theElevators

What to look out for? Bad foot switches that are barely working, that's for sure, loose/crooked expression pedal, things rattling inside.... I bought a mint "open box" Helix LT back in December of 2019 for $950 from eBay. I think you can find a better deal with the LT, where it's not going to be with green lines on the screen, etc. Maybe I got lucky, but I'm sure you can find something of higher quality and with less mileage for around the same amount. Helix typically sells for $1200, so something at $800 would be a red flag to me personally.

Check if you have cables that are going bad. A long time ago I was playing a gig and I started getting my sound fade in and out. It was bizarre. Ultimately, the issue was because of the cheap cable that started going bad because of the heat--the amp was very hot. So no issues at home, no issues during rehearsals, but at the gig it was horrible. So it is possible to have this happen if your cables are old/cheap.

One way I get more "warmth" is to use a '63 spring reverb block. I basically dial it out almost completely, leaving just the initial "boink" sound, not the full splashy reverb. I put it right before the amp. Also I take an envelope filter and also make it very very subtle, placing it in the beginning of the chain. It adds a certain degree of warmth, movement, if it makes sense. https://youtu.be/ulqdh3CQ9jY?si=bQMVDVs2xbhG0TBG This is all subjective, but I like the certain bark/boink that I have as part of my sound. Makes it feel and sound more tube-ey.

I believe the best screws to remove would be the ones where you have the rubber feet.

Try an EQ block. My favorite method is on a 10-band EQ, boosting 2K frequency. Depending on how loudly I want to cut through, I boost it 5-10 db. Then add some delay at the end.

No, there's no way to adjust the switch. It is what it is. However, you can use EXP 1 or 2 to control whatever you want. You can use EXP 1 to control volume and wah. Or you can use EXP 2. You can use snapshots to turn things on/off: in one snapshot, wah is on and volume is off; while in another snapshot wah is off, volume is on. You can also use percentage-based bypass for volume or wah, or any other effect. I hate that toe switch! I hate that I have to really step on the expression pedal and have Helix lift up on one side--that's how hard it needs to be pressed! On my Helix, I only use EXP 2, and never EXP 1. If I need a wah in my solo, I have a snapshot called "Wah Solo". When I engage that snapshot, the wah is already enabled. When I'm done playing the wah solo, I go to my "rhythm" snapshot, where the wah is disabled. Or if the wah constantly needs to be turned on/off, I set it up by percentage: over 5 percent it turns on and less than 5 percent turns off after 500 ms, or whatever value makes sense for the song I'm playing. I have a little video you may find useful.

yes, that is indeed me!

If needed, I can recreate this sound. But basically you arrange your oscillators so that you have a starting pitch and the ending chord. You have 2 snapshots: 1) and 2). One has the starting chord, and the second one has the ending chord. When you switch between the two snapshots, it plays the Lucasfilm sound thingie... Each (4 pitch generator 3 pitch generator) has portomento effect when changing between the pitches. You can set it to immediately change, or have the notes glide from one pitch to another. You assign each pitch of the tone generators to the snapshot, and save the pitches in snapshot 1 and snapshot 2. That's really it, that's the gist. You have the "sheet music" in the video above.

I have not used it, but this effect is capable of faking guitar feedback on demand: in the studio, when you are playing at low volumes, or on a completely silent stage with in-ear monitors. There are several algorithms of what note you want, including random. I will not be using it because I am already getting feedback naturally by having max'ed out distortion that I engage with a snapshot I call "FEEDBACK". It is NATURALLY feeding back: sometimes unpredictably, and there's always an element of surprise. I love the fact I can turn my guitar and get a different note: 1, 5, 7, 1.... Sometimes when I play live I get feedback without engaging my "FEEDBACK" snapshot because I run a physical power amp + cab on stage, and some stages are more prone to feedback. So in short, if I used FREQOUT live, I'd get unruly noise, because I would get natural + artificial feedback. I have no use for it. However, if you are thinking about using FREQOUT live, please make sure to test it out thoroughly during sound check. This type of an effect can completely become unruly/noisy unless you run through the motions. There have been several other sounds that worked perfectly fine at home for me, but live got out of hand; and I needed to tweak them and tweak them... so plz be prepared to adjust how it works at sound check, plus after a couple of shows. If you want to just have on-demand feedback the old-fashioned way, you can watch my video. I've been using this method for as long as I've owned the Helix.

Where are you placing Poly Capo? It should be placed in the beginning of the chain ideally. Try to place it in the beginning, if you're not already doing that.

I solved mine by spraying a little tiny bit of graphite spray. I did not have to take it apart. Just sprayed where the hinge is. Do not spray all over, or you may get it in the photo element and that can break your expression pedal.

I assign feedback to the expression pedal. So it goes from like 35% to 99%. 99, so that I don't accidentally create a noisy mess inadvertently.

https://www.musiciansfriend.com/amplifiers-effects/line-6-limited-edition-helix-multi-effects-guitar-pedal

Use Pitch Wham, and control the pitch with your expression pedal. You get this Hawaiian Guitar Looney Tunes sound.

Maybe you have a cat or there is a lot of dust... I have not had that issue. Try vacuuming the pedal :)