# Line 6 Helix



## jacobthestupendous (Sep 14, 2015)

Any guitarists out there excited about this? It seems like Line 6 has definitely stepped up their game. It'll obviously come down to the sound of it, but from a hardware and features standpoint, it looks like a $1,499 piece of gear ought to.

It wouldn't break my heart if my Boss GT-8 were to suddenly quit. It's still going strong and meeting my needs, and heaven knows I don't need that kind of unexpected expenditure, but a decade sure makes a big difference in features.


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## Ian Dorsch (Sep 14, 2015)

If this finally means a new version of POD Farm, heck yeah. Not holding my breath, though.

The videos look pretty sweet, but judging by the audio demos there, they are gunning for AxeFX's djent throne. There are tons of Line6 users from that scene (Chimp Spanner, 12 Foot Ninja, etc) - seems like they could have got some better sounding results by bringing in one of those dudes to crank out demos.


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## musicman61554 (Sep 19, 2015)

This will be interesting. As an Axe Fx user this board would be amazing to control other products. Looking forward to more sounds.


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## EvilDragon (Sep 19, 2015)

Fuck yes, it looks amazing and sounds better than anything L6 has done so far. IMHO it's in proper AxeFX territory, but cheaper and with a MUCH better UI/UX.


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## Wibben (Sep 20, 2015)

The buzz around the web on this thing makes me quite interested! Seems like Line 6 finally woke up and realized they weren't the kings of Amp Sims any longer and wants to get back in the fight 
Really looking forward to hear what people think, once it's out.


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## chimuelo (Sep 20, 2015)

Would still apply real balls with a nice Tube Amp.
Love to see thr earlier JCMs. Nothing later than 900.
My guitarist is a real monster.
My only beef is the noise from his array of 30+ pedals in between songs.
I'd love to see him get one of these and keep the Leslie and Talk Box. Ditch the rest of his crap.
He uses an Acoustic Modeller instead of a nice Martin D5 or Ovation.
Thing sounds like bedsprings.


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## musicman61554 (Sep 30, 2015)

This bad boy has shipped so should have reviews up shortly from customers. Definitely curious.


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## Wibben (Oct 1, 2015)

Did it ship today?
I've seen nothing on the internetz about it


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## jacobthestupendous (Oct 14, 2015)

It's shipping now. Lots of action on the Line6 community forums.


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## gsilbers (Oct 14, 2015)

seems to be the answer to the axe fx2 but in pedal form.


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## musicman61554 (Oct 21, 2015)

Hmmm well I have read well over 100 reviews on this. Id say its about 70/30 on realism of tone. Many people are saying you can achieve some pretty solid tones but it still doesnt compare to the Axe Fx 2/tube amp. To achieve the best tones use 3rd party IRs. Will be interesting what the future holds for this board.


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## Soundhound (Oct 21, 2015)

I'm a guitar player, and it sounds pretty damn good to me. But so does Scuffham S-Gear, which is amazing, and $129. It was $75 when I bought it years ago and it's still my favorite for a realistic big clangy Strat into a Bassman sound, my personal holy grail. Great at lots of other stuff too.


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## EvilDragon (Oct 22, 2015)

I'd say that the greatest asset of Helix is its extremely well thought-out user interface. Those LED colored touch-sensitive switches, those scribble strip LCDs above each switch, that great color display, that sturdy construction... It's really built to withstand lots of pounding on the road... But the best thing is that you can edit the sound with your foot, without needing to stop playing, then crouch down to tweak, then play again, then repeat that... just use your foot while hopping over the parameters and adjusting with the expressioni pedal - all the while playing to test out the tone. Brilliant feature.

I like S-Gear 2 too (and Recabinet 4), but this is an all-in-one box solution, with tremendous flexibility and pretty darn good sound. Even if it's not 100%, it's damn near close, and the UI is totally worth it. IMHO.


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## jacobthestupendous (Oct 22, 2015)

EvilDragon said:


> I'd say that the greatest asset of Helix is its extremely well thought-out user interface. Those LED colored touch-sensitive switches, those scribble strip LCDs above each switch, that great color display, that sturdy construction... It's really built to withstand lots of pounding on the road... But the best thing is that you can edit the sound with your foot, without needing to stop playing, then crouch down to tweak, then play again, then repeat that... just use your foot while hopping over the parameters and adjusting with the expressioni pedal - all the while playing to test out the tone. Brilliant feature.
> 
> I like S-Gear 2 too (and Recabinet 4), but this is an all-in-one box solution, with tremendous flexibility and pretty darn good sound. Even if it's not 100%, it's damn near close, and the UI is totally worth it. IMHO.


Completely agree. Nothing destroys my motivation to make a patch faster than having to dig into the menus on my Boss GT-8, so I'm really excited about the UI, and the sound is very decent from what I've heard. If I'm playing an open mic night, it won't matter that the Mesa Dual Recto patch is only 90% of the sound of my 150 lb actual amplifier; it'll all be too loud for anyone to tell anyway.


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## chimuelo (Oct 22, 2015)

Had fun with this unit.
Reminds me of my K4.
I program offsets and curve modifiers while programming.
Guitarists need this just so I can quit standing around watching them fumble in the jungle of pedals.
It needs better sound quality though.


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## jacobthestupendous (Oct 22, 2015)

chimuelo said:


> Had fun with this unit.
> Reminds me of my K4.
> I program offsets and curve modifiers while programming.
> Guitarists need this just so I can quit standing around watching them fumble in the jungle of pedals.
> It needs better sound quality though.


So you actually got to play with it? Did you only use presets or did you get to dig in a little bit?


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## chimuelo (Oct 22, 2015)

I played guitar since 5th grade.
Help out with fingerings when I watch guys repeating mistakes but prefer doing guitar parts on keys.
But always grab an axe and demo new gear.
Personally I think most of the all in one packages sound like ASS.
This device has improved sound but still wont replace the 15 x 15 space my guitarist requires.
I wish it would.
I did immediately notice the UI.
Glad to see Line 6 has a keyboard player on staff.
Thats how we do things.
Didnt make presets as the rep was a Washburn guy scared to alter any settings.
But was the first time I saw a guitar device that made me want to play.
Usually my guitarist demos them and I am looking at my watch after the 3rd preset of excessive reverb or delay and muffled crunchy cab emus.

I would get this just to learn the UI. Then be ready for the next reiteration.
Chance favors the prepared.


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