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So why is it taking sooooo long for Helix to be readily Available.


lefttygtr
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Unfortunately this is probably all too true.  I travel for work, and have visited at least 5 different Guitar Centers in the past month, in different cities.  Not a single associate at any of these locations had any real clue about when they were getting units.  Truth be told, not a single one of them had actually seen a unit firsthand. But its not their fault -- they can't sell or deliver you what they don't have. Instead, they have to say "something" to keep you hopeful. It sucks, but that's reality.

The only Guitar Centers authorized to sell Helix (at least right now) are Platinum stores. IIRC, there aren't more than 15-20 Platinum GCs nationwide. Unfortunately, it's gonna be a while before anyone can just walk into any of the 200+ GCs and pick up Helix.

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The only Guitar Centers authorized to sell Helix (at least right now) are Platinum stores. IIRC, there aren't more than 15-20 Platinum GCs nationwide. Unfortunately, it's gonna be a while before anyone can just walk into any of the 200+ GCs and pick up Helix.

"Platinum" stores? Anyone else find this amusing, or is it just me?

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"Platinum" stores? Anyone else find this amusing, or is it just me?

 

I live a few miles from one of these stores (the one in Edina, MN), and I have to say it is a bit nicer than the typical GC. They tend to have more higher end stock all-around. Not surprising, really, given that Edina is one of the wealthiest suburbs in the whole metro area (which is why I don't actually live in Edina...).

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"Platinum" stores? Anyone else find this amusing, or is it just me?

 

The Platinum store in Las Vegas is the nicest GC I've ever visited.  Beautiful store with a huge selection of higher end gear than one would normally find at a GC.  They even have Friedman Amps and Kemper Profilers, 

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I live a few miles from one of these stores (the one in Edina, MN), and I have to say it is a bit nicer than the typical GC. They tend to have more higher end stock all-around. Not surprising, really, given that Edina is one of the wealthiest suburbs in the whole metro area (which is why I don't actually live in Edina...).

Conceptually, I get it...but in an economy where brick and mortar retail is on life support for a variety of reasons, it's just funny that companies continue to cling to dying business models. On the rare occasions when I've wandered into any of my local UberShredporiums, it's always a ghost town...even in the densely populated suburban sprawl in which I'm cocooned, with one of the highest costs of living in the country. Years ago, it was often standing room only (and the horrible cacophony that went with it)...I have no idea how they stay in business anymore.

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Conceptually, I get it...but in an economy where brick and mortar retail is on life support for a variety of reasons, it's just funny that companies continue to cling to dying business models. On the rare occasions when I've wandered into any of my local UberShredporiums, it's always a ghost town...even in the densely populated suburban sprawl in which I'm cocooned, with one of the highest costs of living in the country. Years ago, it was often standing room only (and the horrible cacophony that went with it)...I have no idea how they stay in business anymore.

 

Yeah, I do kind of wonder how GC has managed to cling to life as long as it has. This particular store is actually pretty busy on the weekends, but I have no idea how their sales are. From my perspective, it doesn't seem like guitars are flying of the walls, especially expensive ones.

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Well I got excited earlier this week when GC put a hold on the funds in my bank account... but then... a couple of days later.. they released again, just like they did at the beginning of the month.  Seems like a bit of odd practice, but the money is sitting there so I guess it doesn't matter.  

 

Would really like to have this unit before NAMM.

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I'd really like to have mine before their next product comes out...

Lmao...

 

I understand retailers are already taking pre-orders for the new Line 6 "?", MSRP:?, delivery guaranteed sometime before The Rapture, and if not who cares? Wherever you land, guitars will be the least of your concerns... ;)

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If I don't have it by NAMM ya'll should start to feel sorry for them... cause they'll likely have to deal with me at their booth for 4 days and my wife will attest... NO ONE should have to put up with me for four days straight when I'm grumpy..... even when when I'm not grumpy that's a bit much..  

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Did line 6 grossly underestimate the demand for the helix? It's funny how MF shows January delivery date and GC December, same Wharehouse!

None of the retailers seem to have any clue when to expect them. I don't get how the MF and GC dates are so far apart though. It's understandable that Line 6 underestimated initial demand for the Helix, especially given the huge difference in price in relation to previous products. It's been available for two months though, so I guess I don't quite understand why more accurate availability dates can't be passed along to consumers when ordering.

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I just posted the following in another thread:

 

I'm getting completely hosed here.  My ship date mysteriously switched to frikkin' 1/11.  GC is still saying 12/11, but I'm noticing an interesting trend here.  The date will show as green and then turn a few days later.  Then it stays red for a day or two and then they switch the backorder date.  MF's latest 'adjustment' has pretty much sealed the deal for me.  If I don't get mine by the ship date they inferred on the phone yesterday I'm likely just going to let it go.  I've made it this far with my current rig and I can make it further.

 

I do hold L6 partially responsible for this.  I get the corporate environment.  I understand ship date snafus.  But somewhere between them and the end user (meaning us), there is a prolonged disconnect.  I have to imagine that the retailers are hearing projections from L6.  I'm not saying that it is strictly an L6 issue, but they 100% absolutely should be giving us updates.

 

This is a fun and informative forum.  I appreciate everything Line6 Tony and Digital Igloo do here as well.  Somebody in procurement needs to communicate a realistic, somewhat transparent update on these delays.  The retailers are getting hammered by PO'd customers and I'm sure they would appreciate the assist from their vendor.  At this point we are past unreliable and venturing in to unprofessional.

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The retailers are getting hammered by PO'd customers and I'm sure they would appreciate the assist from their vendor. At this point we are past unreliable and venturing in to unprofessional.[/font][/color]

I keep seeing guys posting that they just placed an order, and expect it in a few days...just saw a new thread a minute ago. So they're either super lucky, full of sh*t, or delusional. Maybe you'll have better luck ordering elsewhere, if you can find a place that actually has some in stock. If I'd been jerked around this much, I'd be cutting my losses, canceling the order, and just waiting it out. Sooner or later they'll be in stock everywhere. You won't get it any sooner, but at least it would cut down on the aggravation.

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This whole journey started on 11/3.  The MF clown put in the wrong ship address.  It took me a week to get him to change it over to my office instead of my doorstep.  Instead of simply editing my ship address he cancelled my order and resubmitted.  That threw me in the back of the line despite his insistence that it wouldn't.  It recorded my new order date as 11/11.  which turned to the 24th.  Which turned to 12/4.  Which turned to 12/11.  Which turned to 1/11.  

 

MF:  Get your heads out of your collective arses.

 

L6:   Start paying attention to your vendors, give them and the end users an update, and tend to your reputation.  I've defended you guys for years against hardcore Digitech, Fractal, and traditional pedal users.  Now you should be defending yourselves against a serious loss of credibility in terms of your ability to deliver on your word.

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This whole journey started on 11/3. The MF clown put in the wrong ship address. It took me a week to get him to change it over to my office instead of my doorstep. Instead of simply editing my ship address he cancelled my order and resubmitted. That threw me in the back of the line despite his insistence that it wouldn't. It recorded my new order date as 11/11. which turned to the 24th. Which turned to 12/4. Which turned to 12/11. Which turned to 1/11.

 

MF: Get your heads out of your collective arses.

 

L6: Start paying attention to your vendors, give them and the end users an update, and tend to your reputation. I've defended you guys for years against hardcore Digitech, Fractal, and traditional pedal users. Now you should be defending yourselves against a serious loss of credibility in terms of your ability to deliver on your word.

That's really unfortunate that MF is not able to correct a mistake that is clearly their error. I have to think that they should be able to get you one before 1/11 though. They've probably just finally figured out that they need to be very conservative with their estimates based upon past shipments of the Helix. I was just told that mine is delayed too, so I know the frustration...at least with the delays not caused by blatant mistakes. I completely agree with you that Line 6 needs to be providing better communication to the retailers. They are all missing their estimated dates, which shows that their orders are not being fulfilled as they are being told. I just keep telling myself how amazing the Helix is going to be. I've seriously never been so excited for a piece of gear...and I've been playing for 30 years.

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I've seriously never been so excited for a piece of gear...and I've been playing for 30 years.

 

That's an interesting statement and it gave me a moment to pause.  I can honestly say that the gear I get most excited about is that which I already have.  Not that I'm not seriously anticipating the Helix. 

 

I go through different phases with my guitars.  I've been on a Les Paul kick for the past six months or so and last night I've felt pangs for busting out the shredding team (Ibanez, Charvel, Jackson).  When I bust out a guitar I've been neglecting it gives me such a rush.  Different action, different sound, different attack, etc.  Sure we all want FX control, but it all comes down to our fingers, our style, and our taming of individual instruments.  

 

My classicals are beckoning as well.  It's the time of year to dust off Linus and Lucy, Nutcracker, etc.

 

PS:  This doesn't let you off the hook L6 Team.  Give us a damn update!

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That's an interesting statement and it gave me a moment to pause.  I can honestly say that the gear I get most excited about is that which I already have.  Not that I'm not seriously anticipating the Helix.

 Yes to that. I should have said that it's the most excited that I've been about getting a NEW piece of gear. I've never been one for amp modeling in the past (or anything other than a tube amp), and I actually stumbled across the Helix quite by accident. I had purchased an HD500X for the effects and MIDI capabilities with absolutely no desire to use the modeling. I was using it with the 4CM and my 5150 III and was happy with the results. I learned about the Helix about a week after I had it, but I was shocked by the price. On a whim, I watched some YouTube videos on it. Needless to say, the HD500X went back immediately, and I placed an order for the Helix. If the Helix sounds as good as what I've heard and what I've read, it's going to completely change everything on my current rig. I still plan to use it with my amp, but it will cover any tone that my amp does not do well. That coupled with it's amazing effects, UI, and control capabilities has got me extremely stoked to get it. I've never preordered or ordered anything not in stock before, but I made the exception here because I think that the Helix is going to be that good. Now if we can just get Line 6 and the retailers to communicate with one another and us, none of us will have to be upset when our orders are not shipped on the "expected shipment dates". 

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I just found out what is going on.

 

There was a QC problem, so they switched suppliers.  They ran into a problem with said supplier.  They don't know when they will be shipping.  I spoke to somebody in management at MF and they chased down the procurement people.  My ship date is optimistic. GC and AMS is either BS or they will be shipping buggy units.

 

How f'd up is that?  Why the f wouldn't Line 6 tell this to the vendors?  Why the f wouldn't they tell it to us?  This is absolute BS.  

 

I'm going back to Flamenco.  Wake me when somebody pulls their head out long enough to authorize some information on this.

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I just found out what is going on.

 

There was a QC problem, so they switched suppliers.  They ran into a problem with said supplier.  They don't know when they will be shipping.  I spoke to somebody in management at MF and they chased down the procurement people.  My ship date is optimistic. GC and AMS is either BS or they will be shipping buggy units.

...

 

Now that has me really concerned, a "QC problem"!  Should I be worried that I already have a Helix?  Are they changing hardware in between batches? Did they have any specifics on what the QC problem was?

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I just found out what is going on.

 

There was a QC problem, so they switched suppliers. They ran into a problem with said supplier. They don't know when they will be shipping. I spoke to somebody in management at MF and they chased down the procurement people. My ship date is optimistic. GC and AMS is either BS or they will be shipping buggy units.

Interesting information. This would obviously explain the delay, but I'm still confused why the MF and GC dates are still so far off. They are the same company shipping from the same warehouse. Also, Sweetwater now says arriving soon on their site instead of worth the wait, and AMS says 12/11. So is everyone except MF misinformed, or are they all shipping defective units? If this is true, I certainly understand why L6 would not want to share it with everybody. They could have easily said that they were having production issues though. Now not only do we not know when it's coming, but we get to hope that there's not a "QC problem" when it arrives. Please make some sort of statement on this, L6.

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How f'd up is that? Why the f wouldn't Line 6 tell this to the vendors? Why the f wouldn't they tell it to us? This is absolute BS.

 

Well, this is all hearsay anyway...retailers have a long and storied tradition of telling breathtaking lies, particularly if it effectively shifts blame and gets an angry customer of their back. So there's no proving anything either way, and none of it would hold up in court.

 

That being said, the answer to your question (unfortunately) is obvious. We could argue all day long about whether or not there's a moral or ethical obligation to scream QC issues from the rooftops, but the real question is why would they? Calling attention to the flaws of your recently released and hotly anticipated product, is a great way to get people to shop somewhere else...not to mention making every existing customer's butt itch, wondering when their unit will crap out. So you'll never see any company do that. You think the auto industry issues recalls out of the kindness of their hearts? Recalls are very expensive. No, they do it because there are consumer product safety laws that require them to do so, but this wasn't always the case. Back in the good old days, the ONLY way you'd ever find out about the faulty wiring, was after your car burst into flames. Welcome to the business world...it's a nice place. ;)

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I just found out what is going on.

 

There was a QC problem, so they switched suppliers.  They ran into a problem with said supplier.  They don't know when they will be shipping.  I spoke to somebody in management at MF and they chased down the procurement people.  My ship date is optimistic. GC and AMS is either BS or they will be shipping buggy units.

 

How f'd up is that?  Why the f wouldn't Line 6 tell this to the vendors?  Why the f wouldn't they tell it to us?  This is absolute BS.  

 

I'm going back to Flamenco.  Wake me when somebody pulls their head out long enough to authorize some information on this.

 

 

Like others have said, hearsay at best. Where did you get this info from?  Also this is the 4th quarter where retail makes the majority of their money. Retailers want you to buy , buy, buy, buy. Of course the dates won't be accurate. All companies have QC issues with vendors, just a product of the business. The quality rate of vendors is directly reflected in the per unit cost. So companies look for vendors that have the cheapest unit cost, vs reliability and reject rate.  As for Line 6, the demand is so high, that any hiccup if there is one is magnified.

 

As for me, I will wait unit this summer after the initial honeymoon phase is over to see if the Helix is really all that.

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MAJOR RETRACTION

 

I just did a workaround outside of MF.  Total bulllollipop on their part.  Yes, they can't make them fast enough, no there hasn't been a QC or supply interruption.  MF is going to be called on the carpet for this.  Not sure if it is going to help on my delivery, but I do know that people at MF are going to be called to task.

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MAJOR RETRACTION

 

I just did a workaround outside of MF. Total lollipop on their part. Yes, they can't make them fast enough, no there hasn't been a QC or supply interruption. MF is going to be called on the carpet for this. Not sure if it is going to help on my delivery, but I do know that people at MF are going to be called to task.

Good to hear. Although I had no intention of changing my mind about Helix, I was worried about having to wait even longer to get it.

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I live a few miles from one of these stores (the one in Edina, MN), and I have to say it is a bit nicer than the typical GC. They tend to have more higher end stock all-around. Not surprising, really, given that Edina is one of the wealthiest suburbs in the whole metro area (which is why I don't actually live in Edina...).

Cool, phil_m, we're practically neighbors, then. I live 1.5mi  from GC Edina myself (though I also cannot afford to live in Edina) and I like that store. Totally on board that they seem to  be better stocked all around,considering I've purchased virtually every single piece of Line6 gear I've had since 2008 and almost every other piece of gear as well. Got my HD500, DT50 and Helix there. In fact, the manager of that store has a distribution list (or at least, it seems to come from the manager) and I am in it... this is how I scored mine. I got an email saying something like "They're Here!" and a photo of the Helix, so I called right before my lunch break. They checked inventory and they told me that they had received ONE that very morning, so I asked if they would agree to set it aside and I would pick it up right away... they said yes, so I skipped lunch (but completely worth it) and flew (good thing cops were MIA that day) to the store. They cancelled my online order (which probably made the day for whoever was once spot past the last available online Helix for that batch) and walked out with "my precious" under my arm. Even the "platinum" GC stores had very limited inventory so, I would infer that the reason why not all stores got one was because there just weren't enough Helixes to send one to each store.

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MAJOR RETRACTION

 

I just did a workaround outside of MF.  Total lollipop on their part.  Yes, they can't make them fast enough, no there hasn't been a QC or supply interruption.  MF is going to be called on the carpet for this.  Not sure if it is going to help on my delivery, but I do know that people at MF are going to be called to task.

 

Great news! Glad to hear there was not a QC issue. The last thing you want to hear as an early adopter is that there are Quality Control problems or impacting hardware changes from one production run to the next.

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I don't think anyone is on you about it -- probably more relieved it was MF again in the wrong -- seems to be there a lot lately.... As a customer who's only bought a few things from them, I've not had this experience, but word of mouth on them is not good, and it only hurts their credibility & ultimately sales, I'd think.... The more they're seen to be pulling stuff like that, the worse it is for their bottom line, in the long run. I'd think their management would be (should be) alarmed of the reputation they're getting on this stuff. I've gotten my JTV's & Helix and some other stuff at Sweetwater, and have always been treated well -- just never have lucked out with any price reductions...

 

Dave

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I called Guitar Center (855-770-3373) on Monday (11/30) asking for a status (on an order my local Guitar Center put in for me on the Helix). They said status was "Processing Shipment", and should ship Wednesday (today).

 

I called back today for status, and now it's "backordered". I feel like I got bumped.

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Update:  I called my local Guitar Center (Madison, WI) to see what the status was.  My thinking was "they placed the order for me, so maybe they'll have a better idea".  Anyhow, they said the status shows "Shipped".  I told them what the rep from Guitarcenter.com told me, and he said "I'll call them and talk to them about it, and I'll call you back".  So he did, and he was told to "refresh his screen", which he did, and then it said "backordered" for him too.

 

I asked why the Guitarcenter.com website says "in stock & ready to ship" then... to which he said "I asked them that, and I was told that there's only one, and it's a broken demo unit from the launch that they haven't taken out of the system yet".

 

I was told that the 12/18 ship date is accurate for Guitar Center though.  Take all that for what it's worth.

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So here we are now the date is 1-12-2016 but I guess that is ok it is still a ramp up issue.......BS. Line 6 is now under Yamaha so they should have plants ready to handle the ramp up with little or no problems. This is just another line6 let down but that is ok. Because of the wait I have gotten back into my DT25 hd500 rig and have been using it to my delight along with the positive grid bias fx which sounds amazing. I have cancelled my Helix order and want nothing more to do with it. I really wish Line6 could have done a better job planning for this product.

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So here we are now the date is 1-12-2016 but I guess that is ok it is still a ramp up issue.......BS. Line 6 is now under Yamaha so they should have plants ready to handle the ramp up with little or no problems. This is just another line6 let down but that is ok. Because of the wait I have gotten back into my DT25 hd500 rig and have been using it to my delight along with the positive grid bias fx which sounds amazing. I have cancelled my Helix order and want nothing more to do with it. I really wish Line6 could have done a better job planning for this product.

 

 

Being owned by another company doesn't nessesarily mean that things will change that much. Many companies like Yamaha want to diversify their offerings (Like Yamaha doesn't have enough Diversity) and buy companies, but are pretty much hands off unless the financials are suffering or there are issues with management.

 

But Line 6 really blew it IMO with the lack of availible units over the holiday season which in retail is the biggest shopping quarter of the year. Ther are definitley sales they will loose since many on the fence buyers will look elsewhere for Christmas presents. They probbaly were hoping to get these units out before the Holiday season and were rushing to do so. The fact they had to go to wherehouses and update the firmware tells me they were still  not ready and still were working on many bugs.

 

But every day I see Helix units up for sale on eBay (rediculous prices) and Sweetwater always seems to have a few every day of open box ones that people have returned, although they go pretty fast.

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Being owned by another company doesn't nessesarily mean that things will change that much. Many companies like Yamaha want to diversify their offerings (Like Yamaha doesn't have enough Diversity) and buy companies, but are pretty much hands off unless the financials are suffering or there are issues with management.

 

Yup...in all likelihood, Yamaha is just a wallet. Day-to-day ops have probably changed very little, if at all.

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Yup...in all likelihood, Yamaha is just a wallet. Day-to-day ops have probably changed very little, if at all.

 

Except Variax Standard is clearly a collaboration of some sort, so there is some cross pollination going on. It's not totally hands-off.

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