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Guitarists - Line 6 Helix, anyone?


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Gotta say I've worked with someone with an Axe-FX II and it sounds WAY better than any Line6 I've heard - hopefully the Helix is a MAJOR improvement :) .

 

Yeah, I looked into that at one time, but the price for those is something like $2500, then you need the floorboard for another several hundred. You're up over three grand easy for that, compared to the PODHD at $500. For that cost discrepancy, it better be way better. :)

 

I'll probably try out a Helix this weekend if they have any available at the local Guitar Center to play with.

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My experience with past Line6 has been they sound OK if there's only one guitar player in the band but just don't sound "right" (or cut through) against a real amp. The Axe-FX II sounds as good or better than a real amp. Let us know how the Helix compares :) .

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It looks really cool and I'd love to try it but I'm just totally tapped out on guitar toys these days. The only guitar I'm using on gigs right now is my SG and it's only during a couple songs and an ac/dc medley in the last set, the rest of the time I'm doing keys and my keyboard rig is already insane! Because of that I recently bought the Tech 21 Fly Rig 5, it's small, super lightweight and has just what I need and nothing more.

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So, the Helix is finally out. When I first posted this I didn't realize that they were just premarketing the product. They just started becoming available this week, and mine arrived yesterday. I'll give everyone a review when I have a chance to play with it.

 

So far, all I've had time to do is unpack it and plug everything in. I haven't turned it on yet. Initial impression is that it is far more substantial than the POD HD500. This has some heft, and it feels like it is really built nice and solid. You know when they say it's built like a tank, this feels like it. The HD500 was fine. But sometimes felt a little delicate. I never had a problem with it and it held up to rigorous gigging. But the Helix feels like it's in a different class in terms of heft, solidity, and sturdiness.

 

The XLR connectors feel tighter and firmer. And they aren't upside down like the HD500. The expression pedal has a nice feel to it. Very grippy, too. And the power connector is solid and firm. They use a real nice thick heavy power cord with a real three-hole prong input. Like all other connections on the unit, it goes in firmly and tightly. One thing that I always worried about with the HD500 was the flimsy silly little power cord they used and the way it stuck out precariously. Every time the lead singer stomped his big feet in the vicinity of the HD500 I'd worry. You're not going to have to worry with the Helix. Even if someone steps on the connection, the likelihood of the power cable popping out is low, and even if it does, nothing is going to break.

 

Solid. Firm. Heavy duty. Just in build quality the Helix is already next leveled beyond the HD500.

 

Now I just gotta play the thing!

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