amcevoy

...another year (and then some) rolls by. I'm hoping it's like London busses, you wait all that time and then a bunch turn up at the same time...

I run mine in mono with a Helix and it's a) Loud b) Sounds best The wide stereo setting is a mixture of FRFR and W/D/W and still maintains a reasonable stereo image with using the big 12 speaker". Normal stereo seems to be a bit limited to the two side coaxial speakers and is most limited in volume. It'll still hurt in a small room, but for gigs I'd go mono on the Firehawk and then stereo through FOH if that's what you setup allows / requires.

They generally don't respond. However, to allay your fears: 1. The FH1500 is an awesome amp. It has more uses than you will ever probably need it for, but as a guitar amp it is fantastic. I run my Helix into mine, but also use it 'solo'. My main gripe now is it's weight. I'm 'of an age' where things start to pop, but it's no heavier than an AC30. So you need to balance bang for buck vs weight vs Chiropractor bills.. 2. MIDI programming, This has been ironed out in one of the latest firmware updates (1.30.00 - it now performs as the manual). I've used an FBV Mk II with no problems. Check out the product updates in the 'downloads' section of the line6 site. Most of the original kinks have been worked out. 3. Yes there have been no updates in a while, and a variable reference frequency tuner would be nice, but to be honest it hasn't stopped me from using mine - a lot. summary of 1.30.00 update below: New Features Block Bypass, Expression controllers, and Looper functions can now be triggered by incoming MIDI CCs (MIDI DIN only). Please see the following KB article for more information: http://line6.com/support/page/kb/_/amplifiers/firehawk-1500/firehawk-1500-and-midi-cc-r860 XLR output volume can now be adjusted from Live Edit Mode. This was implemented to avoid clipping the ADC prematurely. It is set to -15dB by default, to provide adequate headroom for mid to high gain tones. To edit the XLR output volume: 1. Press the preset knob to enter Live Edit Mode. 2. Scroll left to "Etc:ReAmp/MIDI/Main" and press the preset knob. 3. Scroll right to "Etc:XLR Out" 4. Turn the Main (Big) Knob to set the value.

Look at it this way. Line 6 launched the FH1500 two years ago. At that time it hit most of the requirements of an FRFR - or stand alone modelling amp. I bought one as it ticked the requisite boxes - and still does. (but maaaan, the weight of the darn thing - AND NO ROLLER BAG IN THE UK!). However, the reception was underwhelming - how many online reviews have you seen of this unit in its 30(ish) month life compared with the number of reviews and plaudits for the 'more serious' PowerCab units in the past few weeks? Given that Andertons TV (who worship at the feet of Paul Hindmarsh) have only featured it once, and never in a Modelling Amp shootout with other 'well established' units sort of implies its a 'Curious Uncle' 'in the Line 6 family. Coupled with the lack of any product development in the past year (last firmware update May 2017 and I'm still waiting for the non-440Hz tuner...) So we either take solace in the fact that we still have a face-melting 1500 Watt amp that can blow any current PowerCab into oblivion, or downgrade to more portable units and accept that evolution sometimes makes the occasional mistake. What annoys me is not that they've brought out smaller, lighter units; but they've abandoned this one in its entirety so early on - probably as a result of Yamaha's influence in the business and their product line: "A 1.5KW, 6-speaker amp that no-one can lift - WTF?" Make it smaller... Ah well...

I'm fairly sure it can handle MIDI through, but I can see no obvious way of actually generating messages within the unit itself.

So. Firmware 1.30.00 is out and promises useful midi ports and variable output volume for XLRs. Anyone feeling brave enough to take the step and update? Still looks like the tuner is A=440Hz, but there may be a surprise... If I get a chance this week, (Ha!) I'll update and report back. TTFN Andrew

According to the forums (Line 6's alternative to destroying rainforests to create manuals) there's the following entry: Q: How can I reset the FIREHAWK 1500 to its default settings? A: Press and hold the Master Volume knob and the Navigation Encoder (the scroll wheel) as you power up the unit. Unfortunately, any patches not backed up to My Tones prior to the reset will be lost It might help to disconnect the FBV3 when doing this so the poor thing doesn't get confused. Hope that helps you.

Good question. There are a number of issues Line6 said they were working on / investigating.

Wow. I don't have a Helix, but I do have a FH1500. Given the hype around the Helix and the FH1500 I can understand the frustration you guys are experiencing. A decent manual would have helped, but that video just shows how bad the issue is. Incontrovertible evidence... Anyone at NAMM who can get an answer off a Line 6 product manager? - who are undoubtedly showing off their latest bit of ephemera...

The looper works in a fairly similar way to any 'single button' looper (See TC Electronics Flashback). The sample time is approx 40 seconds, and playback is mono. The biggest drawback is the 'cancel' feature where you hear approx 2 seconds of playback before the track is scrubbed, so it's great for practice, but probably not for live use. Hope that helps.

I'd suggest referring to the Blackstar manual.

I use an FBV MKII with my FH1500 and it works fine, it's a bit older than the FBV3 but it'll suit your needs and is a cheaper alternative. I play everything through the Firehawk: acoustic, bass and electric. The looper is a bit disappointing, yes; but if you are used to single-button loopers like TC-electronics then it works fine. The main downside which they should really address is the erase procedure - you hear about 2 seconds of what you've recorded. The lack of midi implementation is a hot potato. The looper midi implementation described in the manual is identical to the HD Pro X. Which works very well. A lot of people are eagerly awaiting the next firmware update.

Just tried this for you. 1. I ran a guitar straight into a patch with all post-amp effects turned off. The the coaxial 'side' speakers were not used - just the 12" and the horn. Threw a little reverb in and they came to life. Delay - yep lovely. 2. I ran a single external source in mono to the XLRs and I got a variety of results depending on which XLR(s) I used: LEFT ONLY (MONO) : 12" and Horn were used, but Side Coax Speakers were not. RIGHT and LEFT (split a single source in two mono channels using a Y-splitter) Side Coax Speakers were used with 12", but horn was 'off' RIGHT only as above, but no output to left channel - fair enough. To my ears the Horn gives a fair spread to the sound even without the coaxials. There's some clever DSP going on in this thing. If you need any more info let me know.

You know, my first thought on this was, nope that's not going to work as it's going to bypass the horn - like all the suggestions to use the XLR inputs. Then in a peevish moment of "oh what the hell I'm going to sell my HDProX anyway I'm fed up with everyone talking about their bloody Helix's" I decided to plug it into the return of the effects loop for a blank patch. Just to convince myself that it wouldn't sound any better... It sounded amazing, and I'm fairly sure the horn is still being driven (I taped a sock over it and the sound is diminished - ergo horn is not bypassed - can't comment about state-of-the-sock). Just for references I had the guitar mix set at about 50% and the effects loop on the FH1500 in 'mic' mode. On the HDPROX I was using the unbalanced outputs set to Line and the volume all the way up - eventually - start low!. Crank the main volume on the FH1500 'to taste' as they say in recipe guides. Remember to use a blank patch on the FH1500 so there is no additional tonal coloration. Set up a comparable Plexi 100 Bright patch on the HDPROX and FH1500 (not at the same time) and the HDPROX has it when the volume goes up. Not sure if the XLR outs on the HDPROX will work any better, but might give it a go If I can find the leads... Andrew

Had similar problems. I think it has to do with the Bluetooth APIs in mobile operating systems not working 100% with the Bluetooth on the amp. You are unlikely to get a response from Line 6 here. They seem to have a policy of 'do not confirm or deny anything'... I've had mine for 6 months now and live the sounds I can get from it, but there are niggles which I'm sure the manufacturer is well aware of, but they are ominously quiet. Should you get any update please let us all know.

There's a 'No Amp' option under the 'Clean' grouping Also check out the preset tones on bank 28 they should give you some ideas...

Last Line 6 product I'll buy. Too many imperfections and fragile for a 'Stage Amp'. Sounds good, but I have doubts about its longevity. I'm the senior systems architect for a software company. If something on my watch goes out with bugs - it gets fixed for free - and quickly. If there's a documented (like something stated in a manual) feature that is missing at the point of delivery - we either have to compensate the customer, or incorporate the feature at no extra cost if it was reasonable to expect it should have been included in the product. I daresay Line 6 do have the knowledge to fix the issues - at least some of them via a firmware update (would be nice). Others may be too reliant on the physical hardware which may mean they'd have to redevelop or re-source the components to sort the problems - which may just not be cost effective. The MIDI control interface / headphones / flaky bluetooth / odd pops and chirps / lack of tuner calibration - may just be an example of that, or it may be that they want you to buy an FBV Pedal which is more relevant to their revenue stream and survival in light of newcomers to the same section of the market. I've read elsewhere on these forums about 'making informed purchasing decisions'. But that's a defensive marketing posture and can generally be read as 'yep, it's flawed - we know it, but we're in no hurry to do anything about it'. It's the logical extension of 'caveat emptor': Def: let the buyer beware: the principle that the seller of a product cannot be held responsible for its quality unless it is guaranteed in a warranty. In Blighty we have a phrase for it too, but it would be redacted by a moderator I'm sure. However, I'm hopeful that Line6 and Yamaha will issue an update to alleviate the issues many people are experiencing and rebuild their relationship with their customer base. I've been using Line 6 kit for nigh on 16 years which to my pocket constitutes a significant financial investment. So right now, I'm feeling grumpy too...

Agreed. It would be nice if someone from Line6 could comment on future updates / plans for this amp. Their silence is suggestive of the general feeling on this thread that the FH1500 is a forgotten product, and there is no intention to attend to the issues discussed in this forum. These are not "Idea Scale" suggestion they are system flaws or misrepresentations. I work within the software industry and we are responsible for fixing flaws within our products or suffering a financial penalty - once the product is 'in flight'.

Flippin'eck! The FH1500 is a great idea, but I'm starting to think it's an evolutionary dead-end. There are too many glitches to make this a viable long-term product unless they sort them out with some form of update soon. You'd have thought that with the backing of Yamaha they'd be all over these issues like a rash: mono headphones, glitchy bluetooth, non-existent MIDI etc... I've been a Line6 advocate for 16 years. There are other products out there, maybe it's time to drop the brand loyalty and move on...

As far as I'm aware bluetooth headphones won't work directly with the FH1500. My experience with BT headphones is that there's too much latency (the gap between you hitting a string and hearing the sound) which makes playing very difficult, this is due to the encoding / decoding required for the BT messages. I use a set of Panasonic wireless headphones which are not top-quality (wired still the best), but work well enough that I don't get too tangled up in flipping wires. Of course, more modern BT units may perform faster (it's a while since I tried with my old POD XT), but without an external adaptor to the headphone out on the FH1500 I don't think the amp supports it. Someone from Line6 may want to clarify that. At some point. Maybe.

Plugging in the headphones would switch off the speakers. I'm not sure if this is configurable or not - I've not seen any parameters for it. Ironically this is where I discovered how to get the headphones in stereo. I ended up using the XLR outs to output to a small mixing desk (Behringer 802 - £49) and in turn running the headphones from that whilst keeping the amp 'live' and a feed to FOH. Hope this helps.

Before anyone asks: No, I haven't tried this with a Helix. I can't afford one. I've been impressed with Line 6's products over the past 16 years ever since I bought a POD 2.0 kidney bean back in 2000 (ish). I'm now limited in terms of storage space - my houe has been taken over by an influx of children over the past 8 years, so this presented an excellent all-in on package. I already had a MKII FBV Shortboard and an iPhone so this seemed a great way of reducing clutter and an ever increasing smorgasboard of pedals and cables. This amp was also advertised as being usable with acoustic and bass guitars - too good to be true? We'll see. I also have a POD HD Pro X so my initial thinking was to use the FH1500 as an accompanying amplifier for playing live. However the FH1500 sounds better with its oboard modelling than as an external amplifier for the POD HD X. However, the latter is probably better for recording into a DAW and supports multiple signal paths with more processsing power, but it's a close run thing. I've spent time practicing, playing and recording with the FH1500 and can now offer some insights - good and bad for this amp. The first thing anyone notices about this amp is that it's big. Not far off the dimensions of a Vox AC30 it is also somewhat weighty - lugging in at an arm-stretching 30kg. The top panel is minimalisic with a small matrix display, a bluetooth pairing button, delay-tap, a 'command' button, a huge volume knob and smaller knobs for controlling drive, tone, reverb and FX levels. People familiar with the Amplifi range of products will be at home. On the back there are enough connections to keep just about everybody happy: Footswitch (either the PBV MKII or the FBV3), XLR in (with level control), XLR out, headphones, USB connection, MIDI in / out / through. The front panel is held on with velcro and comes off quite easily (sometimes too easily) to reveal two 4" 2-way and one 12" drivers and a 8" horn - this gives you a total of 6 speakers. On mine I noticed that the finish of the front baffle was - there's no other word for it - "shoddy" considering the £750 I payed for this. The paint work was patchy and a sliver of wood was missing from one corner. The tolex finish seems tough, but even some mild manhandling into the back of a Volvo XC90 caused a disconcerting amount of marking. The corners are unprotected, but I've bought some chromed corner covers to protect them from now on. The pre-programmed sounds are OK. Nothing special, but a good basis to build on. There are plenty of tweaking options via the app (more about that later), but no MacOS or Windows based editing tools. Trying to tweak parameters using the top panel, or floorboard needs a lot of patience. I gave up - (and I have a higher degree in Computer Science). However, the thing that impressed me immediately was the clarity of the sound. Without headphones this goes from 'child sleeping in the next room' friendly to loud. And I mean loud. I've played this in a church reknown for swallowing amplified sounds - and it filled the place - with very little difference in the quality - other than the bass seems to increase as the 12" gets to flex more at higher volume levels and it sounding more 'alive'. Got a loud drummer? no problem. One option you have with this is to use it a a monitor / amp combo. Plug in, select your tone. Then send the output to an external mixing desk - they can do what they want with it. You can then take a stereo monitor feed from the desk back to the amp to act as a personal foldback (just remember to leave out your guitar in the returned feed). In this respect it is a very clever bit of kit. A trim knob allows you to balance it up. That way you get your own personal mix with you at exatcly the right level. The main volume knob has three modes which are selected by successive presses. The first controls the overall output from the power amp, the second the output from the modelling engine in to the power amp and the last the level of the currently selected patch. So there is a fair amount of control over balancing things up to your personal situation. The sound engine can also be tweaked depending on whether the amp is free standing, on the floor or against a wall. You also have mono / stereo / wide-stereo options with a global EQ. Some of the amp models are very responsive to the use of the tone control. This surprised me as older Line6 technology seemed to compress the input signal too much. Backing off the volume just sounded dreadful - if it did anything. One of my favorite models is the HD Plexi with the Bright Channel. This responds really well to the guitar's volume control going from semi-clean through crunchy to glorious overdrive. I could probably do an entire gig on one patch if there were enough effect combinations possible. Some of the models are less responsive, but it's a case of finding what works for you. One of the more elusive tones I've tried to emulate over the years is the Van Halen 'Balance' sound - think 'Amsterdam'. I essentially got 'very close' with the POD HD X, but even closer with this (you could probably nail it with the Helix, but life's too short). This gives you proper Wet/Dry/Wet output with stereo chorus substituting for Eddie's eventide harmonizers. Overall the amp models are good and are drawn from the HD and old 'XT' (and maybe earlier) models. However, some of the older models still sound better that their HD counterparts - something that surprised me. There are models that I will never use - from old retro classics to modern high-gain beasts. Most of the HD amp models are there, but HD effects seem to be a little thin on the ground limited to Delay and Reverb and a few others scattered about. If you are after pitch-shifting then you're limited to the 'Bender' which stutters in my experience - the HD Pitch Glide would be a welcome addition in a future update. So as a usable amplifier it seems on the face of it to do everything that you could expect - and a whole lot more. However, if you are used to a valve amp and floor full of pedals, this is a radical departure from your comfort zone. The best way to interact with the individual patches is via an external App (iOS or Android) which you connect via BlueTooth. This gives you access to the configuration of the FH1500 at system and patch level and is where things start to get a little more interesting. The App lets you create a virtual signal chain consisting of an amp-cab-mic arrangement and then slotting in effects either before or after the amp. These include volume, wah, stomp boxes, delays, reverbs, loopers, compressors and all sorts of stuff. You can tweak just about every parameter (using virtual sliders) even down to the power-sag of the amplifier transformer - if you want to. The number of potential combinations is possibly incalculable. Tweaking a parameter in the editor immediately sets that parameter on the amp so you are always hearing what you are editing. you can then store that patch away / rename it. The first couple of times you do this the 'Are You Sure' screens don't intrude too much, but after a while you just want a 'Save-And-Don't-Ask-Any-Questions-Button' I'm grown up, I have a backup - JUST GET ON WITH IT! That is the major issue I have with the App interface, one minor niggle is that if you want a precise setting on one of the sliders, it can be difficult to achieve on a phone. Occasionally, the pairing between amp and device seems to drop out inexplicably, but so far I've blamed it on sun-spot activity. The app also allows you to jam along to tracks on your phone, and will even suggest patches that reside on the Line6 servers to match the tone of the song you are playing. This is where the headphone socket comes in useful. However, I noticed that the output was in mono - even when 'wide' stereo effects were in use. I discovered that insering an XLR jack into one of the stage out sockets cured the problem. Great. But this is where the doubts started to creep in. On something that cost this much (relativle to monthly income) an oversight by the manufacturer in checking the headphone output on a stereo amp seems unthinkable. The solution to this problem is a 'hardware' fix which makes me think that unless this is a software issue in detecting the presence of an output - this may never get fixed unless the hardware is revised. Then there's the looper. Oh boy... Considering you'll probably be using this with an external floor board (the looper cannot be used without one) then why can't it work in the same way as the HD series where multiple buttons can be used to record / erase / overdub / stop / start? The single button function is awful and really lets this down. Why is this a problem? 1) As soon as you have recorded a loop - you seem to be straight into overdub mode, 2) to erase a loop you have to start playing it first and then hold the button to erase. Ugh. You could use an external stereo looper in the stereo effects loop (forgot to mention that earlier), but that's going away from the ethos of having an amp like this. After re-reading the manual I noticed a MIDI-implementation chart covering the parameters for looper-control. So, I dusted off my trusty old Behribger FB1010 and a couple of MIDI cables intending to assign looper fucntions to individul buttons - to no avail. The FH1500 seems to respond to program-change messages only. Now the doubts are starting to grow. An incomplete MIDI implementation is another oversight like the headphones and is starting to make me feel this thing isn't quite finished. Have I returned it ? No. Why? because it's a solid bit of kit that sounds great and I can live with the issues, but I am disappointed that I found them in a product at this price-point and in areas where you would have thought technology was well developed. So I've covered practising and playing live. What about recording? It's simple. I use Garage Band on a Mac which is essentially "ProTools for Dummies". As long as you don't set the output too high it works like a charm. You could Mic it up in a studio, but where's the fun in that? It sounds great with acoustic and bass guitars - there are amp models for them too. If you are looking at a Bl*******r BEAM, but want somethig you can gig too, then this just might be your baby. If all else faily you can use it as a PA. 1500 Watts is enought for anyone. Right? Conclusions: Overall this is an amazing bit of kit, and I would recommend it to anyone who is comfortable with the idea of Amp modelling and want to perform live at a reasonable price-point. However, in some areas it feels as though this is a rushed-to-market product. There are niggles and oversights that would have been resolved it more time were taken field testing with the target customer group. Many of these issues can probably be sorted via future software updates (there have been a few already), but my main concern is that some may be hardware-related and therefore unfixable outright. I may be wrong. Summary: Pros 1500 Watt FRFR sound system Wet / Dry / Wet output Excellent range of amp models and effects Sounds awesome Can be used as a monitor / mixer Bluetooth programming and streaming External app control looks good Cons Heavy Headphone output not stereo unless someting plugged into the XLR outs Occasianally no tone on turning on. Normally fixed by inserting and then removing the headphone jack. Looper overly complex / oversimplified. Build quality is a little disappointing (on mine anyway) Programming complex without bluetooth app. Lack of external MIDI support No obvious Quick Save facility No MacOS / Windows editing capability via USB Tuner is 440 only - no option to change to match other instruments

yep, looper functionality is a little 'wanting'. I have the MKII floorboard which I used with a POD HD Pro X. In that instance it worked really well, but it used a few more switches that the minimalistic FH1500 approach. This is the one thing preventing me giving up the HD - even despite it's 'advanced features'. There are a lot of pedals out there that use just one switch, but they don't seem to have the drawbacks we are finding. I have a spare MIDI floorboard knocking around and I can see that from the MIDI interfacing specs the FH1500 can handle specific messages for start / stop / overdub etc, but it would be good if these functions could be incorporated into an interface for the FH1500. FYI: FH1500 manual : Last page.

OK. They've release firmware 1.20.0 and no, it doesn't fix this issue, but my amp hasn't gone silent on me since the update...

Firmware 1.20 fixes the issue with the routing of the external inputs to the main outs via a setting parameter. Not sure what else has been fixed, but the headphones are still mono unless you have something in the RIGHT main out socket.