Line6 HX Effects Initial Impressions

Ok, what is a "short to sleeve" footswitch input?

I want to use the HXFX to control the reverb & tremolo on my Allen Encore. It uses a standard Fender footswitch with RCA jacks. So I was going to get a TRS to RCA cable to accommodate.

I also want to use HXFX to change channels on my Mesa Boogie Subway Rocket. It's the first, non-reverb version with a TRS footswitch.

I could live without being able to do either, but it would be much cooler if I could.
 
Options as I see them:
1(Tip)
1(Ring)
2(tip)*
2(ring)
1(T+R)
2(T+R)*

*indicates channel switching works on my amp with a standard instrument cable

Am I gonna fry something?
 
Help!I'maRock! said:
Ok, what is a "short to sleeve" footswitch input?

I want to use the HXFX to control the reverb & tremolo on my Allen Encore. It uses a standard Fender footswitch with RCA jacks. So I was going to get a TRS to RCA cable to accommodate.

I also want to use HXFX to change channels on my Mesa Boogie Subway Rocket. It's the first, non-reverb version with a TRS footswitch.

I could live without being able to do either, but it would be much cooler if I could.
Click to expand...

Basically it treats the sleeve as ground and the tip or ring shorts to it.
BlockInlay said:
Options as I see them:
1(Tip)
1(Ring)
2(tip)*
2(ring)
1(T+R)
2(T+R)*

*indicates channel switching works on my amp with a standard instrument cable

Am I gonna fry something?
Click to expand...

OK, so you have it plugged into port #2?

Your amp can use a regular guitar cable, meaning it only has a tip and a sleeve. The ring connection in the HX would connect to the sleeve of the guitar cable since there's no actual ring conductor. Therefore you'd be making a connection to something that's already connected. LOL

So, the way I understand what you typed there is that it works in setting 2(Tip) and 2(T+R), so that means you're plugged into port (jack) #2 and you're successfully connecting Tip to Sleeve. The T+R setting is superfluous for what you're doing. It won't break anything but it won't help, either.
 
BlockInlay said:
Yup! Thank you. It makes a small pop on channel switch. The little switching box I’ve used previously didn’t do that. For now I can live with it. Can’t imagine there’s an easy way to fix that
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Any popping on switching would most likely be internal to the amp. If you take a piece of wire (like a paperclip) and touch both the tip and the sleeve it'll function in the same way as any switch. Does it pop then?
 
GilmourD said:
Any popping on switching would most likely be internal to the amp. If you take a piece of wire (like a paperclip) and touch both the tip and the sleeve it'll function in the same way as any switch. Does it pop then?
Click to expand...

Never heard a thing with the foot pedal i was using. I can try playing around with it tonight.
 
Also noticed, when using the HX to switch amp channels, there’s a constant low level buzz that goes away as soon as I unplug that cable. Need to try a different cable now. If that doesn’t fix it... :mad:
 
BlockInlay said:
Line6 is sending me a loaner Helix LT that I can use until the HX is replaced.
Click to expand...
While I suppose that's a kind gesture, it's also fairly alarming. That they have no HXs to send you likely means that they've thrown in the towel on that units first incarnation and are starting a new run that hopefully solves the issues that made the first run a dud.

It's alarming, because you'd fully expect, ESPECIALLY under the watch of their Yamaha overlords, that they wouldn't send out an entire production run of fairly expensive products that were so flawed they couldn't be saved. Makes you wonder just how many of those things the company is going to "eat".

That's gonna leave a big mark on their profit/loss statement.
 
OGG said:
While I suppose that's a kind gesture, it's also fairly alarming. That they have no HXs to send you likely means that they've thrown in the towel on that units first incarnation and are starting a new run that hopefully solves the issues that made the first run a dud.

It's alarming, because you'd fully expect, ESPECIALLY under the watch of their Yamaha overlords, that they wouldn't send out an entire production run of fairly expensive products that were so flawed they couldn't be saved. Makes you wonder just how many of those things the company is going to "eat".

That's gonna leave a big mark on their profit/loss statement.
Click to expand...

According to the company, they sold out of the first run (5000 units) and the second run is currently in production. They underestimated demand.
 
Help!I'maRock! said:
According to the company, they sold out of the first run (5000 units) and the second run is currently in production. They underestimated demand.
Click to expand...

It's funny because MF and Sweetwater both have them in stock and ready to ship. So they haven't sold out, they just shipped all of the units to re-sellers and they don't have any on hand.
 
Chad said:
It's funny because MF and Sweetwater both have them in stock and ready to ship. So they haven't sold out, they just shipped all of the units to re-sellers and they don't have any on hand.
Click to expand...

That's the definition of a company selling out their manufacturing run, no?
 
Help!I'maRock! said:
That's the definition of a company selling out their manufacturing run, no?
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It's misleading. When something sells out, you can't buy it. Cabbage Patch Kids sold out. It also seems pretty silly to ship the entire initial run unless they were filling customer pre-orders or the second run is days away from being ready. You are bound to have unit failures, even from companies with rock solid histories and to not have units to send out to replace bad ones is bad business practice.

I'm betting they aren't sending him the other model because they don't want him getting another jacked up unit and pissing him off even more and losing his future business.
 
Chad said:
It's misleading. When something sells out, you can't buy it. Cabbage Patch Kids sold out. It also seems pretty silly to ship the entire initial run unless they were filling customer pre-orders or the second run is days away from being ready. You are bound to have unit failures, even from companies with rock solid histories and to not have units to send out to replace bad ones is bad business practice.

I'm betting they aren't sending him the other model because they don't want him getting another jacked up unit and pissing him off even more and losing his future business.
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That's not the way this industry works though. "Sold out" goes by retailer orders, not by end user orders.
 
Help!I'maRock! said:
That's not the way this industry works though. "Sold out" goes by retailer orders, not by end user orders.
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If you say so. I’ve never worked in musical instrument manufacturing. Either way that is irrelevant, when you are making a product, you should have spare units on hand for this type of situation. And if they have sent their spares out, they should have been able to repair the bad ones so they can keep the cycle going.

I’ve bought second hand pedals which voids the warranty, and had them fixed or replaced within a week.

And let’s hope Line 6 isn’t like Gibson and forces retailers to buy so many units. Hey, let’s make 5000 units force our retailers to buy 5000 and brag about selling the out :grin:
 
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Chad said:
If you say so. I’ve never worked in musical instrument manufacturing. Either way that is irrelevant, when you are making a product, you should have spare units on hand for this type of situation. And if they have sent their spares out, they should have been able to repair the bad ones so they can keep the cycle going.

I’ve bought second hand pedals which voids the warranty, and had them fixed or replaced within a week.

And let’s hope Line 6 isn’t like Gibson and forces retailers to buy so many units. Hey, let’s make 5000 units force our retailers to buy 5000 and brag about selling the out :grin:
Click to expand...
Full disclosure: When I worked for The Music Den in New Jersey I lobbied (and won) to get Line 6 in as a brand back in 2004. They weren't terrible as far as what we had to carry. We carried a couple of the bigger amps (the FlexTone III series), the PODs, and the whichever Spider was out at the time. We only had one each of the bigger amps and a couple dozen of the Spiders, which we moved through pretty quick. It was less than other brands wanted us to keep in stock. They were always nice to work with and easy to deal with. I hear that the company is still pretty much the same even after the Yamaha buyout.
 
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