Gallien Krueger 4 wire Rig

[Yorke]

I don't post much, if at all, but I thought I would do a little write up on a rig I put together. I mainly use the Helix in my home studio for guitar, I love the thing. Getting a good bass sound has always been a struggle for me, my secret little magic box had been a Tech 21 VT Bass Pedal. Then after playing around with some Sigma3 IR's, I was able to piece together a patch that I liked better than the VT Bass pedal.

 

I started looking into the Gallien Krueger MBP 212, which is a 500 watt powered 2 x 12" cab, I wanted to use the helix but was concerned that what i was hearing out of my studio monitors might change drastically with power and speakers. I called an old friend who I thought had a power amp and 4 x 10 laying around that i could borrow to see how it sounded before i spent the money. He informed he did not have it anymore, but he would sell me his GK 1001 RB mkII and GK Neo 4x10 cab for a steal, it was practically new. Prone to GAS, I couldn't help myself and jumped on the deal, it was basically a 2 for 1 deal.

 

Now the Gallien Krueger 1001RBmkII sounds fantastic by itself, really all you need is a tuner and your set. But, I had the Helix sitting next to it and decided to play around a little bit. I had read a tiny bit about the 4 wire technique and decided to see what I could come up with. When I ran all the cables, what turned out to be an oversight turned into a discovery. I accidentally thought the send and returns next to #1 send and return were the #2 send and returns, they are NOT they are the #3 send and returns. 

 

What I found, was that running the bass into the helix, adding a compressor (50% Mix) and straight into the return of the GK sounded fantastic. Absolute clearity with no coloring. Once I realized my patching mistake, I had the 4 wire system properly in place and it also sounded really good. There was no loss at the GK end of things, that can sometimes happen when things are added before or in an FX loop. In fact I would pull the Fx loop patch cables and you could not hear a difference in signal level. 

 

What's really cool about this system, you can put a compressor before the input, an EQ before the input. But also put those in the FX loop and they both sound great, but different. I also found that you can set the signal path up in the Helix, so I can use the M9 Carbine Pre-amp to run the GK AMP section. This sounded really good, very Mesa like, I had an M6 Carbine Combo, it reminded me of that. 

 

So adding the Helix to a rig using the 4 wire technique, really gives you limitless possibilities. I can run the helix with GK preamp section, with no preamp at all, with the Helix preamps. Then you add in all the FX and pedals, overdrives, etc. I found I could run an OD pedal in parallel to the main bass signal, and then dial it in using the split A/B to my liking. Delays, Chorus's. I am pretty pleased with this setup and have only scratched the surface of what I can do. 

 

And for Live playing, the GK 1001RB is known for having a great DI, or you can use the Helix's 2 discreet signal paths to your advantage, which allows you to use the 4 wire system AND have a patch setup for front of house mix. REALLY COOL!

[MusicLaw]

^^^^^^^^^

Absolutley! And, for Guitars, Bass, anything you wish to route through the Helix!

Helix's 4 FX Loops really come in handy, aside from the Main 1/4" and XLR Outs (and the USB or SPDIF, and Stereo Headphone out)!

[Yorke]

It really is an amazing tool, so flexible, so many options.