chuskey

I was using the modelled strat neck pick up sound. The only thing I changed was the tone control resistance value down to 100k. This tames the high end a little bit. I like to use the custom bank to have a mix of guitars and pickups, so it helps balance the tones across the board if the strat isn't too bright. That's totally a matter of taste though. I have a JTV69 and JTV59 and love them. Had the Variax 600 before them. I have a Les Paul Standard (had for 10 plus years) and a SRV Strat (had for 20 plus years) that hang on the wall of my studio. I love looking at them, but all I play are the JTV's. Mostly the 69 because I like the 5 way switch and trem.

I appreciate the kind words! I'm using the Ernie Ball light top heavy bottom. The high e is a .10. I used to use .11's, but as I've gotten older I've started having problems with my hands a little bit. Had to back off a gauge :)

Thanks man!

Thanks!

Did an open mic night and used JTV Variax>Helix>FOH, except for a Digitech Jamman Stereo for playing backing tracks. It went great and was totally happy with my tone!! Totally hassle free :) https://youtu.be/tpUnn8Xckf0

Number 2 point got me the other night. I ended up overwriting a patch rather than backing it up!

Hmmm, my buddy who has an AX8 says it is tethered for him. The unit acts as a server and the editor is a client. I've never tried it personally. But agree that untethered would be best for all around!

I noticed the same thing and was bummed. I too like doing editing, creating, and organizing patches away from the unit. Used to use HD Edit to do that. Not a huge deal, but still... If I'm not mistaken the Axe Edit system works the same way. My buddy who had the Axe FX II and now AX8 said it's the same way. It has to be connected to the device. Not sure why this route was taken, but I guess there's some reasoning behind it. Hopefully that will change on future versions. Still happy to have the editor though!

FWIW a friend of mine let me try out some redwirez IR's. I probably went through 60-75 different cabs/mics/distances, etc. I stuck with the stock Helix cabs. And I'm still not even using the dual cab option yet :) I'm sure I could have "gotten there" with the IR's, but I already had a tone I liked, so I figured why bother. I had this feeling like I had to try IR's and they had to be so much better, but thankfully I wasn't blown away. Much easier just to use what's built into Helix. I tend to play low/mid gain up to Plexi crunch so that might make a difference. I'm not looking for heavy tight, high gain 4x12 action :)

Any further comparisons we do, whether it by IR's, cab sims, etc, is purely for our own entertainment and enjoyment. I think it's fun getting these two units together and seeing what they're capable of. I don't have any interest in trying to root out any weaknesses in either device. I'm fully satisfied with my purchase and so is my friend, so neither of us are trying to further justify our choices. We just have a good time getting together, playing some guitar, and messing around with these two boxes. Even without Helix and AX8 to compare we still enjoy just getting together and messing around with different gear and playing some tunes. Maybe the title is baiting the waters a bit, but it's all in good fun imo. I don't see in harm in the discussion. And it may be useful to some who are on the fence and looking to compare the two of them and see what fits their needs the best. As stated I don't feel like either unit is "better" than the other one. Just different. I have to take breaks from TGP because as you said it can be a cesspool and it gets to me after a while. Most threads there devolve into pointless bickering. I like this forum much better :) Cheers

This is on the list of things to try next time we get together and compare them again. I'll be sure to provide clips too the next time we get together. I do also want to try the Helix cabs vs the AX8 cabs. I wasn't a fan of most of the cabs on the HD500X, only really found one or two that worked for my taste. I think the cabs have been much improved on the Helix so it will be interesting to put them against the AX8 directly and see how it turns out. Ultimately though I'm happy with my choice, he's happy with his, we're just doing this for the fun of it :)

I agree with your sentiment. One of the main points I hope was a take away from my original post was that they are both great units. It comes down to which one fits your personal needs the best. I tried at length to explain why I liked Helix for my needs, but at no point tried to take anything away from the AX8. At this point there's no clear "winner" and what I wish there would be less of is folks bashing the other guy's choice. I see it more on TGP than I do on here. Some of the posters over there seem to literally believe that it's impossible that their opinion could be wrong. Literally...... For me it's Helix, for my buddy it's AX8. Even though he's seriously considering getting a Helix too to go along with his AX8 :) Buy what makes you happy and most importantly use it to go out and make some music! That's what why we started playing to begin with right? :)

This post was copied and pasted from where I posted it on The Gear Page. I probably should have taken that line out for this forum. If you spend much time at TGP you'll understand that statement a little more. There is so much trash talking over there and people write off equipment based purely on the manufacturer and their own preferences. My statement (which was partially in jest) was a poke at those type of folks on that forum. Wasn't really meant to be taken verbatim, but I understand it seems out of context on this forum. Having said that.....it was SO EASY to get good tones from both of these units! Granted in this example part of the equation was the fact they were both running through the same power amp and speaker cabinet. So to some it isn't a "true" comparison. But we did next to zero "tweaking". Just dialed up amps and away we went. When I have more time I'm going to stop by his place again and do a comparison running them both direct as to compare the cab modelling of each.

When we compared them yesterday we didn't use any cab modelling so that could have leveled the playing filed a little. I know cab models have never been Line 6's strongest area. Having said that I couldn't determine any clear advantage that the AX8 had tone and feel wise. The Helix held it's own and then some. Next time we get together I want to try out both units through FRFR with cab modelling on just to see. Also I'd like to try them both using the same 3rd party IR. At the end of the day these are both awesome units. He's happy with his and I'm happy with mine, but we both enjoy doing these comparisons for the fun of it :)

Had a fun time comparing a buddy of mine's AX8 today to my Helix! We've each only had our respective units for a very short amount of time so there are things about each we're still learning. However I've been a LONG TIME Line 6 user and he's been an Axe FX user for several years. So not completely new territory. Spoiler alert: If you can't get a good tone out of either one of these units, it's your fault. Plain and simple. It's not that your ears are that discerning, you just don't know what you're doing. Sorry, maybe guitar playing isn't your calling. With that out of the way let me move on. The signal path was Crate Powerblock into Friedman 2x12 with one Vintage 30 and one Creamback. It produced about as much "amp in the room" sound as you could ask for. All tones done on each unit were amp only with no speaker modelling. As a side note, also in the room was a Friedman Dirty Shirley with matching 1x12 cabinet, so there was a high end tube amp there for reference. Admittedly I felt like bringing a Line 6 product into a room with a Fractal product for a comparission put me as the underdog. From everything I've read online the Helix has the competition beat on features, but what about pure amp tone? I'm here to say that the Helix held it's own and then some. At no point did I feel like the Helix was a step behind the AX8. Just dialed up an amp and it sounded amazing right out of the gate. Something Line 6 has MASSIVELY struggled with in the past. I've owned literally every incarnation of Line 6's product line and this is the first time they've produced a product that doesn't demand a ton of tweaking to find the magic sweet spot. This opinion was echoed by my friend who is a long time Fractal user. So not just my opinion in a vacuum. As a Helix user I feel compelled to point out the positives of it in this comparison, so that's exactly what I'm going to do. Not to take anything away from the AX8, but this is where I'm coming from. I'll leave room for AX8 users, or my friend with the AX8, to chime in here. Here are the pluses for Helix: The UI: on the Helix it is far and away more advanced than on the AX8. I'm speaking in terms of the on unit UI and not the PC editor. The Helix Editor isn't out yet so no way to compare that. But for using each unit stand alone the Helix UI is hands down the winner. Everything is faster, easier, and more intuative. Assigning pedals and controllers, using pedal edit mode, etc. Not a knock on the AX8, just showing how much design effort went into the Helix UI. Flexibility and routing: Again, this is another area that Helix shines. If you can dream it up, you can route it in Helix. And do so very easily thanks to a very intuative UI. Want a signal path with 4 drives, 6 delays, and 3 reverbs? No problem with Helix. Plus the 4 physical send/receives give you loads of flexibility to incorporating outboard gear. Need to route your dry guitar signal one place, your wet guitar signal another, and the looper another? No problem. Ease of creating tones: I was surprised that my vote for this would go to Helix. As a long time Line 6 user I'm used to spending hours dialing in the perfect tone. With Helix things just work. We found that amps, and especially effects, were very quick on the Helix. Everything was more or less in place and ready to go. You just had to add it to the signal chain and make adjustments to suit your taste. Ease of use: When using this as a live unit I have to give the nod to Helix here. The scribble strips, with customize-able text, were gold. I know exactly what function each pedal is performing. Something that was a challenge on the HD500(X). Along with the very large color screen showing exactly what's going on it's a breeze to use this thing live. The AX8 takes a more basic approach, and is very workable, but not on the same level as Helix. Built in expression pedal: Having a built in expression pedal, with a toe switch, is a big deal. At least to me. With an external pedal I'm left to choose one function of the expression pedal instead of two. Overall tone: I felt like this could go either way. On this day I think our Helix presets were pretty rockin', but either unit can be tailored to do EXACTLY what you want. They both sound awesome. I can say with all honesty though that the Helix didn't give up an inch tone wise. Which surprised the both of us. BTW, the Friedman Dirty Shirley model on the AX8 was spot on and we both felt like bringing the "real" dirty shirley into the equation was pointless. The AX8 simply sounded as good or better than the real deal. Sorry tube snobs, but facts are facts Pluses for the AX8: It did sound really good! There's no denying that, nor any reason to. It's an awesome unit. Amp models: In terms of sheer number of amp models there isn't a contest between these two units. The AX8 far outpaces the Helix by a mile. However the question is how many amp models do you need? Maybe I'm playing devil's advocate here, but I don't find that I have trouble covering all the ground I need with Helix's selection. Totally a matter of opinion though. Much respect for the sheer amount of work Cliff has put into modelling this number of amps. If the amount of amp models is most important to you then there is no comparison. Form factor: This could go either way. Overall I'll take the Helix because of the built in expression pedal and increased number of ins/outs. But I do like the compactness of the AX8. The Helix is big and heavy. I'm a Helix owner so obviously you can tell that I am going to lean towards the Helix. Having said that I can say with COMPLETE honesty that the Helix really shined today when comparing the two. All things being equal I take the Helix all day long and don't regret the purchase for a minute. My buddy was even joking about buying one once he sold off some of his other gear Most importantly though is that fact that there are two INCREDIBLE units on the market for, given what they do, not a lot of money. It is an amazing time to be a guitar player. I've been playing way long enough to remember when it wasn't so. I remember playing through a Crate solid state amp.....wow how times have changed!! So as a community let's be thankful for the tools at our disposal. We live in a great time to be a musician and let's truly appreciate these miracle boxes that can be had for less than the cost of a Marshall half stack "back in the day". Or this day for that matter. Cheers!

Thanks!

Thanks for the feedback :) I actually don't change pick up positions at any point during the song, only turn effects on/off on Helix. Which section of the song were you referring to?

Outstanding!! Very inspiring playing. The tone is pretty great too :)

Ask and you shall receive :) http://line6.com/customtone/tone/1922129/

Thanks so much!

Working up an instrumental version of Little Wing to perform for an upcoming open mic night. Thought I'd lay down a version for practice and see how it's coming along. First few sections I play like the SRV version and then deviate. A lot of improv so I never play a "perfect" version, but it is what it is :) Signal chain was JTV Variax Strat neck position pickup into Line 6 Helix recorded directly over USB into Ableton Live. No processing done in Ableton whatsoever. I'd love to hear any feedback. https://soundcloud.com/chuskey/little-wing-with-line-6-helix

That's a great point and something I'll be looking into to trying. First thing out of the gate was to get to a good starting point. It's only uphill from here :)

Thanks for the kind words on my playing! Cheers

Thanks for the guesses. Survey says: A: HX B: HD I think the HD had the advantage of me having spent many hours over the course of years getting it "just right". The HX had a little more top end on it which I think constituted the consensus that it was "harsher" and the other tone was "warmer". I didn't have any early reflections dialed in..yet. The HX patch was done rather quickly in an afternoon so there is still a lot of room for improvements. One of the things that surprised me was how well the HD tone help up in comparison and was some justification that I wasn't crazy, you could make that unit sound really good :) Not so much on this forum, but the HD takes a lot of heat in other forums I won't mention for not being able to deliver the goods. Back on Helix I'm still blown away by the amount of routing, effect, and control options of the HX. I have barely scratched the surface of what it can do. It feels like if I can think up a scenario the Helix can accommodate it. The patch I'm using has 3 drive pedals, 3 reverbs, 4 delays, univibe, compressor, tremolo, solo boost and this morning at church I used everything in the patch at some point except for the tremolo. With one patch I'm able to literally cover every base I can think of. And I haven't even started building a Plexi patch, AC30 patch, Fender combo patch, etc. Not to mention wacky special effects type stuff. I could lock myself in the studio for the next month solid and not run out of stuff to try. Thank you Line 6 for an amazing product!!

Just picked up a helix this weekend and so far I'm loving it! First order of business was to recreate my main patch that I've been using for years on my HD500X. It's based on a Dr. Z model and I've been really happy tone wise. Quite honestly it was the additional features, routing, options, etc that drew me to Helix. I wasn't unhappy with my tone at all. So anyway I built the patch in Helix and thought it would be fun to A/B them. Here's a link to it on Soundcloud. Dr.Z amp and cab, some reverb, delay, and a couple of tube screamers. I'll take a few guesses on which is which before I say what's what, just for fun :) https://soundcloud.com/chuskey/helix-vs-hd500 Technical bits: Used a Variax via the VDI. Captured the dry signal via USB and reamped, so it's the same performance for both tracks.