tmntshredder

I will for sure. It’s supposed to be here tomorrow. I forgot to order the VDI cable, so I’ll have to wait for that before I can fully use it with my Helix.

Thank you for all of your help, guys! I just took the leap and ordered a JTV-59 from AMS. They knocked some money off too, which sweetened the deal even more. As much as I wanted the Strat style, I couldn’t bring myself to go with a standard or pay significantly more for a JTV-69. I’m super excited to try this out. I think it’s going to make a huge difference in my live performances!

I’ve been shopping for a variax and am a bit confused about the JTV-59 pricing and availability. Sweetwater has them listed for $1199, but the website says “new item” and they’re out of stock. AMS has them for $999. Was there a recent change in these that would warrant a $200 price difference? Also, I’m considering a standard as well. Is the build quality much different in the two? I would rather have the Strat style, but it seems that with only a $100 price difference in the two that I might be better off with the JTV. Any JTV-69’s I can find are $1199.

Thank you for your help!

I tried the reset procedure both during the update and manaually (holding down/left while booting up). I know it has to have something to do with the firmware since it was working perfectly before I updated. The POD works fine as long as I don’t turn on the effects loop. When I do, it’s like a mute switch.

The settings on the FX block are its defaults...send-0 (its max value), mix-100%, return-0 (max is 24, which I’ve also tried). Any other thoughts?

I picked up a used HD 500 a couple of days ago to run 4 CM with my amp. Tonight I finally had a chance to get it hooked up. After I did, I played through it a bit, and it worked perfectly. I then noticed that the firmware needed to be updated, so I installed the latest version using Line 6 Monkey. After that, the effects loop completely stopped working. The unit works fine when the FX loop block is turned off, but it mutes the signal when it is turned on. I’ve tried rolling back the firmware, but that doesn’t help either. I have double and triple checked all of my connections, the cables, and my amp’s effects loop. Does anyone have any suggestions?

With all due respect, hopefully I put my faith in a spring manufacturer that doesn't repease a "Spring LT". Thank you for the reality check though!

I'm not sure how you think my argument is nonsense. It sounds like you either didn't read or misinterpreted what I said. I never said that Helix owners would sell their existing device for an LT. That would be ridiculous, and I don't begin the understand why you thought that I said or insinuated that. The issue here is that the used market is where one would turn to buy an item that he/she couldn't afford to buy new. Now a used Helix, at say $1100-$1200, has much less if any appeal to those buyers. After all, they can now buy new for $1000 and get a full warranty. Some will still want all the features of the original, but the two are so close that a huge amount of these buyers will go for an LT instead of used. Value is determined by supply and demand, and the demand for used Helixes will be dramatically decreased with Helix LT in the picture.

Interesting...To say that you don't care about the resale of your products is absurd. How does Helix LT show that you priority your existing customers? What about your consumers who may have to sell their Helix for let's say financial reasons or something out of their control? I guess you don't care about them either because they have "given up and left"? After all, they'll never buy one of your products again anyway, right? I would expect a more well thought out rebuttal from someone so highly regarded within the company. For what it's worth, DI, I think Helix is a great product. I've said that several times and never questioned it's value. I could understand your response a bit better if I was saying that I hated the product and wanted to sell it. I simply prefer a real amp and am going that direction. My budget does not allow me rebuild an analog rig without the sale of my Helix. I'd love to be able to have both, but that's out of the question for me. Maybe I can add the Helix Super LT to my rig when it's released. That should only be $500 and probably only be missing the expression pedal. I could also pick up a used Helix for about that price in about 6 months. Looks like I'll have some choices!

I agree with a lot if what you're saying here. However, let's remember that Helix LT is not a new product. If it was, I would have zero complaints. Let's be honest here and admit that it's the same product produced for less so it can be sold for less. Yes, I believe that Helix is worth the money. It's an amazing product for the money, and that has never been a question in my mind. It's definitely not Line 6's responsibility to guarantee resale value for their products, but what they are doing here shows that they have no regard for it at all. That is unfortunate...

Do you really believe that this is the same as car shopping? That's an interesting viewpoint but completely unrelated to guitar gear. It's not like they gave me an options list when I bought my Helix to pick and choose what I wanted. It would also be more similar had they brought both out at the same time.

I get it, really I do. I certainly expect Line 6 to release new products and even make more affordable ones. This type of move is something that's done when a product has reached the end of its lifespan, not a year after release. The product gets repackaged and marked down shortly before the release of the next thing. Sometimes a couple of small features are removed, sometimes they are not. Generally, the original is discontinued. Again, my point is that there needs to be a bigger difference in the products in this strategy. If that were the case, the two would have clear separation and there would be a decisive market for both. That's not the case here, and the consumers that bought the original are the ones the suffer the market repercussions. I'm willing to bet that the vast majority of Helix sales now go to Helix LT. It's a win for Line 6 and future buyers but not for us. Sorry, but that's how I see it.

I don't really think that's what I said is it? I said that they didn't announce Helix LT at all until it was in stock at retailers. Please don't put words in my mouth. You are entitled to your opinion of the situation, but then again, you're not selling yours. I sincerely hope that you don't plan on it now unless you like losing money.

Well guys, see it how you will. New products are just that...new products. They usually have new features and something different to offer. Helix LT is not a stripped down product, but the same product with very minor differences for a third less. Not a couple of hundred dollars, but a third less of the cost of it's predecessor! If you're not interested in selling yours, I'm sure you don't care. The things that they cut out, with the exception of the scribble strips, are things that most guitarists do not care about. So, that said, I think most would be willing to go without scribble strips to save $500. There needs to be a bigger difference between the two products to warrant the price difference, and that is my point. This move by Line 6 does nothing more than show their greed and complete disregard for those who not only purchased their product, but sat on waiting lists for months to get one. Funny how there wasn't a word of this product even breathed until they were in stock and available everywhere. Why? They didn't want to lose Helix sales while they were producing and shipping these to retailers. They sure didn't waste any time hyping up Helix prior to release though, did they? I can say that this move has made me officially done with Line 6. Sad, because I have a Helix and Firehawk 1500 as my rig right now. Both are for sale, and I'll lose whatever I must to move them. Ok, rant over.

Absolutely! I don't feel cheated about the $1500 that I spent on Helix, however. It's a fantastic product and worth the money. The resale value on Helix is going to absolutely nose dive though. I'll admit that I haven't been entirely happy in the modeling world, and I had made the decision to sell it. Again, not because Helix isn't a great product, but because I miss playing out of a real amp. So, a couple of days ago I listed it on Craigslist and had a buyer pretty quickly. Guess what happened? He found out about Helix LT and backed out. Helix LT is nothing more than greed on Line 6's part. They're using the technology that they put into the product that they sold us for $1500, cramming it into cheaper packaging, and selling it for a third less than what we paid. $500 is a lot of money to most musicians, and most of them are going to go for the new product, not the used one. I'm glad that I'm jumping out now. Wait until Helix LT's hit the used market, and it's going to get way worse.

Thank you for replying. I have the amp but it's not at my house to test. Your answer explains why it only really works in mono...very frustrating.

Are you sure about this? Everything that I have read so far has said that the only way to engage the center horn is to plug into the input of the Firehawk as opposed to the monitor inputs.

This is the quote that I saw. Can anyone tell me if this is the case?......... In Stereo mode the monitor inputs only power the smaller coax speakers, this is why the limiter kicks in early, because you're only using the smaller speakers and you don't want to blow them. Stereo Wide utilizes the center speaker for full power. Mono mode also uses all the speakers for full power. Let me know if you have any other questions. Thanks, Will - Line 6 Support 0

So is this the only difference? I read a quote on another thread from Will from Line 6 stating that the only way to enable the center speaker using the monitor inputs in stereo was to use stereo wide. I haven't been able to try it yet, but the Firehawk has been useless to me at high volumes in stereo with my Helix. The sound is mufflied and clips at volumes over about 50%. Is the answer simply to switch to stereo wide?

Yes to this. Hiss has not been a problem for me, but Firehawk is completely unusable in stereo due the muffling and lack of volume. However, I may have never noticed the hiss issue because the lack of clarity and volume in a live band situation made me switch to mono immediately. Nothing like only getting partial use out of a $1000 piece of gear. Line 6 needs to address this and offer some support for this problem. Again, it sounds great in mono, but so do a lot of other much less expensive options.

I have to say that I've never noticed any hiss with mine, but I can't say that I'm happy with it. It sounds great in mono, but don't try to use it in stereo. The sound becomes completely muffled, and there is no volume. This is an issue that I've searched for a solution to since a discovered it, but haven't been able to answer. I would buy something else if I had to do it over again. The stereo situation is extremely frustrating.

Same problem here too. Anyone?

I'm having this exact same problem. If I plug my Helix into the Firehawk with left and right XLR cables, the sound varies between muffled and normal across all volumes. Additionally, it is not very loud at all. If I run in mono, the problem disappears completely. The amp sounds as if it's possibly attenuating the signal due to clipping, but I have adjusted everything from the gain on the Firehawk to the volume of the Helix to the output level of the cab I'm using. The problem occurs no matter what unless I run it in mono.

I'm having this exact same problem. If I plug my Helix into the Firehawk with left and right XLR cables, the sound varies between muffled and normal across all volumes. Additionally, it is not very loud at all. If I run in mono, the problem disappears completely. The amp sounds as if it's possibly attenuating the signal due to clipping, but I have adjusted everything from the gain on the Firehawk to the volume of the Helix to the output level of the cab I'm using. The problem occurs no matter what unless I run it in mono.