One of the Best Amps in the Helix - HiWatt DR103 [Dave Gilmour's Amp]

For my Presets visit: johnnathancord... I've never actually tried the HiWatt DR103 model in the Helix, but I've heard people say they dig it, and I think someone suggested checking it out. Anyway, it was the amp of choice for Dave Gilmour from Pink Floyd for a while, so it should be fairly decent....I also feel like I saw members of Thin Lizzy using them at some point or another?
Anyway, here's a totally new preset build from scratch, in case that's at all interesting.
Let me know if you want me to drop this preset into the folder!
/ johnnathancordy get my backing tracks here
www.buymeacoff... - if you like what I do and
only if you wanted, you could buy me a coffee!
Get my PADs bundle here: www.paypal.com... (this folder will grow, and I'd encourage you to ask for different keys/songs and stuff that might suit this type of preset?)
I've decided to make it possible to grab both my Helix/HX Stomp bundles (the expression bundle with freeze presets has always been separate) together for £5 - www.paypal.com... - I will then email you a link to both bundles!
Try my general patches for Helix or HX Stomp in this bundle for £3 using this link - I will then send out the patches! www.paypal.com...
You can get my EXPRESSION patches in this bundle using this link - I will then send out the patches! www.paypal.com...
Try my patches for Pod GO for £3 using this link - I will then send out the patches! www.paypal.com...
/ johnnathancordy get my backing tracks here
www.buymeacoff... - if you like what I do and
only if you wanted, you could buy me a coffee!

[@williamray4507]

John, First time ever leaving a comment. You seem to go above and beyond in your efforts to support developing guitar players. I am 53 and probably will not ever take the stage in a live setting, but I am still obsessed with tone and melody just the same. Just bought a line 6 stomp XL and feel a whole new universe has been opened. Keep the videos coming!

[@michaeldorman]

I just got a Helix Stomp, and was having trouble with trying to create patches from scratch; watching you go through this was incredibly helpful.

[@johnnathancordy]

Oh! Hope it's slightly helpful yeh, that's why I try to show it on the screen as I'm going - sometimes I even get it in focus....

[@Love_Noise]

I got a stomp not long ago too....mr cordy will have you patching it up on your own in no time. Give it a few days and you'll be comfortable

[@MattLawhonMusic]

The moment you added that EQ, that was magic.

[@mcclurb]

Haha every time you ask I’m thinking - of course! Love your presets - very inspiring to play and brings new ideas. Keep it up, we appreciate you 👍

[@steverr4969]

Yes Please John. Drop this one in. Sounds great

[@juliananijs3087]

Love this tone ❤️ you can definitely drop it in the folder , i can never get fuzz to sound this good :0. Real nice preset man.

[@john808welk]

Can't say I love this model, but your intro playing was lovely!

[@andrewrwhitfield]

Thanks for sharing. I learn heaps from watching how you dial in these sounds 👍🏻

[@IslandmusicBcn]

I really like this sound. It sounds excellent played by you. I find it very organic. Yes, I'm interested John

[@SpaceJockey805]

Holy crap, I’ll definitely be watching this again when I get my Helix tomorrow, sounds incredible. Well done 👍

[@circa33]

great job on this ..yes..drop it in the folder, please!

[@RobertJSedky]

Excellent results - + 1 to put in the folder 🙌🏼🎸

[@joh22293]

Big fan of this amp... mainly because a big Rush fan and Alex used these (at least, he used 100w Hiwatt heads, not sure of the model number) on Hemispheres and Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures... often paired with a Marshall 4x12 cab.

[@johnnathancordy]

Ooh nice!

[@markwhitelock9820]

Thanks John, You always milk out the best of these amps and know what to put in the signal chain to give it some goodness! Always really get inspired by yor playing. Cheers and thanks!

[@rc600editor]

Like this one. Especially the fuzz

[@rickbiessman6084]

I’ve been thinking about making a video about the WhoWatt 100 model myself, so I wanted to see what’s out there already. Glad I found your video! Wonderful playing and tones. And may I say: IMO you do a far better job than the probably most widely known KZbin channel about Helix tones. =)

[@jdwild1698]

Amazing how you took a stock sterile sound to a rich and blooming tone ! You are a genius with that thing my friend… 😎👍

[@rickbiessman6084]

I agree, but I think it’s actually really typical of this amp model. Like John, I overlooked it for a long time (have had a Helix for four years now), thinking it was a sort of bland cleanish tone. But when you push it a little and sculpt the tone to fit your guitar, I find it incredibly rewarding to play. Very responsive. Probably because the kind of drive it produces is super dynamic especially in the frequency range of the pick attack which means it accentuates your picking, kind of enhancing the dynamics of your playing. It seems that way to me anyway. But you don’t realize that when you first pull up the amp model - which is a shame! =)

[@taylorclayton3402]

Yes!!! Please drop it like it’s hot!! 😊

[@oliverkopataki]

When I get my HX, for me also that was the first AMP what I found useful in the factory presets. Since that is my favorite and main rig. The best and It's like the pedals so much.

[@Terry_Dale]

Thanks John, love these videos very informative and helpful. Also your playing in amazing and very inspiring.

[@KrstovicNikola]

The playing and sounds are always on point and great, nice to see improvements in the video regard. 👍👍 New camera? Cheers!

[@johnnathancordy]

Old camera, just new angle!

[@austinmichels5527]

Killer playing! Excited to try this preset

[@mathiasmunklauridsen399]

Sounds sweet. Please drop in the folder 👍

[@neilsmith5464]

Thanks to your very useable tones and the way you show how to dial in a tone just using the STOMP - I have now bought one. My 3rd ever Line 3 modeler product, but they seem to have really got something right here. I'm still struggling to get realistic clean with the slightest "hair" tones - think it just takes more time / playing to get useable tones than the Amplitube plugins which I found easier to start with. However, you have done some inspiring work here and I want to go direct into a PA so this should enable me to continue with the pedal board too :) Thanks.

[@geoffreymerrifield5666]

Sounds really great. So bummed you don't do profiles for the Kemper. Hope you'll consider it, lots of Kemper users would love your presets.

[@joesephussvartur1048]

Drop it in the folder, please. As usual, a very helpful video.

[@wolfnstrings]

Sounds Great!

[@saddestchord7622]

When I first got into Helix, I tried the HiWatt model and it was shrill and horrible. I immediately went onto other models and it took me a while to get back around to the HiWatt, but once I did it became one of my favorites. I've never played a DR103 but would love to.

[@rickbiessman6084]

100% my story! Been thinking about making a video about it because it’s SO easy to miss its potential... of which there is so much! Since I discovered what it can do, it’s been the one that I use the most by far.

[@dscataglini]

You should really try a real hiwatt combo with 2x12. I used to have one. Thunderous bass, punchy kids. I used to crank it up in my bedroom and keys, coins, books would fall off from shelves from the vibrations. Mine was a vintage from the 60s and didn’t have that much treble, could have been my guitar or the way I dialed it in, but the clean was really beautiful and thick. I played it for a couple of years without feeling the need of having a reverb. I wish I never got rid of it but at some point I wanted a reverb and amp distortion and sold it for nothing. Also, the amp was incredibly heavy. About 30-40kg. Which influenced my decision quite a bit

[@humansnotai4912]

John, did you put this one in the folder? I can't seem to find it. Btw, I consider your Helix videos like a training package for the devices. Without it, I'm swimming around as lost as I was with pedals. Thank you so much for your content. Namaste x

[@__Anton__]

Hi John, sounds great - please do put the preset intio the folder. 👍👍

[@matprang4508]

Right hand tech 🎸💪😎

[@azizanarkhy5496]

Thanks... awesome bro

[@BobbyCulpepper.srv3fender]

I can almost hear what these videos are gonna sound like before I open them

[@TCMx3]

The 103 is a fantastic amp, you might try tracking down a real one to borrow. The main issue is that they aren't very rock and roll but hey I like that personality

[@johnnathancordy]

It has its own flavour right? I've somehow ended up with a load of amps in my room again and about 7 guitars that aren't mine, so am more on the attempt to try to get rid of gear again at the moment....Sigh

[@TCMx3]

@@johnnathancordy yeah it's its own thing, which is a good thing, but it's not what most folks are looking for. Too clean without being a Fender. There's a reason they've never really caught on, which is they work for a small percentage of people, hence my suggestion to borrow rather than buy lol. Also getting a good one can be an expensive proposition, especially the cabinets, and at that point, you have a lot of options (obviously Imma pimp Two Rock as theyre my favorites)

[@dejct]

If you could recreate one of Davids tones i would lose my mind. Hes by far my favourite player, youre second haha. His tones have a lot of studio processing so it might be a bit hard. If you could make the tone for Coming Back To Life Intro it would be so good :D its my fav clean tone. Good demo man, love these. I called about the Catalyst and they said its 5 months away in New Zealand hahaha. FAIL

[@ajohnhayes]

Hey John! What would be your go-to pushed clean amp for Pod Go? I'm digging the litigator a lot, but I've not explored much past that.

[@adlegol]

This is a great tone you have going. Generally I feel like this is better for the long sustainy stuff and not your faster runs. The sound of the amp actually clutters those up and not your playing. Thanks for the video. #davemustaine

[@pavelpaku6807]

Very good sound and useful information. What kind of input impedance do you use?

[@therainensemblemusic231]

I suspect we have drastically different strat-guitars. Mine sounds just TOO trebly with HiWatt and this default settings. I always use lower impredance values and treble with presence at 0. Only then this amp sounds in a ballpark of normal. Just imagine how different this would be with humbuckers =o

[@jon6807]

by folder, do you mean the general patches folder?

[@johnnathancordy]

I do

[@shaunthaddeus]

Your videos has really helped me as I've been struggling to get a good sound with my setup. I am using a Line 6 Helix Floor and Mesa Boogie MkV 25 head and 1x12 closed back cabinet. What are you using for your amp here? Do you use the 4CM for all your videos?

[@Sparkyalan1411]

Err…it’s in the title of the video bud!

[@shaunthaddeus]

@@Sparkyalan1411 guess I didn't explain myself well. I meant is the helix going into an amp head and cabinet or is it going into an audio interface?

[@conorcrisis]

@@shaunthaddeus I would think he's going into an audio interface or using the helix as one and playing through monitors or a power cab, if you are using an amp head and cab I would recommend using your helix as a pedal board and not using the amp sims as it will probably make it sound weird but with enough tweaking anything is possible 🙆

[@Sparkyalan1411]

@@shaunthaddeus ahhh…well, as the other guy has said, I suspect straight in to an interface and in to the DAW. Putting modelling amps in to real amps is a pants thing to do. I use helix floor and use that as direct interface in to DAW as it saves cabling and I can monitor directly

[@fletches4084]

Just go out and buy a real HiWatt. Last amp you will ever need. Get the matching HiWatt cab. Sonic heaven. I run a DR103 with 6x12" speakers with an Epiphone BC30 2x12 combo. Signal chain is split with a Radial ABY. Drives go to both amps. Modulation goes to the Hiwatt. We have a Neo mini vent, MXR phase 90, electric mistress and a TC liquid vibe for the wobbly stuff. TC alter ego x4 delay and a t-rex room mate for the reverb into the HiWatt. Drives are a mixture of Boss DB2, Boss HM-2, Nobels ODR-1, Proco RAT, Mosky Golden horse, valve OD, t-rex Moller 2, TC Spark boost among others depending on what is in the chain on any given day. The sounds that come out of this are just spectacular and I would defy anyone to get the same result from a digital emulation. You miss the feedback between the guitar and amps.

[@thealfa96]

This patch is on the folder?

[@davidmultimedia2024]

You GOTTA try the new DR103 plugin by Nembrini (and compare it)

[@TorsteinJN]

Weird that they only modelled the brilliance channel.

[@johnnathancordy]

There are a few of these types of things - I don't know what the deciding factor ends up being for this kind of thing?

[@TorsteinJN]

@@johnnathancordy yeah, seems a bit strange! Also with the Plexi with no bright cap.

[@Marcian89]

Is there a possibility to recreate marshall silver jubilee sounds with helix ? I really like John Frusciante sound and he uses one of those

[@johnnathancordy]

Great question, I think it's a roughly similar circuit to a 2204 (or rather the JCM 800 or 2204 Mod might be the closest thing to a Silver Jubilee)

[@picksalot1]

I generally use headphones, but having a different cab in each ear doesn't work well for me. I've read that having any mono Block after the Cab, will sum the signal to mono, and a Gain Block is best because it will be "Transparent." Do you have any other suggestions that preserves the advantages of Dual Cabs, but would work well for headphone users like myself? Thanks

[@johnnathancordy]

Would you want some stereo effects post the cabs? The mono gain/volume block like you say will work - it's a thing that Misha Mansoor (and possibly Rabea?) did in his artist preset!

[@picksalot1]

@@johnnathancordy This was just a general question. I was curious if you had a clever solution/setting that didn't involve having to sacrifice a Block to sum to mono.

[@johnnathancordy]

I'll have a think and speak....The simplest thing if you could do without your Delay being stereo would be to use a mono delay block, and then that into a Stereo Reverb? Something like that might do the job?

[@picksalot1]

@@johnnathancordy Thanks for tip. 😎

[@robmlisanti]

✌️😎

[@TheUncleshoes]

Are you trolling The Captain?

[@johnnathancordy]

Huh?

[@Tyrannosaurine]

John, please take the trash out.

[@TheUncleshoes]

@@johnnathancordy ​ @Justin Vavala My bad..there's a thing apparently with one of Lee-at-Anderton's favorite licks. Like yours around the 3:49 mark. No disrespect or garbage intended, just an observation.

[@user-qp4sy2dp5b]

gilmour made half his shit without your 5000 buttons dude...damn learn to use strings