Namm 2025 predictions

[yek]

Wow, that's a pretty awful demonstration, I mean the play part, not the talk part.

 

[ian_dissonance]

Line 6 honestly had just become the Thomas Blug of modelling.

This is nonsense, lol. I’m excited to see the next thing, too, but it’s not like they’re showing up telling you about the new cool thing you can’t have a la Blug (at this point it’s not even a new cool thing). Would I mind a double-DSP Helix? Of course not. But if it was in the form factor of the QC or the TMP I still wouldn’t buy it.

 

[Sascha Franck]

Wow, that's a pretty awful demonstration, I mean the play part, not the talk part.

Every bit this!

 

[mercifulfuzziness]

Could you plug this into a Helix?

Not sure about what the use case would be but that thing looks cool and sounds good!

 

[norminal]

Could you plug this into a Helix?

Not sure about what the use case would be but that thing looks cool and sounds good!

Absolutely can! Throw it in the loop and have pre and post effects.

 

[mercifulfuzziness]

Absolutely can! Throw it in the loop and have pre and post effects.

You can take the best from Line 6 and the best from this.

Buy a nice Cab for it perhaps?! cool stuff

 

[CBHScott]

This sounds like the chatter of discontent about the HD series that was rampant right before they released Helix and changed the game.

I get wanting a new flagship, but who else is releasing completely new generations of hardware/software?

Kemper is entering year 13. Fractal's current gen started with the III released in early 2018, so 7 years old and counting there. Headrush is just bolting things onto Eleven Rack from 2009.

Objectively speaking, Line 6 is in the middle of that spectrum, "newer" than everyone but Fractal (and NDSP who obviously is a new-ish company altogether). Just releasing a Helix 2 with a smaller chassis, touchscreen and maybe profiling would make waves, but probably would not be too competitive over what's coming next from the competition.

Proper product development should take all of this in to account. You're building for a multi-year lifecycle, not a handful of cool NAMM videos...

Not to mention that for the longest time (possibly since the Amplifi debacle, or even earlier) Line 6 has generally dropped stuff outside of NAMM. IIRC, the Helix was released in the middle of 2015, and I first saw it demoed at Sweetwater’s GearFest literally a week or two later. They drop stuff without much warning - sometimes right after a competitor releases something we think is cool, then L6 has another “hold mah beer” moment (like when they dropped the Stomp).

 

[molul]

One more year, no new vocal multieffects from anyone >_<

 

[mercifulfuzziness]

Two rock sterling looks awesome. What a beauty.

Probably a couple of thousand right?
And probably way way loud … but it has a master!

 

[mercifulfuzziness]

Two rock sterling looks awesome. What a beauty.

Probably a couple of thousand right?
And probably way way loud … but it has a master!

100 and 50 watt tube .. sure why not

 

[SillyOctpuss]

Ok, I re-watched (or rather re-listened) the Tone King Imperial pedal videos, this time at volume and through headphones, and I gotta say that I don't remember when a DI amp box has impressed me that much (which is also why I explicitely went to relisten, just to make sure I was right or wrong the first time). Has "weight" without getting boomy and "chime" without getting shrill. And tons of that.
Will wait for some proper demos and maybe try to play one myself somewhere once they're available. A very important thing for me would be how well it reacts to dynamics and how well it'll take pedals, but given the sound so far, I could only imagine it to master both extremely well.
Anyhow, while it's possibly too early too tell, this is a pedal I could imagine building a rig around rather than trying to integrate it into an existing rig, simply because it's so great you don't need all that much anymore anyway (2-3 more drive/boost pedals, a flexible delay and maybe some modulation, done).
F*** it, I actually don't want to change my rig. But we shall see.

First thing I've seen at namm in a few years that I actually want. It sounds really great and has all the features I'd want it to have. This will be seriously expensive but still a lot cheaper than the amp that I can't afford anyway.

 

[mercifulfuzziness]

Ok, I re-watched (or rather re-listened) the Tone King Imperial pedal videos, this time at volume and through headphones, and I gotta say that I don't remember when a DI amp box has impressed me that much (which is also why I explicitely went to relisten, just to make sure I was right or wrong the first time). Has "weight" without getting boomy and "chime" without getting shrill. And tons of that.
Will wait for some proper demos and maybe try to play one myself somewhere once they're available. A very important thing for me would be how well it reacts to dynamics and how well it'll take pedals, but given the sound so far, I could only imagine it to master both extremely well.
Anyhow, while it's possibly too early too tell, this is a pedal I could imagine building a rig around rather than trying to integrate it into an existing rig, simply because it's so great you don't need all that much anymore anyway (2-3 more drive/boost pedals, a flexible delay and maybe some modulation, done).
F*** it, I actually don't want to change my rig. But we shall see.

Is this the same as a helix: cab or monitors?

 

[Sascha Franck]

This will be seriously expensive but still a lot cheaper than the amp that I can't afford anyway.

Seems to kick in at 599. Which is quite a bit cheaper than what I thought it'd be (I would've though 899 or so).

 

[Sascha Franck]

Is this the same as a helix: cab or monitors?

Pretty much so, yes.

 

[Boudoir Guitar]

Is this the same as a helix: cab or monitors?

It is a preamp. So you would need a power amp and a speaker. Could be monitors; could be a single monitor; could be a power amp + guitar cab. The choice of monitoring is going to impact the tone, feel, and playing experience 10,000,000% more than whether you are using a tube preamp pedal, a Helix, or the line out of a Yamaha THR.

 

[mercifulfuzziness]

It is a preamp. So you would need a power amp and a speaker. Could be monitors; could be a single monitor; could be a power amp + guitar cab. The choice of monitoring is going to impact the tone, feel, and playing experience 10,000,000% more than whether you are using a tube preamp pedal, a Helix, or the line out of a Yamaha THR.

makes a good case for buying a nice cab then?

 

[Mikael Dez]

makes a good case for buying a nice cab then?

There’s always a case to have a nice cab if volume allows.

 

[SillyOctpuss]

Seems to kick in at 599. Which is quite a bit cheaper than what I thought it'd be (I would've though 899 or so).

That's much better than I thought it'd be. I was guessing about £800 or £900. Could be a great buy when they start turning up on the used market.

 

[laxu]

makes a good case for buying a nice cab then?

Honestly, most of us would be better off spending money on nice cabs and speakers for real world rigs. Like switching cab sims, they can make a big difference in the sound.

But they are just not fun in the way amps, modelers, pedals etc are. Wooden boxes with a speaker inside that take a lot of space if you have more than 1-2.

My favorite cab is my Bluetone 4x10 with 10" UK made Greenbacks. I tried it out at a guitar festival in Helsinki many years ago through a Bluetone Plexi 25, and then the cab lived rent free in my head for months until I had to buy it.

 

[mercifulfuzziness]

Honestly, most of us would be better off spending money on nice cabs and speakers for real world rigs. Like switching cab sims, they can make a big difference in the sound.

But they are just not fun in the way amps, modelers, pedals etc are. Wooden boxes with a speaker inside that take a lot of space if you have more than 1-2.

My favorite cab is my Bluetone 4x10 with 10" UK made Greenbacks. I tried it out at a guitar festival in Helsinki many years ago through a Bluetone Plexi 25, and then the cab lived rent free in my head for months until I had to buy it.

What is a real world rig?