SteveFrance

Welcome on the forum ! Line 6 is criticized (for good or bad reasons), sometimes because it seems to be for geeks..... What do you want a variax for ?

You have to use Worbench, and setup the pourcentage of the mix per string, i've recently played with that, i think i have 35% and it sounds really better, more natural ! At the beginning, i had the same opinion about those sounds. I've done a lot of setup on the variax ; lower my pickups, using the good pick, changed the strings gauge (i believe, i'm gonna be back (for the bends)) Every action/setup is important with a modeling guitar, every sound is multiplied !

Hi, First of all, in a preset, you have to see the windows view (i mean not the graphic with the blocks) to obtain it, you just have to press the "home" button. Then, you'll see eight windows with snapshots or the effects you have put in your "pedalboard" to pass from one to the other press the "mode" pedal. In this configuration, your snapshots will stand (i remember there's a general parameter to verify) You just have to set your bank/preset with the two left pedals up/down and to choose the one you want to play. After having selected the preset, the different snapshots automatically appear.

I've bought the LT cause of the price difference. I have the same problem at home and i like playing with jam track too and this is one Helix LT's limitation : there's no aux-in input..... So if you want to play with headphones and mp3, it's gonna be complicated. Personnaly, i dislike the sound with headphones, it's really different that the feeling i have with my FRFR, so i play with a very lower volume and i can plug my mp3 on the speaker. For the price, this is the only concession i was ready to do. If i want to play with headphones, the other solution ; record a track with the looper and play on it !

I think you're not fair ! Of course, FH FX has got limitations and some defect, nevertheless, i don't understand the reason to compare the Helix vs the FH.....They don't play in the same category. I can admit a comparison between the HD500X and the FHFX that aims the same target with a different philosophy. On one hand, you don't want to tweak passing by your computer, you choose the FHFX, on the other one, you want something more flexible and want to work with your computer, you choose the HD. I had the Firehawk and i liked it. I had no problem with the BT connection and i could obtain really good sounds. It was really a good device that asked me to learn how to tweak the different parameters to have the sound i wanted. Yes, it's not a plug and play, it needs time to see how it works and it's not easy to change the parameters directly on the device. Today, I have a Helix and the FH helped me to learn how to build a sound chain. I enough have some sounds i found fantastic that i'm not able to repoduce yet in the Helix.

Not at all !!!! The forum is done for this ! ;)

You have to go on to the entry block with the joystick and then move into the block parameters via the right arrow (like you do to move into an amp/cab block) and you'll find the kind of guitar to use, the volume and tone knob position and on the last page, the alt tuning.....

I'm not at home, so i don't have my Helix in front of me ! But i think, this is what i've noticed, per preset you can configure the Helix to force and/or lock the 5 positions selector of your variax. Have a look at your parameters for those presets in the variax/input block.... Last time, i had the opposite, i've programmed the Helix to force the alt tuning on one preset and not for others. My guitar changed the model but not the alt tuning. I though there was a problem ! The configuration is very important...... ;)

What is used for the singer ? In my band, i use to plug directly my helix into the mix table and it goes through 2 x Berhinger eurolive b112s. You could do so for your rehearsals and bar gigs. So to work on your sound, it's better to have the same speaker. Personnally, I don't and i hear the difference between home and rehearsals.... The alto seem to be appreciated....

I bought my Variax in a shop. I wanted to try it before buying it ! Nevertheless, the one i ordered was in another color and was a full new one ! I can understand your disappointment but it's entirelly due to your seller. The allen keys would be another big frustration for me because i've loosen the ones i had for my fender stratocaster and in France with the metric system it's impossible to find the same ones in a tool shop. We have to buy them online. :mellow: The only thing that line 6 can be critized for is the cheap RJ45 cable. They could give us a better quality cable !!! You've got the good one wich is included ;) I've allready bought a new one with round metal shrounds.....longer and stronger..... <_<

My Variax arrived yesterday (a vintage white :wub: :P ) ! So i'm going to answer to my own question.....For the curious men (and women) ! :D At the beginning, i plugged the FH on my amp with the clearest sound, something like a by-pass. But some tones really disapointed me. The banjo and the accoustic guitar didn't sound like it would or i was waiting for. I didn't recognize the caracteristics of these instruments. So i tried with my headphones and the difference was significant ! The accoustic guitar sounds really good like the banjo....... I conclude, i will have to invest in another device ! <_< This is the first point ! To come back to the question i was asking, the factory presets are all configured with a specific Variax model. You select the banjo preset and you have a banjo, there's a title with an alternate tuning and all the changings are done automatically. On the users' presets, the Variax stops the modeling configuration to go on the guitar pickups. I've had only one tone browse from the cloud that have been configured with a Variax model, so it can happen but they are usually done without this block configuration.....

OK, thank you for your reply. ;) In fact, i'm divided. One way, i think it's a pleasure to find excatly the sound you want to and work to reach it. On the other hand, i like the idea of having something that prevents me from spending time to search which guitar have been used for every song i want to play.... It's a good thing, it can be an improvement for the next devices :)

I'm impatient to test it sooner. ;) I believe that it could be a good way for line6 to communicate on the "dream rig" to say : just plug and play. You wil have exactly the sound of the artist you want to reproduce. Everything has been done before to aim at. Just buy our all line products. Of course, i believe a lot of owners don't have a variax or don't want to but line6 offers a new philosophy of playing guitar.

Thank you for your answer ! I thought so when i posted. But i imagine when i see some preset titles like : killer Queen or msg in a bottle, come as you are.....That line 6 could have gone farther by allready bringing a variax configuration for each tones. Is that the case for the bank 27 to 29 wich titles contains "Variax" ?

Hello, i've bought a firehawk and i've discorved the variax models. I think it can really answers to my needs. I've just purchased this guitar and i'm just waiting to receive it ! B) :P I just ask myself one thing.... The first time i'll plug the variax, have line6 allready done a "pre-setting" for each kind of guitar by tone or have i to set every preset tone by tone to "tell" what guitar using ? The same question about the preset on the cloud..... Can i copy this item too from somebody who has made all the chain ? Thanks

I've got one since one month. This is really an extraordinary multi-effects. I have to go on playing with it to use all the capabilities ! :D One thing i really regret, in front of my last machine, is that the looper is too much short ! I know that Line6 had allready improved it and you can stream music but i had one longer in a cheaper product...

Hi, The matter is not on your amp ! You have to check the following points to have sound : - You have two cables between your amplifi and the FH. I guess you have done so but i prefer telling it. I don't remember the way return/send but you can try each way there will be no issue. - You have to be on the line button position because with the loop you bypass the preamp - and the last point that I believe the problem comes from this : the most important thing : you have to check in FH app on your smartphone or tablet. In normal position, the effect loop is turn off you have to turn it "ON" (for every bank, you have to change it bank by bank). I don't know if you have played with the app but i have waited for a while before discovered this. I had no sound too with the effect loop or 4 cable method : this was the solution (for me). I hope that it will help you to resolve your problem (if you have understood me) ! ;)