Namm 2025 predictions

[Boudoir Guitar]

View attachment 36100

Ah, yes, it seems all of those optek/fretlight patents are finally expired.

 

[Boudoir Guitar]

Because you milk a cow as long as you can. And no, defenitely no pun intended, it's pretty much common business tactics.
I'm sure that once sales fall below a certain threshold, they will release a sucessor. But we don't exactly know the sales numbers or the amount of units L6 has to sell without going below that threshold.

This is true from both a vendor and consumer side. Given we are pretty well past the stage where folks are gonna be lured in with “but this time it’s actually real!” Hype machine, they’re gonna have to come with lots of other reasons to entice folks to replace their current Helixes.

 

[mercifulfuzziness]

The Helix selling must be slowing down. How much guitarists are left who are still going to buy one?

 

[Sascha Franck]

The Helix selling must be slowing down. How much guitarists are left who are still going to buy one?

Maybe not many for individual items of the HX based series. But then, there's the Pod Go, the Pod Express and the much-praised HX Stomp. At least the Stomp is still going pretty strong on the used market over here (around €500 - with the new one only being 130 more), so I'd say it's likely that they're also still selling quite some new units.

 

[mercifulfuzziness]

Maybe not many for individual items of the HX based series. But then, there's the Pod Go, the Pod Express and the much-praised HX Stomp. At least the Stomp is still going pretty strong on the used market over here (around €500 - with the new one only being 130 more), so I'd say it's likely that they're also still selling quite some new units.

Sure but that’s the lower priced items. The bigger units, people who want them, have them … and the rest is probably on the second hand market.

 

[Sascha Franck]

Sure but that’s the lower priced items. The bigger units, people who want them, have them … and the rest is probably on the second hand market.

Not too sure, either. All over germany, there's 5 Helix Floors on classifieds (formerly eBay classifieds), which would still be the biggest online selling place for that kinda stuff.

 

[GTR37]

Damn I hope they dont say "SOON"

They need a short feature film
w narration from AI James Earl Jones in THX sound

Line 6
NE><US

 

[KingsXJJ]

I’ve found Ibanez’s line pretty boring since the late 90’s. Probably why I only buy and own their guitars from that era.

It was their necks that never did it for me. I like some thickness I can hold on to. That preference works in other areas as well.

 

[GTR37]

View attachment 36100

That seems pretty unintuitive
@laxu what wrong with this and how can they improve it ?

 

[laxu]

That seems pretty unintuitive
@laxu what wrong with this and how can they improve it ?

Well, it is probably only appropriate for Christmas time gigs with those lights

 

[Boudoir Guitar]

It was their necks that never did it for me. I like some thickness I can hold on to. That preference works in other areas as well.

Wide around the shoulders, skinny front to back, and flat as a pancake. That’s how I like my…

 

[pipelineaudio]

One TRILLION percent in favor of programmable fretlights. If it were more available to other types of guitars (there were a few attempts and one that is still commercially available I think), it would be huge. Pretty sure there was fretlight integration with Guitar Pro.

I know the music community, like the fake medical community often is, can be EXTREMELY anti information. Just getting console app manufacturers to let you know at a glance which groups a channel is assigned to can get you MAJOR push back from the anti information side for example. I know they hate fretlights and whatever, but I love this stuff and want to see more

 

[holoholo]

 

[KingsXJJ]

Wide around the shoulders, skinny front to back, and flat as a pancake. That’s how I like my…

MIJ.

 

[laxu]

Wide around the shoulders, skinny front to back, and flat as a pancake. That’s how I like my…

 

[Digital Igloo]

I have reason to believe the Helix successors will at LEAST be announced…

That’s all I’ll say

No...

That's all I'll say

 

[Sascha Franck]

No...

That's all I'll say

Helix successor prior to NAMM confirmed. Next weekend?

 

[deadpool_25]

I'm on the same boat. I'm holding myself on getting a fender fr12 because I'm still not convinced of the size and weight change. A smaller and lighter solution that still sounds awesome and doesn't have a risk of having an annoying hiss volume, I would buy it on day 1.

So...just my opinion but

The FR-12 is killer. They implemented a hiss fix (based on the work @Lysander did) so that's a non-issue at this point for new units. Sounds bigger than it is, and sounds more amp like than other solutions I've tried. If you're US-based you might consider ordering one from GC so you can try it and see what you think. There have been a few skeptical folks who tried it and really enjoyed it. And others who still don't like it soooo

 

[Lysander]

So...just my opinion but ... the FR-12 is killer.

It really is. Note that buying is still a bit of gamble outside the US as Fender won't replace it if you happen to get an older noisy version, but there's definitely some mojo going on with those amps.

Also, if the FR-12's size concerns you, i'd seriously consider the FR-10. By all accounts it's supposed to sound much like it's bigger brother, but in a ligther, more compact package.

 

[norminal]

No...

That's all I'll say