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Any one been converted?

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  • John_PJohn_P Frets: 2744
    Never understood the comments about afx being hard to program.  I've always found it the most intuitive piece of digital gear I've ever used.
    I'd pretty much agree with that, especially using the pic editor.   Amplifire is easy to use that way as well (not so easy using the front panel).       

    All have there place,  I still have a bunch of big old amps that sometimes get used live but most weeks I use a modeller into an frfr cab as it's quick to set up and takes up less space and I can have a consistent sound.  
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  • Last year I bought a Line6 Firehawk to save having to take my amp head and pedal board to rehearsals.  To my unrefined ears the sounds are good enough, and the phone app editor is easy to use.  The problem I always have is option paralysis - there are simply too many amp models and effects for me to choose from.  I end up spending all my time fiddling with sounds, not enough time playing.  In that way I much prefer to have one amp and a handful of pedals.

    The advantage of anything like that is that it does everything - silent home practice through headphones, recording via the USB interface and rehearsals/gigs.
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  • VoxmanVoxman Frets: 4718
    edited January 2017
    longi said:
    I use both modelling and regular amps, I can't see myself ever selling any of my amps off. I use amp modelling (AX3000G) for outdoor gigs and a hybrid setup (amp + GT-100 4cm) for regular gigs. I love having both around and I also have a AMT Pangea CP100 if I want to use an amp without a speaker at a gig with a dummy load. I'm a bit weird like that.

    I'm more interested in ditching the speaker than the amp or going full amp modelling.
    I'm the same.  I have 6 amps (1 modelling/valve hybrid, 3 all-valve, 1 solid-state/valve hybrid, and a little all-digital Vox Mini-3), a conventional pedal board, and 3 x MFX units (All Vox Tonelabs TLSE/TLLE/TLST).  Currently, I'm just using the TLSE with my band - for band practice plugged into the rehearsal room amp (Marshall Valve head/4x12 cab), and for gigging going direct through the PA.  

    At home I mainly use one of the amps, and for late night practice I use the headphone out of my Valvetronix AD120VTX.   
    I started out with nothing..... but I've still got most of it left (Seasick Steve)
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  • 57Deluxe57Deluxe Frets: 7329
    edited January 2017
    for teaching one student where I visit - I simply use a mini Kokko Booster with an external pp3 battery clip into a pair of PC speakers only!

    http://i63.tinypic.com/2evpvfm.jpg
                                                                                           (and yes it does have glow-in-the-dark dial markers!)




    <Vintage BOSS Upgrades>
    __________________________________
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  • CirrusCirrus Frets: 8481
    Never understood the comments about afx being hard to program.  I've always found it the most intuitive piece of digital gear I've ever used.
    Sometimes, in the heat of the moment on a dark stage with loud music blasting through the PA and the nerves of a man about to play a set of his own music, I'd find an MXR micro amp hard to program.
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  • DrJazzTapDrJazzTap Frets: 2158
    I I know it's not in the same ball park, but I did try out a Yamaha THR100 dual head a few weeks back. And that was very impressive. The overdrive and distorted sounds are very good. If I was thinking about buying one, I'd go back and test it with my guitar.
    I would love to change my username, but I fully understand the T&C's (it was an old band nickname). So please feel free to call me Dave.
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  • I have been thinking along these lines too. Our singer has had some health issues so we haven't gigged in a year and having 100w valve amps is just a bit overkill. I started to seriously think about it when I saw the Chappers vid where they couldn't identify the Kemper - to be honest, it would just be really cool to play through a load of classic amps without having to buy them all :) But 2K+ (with a foot controller) is a lot of cash for just a bit of fun.

    I have a bit of a tendency to try and get on with modelling / multi-fx and failing. Mainly due to option paralysis rather than anything to do with sound quality but it doesn't stop me wanting to try it again from time to time.

    In theory, I shouldn't need many pedals anyway since I have a H&K Switchblade which allows you to store patches with effects and sounds plenty good enough for my purposes. But I always seem to end up with an ever-expending pedalboard nevertheless. :)

    I am quite interested in the Digitech unit (the GSP1101 mentioned above) as that always gets good comments and is pretty cheap these days. I could run that straight into my Orange TH-30 clean channel which is pristine clean up to brain bursting volumes so should work well for that...I think if I went for one of the current crop it would probably be the helix mainly due to ease of use and price. It sounded pretty good on the Ola Englund comparison videos (which are worth checking out, if you haven't already).

    I assume the old POD 'feature' of a big pause between patches when you switch has been removed on the Helix? I had a PODxt for a bit and that was annoying.


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  • fretmeisterfretmeister Frets: 23964
    I have been thinking along these lines too. Our singer has had some health issues so we haven't gigged in a year and having 100w valve amps is just a bit overkill. I started to seriously think about it when I saw the Chappers vid where they couldn't identify the Kemper - to be honest, it would just be really cool to play through a load of classic amps without having to buy them all :) But 2K+ (with a foot controller) is a lot of cash for just a bit of fun.

    I have a bit of a tendency to try and get on with modelling / multi-fx and failing. Mainly due to option paralysis rather than anything to do with sound quality but it doesn't stop me wanting to try it again from time to time.

    In theory, I shouldn't need many pedals anyway since I have a H&K Switchblade which allows you to store patches with effects and sounds plenty good enough for my purposes. But I always seem to end up with an ever-expending pedalboard nevertheless. :)

    I am quite interested in the Digitech unit (the GSP1101 mentioned above) as that always gets good comments and is pretty cheap these days. I could run that straight into my Orange TH-30 clean channel which is pristine clean up to brain bursting volumes so should work well for that...I think if I went for one of the current crop it would probably be the helix mainly due to ease of use and price. It sounded pretty good on the Ola Englund comparison videos (which are worth checking out, if you haven't already).

    I assume the old POD 'feature' of a big pause between patches when you switch has been removed on the Helix? I had a PODxt for a bit and that was annoying.


    If you load a total new patch then there is a pause.

    But instead you use Snapshots which is a single button recall of different settings within a patch. That is seamless.
    So as an example I have

    Snapshot 1: Fender  amp set clean, touch of chorus and reverb

    Snapshot 2: Dual Rec,, gain on about 5, bit of mid scooping

    Snapshot 3: Dual Rec, but this time with the gain on 8, higher mids, also turns on a short delay for thickening and a tubescreamer. All with 1 press.

    The Snapshot remembers the exact settings you are playing with. So set it up and save it. Then do No2 etc.

    You can squeeze 3 amp models into 1 patch if you use both signal paths and don't over do it on the FX that need a load of DSP power.
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  • very interesting. 

    I'm going to defiantly have a play and see how the helix feels under the fingers. On the videos i have seen it sounds very amp like. 

    The most important thing is does it inspire me, does it make me play in a certain (good way)

    I really don't think people in the crowd would notice the difference its just how the player feels. 

    I do love a good valve amp like most people. Something magical about it, so to be converted will be hard despite the practicalities. 


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  • WazmeisterWazmeister Frets: 9448
    Try the Fractal FX8/AX8 - it can replace every pedal Ive owned virtually
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  • fretmeister said:

    If you load a total new patch then there is a pause.

    But instead you use Snapshots...
    Hmm...odd that the Line6 stuff seems to have this when other units don't. Even the old Boss GT8 was seamless. I'll check out the manual to see how the snapshot thing works...sounds slightly fiddly but I guess you get used to it.

    Has anyone compared the GSP1101 with the new batch of modellers? I guess for £300 there's bound to be a jump in quality but I wonder how much. I read that if you replace the stock cabinets with the IR ones then it makes a big difference to the modelled sounds. I think I heard something similar about the Kemper.
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  • drwiddlydrwiddly Frets: 911
    As I said above, I've had a GSP1101 for a few years and currently use it in my back up rig with my old Axe Ultra. For the money (I think I paid just over £200 for mine used) it's a great piece of kit. It works well as a stand alone unit or in conjunction with an amp. It's not as flexible as the current high end modellers nor does it sound as good but, in a band mix, you'd be hard pressed to notice.

    the amp models are generally good and one or two are really good (5150). The effects are good - delays and reverbs in particular- but mod and pitch fx are one at a time. For example, if you wanted chorus and flanger together, it's not possible.

    the beta C63 firmware is a huge upgrade and is a must. Better IR's do make a big difference and you can load 10, in addition to the stock cabs. Midi implementation is very good and more flexible with C63. It's very reliable- I've gigged mine loads and never had a problem. It's a real Swiss Army knife and very useful in a variety of situations which is why I've kept mine.
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  • I have been a solid valve-head for many years but circumstances in my life meant I had to look at a more compact and lighter system. Getting rid of my beloved Orange valve head was painful but it simply had to be done. I started by looking at the usual offerings from Boss and Line6 etc. but the quality of the tone you got was awful compared to a proper valve amp.

    Clearly they weren't good enough but I couldn't afford something like an Axe-FX so I had to find something in the middle ground. That was a lot harder than you might think because there is surprisingly little choice. I read some good reviews of the BluGuitar AMP1 so I decided to take a chance and bought one. I found the tone to be far more convincing than anything I'd tried previously as it really did sound like a valve amp and was incredibly loud. It seemed to both sound and feel like a proper valve amp. It wasn't 100% perfect but it was VERY close as well as being astonishingly compact, taking up no more space than a couple of pedals. This made me start to think that if this unit could be this good, how much better would it be with more processing power? 

    I still couldn't afford an Axe-FX but I did come across the Atomic AmpliFire and again, decided to take a chance. Wow!!! I'd been impressed with the AMP1 but this was on a whole new level with a good range of amp models that were highly convincing and the same could be said of the onboard effects. I still needed a power amp unless I always intended to use the PA so I decided to just use my AMP1 for that purpose. This had a couple of advantages:


    1. I had a built-in backup
    2. It was very small so I could house both the AmpliFire and the AMP1 on my pedalboard giving me a very light and portable rig.
    I've used this rig live and at home, with both giving superb results. It sounds great at either gig or home volume levels and allows me listen through headphones if I want to play late at night without annoying the neighbours. It gives me an impressive range of high quality amp sounds that are as close to the quality of a valve amp as I ever thought possible. As much as I loved my old valve amps, I have absolutely no intention at all of going back to a conventional valve amp.
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  • RandallFlaggRandallFlagg Frets: 13929
    I had a Fractal AXE-FX for 6 months in 2015 and now have a Helix. The amp, effect and cab sounds on the Helix are as good as the Axe FX in my opinion. No they don't sound the same when the controls are set on the same on both units, which is what a lot of videos on Youtube show when the A/B them, but when adjusted with the level of drive, tone and a cab model you are looking for then they can both sound very, very good.

    The reason I like the Helix a lot more is the user interface, it's simpler and the LCD above each pedal and main display are really good and lead a very transparent playing experience. The Helix has less in depth parameter controls that the Axe-FX and I see this as a distinct advantage as it leads to less rabbit hole tweaking and more playing. It has enough to allow some deeper editing but it's not so deep as to be confusing and is a more 'pedal' type experience rather than what at times seems like a 'synth' type tweaking experience on the Axe-FX. For example Adjusting the Wow/Flutter on the tape delay is one control slider on the Helix, I honestly don't know where to start on the Axe-FX.

    Some people may love this deep level editing ability but it does require some understanding and being a bit dim I found it confusing. The people that love this deep level of control may see the Helix as limited and toy like, but I like simple, just like the pedals I used to use.

    For example here is a comparison of the Tape Delay parameters on both:

    Helix, 1 page of parameters:



    Axe-FX/AX8, 6 pages of parameters:







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  • digitalscreamdigitalscream Frets: 26461
    edited January 2017
    In terms of tone, I was already converted by the Eleven Rack. The problems with the Eleven Rack were all about usability in a live context for me - the massive patch gap (shared by the Helix), lack of patch-to-patch spillover (also shared by the Helix), the fact that amp and cab blocks were stuck together, lack of custom IR support, inability to send a cab-modelled signal to the PA while sending a cabless signal to the backline...they all combined to make it unusable for me.

    That's why I'm so excited about the new Headrush floor unit...it seems to have all the advantages of the Eleven modelling (upgraded for modern times, it would appear) but fixes all the problems. The only one that's not confirmed fixed is the spillover, but with quad-core DSP available I can't imagine they'll have left it off the list.
    <space for hire>
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  • that looks great too!

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  • <space for hire>
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  • TTBZTTBZ Frets: 2873
    edited January 2017
    I would have to play one set up well with sounds I like to be convinced but I've just heard some really good demos on youtube of the Helix with people's custom patches/IRs. Depending how my band goes it's something I'm considering in the long term (it'll take me long enough to save up for one!), I do think eventually they'll crack it. Definitely for playing at home I think my 50w valve amp and 2x12 is redundant. At the minute I mostly use my Blackstar Fly 3 which gets me by at home. 

    It's come a long way since my old Behringer V-Amp 2! I've never managed to get a sound or feel I'm truly happy with using software like Amplitube though which makes me skeptical, just don't have that same "3D" sound and feel. It's like playing a recorded and processed version of the amp rather than a real one.
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  • TeetonetalTeetonetal Frets: 7801
    Imo sound quality is no longer an issue. It's all about the type of sound and feature requirements you have.

    That said, you need to get your expectations right when using any of them. What they give you is the sound of a mic'd up amp. The touch feel and dynamics is all there but if you are yearning for the sound your ear hears direct from a speaker you might be dissapointed.

    Get your head around that and the possibilities offered by modelling are extreme. If lost all my gear and could only buy 1 thing back? It would be my helix.
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