Line 6 Helix, demo by Pete Thorn 

This video has been out for 8 years and I just bought my Helix yesterday (a couple promotions later). No regrets. It does more than I need it to and sounds better than anything I've owned. I couldn't be happier. Pete's demo made me drool over it and I just came back to hear him play through it again. Just reaffirms I didn't make a bad decision.

this video is the reason I bought a helix. 6 years later I'm still blown away by how good this thing is

Manufacturers should be lining up at the door for Pete's expert product demonstrations..

The more I watch Pete's demos... the more I realize that it doesn't matter what machine/s he uses, it's all in the fingers and his musical ability... amazing.

This has some of your absolute best playing and songwriting in it Pete wow!

Pete, you have become the gold standard for gear demos. Hands down.

I seriously want like a 3 hour video of you going in depth on the Helix. All other commentators can go away now...this pretty much settled any questions I had about the Helix.

Honestly, every tone was great, whether it was modeled or a real amp. Crazy how good that sounds. Maybe the Helix might actually be worth the hefty price tag.

I must comment to this. I am playing better just from watching Pete Thorn. Just witnessing the creativity has been so inspirational. Pedal demos have never been so good. I am now writing/playing/producing my own tunes. Thanks for all you do for us hackers.

Pete Thorn is an amazing player and he knows how to demonstrate a complex system in a way we can all understand. Superb job Pete! This makes me want to run out and get a Helix. It's just so damn impressive. I love the songs you developed in this video.

I love that you never shy away from using a chorus . Wonderful one at that on this demo.

His videos are the only demo videos that I dont skip straight to the playing.hes incredibly informative without being sterile.and he always demonstrates everything in a practical way thats actually incredibly useful

i already own a Helix and Pete just sold me on it again!

The Helix is the fourth product I have bought based off one of your videos, Pete! Your demos definitely do their job haha. Also, it was great to see someone demoing a Helix playing something other than downtuned chuggy metal riffs.

I know Pete could squeeze tone from a lemon but every time the SL68 makes an appearance in a video, I'm floored all over again by how good it sounds. That amp is the pinnacle of British-flavored tone currently imo.

Thanks for always being so thorough Pete, love these reviews!

Great job... as usual I might add. I think this was the best way to really show what the Helix is capable of.

one of the best demos of the helix on the net! great job pete always the king of demos :)

Thank you Pete for a truly great window into what this unit can do. I saw it at the LA Amp Show, I was in love with it immediately. It's so vast, that I loved the way you answered all the questions I've heard, simply by showing how it's done.

as always you make the best videos Pete, very grateful for your hard work and experience

you should sell a cd of these short demos you do…the tunes are very cool and well thought out…great tones and playing (as usual)...

Love the end of the shot when you're standing up, really feeling it, looks like you almost toppled over. Made me laugh a bit and then pick up my guitar. Cheers Pete. @Pete Thorn

Excellent demo Pete. Your demos are always inspiring with great guitar playing. Keep them coming

Thanks Pete, I've been waiting half a year for a demo like this one. Great job!

What a fantastic video! Awesome job!

I imagine this demo will sell more Helix unit's than any other advertising method Line6 could muster up. I hope you are covered well for you time Pete. This is an great demo and sound professional overview of the unit. The playing is fantastic as well. Thanks for taking the time to post this.

One of the best demos of ANY product. Amazing, Pete.

Pete, you provide the most articulate and insightful demos - thanks!

Really tasteful and melodic playing Pete, respect!

I've gotta say, the Anderton's demo didn't convince me the price of this unit was justified, but yours definitely did Pete. Every tone was stellar and especially that lead tone with the SLO model, GOD DAMN! Keep up the amazing demos!

Awesome demo Pete! The new Line 6 products sounds great and are designed exceptionally well. The build quality is also outstanding. Thank You

Great! There's a lot of Helix demos out there. This is definitely one of the best. When putting the Helix into the hands of a great guitarist who actually knows what he's doing with the machine it sounds amazing.

Not only is this guy a phenomenal guitar player. He's also got to be an absolutely incredible Studio sound engineer in order to capture 8 different guitar sounds yet they all sound separate and equal in the mix. Anyone who's ever tried to record multitrack guitars knows what I'm talking about. This guy deserves every perk from the industry that he can get... No wonder he's got a signature Suhr Amp!!! Well done Pete!!

When he comes in with the white Suhr... dear lord, that tone!

I have watched every video on youtube relevant to the Helix. This is the most enjoyable review I've seen. Thank you for putting this together.

Great demo. I'd been wanting a Helix for 2 years. Finally got one a couple months ago. It's even better than I imagined it would be.

I love all the tone snob comments. These guys can all hear the hairs on a gnats ass rubbing together. I think the Helix sounds great here. I play in a blues band with a guy who uses one of the older Line 6 units and the tone he gets live is killer.

amazing work!

Great tones. Great playing. Great explanation. Great demo. Way-to-go Pete!

Pete, not only are you one of the most accomplished players, you are a master at tones, programming and demoing. These videos are super useful and chock full of "hacks". I'm a good friend of Larry Mitchell's ( former student), he initially turned me on to you, and now i go to your videos when something new comes out. Thanks a bunch.

Thorn you are a BEAST

Pete, while I you covered a staggering amount of options available by routing it every possible way, the one situation many of us might be interested in would be a demo featuring the 4CM exploring the different overdrive, distortion and fuzz options into a clean amp > speaker cab miced.

clearly a real artist demoing a product, it's very enjoyable to listen your playing Pete

The best demo of the product by far. Really appreciate the time and prep that went into making a great song, excellent description, awesome tones and practical application of the unit. The custom IR's seem to make the tone even more realistic and the best on YT (good advice to download). Well-edited video too-I like how the vid started out in the daytime and ended up in the night-time; clearly you put in the hours! Thanks for posting

I am 60 and you are my guitar Hero! LOL! I like your video. Not only noise like others. Very inspiring.

Holy shit, this song is one of your best so far! Great demo. :)

This guy writes an awesome piece of music for each product he demos. Great job Pete!

The most useful demo of the helix I have seen as of yet by far. Much appreciated.

Pete, thanks so much for all the outstanding demos you do... I just wanted to add some additional comments on Helix to what Pete has covered in this video. I'd been an all tube amp kind of guy the majority of my 35 yrs. playing guitar, primarily Marshall & Mesa Boogie products but last year bought a Hughes & Kettner Grandmeister 36 Head and Cab which is much lighter to carry around. For the last 2 yrs. I've been looking for ways to lighten the load of gear I lug to practice and gigs but don't want to sacrifice tone to accomplish this, tried the HD500X a while back, then Boss GT100 but yuck no way, just didn't dig the tone at all compared to my tube amps. Then mid 2015 I was reading about Fractals AX8 and Line 6 Helix. Long story short, I bought the Helix December 1st, 2015 and absolutely think it's the best piece of gear to hit the market in my 35 yrs. playing guitar and chasing that perfect tone, especially at a $1499 price point. It was between the Fractal AX8 (I too was on their waiting list) and Helix, since Guitar Center gives 45 days to try purchases I figured there's nothing to lose trying Helix while on the waitlist for the AX8, if Helix sucked like previous stuff I've tried it would get returned immediately, same was the plan for the AX8 too. My friend John has had an Axe Fx ll for just over a yr. and loves it, but for me rack gear is again just too much to lug around at my age of 56 so the Axe Fx ll was out but AX8 looked promising and so did Helix. Shortly after I got Helix and set up some patches John & I did a side by side comparison of amp model tones, effects, ease of programming, etc., it was an all around thorough comparison on a Saturday afternoon of Helix and the Axe Fx ll. To both of our surprise actually, Helix performed outstanding, the tones and effects had my friend John saying WTF more than a few times throughout the afternoon of testing, now John wants a Helix too... he actually admitted that when I asked if we could get together to do a compare that he chuckled and thought "yeah like that things going to compare with my Axe Fx, not", and now he wants one, ya gotta love it. Here are some of the primary differences between Fractal products and Line 6 Helix: The Axe Fx ll and the AX8 provide deeper editing capability of amp models. If you're into switching in/out different transformers, tubes, and other tube amp components then Fractal may be a better fit for you. However, Helix does provide the most important tweaking items to their Preamp & Power Amp models, for sure everything I need to get outstanding guitar tones. Personally, I want to dial up great guitar tones as effortlessly as possible and spend the majority of my time playing my guitar, and writing & producing music, not tweaking amp models for hours on end, Helix does this incredibly well and quickly. Helix also shines far above Fractal when it comes to ease of programming patches and setting up the foot switches and expression pedals to control anything and everything you could possibly want, and it does this quickly without the need for a computer. You can edit on the PC or Mac if you want but it's not necessary even for complex patch setups, everything is available on the huge color screen with no menu diving. Additionally, Helix has a built in pro quality USB audio interface with 8 ins/outs for direct recording to a DAW similar to the Axe FX ll only, the AX8 doesn't have an audio interface. Here's another big difference between Helix and the AX8 which is a scaled down version of the Axe Fx ll and can only use 1 amp model at a time, Helix can do 4 amp models at one time if for some reason you wanted to do that. The reason is Helix combines the horsepower of their 2 DSP's rather than dedicating 1 to amp models and the other to effects. This gives users the options of using 1 amp model and a ton of effects, or perhaps 2 amp models, for a fatter sound, etc. I will say this much, I've yet to use up all the DSP horsepower in Helix and I've got some really complex patches with lots of effects. I've watched several AX8 tutorials and the guy is always maneuvering settings to keep from hitting the DSP's limits, I just haven't experienced this at all with Helix. Just in case anyone is wondering, no I'm not affiliated in any way with line 6 or any other company. My opinions are strictly as a gigging/recording rock & roll guitar player for many years who'd been searching for an all in 1 box kind of tool that provides great guitar tone and effects in a lightweight highly portable package and Helix is it... Hope this helps anyone who's on the fence with which direction to go, for me it was a no brainer after all the testing and comparing with the Axe Fx and all my own tube amps!

wonderful tones, Pete. Will i be seeing you at the Suhr party again next week?

Thorough review and fantastic multitrack demo! Super video from Pete yet again!

Awesome review/tone/chops! Thanks for sharing and demoing! Such a flexible device!

Fantastic demo! Pete, do you have a lossless copy of the recording? Call me crazy, but listening with quality headphones to the HD version of this video, I actually preferred the Helix tones to the Suhr amps. The tone was smoother to my ear. That may be a different story in person, but it says a lot for the Helix that it can record so well!

Killer demo Pete! Very complicated to my old brain - so I just listened and stared at the blinking non-blinking lights! Did you notice much of a difference between using the Helix Plexi model, and using the SL68 into the Helix - enough to make it worth the effort of using a real amp?

Amazing creativity and playing as usual Pete!

I'm late to the party but wow what a great demo! The tones, the chops, the thoughtfulness of the explanations, it's all top shelf, sir! Thank you for this!

Thanks for the great video, Pete. I noticed you had an Axe in your rack as well; any concise thoughts on comparisons between the two? I just got my rack model and foot controller, and grabbed a few of the Line 6 Mission pedals. I'm amazed how intuitive this thing is to use; coming from an Axe FX, which had a somewhat brutal learning curve (at least for me), I've only spent a few hours with this and was up and running, compared to the week I put in with the Fractal. So far, I have no complaints (minus possibly the lack of a Jubilee and VH4 amp sim; other than that it was well-worth the investment).

Killer!!!!! Are you going to be making these patches available for download Pete?

wow, that was probably the best demo I have ever seen. Great job!

WOW! Excellent, thank you so much for this demo! I know it's 3 yrs old but just now ran across this. Great job, Pete!

Pete, what is your signal chain on this please? Helix -> Apollo -> DAW ? The audio resolution is really good. Probably the best I've heard on YT.

Hi Pete, I was curious if these tones are available for download? As well which ownhammer IR's specifically did you use for these as the library's that come with each response are immense. As well was there any post processing to the tones outside the helix that were hearing? I'm using helix and I'm Liking he option to use it as an entire rig. And I'm having trouble getting the kind of tones I want out of a PA. So I was wanting a good starting place to build from as these tones were some of the sounds I was looking to achieve with my helix. Thanks a bunch!

My favorite of your videos so far. You are really selling the hell out if this thing! Sounds amazing! Came here because a buddy of mine just bought one and was raving about it.

Exactly, THE BEST and amazing demo of the Helix, as always an awesome job Pete, thanks so much !!!!!

I love your sound its so fresh and real. Pete have you ever done work with Lincoln Brewster?

Pete, Thanks so much for doing this. Great demo as always! Question: Would you/are you going to replace your pedalboard setup with this?

Pete - Killer demo! Love the patches (especially the clean AC30 patch). I've been using Helix since October, and have loved it. Best demo I've seen of Helix -- great job of showing it's versatility!

Another great video by Pete Thorn!! Awesome! Thank you Mr. Thorn.

Wow, great tones and obviously fantastic playing and arranging! So as he demo'd each tone separately I thought each one was incredible. But then when he got to the tone that utilized the real amp with the load box you could just tell - there's still something lacking in the modeling. The real amp just had something that resonates better to my ears. Now in the context of a mix I don't think I could pick out which part was modeled or not, but just listening to each tone soloed there's some subtle difference.

Any chance of some Pete Thorn preset releases?

Pete, your touch on the instrument is wonderful. I really enjoyed viewing and listening to your demo for the Helix as it was well done, to the point, clear and concise. Love the tones you put together and your approach to all of this today. Best wishes for continued and much success.

This is why Pete is my go to gear guy. Fantastic review and love the tones (especially Tone 6). One thing I really love is that the reviews are always done in the context of a mix, which is surely the most important thing.

I have a hard time getting a good tone out of the helix.. sometimes it’s too harsh on my drives and then other times I can’t get my patches to balance out sound level wise. What tips can you offer? What setup do I need at home to hear an accurate representation of what my sound will be like live? Anything will help. Thanks Pete 👍🏻

Dude. You’re bad ass! I’m going to go buy the Helix now. Thanks! Bye bye, $1400!

Killer demo and especially the solo, Pete! Always inspiring

Amazing!! Loving all your reviews. Truly inspirational. Thank you for sharing your talent. Keep them coming!

Your strat (sunburst) sounds amazing! Who's it made by and what pickups are in the guitar?

Never knew Chris Angel shredded and did RU-vid.

You simply give the best demo out there for this unit. Hands down ! Great playing also

Thx Pete..just got my Helix..btw.. I'll always be thankful for your Eruption lesson series years ago. Best on youtube!!

Any noise issues pete? Ive heard two helix units so far, one going LR direct into a PA and one into an AC30. Both had some significant signal noise. Any similar experience? Any settings to jump to when that happens? As always awesome playing and awesome review!

That poor pedalboard over there in the corner is just sitting there staring... thinking... "Yeah.. Whatever...You'll be outta here in a week....jerk..." Hah.

This popped up on my recommended videos and is just outstanding. Pete is a guitar god sitting in that house or apt of his somewhere in LA. Keep making music Pete! We love it.

Thanks so much for this killer demonstration. As always, killer song and playing. You rock Pete

Hey Pete, do you prefer Helix or AX8?

At high risk of getting blown off, I'm gonna ask the question so many of us want you to answer. Does this unit or does this unit not improve on Line 6's tone quality enough to compete with Kemper and Fractal? Are the tones that good or not? When I have the choice between shelling out the cash for this now or waiting a year for Fractal to catch up on the AX8 Wait List, the opinion of Pete Thorn will make a big difference. Not addressing this in the video as much as says that the Helix is not on par with Kemper and Fractal.

Everything there sounds awesome. I absolutely want one of these!

Glad to hear you say it is intuitive. That is the key thing with these multi effects. That puts it back on my radar.

Why can't it just be plug in and play??? WHYYY? 😪😢

Fractal Audio is crapping their pants right now.

This is the most informative video that I've seen on the Helix. Great job, Pete!

You're an all around excellent guitar player, instructor, and gear head! Really appreciate the video. I'm receiving my very own Helix in a few days and look forward to more Helix related content!

Might be me but the real amps are destroying the Helix modelling. Tighter, clearer, less fizz. Great demo though.

Great demo; terrible haircut. ;D

What a great demo and playing as always! Thanks Pete!

Hey Pete Really appreciate the time you put into this thank you

This guy is legit , perfect explanations , freaking awesome setup in the back ground too man!

Absolutely fantastic video! Always great to hear a device in a mix. Great sound quality, and thanks for the advice about the hum eliminator. I never would've thought about that, but it seemed obvious once you said it.

Pete, you are a stellar player. hands down one of my favorites.. But your break downs on here, of gear, and the tracks and sounds, man, so helpful.. lots of time in this im sure, and its very much appreciated.. thank you

Cheers Pete, you always deliver a solid, open minded and objective review for the real people out there. Please keep doing what you do.