MercedesKawasaki I don't agree...it all goes to what sound do you want to get....sure playing with less effect require more precision and control...but using more effect alone does mean a person cannot play guitar...
Lee, believe me when I tell you that you and the chance of hearing you playing all those amazing blues solos are two of the main reasons why I watch all your videos... you are just an unbelievably talented guitarist that can use what you know to maximum extent and have a great sound. Watching you playing is not only refreshing in this internet world, full of shred, but also inspiring. So believe Rob and Paul (and me), you are an AMAZING GUITAR PLAYER, and you and your blues can keep up with everything all those shredders have to offer, better than most do!
I love how all of these bedroom guitar players feel the need to comment negatively on modeling and this product specifically when in fact they've probably never played even a handful of the real amps being modeled. Spend more time playing than arguing about "real tube" tone on the internet. You'll find yourself to be a happier person.
It'll be interesting to see what kind of marketing campaign they go for with this thing. I don't have any problems with Line 6, but I feel like it's safe to say there are a large portion of guitarist out there who treat that company like a joke. This is a $1500 piece of hardware. That's getting up there with modelers like the Kemper and Fractals and what not. I think it'll be difficult to convince people spending that much money they should go with Line 6 instead of the other top dogs, especially when taking into consideration a lot of people's pre-conceived notions about the company. Guitarists overall are a difficult group to budge when it comes to what they like. I guess a positive showing by Rob is a good start though.
flips220 Yeah, well said. I guess they are just trying to win people over by the quality of the modelling/effects, which is brave considering the competition but I wish them luck. I will say the one thing I really love is the individual screens above every switch that change depending on what parameter you set them to. No more having to remember what they are or using pieces of tape.
***** I don't disagree, but I think they'll be trying to rehab their brand as a whole now. They did very well with the M-series of multi-FX (I know plenty of gigging musicians that use them, though their overdrives were trash), and this looks 10x better than that. Maybe a new brand would benefit them, but I don't think Line6 itself is tarnished beyond repair. A smaller, M5- or M9-like version of this I think would do very well.
+Matt Wright What i can see from the video there is notning in it that tha AxeFX doesn't do better. And i think there is a reasom why the guys are comparing it to the kemper and not the axe fx.
So I currently own a Kemper and a AX8 Fractal and my worship leader uses the helix. If you want pro quality make no mistake you can get it from all 3 units. The Helix is beautiful but I have seen them used for $999 due to supply and demand. Used Kemper hold resale value very well as do axefx units/AX8 units. Me personally I would go Kemper one because it's not only pro quality but the IRS that come with the Helix I wouldn't say all are pro quality which we bought own hammer IRS and that's all it needed no Helix sounds awesome. Kemper you can load IRS or profile the actual amp/cab 🤘🏻 AX8 is just amazing but for your 2 options go Kemper sir!
@@jakeandlori23 I have very, very rarely seen them come up used. I see a few Kempers, not too many but I know a few people that switched to helix because of the effects.
People complaining about the price tag should rethink Helix for a bit. Yes, Line 6 has been aiming for the amateur market for a while with products like transistors/modelling amps, Pods, etc. This is not for that market, this is a new product so Line 6 can compete with brands like Kemper or Axe-FX in the semi-pro/pro market. This is not a toy, this is some serious piece of gear in my opinion. That's why it costs 1500 dollars. People who bitch about how expensive things are they really need to re-think their way of thinking, good gear is not cheap, that's why the Axe FX is expensive, that's why vintage Les Pauls are expensive and that's why a Dual Rec is expensive. If you want to get good sounds you need to invest money into that. Unless you are a rich guy or a semi pro/professional musician, stick with the Pod HD, which still is a great piece of gear.
+Logan Taylor I don't think Line 6 started off like that at all. The original Pod pretty much revolutionised the way guitars are recorded. Sure, the Spider range was (is!) pretty low end, but a lot of other stuff they've done has been great.
Pretty much Line 6 started the modelling market with "competitive" gear many many years ago with the Pod series. Yes, Line 6 has bad rep due shitty gear but I see many many guitar players use stuff like DL4s, wireless etc. Don't make generalizations, because every single brand has released shitty gear, Line 6 has done that for years, sure, but Mesa Boogie has too (and even more recently with the Cabclone. Don't be biased by what people says on forums. "Yeah you can't play metal on a Telecaster" Bullshit. Try the gear, and then make your own mind.
Each at it's own. I'm keen of modellers because I can't have an amp at home (bitchy parents/neighbours) and my amp with headphones doesn't sound good at all. Also I'd like to have as many options as I can in a single unit, being a pedal or a rack thingy. Still, I think amps are the way to go to record, but for playing live i'm not that sure. All the bands I listen to play with valve amps, not modellers or stuff like that. It's just a matter of necessity for myself.
bush I totally agree that valve amps are better, but I don't think that you should disregard how good the modelling gear is getting these days, just because it's "impure" or something like that. Personally I think the newer modelling stuff is great. I use a Pod UX2 from line 6 as a practice "amp" at my desk because it's convenient. Whenever I plug into a valve amp, even a shitty one, the response is definitely way better, like you say. That being said, the Kemper (and I suppose the Axe FX and Helix as well, I haven't tried them) felt exactly the same as a valve amp to me. Sure you can be purist and say it's "like autotune" because its not an actual valve making the sound, but that doesn't make the product bad, and not everyone is using it to make up for their mistakes. I love high end valve amps, they sound great, feet great, and they're just downright fun to tinker with, but the modelling stuff at the higher end sounds just as good, responds just as well, and the tinkering is a whole new beast because you can do it digitally and add some effects in ways that you just can't do with pedals, which is awesome to me. I don't think the problem with 'sterile' or 'soulless' tone is in any way a fault of the hardware, probably more the people using it.
bush No, I'm not dropping 1500 bucks into this, I don't have that much money. I'm going to get an used Pod HD, and maybe in a year or two when the Helix is 500 bucks more or less I might get one.
I'm glad I've seen less of the "Why do they use chapman guitars, blah blah blah" I'm a PRS SE user and a friend of mine in uni plays a Chapman guitar. My word, it's incredible to play and I mean absolutely incredible. I've played the ML-2 (I think) and the Rabea signature model and they're both out of this world, the necks are phenomenal!!! People need to stop bashing a company that's giving it a go against the big guys, and winning I might add. All the best with Chapman guitars!
+David Thomas Thanks David, yeah we've really come a long way in five years! Hopefully one day we'll have a custom shop, premises... just the whole dream! ;-)
There's a lot of people here that are complaining for some reason. Whatever you think about the 'honesty" of this demo, the thing itself sounds pretty great for what it is. If I get in a situation where I can't record with my AC-15 anymore, because of neighbors, etc.. i would absolutely get one of these for recording..
OK...I must add my humble opinion to this demo and quest for the epic tone. This Helix sounds about as good as I've heard ANY modeler sound in a while. I will also say that the Amplifire demo you did Rob, was also very,very killer sounding as well. It brought out alot of "the good stuff" in your playing too. I am very impressed with all 3 of you guys playing for sure...especially lately, and I thank you from America. Peace!
+Rick Forsight Seems like to me its an upgrade of the pod hd pro, which seems to do everything amazingly except bass. For the price, it's just a more viable option. I'm a tube man myself, but I sold off my Mesa Duel Rec because the digital just seems to do the same things, Only I can add a rhodes 4038(which would cost a fortune to actually put in a rig.
+An Onyx In The Aftermath yeah, if you were using a dual rec for modern sounds of course youd like digital. digital cant give a qotsa, electric wizard, bongripper, melvins, or any kind of stoner/sludge/doom tone that actually sounds legit though.
Am I the only guitarist who couldn't give a flying rat's ass about valve amps? Line 6 are really pushing the envelope here as far as I'm concerned in terms of signal processing, audio I/O and hardware control. This is an ideal system for so many scenarios whether it's recording or live and I for one can't wait to get my hands on one. Great review btw!
No you're not. I think that valve amps sound worse - more dry and less polished distortion quality. Digital modelling is a new sound in it's own right to me that now has surpassed valve amps.
@Tessmage Tessera Nothing strange about that. Digital modelling gives us (most of the times) an idealized version of those amps, which i like more than the imperfect real thing (in other words - better fidelity in the highs, probably). It's like the vinyl vs CD debate: vinyl sounds crappier, but many people like it more than CD. I like the CD sound, because it's (subjectively) perfect. And don't forget about flexibility: you can make a perfect, clean thing sound crappier and dirtier, but you cannot do the opposite.
@@BigDaddy-nt6yc Vinyl sounds much crappier, dude. What you hear on vinyl is *NOT* the sound the musicians recorded in the studio, period. CD quality audio is much closer, uncompressed FLACs are best. It's totally ok if you happen to LIKE vinyl better. But to act like its clicks and pops are an objectively better sound quality to convey what the musicians played in the studio and wanted you to hear is totally rediculous... Laughable in fact.
There were some moments when Paul was playing and Chappers and the Cap'n just looked at each other as if to say "yeeeeeahh" Love seeing those kinds of moments.
Really wouldn't mind owning one of these in the future. Seems like a product that will stick on the market for years and years because it truly sounds amazing! Well done line6!
Rob Chapman Just a tip guys, when recording straight from a unit like this, if you want to mimic what you are hearing add a touch of room reverb to at the end of all the patches otherwise it sounds unnaturally dry and people will think (digital)
That's purely perspective, if you've got 1500 to send and like it it's good enough. I'll never buy it, but I respect your opinion but honestly I'm a hands guy, I use an ME-80 so I'm obviously not the person to task about modelling. I can just understand people either really liking it or not
+EsotericFallacies I suspect the amp sims are great, but the cabinet sim may leave a bit to be desired. I'd love to hear this miced up through a cab by Rabea
+Stratastrophe Thanks dude, yeah I'm pretty see-through with my reactions to things I like/don't like! It's a difficult thing to balance because neither Lee or I want to come across as "Over praising" or on the flipside "Overly critical"... The Helix was easy to review... it's great! ;-)
Alex id say BIAS is mainly for people like me, the bedroom musician who wants to make music but cant afford a helix, kemper, axe-fx, or great amps (and wouldnt be able to crank them for nicer tone anyway). And for me personally, after finding some nice tones in the tone cloud, tweaking them a bit, and adding a bit of post-eq and such, the results arent bad at all, pretty good actually. Obviously not on par with a real amp, but its great for people just getting into making music, like me.
I love your playing Cap! You've made so much progress since I've discovered these videos a couple years ago. You've got SOUL dude!! Chappers is a great guitarist but I couldn't wait to hear Paul again. I'm not a pro but I'm seriously considering selling most of my gear and buying a Helix. Especially since I'm also considering selling the house and buying a condo.
+Thomas Haaland To be honest I prefer gigging with Valve amps, that's just me - hence the Victory Silverback and RD-1, but I have no doubt that if you used one live it would be immense. Paul's band supported Dorje a few months back, he's a monster live player - if he uses one live then trust me it's going to be good! ;-)
Rob it's really cool to see you get really excited over something... Watching so many of your videos it's easy to tell when you are just enjoying playing guitar or enjoying playing guitar AND the amp/gear you are reviewing... And you totally seem to be digging this thing, not sure what it sounds like in the room but on the viewers end it sounds absolutely killer. Hope Line 6 market this correctly because there is definitely a negative stigma attached to Line 6 as far as the high end modeling market is concerned. Thanks for the review guys!
+Mizati20 Thanks dude, nice comment. The "Stigma" thing seems to crop up fairly often online and I totally get where it's coming from... I think it's unavoidable for a company that has spent such a long time trying to make affordable digital products that consumers love to buy and critics love to hate. The Helix is a vast step away from that - new game & big steps, let your ears be the judge and thank you for watching! ;-)
WinterMadness05 Maybe hear it in person first, instead of a TH-cam video? This thing's a big purchase. Typically people should do more research than a single TH-cam video before dropping $1500 on guitar equipment.
Brandorf Largon True. But the thing is.... they had similar review with Line 6 DT-50 as the dream rig. And it sounds so much better in that TH-cam video!
That's a really good point. Every time I see reviews on this stuff it's all about the distortion. I'm more interested in the effects running a clean tone. Not everyone plays licks all night, especially if they play solo. For example will it replace Strymon pedals. I love Strymon but I'm so sick of having to deal with the problems of pedalboards.
Bruce Baldwin totally agree wired pedal boards will ultimately let you down. I guess a solution for me could be just helix effects and amp switching. Is it worth the £1000 outlay to replace my Nova. The HD500X juat didn't do it for me.
+Steve Bennett I use a Pod HD (bean) for (among a lot of other things) Country. Just a clean Fender with a little reverb (spring or plate) will sound great for the stage. Adjust the drive so that only the loudest notes from your guitar get a little additional color.
+Steve Bennett The Line 6 and Sweetwater demos covered clean sounds. This is actually the first review of this device that got into some major distortion.
Capt, you should never shy away from playing on a vid. your style is dynamic and leaves a lot of space/air between notes- especially useful when demoing a product like this.
Good channel. I can sit and shred/play along with anything ever buy you guys provide good information about products. I used to hate Line 6 stuff but the recent stuff is great. I have a ancient hand built Bogner. given to me by the man him self.
bush horses for courses mate, some people are fine with digital. I've never used digital personally but especially with how good this sounded it's a little silly to look down on people for wanting tone and reliability
bush You do realize that youtube audio is basically low bitrate mp3, right? And to add to the discussion, you can get one real good amp and a really good cab and get a great tone. But that's it. For a similar price you can get a modelling thing like this or Axe FX and have pretty much all the amps.
Donutology one amp stack is way more expensive than this modeler.. compared to the POD, and taking youtube crap factor into account, this box sounds pretty amazing,and organic. i find it way less hissy than the axe FX, but darker sound has always been common with Line6, except that here, the high end is still present and good, compared to the mashed up highs in pods. I may wait for the rack version to replace my old pod :)
I'm not a gigging musician, and have never needed the power and volume of a tube amp, so for me all this high quality digital gear is a Godsend. It's perfect for home recording and practicing. I have the Kemper and I'm really not in the market to replace it, but I'm happy to see more competition in the super-realistic modeling/profiling space just to keep prices from getting further out of hand.
yes I agree...Chappers is usually very considerate and tactful when demoing gear... but I can tell ..... he loves this thing.. I am getting one!! I can tell by the way he is gushing, that it sounds great .... I mean, I hear it too, but I also know that the video sound can be deceiving... I am buying this just on Chappers' reaction alone! he's got a great ear .
Still, the components for modelling are made to run audio, not video or anything like that. Of course a computer it's more powerful, but you answer is pointless. You can't get a computer to sound an Axe FX, nor you can game on an Axe FX lmao.
jack dalisa Not to justify the specific price, but the price for these things doesn't just go into the components. It goes into the software, design and interface. You can build a more powerful computer for half the price, but it wouldn't do what this does, in as small a footprint, in a way that you'd actually want to use to play music.
+cfay No, I've just used a lot of amp sims and noticed the similarities. Especially other Line 6 products have exactly this type of sound. I'm pretty sure it's the cab simulation, if it was run through a power amp into a real cabinet, it would probably sound much better.
Matouš Vokál When they do vids with the Victory Amp it sounds great with youtube compression. This sounds nowhere near as good as the Victory. Maybe because of the way its mic-ed or line in. But it sounds fizzy at the top and boomy at the bottom with a HB . (I'm listening through my studio monitors )
Seems like a really KILLER piece of gear from Line 6 - I'm trying to get the money to buy one, as soon as possible! One thing I really think was overlooked in this first review was the Clean tones and the rest of the pedals, modulation and all that stuff inside.. That's a shame, and I really hope that's featured in the next part.. Great 1st review! :-)
Finally line6 is making some sense out of their products. I have always been a big fan of line6 and portable all in one products and I am really excited about this. True that amp modelling is not as great as the pure and real tone but the gap is closing in and I hope at some point its impossible to tell the difference and I don't think that is too farfetched. Theoretically if you throw in all the compute power, it should be able to model exactly what a real amp sounds like, but its the "Real" in real time amp modelling thats the pain and limiting factor. Its almost like non-real time graphics where you can't tell the difference between real and a rendered image. So the technology is improving, its just a question of when. One more thing that could be done is to see the wah/expression pedal in action, so if you could perhaps add that in a future video that would be great. Also its obvious who these guys are up against so if you could do an axe fx vs helix tone showdown that would be epic. Thanks for the review guys!
Rob Chapman teasing Paul about his pick of choice...the mighty Dunlop .73mm Tortex. Best picks ever made. The bright yellow color makes them easier to find when dropped. And you can sharpen the point of the pick on the carpet! Luv ya man.
Frankly I'm excited! Everyone seems to be wondering how it will sound etc. I can tell you this I once saw Eddie Van Halen paying through a broken amp at a backyard party before he made it, and he still sounded the same! It's in the hands and knowing how to get a great sound from anything! The same thing with Reeves Gabrels with David Bowie. He was playing through a Roland VG8 a power amp and 4X12 Cab. He sounded amazing! Once again it's all in the hands & knowing your gear!
Thanks a lot! Make my day dude! : ) I'm shock hahaha thanks and by the way I wanted to say that when I was gonna buy my first guitar I went to your channel and thx to you I'm satisfied with what I got (squier bullet strat). Men that was a year and a half ago thanks a lot \m/_
Thanks for the video guys, you are FANTASTIC!!!! As always;-) And for the Helix, well, this is my personal opinion: the all-in-one hardware build is great, the aesthetics even better ... but for the sound ... I will keep very tightly the Kemper Amp, no-one for the moment come even close to it's quality. Kemper is real amp cloned and stored in digital format, all the rest, better or worse, remains digital simulation. If the price will be in between the Kemper and the Boss GT-100 or old POD HD500 it can make sense to think about it (in that price range). Good "digital" day all of you !!!
i know a guitarist that uses a Line 6 Spider III combo. He doesn't care for the presets, but loves what he can do to change those parameters to fit his needs and create his own sounds. He loves it and plays in a popular weekend band in FLA......
And it's sooooo hilarious to read all the 3 year old comments from all the bedroom tone warriors who have never stepped foot on a stage proclaiming how hard the Helix was going to fail. Bahahahahaha
I'm an axe fx user and I think this is a very good product, line 6 has done a good job of combining features of other successful products, you have the dual processing and ir capabilities of the axe fx, has g system inspired loops and footswitches, and rjm style scribble strips. It is a great time to be a guitar player there is really no reason not to be able to get a good tone at any budget. Tube, digital, vintage, modern doesn't matter quality has gotten so good that now it's totally up to the player and what inspires them.
I bought the POD HD500 about 18 months ago after watching a review and being really impressed with the features and the price. After plugging in the first time and running through all of the presets, I was pretty disappointed. However, after spending a day or two learning the POD and dialing in my own sounds for my own gear, it blew me away. Factory settings are done to sound the best with the biggest array of possible guitars and amps. You have to learn what sounds best through tweaking the settings with your own rig. After listening to and watching this demo, Ive' made my order. I have no doubt that, after a couple of days dialing it in, it'll be more than adequate for my uses in live gigs and in my own home. I'm looking forward to creating my own sound as well as better recreate the sounds used by my favorite guitarists in my most played songs.
What I like about the "classic" Pods is the fact that you can have the programming interface up at the microphone stand, separate from the floorboard. Something like a small external programming unit would be a nice add-on for the floor and rack version.
The univibe sounds great... some of the amps sound better than others... I think a person would need to spend time to weed out the patches and amps and effects that dont cut it and concentrate on the ones that are sounding good. I can see myself using this unit as a command station along side my handmade boutique italian tube amps as an effects processor with a 4 cable system... I am buying one to try out... I had purchased a Pod 500X before and personally thought that 500X was more bedroom guitarist kid stuff and sold it "immediately" ... But this looks and sounds like a pro gig rig.. I think I'm gonna ğull the trigger and buy one of these... I also owned and AXE FX II XL and sold that after 10 days of "torture" trying to figure it out... I would have put up with the AXF learning curve from hell but I thought the amp sounds were 15% usable and there was a lot of junk amps and effects in it... not worth the time effort and big investment so I sold the AXE FX . This is priced a lot better and seems to be an "upgraded copy of the AXE FX" (lets be honest and call a spade a spade here :) .. well because its an "all in one unit" it has its appeal there its cheaper (about half price when you figure in the foot controler extra on the AXE FX) so I'm goona buy one and try it out but I'll be honest with you even though this Helix unit seems like a pro unit, up till now everything I purchased from the line 6 company fell into the "rinky dink JUNK Category" now that they are owned by Yamaha at least now it has an "on off switch" which the X-500 Pod did not have have before (absolutely disgraceful cost cutting) ...So line 6 got its headhunted engineers to may a cheaper easier to use AXR FX hhhhmmmmmm? Okey I'll try it out.... I feel bad for digitech whose cost cutting mentality has dropped them to the bottom of the barrel now....
Fantastic job guys! I wonder how it compares with the Axe FX, Kemper? A side by side review of these products would be probably the most watched video of all time.
Getting ready to put some bare knuckles in my Chapman ml-1. I know it's off topic, but I'm excited. I'm sticking with real amps. Respect to Line6 for trying to compete with Amp-Fx, and the other high end modelers at a much lower price. Nice looking unit.
I've watched a fair few Helix videos and not one of them nailed a decent high gain tone, this does! This is definitely up there with the AxeFX and the Kemper, and offers far more too for less. The fact you can use third party IRs is a big deal, would love to hear one using Red Wirez IRs!
It's horses for courses for me. I regularly lug £2.5k's worth of amp and pedalboard to gigs. There's times when just rocking up with something that goes straight into the PA would be so much easier, although then you really would be at the mercy of the soundguy. Having said that I'm always struck that reviews/demos of digital gear ALWAYS say 'wow, that's amazing... so much more authentic than whatever has gone before'. But in 2-3yrs time the same thing will be said about the next wonderbox etc. The great thing about a good valve amp that's turned up with a couple of choice pedals is that it always sounds definitively great... and it always has. For me, the step change over the last few years has been the wider realisation that a small valve amp with the volume up around halfway or more really does sound epic compared to a 100w stack barely at tick over.
Funny how Paul Hindmarsh was trying to get the Profiling concept in as a part of the line 6 concept...and his reaction when the Captain interjects like...errr yeah, yeah ya mean Kemper...lol... Well spotted Captain you did the right thing there. Kudos. Looks like Line6 days are numbered unless they produce something fantastical. You can't copyright a circuit but you can the 'Layout of that circuit' so in other words it would be extremely difficult and unlikely Line6 could take the profiling 'Layout' and somehow make it a part of their own design without a big showdown in the courts and more unlikely they can now compete with Kemper in the sheer superior sound of the Kemper. And then consider this, How long do you think it will be before Kemper produce much cheaper or budget tailored versions, they have Nailed the technology and sound so I simply cannot see what will stop them from hugely dominating the market. I have got to give it to them for that.
It's really cool to see Line 6 enter the game finally with a modeler that's good enough (IMO) to use on a recording. I do admit that the Axe still has my allegiance for a number of reasons, but I'm still genuinely happy to see this give guitarists another option in the digital realm since I do believe that it's the way of the future. Very neat.
BorisDono I agree, but I still wasn't very happy with the HD500 I had owned unless I used a separate IR loader at minimum. I think that the real test is whether or not the tones are passable in a real context (recording or live). My opinion is that Helix is the first digital offering from Line 6 that makes it into the "yes" category, which is very exciting news for guitarists.
Yeah, the "Angel F-Ball + XXL" tone is arguably an "iconic" tone in the modern metal scene thanks to folks like Vildhjarta and countless bedroom producers, but the hi-gain was still kind of one-dimensional IMO--not a _lot_ of unique, usable tones. Because of the variety of bands I was in, I used my HD500 in all sorts of situations, including ones where a classic rock, "mid gain" tone was needed...it was a disaster, and it just made me cry when I had to play. Using a real cab helped, but...it was a huge headache, and it actively made me dislike playing. The clean and hi-gain tones weren't bad, but they're both rather easy to get using most sims [to a degree that's good enough to gig with]. Mid-gain has traditionally been the most difficult to nail, though I do think that the current players (Fractal, Kemper, Positive Grid, and now Line 6) pretty much have them figured out now. Cheers!
Paul: Do you want more gain?
Lee: No, I want less!
Classic Lee Anderton.
Less is more in every way!
CaptAnderton 'how can less be moh, moh is moh' - Yngwie
Stratastrophe You shouldn't need too many effects to be able to play guitar cause if you do....well it's a sign you cannot play guitar.
MercedesKawasaki I don't agree...it all goes to what sound do you want to get....sure playing with less effect require more precision and control...but using more effect alone does mean a person cannot play guitar...
Guys, chill it was a joke haha
Lee, believe me when I tell you that you and the chance of hearing you playing all those amazing blues solos are two of the main reasons why I watch all your videos... you are just an unbelievably talented guitarist that can use what you know to maximum extent and have a great sound. Watching you playing is not only refreshing in this internet world, full of shred, but also inspiring. So believe Rob and Paul (and me), you are an AMAZING GUITAR PLAYER, and you and your blues can keep up with everything all those shredders have to offer, better than most do!
Cheers man - that's very nice of you to say!
+CaptAnderton I just said the truth, man! Cheers!
+CaptAnderton Someone is after a 25% off Andertons voucher....
Thanks for all the kind words folks. Much appreciated :-) Pleased you enjoyed it. Wait until you get to hear and try one in real life! So much fun.
This is literally the most amazing sounding thing Ive ever heard.
very true, ive ordered mine
And Im very jealous
I love how all of these bedroom guitar players feel the need to comment negatively on modeling and this product specifically when in fact they've probably never played even a handful of the real amps being modeled. Spend more time playing than arguing about "real tube" tone on the internet. You'll find yourself to be a happier person.
Well said! 5 years later and the argument still goes on despite evidence to the contrary.
This is a bit like the Nissan Gtr from the guitar world in my opinion. we all know it's completely digital but god damn it is good.
***** LoL, or the WalMart?
***** Sear's did make guitars and amps though
+Mendozer03 ive played a sears amp and its one the best amps ive ever heard
***** Nah I mean I'm not saying anything about them I'm just saying they already were in the market.
Yesidoplaytheguitar mmmm....Nissan GTRs.... agggggggg...... (*dribble)
I'd love to see a video "Can Helix Save Chappers?" :)
Phil Smith yes yes yes yes yes!
Man, Paul is such a monster player!
+Lord Yllsacky You should check out his band 300 Foot Gorilla (facebook.com/300ftGorilla) ;-)
Rob Chapman Finally! I've heard his song in one of your previous videos, and couldn't find his band anywhere :D Thanks man!
Yup - he's definitely one of the best demo guys I know. Super tasty!
Luka Cuturic Mean but true !
I dare you to blind test it with a Pod 2.0. I bloody dare you.
I second this
+Alan Angel This!
Alan Angel Hell yes!!!!!!!
+Alan Angel Just.... DO IT!
They wouldn't because they are selling this crap, plus it would cast doubt over his 'perfect ear'
It'll be interesting to see what kind of marketing campaign they go for with this thing. I don't have any problems with Line 6, but I feel like it's safe to say there are a large portion of guitarist out there who treat that company like a joke. This is a $1500 piece of hardware. That's getting up there with modelers like the Kemper and Fractals and what not. I think it'll be difficult to convince people spending that much money they should go with Line 6 instead of the other top dogs, especially when taking into consideration a lot of people's pre-conceived notions about the company. Guitarists overall are a difficult group to budge when it comes to what they like. I guess a positive showing by Rob is a good start though.
flips220 Yeah, well said. I guess they are just trying to win people over by the quality of the modelling/effects, which is brave considering the competition but I wish them luck.
I will say the one thing I really love is the individual screens above every switch that change depending on what parameter you set them to. No more having to remember what they are or using pieces of tape.
***** I don't disagree, but I think they'll be trying to rehab their brand as a whole now. They did very well with the M-series of multi-FX (I know plenty of gigging musicians that use them, though their overdrives were trash), and this looks 10x better than that. Maybe a new brand would benefit them, but I don't think Line6 itself is tarnished beyond repair. A smaller, M5- or M9-like version of this I think would do very well.
not to mention the AxeFx floor board that will come out around the same price.
+flips220 Line 6 is now owned by Yamaha. They have the money and tech to walk all over Kemper and AxeFX. Line 6 will become the industry standard.
+Matt Wright
What i can see from the video there is notning in it that tha AxeFX doesn't do better. And i think there is a reasom why the guys are comparing it to the kemper and not the axe fx.
As a Kemper user/owner we the people demand to see can the Helix save Chappers!
So I currently own a Kemper and a AX8 Fractal and my worship leader uses the helix. If you want pro quality make no mistake you can get it from all 3 units. The Helix is beautiful but I have seen them used for $999 due to supply and demand. Used Kemper hold resale value very well as do axefx units/AX8 units. Me personally I would go Kemper one because it's not only pro quality but the IRS that come with the Helix I wouldn't say all are pro quality which we bought own hammer IRS and that's all it needed no Helix sounds awesome.
Kemper you can load IRS or profile the actual amp/cab 🤘🏻
AX8 is just amazing but for your 2 options go Kemper sir!
@@jakeandlori23 I have very, very rarely seen them come up used. I see a few Kempers, not too many but I know a few people that switched to helix because of the effects.
People complaining about the price tag should rethink Helix for a bit. Yes, Line 6 has been aiming for the amateur market for a while with products like transistors/modelling amps, Pods, etc. This is not for that market, this is a new product so Line 6 can compete with brands like Kemper or Axe-FX in the semi-pro/pro market. This is not a toy, this is some serious piece of gear in my opinion. That's why it costs 1500 dollars. People who bitch about how expensive things are they really need to re-think their way of thinking, good gear is not cheap, that's why the Axe FX is expensive, that's why vintage Les Pauls are expensive and that's why a Dual Rec is expensive. If you want to get good sounds you need to invest money into that.
Unless you are a rich guy or a semi pro/professional musician, stick with the Pod HD, which still is a great piece of gear.
+Logan Taylor I don't think Line 6 started off like that at all. The original Pod pretty much revolutionised the way guitars are recorded. Sure, the Spider range was (is!) pretty low end, but a lot of other stuff they've done has been great.
Pretty much Line 6 started the modelling market with "competitive" gear many many years ago with the Pod series. Yes, Line 6 has bad rep due shitty gear but I see many many guitar players use stuff like DL4s, wireless etc. Don't make generalizations, because every single brand has released shitty gear, Line 6 has done that for years, sure, but Mesa Boogie has too (and even more recently with the Cabclone.
Don't be biased by what people says on forums. "Yeah you can't play metal on a Telecaster" Bullshit. Try the gear, and then make your own mind.
Each at it's own. I'm keen of modellers because I can't have an amp at home (bitchy parents/neighbours) and my amp with headphones doesn't sound good at all. Also I'd like to have as many options as I can in a single unit, being a pedal or a rack thingy.
Still, I think amps are the way to go to record, but for playing live i'm not that sure. All the bands I listen to play with valve amps, not modellers or stuff like that. It's just a matter of necessity for myself.
bush I totally agree that valve amps are better, but I don't think that you should disregard how good the modelling gear is getting these days, just because it's "impure" or something like that.
Personally I think the newer modelling stuff is great. I use a Pod UX2 from line 6 as a practice "amp" at my desk because it's convenient. Whenever I plug into a valve amp, even a shitty one, the response is definitely way better, like you say. That being said, the Kemper (and I suppose the Axe FX and Helix as well, I haven't tried them) felt exactly the same as a valve amp to me. Sure you can be purist and say it's "like autotune" because its not an actual valve making the sound, but that doesn't make the product bad, and not everyone is using it to make up for their mistakes.
I love high end valve amps, they sound great, feet great, and they're just downright fun to tinker with, but the modelling stuff at the higher end sounds just as good, responds just as well, and the tinkering is a whole new beast because you can do it digitally and add some effects in ways that you just can't do with pedals, which is awesome to me. I don't think the problem with 'sterile' or 'soulless' tone is in any way a fault of the hardware, probably more the people using it.
bush No, I'm not dropping 1500 bucks into this, I don't have that much money. I'm going to get an used Pod HD, and maybe in a year or two when the Helix is 500 bucks more or less I might get one.
I'm glad I've seen less of the "Why do they use chapman guitars, blah blah blah"
I'm a PRS SE user and a friend of mine in uni plays a Chapman guitar. My word, it's incredible to play and I mean absolutely incredible. I've played the ML-2 (I think) and the Rabea signature model and they're both out of this world, the necks are phenomenal!!! People need to stop bashing a company that's giving it a go against the big guys, and winning I might add. All the best with Chapman guitars!
+David Thomas Thanks David, yeah we've really come a long way in five years! Hopefully one day we'll have a custom shop, premises... just the whole dream! ;-)
+David Thomas Plus the SE and the Chapman are off the same exact assembly lines anyway. They ought to be pretty similar quality.
Also I might add that Lee smashed that John Mayer track at the end! The tone nailed!
There's a lot of people here that are complaining for some reason. Whatever you think about the 'honesty" of this demo, the thing itself sounds pretty great for what it is. If I get in a situation where I can't record with my AC-15 anymore, because of neighbors, etc.. i would absolutely get one of these for recording..
sounds amazing! first thing in a long time that's made me think about selling my pedals, I loved the old pod HD rack unit.
OK...I must add my humble opinion to this demo and quest for the epic tone. This Helix sounds about as good as I've heard ANY modeler sound in a while. I will also say that the Amplifire demo you did Rob, was also very,very killer sounding as well. It brought out alot of "the good stuff" in your playing too. I am very impressed with all 3 of you guys playing for sure...especially lately, and I thank you from America. Peace!
A Line 6 multi effects floorboard with a power button? WHAT MADNESS IS THIS???
***** lol...
***** Its Garbage, I feel bad for the kids who are gonna waste there money on this
+Rick Forsight Seems like to me its an upgrade of the pod hd pro, which seems to do everything amazingly except bass. For the price, it's just a more viable option. I'm a tube man myself, but I sold off my Mesa Duel Rec because the digital just seems to do the same things, Only I can add a rhodes 4038(which would cost a fortune to actually put in a rig.
+An Onyx In The Aftermath yeah, if you were using a dual rec for modern sounds of course youd like digital. digital cant give a qotsa, electric wizard, bongripper, melvins, or any kind of stoner/sludge/doom tone that actually sounds legit though.
I prefer an Orange Or15 Cranked, with a Airis Effects Pika Drive, Keely Compressor, and an ISP decimator, but line 6 Pods and Helix are amazing
Line 6 gear is streets ahead of it's competitors! Love it!
Haha love how uncomfortable Paul gets when Rob fangirls over him :D But then again - Paul deserves to be fangirled over!
Rasmus Almlund to me he seems to love it :)
+Rasmus Almlund Urrr!
+Rasmus Almlund Paul seemed like a more serious guy than Rob and Lee and wasn't much for any of the banter.
This video is a god send, thanks guys. I have one on order, and it's great to see this is everything ive wanted and more
Am I the only guitarist who couldn't give a flying rat's ass about valve amps?
Line 6 are really pushing the envelope here as far as I'm concerned in terms of signal processing, audio I/O and hardware control.
This is an ideal system for so many scenarios whether it's recording or live and I for one can't wait to get my hands on one.
Great review btw!
No you're not. I think that valve amps sound worse - more dry and less polished distortion quality. Digital modelling is a new sound in it's own right to me that now has surpassed valve amps.
@Tessmage Tessera Nothing strange about that. Digital modelling gives us (most of the times) an idealized version of those amps, which i like more than the imperfect real thing (in other words - better fidelity in the highs, probably). It's like the vinyl vs CD debate: vinyl sounds crappier, but many people like it more than CD. I like the CD sound, because it's (subjectively) perfect. And don't forget about flexibility: you can make a perfect, clean thing sound crappier and dirtier, but you cannot do the opposite.
@@johannjensson6190 Sorry but you lost all credibility with "vinyl sounds crappier". Wow. Just. . . . Wow!!!!🤯
@@BigDaddy-nt6yc LOL.
@@BigDaddy-nt6yc Vinyl sounds much crappier, dude. What you hear on vinyl is *NOT* the sound the musicians recorded in the studio, period. CD quality audio is much closer, uncompressed FLACs are best.
It's totally ok if you happen to LIKE vinyl better. But to act like its clicks and pops are an objectively better sound quality to convey what the musicians played in the studio and wanted you to hear is totally rediculous... Laughable in fact.
There were some moments when Paul was playing and Chappers and the Cap'n just looked at each other as if to say "yeeeeeahh" Love seeing those kinds of moments.
Holy shit! Dat playing from Paul.. :O badass \m/
Tomi C he has an awesome right hand!
Really wouldn't mind owning one of these in the future. Seems like a product that will stick on the market for years and years because it truly sounds amazing! Well done line6!
you won me when your plugged the les paul after the strat and it reacted like a tube amp driven by humbuckers...
man modeling is at a great level now
Rob Chapman Just a tip guys, when recording straight from a unit like this, if you want to mimic what you are hearing add a touch of room reverb to at the end of all the patches otherwise it sounds unnaturally dry and people will think (digital)
this is really a coverband guitarist's wet dream, not just the sounds, but the sheer amount of options in terms of controlling the damn thing...
jinsu2301 absolutely right. And lets face it, thats probably 90 percent of guitar players in the world!
Wow, the tuner sounds good! 13:37 Great job Line 6!
I really wanted to like this, but I still don't feel that it sounds quite right, am I missing something?
EsotericFallacies nah it's just not quite there yet, honestly for me it seems good enough but I totally get not quite falling in love with it
+William Webster It sound maybe a little better than BIAS. If you look at the price difference, this is definitely not good enough.
That's purely perspective, if you've got 1500 to send and like it it's good enough. I'll never buy it, but I respect your opinion but honestly I'm a hands guy, I use an ME-80 so I'm obviously not the person to task about modelling. I can just understand people either really liking it or not
+EsotericFallacies I suspect the amp sims are great, but the cabinet sim may leave a bit to be desired. I'd love to hear this miced up through a cab by Rabea
EsotericFallacies Same goes to me. The DT50 dream rig they had sound much better.
Wow that run he did at 34:26-34:32 ! Awesome :)
Clean sound? even the twin its dirty? :(
I like how you guys are able to be helpfully critical where it is necessary. Still, great product, great video.
+Stratastrophe Thanks dude, yeah I'm pretty see-through with my reactions to things I like/don't like! It's a difficult thing to balance because neither Lee or I want to come across as "Over praising" or on the flipside "Overly critical"...
The Helix was easy to review... it's great! ;-)
Lee's forehead is brighter than my future
Great playing from both you and Paul. Looks like a great interface on the Helix.
I try again Rob ;) any chance of seeing a more traditional lp, one with a maple cap and binding?
From Chapman Guitars of course, i'm kinda not into the metal and rock guitars
+Kinky Walrus Yep!
+Rob Chapman off topic i know but i was wondering if you had any future plans for a Chapman hollowbody?
:O can't wait! Nice rack btw ;)
That JTM 45 sound is bang on, doesn't sound digital at all! Amazing.
You buy one of those....then an iPad...then BIAS and then sell the Helix. Job done!
Teutone But an iPad with BIAS isnt really giggable whereas this is. Also, this is avalable as a rack unit so it is very giggale.
Danny King I agree BIAS is great for recording and that's it.
Alex id say BIAS is mainly for people like me, the bedroom musician who wants to make music but cant afford a helix, kemper, axe-fx, or great amps (and wouldnt be able to crank them for nicer tone anyway). And for me personally, after finding some nice tones in the tone cloud, tweaking them a bit, and adding a bit of post-eq and such, the results arent bad at all, pretty good actually. Obviously not on par with a real amp, but its great for people just getting into making music, like me.
+richard pena Nah, it's for the studio, the Zoom G3 is what you want for that.
Ugh bias was the biggest waste of $200... All the tones sound tinny and unnatural plus you can't really gig with it.
I love your playing Cap! You've made so much progress since I've discovered these videos a couple years ago. You've got SOUL dude!! Chappers is a great guitarist but I couldn't wait to hear Paul again. I'm not a pro but I'm seriously considering selling most of my gear and buying a Helix. Especially since I'm also considering selling the house and buying a condo.
Can I tweet with it?
Another awesome geekfest of a video guys. Loving the vid, looking forward to part 2 & would love to see a blindfold comparison test of this baby
Would you gig with it though Rob?
+Thomas Haaland To be honest I prefer gigging with Valve amps, that's just me - hence the Victory Silverback and RD-1, but I have no doubt that if you used one live it would be immense. Paul's band supported Dorje a few months back, he's a monster live player - if he uses one live then trust me it's going to be good! ;-)
+Rob Chapman hey Rob it would do cool if you guys did pedal's and tube amp vs this line 6 Helix blind folded!
+Rob Chapman listen to him!^ that'd be amazing :D
Stephen Whitney id watch that
bourbonslurpee yeah would be a great idea
Rob it's really cool to see you get really excited over something... Watching so many of your videos it's easy to tell when you are just enjoying playing guitar or enjoying playing guitar AND the amp/gear you are reviewing... And you totally seem to be digging this thing, not sure what it sounds like in the room but on the viewers end it sounds absolutely killer. Hope Line 6 market this correctly because there is definitely a negative stigma attached to Line 6 as far as the high end modeling market is concerned. Thanks for the review guys!
+Mizati20 Thanks dude, nice comment. The "Stigma" thing seems to crop up fairly often online and I totally get where it's coming from... I think it's unavoidable for a company that has spent such a long time trying to make affordable digital products that consumers love to buy and critics love to hate.
The Helix is a vast step away from that - new game & big steps, let your ears be the judge and thank you for watching! ;-)
+Rob Chapman Great answer - totally nails the reality of the Line 6 love hate thing!
The interface is impressive but the tone i'm just not buying :/
WinterMadness05 Maybe hear it in person first, instead of a TH-cam video? This thing's a big purchase. Typically people should do more research than a single TH-cam video before dropping $1500 on guitar equipment.
Brandorf Largon True. But the thing is.... they had similar review with Line 6 DT-50 as the dream rig. And it sounds so much better in that TH-cam video!
That's incredible the modelling software they nailed all the sounds of some great amps
You guy's never cover real clean sounds on these products that a country, or steel player would use...interesting never the less.
That's a really good point. Every time I see reviews on this stuff it's all about the distortion. I'm more interested in the effects running a clean tone. Not everyone plays licks all night, especially if they play solo. For example will it replace Strymon pedals. I love Strymon but I'm so sick of having to deal with the problems of pedalboards.
Bruce Baldwin totally agree wired pedal boards will ultimately let you down. I guess a solution for me could be just helix effects and amp switching. Is it worth the £1000 outlay to replace my Nova. The HD500X juat didn't do it for me.
+Steve Bennett I use a Pod HD (bean) for (among a lot of other things) Country. Just a clean Fender with a little reverb (spring or plate) will sound great for the stage. Adjust the drive so that only the loudest notes from your guitar get a little additional color.
+Steve Bennett The Line 6 and Sweetwater demos covered clean sounds. This is actually the first review of this device that got into some major distortion.
+Steve Bennett , exactly, exactly, exactly .... Where are the jazz tones, where are the funky ones ? I get sick of all these distorted fast notes.
Wow! Sounds fantastic! Thanks for this great demo.
"its not the next POD HD, PODs have super shitty highs, this one is new, it has super shitty lows !"
Capt, you should never shy away from playing on a vid. your style is dynamic and leaves a lot of space/air between notes- especially useful when demoing a product like this.
You can't hear any difference between amps. They all sound very similar especially high gain. My engl fireball eats helix for breakfast
Bahahahahahahahaha....
Sunk.
Cost.
Fallacy.
Good channel.
I can sit and shred/play along with anything ever buy you guys provide good information about products.
I used to hate Line 6 stuff but the recent stuff is great.
I have a ancient hand built Bogner. given to me by the man him self.
Damn lot cheaper than the Axe FX II.
You mean less expensive.
bush horses for courses mate, some people are fine with digital. I've never used digital personally but especially with how good this sounded it's a little silly to look down on people for wanting tone and reliability
bush everything is overcompressed on youtube, no matter what resolution you view the video at.
bush You do realize that youtube audio is basically low bitrate mp3, right?
And to add to the discussion, you can get one real good amp and a really good cab and get a great tone. But that's it.
For a similar price you can get a modelling thing like this or Axe FX and have pretty much all the amps.
Donutology one amp stack is way more expensive than this modeler..
compared to the POD, and taking youtube crap factor into account, this box sounds pretty amazing,and organic.
i find it way less hissy than the axe FX, but darker sound has always been common with Line6, except that here, the high end is still present and good, compared to the mashed up highs in pods.
I may wait for the rack version to replace my old pod :)
I am really glad to see the very, very talented Paul Hindmarsh in this team! Awesome!
My pod Hd500x sounds just as good as this though.
Mine too.
+CHUN BUNS (“jVj A G N U jVj”) My hd pro too.
My pocket pod too........... lol
I'm not a gigging musician, and have never needed the power and volume of a tube amp, so for me all this high quality digital gear is a Godsend. It's perfect for home recording and practicing. I have the Kemper and I'm really not in the market to replace it, but I'm happy to see more competition in the super-realistic modeling/profiling space just to keep prices from getting further out of hand.
please don't be more than 1000 dollars :'-(
It's 1500.... Fuck.
+Christian Augustin yup I was a little bummed too
Christian Augustin Just save up a bit more! It'll be that much sweeter when you get to take it home. :]
heavypet My plan exactly. I guess it still beats getting an amp, a cab a pedal board and all the other things .
Or you can wait a year and it'll be selling used for $250 like all modeling crap. Kemper not included.
yes I agree...Chappers is usually very considerate and tactful when demoing gear... but I can tell ..... he loves this thing.. I am getting one!! I can tell by the way he is gushing, that it sounds great .... I mean, I hear it too, but I also know that the video sound can be deceiving... I am buying this just on Chappers' reaction alone! he's got a great ear .
Why is it so expensive. A gaming computer is less.
jack dalisa Why are you comparing apples with rockets? It's pointless. Two things made for different uses.
Álvaro Rodríguez Ortiz the componentd and processers In a gaming compuer are much more powetfull than the modeling processer
Still, the components for modelling are made to run audio, not video or anything like that. Of course a computer it's more powerful, but you answer is pointless. You can't get a computer to sound an Axe FX, nor you can game on an Axe FX lmao.
But its still less power
jack dalisa Not to justify the specific price, but the price for these things doesn't just go into the components. It goes into the software, design and interface. You can build a more powerful computer for half the price, but it wouldn't do what this does, in as small a footprint, in a way that you'd actually want to use to play music.
as a stratocaster collector, i can say it's one good looking one !! big headstock, rosewood fingerboard and three-tone sunburst ... just wouaaaowww
Still sounds obviously digital, in a very bad way. Some of the sounds were OK, but that's nowhere near enough for that price.
Matouš Vokál you are hearing it with all the compression youtube add, so not going to be hearing it at it best
shakennstirred at 1080 youtube doesnt add audio compression
edit: 320kbps apparently
+cfay No, I've just used a lot of amp sims and noticed the similarities. Especially other Line 6 products have exactly this type of sound. I'm pretty sure it's the cab simulation, if it was run through a power amp into a real cabinet, it would probably sound much better.
Matouš Vokál When they do vids with the Victory Amp it sounds great with youtube compression. This sounds nowhere near as good as the Victory. Maybe because of the way its mic-ed or line in. But it sounds fizzy at the top and boomy at the bottom with a HB . (I'm listening through my studio monitors )
Matouš Vokál What does digital sound like?
Seems like a really KILLER piece of gear from Line 6 - I'm trying to get the money to buy one, as soon as possible!
One thing I really think was overlooked in this first review was the Clean tones and the rest of the pedals, modulation and all that stuff inside.. That's a shame, and I really hope that's featured in the next part..
Great 1st review! :-)
Finally line6 is making some sense out of their products. I have always been a big fan of line6 and portable all in one products and I am really excited about this. True that amp modelling is not as great as the pure and real tone but the gap is closing in and I hope at some point its impossible to tell the difference and I don't think that is too farfetched. Theoretically if you throw in all the compute power, it should be able to model exactly what a real amp sounds like, but its the "Real" in real time amp modelling thats the pain and limiting factor. Its almost like non-real time graphics where you can't tell the difference between real and a rendered image. So the technology is improving, its just a question of when.
One more thing that could be done is to see the wah/expression pedal in action, so if you could perhaps add that in a future video that would be great. Also its obvious who these guys are up against so if you could do an axe fx vs helix tone showdown that would be epic. Thanks for the review guys!
I love how the Andertons guys and even the product dude were able to acknowledge the "competition" respectfully without needing to belittle them.
Rob Chapman teasing Paul about his pick of choice...the mighty Dunlop .73mm Tortex. Best picks ever made. The bright yellow color makes them easier to find when dropped. And you can sharpen the point of the pick on the carpet! Luv ya man.
This new thing looks HEAVY!
Holy shit Line 6 - You win. I want one for recording... Like so bad.
Frankly I'm excited! Everyone seems to be wondering how it will sound etc. I can tell you this I once saw Eddie Van Halen paying through a broken amp at a backyard party before he made it, and he still sounded the same! It's in the hands and knowing how to get a great sound from anything! The same thing with Reeves Gabrels with David Bowie. He was playing through a Roland VG8 a power amp and 4X12 Cab. He sounded amazing! Once again it's all in the hands & knowing your gear!
I gave a thumbs up for Lee mentioning Kemper and Axe-FX by name. I probably would have liked the video anyway, but I appreciated that candor.
Rob your awesome I'm proud of your work and the love you got for making videos for us don't stop and keep rocking \m/_
I hope you could reply
Thanks dude, I really appreciate the nice comment :-)
Thanks a lot! Make my day dude! : ) I'm shock hahaha thanks and by the way I wanted to say that when I was gonna buy my first guitar I went to your channel and thx to you I'm satisfied with what I got (squier bullet strat). Men that was a year and a half ago thanks a lot \m/_
Finally a video that shows off some very impressive tones.
I like that the first thing Rob checks for is the dynamic response. the pods always had a hard time with that.
Lee always shy's away from playing after Rob but he's killing' it in this video! Go on the Cap'n..!
I love Lee. He handled this so brilliantly
Thanks for the video guys, you are FANTASTIC!!!! As always;-) And for the Helix, well, this is my personal opinion: the all-in-one hardware build is great, the aesthetics even better ... but for the sound ... I will keep very tightly the Kemper Amp, no-one for the moment come even close to it's quality. Kemper is real amp cloned and stored in digital format, all the rest, better or worse, remains digital simulation. If the price will be in between the Kemper and the Boss GT-100 or old POD HD500 it can make sense to think about it (in that price range). Good "digital" day all of you !!!
i know a guitarist that uses a Line 6 Spider III combo. He doesn't care for the presets, but loves what he can do to change those parameters to fit his needs and create his own sounds. He loves it and plays in a popular weekend band in FLA......
Nearly 4 years later and it's a beast
And it's sooooo hilarious to read all the 3 year old comments from all the bedroom tone warriors who have never stepped foot on a stage proclaiming how hard the Helix was going to fail.
Bahahahahaha
Damn. I don't think i've heard simulated distortion/OD sounding this good before.
This field has really come a long way.
As a student in electrical engineering and circuit design, I look forward to the rest of this video for what Line 6 is achieving nowadays.
I'm an axe fx user and I think this is a very good product, line 6 has done a good job of combining features of other successful products, you have the dual processing and ir capabilities of the axe fx, has g system inspired loops and footswitches, and rjm style scribble strips. It is a great time to be a guitar player there is really no reason not to be able to get a good tone at any budget. Tube, digital, vintage, modern doesn't matter quality has gotten so good that now it's totally up to the player and what inspires them.
Met Paul at the Musikmesse in Frankfurt...Besides of being an awesome guitar player, he is also a great musician and truly nice guy.
Got my Helix from Anderton's recently. It's phenomenal 👏🏻👏🏻
I wasn't expecting the Helix to be THIS GOOD! :D
Congratulations Line 6!! You've made a spectacular processing unit.
That RUn! 34m20s ;)
Those stereo amp channels are amazing to listen to through head phones!
I bought the POD HD500 about 18 months ago after watching a review and being really impressed with the features and the price. After plugging in the first time and running through all of the presets, I was pretty disappointed. However, after spending a day or two learning the POD and dialing in my own sounds for my own gear, it blew me away. Factory settings are done to sound the best with the biggest array of possible guitars and amps. You have to learn what sounds best through tweaking the settings with your own rig. After listening to and watching this demo, Ive' made my order. I have no doubt that, after a couple of days dialing it in, it'll be more than adequate for my uses in live gigs and in my own home. I'm looking forward to creating my own sound as well as better recreate the sounds used by my favorite guitarists in my most played songs.
Holy fuck. This product by line 6 has thoroughly impressed me. I am dumb founded by how amazing this sounds
holy cow, this thing sounds amazing!
Man! The Captain lays down the law when it comes to the blues!
Great demo Rob Chapman! Very keen to hear someone like Ola or Keith play though the high gain models though :)
What I like about the "classic" Pods is the fact that you can have the programming interface up at the microphone stand, separate from the floorboard. Something like a small external programming unit would be a nice add-on for the floor and rack version.
The univibe sounds great... some of the amps sound better than others... I think a person would need to spend time to weed out the patches and amps and effects that dont cut it and concentrate on the ones that are sounding good. I can see myself using this unit as a command station along side my handmade boutique italian tube amps as an effects processor with a 4 cable system... I am buying one to try out... I had purchased a Pod 500X before and personally thought that 500X was more bedroom guitarist kid stuff and sold it "immediately" ... But this looks and sounds like a pro gig rig.. I think I'm gonna ğull the trigger and buy one of these... I also owned and AXE FX II XL and sold that after 10 days of "torture" trying to figure it out... I would have put up with the AXF learning curve from hell but I thought the amp sounds were 15% usable and there was a lot of junk amps and effects in it... not worth the time effort and big investment so I sold the AXE FX . This is priced a lot better and seems to be an "upgraded copy of the AXE FX" (lets be honest and call a spade a spade here :) .. well because its an "all in one unit" it has its appeal there its cheaper (about half price when you figure in the foot controler extra on the AXE FX) so I'm goona buy one and try it out but I'll be honest with you even though this Helix unit seems like a pro unit, up till now everything I purchased from the line 6 company fell into the "rinky dink JUNK Category" now that they are owned by Yamaha at least now it has an "on off switch" which the X-500 Pod did not have have before (absolutely disgraceful cost cutting) ...So line 6 got its headhunted engineers to may a cheaper easier to use AXR FX hhhhmmmmmm? Okey I'll try it out.... I feel bad for digitech whose cost cutting mentality has dropped them to the bottom of the barrel now....
Fantastic job guys! I wonder how it compares with the Axe FX, Kemper? A side by side review of these products would be probably the most watched video of all time.
Getting ready to put some bare knuckles in my Chapman ml-1. I know it's off topic, but I'm excited. I'm sticking with real amps. Respect to Line6 for trying to compete with Amp-Fx, and the other high end modelers at a much lower price. Nice looking unit.
I've watched a fair few Helix videos and not one of them nailed a decent high gain tone, this does! This is definitely up there with the AxeFX and the Kemper, and offers far more too for less. The fact you can use third party IRs is a big deal, would love to hear one using Red Wirez IRs!
I enjoy your guitar playing and also your friend guitar playing as well awesome channel
6 years later. purchased this. sound and the user interface is great
HELIX have some more years for being great!
love Robs reaction after Pauls run @ 34:20
Nice chops Lee!
Awesome video! I need to get myself a Chapman!
It's horses for courses for me. I regularly lug £2.5k's worth of amp and pedalboard to gigs. There's times when just rocking up with something that goes straight into the PA would be so much easier, although then you really would be at the mercy of the soundguy. Having said that I'm always struck that reviews/demos of digital gear ALWAYS say 'wow, that's amazing... so much more authentic than whatever has gone before'. But in 2-3yrs time the same thing will be said about the next wonderbox etc. The great thing about a good valve amp that's turned up with a couple of choice pedals is that it always sounds definitively great... and it always has. For me, the step change over the last few years has been the wider realisation that a small valve amp with the volume up around halfway or more really does sound epic compared to a 100w stack barely at tick over.
Funny how Paul Hindmarsh was trying to get the Profiling concept in as a part of the line 6 concept...and his reaction when the Captain interjects like...errr yeah, yeah ya mean Kemper...lol...
Well spotted Captain you did the right thing there. Kudos.
Looks like Line6 days are numbered unless they produce something fantastical.
You can't copyright a circuit but you can the 'Layout of that circuit' so in other words it would be extremely difficult and unlikely Line6 could take the profiling 'Layout' and somehow make it a part of their own design without a big showdown in the courts and more unlikely they can now compete with Kemper in the sheer superior sound of the Kemper.
And then consider this, How long do you think it will be before Kemper produce much cheaper or budget tailored versions, they have Nailed the technology and sound so I simply cannot see what will stop them from hugely dominating the market. I have got to give it to them for that.
Yeah... You really nailed that prediction.
As in: the exact opposite
It's really cool to see Line 6 enter the game finally with a modeler that's good enough (IMO) to use on a recording. I do admit that the Axe still has my allegiance for a number of reasons, but I'm still genuinely happy to see this give guitarists another option in the digital realm since I do believe that it's the way of the future.
Very neat.
BorisDono
I agree, but I still wasn't very happy with the HD500 I had owned unless I used a separate IR loader at minimum.
I think that the real test is whether or not the tones are passable in a real context (recording or live). My opinion is that Helix is the first digital offering from Line 6 that makes it into the "yes" category, which is very exciting news for guitarists.
Yeah, the "Angel F-Ball + XXL" tone is arguably an "iconic" tone in the modern metal scene thanks to folks like Vildhjarta and countless bedroom producers, but the hi-gain was still kind of one-dimensional IMO--not a _lot_ of unique, usable tones.
Because of the variety of bands I was in, I used my HD500 in all sorts of situations, including ones where a classic rock, "mid gain" tone was needed...it was a disaster, and it just made me cry when I had to play. Using a real cab helped, but...it was a huge headache, and it actively made me dislike playing.
The clean and hi-gain tones weren't bad, but they're both rather easy to get using most sims [to a degree that's good enough to gig with]. Mid-gain has traditionally been the most difficult to nail, though I do think that the current players (Fractal, Kemper, Positive Grid, and now Line 6) pretty much have them figured out now.
Cheers!