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Helix Stage 60 4ch Preset

From Blackstar to Helix

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When I received my Helix last year, my first order of business was to mimic the channels of my Blackstar Stage 60, so I wouldn’t have to lug the amp to rehearsals anymore. I didn’t need to pass a double-blind accuracy test- I just wanted to reproduce the sound to my (and the band’s) satisfaction. It was shocking how easily I was able to accomplish this. This was the first preset I created on the Helix. I’ve since created dozens of song-specific presets, but this “Stage 60 4ch” preset continues to live in slot 000 of my Helix to this day. More

Blackstar vs Helix

Helix vs Blackstar

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I mentioned last month, as I awaited the Helix arrival, that I was considering going ampless- completely replacing my entire amp and pedalboard rig with a single device: the Helix.

So, once I started learning to edit on the Helix, the first thing I did was try to make a preset to match the sounds of the channels on my Blackstar Stage 60. This was surprisingly easy to do.  Very quickly, I had a Pedal Board preset in which I could switch between Clean, Overdrive, High Gain, and blistering Lead, all of which sounded close enough to my Blackstar.  And bonus, no more pause/delay in the sound when changing channels on the Blackstar. Changing snapshots on Helix is totally seamless.  Beautiful!

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Blackstar Stage 60

Blackstar Stage 60 Setup

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Blackstar Stage 60 Settings LeftBlackstar Stage 60 Settings Right

My Blackstar Stage 60 is a 3-channel amp, but with the additional gain switch on OD2, it’s effectively a 3 1/2 channel or 4 channel amp, depending on how you look at it.  I absolutely love this flexibility! Blackstar’s catchphrase is “the sound in your head”, and it’s true.  I’m really happy with the sounds I can get from this bad boy.  I’ve put my overdrive and distortion pedals back in storage, as I can get everything I need from the Stage 60’s channels. More

Blackstar Stage 60

What Do Bad Power Tubes Sound Like?

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I was super-excited to get my new Blackstar Stage 60 earlier this month.  But immediately after plugging in and firing it up for the first time, I noticed some strange noise issues. I plugged the guitar in directly, with no other pedals and no effect loop.  On all 3 channels, I heard some very obvious gungy badness on certain notes.  The problem was not evident when listening through the speaker emulated output. More