I’m a member of a Line 6 Helix-focused group on Facebook. Last Saturday (April 1), images started surfacing on that group of what we’d soon learn is the Line 6 Helix LT processor. The initial reaction by many was that, this must be an April Fools thing. But we learned a couple days later that the new LT is in fact a very real thing. Still, scrolling thru that thread on Facebook and watching the timeline start out with, “April Fools, LOLZ!” and then morph into speculation on potential features of the device, and finally melt into the realty of the situation was pretty amusing.
Line 6 is billing the new LT as a “streamlined” version of the original Helix. This is a marketing-speak way of saying it has fewer features than its predecessor. For example, the LT has no scribble strips above its switches. However, the device itself has the same DSP, amplifier/cabinet simulations, effects, and I/O as its big brother. In this case, you can probably read the LT in the name as “lite.”
Helix LT is available thru most music-equipment vendors for a retail price of $999. This is $500 less than the original Helix. Line 6 is clearly making a play for those who feel the first Helix was too costly of an investment. If you’ve been intrigued by what the Helix line has to offer, but you’ve been put off by the price, this new version may be the entry point you’ve been waiting for.