pbecker314

Another great amp for amplifying Helix and also the various POD units is the Spider Valve, either the original version or the MkII version. These amps have an effects return jack on the back that lets you run any external modeler through the Spider Valve's power amp and then to the speakers, so that you bypass the built-in SV preamp. The advantage here is that the SV amps are powered by a 40 watt 6L6 tube power amp which sounds great. And the combo models come standard with Celestion Vintage 30 speakers. It makes for a great tone with any good modeler. And these amps are available for great prices since they were discontinued many years ago. YMMV. Pete

Another great amp for amplifying Helix and also the various POD units is the Spider Valve, either the original version or the MkII version. These amps have an effects return jack on the back that lets you run any external modeler through the Spider Valve's power amp and then to the speakers, so that you bypass the built-in SV preamp. The advantage here is that the SV amps are powered by a 40 watt 6L6 tube power amp which sounds great. And the combo models come standard with Celestion Vintage 30 speakers. It makes for a great tone with any good modeler. And these amps are available for great prices since they were discontinued many years ago. YMMV. Pete

Hi, I have been reading your posts from 2016 when you were using a SV head to power your Helix into the Mesa 212 cab. Now I see that you have switched to the Fryette PS-2. I am now making that exact comparison between the two power amps for my helix, so I would be very interested on hearing your comparison between the Fryette PS-2 and the SV power amp. Thanks! Pete

Yeah, I would definitely like to have full control implemented via L6 link rather than having to run a separate MIDI cable. Last night I just left the amp in Topology I all night. To me, that setting is the most flexible and gives the best Fender clean tones, which are obviously a staple, especially since we're a one-guitar band. However it would have been nice to be able to easily switch to another setting without having to physically toggle the switch. I was able to dial in the distortion tones pretty well, using the same topology, so no problem, but it would have been interesting to be able to switch to Topology IV which is usually my go-to setting for heavier tones. I was just happy to be able to feel good about my stage tone, but the additional control flexibility would be the icing on the cake.

I've been gigging with Helix for a while now and trying all sorts of monitor options. I was trying to get comfortable with only hearing my guitar through a K10 monitor in front of me on stage, but somehow I wasn't able to get it dialed in. Since I already had a DT25, I decided to give that a shot. So I used DTedit to configure the amp with "no preamps" on Channel A, but I left Channel B alone so that I could use it as a backup amp if necessary. I had the amp raised up slightly and behind me on the stage. Bottom line is, it worked out stellar. One of my favorite nights for getting good tone on stage, at reasonable volume. I really enjoyed playing through that rig last night...and you know how it is when you can't get into that sweet spot, and are left struggling to get a tone that seems inspiring and big enough to get the room rocking. I got there last night. Very nice feeling. Also, plenty of volume. I don't like to play too loud, but I do need to get into the sweet spot, and that happened last night. I was using line level on the output from Helix to the amp, not instrument level, so there was plenty of signal hitting the DT25 input. The master volume was only about halfway up on the amp but it definitely rocked. I ran the signal from Helix into the regular guitar input on the DT25, but I plan to try using the L6 link. I guess it doesn't make too much difference, but I imagine the amp will be even quieter since the signal is passing in digital form over L6 link vs analog when you run it via a regular guitar cable. One never knows if it's completely reproducible in another room, but since it was all programmed patches, I know the generated tone will be the same at the next venue. However the acoustics will certainly be different, that is always the big unknown from night to night. Oh, one other thing, I ran the XLR out on the back of the DT25 directly into the FOH console and it sounded great through the mains. And no hassles with having to mic the amp. Very sweet. First time I've been completely happy with my stage tone in months

I would really like to be able to turn the EQ module on and off via a footswitch on the Firehawk FX. That seems like a super easy thing for them to implement in a new version of the firmware. Of course, I would like to see other new options as well, but a footswitchable EQ is at the top of the charts for me personally...just my 2 cents. Pete

I also have been enjoying the great audio quality of the G10, but I this past Saturday I was very surprised to see that it wouldn't power up at the gig. It turns out that the micro USB power plug had flexed enough to break the internal connection to the PC board inside the G10. Hence, no power. I have the unit permanently installed in a PedalTrain Pro board that is protected by a case when traveling. Nonetheless, it broke after only two shows. This design is definitely not road worthy. It's great if you've got it sitting on your desk hooked up to a computer, but if you are actively gigging, the durability is just not there in this design. It's elegant, yes, but just not robust enough. Give me a Boss-style standard power plug any day over this mini USB design. The fundamental electronic concept is brilliant, but if the power supply design is weak, the rest doesn't matter very much.

Hey Jim, Right, so like the man said, FOH=Front of House speakers, which for my band is a couple of QSC K12's along with two powered subs, running out of a Presonus board. I use the StageSource L2t as a stage monitor, so I run the 1/4" output from the Firehawk into the L2t input, set the stage volume to taste, and then pass the input signal out through the L2t output and into a channel on the board. I have never tried the Firehawk in front of an actual guitar amp, because these days I am running an amp-free rig. It took me a very long time to gradually make the shift away from a physical amp, but the band's stage volume was getting crazy so it became unavoidable. When I finally decided to do it, that led to a quest for decent tone without using an amp, and also without spending $3000. With my current rig, I have to say that I am happier than ever with my stage tone and also with what I'm hearing coming out of the FOH. And it didn't cost that much, especially since I was able to recycle some funds by selling my previous rigs. If you want to use the Firehawk in front of an amp, I recommend setting the amp very, very clean, and also not too bright, as I find the Firehawk tends to be fairly bright sounding. It is a pretty amazing piece of kit for not a lot of $$. Cheers, Pete

I have been using 4CM with the Firehawk by connecting my Tech 21 RK5 in the effects loop of the Firehawk. I really like the distortion tones on the RK5, and this way I can run the Firehawk virtual stomp boxes both before and after the RK5, plus also use the Firehawk EQ. This requires me to select "no amp" under the "clean amp" options in the Firehawk, but I still have access to the Firehawk cabs and mic sims, which I use after the loop with the RK5 to make it sound more amp-like. For patches where I need an actual clean amp tone, I just turn the Firehawk loop off (so that the RK5 is removed from the signal chain), and just run a clean Twin amp sim in the Firehawk, plus whatever effects I care to use. The whole package is very convenient, all of the pedals and the Firehawk sit together on a PT Pro board and it's all nice and stable. It also sounds very convincing through the FOH, and also through my StageSource L2t stage monitor, which I love. Regarding the specific question about whether the loop in the Firehawk kills the signal, I find no difference whether the RK5 is in the Firehawk loop or disconnected from the Firehawk. I may have deviated from the unity loop settings on the Firehawk, can't recall what the settings are offhand, but I remember experimenting with that when I first set the system up. I can tell you another thing for sure, the Firehawk is much more transparent than the Boss GT-100 that I used to use with the RK5 in exactly the same setup I described above. The Firehawk sounds much cleaner and a lot more dynamic than the GT-100. I put it down to better, more advanced electronics in the Firehawk's AD/DA converter technology, which is about 10 years newer than the GT-100.