Line 6 Helix - next gen guitarist's wet dream..?

Quote from drew_fx

I'm not a troll. Stop being so defensive. You're as bad as the Fractal fanbois.

I was just wondering that somebody bought an expensive KPA only for headphone-playing at night. To get a real picture of the KPA you need to play via studio-monitors or FRFR-cabs. To compare KPA vs. Helix via headphones doesn't make any sense at all.

If you want to buy a Helix and sell the KPA go on, we live in a free country and I don't see any police here. For sure the Helix might be a good choice for you, if you're looking for a floor-one-piece-solution and if you don't need authentic amp-tones. The strength of the KPA is the perfect reproduction of real tube-amps (tone and feel) and that you can profile your own and any other amps.

Quote from guenterhaas

I was just wondering that somebody bought an expensive KPA only for headphone-playing at night. To get a real picture of the KPA you need to play via studio-monitors or FRFR-cabs. To compare KPA vs. Helix via headphones doesn't make any sense at all.

If you want to buy a Helix and sell the KPA go on, we live in a free country and I don't see any police here. For sure the Helix might be a good choice for you, if you're looking for a floor-one-piece-solution and if you don't need authentic amp-tones. The strength of the KPA is the perfect reproduction of real tube-amps (tone and feel) and that you can profile your own and any other amps.

Dude... you are you just being argumentative for the sake of it. Let it go.

I have studio monitors. In fact I have two studio setups - one at home, and one at the office. I have access to racks of high-quality outboard, I have three valve amps at home and two 4x12 cabs. Trust me.. I'm not lacking gear at all.

I bought the Kemper for recording. I even used the Kemper to replace some bad guitar tracks just last night. Make no mistake, I am not disliking the Kemper at all.

But sometimes needs change. You should probably consider this when you decide to attack someone on a forum because of their personal decisions with their gear.

I already said with the Helix, I am looking to use it with a real valve amp. I'm not looking for an all-in-one solution. I am looking for something that is versatile to fit several scenarios.

Just wanted to add that I don't consider drew_fx a troll, I've read and enjoyed his posts on other forums. And seriously, has there ever been a band name quite as great as Tacoma Narrows Bridge Disaster??

Modelers are different things to different people, and I can easily see where someone might forego a bit of amp realism in order to have the effect versatility and more usable UI on the floor for live performance. How good does the amp modeling have to be in all cases? The Helix has the current UI to die for at this moment, and I can see how it would greatly simplify getting effect heavy tones live. Line 6 has seriously upped the bar on the floor modeler UI, it makes most everything else look like an also-ran. Compare it with the UI on the Amplifire and Fractal AX8, both of those look a bit weak in comparison.

OTOH, the last few times I have used the Kemper live, and listed to its results in the mix, I have thought that it might not be possible to improve its tone capabilities. It's as good as an amp tone needs to be for my ears. That's hard to give up. The Kemper does have a ways to go to improve the effects selection and routing, but in basic amp tone, I can't think of any improvements.

If someone needs lots of effects and complicated routing capabilities, the Kemper might not be their cup of tea. In fact, every Line 6 product from the X3 on up is better than the Kemper in effects selection and routing. But in cases like mine, not many effects may be needed, and the Kemper is perfection. Different strokes and all.

No more off topic-discussions here, I wrote to drew_fx via PN to make things clear, thanks.

Ok I feel somewhat required to say that I have heard countless fine tube amps that sounded like crap! Not the amps fault. Mostly due to the wrong adjustments or the wrong amp for the music style. So I'm confused a bit why everyone seems to compare a Kemper to a tube amp? It should be noted that many of the models that are for sale or trade don't sound all that good to some. They were mostly images of a tube amp and cab that were done poorly, never the less they sound crappy.
So it boils down to intended use, how you personally like to interact with the instrument and ultimately how it sounds to you. I think there is plenty of room for all of the tools in the workshop and limiting yourself to one amp or cab is never in your best interest.

Quote from Danger

So it boils down to intended use, how you personally like to interact with the instrument and ultimately how it sounds to you. I think there is plenty of room for all of the tools in the workshop and limiting yourself to one amp or cab is never in your best interest.

Well said!

It sounds better than a 70s Peavey Pacer amp, but I still haven't heard anything on it that's better than the Eleven Rack which is less expensive. That ISP Theta sounds better from what I've heard of it.
I still have my POD 2.3 and use a G50 wireless which is fantastic, but the Helix hasn't done much to impress me yet.

Quote from Danger

So I'm confused a bit why everyone seems to compare a Kemper to a tube amp? It should be noted that many of the models that are for sale or trade don't sound all that good to some.

I'm playing tube-amps my whole life and I never liked transistor amps. That's my personal experience starting very young with Marshall amps and now playing various tube-amps like an old Marshall Plexi, Boogie MK II, THD Univalve, Fender and Vox combos and a Dr. Z Maz Sen.-top. Of course there are crap-amps on the market, but I wouldn't have spent money for a crap one....

Of course it's also very important what you are used to, I'm a session-and tour-player, working mainly in studios, if I play live I normally use in-ears. So I'm used to hear my guitar-signal miked up, listening to linear studio-monitors or using high quality in-ears like UE 11 Pro.

The KPA is the first and only digital device giving me the tone and feel of -good- tube-amps, I owned every POD from the first one up to HD500 and I tried every other available device. If somebody is happy with a POD or semething else that's fine, for me (and that's of course very subjective) the KPA is the only tool which can replace my real amps.

Quote from Danger

Ok I feel somewhat required to say that I have heard countless fine tube amps that sounded like crap! Not the amps fault. Mostly due to the wrong adjustments or the wrong amp for the music style. So I'm confused a bit why everyone seems to compare a Kemper to a tube amp? It should be noted that many of the models that are for sale or trade don't sound all that good to some. They were mostly images of a tube amp and cab that were done poorly, never the less they sound crappy.
So it boils down to intended use, how you personally like to interact with the instrument and ultimately how it sounds to you. I think there is plenty of room for all of the tools in the workshop and limiting yourself to one amp or cab is never in your best interest.

I agree with you generally speaking. But once you find a formula that works perfectly for you and your music, it's very hard to move away from it.

For some guys that is a Kemper and a Kemper Remote. For other guys it is a Kemper, a FCB1010, and an Eventide H9 in the effects loop. For other guys it's a Kemper plus an Axe FX.

For me the benchmark for my own playing, music, and tonal needs is a VHT/Fryette Sig X and a 4x12 cabinet with V30's. I don't like FRFR solutions, and playing through studio monitors is not the same. To me it's a compromise, and I'll do it. But my ultimate preference is for the above.

And I'm lucky enough that I can perform, rehearse, and record with my VHT Sig X and my Egnater Tourmaster cab. I'm actually on my 2nd VHT Sig X amp, because I stupidly sold my first one. I spent 4 months hunting one down, because here in the UK they're extremely rare to come across on the 2nd hand market. Here is the kicker... I actually SOLD MY AXE FX II TO FUND IT!!

That is correct. I sold my Axe FX II - with all of it's bells and whistles - to fund a purchase of a 3 channel valve amp, with very definite limitations on the tones that it can give me.

This is how I recorded our upcoming third album:
https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbc…7855297028077490947_o.jpg

Plenty of options there!

I also had the Kemper available for profiling and for some overdubs:
https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbc…2178424501008459118_o.jpg

These are the pedals I've currently got available to use:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.…101_FUJI/PedalSources.jpg

As you can see.. effects are pretty important to me, with the nature of the music I write. So something like the Helix that can potentially work in tandem with my favourite benchmark rig, is obviously very appealing. The Kemper cannot really compete with that as a standalone device.

So whilst I do love the Kemper, it isn't an option for me as a live performance rig, a rehearsal rig, or a self-contained writing rig. I've really just been using it for late night rehearsal on headphones, overdubs for recording, and general guitar playing whenever I haven't had access to my full rig.

Despite what guenterhaas keeps inferring (here and in the really annoying private messages he has sent me) there are lots of scenarios where I use the Kemper. It shouldn't even be necessary to go into this much detail to be honest. But some people cannot stomach the fact that someone might consider (merely CONSIDER) selling the Kemper to fund another gear purchase.

Finally let me just say that for me - again... FOR ME - the Kemper cannot quite replace a real valve amp.

@drew_fx

Thankx for the comments, particularly with respect to you loving the Kemper.

And with all this information from someone who's well up there in the field - about the inability of the Kemper to compete as a standalone to a personal benchmark from someone who knows what he's talking about., we'll all just have to go out and buy ourselves a Helix - won't we guys and girls? If I had 6k to spare I'd go for it too... I'd hook it up to an H&K Tubemaster driving my Tube Thomsen 2 x 12 Greenback cabinet and have quite a few options too... Might even mike it and store it on the Kemper

Seems a shame you're not sticking around to give us some more advice about the Kemper... but then sometimes one has to move on...

this thread has come to an end.