guitar_junkie

Hi, Im new on here and this subject really interests me. I own both an AXE FXII which I typically run through a mesa 2:50 or engl e810/20 power amp into a variety of different cabs. It can sound great if you put the time in to learning how to set it up and programming your patches. You really have to spend a lot of time tweaking things to account for the fact that you are actually using a real tube power section and real guitar cabs... The AXE seems to me to be designed first and foremost to work with FRFR monitors and most of the AXE community these days has gone FRFR... Line 6 is clearly pushing in that direction as well, starting with the HD line, fire hawk, and most of all the Helix... This concept is something Ive had a really hard time wrapping my brain around.. Call me old school I guess but NO TUBES? Really? Really? Seems like a sketchy proposition to me at best... LOL However, I recently happened to pick up at DT50 and HD500 and for the first time ever with any line 6 products I was blown away by the tones I was getting and I LOVE the way the HD integrates with the DT! Optimizing the topology of the DT as you alter your HD amp settings is genius. I am used to line 6 processors Ive had in the past producing awful grainy digital sounding distortions that were really hard to work with regardless of having a good tube power section and I was more or less done with Line 6 as a company until the DT line caught my eye. Anyway, I think you all have made a bunch of really valid and excellent comments about the functionality of both types of rig and youv'e inspired my to try something I have been dreaming of for quite a long time! Im going to hook my AXEII up to a pair of DT's and use MIDI to make them interact with the AXE FX the same way the HD500 does, more or less anyway... My gut tells me the massive processing power of the AXE working hand in hand with a real tube amp with multiple voicings that can be altered to optimize the amp blocks used could be F'ing amazing! Ill dunno if anybody else is reading this post anymore but I will report back with results when I can.. Also, if anyone has done this please dont hesitate to reach out to me with suggestions or thoughts... I am not a midi genius by any means so Id love to hear from you.. Thanks -Andrew

Yes Line 6 has done a bang up job over the years of making all there gear integrate well and there is something to be said for that but I think that perhaps some of the folks in this discussion are missing the point of the DT series. Maybe before you get super upset about the lack of integration presently available with your helix you should take a moment to appreciate the inherent differences in these two products.. I love all the modeling technology we have at our disposal these days, its come a long ways over the past 15 years and I presently own both the AXE FXII and the helix which I am just starting to learn the ins and outs of. I use the AXE FX all the time for gigging, band practice, and other working situations.. It is able to recreate an incredible number of amp models very well, offers massive DSP, deep editing, and routing flexibility that is unparalleled for the working musician but all of these modelers are designed to be run through either an FRFR get up or a true stereo power amp and cab. Ive tried running my AXE FX and helix through a number of heads and combo amps using either 4 cord method, in the fx loop or straight into the front end of the amp but I have always felt that doing so does nothing but diminish the power of the modeler. After much exploration I personally like the sound I get running my modeling gizmos through a good stereo tube power amp and a good stereo guitar cab. For me the ENGL e810/20 stereo pwr amp and a pair of THD cabs 2x12 is the beez neez and though this is entirely subjective I often times leave all pwr amp and cab simulations on.. The DT50 I own is in my mind a completely different animal and it appeals to the Tube amp purist the still lurks inside me. Of all the line 6 products I have owned the DT is IMHO by far and away the most accurate take line 6 has produced on any of the 4 voicing options you have access to without using any midi or HD connections. They sound true to the originals in a way that that just stomps all the other stuff L6 products I have owned including the helix. This is especially true of the classic Fender tones, class A, and classic Brit voicing. The DT seems to capture all the subtle nuances of the originals that none of my modeling products can quite nail. Im referring to things like the picking dynamics, the bloom or Sag of the power tubes, the inherent compression found in real tube amps etc.. I think this is because there is minimal modeling happening and a truly excellent Bogner designed pwr section that is far better than those found in any of there other collaborations. Im just saying products are designed for specific purposes and you cant jam a square peg into a round hole.. Food for thought....