brettchinery Posted October 4, 2017 Share Posted October 4, 2017 I am new to the "Helix world" and being a blues/rock kind of guy, I have always gravitated to the Marshally type sounds in any modeller However, I have been auditioning all the amps and have been surprised at how much I love the vox & fender amps with various overdrive pedals and my new absolute favourite is the mail order twin (based on a Silvertone?) It sounds killer with light & heavy overdrives and also the fuzzes It shows you really should disregard your preconceptions and just use your ears !!! If it sounds good, it is good !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterHamm Posted October 4, 2017 Share Posted October 4, 2017 I was shocked that I liked the Litigator and the HiWatt and the /13, not amps I'd probably dig in the real world.I was REALLY shocked how much I like the Soldano. I was less surprised by the cabs I ended up liking best (I only use 4 in the whole box, but love love love love love them... Z, 4x10 and the two Matchless, better for me than any 3rd party IR I tried early on, so I just gave up on IR for cabs.). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robbieb61 Posted October 4, 2017 Share Posted October 4, 2017 I am new to the "Helix world" and being a blues/rock kind of guy, I have always gravitated to the Marshally type sounds in any modeller However, I have been auditioning all the amps and have been surprised at how much I love the vox & fender amps with various overdrive pedals and my new absolute favourite is the mail order twin (based on a Silvertone?) It sounds killer with light & heavy overdrives and also the fuzzes It shows you really should disregard your preconceptions and just use your ears !!! If it sounds good, it is good !! Don't be surprised if you change your preference over time too. I play classic rock. And at first I was using the Treadplate Boogie amp model. (this was back in Oct. of 2015 and there were only a few models in that first couple of months). It was the "BEST"! And then they came out with the modded 2204 Marshall and I proclaimed that one to be the new "holy grail" (I don't use any overdrive pedals, just amp distortion). And THEN they came out with Mesa Mk. 5 And it was an infinitesimal bit closer to the sound in my head so I shouted to the sky that this was THE one. And THEN they recently came out with the model of the PRS Archon. I had never even HEARD of that amp before...but I tried it out. And now? It is THE GREATEST OF ALL TIME for me. lol For my tone, all of the above amps sound tremendous. And I'm sure that more are coming in the future and I will be touting a different one as the "best". :) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zooey Posted October 4, 2017 Share Posted October 4, 2017 That doesn't only happen because we got new amps, at least for me. For reasons I have no idea of, I'll just really like one amp for a while, then a different one, yadda yadda. Sometimes I go back to ones I dug but haven't played for a while and love em, sometimes it's more like what was I thinking. Lucky I don't have to actually Grow Up or anything. Pretty much way to late for that anyway... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbuhajla Posted October 4, 2017 Share Posted October 4, 2017 For some reason I didn't realize the Litigator was modeled after the Dumble Overdrive Special (to the best of my understanding). I played with it a while back just with factory default settings, and thought "meh". Since finding out about what it was modeled after, I played around with the amp settings, threw in two cabs, and WOW. I am now using it as my go-to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brue58ski Posted October 4, 2017 Share Posted October 4, 2017 For some reason I didn't realize the Litigator was modeled after the Dumble Overdrive Special (to the best of my understanding). I played with it a while back just with factory default settings, and thought "meh". Since finding out about what it was modeled after, I played around with the amp settings, threw in two cabs, and WOW. I am now using it as my go-to. Here's a quote from the designer of the Litigator. Apparently it's not designed after the Dumble Overdrive Special. http://line6.com/support/topic/24274-ben-adrian-talks-about-the-origin-of-the-litigator/ (Go to post #9) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbuhajla Posted October 4, 2017 Share Posted October 4, 2017 Here's a quote from the designer of the Litigator. Apparently it's not designed after the Dumble Overdrive Special. http://line6.com/support/topic/24274-ben-adrian-talks-about-the-origin-of-the-litigator/ (Go to post #9) Hmm, not sure where I got that then. After tweaking around with it, it sure sounds like one on my strat (although I have never played a real one personally). Just goes to show no matter what you call something, if it sounds good to you...then is sounds good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brue58ski Posted October 4, 2017 Share Posted October 4, 2017 Hmm, not sure where I got that then. After tweaking around with it, it sure sounds like one on my strat (although I have never played a real one personally). Just goes to show no matter what you call something, if it sounds good to you...then is sounds good. Absolutely!! I got excited when I read your post. So I looked into it a little more. Would love to have a Dumble in there. Maybe the next update!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyingsCool Posted October 4, 2017 Share Posted October 4, 2017 Hmm, not sure where I got that then. After tweaking around with it, it sure sounds like one on my strat (although I have never played a real one personally). Just goes to show no matter what you call something, if it sounds good to you...then is sounds good. Well, because it has often been described as "Dumble-ish"... Dumble amps (and other boutique-y amps) were basically created using a similar process to that @benadrian described. Started with a Fender circuit and went from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Verne-Bunsen Posted October 6, 2017 Share Posted October 6, 2017 I've been using Helix for about 18 months and I still keep having these moments of "How did I not discover this amp before?!" Lately for me it's been the JTM-45, wonderful cleans and very satisfying crunch, perfect response to pick dynamics and guitar volume adjustments, just awesome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DunedinDragon Posted October 6, 2017 Share Posted October 6, 2017 It's so odd that this subject should just happen to come up this week. I just happened to be working on a Brad Paisley-sh sound which introduced me to the Dr Z amp in combination with my Telecaster....and WOW!!!! I had no idea I had that sound hidden inside my Helix!!! Now THIS is some serious fun!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spikey Posted October 6, 2017 Share Posted October 6, 2017 One guitar I don’t own is a tele. Why I don’t know as its the most used on everything I’m thinking 🤔 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuskey Posted October 6, 2017 Share Posted October 6, 2017 Hmm, not sure where I got that then. After tweaking around with it, it sure sounds like one on my strat (although I have never played a real one personally). Just goes to show no matter what you call something, if it sounds good to you...then is sounds good. I assumed it was a Dumble model at first too, especially after seeing the graphic in the editor. Looks exactly like an ODS. It is BY FAR my favorite amp model I've ever played! Not just on Helix, on any device. I've played through Axe Fx II, all of the previous Line 6 gear, S Gear 2, Guitar Rig 5 pro, etc. In fact I've run it through a power amp and guitar cab and played it right next to a Friedman Dirty Shirley (I know that's not exactly the same kind of amp, but still a high end tube amp), and I'll take the Litigator all day long. Absolutely brilliant. The thing about modeling a Dumble though after you really look into what they are is which Dumble would they model? Each one was more or less made specifically for the player it was built for. So Robin Ford's Dumble doesn't sound like Larry Carlton's Dumble, etc. I think that the Litigator does a great job of nailing what we all think of as the "Dumble sound", meaning very responsive and good touch sensitivity. I love the fact they didn't go for a specific model, but just built an amazing amp model from the ground up. Makes me excited to see what lies in the future for Helix. It's cool they aren't limited to just modeling existing amplifiers. The 2.3 update is supposed to have 7 new amp models in it. Can't wait to find out what they are. Though I have a hard time imagining anything replacing the Litigator in my main patch ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MusicLaw Posted October 6, 2017 Share Posted October 6, 2017 The manner in which Ben nailed the sound and response of what we now appreciate and savor as "The Litigator," presents more than a sufficent basis to encourage Line 6 to allow Ben to do so again with another custom inspired creation. Just as Dumble tuned and built Amps for individual Client's preferences, Ben should have similar freedom to add to Helix's custom Amp line. I look forward to seeing more of Ben's creativity. If not in 2.30, then in future Helix Core firmware releases. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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