firehawkkwah

I have a Standard. Really only two things I'm dissatisfied with. 1) the palm muting.i find modeled muting buzzy and I can't get a good tight mute. Using the magnetic PU helps. I ordered a DiMarzio pro track and am going to swap out the bridge Pu. 2) no belly cut. Not the biggest deal, but when I go back to a more contoured guitar it's so much more comfortable. Not a lot of space to rout the body, and I'm not confident enough in my finish skills to repaint it, so going to just let it be. Altogether, those are pretty minor complaints, and overall happy with the guitar.

Bit of an old thread, but I'm looking for this file. Registered for vguitar but don't see an attachment. Is this file (or a similar one with leveled outputs) available somewhere? Also, assuming this will work for a Standard since the models are the same as JTV?

My use case is me using Variax, daughter a squier mini. Currently in FHFX it works but we share all the settings. I've got her an overdrive in front of the FHFX, and by selecting my model on Variax we can have different gain. But we still share modulation, reverb, delay. On Helix will I be able to have two completely separate chains, with foot switches as well? Can I be running an acoustic Variax chain and her using a normal amp setup? Don't need tons, a few (delay, mod) would do it, but having even more variables we can split would be nice. And each having our own switches makes a difference. Lastly, can I save all that as a snapshot so whenever I play with her it's one simple selection?

All good points. And of course the problem with waiting is that each day becomes more likely that it'll be released. And you're right, it'll be a flagship, probably not an LT-replacement. Maybe, who knows?! And yes, the LT would do everything I want/need (and more... I'm still the weak link in my chain, tbh). Maybe I'll wait and see if it drops for Christmas/NAMM 2021. If so, I'll be informed. And if not, then maybe it's time to just pick up the LT.

My main complaints with FHFX are the delay in switching presets, many of the distortion models (cleans are pretty good), lack of reamping and dual amp/output chains. Those are the big ones. By the time I sell FHFX then buy a Pod Go I'm out very little money, and fix my biggest complaints. But no vdi. And I like having control over the Variax with my pedalboard. The contrast is if I buy an LT then I'm out significantly more money with a better product, sure. But if I'm going to be out the money I don't want the next one to be out at Christmas. It's just a money thing. And since Helix has been out 5 years it's not like a new one isn't coming eventually. If it's 1 year I'll wait. If it's 3, probably not. But who knows?!

Make yourself a Fitlet running Native with a MIDI controller footboard.

The DiMarzio Pro Track seems to be one of the only single-sized humbuckers that has the appropriate DC resistance, right? Can I just replace the bridge pickup in a Standard and leave the middle and neck as-is? Note: I only use the bridge magnetic pickup, otherwise I generally use the modeled sounds. Just want a humbucker in the bridge.

Am interested in doing this, too. Thought I could just record the output straight from the guitar, but came across this: most electric guitars have passive pickups, so splitting the guitar signal right after the guitar is fraught with danger. If the split isn’t done with an active/buffered splitter (instead of a simple “Y” cable) an impedance mismatch happens, and the guitar pickups are loaded incorrectly. An improperly loaded guitar both sounds and feels terrible, so it should be avoided at all costs. Anyone tried the FX loop out-split trick? I have not, but if it works then I'm game. Or, any other way to reamp stuff with FHFX?

Thanks, that's what I thought. Since some of the switches aren't inconvenient (or I don't use them every time, like the keyboard), I'll probably keep those in just a regular setup. The other ones (FHFX, PA, mixer) are cycled pretty much every time, regardless of what I'm doing, and they're located on opposite sides of the room (the PA switch in particular is kinda hard to reach) so I'll just have those couple items on the power strip. The FHFX is the one I was most concerned about since it has storage, processing, bluetooth radio, etc. Seemed the most like a computer!

Hadnt seen that before. Not perfect, but soooo much better than what I was trying. Thanks!

Yeah, I hear what you're saying. But the hardware still matters. Partly because whatever new software is on it will be optimized for that hardware. Whenever it's computery stuff, 5 years is a long time. And the "newest/best/most accurate" whatever might not run on the hardware of the Helix1. Like trying to run Win10 on a WinXP machine. Plus, the Helix2 will have "more", whatever that means. Whether it's stuff I need or desire remains to be seen, of course. And they won't load the H1 releases with everything the H2 has on it (even if the hardware could run it). Kinda like how the PodGo isn't just an incremental upgrade of the Firehawk. I don't expect Helix 2 to be just be a Helix 1 with a faster chip. Honestly the PodGo would meet almost all my needs, but without Variax interface... have to pass.

Is there any downside to just removing power from the Firehawk to shut it down, instead of flipping the on/off switch? I have a bunch of things that I need to turn on each time, and it would be easier to just have a power strip that I flip on or off. Plus that way I don't inadvertently leave something on for a while (overnight or days if I don't go play for a while). But I also know that hard shutdowns can be problematic for electronics, so I have always been using the on/off switches. However, these devices don't seem to be like a computer where you need to gracefully shut down. In fact, the on/off switch on all these things sure seems like it just shuts power off to the device. So is there any downside to using a powerstrip to turn all my stuff on or off at once? Any of these components ok or not ok to do it? Other than the Eon I don't think any of this stuff is super power hungry where you'd get a large startup draw and blow fuses or anything. -Firehawk FX -JBL Eon speaker -Samson USB mixer with effects (non-powered) -a few pedals -Yamaha electronic keyboard -Alesis electronic drumset -presonus audiobox usb interface

I feel like this should be easy but I'm somehow missing it. Is there a way to just reorganize the presets, without having to copy/overwrite/save to my tones? Like, can I just drag preset A into preset B's spot, without having to copy B into myTones, then overwrite A into B, then finally save B back into A? I just want to reorganize my commonly used preset banks to all be together so I can switch banks up or down easily, without having to go from bank 16 to 32. But I don't want to wholesale lose a bunch of presets, even if I don't commonly use them. So how do I get my common presets into Banks 1-4, for example, easily and quickly? And move the ones I never use (and could lose, but it's not like I need the space) into other banks?

It's been quite a while since Firehawk was released, and now the Pod go is out, definitely taking it's place in the market lineup. I am looking to upgrade from FHFX, but don't want to pay full price for already 5-year old Helix hardware, especially when it's resale will drop once the 2 comes out. JTV is from 2010, and 2015 was a big year with FH, Helix, and Standard.

What's a good hot rail style humbucker that is easily swapped with the bridge pup in the Standard?

Bumping this topic. Now with stomp, effects, and pod go... When will the new Helix 2 come out? Or a new Variax?

I agree with stereo, and since I also use the frfr for a number of other things I think once I move to a bigger space I'll probably get a second one. That way I can set them up in far corners of the room, or use one next to drums, or leave one at a friend's house and just carry the pedalboard, etc. Lots of flexibility. For my money, two frfr are worth more than a single power cab. And off topic, but the Pod go looks like a really good upgrade to the Firehawk, but without Variax interface, kinda bummer.

In the time since I posted the question, I bought a FRFR (JBL Eon612) and am using it with my Firehawk. Before doing so I watched a bunch of videos, and found the ones about modelers from Anderton's UK really informative. Granted, they were mainly using the Kemper modeler, but turns out that even when knowing it's a shootout (blindfolded) it's nearly impossible to tell the difference. Is the Firehawk FX up to that standard? Well, probably depends on how well you adjust all the settings, honestly. I'm sure you can make the Firehawk sound ridiculously good, just as sure that you can make a $5000 amp and cab sound really terrible! Ha. I think with any of these modelers (and certainly with the high end stuff) if you set it up right you probably can't tell the difference. But of course it's not really about telling the difference, it's about getting something you like. I also got myself a Variax Standard, and am pretty impressed with the acoustic models, in particular. There's things I'm not crazy about, and with I had gotten a JTV69, or something with real magnetic humbuckers in the bridge since the modeled palm muting is not good. But back to topic: I think a modeler with a FRFR is the way to go, I doubt I'll ever go back to a real amp and cab. For my uses, it's just not nearly as practical. For 95% of people, I doubt they can tell the difference. Recorded or live. And as for the "amp in the room"... I don't know, feels kinda mumbo jumbo. I played with my old amp (a Hughes and Kettner) and my then-new FRFR, and they both sound like, you know, a guitar amp sitting on the floor in front of me...

Are there any good programs that actually work to take what you play and make tabs from it? I've seen a few and tried one but it sucked. Do they work just for single notes or can they recognize chords? Am hoping that somehow a Variax MIDI output or something could be used to get a really good tab/transcription without a lot of editing. Is that possible??

What's the best way to get a better palm mute chug sound out of the Standard? The models, so far, to me don't seem to be tight enough. Seems like a fairly common problem due to the piezo being behind your palm. So is there a good setting to use on the model that works well? I'll keep playing around with my Firehawk to see if I can get a good sound from it using the single coil magnetic pickup, too. My existing patches don't sound great with the magnetic pickup, so any tips there are welcome. Last resort would be replacing the bridge pickup. Any particular ones anyone has had good success with?

Curious if this ended up working out. I'm looking to improve the palm muting on my Standard.

I had read that volume was the fix, and had tried it, but didn't seem to work. After reading this again I tried it louder, much louder, and also put on headphones. You are right. Works fine. had no idea the acoustic sound was so loud, but sure enough. Looks like there isn't a problem with the guitar, other than can't play with alternate tunings unless it's cranked up or headphones, also cranked. Thanks for the quick correction.

Yeah, I only have 2 days to return this if I need to, so I was definitely looking for a quick answer. Sorry for multiple posts! I had read that volume was the fix, and had tried it, but didn't seem to work. After reading this again I tried it louder, much louder, and also put on headphones. You are right. Works fine. had no idea the acoustic sound was so loud, but sure enough. Looks like there isn't a problem with the guitar, other than can't play with alternate tunings unless it's cranked up or headphones, also cranked. Thanks for the quick correction.

I just got a Standard yesterday. The alt tunings are completely unusable. Dual tone like crazy. Nothing has been touched on this guitar, no mods, nothing. It's been out of the box for 1 day and the alt tunings are terrible. What's the fix for this??

I have a brand new Standard, and the exact same issue. Dual tones, the alt tunings are completely unusable. It hasn't been touched other than just to tune it. No ne has adjusted the pups, switches, etc. Totally right out of the box. So what's the fix? Send it back?