DarrellM5

Thanks. I knew I saw something about that somewhere.

They modeled the Cali correctly, including the 5 band EQ. I believe that they decided to 'break out' the EQ into a standalone effect afterwards.

Lightly touching the FS will select the assigned block on the screen. If you touch the FS for 2 seconds it will let you assign that FS to whichever block is currently selected on the screen. To assign additional blocks to the same FS, just use the joystick to select the block and touch the FS for 2 seconds again. If you'd like to have one effect on and the other off and then have the FS toggle between the two, just assign the first one to the FS, use the joystick to select the second one, press BYPASS to turn that block off and then assign it to the FS as well.

If the transmitter turns green, when inserted into the guitar, it's not a problem with it being seated completely. I'd recommend trying an adapter. If the adapter works it's probably the reverse wiring issue.

I've owned the HD500X and I still own the DT25. If I were starting from scratch, and only had the 2 choices you offer, I'd go with the Firehawk. The HD500X can probably get just as good of tones as the Firehawk but it really requires a lot of tweaking for most people. The Firehawk looks much easier for quickly dialing in great tones. I currently use a Helix along with my DT25 and PA speakers.

Welcome to the Variax world. There are a lot of discussions on US vs. Korean and it really boils down to individual preference and budget. For me, the Korean version was a no-brainer. Excellent build quality; it comes out of the same factory that build PRS SE and Chapman guitars, and it has the same electronics as the US version. I have the JTV-69 but may end up getting a used 89 one day.

It seems to work just like the external battery chargers for our cell phones. It must be a direct connection. My solution is to leave the base plugged in all the time.

One fun way to learn the Helix is to create a patch as if you just walked into a music store, with a lot of money, to put together a rig from scratch. Then start choosing the pedals, amps and effects you would buy and see how it sounds. I do this all the time.

I just copy and paste a blank preset over it.

The routing is a piece of cake and very fast to set up. You say "exact same amps" like it's a bad thing. If they were the exact same models then I would agree. But the HX models sound a lot better than the HD models did. It's also not "months and months between upgrades". Yesterday's 2.0 upgrade was huge BTW. We got all 3 channels of the Mesa Boogie Mk IV, a couple more new amps, several new effects and Snapshots (similar to Fractal's scenes). I'm also a fan of the Kemper and Axe FX.

I'd definitely try a wall outlet.

Yep, it works great. I'm using it constantly. I originally planned on keeping my HD500X as a backup and for the DT integration. After 1 week with the Helix I ended up selling the HD500X because I realized I could never see myself going back to it.

Is it worth 3x as much as the HD500X? To me, absolutely. I could never go back to the HD500X. Better fx, better amps, way better routing options, A 25' MIDI cable runs $12 from Sweetwater. 50' costs a little more. Helix is way more intuitive programming wise. It's much easier to create a patch than on the HD500X.

I haven't had any problems with either of mine but I'm just using them at home or on vacation; no gigging.

I think the current solution is to rename the IRs. Either give them a name that resembles the preset (Chris Beaver does an excellent job of this with his free patches and IRs) or have each one start with 01, 02, 03, etc...

One thing you can do is create a preset that has it where you want it and then copy and paste that preset into all your slots. That way you have kind of a starting template that includes your fx send/return.

Why wouldn't sending a MIDI command to select the topology you want work for you? It works for me.

You're welcome. I do think it's a rare issue though as the G10 worked on both of my bass guitars and 16 of my 17 guitars that have output jacks. It even worked fine on my ESP LTD MH-401NT, which also has active EMG pickups like the Ibanez 7-string that it didn't work on.

Very nice job man!!! Better than anything I've seen to date. I'm sure I'll be referring to it constantly. Thanks for taking the time.

"That Pedal Show" on YouTube just put out a new video in which they're comparing 4 different Tube Screamers, along with a few other pedals. Good episode. I don't own a Tube Screamer but I do have a 1985 Ibanez SD-9 Sonic Distortion, which sounds identical to the Hedgehog model in Helix.

The G10 sounds great to me. I'll try some direct comparisons to cable this weekend.

Since those are both active pickup guitars, the battery ground and audio ground might need to be swapped on the output jack. That was the case with my Ibanez 7-string. One way to check it is to try it with a simple mono-to-mono adapter. I picked one up at GC for around $4. If you don't mind the extra length, the adapter could be your solution as well.

I like these from Amazon for $22.42 each and free shipping. https://www.amazon.com/PYLE-PRO-PSTND2-Tripod-Speaker-Stand/dp/B000E0PPG0/ref=sr_1_17?s=musical-instruments&ie=UTF8&qid=1467206444&sr=1-17&keywords=pyle

I think it can easily replace several guitars. I have a '91 Fender Strat that hardly comes off the rack anymore because the Variax sounds just as good. It also sounds a bit better than my Les Paul Studio but not quite as good as my ESP LTD-401VF (Les Paul copy) with 36th Anniversary DiMarzio pickups (these pickups are modeled after the PAF's in Larry DiMarzio's personal '59 LP). I like my guitar collection (I currently have 20) but if I had to downsize, my JTV-69 would be competing with my EBMM Majesty for 'last guitar standing'. For a gigging musician the Variax makes even more sense as it can convincingly pull off any of the models in a mix. The alternate tunings are icing on the cake.

There could be a lot of reasons like: Maybe he prefers the tone of his particular Les Paul / Pickup combination over the '59 LP Variax model Maybe he wanted to demonstrate that the patches work just as well with a regular guitar He might have switched just because Les Pauls and Marshalls are a very typical combination I'd recommend asking him in the comments. He's very good about responding. BTW, I had his Monsters of Metal pack when I owned my HD500X and it was outstanding. Glenn definitely knows tone. You could also send him a message on here and ask him. His screen name is gangsterusa.