T H E GA S STATION advanced amp modellers Words Nick Guppy Photography Joseph Branston 96 TOTAL GUITAR DECEMBER 2016 TGR287.gear_test.
the tg test Digital utopia – four of the world’s best amp modellers strut their stuff, but which one is right for you? W hile valves stopped evolving in the 1950s, solid-state amp design has changed beyond all recognition compared with its 60s beginnings. The biggest revolution has been digital amp modelling, which took off in 1998 with the introduction of the Line 6 POD.
T H E GA S STATION LINe 6 HeLIX FLooRBoaRd £1,279 Line 6 raises the bar again KeMPeR PRoFILeR Head £1,705 Do-it-yourself digital modelling This all looks a bit more advanced than my POD… This looks a bit different… what’s the deal? Yup, The Helix is an amp and effects modeller that combines state-of-the-art processing with an intuitive interface and a chassis that’s built to take any amount of stick and come up smiling.
the tg test PoSItIVe GRId BIaS Head £1,199 A great plug-in joins the real world FRaCtaL aX8 €1,699 An affordable Fractal for the stage BIAS? That rings a bell… Is the AX8 as good as the Axe-Fx II everyone uses? Indeed, the BIAS Head is essentially a high-quality interface for Positive Grid’s popular BIAS Amp Pro software, which allows you to download and store thousands of amp match models as well as create your own.
the tg test Head to head Which of our foursome is your next top modeller? A 100 ll of our units are easy to switch on, hook up and make music with. The Kemper and Positive Grid heads sit nicely on top of a speaker cabinet, and once you get used to the controls they’re quite easy to dial in. The Fractal AX8’s conventional floorboard design dictates that it lives on the floor, while the Helix’s clever touch-sensitive switches mean it works equally effectively as a desktop or floorboard device.
T H E GA S STATION FINaL VeRdICt Which modeller is the right one for you? o ur quartet of high-end modellers are reasonably close to each other in terms of sonic performance. For the price, you’d expect them all to sound as good – and they do. But each one also has a different mix of features that will appeal to different kinds of player. With Line 6 and Yamaha’s combined digital expertise and peerless manufacturing, the Helix has great pedigree - and it lives up to it.
