Guitar Gear Forum

Good morning,

I must have the worst timing known to man. Four months after getting my Quad Cortex, Line 6 announces the next generation of Helices: The Stadium and Stadium XL.

They are shaping up to be absolute juggernauts, and I’m sort of wondering if I’ve backed the wrong horse. Again.

Neural had better come out with a video this afternoon, in which they announce their new modeler, and, more importantly, their update to CorOS, which will reach the absolute limits of the Quad Cortex’s hardware capabilities, sound and feel indistinguishable from real tube amps and pedals, and allow every plugin to be 100% compatible.

Thank you.

The QC should be good for a long time. What do you really need? Clean, crunch, lead, a few effects, maybe bass tone? It will do that.

This modelling stuff is a bit like cell phones. You have a phone you use for call, text and taking pictures. Then the new model is released and you can't wait to upgrade. Then you get the new one... and you use it to call, text and take pictures. Same shit you did with the old one.

Guitarbilly wrote: ↑Thu Jun 12, 2025 9:47 pm The QC should be good for a long time. What do you really need? Clean, crunch, lead, a few effects, maybe bass tone? It will do that.

This modelling stuff is a bit like cell phones. You have a phone you use for call, text and taking pictures. Then the new model is released and you can't wait to upgrade. Then you get the new one... and you use it to call, text and take pictures. Same shit you did with the old one.

That's the best analogy for a modeler I've ever heard.

Guitarbilly wrote: ↑Thu Jun 12, 2025 9:47 pm The QC should be good for a long time. What do you really need? Clean, crunch, lead, a few effects, maybe bass tone? It will do that.

This modelling stuff is a bit like cell phones. You have a phone you use for call, text and taking pictures. Then the new model is released and you can't wait to upgrade. Then you get the new one... and you use it to call, text and take pictures. Same shit you did with the old one.

a great analogy.

also like cell phones, earlier units used to have pretty big game-changing features, but as time went on, they were just small incremental improvements. a little more battery life, a little faster processor ...

they've all been saying the same thing for the past 10 years or so ... "this new product REALLY sounds like a tube amp!". nowadays, i think feel/latency and ease of use are what needs to be focused on.

Landshark wrote: ↑Sat Jun 14, 2025 9:22 am

Guitarbilly wrote: ↑Thu Jun 12, 2025 9:47 pm The QC should be good for a long time. What do you really need? Clean, crunch, lead, a few effects, maybe bass tone? It will do that.

This modelling stuff is a bit like cell phones. You have a phone you use for call, text and taking pictures. Then the new model is released and you can't wait to upgrade. Then you get the new one... and you use it to call, text and take pictures. Same shit you did with the old one.

a great analogy.

also like cell phones, earlier units used to have pretty big game-changing features, but as time went on, they were just small incremental improvements. a little more battery life, a little faster processor ...

they've all been saying the same thing for the past 10 years or so ... "this new product REALLY sounds like a tube amp!". nowadays, i think feel/latency and ease of use are what needs to be focused on.

Yeah exactly. I think it's cool that the technology keeps advancing but at the end of the day, if you like the tones you're getting with your current rig, there is really no need to upgrade anything. Because chances are, the tones you'll dial into the new unit will sound a whole lot like the ones you're getting right now

And I’ve had some time to think about my post, and, while I wouldn’t say no to Neural making a better modeler, I’m actually pretty happy with the QC. The updates, though: STOP FUCKING AROUND WITH TIM HENSON, NEURAL.

The little I've seen of the new Helix, it looks like they're barely one step removed from being a full DAW now. Seems like a lot more than the average dude needs, but then again, I spent the day playing a half stack in my bedroom, so what the hell do I know?

Billy has it right.

I went back to modeling for the truck, picked up a Kemper because I know it worked and I already had great profiles.

Shit sounds great, I couldn’t care less if they come out with a new one tomorrow. It works, does what I want it to do and it was (relatively) cheap.

I still am perfectly fine using my Pod Go when I'm not using my real amps. If anything, I would consider picking up a used Helix when people start selling them off when they get the new ones, but honestly, I don't think I would even use all the features.
My POD Go presets are mostly just amp, 3rd party IR's and my own pedal board in the loop.

I just bought a GSP1101 and that is, what? 10? 15? year old tech?