Helix JCM800 2203 Request Thread (FW 3.70 new Brit 2203)!

James Freeman said:
Nah, this is the internet, no faces or addresses.
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You Love It American Horror Story GIF by AHS
 
I love my Helix still, it does everything I need fun-wise and tone-wise.
The advanced tweakability of Fractal amps is very appealing to me, particularly because I modify my own amps and I know what most of it does.
Also, Mesa/Boogie is unobtanium here, and I really like to try accurate models of the Mark, Triple Crown and Rectifier series.

I am mostly an amp player and I don't even use 1% of what the Helix is capable of, and again, the sheer amount of high gain and classic amp models and advanced tweakability Fractal offers and the perpetual refining of their modeling is enough to justify the purchase.
I also said many times over the years that I am always Fractal curious.
 
Honestly, if I had some assurance that a model like this would be added to the Helix *eventually*, I'd be ready to sell my RevivalDrive and rebuild my board around the HX Stomp as I'm downsizing it. It's not a sound I need all the time, so I'm okay with waiting. It would just be nice to have an idea of if it'll happen or if I need to keep a space for the RevivalDrive or possible Tonex (?) or something just for that sound.

(EDIT: I need to do some A/B testing of the SL Drive > Fender amp model vs the Helix Marshall models. I always liked that pedal before the RevivalDrive replaced it for its versatility and its dynamics, but I can't remember how well it does the brighter mid-gain thing in the super lead+ mode... it's smaller than the RD, so might be good enough in the meantime if that Helix model is coming!)
 
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Jarick said:
800 is so weird, sometimes I love it and sometimes I hate it. I dunno if I'd really dig the amp if I didn't have some control over the bright switch though.
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Yeah, I haven't used the real thing, but I don't think I'd want it as my only amp. For what I play, it's just an occasional flavor. That's sort of why I am loving my first foray into modelers though: I can have that variety without the high cost (and space taken up!), and with an experience that's more accurate than "x or y analog amp in a box pedal into a Fender-style amp". It's a sound I really want, but not every day or even a whole day.
 
James Freeman said:
I love my Helix still, it does everything I need fun-wise and tone-wise.
The advanced tweakability of Fractal amps is very appealing to me, particularly because I modify my own amps and I know what most of it does.
Also, Mesa/Boogie is unobtanium here, and I really like to try accurate models of the Mark, Triple Crown and Rectifier series.

I am mostly an amp player and I don't even use 1% of what the Helix is capable of, and again, the sheer amount of high gain and classic amp models and advanced tweakability Fractal offers and the perpetual refining of their modeling is enough to justify the purchase.
I also said many times over the years that I am always Fractal curious.
Click to expand...
You’ll like it. I have no doubts.

For people who are into modeling, I think both are totally worth owning. They each have a unique set of strengths.

The Helix has a much broader complement of 1:1 real-world pedal and rack gear models, instead of generic classes of models. It’s also more capable and flexible with the way it handles parameters via snapshots and all the extra gravy it can do in Control Center. Fractal’s “scenes” are like a stripped-down version of Helix’s snapshots, but you can get most of the way there with scene controllers and such — it’s just more complicated to do so. And the UI discussion has been flogged endlessly so I won’t go there except to say: yep. Helix has phenomenal UI design.

The Fractal units have great modeling of their amps. It’s the tiny subtleties in the breakup of distortion, frequency separation in high-gain chords, the way overdriven notes attack and decay. If Fractal is 100% for amp modeling, I’d say Helix is about 96 or 97%. But it’s not just that—it’s also the way you can tune things with impedance curves, and all the numerous adjustments that change the modeled response in real-time, so that you can change things to be the way you like. If Fractal’s modeled reference amp isn’t your cup of tea, you can add as much sugar, cream, and bright caps as you like.

If I could have a hybrid of both, that would be the dream machine :)
 
SwirlyMaple said:
You’ll like it. I have no doubts.

For people who are into modeling, I think both are totally worth owning. They each have a unique set of strengths.

The Helix has a much broader complement of 1:1 real-world pedal and rack gear models, instead of generic classes of models. It’s also more capable and flexible with the way it handles parameters via snapshots and all the extra gravy it can do in Control Center. Fractal’s “scenes” are like a stripped-down version of Helix’s snapshots, but you can get most of the way there with scene controllers and such — it’s just more complicated to do so. And the UI discussion has been flogged endlessly so I won’t go there except to say: yep. Helix has phenomenal UI design.

The Fractal units have great modeling of their amps. It’s the tiny subtleties in the breakup of distortion, frequency separation in high-gain chords, the way overdriven notes attack and decay. If Fractal is 100% for amp modeling, I’d say Helix is about 96 or 97%. But it’s not just that—it’s also the way you can tune things with impedance curves, and all the numerous adjustments that change the modeled response in real-time, so that you can change things to be the way you like. If Fractal’s modeled reference amp isn’t your cup of tea, you can add as much sugar, cream, and bright caps as you like.

If I could have a hybrid of both, that would be the dream machine :)
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I should stop looking at posts like this after having just bought the HX Stomp. I'm trying to downsize, not buy more things! lol
 
SwirlyMaple said:
But it’s not just that—it’s also the way you can tune things with impedance curves, and all the numerous adjustments that change the modeled response in real-time, so that you can change things to be the way you like. If Fractal’s modeled reference amp isn’t your cup of tea, you can add as much sugar, cream, and bright caps as you like
Click to expand...
Fanning Myself Heat Wave GIF
 
SwirlyMaple said:
You’ll like it. I have no doubts.

For people who are into modeling, I think both are totally worth owning. They each have a unique set of strengths.

The Helix has a much broader complement of 1:1 real-world pedal and rack gear models, instead of generic classes of models. It’s also more capable and flexible with the way it handles parameters via snapshots and all the extra gravy it can do in Control Center. Fractal’s “scenes” are like a stripped-down version of Helix’s snapshots, but you can get most of the way there with scene controllers and such — it’s just more complicated to do so. And the UI discussion has been flogged endlessly so I won’t go there except to say: yep. Helix has phenomenal UI design.

The Fractal units have great modeling of their amps. It’s the tiny subtleties in the breakup of distortion, frequency separation in high-gain chords, the way overdriven notes attack and decay. If Fractal is 100% for amp modeling, I’d say Helix is about 96 or 97%. But it’s not just that—it’s also the way you can tune things with impedance curves, and all the numerous adjustments that change the modeled response in real-time, so that you can change things to be the way you like. If Fractal’s modeled reference amp isn’t your cup of tea, you can add as much sugar, cream, and bright caps as you like.

If I could have a hybrid of both, that would be the dream machine :)
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I agree 100%! And I'd love more flexibility with my Helix amps, like the FAS idealized amp controls.
Anyway, luckily, here in Europe temptations wane quickly:
Fractal FM9 (Turbo): € 2355
Helix LT: € 1090 or Helix floor € 1555
(prices including sales tax)
 
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