Is The Line 6 Helix The Best Modeler? 

Hey neighbour! Good video - some good points. I ordered a Helix today from Long & McQuade (Peterborough). I've been using a Boss GT100 and a Spider V 240 MkII. This looks to be a big step up. Like your Revstar. Subbed.

I got an HX Stomp a little over a year ago, and love it now. The initial sounds were a bit too bright, and I didn't know what to do. So here's an easy solution. Go to the Cab block, and select a different Mic using the slider control - very simple, and easily reversible. Enjoy your incredibly powerful and customizable gear. 😎

Everyone just needs to relax and realize the power is in your fingers and you’re knowledge of tones so you can create the sound you want

I'm a church guitarist, and gig in a cover band on the weekends and do a bit of local studio work. the versatility is so important to me. I bought my helix for $1000 used and got a headrush FRFR wedge for $150 used for stage volume. To cover the sounds I use regularly, I would at least need a big sky, timeline, and Mobius. Not including my amp or any other pedals (which I'd need a lot of to cover everything) I've saved myself money, time, and hassle. I have an analog rig too. I'm really seeing the upside of an amp and traditional board as I start to record original music. I think it's easier and more enjoyable to make unique, good-sounding tones with analog. Tones you hear and go "that's (insert artist here)'s music" People love to say "this is the best" but often don't consider how vastly different a guitar player's needs are from another's. Great video my friend!

At this point, new modelers are so good, you can't really go wrong. Can get good tones out of pretty much all of them. Musicians back in the 70's would've killed for the stuff we have today.

For me, the Helix has been the best piece of gear I have ever purchased. It covers all the sounds I need and more. I don't even bother with pedals now. Haven't used a pedal in over 6 years. I agree that the presets are not the greatest. I would suggest just starting off with a new preset - set up an amp, cab and some reverb and see how good just that sounds. Then start playing with effects. So much fun!

Really great overview and perspective!

I am an old dude turning 60 soon and not into lugging heavy tube amps around anymore. Selling all my gear (PRS, SUHR, Strat, Tele etc) and about 20 boutique pedals and getting Helix 6 with a Variax guitar because they are designed to integrate together. To me that is the selling point. I would lose sleep knowing I could have had access to an entire extra pallet of sounds, drop tunings etc with a click of a footswitch but can't because I don't have the Variax guitar and just the Helix LT. . So in my opinion only way for me to justify buying the Helix 6 is if you are going to also get Variax. Plus used Helix 6 cost same as a new Helix LT. Thanks for the video. Very helpful my friend.!!🤟

I had a first run Helix, sold it after 2 years and regretted it. For reference, my pedal board is over 4k build. It sounds great but I truly missed the Helix so much that I bought another one and I don't regret it one bit. I get many amps/sounds/tone out one box and that 4k (over 4k actually) pedal board is sitting in its travel case being unused. I am 55, been a guitarist since I was 7, a serious tube snob and tone junkie and today you can't tell the difference. I can A/B my board and Helix to friends and they can't tell the difference. For what you get in the Helix its a no brainer and a win/win. Like Doug Booth said "For me, the Helix has been the best piece of gear I have ever purchased".

Another great video! Loved seeing my local L&M store in this one!! Not sure I'll ever convert to digital, so this is probably not for me but you never know, right? Alot of players love these, but personally I get overwhelmed by the choice of tonal options. I am primarily a live player and when playing with a band I like to limit my choices to a couple stompboxes on a nano+ to keep it simple. It helps me stay focused on creating and playing music. Is the Helix a great minimalist rig? sure. But for me creates this catch-22 of having too much choice from one tool.

Nice one, thanks for this great video, I'm sold! Awesome backing track and playing too! Did you use Superior Drummer for the backing track!? I currently use the PodGo as the centre piece of my pedal board and have the TC Plethora X5 running through its stereo effects loop which gives me access to 5 more stereo effects... but am thinking of purchasing the Helix and reducing my pedal board just to the helix by it's self (and keeping the PodGo as a backup) I see there are 12 switches on the Helix, does this mean that you can have maybe up to 10 effects running simultaneously each with their own switch to turn on an off individually in a live situation? I normally like running 3 different reverbs, 3 different delays, a tremolo, a drive, a boost and sometimes a phaser or a chorus. One limitation that I've come across with the PodGo is that the effects loop return doubles up as the Aux in, so you can only use either one or the other... this is another reason I need to upgrade, coz a separate Aux In would allow me to run backing tracks straight from the Helix! I noticed there is only one Guitar In, is there any way to have an electric and an acoustic connected simultaneously, like can you use one of the returns to connect an acoustic? This would also be a game changer for me! Thanks again for sharing! :)

How good are thouse monitors to reference !??

Yeah anything is possible with the Helix. Very user friendly and can sound amazing with the right presets. Also, one thing to remember “it’s not the gear! It’s the ear” .

The big crazy units like the Helix don't appeal to me at all. Something smaller scale, like a HX Stomp XL or maybe an FM9, would probably meet my needs better. But to be honest, I can't see myself straying from my modest pedalboard and pair of 10w 1x12 combos anytime soon! The convenience of recording direct would be useful, no doubt, but IMO guitar just sounds better through Greenbacks :)

Sorry for the irrelevance but what happened to your thumb ?

Get a helix and buy cab irs if you want more sounds

I love my Helix LT. But it's too heavy. I don't have a car and must walk with Helix for like 6 km to my rehearsal space. My spine hurts after that so bad, lol