Helix Advice - Use with Fender valve amp and could it switch them and reverb on the amp?

jimkehoe

I am super impressed and happy with my Helix but am contemplating getting a small Fender valve amp as well such as a Princeton or Deluxe.
Obviously I would only use the effects on the Helix straight into the front of the amp as Fender amps rarely have effect loops.

Would I still be able to utilise the effects and sound decent through the amp?

Secondly is there any way of using the Helix to switch the amp's reverb and tremolo on and off?

Normally a Fender amp has a two button footswitch with a TRS/Stereo type plug which plugs into the rear of the amp.

Thanks in anticipation for the incredible advice, knowledge and opinions which undoubtedly will now flourish !

John_A

Yes, and Yes

Helix sounds great as FX only and you would just need a TRS (stereo) cable to run from the Helix to the amp for channel switching.

Wazmeister

Yes and Yes !

exocet

John_A said:

Yes, and Yes

Helix sounds great as FX only and you would just need a TRS (stereo) cable to run from the Helix to the amp for channel switching.

Is this the case? I know that the Fender HRD is not standard TRS switching (it's voltage differential of something like that). I know that you can make a HRD work with a Fractal FX8 by making a special cable that has diodes (forward and reverse). I guess that the same approach would work with Helix.

John_A

Just done a bit of googling and you are right it's not just a straight forward latching footswitch.  You may have o do some investigation/tinkering to get it to work

ICBM

The Princeton and Deluxe Reverbs do both use standard latching footswitches. Old ones use a dual RCA jack arrangement, reissues use a TRS jack.

jimkehoe

ICBM said:

The Princeton and Deluxe Reverbs do both use standard latching footswitches. Old ones use a dual RCA jack arrangement, reissues use a TRS jack.

Thanks to all for the encouraging and useful advice.

So if I have understood correctly: if I get hold of a 65 Princeton or a 65 Deluxe Reverb re -issue I will be able to connect the Helix to the amp's  footswitch input via a TRS cable and assign one of the footswitches on the Helix to switch the amp's reverb in and off and another footswitch on the Helix to switch the tremolo on and off?

ICBM

jimkehoe said:

So if I have understood correctly: if I get hold of a 65 Princeton or a 65 Deluxe Reverb re -issue I will be able to connect the Helix to the amp's  footswitch input via a TRS cable and assign one of the footswitches on the Helix to switch the amp's reverb in and off and another footswitch on the Helix to switch the tremolo on and off?

I know nothing about the Helix end of it . But if it has two switchable amp-control jacks then it should be.