raskolnikov38 Posted July 13, 2018 Share Posted July 13, 2018 Sadly, my Helix has stopped working and I've been told by the folks at tech support to send it in for repairs. I figured I'd start a thread to let people know what kind of process to expect if they're from outside the US (Canada, in my case) and their Helix needs to be serviced. The problem with my Helix is that it no longer has any input signal which, after trying various troubleshooting options, seems to be a hardware issue. This comes after only 13 months of bedroom use: practicing and some recording as well. I've never used it live, never knocked it around, never given it any reason to act up but here I am anyway, and I'm not happy about it. Of course, I understand that things break but it's a tough pill to swallow one month after the warranty expires. The Helix costs just over $2200 here in Canada so it's not a purchase that's taken lightly. I hemmed and hawed over buying a digital modeller and chose the Helix because of the great reviews it got. It hasn't disappointed. I love the sounds I've been able to get out of this thing. But all the glowing reviews in the world are meaningless if the darned thing can't take more than a year's worth of use. Anyway, the process in Canada seems to be that you take it back to Long & McQuade and then they send it out to be fixed. As of yet I have no idea how long this will take or how much it will cost. I suppose this tale of mine is meant for those who are from outside the US worried about repairs and for those wondering about the long-term durability of this expensive piece of gear. A cautionary tale, maybe. I'll update this post as soon as I know more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
specracer986 Posted July 13, 2018 Share Posted July 13, 2018 I buy a lot of things used, including my Helix, and I worry every time. So far I've been pretty lucky. Hopefully this episode will be as quick and painless as possible. You have to admit, it would be quite a trick if a company could design a product to start failing soon after warranty was expired. I'm surprised that the failure rate in our mass produced world isn't higher than it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rvroberts Posted July 14, 2018 Share Posted July 14, 2018 Yes, in Australia, we could be in for a long wait too........ hope to not have to find out. I have had my Helix quiet a while - maybe getting on for 2 years. I’ve giged it a reasonable amount and my only concerns so far are needing to nurse the pedal. Fingers crossed you are just unlucky. Sorry and good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonkeyXT Posted July 14, 2018 Share Posted July 14, 2018 4 hours ago, raskolnikov38 said: Sadly, my Helix has stopped working and I've been told by the folks at tech support to send it in for repairs. I figured I'd start a thread to let people know what kind of process to expect if they're from outside the US (Canada, in my case) and their Helix needs to be serviced. The problem with my Helix is that it no longer has any input signal which, after trying various troubleshooting options, seems to be a hardware issue. This comes after only 13 months of bedroom use: practicing and some recording as well. I've never used it live, never knocked it around, never given it any reason to act up but here I am anyway, and I'm not happy about it. Of course, I understand that things break but it's a tough pill to swallow one month after the warranty expires. The Helix costs just over $2200 here in Canada so it's not a purchase that's taken lightly. I hemmed and hawed over buying a digital modeller and chose the Helix because of the great reviews it got. It hasn't disappointed. I love the sounds I've been able to get out of this thing. But all the glowing reviews in the world are meaningless if the darned thing can't take more than a year's worth of use. Anyway, the process in Canada seems to be that you take it back to Long & McQuade and then they send it out to be fixed. As of yet I have no idea how long this will take or how much it will cost. I suppose this tale of mine is meant for those who are from outside the US worried about repairs and for those wondering about the long-term durability of this expensive piece of gear. A cautionary tale, maybe. I'll update this post as soon as I know more. It's too bad you didn't purchase L&M's own Performance Warranty - that can be done essentially by the anniversary of the purchase, and it puts the store's warranty service in place for another year. Warranty work for Line 6 gear is done in Canada by Yorkville Sound, which is closely associated with Long & McQuade - their repair time turn-arounds have been impressive based on the experiences of my good friend. They'll look after you. Please continue to update this thread to share how the rest of the process goes for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RD1967 Posted July 14, 2018 Share Posted July 14, 2018 My Helix died after two weeks of owning it. I am in the US but I can say Line 6 stands behind their products. They will take care of you for sure. They are keenly aware of the price tag of their units and that people gig with them and/or play in churches so they fix them quickly. Like MonkeyXT said....please keep us posted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitarzan5150 Posted July 15, 2018 Share Posted July 15, 2018 I just had pretty much the same experience. My LT is currently in for repairs. The expression pedal broke a couple days after my 1 year warranty. I opened a ticket with line 6, and reached out to Frank Ritchotte as well, and they took care of me. Line 6's support is really top notch. I did the same and dropped it off at Long and McQuade, and they're great as well. The guy at the store said the turnaround for Yorkville is typically a week or two. He also said they're pretty flexible if you're just barely past warranty, they'll try and help you out. May have helped my case that a batch of LTs had a know manufacturing issue, so they agreed to cover it, but either way, they go out of their way to make sure you're happy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawncooke1 Posted July 15, 2018 Share Posted July 15, 2018 Mine went out after about 14 months. But I only gigged out maybe 3 or 4 times, a few practices, and about 100 hours of bedroom time. Thats not enough to break a very expensive piece of equipment. It was cutting out and sounding thin. I kept changing cables and thinking I was cheap for my choice in cable. It would act up and I would kick it or wiggle the input cable, and boom, it would work for a while....but then came the time to shine. Big guitar solo with wah wah. As soon as I would step on it, bam, no sound. With that being said, I bought it from Sweetwater, and had them do the warranty work. I love Sweetwater, enjoy getting candy with every purchase, and still amazed that I've had the same rep in contact with me for more than 5 years now. They were a few weeks, said the part wasn't a standard part. I feel I would've had a quicker turn around with Line 6, new that I know. But I won't knock Line 6 either. Bought a backpack, I broke, no questions asked I got a new one. I love Line 6 and and sweet water, and will continue dealing with then. As for the Helix, even with the mishaps, its still the best solution for sound that I've ever found. Hope the best for you bro Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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