PierM

I would not buy the 1500 for the Helix. I did, and I'm not happy, at all. In fact I'm now using my "old" L2M. Don't get me wrong, FH1500 It's a great amp, but standalone. As FRFR is noisy as hell. The monitor input is doomed by digital HISS. MIDI control is subzero. I believe there is to much electronics involved along the path, even with the FH off, which you really don't need for a real FRFR. For the price you have better solutions, imho. :)

Best thread ever. Mind to share what you did to fix the hiss?

That is a bug. I reported this on 28 August, Ticket ID: 277652, and they confirmed and logged the bug. Looks like isnt high in their priority list. :)

The only change I noticed is the Headphone Volume level. Dramatic drop for me; used to play at 3/4 of headphone level, now even at max it's really low.

Let's face it; that amp it's sort of abandoned project. Ideascale it will never work as the userbase it's too small that people who needs that MIDI section working as advertised are so few that you could count them on the fingers of one hand or two.

Yeah, at bedroom levels the hiss is less, still there btw. I'm mostly playing clean, so for me the hiss is something way more noticeable than a shredder. :) It start being loud as hell after 3/4 of volume (gig volume), again, you don't need to play so you can test it in house too, without being arrested by cops. :D BTW, Helix is set XLR--->Line, but you don't even need that as the hiss isn't noise induced by the source, but it's generated by the FH1500 gain section.

The hiss is a problem confirmed by a lot of users I have talked with. I also tried 3 different FH1500 myself, and all 3 were producing the same hiss. Just connect two xlr cables to the FH monitor in, set the gain input to zero and the amp volume to 3/4. Be sure to have an empty patch to make the test. You dont need to play. Just send a clean signal to the helix. The hiss is not present on the loop fx (at least not that loud) but just when using the monitor in at gain =>0, and gain has to be zero to keep the line signal at its original level.

I'm using my FH1500 with Bias FX too and it does works great, almost. The only problem is the same I've with the Helix; you get an awful hiss when using the XLR monitor IN, at Gain=0...and this is totally ruining the experience at higher volumes (>= 50%). If they don't fix this I think I'll be selling mine in a couple of months. If you are going to use that Monitor IN and high volume levels, I would NOT suggest to buy the amp, at the moment.

I honestly think nothing is gonna happen. For what I can see...seems they are not really caring about further developing/improving on that product. This amp looks like has been delivered as sort of monument on top of the firehawk serie and does not look it's a product which is going well on the market, at all. The silence on this sub-forum is, imho, a proof of that. We are very few and almost all question threads are basically a shot in the dark. Even this MIDI thing, has been asked a millions of time. Never had an official and final answer. It's also since day 1 that people, using this amp as FRFR, is reporting the awful hiss after 50% of volume, and I saw zero official support on this. To me looks sort of "take it as it is", product is done, and it's a shame as it does sound stellar.

That is ridiculous really. I've more than 2.000 euros already invested in MIDI controllers and no, I'm not gonna buy another stupid pedalboard because they don't want to make it working as any other device would work with MIDI protocol. This amp is a blast but looks like a dead horse already. Bad.

I've tried for days with more MIDI floorboards, no success. There's an odd lack of documentation and support about that aspect. Pity as this is a blast of a product, but really I don't want to buy another specific floorboard.

From sitting position is a no way. BTW, if you manage to engage it 20/30 times it will start working better. I also noticed was much easier to engage with the Helix outside the case/board.

Yep you're right. Btw, neck of the JTV59, at least mine, looks a carbon copy of a LP59(R9) neck (.910")

I don't think it's about volume, but more about room. A double speaker cab tends to fill the room more than a single speaker, even if that single speaker is producing more sound pressure. Of course talking about main FH1500 speaker. This should partially explain why you had the Twin filling the scene. Then I've to say that that Fender is a beast on filling the room, one of the fatter output I have ever heard. Tricky to give you specific suggestions, maybe you should post the entire rig you are using and the way you are routing your signal. Also, isn't clear how did you manage the stage mix and if the problem was more related to stage levels or FOH levels.

EQ before amp should work normally. Can't see why it shouldn't. Any particular EQ?

I've a JTV59, 2011 model. If you manage to measure the neck profile at first fret and 12th we could check if they are the same. Mine is 7cm(2.5") at first fret and 8,2cm(3.22") at 12th fret. Measured in the middle, between frets, from edge to edge.

Yeah, sorry I meant a mic pre block. :)

A Variax guitar isn't just using a response. It much more than that, and one of the main difference is Variax works per string (using the very high frequency of the piezo pickup) and through filters and resonators, it shape the "host" guitar. Through the Variax string isolation you can elaborate string gauge, string material, size of the resonator chamber (guitar body), type of body etc etc. The Variax istelf is part of the tone recreation. With the Helix IR all you can do is to simulate the overall acoustic shape of the entire system (strings, body, room, mic). I mean, the Helix IR works just per signal, shaping more the overall acoustic timbre, but isn't really going to match an host instrument as Variax does. Said that, I personally avoid to use Variax acoustics through an Helix acoustic IR (I like using just a mic preamp IR*) , but with these technologies there are not rules. You can experiment your own to find your tone. *EDIT: I meant mic preamp block sorry. :)

Defensive because I said you probably never used a serious tuner? ROFL. I must be a "serious" bad guy to do a thing like that LOL! What a offence was that? :D :D Was of course an hyperbole, as the one used by that other guy saying people asking for a better tuner has a bipolar syndrome. Should I defense myself from that insult? Nah, I can smile for a joke because I'm not 13. ;) Really guys, it's 33 years I play guitars. It's 16 years I use L6 products. It's 6 years I'm in this forum but never posted anything because never been a moaning guy, at all. I love everything about my Helix, but still don't get why people has to defend a product in a way it looks they are defending their own lives, acting like bees protecting the hive. If the Tuner will improve it's gonna be a goodness for everyone....Sure I'm too old to understand. Ok, tuner drama, done. Cheeeeers.

A tuner which is not shaking and changing mind about a note 20 times per second. And btw, please, stop jumping that gun for everything people say which is not gonna celebrate your toys. Jeez.

Nope. If you use a TS/TS, connected to the dedicated EXP link (which is the one using the proper pot impedance for the Helix) you get a V shape curve. If you use the Vol out (which is producing a bad curve and more dead spot) then you can use a TS/TS and inverse in the Helix. At least this is what I get for both my FV-500H.

I've two FV-500H. They works (great for me, once you are used to it) but you need to know few things before to buy; there are noticeable dead spots for both heel and toe Total sweep is 18°. Heel Spot is 4°. Toe Spot is 4°. Real Sweep is 10°. Helix pedal is Total Sweep 17°. Heel Spot is 1.5°. Toe Spot is 3°. Real Sweep is 12.5°. After that you'd need to create a dedicated cable;

+10! Voted!

Means it does communicate with you in a proper way, without being too twitchy and +/- jumpy, and in a short time. Sure it's me; with a Peterson took 1 minute to full tune the guitar, usually 1 pick per string + adjustments, with the Helix took much more. That's it guys. You can keep laughin at people, this is not going to change the truth. :) Tuning is also a different world for everyone. There's people obsessed by tuning, offsets, temperament, and stuff like that, like me, and other great players who are playing out of tune all the time but they sometimes compensate with fingers and neck movements, or just it is the music genre which doesn't really demands any anal approach to that aspect. But hey, I really do not give a damn. I didn't buy the Helix to tune my guitars. LOL. If you are happy with it, YAY. Good for you guys, enjoy! peace. :)

It has never been an "accuracy" issue for me. Problem was (and still is) the way it communicate with me, visually, and what it is trying to analyze realtime (laggy if you ask me). It is twitchy, it is jumpy, and sometimes (for some reason I have no clue about), it needs an extra boost in the signal to start recognizing. Accuracy is there, because when you manage to produce the "magic" note (most of the time using harmonics) it does show a correct value for a proper amount of time, before jumping off again. You can buy a thermometer working with -/+ 0.1°C accuracy factor, but if start jumping +2, -1, +0.5, -3, no read, +1% etc etc, doesn't mean it can't work at 0.1% factor, means it is working erratic and unstable, and it probably needs some very specific environment status to work at its best. That is what I get since day 1, and that is with 9/10 of my guitars, because last one isn't recognized at all (7 string mounting a Lundgren M7), besides that it has a HUGE output. If you believe this Tuner is working properly, sorry, means you never ever used a serious tuner before. :)