cruisinon2

Excellent question, but since the powers that be refuse to divulge such "sensitive info", we're all just left to guess. Someone will no doubt chime in shortly to say, "setting the mag pickups too close to the strings will produce warbling with the modeling. Take it to an 'authorized service center', they'll have The Specs..." Or, you could just lower them slightly yourself and see if it makes any difference...

There are brand-specific truss rod specs now? Tighten the rod too much on anything, and you'll destroy it. Neck relief is either too much, not enough, or just right. Much of it depends on the string gauge and how hard you beat on the strings...and since wood moves, it's gonna change over time. Trying to attach a number to it is pointless. Set up a Gibson in Phoenix so that everything is just right, then drag it to London for week. It's a virtual certainty that the neck will end up out of whack. There go the "specs"...

Thank you. My sentiments exactly.

Good luck...this is yet another one of those bits of "sensitive info" that the benevolent despots back at Mother Ship refuse to disclose. Your teeth would fall out if they told you...or something.

Lmfao...and I'm skeptical about that guy's ability to count past 10 without taking off his shoes. "Skeptical about their ability" to build the decades old tech that is the guitar speaker...can't make this stuff up. Music store gear jockeys are hysterical.

I think I've seen this movie...

Yes....;) Use either one. Mags and models go to both outputs.

Who do you think the beta-testers are? All the mods had their Helix a looooooooooong time ago. The freebies have all been doled out already. And sooner or later, those same guys will have the beta version of whatever will eventually replace Helix. Your only hope is to be picked out of a hat to join that club. Easier to find a pearl in a pig's ear....good luck.

Yup. It's doubly ridiculous given the fact that since the dongle and software are bundled into the price of the guitar, L6 already got paid for both when it was initially sold. L6 looses nothing, no matter what the original owner does with dongle. It's utterly useless for anything but connecting a Variax to a computer, and since he's sold the guitar, it ain't like he's still using Workbench...so the software license isn't even a viable excuse anymore. Yet, they insist on punishing owner #2. Makes no sense. It's 50 cents worth of plastic. They could sell it for ten bucks, and still make out like bandits while not alienating customers. Baffling. And how about an original owner who's USB dongle is lost or damaged? Why should that guy have to pay for the software twice? It's ridiculous. Hardware should be available at a reasonable cost, if that's all you need

What he said...having used Jazz IIIs forever, I never gave it much thought till about a year ago, when I tried these on a whim: https://stoneworkspicks.com/ Love these things...not going back. The idea of paying $15-$20 for a pick stings a bit at first, but when you consider that the Jazz IIIs are nearly a buck apiece, and last a few days at most before they're mangled and useless, these things are actually a bargain. They last essentially forever...wear is almost non-existent.

Contact cleaner

Though eerily similar to other sentiments expressed herein...

Amen. Who knew you could double the value of burger flipping by Royal decree? What a magical time we're living in...everything's all better now. Ugh.

He's too busy planning his triumphant return to the Fractal forums...;)

Dude...it's in the picture, lol. That's why he put the box there.

Ladies and gents, please take your seats for the second movement of "My Gear Stinks! / Oh No It Doesn't!" in B minor...;)

Well "update" and "new ~$500 box" are different things. When I hear update, I'm thinking firmware, model packs, etc. I suspect something else will eventually fill that slot, as not everyone will pony up $1500 for a Helix. Regardless, the price drop on the old stuff generally happens after the shiny new "Thingus 247Q" is released, not before.

I don't see what a price drop would have to do with an impending update. Retailers and/or manufacturers blow stuff out whenever the boss-man notices too many of "Product X" sitting around, and decides to unload them. Especially with an older item in the process if being eclipsed by the next "big thing"...

Most aftermarket tuners have a mounting screw (these do), or at the very least a post on the mounting surface that needs a small pilot hole to sit in to keep the tuner in place (Sperzel tuners have the post...see below). Finding something that doesn't require putting a hole somewhere will be easier said than done, unless the stock ones have a mounting screw (or post) that just happens to be in the exact same spot.

Wow...

L6 will be happy to sell you the USB dongle for the absurd price of $100. Sweetwater usually has them.

No glitch. Paper costs money. Instruction manuals are going the way of the dodo.

Well on the L6 forums, you're only gonna see two kinds of negative comments: 1) The guys who bought Helix and hated it, who drop in for a quick drive-by "this thing sucks, I'm going back to Fractal" post, and 2) the guys who basically like it, but endlessly harp on the one weak point that they've managed to identify. Pretty much everyone else is here because they worship the thing, so truly unbiased opinions are gonna be hard to come by. ;) Either way, whether it's your bedroom or a stadium, it really doesn't make any difference. You'll either like it, or you won't. Price is almost irrelevant. Pick any piece of gear in the known universe, go online and read the reviews. Some will whine about being "underwhelmed". Others will claim the unit is the best thing since indoor plumbing...welcome to the Internet. If you ask me, you shouldn't listen to either side. There is only one way to know if you'll bond with any piece of gear...and that's to buy it, and use it. I've gambled on every amp/fx unit/modeler I've ever purchased. Even fiddling with it in a store isn't going to tell you much. Some I liked and used for years, others I parted with quickly. Such is the ongoing curse of the musician....

There's always the SonicPort...it's designed specifically for iOS devices. You won't be using the POD, but rather the amp sims in the Mobile POD app. Neighborhood of $100. It's a handy little interface, especially as a portable practice tool. Only real downside is that it eats your battery pretty quickly. Have a charger handy.

Amen to that. Only problem is that some things...like this example...is so intuitively goofy that we probably miss out on lots of cool stuff, just because it makes no sense to even try in the first place. ;) But if it works, it works.