Has Anyone Replaced Their Pedalboards with Helix?

[clark]

I know this is now older technology, but has anyone replaced their pedalboard with something like a Line6 Helix? After watching some of the comparisons videos folks have made, it sure seems like an alternative?

[CorporateDisguise]

I’ve been using an HX stomp for head phone practice for the last year or so. It does alot of things really well in the FX sphere. The only thing I think it does poorly is fuzz, And I find that to be true of all modelers. That said, I think our use case is a bit different, because when I’m using it, I’m staying in the helix ecosystem 100%. So I can’t tell you how their drive and distortions sound through a real amp.( I may have to try it now though…)

[clark]

Interesting, my use cases would be for both pedalboard replacement through amp and recording demos.

[Unicorn Warrior]

I’ve kicked around the idea of this, but the option of tweaking faster on the fly keeps me with individual pedals.

[thenewromance]

No. I'm not against digital modelling per se, but analog pedals are something I understand, know how to use and already own. I don't see much value in replacing them. Might be different if you're touring a lot or employ a bigger number of effects at once (or do complex stuff with them), but I don't, so a few pedals do the job well enough. I also like the idea of them being repairable rather easily. Digital doesn't necessarily seem as sustainable or long-lasting to me.

[Embenny]

I sold my pedalboard when I got my AxeFX 3. It does everything my old board did, and so much more.

To me, the biggest advantage is the ability to save presets for different guitars and songs. Sometimes the same pedal can have different sweet spots with different guitars, or you really like different settings for one song compared to another.

With analog pedals, you're either marking knobs with masking tape and bending down between songs, or buying a second one so you can have access to those very different settings that you like.

With an AxeFX or Helix, all of that is completely trivial to do. You can even juggle your signal chain if you want - like maybe there's one song where you just love putting the reverb in front of your fuzz, instead of at the end of the chain. Instead of needing a loop pedal and a bunch of extra cables, you just pop the reverb over to the head of the chain and save a new patch with the song title or whatever.

You do have to endure the prospect of decision paralysis when you have that many options, but my own approach is to just build a basic rig that works for more things, and get to know that well. Then, once the sounds and interface are more familiar, it's easy to start getting creative with the setting tweaks/pedal swaps/signal chain reordering whenever the mood strikes you. My AxeFX has 20 different drive pedals or something, of which I basically only use two. But sometimes I feel like experimenting, and switching over to a new model I already "own" totally feels like a free NPD.

[burpgun]

Had a Helix floor unit for a bit and sold it. I was mostly interested in it for recording and effects purposes, I don't play live anymore so had no need to cover that area. I was disappointed with the amp models, and as I understand it, if you are going to use it replace a pedalboard, make sure it includes the boxes you need to cover. I have a bunch of weirdo stuff and there was no way the Helix was going to supplant that. For the record, I'm not against modelers or even Line6 gear. I use sims all the time and back in the day I used the Line6 kidney bean boxes. I was just really disappointed by the Helix.

[JVG]

I can’t imagine replacing my pedalboard. I love the aesthetics of a bunch of pedals connected together, the colours and shapes. I love the tactile aspect of playing around with them, the resistance of the knobs and clicks of switches.

These things, though perhaps superficial, make me feel good. And when i feel good about my setup, i generally play better and have an all-round more enjoyable experience. Perhaps i’m just a caveman!

[Steadyriot.]

I surely wouldnt call the Helix old tech. It’s still very mainstream, one of the most popular modelers out there.
Though I personally use a Kemper for everything, the Helix is a great platform if you use a lot of effects, and would like to do a lot of different routing.
Both me and the singer of our band used to lug around huge pedalboards, tube amps and speaker cabs. Now we each carry a single bag; in his a Helix in mine a Kemper. Bass player is on a Pod Go. That alone is a huge win in my opinion.
Though the amps in the Helix weren’t for me, the effects were great. For him it was the other way around; the Kemper sounded great but the interface, effects and Mic input on the Helix won out.
I think 80% of our recording is done on the Helix, including vocals. All these modelers also let us run an easy in-ear mix. They really made our lives easier.

It’s a solid machine.

[sal paradise]

I replaced my board with a POD HD500X. Used it like a board with 10 pedals.

I understood that the more time you spend with it, the more you get out. I wasn’t really prepared to do much beyond set it up & leave it. Never quite got the delays I wanted & found the interface too complex to make little tweaks.

Ultimately I missed making changing on the fly.

[clark]

Thanks for the responses, especially like the idea of having less stuff to carry! I’m usually a 4-6 pedal person, but really like the idea of being able to throw in an oddball every once in a while, but not have to rewire everything or fuss with power seems worth a try

[budda12ax7]

I love Helix....a great underrated Canadian band.

[Embenny]

Thanks for the responses, especially like the idea of having less stuff to carry! I’m usually a 4-6 pedal person, but really like the idea of being able to throw in an oddball every once in a while, but not have to rewire everything or fuss with power seems worth a try

If you've got the budget, give it a shot. They're plentiful on the used market, so you won't be out any significant amount of money if you decide to sell it.

It's the kind of device that kinda has to be experienced in order to form a real opinion on it. The thing to know about them is that the stock patches are uniformly terrible. Do yourself a favour and just start from a blank slate, adding and trying out each effect on its own.

I can get why some people like analog gear, dedicated physical knobs, etc. But for me, the pros of this latest generation of modeling far outweigh the cons once you get to know the device and its interface.

[antisymmetric]

Can anyone tell me whether with Helix or AxeFX or any equivalents there's provision to use 2 expression pedals simultaneously on different parameters of the same effect ? (for example speed and depth on tremolo) This could help me decide if I want to go in this direction. Thanks

[Futuron]

I have 3 setups, 1 has the big pedalboard into an amp, another has a multi-effects pedal into an amp, the 3rd is just a modelling amp with all that stuff in the 1 box.

Pros and cons all around. Much fun to be had with all 3 approaches. (I haven't done the 'play guitar through DAW effects' approach)

I much prefer to use the separate physical pedals, for many reasons already given. Mostly that I like to be able to see all of the settings, and change any of the settings by hand at any time.