You can change the models by selecting the 5 way switch: for example on the acoustic setting, pickup selector position 4 chooses an Acoustic G12, which sounds like my old Guild.Recently, I was able to test a Line 6 James Tyler Variax JTV-89F guitar with my trusty Helix guitar processor.In my production studio and outside, I tend to use it either alone, or in combination with my Mesa Boogie, Magnatone and Gibson amps.
Plugging in 4 string cigar boxes through 6, 7 and 8 string guitars, it offers the flexibility I need from clean through hard and heavy. Inside of those overall sounds, it offers an updateable selection of 62 amps, 104 pedals, 37 speakers and 16 mic options, along with a selection of analog and digital IO options in a tour grade heavy duty floorboard system. While the Helix hardware does have a nice 6.2 inch color display and touch sensitive foot switches, I find it much easier in the heat of a session to have the Helix Editor open on screen and navigate through my sounds that way. You can drag and drop any of the above mentioned amp, effects cabinets and IO paths in the signal chain, as well as import a wide variety of Impulse Response cabinets for different tonal options. You can even export the entire contents of Helix into one file, which is handy for backups or to take to another location. Also with the Version 2.00 update, Helix Editor offers the ability to save up to 8 Snapshots, which are variations on a preset. As long as you leave modules within that preset alone, you can turn on and off any effect you choose and save that. ![]() Also with the Editor, I am able to insert external effects into my Helix signal path. Its also useful that I can move the IO insert inside of the Helix signal path, for example put them before or after distortion, etc. In fact, I often hook up two H9s and insert them into Effects Loops 1-4, extending the sound pallette of my Helix even further. Since a lot of the TV cues that I do are ambient guitar cues, the combination of the internal Helix effects and one or more Eventide H9s can handle most needs with no sweat. Firstly, you can just plug the jack in and use it as a standard guitar with the magnetic analog pickups. This you can plug into Helix, or of course any amp or DI outside of Helix as a regular instrument. Or you can plug in the special Variax Digital Interface cable to the guitar and into Helix and have access to all of the instruments and tunings, both through the guitar itself and through Line 6 Workbench software. ![]() James Tyler is a talented, creative guitar luthier, and the details in this model show that skill set. It comes equipped with a double locking Graph Tech tremolo system licensed by Floyd Rose. The body is black mahogany (blood red is also available) and the three piece maple neck is fast and fairly flat. ![]() But what makes this a Variax, and therefore quite unique, is the Model and Alt Tune knobs that let you access 29 vintage instrument sounds and 11 alternate down tunings, right from the guitar. Now you can quickly switch between a wide variety of Teles, Strats, Les Pauls, Gretsch, Rickenback, acoustic and other guitars, including a banjo and a sitar.
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