Anyone here taken delivery of a Helios yet?

[Erock]

Just received delivery yesterday afternoon from King Guitars, thanks Brad!

It's a killer amp IMO guys. I didn't have time to mess around with it much, but it's a straightforward amp to dial in so far. Only got to mess with the 80s and hot input, but what a treat if you are a Bogner fan. I have family here for the long weekend, but I will get a clip and NAD thread up next week hopefully.

OP, since you are a 20th xtc owner, IMO so far of just the high gain side, it reminds me of the feel of the red channel straight in, but with more of the rawness from the blue. Kind of a ballsier JCM800 vibe with more gain, and some bogner low mid grind. Bogner fans are going to feel right at home on this thing I think.

I wasn't going to post this, but I know some of you guys are salivating for anything. I made a really quick clip for a friend before the mother in law started screaming, lol. It's a lame 30 seconds of chuggy, low moderate vol, but it's straight in, which is very rare for me. I'm a huge boost guy. The only other amps I have preferred straight in were the engl se, 20th xtc, mako dorado, ccv, and atomica. The main benefit with with this amp for me, is I've found settings where it doesn't sound like cascading distortion pedals if I want to use my boost pedals for some extra flavors.

Hot, 80s, B2, punch on, gain 2:00, bottom 2:00

Edit: this clip must really suck, I got yelled at again to turn it down, on my stinking iPhone, lol

 

[jammin1]

Sounds killer Erock!

 

[Shiny_Surface]

Just received delivery yesterday afternoon from King Guitars, thanks Brad!

Wow, sounds great Eric.

 

[RustyMcTavish]

Sounds killer Erock!

Agreed

 

[flimz]

Damn that sounds awesome! How does it clean up at that kinda gain level?

 

[glassjaw7]

Great sounding clip, Erock

Based on the second Bogner demo and the other clips I've found, I was starting to think that Bogner sort of missed the greasy Facelift era tone I was hoping for from this amp and that it was a little too dry and scratchy sounding in the highs and lacking the deep Bogner tone.

Your clip has a little more meat to it, which I like. I'm starting to wonder if the XTC classic or 20th is still a little more up my alley though.

 

[Erock]

Hey, thanks for the comments guys. Wish I had time to do an actual clip.

About cleaning up, pretty great actually. Even in the hot input at this gain level, it can get a really decent clean rolled back on the guitar vol. That's something that really impressed me, very sensitive to the input vol, you guys that use it a lot are going to really like it.

It can get more greasy and bigger than that clip. I'm pretty picky about lowend, it needs to thump and have girth, while having that "bounce" to it, where it feels like it's interacting with your playing. If it doesn't feel large, or feels too stiff, I won't like it. The gain is usable pretty much all the way up too, so you can change the feel quite a bit to taste. It's a big feeling and sounding amp, and it doesn't feel like it fights your playing IMO.

 

[MississippiMetal]

There's several Helios threads out there saying how a Marshall DSL sounds very close to
the Helios

I'd say the DSL sounds better for a certain sound and the Helios better for another. Helios sounds like it has more hair/fizz and sag while the DSL sounds clearer to my ears and not as beefy. So depending on whether you are after clearer more modern tones or old school hotrodded, you may prefer one to the other. I'm also proud of myself for not shitting on a boutique amp price for once as well!!

Ps- Fuzzboat, one guy who doesn't own the amp saying it sounds like his DSL doesn't count lol! http://www.guitarampboard.com/forum/vie ... =5&t=13354

Guys like Gary Moore, Michael Schenker, John Sykes, etc have used the okld DSL amps. I mean, they sound like a real Marshall....something the Helios is trying to be.


I like the Helios clips I've heard......BUT, Doug Rappaport is playing on the amp and I bet you ANYTHING that if you gave him a DSL and Greenback cab he'd get just as good a tone as he does with the Helios.

Funny, the DSL lead channel is about 4 components away from an SLO100. Some Marshall.
Love the DSL though.

 

[Badronald]

Just received delivery yesterday afternoon from King Guitars, thanks Brad!

It's a killer amp IMO guys. I didn't have time to mess around with it much, but it's a straightforward amp to dial in so far. Only got to mess with the 80s and hot input, but what a treat if you are a Bogner fan. I have family here for the long weekend, but I will get a clip and NAD thread up next week hopefully.

OP, since you are a 20th xtc owner, IMO so far of just the high gain side, it reminds me of the feel of the red channel straight in, but with more of the rawness from the blue. Kind of a ballsier JCM800 vibe with more gain, and some bogner low mid grind. Bogner fans are going to feel right at home on this thing I think.

I wasn't going to post this, but I know some of you guys are salivating for anything. I made a really quick clip for a friend before the mother in law started screaming, lol. It's a lame 30 seconds of chuggy, low moderate vol, but it's straight in, which is very rare for me. I'm a huge boost guy. The only other amps I have preferred straight in were the engl se, 20th xtc, mako dorado, ccv, and atomica. The main benefit with with this amp for me, is I've found settings where it doesn't sound like cascading distortion pedals if I want to use my boost pedals for some extra flavors.

Hot, 80s, B2, punch on, gain 2:00, bottom 2:00

Edit: this clip must really suck, I got yelled at again to turn it down, on my stinking iPhone, lol

Uh, there it is. That sounds bad ass.
Much better than any modern Marshall I've played.
That is punchy.

 

[MIchbiking]

Now that sounds like a Bogner !!! Sweet

 

[krueger]

I got the first one from Brad. Love it!

 

[syncrodude007]

Meh.

"But she's a gymnast Jerry"...

 

[glip22]

Erock. Sounds great! Does this head have diode clipping? In Reinhold's video, when he switches to 80's mode, he turns the volume up to compensate for the volume loss in this mode which tells me the gain is added by diode clipping. Can you confirm?

 

[rlord1974]

Clip sounds great, no doubt!

 

[thiswaythatway]

Just received delivery yesterday afternoon from King Guitars, thanks Brad!

It's a killer amp IMO guys. I didn't have time to mess around with it much, but it's a straightforward amp to dial in so far. Only got to mess with the 80s and hot input, but what a treat if you are a Bogner fan. I have family here for the long weekend, but I will get a clip and NAD thread up next week hopefully.

OP, since you are a 20th xtc owner, IMO so far of just the high gain side, it reminds me of the feel of the red channel straight in, but with more of the rawness from the blue. Kind of a ballsier JCM800 vibe with more gain, and some bogner low mid grind. Bogner fans are going to feel right at home on this thing I think.

I wasn't going to post this, but I know some of you guys are salivating for anything. I made a really quick clip for a friend before the mother in law started screaming, lol. It's a lame 30 seconds of chuggy, low moderate vol, but it's straight in, which is very rare for me. I'm a huge boost guy. The only other amps I have preferred straight in were the engl se, 20th xtc, mako dorado, ccv, and atomica. The main benefit with with this amp for me, is I've found settings where it doesn't sound like cascading distortion pedals if I want to use my boost pedals for some extra flavors.

Hot, 80s, B2, punch on, gain 2:00, bottom 2:00

Edit: this clip must really suck, I got yelled at again to turn it down, on my stinking iPhone, lol

Sounds great. Looking forward to seeing what the used prices will be after a year or so after TGP crowd latches onto the next new thing after the Helios.

 

[philb]

Sounds killer Erock!

Agreed

Yup! sounds great!

 

[krueger]

Erock,

what were all your EQ setting on that clip?

 

[djpatb]

Sweet video!
I've mainly been wondering if the Helios can do the "XTC Blue Channel w/ gain boost engaged" sound.

 

[glip22]

Bump. Is 80's mode diode clipping? If so how much tube gain does the amp have without it? Reinhold states in his video he needed to raise the volume to compensate for volume loss when he switches to this mode.

 

[Ventura]

Just received delivery yesterday afternoon from King Guitars, thanks Brad!

It's a killer amp IMO guys. I didn't have time to mess around with it much, but it's a straightforward amp to dial in so far. Only got to mess with the 80s and hot input, but what a treat if you are a Bogner fan. I have family here for the long weekend, but I will get a clip and NAD thread up next week hopefully.

OP, since you are a 20th xtc owner, IMO so far of just the high gain side, it reminds me of the feel of the red channel straight in, but with more of the rawness from the blue. Kind of a ballsier JCM800 vibe with more gain, and some bogner low mid grind. Bogner fans are going to feel right at home on this thing I think.

I wasn't going to post this, but I know some of you guys are salivating for anything. I made a really quick clip for a friend before the mother in law started screaming, lol. It's a lame 30 seconds of chuggy, low moderate vol, but it's straight in, which is very rare for me. I'm a huge boost guy. The only other amps I have preferred straight in were the engl se, 20th xtc, mako dorado, ccv, and atomica. The main benefit with with this amp for me, is I've found settings where it doesn't sound like cascading distortion pedals if I want to use my boost pedals for some extra flavors.

Hot, 80s, B2, punch on, gain 2:00, bottom 2:00

Edit: this clip must really suck, I got yelled at again to turn it down, on my stinking iPhone, lol

F*ck YES!!!!


Now THAT is a Bogner Baby!!!!!

Thanks Erock!!!
Mojo