Line 6 Helix vs Real Guitar Pedals

[Mr.Scary]

All things being the same as this video kind of shows I think I would take the pedals over the helix for the simple reason it's a lot easier to tweek on the Fly and if something breaks on the helix you're screwed where as you just replace a pedal if it goes bad, and That guy sounded pretty dang good the stuff he was playing.

Watch "Line 6 Helix vs Real Guitar Pedals Demo" on YouTube https://youtu.be/kiDHccRCpoM

 

[CaptainMoto]

I don't have to watch the vid to agree.
I was an early adapter to many multi effects processors but, I came to hate the endless menus & screens that accompany that sort of technology.
My personal decisions where rarely based upon poor tone quality.
Additionally, even though adding pedals may bring some complexity to a rig, I'm not a fan of having all my eggs in one basket.
If a multi effects processor fails...you're out of luck however, you can always work around a dead pedal.
I've reverted back to tube amps, pedals and analog for most of my gear.

 

[Ted_Zeppelin]

Since I don’t play out live (yet), my perspective does not cover using the Helix on stage. That being said, since I got my Helix a few years back, all of my pedals have been sold on eBay. These multi effects units can be daunting to setup and adjust but what I have done is to just keep it simple. I can save almost endless presets between the banks and snapshots. I’m not sure that making adjustments on the fly is really anymore difficult with the Helix as it is with individual pedals. It is possible for me to get paralysis by analysis if I try getting too deep into the editing combinations available with the Helix. Unless there is history to support an issue with the Helix breaking at an abnormal rate, I don’t buy the argument of not getting something because it might break. I bought a Line 6 Flextone I back in 1999 and have had several other Line 6 products throughout the years. I have had a love / hate relationship with their products ever since. The Helix has been great for me...your results may vary.

 

[Norfolk Bill]

Since I don’t play out live (yet), my perspective does not cover using the Helix on stage. That being said, since I got my Helix a few years back, all of my pedals have been sold on eBay. These multi effects units can be daunting to setup and adjust but what I have done is to just keep it simple. I can save almost endless presets between the banks and snapshots. I’m not sure that making adjustments on the fly is really anymore difficult with the Helix as it is with individual pedals. It is possible for me to get paralysis by analysis if I try getting too deep into the editing combinations available with the Helix. Unless there is history to support an issue with the Helix breaking at an abnormal rate, I don’t buy the argument of not getting something because it might break. I bought a Line 6 Flextone I back in 1999 and have had several other Line 6 products throughout the years. I have had a love / hate relationship with their products ever since. The Helix has been great for me...your results may vary.

agreed,,i run the hxfx four cable,,,makes for a very small footprint with over 100 effects to pull up,,,no more difficult to use than anologue pedals without the patch cables etc,,and parameters can easily be adjusted on the fly without even bending down

 

[aleclee]

Here are the things I don't miss about pedals:

• Tracking down ground / hum issues
• Tap dancing to go from one sound to another
• Spending money on pedalboards and power supplies when it doesn't add any new tones or functionality
• Running out of space on the pedalboard / outputs on the power supply
• Trying to remember how to get that cool sound I dialed in last week but lost as I dialed in another cool sound
• Having to decide on a set pedal order

Seriously, I get the appeal of having discrete pedals. They definitely have their own advantages but for my purposes, going with a modeler is preferable. That said, I actually have a sidecar board that has a few pedals that provide functionality my modeler can't. Pedals and multi-fx are just tools to do a job. They're not religious icons. We don't get extra points for devotion to either approach.

 

[PapaBear]

As a pedal whoarder, I do love my pedals, but there are many times a multi-effect or modeling amp make more sense, I do own 2 eleven racks, a POD 2.0 and a Mustang 3 and several tube amps (5 counts as several right?) I tend to use what gets the job done and stresses me and my body least, if a drag out a big tube amp it's going to be a very special gig. Playing around the house it's most likely to be the Twin Reverb or Marshall Bluesbreaker because on 17 acres I can and I ain't got to haul them anywhere!

 

[Crossroads]

Some pedals you can't find good digital representations of. There are a couple of pedals I don't want to be without. Then again there are some digital pedals that don't exist in the real world.

But I have to agree that the ease of switching out an entire pedal board, already loaded with your settings by stomping one switch is hard to beat.

And the ability to have thousands of dollars of pedals at your disposal, and not have to decide who's getting kicked off tonight makes life easier.

 

[straightblues]

I like multi-effects for modulation, reverbs, and delays. For these type of effects, I use the same settings night in and night out and I like to be able to layer them together and save a single patch with one button.

But I don't like them for overdrives. I want to be able to tweak my drives easily in real-time. I always tweak them to the gig/room depending on volume. I have had no success setting drives in a multi-unit on the fly at a gig.

 

[Norfolk Bill]

re adjusting on the fly the hellix enables adjustments with just a few taps of some buttons with your foot,,,,admittedly a lot of multi effects units dont have this feature,,,,,maybe im odd but once i have a set list sorted into patches i never alter anything when playing out,,,but then i do set it up over a few band practices

 

[straightblues]

I bought a used HX FX today. I got it for $400 with an expression pedal which is a great deal. In case I don't like it, I don't think I will have any issues getting my money back out of it.

 

[Norfolk Bill]

I bought a used HX FX today. I got it for $400 with an expression pedal which is a great deal. In case I don't like it, I don't think I will have any issues getting my money back out of it.

hell good deal ,,down load the editor and update the software ,,,some nice new drive pedals etc depending what your on now

 

[Rancid Rumpboogie]

All things being the same as this video kind of shows I think I would take the pedals over the helix for the simple reason it's a lot easier to tweek on the Fly and if something breaks on the helix you're screwed where as you just replace a pedal if it goes bad, and That guy sounded pretty dang good the stuff he was playing.

Watch "Line 6 Helix vs Real Guitar Pedals Demo" on YouTube https://youtu.be/kiDHccRCpoM

I agree. Pedals all the way for me!

 

[straightblues]

hell good deal ,,down load the editor and update the software ,,,some nice new drive pedals etc depending what your on now

Just downloaded the latest software. I am going to spend some time learning it now. I don't plan on using the drives but the few that I tried sound very good at home volumes. Based on experience, I would just be too nervous to try to use them at a gig. Maybe I will have to try them at the next BGU Orange County jam.

 

[Norfolk Bill]

Just downloaded the latest software. I am going to spend some time learning it now. I don't plan on using the drives but the few that I tried sound very good at home volumes. Based on experience, I would just be too nervous to try to use them at a gig. Maybe I will have to try them at the next BGU Orange County jam.

the only ones i use are the timmy,,klon,,,the two new ones are great king/prince of tone and the zen drive,,but have fun

oh any problems give me a shout i might be able to help a bit