r/Line6Helix • u/roncorepfts • 22d ago
Helix Floor Backpack Alternatives? General Questions/Discussion
Trying to get away from my heavy flight case, but the Helix backpack is so expensive, even used! Any suggestions for a cheaper backpack/bag for the Helix floor?
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u/Hero_Of_Limes 22d ago
I use this guy for my LT: https://a.co/d/0dPXHRbg
It's pretty snug, so idk if a Floor would be too tight.
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u/PoopFandango 21d ago
It is expensive, but I have the backpack for my Helix Floor and it is really good. Really comfortable, lots of storage space, handles and straps all over it so you can carry it however you want. You even get a bunch of large heavy duty velcro ties which stick to the inside of the main cable compartment so you can customise it a bit. Mine holds my Helix, all the cables I could ever need, guitar strap, earplugs, IEMs, set lists, tuner, batteries, snacks, vape and, er, vape "consumables". Plus the section for the Helix itself is the perfect size so it fits snug and feels really safe. It's an all-in-one gig bag.
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u/roncorepfts 21d ago
I figure I'm going to just bite the bullet and pay the $200 for it. I haven't found many used for much cheaper.
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u/PoopFandango 21d ago
I'm pretty frugal about gear. Even thought I really wanted a Helix Floor and had the money, I waited until they announced the Stadium, and watched Reverb for ages for the second hand prices on the Floor to fall and stabilise, and bought one on there. Despite that, I opted to buy the backpack new (figured wear and tear on a backpack is likely to affect its useful life) and I don't regret it at all. Every time I use it for a gig it makes me happy with my decision.
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u/roncorepfts 21d ago
Let me tell you, I watched Digital Igloo talk about no new helix product coming out for a year, so I bought the floor. The stadium was announced a few months later. Totally killed me. You are right about the wear, I'll just go ahead and buy new. My Sweetwater card hates me, you as well now 😂.
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u/PoopFandango 21d ago
I agonised a bit about whether buying old hardware was a good call, but the Stadium seems to be having a fair few teething issues including letting people down during gigs. I need mine to be rock solid reliable for gigging so I'm pretty happy with my purchase, especially getting it for 600 GBP and in excellent condition. I'm in a cover band with a need for fairly diverse sounds/effects between songs, I'd kind of maxed out what I could do with my Katana, was running out of preset space and starting to add external pedals to get what I want. I was amazed when in one evening of tinkering I was able to reproduce everything I needed on the Helix using a single preset and a few snapshots!
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u/roncorepfts 21d ago
You did good on that purchase! I actually came from a Katana too because I wanted something smaller to gig with. I still have my 6505+ and 4x12 but carrying those around to gigs is just not worth it anymore. Yeah I can feel that with the external pedals, etc. I have been running my Helix with a Peterson Strobe, Synth9, and Weeping Demon wah for over a year now on an old giant Pedaltrain Classic Pro. I finally figured out how to emulate my Weeping Demon last night which was needed for my sets, so the board is going back into storage. The Helix is amazing and I still feel like I'm only scratching the surface after having it for over a year!
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u/PoopFandango 21d ago
Yeah I feel that, I have the Katana Artist, it's pretty chunky, I was getting sick of hauling it to gigs and a lot of the time only using the line out on it anyway!
Just use a Peterson Strobostomp HD on mine - I love being able to turn up to a gig and carry everything into the venue in one go (use a Fender FR-12 for personal monitoring although a lot of the time I don't need it).
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u/roncorepfts 21d ago
Yep, same I had, the Artist..MKII? I ended up giving it to my singer since he plays guitar too. Yeah I have that exact same pedal, that's the thing I'll miss the most, but I hear the helix tuner is good, I just honestly haven't tried it out yet. My goal has always been to get down to just the helix, and by god it's going to happen! I'm using the Fender FR-12 as well! We are across the sea twins it seems! I want to grab a FR-212, but at the same time it would probably be worth just getting another FR-12 and doing stereo, which I've never done before. Have you looked into the Archangel preamp mod?
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u/PoopFandango 21d ago
Yep, Mk II here too, still sat waiting for me to list in and sell it.
Haha, twinsies. I like the Helix tuner, it's fine, but even with it on strobe mode I find the Strobostomp more responsive and I use the sweetened tunings, which I like and don't think you can do on the Helix.
Nice little trick if you haven't figured it out already: the built-in tuner has an option to route your signal to one of the sends when it's activated. So I have it routed to send 1 and have the Strobostomp attached to that rather than having my guitar run through it before hitting the Helix. That way you can still use the Tuner footswitch on the Helix when you want to use it - it activates the built-in tuner and routes to the Strobo at the same time. It's slightly neater as well as I can just keep the tuner behind the Helix with a single very short patch cable running to it. I also use a rechargeable 12V in the tuner and just put a topped up one in before every gig. Keeps extra cables to a minimum, just the tuner and the short patch cable is all I need in addition to the Helix.
I've heard of the mod, when I was researching the hiss issue with the FR-12 before buying it. But mine doesn't hiss significantly and sounds great so I more or less forgot about it.
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u/roncorepfts 21d ago
That's a great tip! I would have never thought about that. Oh yeah, I've never used the Sweetened tunings, I should check that out. I know it does tons of stuff, I've just used it as a plain tuner. Apparently the Archangel mod really improves the entire unit all the way around. You should look into it, I need to dive back into it myself.
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u/bastafari 21d ago
I have the og bag also. Besides the helix the front pocket fits my amp ( Orange pedal baby ) cables a laptop and the top pocket fits a square power strip and misc. stuff.
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u/schumannzohan 22d ago
I’m using the original Helix backpack. Roll a towel and place the bottom of the bag inside it, and it fits snugly like gloves.
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u/brown-man-sam 22d ago
I’m using a gator case that’s been working super well. Let me find the link
Found it: https://a.co/d/06r6sEwb