geebake

Given that Amp Farm 4 was just released today, I’m not sure Line 6 would agree.

I’m posting this out of ignorance, not accusation. How does Amp Farm compare or relate to Helix Native? Is the modeling supposed to be more extensive or detailed? I realize that in the past, Amp Farm was seen as being more DAW centric. I’m not sure that’s the case anymore now given that Helix Native exists in plug in form only. Please enlighten me.

I've been ABing the Champ to my 57 Champ RI and I have to say - it's close. The model seems to have more bottom end and maybe a little less saturation when it's dimed but it's really more than in the ball park. I suspect if I fiddle with the EQ long enough, I can get it extremely close. Sorry cdKane, I'm not a 5150 kind of guy so my opinion would be useless. Greg

FWIW, I just updated my PRO X. Absolutely no hassles. I bought all three packs and they're working find. Had to use the L6 License Manager. Very preliminary results are good. The new AC 30 is excellent as is the Champ. Greg

It may be too early to ask this question. I'm guessing few if any have actually had one of the VAX Standards in their hands yet. I'm just curious if the neck is strat like or more of a shredder neck. Anyone know? Thanks, Greg

I understand your reasoning but I don't think it's 100% accurate in this case. The 'X' versions do have more dsp power and I tend to use a lot of effects now and then. I do use the extra ins and outs so that's worth something to me. Also, the controller offers a few other benes. I can use it with other L6 devices I have - and use it as a midi controller for software. Works extremely well for things like Amplitube and Guitar Rig in that regard. Also, I don't need a lot of channel switching and turning effects on and off so I use the little controller. It's significantly smaller footprint works better in my space. Does that justify the extra money? I guess that depends on you needs and your pocketbook. It's worked out nicely for me. Greg

I did exactly that. Sold my HD 500 and bought an HD X Pro. This is purely subjective and I have no data to back it up but I swear the Pro sounds better. Maybe I just want it to. I'm much more of a desktop user so having the box in a rack in front of me is more convenient and the extra ins and outs are handy. I'm much happier with the Pro / Floorboard combo than I was with the HD 500. Just my .02 Greg

The XPS box will work to power the JTV 59 but it won't charge the battery. You still have to take it out and stick it in the charger. Greg

And one more thing. The volume pot is definitely more useful now. When rolling off a bit of volume, the tone behaves much more like a real guitar. I like! Greg

LOL. sorry. I don't use this forum much and I saw 'Guru' next to your avatar. Thought that was your nick. My appologies Phil! Greg

I'm sure you're right Guru and Zap. I just wanted to get some quick thoughts down as they occurred to me. Greg

So I just got the email about the update and IMMEDIATELY ran it - throwing caution to the wind. The update itself was totally uneventful. I used the workbench interface that came with my 59 and did also have it plugged into an old XPS box (from a Vax 500) and I had no issues at all. Loaded up the new monkey and it installed both the new version of Workbench and the firmware within about 5 minues. No hiccupps at all. Workbench - the new workbench is purdy! I like the layout. I don't see that it adds much functionality, but I've only briefly played with it. Someone mentioned that the 'Magnetic Blend' slider is new. Could be. I just don't recall. There is also a model for 'Natural Body' which appears to eliminate any body modeling - just my theory. 12 String settings are now controlled by the 'Parallel Pitch' thingy. Don't see any other differences. Oh one more thing. When launching and connecting to my 59, the software seems to take my longer to initially synch with the guitar. I assume this is due to the HD models having more data. Again just my theory. Firmware - Probably not as dramatic an update as some may expect - at least to my ears. Models appear to be the same as they had been with the exception of the Tele models. In the second and fourth positions, we now have a Tele with wide range humbuckers. No more ultra bassy circuit in the fourth position and I don't miss it. I see no other differences, but haven't tried everything yet. So how does it sound? Pretty damned good to my ears. This will take time to digest, but I do think every model I've tried sounds better. Perhaps not dramatically better, but definitely better. I always felt there was a tiny bit of piezzo sound coming through and to my ears, this is significally diminished. I almost hate to say this, but the best way I can describe what I'm hearing is --- HD. They just sound like more detailed models. Perhaps the biggest improvement is the 12 string models. Much less pitch chasing. It is still somewhat evident on very low notes, but from about the lowest D in standard tuning and up, it seems to be much more stable. I'm very pleaed with this. The Ricks sound way better! I don't sense any change in the acoustics. I suspect that the previous update was sufficient there. Again, just my theory. So I'm pretty damned happy. Though, I've only played the update for about a half hour, it genuinely sounds better to me and I thought it was pretty damned good already. Kudos L6! About damned time! Please chime in with your thoughts. Greg 2 quick edtitions. The PC I'm using is a custom built Windows 8 machine. i7(3770K) with 16 gb of ram and a couple of SSDs. Again ZERO install issues. I mentioned that Workbench takes longer to load. However - during the load, it doesn't stop the modelling so you can play away while it's synching :)