Helix is Killing my GAS

[nbiglin]

I've had my Helix floor for a couple of years now and it's amazing. For background, I was a guitarist for a church for years and I completely sold off my traditional head/cab/rack rig once I got it. Can't beat not having to pull around 200lbs of gear and still getting the same tone.

 

That said, I've moved states, I'm thinking about joining up with an touring group, and I honestly just want more gear. Problem is, I can't think of anything that the Helix doesn't already do well.

 

What pedals have you added to your pedal board on top of your Helix that was worth while? I go back and forth between adding a looper (because I don't like that I have to go down 2 menu levels to get to it live), or maybe a backup rig on the same board (amp in the box pedal, cab sim, some drives and effects), that I could also integrate into my Helix patches.

[j_hotch]

Another former G.A.S. sufferer here. My wallet thanks you, Helix!

 

The only pedal I've added is an always-on tuner just before the guitar input.  The Helix gives me everything else I need.

[hideout]

There are a few things I wouldn’t mind having but then I’d have to pack them around all the time. lol

[BBD_123]

6 hours ago, nbiglin said:

What pedals have you added to your pedal board on top of your Helix that was worth while?

 

Nothing. Hear what you say about a looper, but I don't use one so not even that. I need to get organised and sell my pedals. I've had Helix long enough now (over 2 years) to know that I don't and won't need them any more. I've learned through trial and error that if Helix doesn't sound 'right' in its replication of a pedal (or amp) then I haven't dialled it in properly yet ;-)

[requietus666]

I have still three pedals that Helix doesn't do. EHX Freeze, Digitech FreqOut and a looper one, all for very obvious reasons, and I can very much relate to GAS being regressed

[c00lkatz]

Yeah, same here, don't even look at other pedals or amps anymore. Still GAS for FRFR speakers I haven't tried and guitars though. Really want to try a PowerCab 212 plus, and want to get a Shuriken, a JTV89F, and a JTV59p. Currently have the L2T, L2M, and JTV69. Had the JTV59 with humbuckers, but sold it a long time ago (regretfully). I would like to try out a DT50 212 as well. I've got a thing for Line 6 I guess lol.

 

I've considered a looper pedal as well, but honestly, the one button looper pedal is about all I use in that regard (I started the IdeaScale for it), plus I have a ton of looper apps on my iPad and Mobius on my DAW if I really needed more advanced looping. I don't play live/gig, just home player, though.

[SaschaFranck]

Unfortunately, the Helix has rised my guitar-GAS - quite worse than pedal-GAS. Tough to resist, but at least so far I manage rather well and decided that before making any new aquistions, I will have to sort the current mess out.

[emagli]

I have a small pedalboard next to my Helix, with the following pedals on it:

 

- Digitech Drop — probably the only one I could not emulate decently with the Helix. 

 

- Suhr koko boost. I don’t know what it does to the tone esp. in the mid boost mode, but it does it pretty darn well. 

 

- Mad professor forest green compressor. Same as above. 
 

- Fulltone Clyde wah deluxe. I like it better than the wahs in the Helix, which I still find very usable. 
 

- Wampler velvet fuzz. I never bonded with the fuzzes in the Helix. 
 

That said, these pedals are not a matter of GAS for me. I already had them from my analog rig days, and I am trying to find some use for them. Aside from the Drop, the others I could certainly do without. 
 

The one pedal I have purchased is the Siegmund Pup Emu Mini, a passive circuit to be put after my wireless receiver. It emulates the impedance of a pickup (as opposed to the buffer at the receiver output), so that wah and fuzz will sound more natural. 

[malduroque]

Ah, pedals!

 

When I got my Helix LT about two years ago I had about 50 pedals. I felt this unit made some of my pedals expendable due to duplication (OCD, DS-1, ProCo Rat, etc), better amp sounds (my Tech21/Joyo/Mooer pre-amp pedals) and ones I just felt I didn't need anymore like all of the Digitech Hardwire series that I had. I ended up selling over twenty pedals.

 

However, I've also added about 15 new pedals to my assortment. These mostly covered areas that the Helix does not like the EHX SuperEgo Plus, Hologram Infinite Jets, EQD Arpanoid and some non-traditional reverbs such as the Walrus Audio Slo, Old Blood Noise Dark Star ,EQD Transmisser and EQD Afterneath. Also, since I don't think too much of Helix's fuzzes I got the Way Huge Havalina and then there were two pedals I couldn't resist from JHS analog pedals (despite the creepy rumors about the owner), the Muffleta which gives you 6 different Big Muff variations and the Bonsai which provides 9 different Tube Screamer variations.

 

I'm trying to now keep it to no new pedals unless I sell one (or two) first. We'll see how that works.

[plarkin]

So far, the only pedal I've needed besides my LT is a Rocktron Banshee talk box.

[Christoballium]

On 3/8/2020 at 5:05 PM, requietus666 said:

I have still three pedals that Helix doesn't do. EHX Freeze

Helix can mimic the freeze via DIY. Jon Cordy on YouTube made tutorial videos on it and has an expression folder of freeze presets. 

 

[adauria]

I'm with you on this... I used to troll Craigslist daily for gear. I rarely bought things, but I often daydreamed about picking up some more pedals or another amp. Until I got the Helix LT I was very close to adding a Mesa Boogie Fillmore to my collection. Now when I look at the Craigslist the only things I really drool over are the occasional cool electric or acoustic guitar. 

 

For background, I'm not a huge pedal guy, but my performance rig (also a church musician) consisted of about 10 pedals or so and a Fender Supersonic 22 combo. I had maybe another 15 pedals of various sorts at the house, plus 4 more amps of various sizes and types. Now I just bring the Helix back and forth, using it with cheap studio monitors at home for practice, and going direct to the house at church. I feel no urge to add any pedals or amps to my stable, and would probably be comfortable parting with some, though I almost never sell gear. 

 

Thank you Line 6! 

 

-Andrew

[pianoguyy]

I never had this problem. 

It may have taken years to perfect. But once complete, my backend never changed. My "rig" remained the same for 20+ years. Sure, I experimented in the studio with all sorts of toys. Played around with with other people's gear. But my stuff was always a constant. 

It was always (and still is) guitars that I change more than I change underwear. 

 

Then I needed to make a change. I went digital. And again, still running the same unit ever since.