zappazapper Posted October 17, 2020 Share Posted October 17, 2020 4CM with Mesa Boogie .50 Caliber+, which has 2 footswitch jacks, one to switch between Rhythm and Lead modes, and one to enable or disable the 5-band equalizer. I have a 1/4" TRS male to 2 x 1/4" TS female adapter plugged into the EXP PEDAL 2 / EXT AMP jack, and two 1/4" guitar cables plugged into the adapter, one going to the Rhythm/Lead mode jack, the other to the equalizer jack. In Global Settings > Preferences I have the "EXP 2/EXT AMP" option set to "EXT AMP Out". I have a Send/Return block in Path 1A (FX Loop 1), and in Command Center I have two footswitches assigned to the two EXT AMP options (FS11 for "1 (Tip)", FS10 for "2 (Ring)"). The switching for the Rhythm/Lead modes works fine, but it doesn't fully disable the equalizer when it's turned off. When the footswitch is dimmed, the equalizer sliders still affect the sound, although less so when the footswitch is lit. Yes, the 3-way rocker switch on the amp is set to the middle position. Yes, I have tested the equalizer both by using the 3-way rocker switch and by using a number of different standard footswitches. I have owned this amp for about 15 years and have used the equalizer footswitch extensively. Everything is set up correctly. Has anyone else experienced issues using the exterior switching with the LT? Is mine not functioning properly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zappazapper Posted October 17, 2020 Author Share Posted October 17, 2020 Also, yes, I have tried switching the cables so that the Rhythm/Lead mode jack is on "2 (Ring)" and the equalizer is on "1 (Tip)". The issue persists. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rd2rk Posted October 18, 2020 Share Posted October 18, 2020 All the Ext Amp switch does is complete a circuit within the 50 cal. You can test it using a common multimeter on the jack you're plugging into the Mesa. If you have continuity with the switch ON and none when OFF, the switch is good. At that point, IF GOOD THEN contact Mesa Support. IF BAD THEN contact L6 Support. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zappazapper Posted October 18, 2020 Author Share Posted October 18, 2020 So I brought my Helix back to the store to have the repair shop look it over and as part of the warranty I was allowed to take a loaner LT home, which is a brand new B-stock unit (damage to the box, nothing wrong with the unit) and I get the same results from this unit. So clearly there's nothing wrong with my particular unit, although there may be a "design flaw" in the external switching in all units. I use quotations around "design flaw" because I've read the disclaimer in the manual that says it's been tested with a variety of amps but that it may not work as expected with every amp. I recently had my amp serviced (tubes were red plating, had the filter caps replaced while it was in) and I just texted the guy that did the work to see if he can think of anything he did that might be causing the issue. I don't expect he did, and at any rate, it works fine with a standard footswitch, so... it's hard to argue that the amp actually has an issue either. I think I'm just going to have to accept that I will not be able to do EQ switching with the Helix. And so one of my options is to return the unit and find something else, although to be honest that seems quite silly considering that one of the effects it has is an actual Mesa Boogie 5-band graphic equalizer, which is inherently superior to a hardware equalizer that can't be programed per-patch and can't be infinitely duplicated. I'm just so used to the hardware EQ being part of my workflow, it's kind of a hard sell. Moving on though... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zappazapper Posted October 18, 2020 Author Share Posted October 18, 2020 As an additional bit of info... I also have a Roland FC-300 which has "amp control". I bought it long ago when I had an idea to forego dedicated hardware and try and develop a laptop-based guitar rig. I never got to the point of testing out the "amp control" capabilities of the FC-300 because I wasn't able to find a satisfactory software platform to run the whole thing (Bloxpander was probably the closest to something useable but it came with a weird crossfade between patches/snapshots that I just couldn't get over... Reaper and Live were just too cumbersome to try and make work). Anyway just out of curiosity I tested the FC-300 with my amp and it also causes the same issue. So, more evidence that if there is a problem, it probably has more to do with my amp than any of the other equipment I'm using. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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