Headrush pedalboard....just when you thought!

JonHosker

Ready to pull the Helix trigger ... and this is coming!! What do I do...? Kemper is still saying g "What about me!"
Selling up and going digikal

John_A

Sensible thing is wait for the Akai and see how it's received after release

Roland

Certainly wait until after NAMM announcements to see what else is coming along

Strat_a_tat_tat

Even if the Headrush isn't for you... its presence may put pressure on other manufacturers - to introduce a few discounts / promotions.

That said... the £ to $ conversion is not looking good at the moment... so that could drive £ prices up.

There is a thread about the Headrush - may be worthwhile having a read of that.

Teetonetal

Wait and give the options a spin if you can. I'd certainly check out a headrush if it ticks the boxes.

dindude

Lose the option anxiety and buy a deluxe reverb reissue knowing that it will still not be superseded in 20 years, let alone 20 months.

Voxman

Helix prices will have to fall after NAMM to combat competitors or Line 6 will lose market share and its sales will suffer.  The wealthier customers have already bought it and it will have to cut prices if it wants to win customers from the next pricing layer set by units such as Head Rush FX.

Teetonetal

Given that they have risen since launch I won't be surprised if they fall back to compete. Depends on how the headrush is received and if others bring anything worth while to the party.

gearaddict

No more on the Headrush then? I wonder when we'll see a proper comparison with the Fractal and the Helix.

mixolyd

Voxman said:

Helix prices will have to fall after NAMM to combat competitors or Line 6 will lose market share and its sales will suffer.  The wealthier customers have already bought it and it will have to cut prices if it wants to win customers from the next pricing layer set by units such as Head Rush FX.

That's a huge claim given that the Headrush has yet to prove to be any good at all, let alone a competitor for Helix.

Sporky

mixolyd said:

Voxman said:

Helix prices will have to fall after NAMM to combat competitors or Line 6 will lose market share and its sales will suffer.  The wealthier customers have already bought it and it will have to cut prices if it wants to win customers from the next pricing layer set by units such as Head Rush FX.

That's a huge claim given that the Headrush has yet to prove to be any good at all, let alone a competitor for Helix.

And given how healthy Helix sales are.

digitalscream

The problem with the Headrush is actually twofold:

1 - The DI tones from the NAMM videos weren't that great, and as soon as the demonstrator was asked to depart from the usual script...it sounded worse.

2 - They've consistently refused to answer any questions on more critical functionality (like spillover). In fact, as soon as those questions are asked on social media, it signals the end of the company's involvement in that thread.

These things don't fill me with confidence.

Of all the modellers, I prefer the tones that I hear from the Kemper; however, it doesn't do stereo amps, and that's something I really want. I hate the sound of Fractal, so it's looking like a Helix is in my future. Fortunately, we'll all get a chance to play with Helix Native soon before trying the hardware version...

guitarfishbay

The Helix isn't expensive relative to what it can do. Many (on this board alone) have pedal collections approaching its value for starters.

Sporky

guitarfishbay said:

The Helix isn't expensive relative to what it can do. Many (on this board alone) have pedal collections approaching its value for starters.

Selling my pedals more than paid for a Helix, pair of monitors and Source Audio Reflex (which really opens the Helix up).

And the Helix does much, much more and is, if anything, easier to tweak.

mellowsun

Ask yourself this, who has more credibility and experience in digital modelling: Akai or Line6/Yamaha?

Voxman

Most guitarists are home players and very few are able to or want to spend £1300 on a mfx pedal.  And most home players don't have big expensive pedal collections..those that do on the Fretboard are the exception rather than the norm.  I stand by what I said earlier..there has to be a downward price correction this year.  

digitalscream

Voxman said:

Most guitarists are home players and very few are able to or want to spend £1300 on a mfx pedal.  And most home players don't have big expensive pedal collections..those that do on the Fretboard are the exception rather than the norm.  I stand by what I said earlier..there has to be a downward price correction this year.  

The Headrush isn't that much cheaper, though - it's £900. That's still more than both my amps and all my pedals put together.

For me, that means that if there's any doubt whatsoever about what it can do and how it's going to be supported, it's a massive "nope" from me.

JonHosker

Atomic Amplifier 12 looks good at £759
Cheaper than Helix....

digitalscream

JonHosker said:

Atomic Amplifier 12 looks good at £759
Cheaper than Helix....

Again, frustration for me - the Amplifire just doesn't sound as good as the Helix and Kemper for me.

As things stand, it's Helix/Kemper/Fractal (depending on taste, they all have their own sound) and everybody else is trying to catch up. The Amplifire isn't there IMO, and - despite my early enthusiasm - the Headrush just doesn't seem to have it either

JonHosker

Fair enough.....thanks
Big plunge for me.
FRFR options??

mixolyd

If there is a price correction I expect the real value paradigm changers to be much cheaper than the Headrush which so far just seems to be the Aldi version of Helix.  The AmpliFirebox comes in below £300 and Helix Native below £400: they're potentially game changing for both gig and home use.

I have to agree with @digitalscream regarding the tone of the Amplifire: it sounds pretty good in clips but not at all like an amp to me, very one dimensional.  To my ear the Kemper is way ahead of the rest and the only one that gives me the same physical rush of excitement that a real amp gives, while the Helix is loved and adopted by so many that it must be better than the videos suggest.