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So I bought an HD500 not too long ago to use in Church (we have always gone direct and the last guitarist HD500 sounded great)
I didn't want to limit myself from using dual tone or limiting the number or order of effects, and I found an HD500 for $400 open box.
All was good, until I left that church. I wanted to leave them with something (the piano player often plays guitar and has a strat but nothing to use direct) I left my HD500 for the time being.
I then found an HD300 for $200 used, so I ordered it. I will put it at the Church and then take my HD500 with me. I figure it will do everything they need anyway.
So I get the 300 in, and it is much smaller. I like that. i start setting it up, and realize even though according to line 6 you can only add 4 effects, and the 500 can do 8, thats a bit misleading.
The volume pedal and wah are on every preset. That takes up 2 slots on my 500. I can (and have) moved volume to the amp so it doesn't take a slot though) So now its 4 vs 6 (or possibly 7)
If you use a noise gate its on every preset as well, and would take a slot on the 500. So thats 4 vs 5. (or possibly 6)
you get reverb on every patch (and thats counted as 1 effect) so if you dont use reverb then its only 3.
Still, I looked at the patches I was using. I have reverb on my clean patch, and thats it. The 300 will do that. Delay on a drive patch still good. compressor, delay and chorus on a lead patch. Still good.
I use the amp settings for drive, so I dont need an overdrive on any patch. That saves that spot for volume boost or compressor if its a solo patch. I can also use the modulated delay (instead of delay and chorus), and that would open the modulation spot.
So technically I can have volume pedal, noise gate, wah, reverb, phaser, modulated delay (is that 2 or 1?) and a compressor. Thats really 7 or 8 at the same time. I dont really NEED a 500.
So what are the advantages (to me)
1. it will do dual amp - I love the way my recordings sound with a double tracked amp (plexi on one side and jcm800 on the other). But, it isnt the same. for one, its not dual tracked, so you lose the natural delay/reverb/whatever you want to call it from playing the same part twice. Then, I dont ever play in stereo, plus half the church would hear mostly one sound or the other anyway (1/3 in the middle would hear the stereo sound, 1/3 on the left would hear mostly 1 amp, the other 1/3 on the right would hear mostly the other amp) So in reality the dual amp thing is almost useless.
2. it has more reverbs/effects - Since the slots on the 300 are fixed,they wont put in the really DSP expensive verbs, because that might overload the DSP. Buit that could be an advantage as well, you will not run into the DSP overload issues i run into.
3. I can run ALL of my sounds in 1 four bank slot - since I can add / remove effects with the 4 stomps above the preset slots, I can make 4 base sounds into at least 8-16 usable patches. Still, unless you need more than 4 sounds on a song, just do a bank for each song. the 300 has 128 presets. the 500 has 512, but I never use more than 4 anyway.
4. dual tone can be used for 2 guitars at once - you can run 2 guitars in and 2 out with different amps. But its using a lot of DSP so not many effects. plus only 1 pedal (you can add an external though). At the price I paid you could have (2) 300s for the price of (1) 500.
5. the 500 has a stereo effect loop - Oddly enough, I use this. I do not put any effects in it. Originally I set the 500 up with a foot switch to activate the loop, and put my BF tuner there. Hit the loop, all goes silent and I tune with my external tuner (with Buzz Feiten), but there is a bug in the 500 that causes the loop to be active when in tuning mode. So now I just hit tuner and it does the same thing (without using a foot switch or effect slot)
6. the 500 can be used as an 8 slot effects only pedal board, mush like an m9 or m13. The 300 will do the same, but with 4 switches, you get amp, then 3 effects. You could still have a preamp in the amp slot for overdrive, and then a delay, phaser and compressor, but this is where the 500 would be a much better option.
there are some other differences, 48 second looper on the 500 (but its still 24 on the 300), variax in and mic in on the 500 (I wont ever use), SPDIF out (wont use),
So I have to say, for 90% of the use these will get, the 300 is more than adequate. Of course we are all the other 10%.......................
I didn't want to limit myself from using dual tone or limiting the number or order of effects, and I found an HD500 for $400 open box.
All was good, until I left that church. I wanted to leave them with something (the piano player often plays guitar and has a strat but nothing to use direct) I left my HD500 for the time being.
I then found an HD300 for $200 used, so I ordered it. I will put it at the Church and then take my HD500 with me. I figure it will do everything they need anyway.
So I get the 300 in, and it is much smaller. I like that. i start setting it up, and realize even though according to line 6 you can only add 4 effects, and the 500 can do 8, thats a bit misleading.
The volume pedal and wah are on every preset. That takes up 2 slots on my 500. I can (and have) moved volume to the amp so it doesn't take a slot though) So now its 4 vs 6 (or possibly 7)
If you use a noise gate its on every preset as well, and would take a slot on the 500. So thats 4 vs 5. (or possibly 6)
you get reverb on every patch (and thats counted as 1 effect) so if you dont use reverb then its only 3.
Still, I looked at the patches I was using. I have reverb on my clean patch, and thats it. The 300 will do that. Delay on a drive patch still good. compressor, delay and chorus on a lead patch. Still good.
I use the amp settings for drive, so I dont need an overdrive on any patch. That saves that spot for volume boost or compressor if its a solo patch. I can also use the modulated delay (instead of delay and chorus), and that would open the modulation spot.
So technically I can have volume pedal, noise gate, wah, reverb, phaser, modulated delay (is that 2 or 1?) and a compressor. Thats really 7 or 8 at the same time. I dont really NEED a 500.
So what are the advantages (to me)
1. it will do dual amp - I love the way my recordings sound with a double tracked amp (plexi on one side and jcm800 on the other). But, it isnt the same. for one, its not dual tracked, so you lose the natural delay/reverb/whatever you want to call it from playing the same part twice. Then, I dont ever play in stereo, plus half the church would hear mostly one sound or the other anyway (1/3 in the middle would hear the stereo sound, 1/3 on the left would hear mostly 1 amp, the other 1/3 on the right would hear mostly the other amp) So in reality the dual amp thing is almost useless.
2. it has more reverbs/effects - Since the slots on the 300 are fixed,they wont put in the really DSP expensive verbs, because that might overload the DSP. Buit that could be an advantage as well, you will not run into the DSP overload issues i run into.
3. I can run ALL of my sounds in 1 four bank slot - since I can add / remove effects with the 4 stomps above the preset slots, I can make 4 base sounds into at least 8-16 usable patches. Still, unless you need more than 4 sounds on a song, just do a bank for each song. the 300 has 128 presets. the 500 has 512, but I never use more than 4 anyway.
4. dual tone can be used for 2 guitars at once - you can run 2 guitars in and 2 out with different amps. But its using a lot of DSP so not many effects. plus only 1 pedal (you can add an external though). At the price I paid you could have (2) 300s for the price of (1) 500.
5. the 500 has a stereo effect loop - Oddly enough, I use this. I do not put any effects in it. Originally I set the 500 up with a foot switch to activate the loop, and put my BF tuner there. Hit the loop, all goes silent and I tune with my external tuner (with Buzz Feiten), but there is a bug in the 500 that causes the loop to be active when in tuning mode. So now I just hit tuner and it does the same thing (without using a foot switch or effect slot)
6. the 500 can be used as an 8 slot effects only pedal board, mush like an m9 or m13. The 300 will do the same, but with 4 switches, you get amp, then 3 effects. You could still have a preamp in the amp slot for overdrive, and then a delay, phaser and compressor, but this is where the 500 would be a much better option.
there are some other differences, 48 second looper on the 500 (but its still 24 on the 300), variax in and mic in on the 500 (I wont ever use), SPDIF out (wont use),
So I have to say, for 90% of the use these will get, the 300 is more than adequate. Of course we are all the other 10%.......................
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