I love that amp. It's super compact, but sounds (and looks) amazing. It's a British amp, supposedly made in China. But the quality of the components and way it's put together are very solid and high-end. Mine's a "limited edition" white model with chrome corners and a real leather handle. Looks great as well as sounds fabulous through the on board 12" speaker. Plenty of punch, too. It's my new go-to amp. I have not tried running the FX100 through it yet. Maybe I should give it a shot. I'll report back.

Triryche "Currently there is no bypass option per se, but you can engage the tuner. Also, you can have an empty patch. Presets 25 A thru D start out blank." So if a blank preset is used it is essentially a bypass? Or would it be a different signal than plugging directly into the amp?

I've been using the "guitar to FX100 > main out (left) to effects return" setup. I'll try the "guitar to amp > effects send to the FX100 guitar input > main out to effects return" and see how that works. Would you know if one method might be considered safer than the other for my tube amp? One advantage of the first method is one less cord. Question: is there a setting on the FX100 to allow "clean throughput"? In other words, all effects turned off, allowing the amp to work as if the pedal was not plugged in at all. (This would be used with the second of the two setups above).

Question: Are you running "amp out" or "main out" into the front of your amp? I have been having trouble getting any signal coming from "amp out" to sound good. Using main out, I can either run it into the front of the amp, or into the return side of my effects loop (on the back of the amp: a H&K Tubemeister18). Both methods seem to work fine. But I have never gotten an "amp out" signal to sound worth a darn, through any amp.

That's right: apparently when it says on your iPad or iPhone that it is "downloading" the tones, it means it is downloading from the FX100 to your iPhone or iPad (via the bluetooth connection), not from the internet. The internet is not needed for the FX100 to communicate with an iPad or iPhone, and all of the preset tones in the banks are already stored on the device (after doing the initial upgrade). By saving the preset tones listed in the "banks" to "My Tones", they then become stored on the iPad or iPhone as well. That's why they suggest you save any preset tones you intend to modify on the device to "My Tones" first (saw this in a tutorial online). It's a good idea to simply save all of the preset tones to your iPad or iPhone "My Tones" folder (unless you are really jammed for storage space). That way when you overdub, or modify, a preset tone in one of the banks on the device, you still have the original tone stored under "My Tones" on your iPad or iPhone. (At least I think that's how it works)

I had the same question. I assumed it was some sort of subset of "My Tones", where you could save your most used tones, but (unfortunately) it does't really work that way. Apparently, saving to the "favorites" option is something that is only available when you are searching for matching tones from a song you are streaming. At least that's what I was told when I asked the same question. And I haven't found any other way to save something from the preset tones there.

OK. Now we are on to something. How about this idea: Wouldn't it be cool to be able to select an entire bank of tones, using the iPad or iPhone, and then have all of the switches on the device then function within that bank (rather than switch back to the bank number that the device was set to at the time)? AND.....wouldn't it be great to be able to go directly to any bank without having to incrementally step one bank at a time? Using the "2 switch" method to move up and down banks is clunky enough, but what if I want to go from bank 1 to bank 23? That's just ridiculous. Why not just use a system like selecting a TV channel with a remote: punch in the bank numbers, and hit select? This could be done right on the iPhone or iPad (via a number pad within the Amplifi application)....OR.....maybe even include a small TV style remote with a number pad with the pedal? That would make the idea of having "banks" of tones really functional. Different banks could be customized for different songs, or different styles (country, blues, metal, etc.). Each song, or style, ("bank") would have four customized tone choices, one assigned to each switch. And you would select the bank directly: not by moving incrementally up and down. Now that would make the FX100 a super versatile multi-functional pedal....for real!

Further update: I have continued to experiment with running the main out signal versus the amp out signal. So far, using 3 different amps (H&K Tubemeister18, Marshall MG100DFX, and ZT Lunchbox 200) the only way that works anywhere close to acceptable is running the main out (Left side/mono) into the front of the amps (on the Tubemiester, it also works the same running into the effects return jack on the back). If I run the signal from "amp out", all 3 amps have to be turned up very loud just to get a sound, and the tonal quality of the effects is horrible. Running the main out into the front jack of all three amps produces good sound from all three amps. The effects sound great, and the volume is as loud (or louder) than if I run the guitar directly to the amp. I have found that I get better sound if I turn the tone controls (especially treble) on the amps down very low. One thing I am not having great results with is the wah pedal. It seems to always be way too trebly, no matter what effect I am using. I understand that a wah pedal is designed to take the treble from high to low: this is why it sounds like it does. But compared to other wah pedals I've used, the high end is way to shrill and not pleasant to listen to. I'll keep playing around with it. My new question is: what is the "amp out" for? I have yet to find a use for it that works.

Further follow up: I have tried running the main out (left) connection versus the amp out through two other amps (Marshall MG100DFX and 200W Lunchbox). In both cases, the results were the same as with my tube amp: the main out produces excellent results; the amp out produces terrible results. Using main out, I have excellent volume, and excellent tone; the effects are very defined and easily controllable. I do find it sounds a better if I reduce the treble setting on the amp, as the treble output from the FX100 seems to be high, but that may just be my preference. Using the amp out, I get a very weak signal (barely audible unless I turn the volume way up), and the tone is horrible. So, so far, I have not found a use for "amp out". I would like to hear from Line 6 on this, to see what the reasons for this might be, and what "amp out"was intended to do (anyone listening?). But for now, for all practical purposes, main out is the only way to go, regardless of which amp I connecting to. Actually, after experimenting, I am most impressed by the little "lunchbox amp". Don't know if you are familiar with these, but they are tiny (as in the size of a small lunchbox) but with very high end electronics. The one I have is rated at 200W, and it is loud. They come with a built in 6" speaker, which, for what it is, is surprisingly good, though as you can imagine, does not have any bottom end. However, using the speaker out jack, and plugging into an external cab, the thing sounds amazing. Paired up with the FX100, this now becomes a super portable and super versatile package, with plenty of volume and unlimited tone capability. The main thing I have to be careful of is that I don't blow my 12" speaker. It is a Celestion G12P-80. The lunchbox recommends using an external speaker rated for 100W, so at 80W, I am pushing it a bit. But the sound of the FX100 run through this little solid state powerhouse is really impressive.

Through my experimenting with various setups, I've found my optimum so far is running from the main out (left) into the front of my amp (a tube amp: H&K Tubemeister18). Running the amp out signal into the front of the amp produced very poor quality weak sound, with the effects muddled and terrible volume. Running main out to the amp (front) produced great sounding effects at good volume. Great sound: similar to what I was hearing through phones, but with "live" sound through my speakers. The question has arisen whether it is safe to run the "main out" signal into the front of an amp (tube or otherwise)? It also works for me, with no noticeable difference in volume or tonal quality, to run the main out signal into the return side of the effects loop on my amp (nothing plugged into the front of the amp). I wasn't sure how safe this actually was. I opted for using the front input jack on the amp. Anybody out there with knowledge of tube amps and/or the difference between the "amp out" and "main out" signals on the FX100? Thanks.

I was similarly concerned, but I actually thought the main out signal would be safer than the amp out signal. Don't know why I really say that. I'm not sure what the difference is. It was my thought that it was less altered than the amp out signal. It sure seemed to work just fine through the front input on my tube amp. And it sounds so much better than the amp out signal, which was really thin and had no volume. I figured it was safer to run the signal in the front of the amp than just using half of the effects loop. Why do you think the effects return is safer? I wasn't sure the effects loop was designed to operate with a direct signal (without using the send side). The one thing I didn't try was running my guitar into the front of the amp, and then connecting the FX100 within the loop. But that requires one more cable. And in my world, the less cables the better! With my set up now, I just have 2: guitar into FX100, main out to amp input. If sound is the ultimate criteria, that's the way to go. It sounds great. I used it that way for about an hour, with no ill effects. My tube amp allows use of either 1W, 5W or 18W. Running at 5W, through a two 12" cab, it was smoking' loud, but the effects were crystal clear. Tone and volume on my guitar (PRS SE Custom) were both very responsive.

Are you running from "amp out" or "main out" (left/mono). Try running from the "main out" (left/mono, or both sides if your PA has stereo). My results using the "amp out" have been nothing but disappointing. I honestly don't know what it is even for. I am running the FX100 into my tubemeister18 tube amp, using the main out (left), plugged directly into the front of the amp. It sounds amazing. And it is really loud (even louder than running straight into the amp without the FX100: and this amp is LOUD!). I was about ready to give up on the thing myself, but now it is working as I hoped it would.

OK. I finally had some time to try a few different setups. First, I tried running from the "amp out" into a couple other amps (other than my tubemeister18). I tried running into the front input on a Marshall MG100DFX and a 200W "lunchbox" amp (butt-kickin little amp!). If I turned up the volume on the amps high, I could get it to work. But I was not happy with the tone at all, and overall, the volume was way less than if I just ran the guitar directly into the amp (with no FX100 connected). So far, I have not found a good use of the "amp out" on the FX100. Next, I tried running from the "main out" (left/mono) into my tubemeister18. This did the trick. I ran it both into the "return" side of the effects loop, as well as straight into the front of the amp (guitar input). Both ways sounded AWESOME!!!!! (decided to use the front input, leaving effects loop alone). This setup worked like a charm. The effects and amp modeling sounded excellent, with easily definable and distinguishable tones. Running from the "amp out", everything sounded thin and muddied, with many tones sounding almost the same. Running from the "main out" actually produced more volume than running the guitar straight into the amp, without the FX100 (and this amp kicks azz!!!!!!!!!!!). This is definitely the way to run the FX100 into a tube amp (using "main out"). This is now working the way I expected and hoped the FX100 would. The good thing about this setup is that I can also run the soundtrack from a song from my library at the same time, through the main out, if I want to listen, or jam, to a song. (Since the "amp out" jack is not being used, both the guitar effects and the music from my iTunes track run through the main out channel). Basically, I am happy to report, problem solved!

OK. These are the sort of answers I was looking for. I was wondering about the option of going straight into the return side of the effects loop on my amp. But I wasn't sure if I should use the amp out or main out. (Side question: can you explain the difference between the signal coming from the amp out compared to the signal coming from main out?) Also, I wasn't sure if it was ok to only use the effects return on my amp without using the effects send side. I know most guys would just plug it in and see what happens, but I really don't want to blow up my tubemeister! I am deducing from your suggestions there is no danger running the main out (left side/mono) from the FX100 directly into the return side of my amp's effect loop? From your answer, I am gathering that the poor sound quality I was getting using the amp out on the pedal into the front of my amp was caused by "feeding a modeled amp into my amps preamp". Is this a problem specific to running the FX100 into a tube amp? I have not tried running the FX100 (using amp out) into other amps I have. I have a Marshall MG100DFX as well as a little Fender Super ChampXD. I will give them a try using the amp out into the front of the amp (they don't have an effects loop). But the tubemeister18 is my preferred amp, so I am most interested in getting the FX100 to work with it. (The tubemeister is a head only: I run it through a couple different cabs with 12" speakers that I have built) I'll give both of your suggested setups a try and report back with results. Thanks!

To clarify my previous question: Can I run the FX100 through the effects loop from my amp? In other words: plug the guitar directly into the amp, plug a cable from the "send" jack on the amp's effects loop into the "guitar" jack on the pedal. Then go from the "amp out" jack on the pedal to the effects "return" on the amp. Is this safe to both amp and pedal? It doesn't seem much different than how I had been using the effects loop, with several foot pedals (chorus, delay, fuzz, etc.) daisy-chained together. Only the FX100 is taking the place of all of the daisy-chained pedals. The amp I want to do this with is a tube amp: Hughes and Kettner Tubemeister18. I don't want to damage either the pedal or the amp.

I hate to say it, but it may be that your slow respond times are due to the iPhone 4 being a bit underpowered for the software. I know it says it is compatible, and it does work, but I am guessing you would see faster response with a newer iPhone or iPad.

I also am having an issue trying to get good sound through an amp. I've only had the FX100 for a few days, so I really haven't experimented with it much. For the first few days, when I was setting it up, I was using headphones (cause it was late at night). The sounds I was hearing were great. Today, for the first time, I used "live" through an amp. I was very disappointed. I was running it through a Hughes and Kettner Tubemeister 18. This amp normally screams, but I could not get any real volume from it, even with the volume on the pedal all the way up. And the sound was bad. In fact, it sounded so thin and tinny that i eventually just bi-passed the pedal altogether. The amp has an effects in and out. Should I try plugging the guitar directly into the amp, and then connect the pedal using the effects loop? Also, I have a general question about the pedal, which has arisen from these issues. Is it possible just to bi-pass, or turn off the effects without unplugging entirely? As I said, I have only had it a few days, so I am not overly concerned. I am hoping by the end of the weekend I will have a lot of this worked out.

Everything is working for me now! Thanks to all responders. I can now access all of the 100+/- presets (25 banks x 4). I have saved many to "My tones". How do I save something to "Favorites"?

OK. First thanks to all responders! All was very helpful. The problem has been solved! I think, like several suggested, I just needed to close the app and then reopen and repair with the FX100. Eventually, it quit "syncing" and I was able to access the Amplifi on the menu. From there, all of the 100 presets (25 banks x4) loaded. And since then, I've been having a blast checking everything out. In short, I love it! My biggest problem now is lack of sleep from staying up too late playing with this thing! I do have one more question. In order to make the tones easier to access, I have saved many of the presets to "My tones". Having them in alphabetical order is helpful, and it seems like they load faster once in "My tones". It appears that "Favorites" should be a subset of "My tones". How do I save something to "Favorites"?

Thanks for replying: I already did the reset and recalibration of the foot pedal as instructed. I have version 1.10 on ,my iPad. My "AMPLIFI FX100" in the menu (right below "Tone Search" in the menu) is greyed out (unselectable). It says "syncing" in small letters under it. I looked at a You-tube tutorial on the FX100 and I can see that I am definitely missing some features that should be available. Maybe it is as you say: it is taking some time to download the various amps and effects. I will pair them up and allow them to sit together for a while and see if that eventually fixes the problem.

I've paired up the FX100 with my iPad mini and updated the firmware. Restarted device and recalibrated wah pedal. No issues. My Amplifi software says I am paired with my device. But how in the he** do I control the device from the Amplifi software? I am able to play my music library through the FX100 and play along with the music (so far, only using phones). And I am able to bring up the 4 different presets fro buttons a,b,c,and d. But I cannot figure out what to select in order to be able to control the sound coming through the unit. If I try to select the Amplifi FX100 in the menu, nothing happens (it says "syncing") I can search out presets that match sounds from songs in my iTunes library, and save them to "favorites", but I can't figure out how to load them, or even hear what they sound like. I like the pedal, and the 4 preset effects, and the way the wah works, but it's supposed to do so much more. Can anyone help me figure out what I'm doing wrong?