cruisinon2

It's all in the puffy orange sweater...;)

Many guitars suffer from strings ringing behind the nut, which is probably what you're hearing. It wouldn't explain the problems returning to pitch after bending strings, though. Of course you may just have more than one issue going on. Ringing behind the nut is an easy fix, though: http://www.gruvgear.com/fretwraps

If at first you don't succeed, redefine success...;)

Good grief...I have no time for a sarcasm tutorial today. It's marvelous that the Fractal forum has risen as one, and seen their demands met. And if Cliff (whomever he is) loves to code that much, then I guess it's a win-win for everybody. I smell a Disney movie... Truth be told, I don't have a dog in this fight, so I really couldn't care less.

Zombie thread. Again. Ask for a unicorn...the odds are better. ;)

All I know is the Axe modeled fuse has had 47.3 updates since it was first released. Clearly this makes it a superior product...;)

Why is it that so many folks expect older products to be supported forever? The digital world is never gonna work that way. If you want gear to last for decades, unmolested by firmware updates and backwards compatibility issues with newer stuff, then a tube amp and a bunch of pedals is the way to go. Those things have served (and continue to serve) generations of guitarists quite well. Analog gear will outlive us all. Will it to your kids....

It's a modeled fuse...;)

Then it would seem that your guitar suffers from a much less virulent form of the disease. The really horrible ones are like nails on a chalkboard...

The only way to give each unit a "fair shake" is to create your own tones. Relying on someone else's idea of what sounds "good", or downloading patches you've heard in demo videos, is just about the worst way imaginable to evaluate any modeler. They never sound the same with your rig, guitar, and listening environment.

It's odd for a fixed-bridge guitar to have trouble returning to pitch after a bend...you're basically left with an issue with the nut, the saddle, or the tuning machine. I'd see about the nut first. Sometimes there can be small burrs in the slot that the string can get hung up on. If the string moves within the nut slot, and doesn't return to the same spot, you'll have issues. Do you hear any high pitched "pings" when tuning that string? If so, that usually indicates that the string can't move freely in the slot.

Oh, I see...so if I'm not up nights worrying about who might not be buying a Helix, based on some long-defunct internet conversation that I failed to adequately "update", then I don't qualify as part of humanity. Glad we straightened that out. Excuse me, but I'll have to go. Time to turn over a new leaf. We got a new dishwasher last week, and I'm gonna alert the populace with sky writing. Wouldn't want anyone within 50 radial miles who's on the fence about buying a Whirlpool to miss out on my review. Don't know if I could live with myself...

It's a modeler, not a guitar synth...you're barking up the wrong tree. The technology is fundamentally different. A nylon-string guitar is even too far removed tone wise, to be possible with the tech as it currently exists. Trying to get it to sound like a wind instrument (or a pipe organ, djembe, or anything that doesn't have steel strings on it) is a non-starter.

Well the 500X is hardly a new product...if there were gonna be any aftermarket sneeze-guards for it, we'd have seen 'em by now. ;)

Don't get stuck on the idea that you have to "force" the AC30 to bend to your will, just because that's what you're used to. Diffrent box, different models. You may find it infinitely easier to get the sound you're after from another model. There are a couple dozen in there...try a few others and see if you can get the tone you're looking for that way. Even if the "real world" counterpart is an amp you'd never think of using, try it anyway. There are so many combinations, it will likely take weeks of experimentation before you're comfortable with your tone. It's like that for the overwhelming majority of users. Just takes a while...

Yup...and that approach is almost guaranteed to end in disappointment. It's like trying to stuff your feet into shoes that are 3 sizes too small. Trying to use someone else's tones with ANY modeler will likely end exactly the same way. Don't return it until you've tried creating some of your own tones. If you still don't like it at that point that's fine...there are other choices. But forget the presets, and don't bother paying for someone else's patches.

Wow...we must be short on actual problems this week. ;) Don't know about anyone else, but I have neither the time, nor the inclination to worry about what products the rest of humanity is or isn't buying. And frankly, if one is so malleable, that their entire decision making process is based on the rantings and ravings found on an internet forum, they're likely to be "scared off" from ever buying anything. If I have a conversation about Helix with a buddy while sitting on a cross town bus, do I have to seek out anyone who might have overheard the discussion, and update them about future developments? What if they were all bassoonists, and couldn't care less? Where does it end? :) To think that anything said around here will have any measurable effect on the longevity of a product is a little naïve. The vast majority of owners...of anything...don't bother to seek out these murky little enclaves. None of us (or our opinions) are that important or influential. These forums only SEEM like a pulpit, with the faceless masses hanging on one's every word. Truth is, we're all just a handful of tiny (mostly unheard) voices in a vast sea of white noise. In other words, say what you will...update, don't update. Nobody's waiting with bated breath over whether or not Bob from Des Moines resolved his Helix problem, before they decide to go shopping (and if they are, they need medication ;) ). Helix will have it's lifespan whatever it may be, regardless.

Amen. Merry/Happy Christmas, Hanukkah, Yule (for the Vikings among us) etc, etc...;)

It should last longer...and I don't see how the wireless unit has anything to do with it one way or the other, unless you're leaving the 1/4" jack plugged in when not in use. Even a regular cable left plugged in will drain it.

Actively using and recharging a lithium ion battery is not the same as letting it discharge while it sits unused in a warehouse for years on end. The OP was shipped a "new" 3 year old instrument. Keeping the electrons flowing in and out of these type of batteries is what keeps them "healthy" and usable long-term. Go ahead and buy one and let it rot for an extended period of time, then tell me what happens. Sometimes they won't take a charge at all, and even if it does, it usually won't last long when used. I've seen it with everything from phones, tablets, and iPods, to handicapped scooter batteries. Let 'em sit long enough, and they're garbage.

You should try out the acoustic models with your Amplifi...if I'm not mistaken, that's an FRFR amp, yes? You should be able to get very convincing acoustic tones. Also, if you're using the mag pickups most of the time, you don't need the battery at all. It's only necessary for the models, but as soon as you plug in the 1/4" cable, the guitar is "on" and the battery is draining. To avoid excess wear and tear on the new one, just leave it in the case, and throw it in the charger every so often.

That'll do it... And I'm not surprised. As much as I like my JTV, they're a tough sell. Most players (even lots of tech-savvy ones) don't even know they exist. They often sit around collecting dust...which is why it's so rare to actually find one in a store. Nobody wants to stock them. I live within spitting distance of 3 large "Megalomusic" retailers, all L6 dealers. Never seen one hanging on the wall at any of them.

OK, but that still doesn't make it a "new" battery. The serial number on the JTV indicates when it was built....there are a bunch of threads in here where it's been discussed, and while there's some debate as to the exact formula they use, you should at least be able to decipher the year of manufacture, and possibly the month. It comes up periodically...there are still "new" guitars being sold that were built 2, 3, and 4 years ago. And unless you're buying from Sweetwater (they give you the serial number of the exact instrument you're getting before you buy), there's no way to tell how long it was sitting in somebody's warehouse.

There's no reason you can't play along with backing tracks through any decent pair of headphones, studio monitors, or PA-type FRFR speakers, such as the Alto's that many of the guys around here are using. I do it all the time with a pair of 5" JBL studio monitors. Now you won't get concrete-melting volume out of them, but that's not really the point anyway. If you're not playing in a live situation, there's no need to spend big $$ on a rig capable of rattling windows in the next zip code. Excessive volume does not make you sound good...it just makes you loud.

Yes...but it all depends on what "new" actually means. These guitars are a niche product, and tend to sit around in somebody's inventory for a while before they're purchased. That battery could easily have been rotting in a warehouse, never charged, for months or years before you bought it. Rechargeable batteries don't fare well under those conditions.