I finally got to see the Helix in action at AES

jiggajewjay

jiggajewjay

Inspired
So i was at the AES (Audio Engineering Society) convention at the Jacob Javits Center in Manhattan this past weekend. Line 6 had a booth setup with the Helix and a Line 6 FRFR speaker. I was definitely taken by the appearance of the unit. It really looks nice! That however is where the good part ends. I was at the convention for 2 days and the line 6 rep (good guitarist btw) Had a strat plugged into the unit. He didn't/couldn't get 1 tone that i cared for. Not 1!! I am not a line 6 hater. I have used their products over the years and they were fine for what they did. Honestly though I really didn't care for anything i was hearing. The cleans sounded thin with no sparkle the way we get it in the Axe. the distortion tones were really awful. I was watching guitarist after guitarist play the unit and everyone was asking for this tweak or that tweak and while the rep tried his hardest to facilitate, Nobody was like "whoa this tone is awesome!". People were just like eh..... So all in all in my opinion The Axe FX and even the Kemper destroy the Helix. The only thing that Line 6 products have over Fractal Audio is better marketing strategy. Plus you can now walk into any music store and buy a Helix. So their sales will definitely be good on this unit.

Another funny anecdote while i was visiting the Line 6 booth: The rep told me that he has an Axe FX and he loves it but the "thing" that changed his mind and made him move to the Helix was the routing options. I asked him what he meant (knowing that the Axe has plenty of rout-ability). He explained that he likes using his vintage amps and since the Helix allows you to use just the effects and bypass the amp/cab simulations - he was sold. i explained to him that this is doable on the Axe FX with a few clicks. He didnt seem to agree with me on this...I think that while being well intentioned, he is very misinformed.

Anyhow be proud you are an Axe FX owner!! I can definitively say that we still are the golden standard when it comes to modelers.
 
Wow yea routing options would definitely not be a con to the axe fx.... We have all the routing options you'd ever need.
 
I wonder how much the Helix was let down by the Line6 FRFR speaker? I've heard a Helix through a CLR and I thought it was leaps and bounds beyond anything Line6 has put out in the past. That said it still is nowhere near the Axe or Kemper in terms of sound and feel.

I did like the UI, definitely a lot more usable than the AxeFXs front panel. Would be a lot simpler to make adjustments during gigs as well. For some reason I found it a lot easier to dial in spanky clean tones, especially with humbucker guitars, but I'm sure that's just user error on my part.

I would have said this was a great product for people who wanted something good that was cheaper than an AxeFX or Kemper, but it's not that much cheaper than a Kemper and well... Why not just buy an Ax8?
 
Talus said:
I would have said this was a great product for people who wanted something good that was cheaper than an AxeFX or Kemper, but it's not that much cheaper than a Kemper and well... Why not just buy an Ax8?
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:cool: Exactly my thoughts!...
 
Some tones in here are quite good. And then there are those that I don't care for. Some nice cleans at the beginning and end. Some have noted the sound around 27:16, but I think I have a Plexi BRT I prefer anyway. Wish I spoke German or there were subtitles.


 
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DavidE said:
Curious, does this clean sound thin?
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Not necessarily, but the chord progression is rather lackluster.

I suppose each tool can be represented differently, for me I simply prefer FAS products as that is the most familiar to me now with the greatest tones I have ever found.
 
ibanezfreak4 said:
Not necessarily, but the chord progression is rather lackluster.

I suppose each tool can be represented differently, for me I simply prefer FAS products as that is the most familiar to me now with the greatest tones I have ever found.
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LOLOL. Is the Helix responsible for the "lackluster" chord progression? ;-))

If you're familiar with and love the Fractal offerings, I don't see any reason why you'd switch.
 
DavidE said:
Some tones in here are quite good. And then there are those that I don't care for. Some nice cleans at the beginning and end. Some have noted the sound around 27:16, but I think I have a Plexi BRT I prefer anyway. Wish I spoke German or there were subtitles.


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I was digging the clean tone until that 10 minute Bro-Shake Killed it for me... now the helix sucks!!!
Sorry, I really don't have any value to add to the conversation...
 
hippietim said:
Sounded good to me. The Helix is very capable of getting very good tones. But I find that my Axe Fx II always sounds better. It's funny, I have a Helix for sale in the TGP classified - I can't even sell it as basically brand new for below the retail. I think I'm going to end up just returning it to MF.
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I thought you priced it at $1500?
 
DavidE said:
I thought you priced it at $1500?
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My mistake. I meant to say Craigslist actually - I've got it up for $1400 there. TGP I put it at $1500 because I knew people would lowball me and/or offer stupid trade deals. What's funny is I've had people make offers, I accepted them, and then they didn't follow through. In any case, people aren't that interested in getting one obviously.
 
[QUOTE="Talus, post: 1268066, member: 27874"I've heard a Helix through a CLR and I thought it was leaps and bounds beyond anything Line6 has put out in the past. [/QUOTE]

A bar so low a hamster could clear it.
 
hippietim said:
My mistake. I meant to say Craigslist actually - I've got it up for $1400 there. TGP I put it at $1500 because I knew people would lowball me and/or offer stupid trade deals. What's funny is I've had people make offers, I accepted them, and then they didn't follow through. In any case, people aren't that interested in getting one obviously.
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That's because it's not too hard to get 10-15% off retail at those online retailers when they are in stock. No tax/free shipping.........I got mine for $1199 (20% off shipped/no tax)
 
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