cruisinon2

Are you using a VDI connection, or the 1/4" and battery power? If you haven't already, take the battery out and use a 1/4" cable, and see if you get any sound that way. If there's still nothing, it might be a hardware issue with whatever component(s) decides whether the piezo or mag signal is being sent to the outputs. I suppose it could also just be a loose connection somewhere. Either way, it'll need to be looked at by someone who knows Variax guts...unless you're especially handy, and wanna poke around in there yourself. You might get lucky if it's an obvious problem, like a loose/broken solder connection.

One man's "convenient" is another's insufferable torture...in the end, volume is volume. You've either got headroom somewhere, or you don't.

Simply put, no. Our perception of different frequency ranges varies drastically with changes in volume...that's how our brains work. It's got nothing to do with gear settings, and can't be avoided. A patch at living room volume will never sound the same at stage volume no matter what you do. You need to tweak your patches as close to stage volume as possible...no one can tell you what you'll need to adjust, or by how much, without hearing the mix. Much of it will depend on what other instruments there are, and how loud the band is accustomed to playing. The more instruments you have sharing the same sonic space (especially a second guitar), the tougher it is to be heard when everything cranks up. Two guitars with similar tones can easily wash each other out...it's a balancing act.

Potential disadvantages are the same as anything else you might purchase second hand...there's no way to tell what was done to it (or if it's a lemon) until you're actually using it. It may have been purchased by an idiot who thought it would be a good idea to use the unit as a decoration in his 100 gallon fish tank... it's a gamble. I've had good luck with used gear, and I've had stuff pawned off on me that had issues which weren't readily obvious at first glance. Mostly it boils down to what your gut tells you about the guy you're buying it from...if you're meeting the seller in the parking lot of a 7-11, probably best to shop elsewhere.

They don't invite most of us to the R&D meetings...your guess is as good as anyone else's.

Unfortunately, this really isn't a question that can be answered remotely. With nothing more to go on than the model of guitar and pickups that you're using, and describing the music as "rock", anything that anyone suggests is pure guesswork. Finding a tone that sits well in a mix is always a challenge... but without hearing whay you're hearing, there's no way for me to tell you what's missing and/or what you've got too much of. If there's a player who's tone you like, you can try starting with a patch that mimics the set-up he/she uses... beyond that, there's not a whole lot to suggest. What sounds "good" to you is entirely subjective...

Yes, any preset stored on the Helix can be set up to select any Variax model or tuning (or both) without having to touch anything on the guitar itself. You could also choose to do it manually...totally up to you.

The only part I think you might be misunderstanding is which device is doing the triggering, and the fact that it doesn't happen automatically...The POD or Helix is the "brain" of the rig, if you will. Either one can be set to call up a particular guitar model or tuning on the Variax, but not the other way around. Switching from the LP to the Tele model via the manual controls on the guitar will not select a corresponding amp model or change FX on Helix. It all begins and ends with how the amp modeler is programmed, and what instructions you have tasked it to send to the guitar.

Speakers are either FRFR, or they're not...but even if that weren't the case, there's no way to guess whether or nor you'll find these suitable for your needs. Every time you change what you're listening through, you'll need to tweak things to some degree. There's no way around that. As a general rule, the smaller speakers get, the harder time they have accurately producing low end. I'd stay away from anything smaller than a 5" cone...and even some of those can be little anemic. And stick with the big boys...JBL, Yamaha, etc

It'll never end. Like terrorism and the abortion debate, this fruitless discussion will go on forever, with each side steadfastly clinging to the notion that they're right, and that anyone who disagrees is insane. They'll be rehashing the same talking points about the damn tuner throughout Helix's product lifecycle, and probably well into the release of the next "flagship" device that will eventually replace it. And in all likelihood, there shall sit the lowly tuner...largely, if not entirely unchanged, as L6's Tuner Division (aka Fred) works tirelessly in a ultimately futile attempt to please a bunch of nutty guitar players...;) "Tuner sucks!" "It works fine for me!" Tastes great/less filling. Round and round we go...a whole lot of wasted energy.

Modelers, while quite versatile and sophisticated, are generally not "ready to go" right out of the box... in fact, it's usually the opposite. Video demos that you'll find online are often deceiving, and can make it look like it's as easy as plugging in and turning it on, and your ready to gig. That doesn't happen...even for those of us accustomed to this kind of tech, each new toy comes with a learning curve, some worse than others. The Spider series would likely be a bit easier for you to wrap your head around initially (as compared to the 500X) but you're gonna find that it's not as "automatic" as you think. Factory presets are provided mostly as a showcase for what's under the hood, and as a starting point for getting whatever sound you're looking for, but they're not a tonal panacea...far from it most of the time. Trust me when I tell you that the likelihood of just turning it on and scrolling through the factory patches until you find the one that's "just right", is essentially zero. You're gonna have to tweak things at least a little, and possibly a lot depending on your needs. None of this is meant to be discouraging, but I figure it's better not to have unrealistic expectations. Just be prepared to spend a fair amount of time getting accustomed to how all this stuff works.

Theoretically, yes... but as I have no idea what your FX needs are, or what style of music we're talking about, whether or not you'll find those FX sufficient is impossible for me (or anyone else) to guess. Eventually you'll actually have to try out one or more of the products you're considering...posing vague, open-ended questions absent any sort of meaningful context will never help you decide if a particular piece of gear will suit your needs, because all you'll get is vague/generalized answers. You need to try stuff... if it's not possible for you to try before you buy, then buy from a place like Sweetwater, with a 30 day return policy.

This wouldn't happen if Helix came stuffed with $100 bills, and a free lifetime credits at the Bunny Ranch...

Amplifi is full of onboard FX...it's designed for exactly the kind of use you describe.

Have fun storming the castle....;)

If I said the JTV's are 17.83% better than the Standards, what would that mean? Nothing..."better" is an entirely subjective term. The modeling algorithms are all the same. You may end up favoring one guitar's mag pickups over the other, or you might like the JTV 59's "Les Paul-ish" design over the Standard, which is more of a Strat...but that doesn't make one "better" than the other, just different in looks and feel, and it all boils down to personal preference. I seriously doubt you'd notice a difference with the modeled sounds at all. However...aesthetics, what it feels like in your hands, fit/finish/fretwork, etc is all a different story. One man's "better" is another's unplayable crap, to be donated to the nearest toothpick factory.

In its current state, this question is basically unanswerable. What is your definition of "affordable"? No one will know what to suggest without at least a hint at how much you want to spend.

Yes...don't. The factory presets are awful and essentially unusable. If you're accustomed to tweaking patches on your own, then you're already ahead of the game, even if the unit is still relatively new. You'll be a whole lot happier in the long run creating your own tones.

Lol...usually this kind of thing is reserved for those fine establishments where the "sound man" is the same guy who refills the giant tubs of ice cubes behind the bar. I've played my share of places like that...always any adventure. ;)

This whole thing is a lot like buying a Lamborghini, then complaining about the shape of the button that locks the doors...

The POD 500X is the way to go if you're on a budget, but there's nothing "automatic" about Variax integration. The POD can be set to trigger specific models and/or tunings on the Variax, but it will not choose specific amp models or FX for you...that's all up to you. There are numerous on-board factory presets on the POD, including some that are intended to be used with a Variax, but the presets themselves tend to be a bit lackluster, and whether or not you'll like what you hear is entirely dependent on your personal preferences, and what amp, monitors, or headphones you're listening through. Hardly anyone ends up using the factory patches unaltered...its basically unheard of. There's usually a bit of a learning curve when you get into the modeling world. Things are a lot different with this kind of gear.

I'm getting the worst déjà vu today... 😧...😧...GRANULARITY! I need an aspirin...

Round and round we go... it's like Groundhog Day around here. Hip-hip, GRANULARITY! ;)

To use just the stock alt tunings, as long as the modeling knob is already engaged and lit up (white), all you need to do is turn the alt tuning knob to the one you wish to use... which should also light up white. I have the 69, and the only time anything lights up blue on the tuning knob is when a custom tuning has been saved in that position, which you may have done inadvertently...as far as I know, the 59 functions the same way. You may want to re-flash the firmware again, and when it asks you if you want to keep the existing models and tunings that are saved to the guitar, say "no" and the reflash process will revert everything to factory default settings. That should get rid of any custom tunings that were saved. You can also download the 59's manual from this site... it covers most of the basic functions reasonably well. Don't know of any specific videos that outline the steps, but YouTube may have something. Hope that helps.

That's why I mentioned the JTV69's compatibility with Strat replacement necks...yes, it's an extra expense, but the Warmoth neck I put on my JTV made it a completely different instrument. If that hadn't been possible, I probably would not have kept the guitar either... the stock neck was awful.