Really enjoyed this run through of what you need to know. This looks like the unit that Line 6 have been building towards. Everything you need in one simple to use controller. Input for my Variax too. Thanks for posting.
One reason I love this rig is because the app has dedicated servers and updates regularly unlike tc electronic that hasn’t updated out their tone print bugs in years.
Great demo Tone King, don't worry about Mitch, Mitch is great but you always do a great job on demoing a product just different than Mitch that's all you are a beast on your own and you have your own stile and makes you unique, and Mitch has his way of demoing. For each its own.
I've gone off Line 6 since the FBV3 foot controller stopped working for no reason and seems it's either the Amp or the pedal but It's quite a common problem so might move on to another make of pedal. Shame coz I love it .
If you want to use that as a stomp box, how many effects can u use simultaneously? And i' like an British-45 amp with 57 shure mic and 4x12 box as a base for all effects no matter whether they are switched on or not. Can someone help mine with that?
So my question out to the public is what effects processor should I get? The Line 6 POD HD500x or the firehawk. I mainly want to use it for band practice so I'm not bringing my pedal board since its huge. We play metal and I'm running through a VOX vt40+ with one celestion 75w speaker for practices and a JCM stack with Mesa Boogie Quad preamp section for gigs. Thanks
Would you choose this over a TC electronics Nova System? (thinking you already own a good amp, guitar and wouldnt really be needing any amp simulation.
Hi, I downloaded the app to see how it works, and I see a slot that can be used by overdrives or compressors. Does it means that either overdrive or compressor can be used? Not both? Thanks in advance for your answer.
Pod Go blows it out of the water. The simple answer is Firehawk came out 5 years ago, Pod Go and Helix has so much more power, clarity and ease of access. If you find a used Firehawk for >$200, it's a good deal and a great way to get a rig going.
Ive owned a ton of Line 6 stuff and I have NEVER used any of it for metal, its just too fuzzy for me. I have used POD's and stuff for small three piece gigs but I had to tweak and tweak to get it to be what I wanted. Its still wasnt 100% but for a small gig and the need to run direct and eliminate stage volume issues and use in ear monitors I got it pretty close. Someone on here said most people use a lot less gain than these "presets" and I agree. Most real gigging guys play a lot cleaner than most people think and to get the Line 6 stuff to be less edgy it takes some time but for guys on a budget that dont have the $3,000 it takes to get a Kemper and/or Fractal they will work just take a ton of time and PLAY IT THROUGH THE PA. Dont play this with headphones or through some little monitors and show up at a gig thinking you are ready, its not that easy!
Thanks TK. A really honest, straightforward, user friendly review. So good in fact, I'm gonna check out Mitch's vid then go try this board out for myself, coz it looks perfect for an old schooler like me! ;)
I have my mesa triple rectifier and a Marshall triple super lead. I don't need any amp modeling. and I have a ton of stomp boxes. what I do need is something to control my stomp boxes and amp selector switch so I don't have to tap dance. Amy suggestions
+Ted Mitchell Loopmaster makes a bunch of great line selectors, GigRig is another good company. They actually make a programmable analog effect switcher If you wanna drop a bit more coin do a CAE MIDI board
hi tone king! i'm having a hard time deciding whether to get this or the line 6 hd500x. i mainly a 7 string player who plays pretty heavy music. which would you recommend?
The one thing that I would like to learn about this effects modeling system, is if it will overdrive a clean tube amp or a very clean solid state amps. I own at least one of each type of amps that do not overdrive very well in the presence of modeling effects systems.
+JED TAYLOR Jed, any increased input you put in front of an amp will overdrive it, doesn't matter if it's analog or digital, however you should never overdrive the front of an SS amp, it just sound like it's broken :) Transistors don't work the same as tubes, the drive circuit in an SS amp is very specific and doesn't like to be messed with :) Don;t get me wrong, you are not going to break your amp, it will just sound like it is broken
marvio I do understand that and my concern is reflect towards the reality that the amount that can be the difference between great sounding and aweful........l ve gotten tired of promises that are implied and junk delivered
JED TAYLOR So your question is if this particular unit is a good booster for an amp? Hell man, if all you need is a booster go get any countless of boost pedals out there and be done with it, you know? There are so many really great pedals out there which are also cheap... But for what it's worth, if you are planning on boosting a tube amp, even my HD500 does a good job, just get rid of the actual amp modeling and use it as an multi fx pedal board, you can do that, I use it all the time for modulation, reverbs and delays, in my case I put it through the amp's loop, and it sounds killer
hey TK, how you doing? Long time no see... been experiencing some health problems keeping me from playing(or doing much else either). I currently have NO gear. Zero. Zip. Nada. You know, priorities... :0( I have been thinking of getting this - you know me, I am a modeling guy since way back when. Would this be a step(or leap) on the road back for me?
is that a malmsteen guitar or just one modded like it scallops and brass nut? how do you like scalloped fretboards? wrong note huh? i didn't hear/ see the chords but they can be related intervallically, chord scale relation or inversion. if that was E maj to Dmaj, they're totally not related in the chord scale if you're in the key of E maj.
How about a preset for either "More than a Feeling," "Don't Look Back" or "Amanda"? The Boston sound, man! That's what I've been after from Line 6 for fourteen years!
What's the differents between the footswitch fbv3 and the firehawk fx ? And what's the best choise between the both ? ( I want to buy my first multi effects )
Why didn’t the lights go off when turning on and off the effects ? Can’t get my head around that , I feel like I’ve seen them turn off before and other times they stay on ...
+lespaul1648 press the up and down switches at the same time you are then into the single effect control mode where you can control or select different amps or effects by pressing the desired coloured effect and then control the parameters by volume/wah pedal or relevant knobs, once finished press up and down switches at the same time again to exit
I'm heavily considering one of these. Could you tell me please, out of the box, what the power supply is, or is it a seperate supply that I would have to purchase otherwise. Thank you.
A lot... Helix is not HD its HX amp models - redesigned effects - flexible routing and no iPad integration.. Because the screen is amazing but it is about $1000 more ... Mines on preorder 😃.
More than anything, in my mind, I have a driving force, that tells me not to settle in for just one tone. I ve, for the time I have been involved with this, been smittened with the ability to have tones for any genre of music. I do understand that there are a few schools of thoughts concerning that. Over the 40 plus years I ve collected amps, I mostly have amps from the 70s and 80s. I have those that will handle Teles, Strats and Les paul.....all with hotter than average pickups. I do overdrive the tube amps slightly and I do have the type of effects, I believe any normal guitarist would use for most all music. That's my point. I be pushed around the full range of possible tone roads for the big three I like that being Rock, Country and Fusion. All of which can basically use the same amps with a variation in the pedal tones for the genre at the time of play. However, I ve been delving into the likes of Fuch and Ceriatone as well as Red Plate for the unique voicings they represent. So that I can still keep a fresh tone to thrive on and not get stale or tired of tones that have been around since 1964......modern tone is the real escuse I use to find a new dedicated type of amp. There s a great variety for sure. But, enough is all I need. Not almost enough and not tooo damn much. just enough for personal satisfaction. Line 6 has perked my interests at the present.....I take long and exacting research both in the reading and in the listening to. this is what all these efforts of mine are about. Individuals who may have a new and interesting thought to light the bulb in my thinking. So thanks for all of the posts along these lines. And for the honesty and sincerety of all the posts. I don't take offense to the different opinions I take time to understand the view so that I can consider what I haven't thought about till I read them. And the ones that offer guidiance. Much appreciation. For all who take the time and effort to go the distance. I hope to see you again along the way. I want to see what you really like.
Hi Oliver, I went with the HD500X i tested them both in the shop and found that tone wise they are pretty similar. The HD500X however seems to have a better use in a professional scenario. The Firehawk is missing quite a few routing options as well as dual amps.
I used a Line 6 amp a few years ago and a local guy came up that wanted to play and he said "man I need more gain", what he meant to say was "hey I suck and I need to bury my crappy playing in distortion". Clean guitars are a lot heavier than most people realize, a cranked Marshall plexi is actually pretty clean ,its just friggin powerful and has balls. The more gain the more loss of tone, its just a bunch of mush! Some of the heaviest and most legendary heavy tones of all time were really not that distorted. I have done 3000 gigs playing guitar in my life and several hundred running sound and I had many guys come onstage that were inexperienced and had MESA and other amps with the gain at full shred and the EQ all jacked up. I could usually spend about one minute "fixing" their sound for the PA which meant getting the EQ right and backing off the gain by half. Some guys said they never knew that was the case and they learned, the others just turned around and scooped the mids and cranked the gain back to full shred and then said "Hey my girl said she couldnt hear my guitar", well of course not, it wasnt there to be heard! Those guys dont have gigs, they play "benefits"! Gain is fun but a little goes a long way! Cheers dude!
Tried one out today and thought that maybe Line6 might have come some way since the Pod XT Live but nope, same old over compressed fizzyness. I really wanted to like it so I could ditch my stack and go straight into the PA but it just sounds thin, fizzy and really fake when 'overdriven'. Let's see if they can make one actually sound like a tube amp in 10 years or so.
It could call you a snob but I won't. But you're certainly unrealistic. This box costs 350 usd/eur, more or less; What did you expect to get for that ? Try Line 6's Helix for better sounds & quality.
TTK,,,,,,,Firehawk and the 500X which holds the best bang for the buck.....not withstanding the Classic rockers....but guitarists of all genre type..... It s really getting to be that soon there will be an app that will play the guitar for us. LOL no......its getting way up the chain. So At this point I d like to spend the bang buck that I have been saving since the Digitech RPl....years ago. So I ask you We get the flood of yearly BIG Development in the advancement of Processors for music. And I will wait 20 more years and wear out the skin of the box...... I offer you one simple question. Wheres the best bang for the buck on these processors.
+Domino AJ My grand daughter has an account on our computer and the Domino AJ is her screen name for RU-vid. But any reply should be made to JET6957@Gmail.com
Bflatest Any multi fx with midi can do this provided you also get a midi controlled relay switcher that can rdceive the midi signal from your multi fx which would then trigger the channel switching jack on your amp eg Boss ES 5 or Voodoo Labs switcher
It has stereo amplifier outputs. I've got it hooked up to a Carvin Master Tube Series 3200 100W 2X12 combo on the main channel with a Line6 spider amp off to the side just for stereo effects. It sounds terrific.
The biggest issue for me with these multi-effect units is the tone difference from the headphones to live playing. The amp models sound great through headphones or through the computer. But going through an effects loop of an amp or in front of the amp, or even through a tech 21 power engine it sounds way different than what you were hearing through the headphones.
This^^. I would never purchase one of these for live playing (especially if you're gonna use the dirt boxes/amp distortion). They seem decent for chorus/delay/other effects. I've got this basically as my practice amp at home...to play with headphones, and to record through reaper.
+Kenton Smith I just took a large quantity of words to ask the tone king about the difference between the firehawk and the 500 or 500x...... It appears to me that the firehawk is strictly a Master blaster of guitar tones. Where they all have that capability.....but it s really gotten complicated for me. The last processor I bought....90 something Digitec PR l and PR 2000 that's when I realized it was going to be a race...so I slowed down to the whole rat race of purchasing every other year to get updated. It really got annoying...... But, as I see that you have had the experience of it all what s your take on the differences.
+Bey Zam I have an Ibanez and two fenders. But, rarely go to the BPM speed of shred, so I d like to understand your comment alittle more. Radius difference width difference or fret height...all make for fret board dynamics. But I have nt seen a great difference, if anything the Ibanez made me faster on the others. I m not disputing what you say because I have enough understanding that we all have different takes on things once we begin to develop our chops. But, I do want to see a different take so that my next guitar purchase coming up next year will be done with a better consideration to the tools of the trade.
I love your channel and your videos, TTK, but I must respectfully disagree with you on the Line 6 stuff. I owned a POD HD 500 for a while and while Line 6 did finally get a global volume control after I sold the HD 500 their stuff still pales in comparison to TONS of other gear. I have been eyeballing a Blackstar HT Metal 100, and any setting on there will impress players of all styles. I am not kidding. Blackstar has killed Line 6 in the world of modeling IMO, and I cannot recommend Blackstar enough. Line 6, on the other hand, will never get my money again.
Christopher Taylor Bruh, the blackstar isn't a modeller, it's got real tubes in it. And is also an amp, which kind of defeats the purpose of the product.
Christopher Taylor My experience is much like The Good Guy. I have many going back to a small Korg. Vox LE, Me 70 & 80, GT 100, Fender Mustang Floor, G3 on & on. Every one of them does something really well but other stuff not so good. My Faves are the simpler ones, Fly Rig 5 & T Rex Magnus. Ok, a little out there when it come to multi effects. But I am willing to consider looking into this. Haven't been a line 6 fan to date but I am trying to keep an open mind. & they do just keep getting better & better. Even BS Core series/ all SS have some great useful tones & software to go with it. Oh yeah, an old Yamaha FX 550. It still has some very interesting things to offer too. Good tones or not, how easy it is to program is the other side of the equation. Weird aside I did something the other night I haven't done for a while. I plugged into my 2 ch. all tube Fender. One clean & one with some grit. Nothing other than a bit of built in reverb. Man that sounded good.
9 лет назад
I have some line 6 products and was loosing money, the looper jm4 is new never use, because sounds horrible no tru by pass, all sound the same and cheap sound
+greatvanzinni I too am often suprized when I go back to the amp and guitar. But, mostly because it doesn't have all the extra grit that is not as musical as the amp and guitar. Especially reverbe. I marvel at how well old amps and reverb sound compared to the modern versions. Now I choke on those words when you add modulations and digital everything through a monitor or a board and you can adjust frequency response to level out the mess. My point to you is just this. Like you I have been through the gamet of boards and pedals and I want to get my closet cleaned out and get back to a basic set up that arrives at my desired play for the moment. Yet my ears don't lie....not even for one moment. So I m looking for middle ground......tweak tone ability to satisfy both my tube amps and my high gain ss amps. Because they both make everything lie to one another.
+Domino AJ +Domino AJ My grand daughter has an account on our computer and the Domino AJ is her screen name for RU-vid. But any reply should be made to JET6957@Gmail.com
+kickassnigga Because they probably realized that the vast majority of people don't use it? And those who do have very specific needs and wouldn't buy a unit like this?
I don't like line 6 politics, I have a variax acoustic and I cant connect to software's because I don't have the guitar key code and there was hundreds of this guitars without the code number printed on them,,
I really don't see any difference between the FireHawk vs the Line6 Helix . Beside the amp knobs on the FireHawk.. The hawk & helix are the same I think
I have Line 6 HD Desktop Pod and its the same thing in another box. I will sell it and never come back to digital shit. These multi-processors are very good when you don't know what are you going for and you want to experiment, but when you plug them in PA or monitors and specially when they are loud, they sound very bad... I can't hear these distortions any more. They scratch my ears. The studio monitors unveil the lie. These ppl are telling you shit to convince you to buy them, but normally they will never ever use them!!! They always use tube amps!!! Of course they might even do some damn concerts or demos to prove they work and sound "good". Nothing will compete with an analog modulated reverb or delay or a tube amp.
+UnknownHumanoid You have caught my interests. I do have that lingering doubt about that particular thought. At sound check above 50 watts whats the take. I have half dozen amps that have been in my room for 20 plus years since manufacturing. But, I started buying pedals and its endless so I went with the modern era back in the early 90s and began with the Digitech RP l and then the RP2000 and that got to be a 6 month out of date new product issue also. Now I m back to the modern era again and have concerns about the monitor and the pa verses amp and real pedal board. Though AX effects kind of shuts that down if you can afford it. Back to your point about the high level tones variants that effect these type of processors. Is there a way to modulate them up for good tones
+Domino AJ +Domino AJ My grand daughter has an account on our computer and the Domino AJ is her screen name for RU-vid. But any reply should be made to JET6957@Gmail.com
Four months in and my Line 6 Firehawk has become a paper weight. I'm soryy, but I have to sied with the Analog crowd if only because the volume leveling is massively inconsistent throughout the device, you cannot scroll through the effects seemlessly without major variations in volume. What's more--if you don't own an IPad, what's the point? The ap is far too complex to navigate poperly on a phone. Moreover, there has to be a easier way to scroll through the effects than runing up & down and across multiple banks. That said, these are issues I have always had with Line 6 I can't believe they haven't addressed them yet. I will not make the mistake of purchasing a Line 6 product again. Thankfully it only cost me 400 bucks that hopefully I can recoup most of that by selling the damn thing. All things consider, it's my opinion that all the video reviews on the Line 6 Firehawk have been doctored.
You're an idiot! Such as return it for a new one, like it would have come with a free two year warranty if you'd have gotten it from Sweetwater.com online music store, duh! I think you're just a jelly Kraptana trollboy!
@@jamdalf4343 I did get it from Sweetwater, and I reviewes it as such and told the salesman what I thought about it. He said he couldn't accept the return, but agreed with me. If you hane't notice, Sweetwater took their review down, a long time ago.
