schildkroete

Thanks for your answer! That was actually helpful, because at first, I had not really dared to take off the knobs. I did try, but only very carefully, and because they sit on the metal posts very tight I didn't pursue that because I thought maybe they're not meant to be taken off. So, I took off two knobs. One "good" looking and the 5th, the most "off" looking. The metal posts apeared to look absolutely straight. I exchanged the 2 knobs and then the 5th knob looked fine and the other one was crooked. So for me that means it's just the plastic pieces that were made poorly and with irregular quality. And I think I can live with that! I think it "should" look more even and perfect (for the price), but after all I bought the Helix for the sound. :-) Just one question to other Rack owners: Is it normal that the joystick has a tiny bit more travel to the "up" direction than to the other three? I am a bit scared that the joystick (which is going to be used a lot) may be a weak point of the whole device..... ?!

Hello, I am a new Helix user and have just received my Helix Rack and Control last week. I am still somehow overwhelmed by the endless possibilities but I just love my experience with experimenting so far very much! However, I have discovered a small issue and just wanted to check if this is normal and if I am just trying to find a fault where there is none. I may just be overly picky, having just spent that amount of money. So, it's about the 6 adjustment knobs below the display. I have noticed that they do not all have the exact same angle and the same distance to the unit itself. You can see what I mean on the photo. I noticed this mainly because knob 5 is a bit more far away from the chassis so I could see a bit of the metal. When taking a closer look I noticed that they are all not perfectly aligned. The photo may be overemphasizing the matter a bit because of a certain wide angle of the lens. So, what do you think? How do thes knobs look on your devices? All the 6 feel and work as inteded though. My other question is about the joystick: I noticed that - viewing from the side - it is pointing slightly downwards. This leads to having to push just a tiny bit more for going "up" than for "down", "left" and "right". I was not able to get a good photo of what I mean. The surface of the joystick is not exactly parallel to that of the volume control, just slightly maybe 1 or 2 degrees. As a result, I have to move the joystick maybe 3mm up to trigger the function but maybe only 1mm down, left or right (I did not "measure" these values, it's just a "feeling"). Everything seems to work fine nevertheless. I just want to make sure that this is somehow normal and within production tolerance...? How is this on your Helix Rack units? Should I be concerned? Thanks!

Wow, thank you all so much for your advice and for the time you spent answering my questions! I didn't expect to get so many helpful answers in such a short time!!! So, about IRs - that was really helpful and I'm kind of relieved to hear that. I probably could spend a long time with a Helix before missing something at all.... I didn't know you could use 4 independent signal paths, I thought only 2 - that's great, most of the time I will only need 1 or 2 anyways. What about the looper... in what ways is it limited? I guess that won't be a dealbreaker for me if I can just play 1 or 2 layers that last up to 2 minutes or so and can have different sounds / effects. Yes, the Cortex ... I don't know exactly what I was thinking, I know that it's not out yet, but I guess I was just so impressed by their marketing website and it just sounds like it's the last modeler/effects unit that one would ever need. And I quite like that it's just a smaller box than the Helix. But that was so good to hear some first hand experience from somebody who already had a first look at the current status of the Cortex! Also, I was thinking that Line6 seems to keep bringing useful updates to the Helix at no cost, and I was wondering how long they will keep doing this, because why would they if they're not getting paid for it? Some people seem to be upset already because an expected update is keeping longer than expected. IBut don't know if that should be a concern for me... Yes, I would have to order a Helix online, that's why I'm trying to get as much information as I can, because after spending so much money I want to be happy with it for - I don't know - at least 5 years or so. I have seen from reviews on websites and from youtube videos that most people seem to favour the Helix floor over the rack version. I was thinking that I would prefer the rack, because I could change settings while it sits on a table or so and I wouldnt have to bow down everytime I want to tweak something (which will probably be quite often). Maybe that's why I also see many people having a Helix floor on a desk and not using their feet for the switches... I'm a bit confused about that ... What are the main advantages between the Floor and the Rack version? I know that the Rack plus the Control plus a pedal is a bit more expensive, but that's really not much. Also, I would have to use 2 more cables with the rack version. I'm thinking that the Rack is more comfortable to operate and maybe more durable because the main unit is safer more away from dirt and feet and whatever on the floor. Is the slightly lower price the only advantage why most people get the Floor? At the moment, I guess I'm leaning toward a Helix Rack, but that's unavailable most of the time in Europe. So I keep reading and watching videos for the time being.... ;-) Thanks again for any input that will help me a lot with my decision!!!

Hello, I am completely new to modelers and to this forum, and I am looking for some advice for a buying decision... I recently got myself a nice Strat, after not having played an electric guitar at all for almost 30 years, just classical acoustic most of the time. I have not yet decided on any amp solution though, because I was slightly overwhelmed of the complexity of that decision. Soundwise, I thought I'd be very happy with a Fender Deluxe Reverb, with some nice effect pedals to choose from. But after some testing, I found that the Deluxe would be way too loud for me playing mostly alone and at home, mostly in bedroom volume levels because of the neighbors. After lots of reading, watching youtube and some testing I have come to the decision that a modeler like the Helix is probably exactly what I would need at the moment. At the moment, I am considering the following options: - Helix Floor - Helix Rack + Control - Helix Stomp - Pod Go - Neural DSP Quad Cortex - Something completely different that I don't yet know or haven't thought about? I am not really in a hurry with the decision. But I don't know if I really can wait until the Cortex (and good reviews, hopefully) come out in November either... I really, really like that the Cortex will be a lot smaller than the Helix, with a lot more power and maybe even better sound, and with better usability due to the touchscreen, more functionality, and all that for the same price. I am somewhat hesitant with buying into the Helix because it's already 5 years old, and a guy in a shop told me that he's expecting an upgrade ("Helix 2"?) soon (probably in 2020). Another thing I think I won't like with the Helix floor is that it's so huge and that the pedal is integrated, I'd rather have that as a seperate option. Ok, here's what I'm expecting to be using it for: I would love to be able to simultaneously use an electric guitar and maybe one other guitar (acoustic or bass) and/or a microphone for voice, each with its own amp-sim and effects. I do not want to dive into too complicated menus each I use it and I don't want to have to use a computer or smartphone for configuration. Ease of use, good realistc tube-amp-like sounds with nice effects to choose from, durability and reliability are what I'm looking for since I want to concentrate on playing guitar and making music, not on studying computer manuals. ;-) Of course, I probably won't need 80% (or even more) of the effects and possibilities these units have to offer. Another thing that I think I really need is a good looper functionality, where I can record one loop and play over that but with a different sound / effect. Is that even possible? Does the Helix Stomp has a looper? Does it work ok with so few buttons? I would also use it as an interace for the computer and for recording and in this setting I would probably use the re-amping funcionality (if I understand that correctly, that means I can record the guitar completely dry and make changes on the modeler while in playback-mode and record the output to a new track?!) I am irritated that so many people say that you need to download IRs for the Helix. As far as I understand, an IR is quite the same as a cab simulation? Many people write that they have thousands of them in use. Having no experience with this, I suspect it would be an awkward and painful process to listen through thousands (!) of different cab-sims (for me, anyway). I'd rather have it sound good right out of the box... But maybe I don't understand that correctly. So... what would be your advice? Wait for the Cortex or the Helix2 ? Buy the Stomp or PodGo (knowing that they cannot be used for a microphone/voice) to bridge the months until the winter holidays and then resell it on ebay? Do these modelers have any resale-value at all? What FRFR speaker would you recommend for home/bedroom use? I'm thinking about the headrush 108 at the moment... Unfortunately there is no shop near me where I can try these devices out, so I have to gather as much information as I can get before I can make that decision... I appreciate any thoughts and advice on this!!! Thanks!