I love amp modeling. It’s just so convenient being able to play a selection of legendary tube amps from the comfort of your headphones that ever since I bought myself a Line 6 HX Stomp a couple of years ago, I’ve been firmly on the bandwagon that modeling in multi-effects pedals is the future of guitar tone. If you’re interested in making the switch, then head over to Guitar Center where you can get it with a hefty $100 discount in their Presidents’ Day sale.
Amp modeling isn’t the future of guitar, it’s firmly in the present, finding its way to pretty much every new guitar product. Amp sales are down, and even legendary amp makers Marshall have said amp sales account for just 5% of their revenue.
Meanwhile modeling units from Line 6, Neural DSP, and even Fender are flying off the shelves and into the hands of guitar players who can now have their pick of the world’s most iconic tube amps from the comfort of their own home. No soundproofing required.
I pretty much exclusively use my HX Stomp at home for practice and recording nowadays, but that doesn’t mean I’ve given up my tube amp when I’m playing live. I still lug my Orange combo to gigs, but the HX Stomp comes with me, taking care of all my modulation and time-based effects on my pedalboard.
It’s been a complete game changer for me, and here are five reasons it can do the same for you too.
1. Iconic amp models
With 72 amp models in its teeny tiny housing, the HX Stomp gives you pretty much every amp model you’ll ever need. All the legends are covered here, with the Fender Twin, JCM 800, AC30, Mesa Dual Rectifier, 5150, and even the HiWatt DR103 making an appearance. When you start adding in all the lesser-known models, you’ll find a playground of amp tones that can deliver pretty much any sound you like.
It makes it an ultra-powerful tool for recording too, allowing you to mix and match amp tones just like you would in a real studio, but without having to mic them up and crank them, never mind spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on them. It’s this tonal flexibility that makes the HX Stomp an incredibly versatile tool, and an amazing resource for any guitar player.
2. Huge effects selection
Whether you like classic drive pedals or you want to get into some more esoteric effects, with 172 different stompbox models on the HX Stomp, you’ve got a huge amount of choice. It features a myriad of delays, reverbs, and modulation sounds from a model of the classic CE-1 chorus right through to more modern effects modeling like the Digitech Feedbacker. Each has been painstakingly recreated to ensure they’re as close as possible to the real deal too.
The routing flexibility is incredibly useful too. You can run everything in series as you would on a traditional pedalboard, or you can start delving into parallel effects processing to get even more creative. Effects have additional options like EQs, mix knobs, and other more utilitarian options that allow you to sculpt your sound exactly as you want it. It’s a smorgasbord of effect choices that can be as deep or as surface-level as you like.
3. Consistent updates
The thing that surprised me the most about my HX Stomp was that not long after I bought it, I was notified of an update that added more amps and effects to my roster, for no extra cost. It’s like buying an amp and getting another one totally free a few months later! Line 6 has been consistently updating all of their Helix models with new amps, cabs, and effects, providing incredible value for money for existing customers, a rarity in this age.
At the tail end of last year, we got some fresh amp models from Bogner, Fender, and EVH, as well as four new cab models and a brand-new bass guitar effect. Considering the Helix line originally launched with 46 amp and 79 effects models, the collection has grown considerably over the years, and improvements to the cab models as well as various bits of functionality.
4. Plays multiple roles
I use my HX Stomp in two ways. Its primary role is at home where I plug it into my audio interface and use it to practice and record. I like the hands-on control of a hardware unit, and treating it like a regular amp going into my interface gives me some incredibly good-quality sounds for my recordings. It has an audio interface built into it too, so you can connect directly via USB to your computer.
When I’m at rehearsal or playing live, the HX Stomp moves to my pedalboard, where it sits in my amp’s effects loop to handle all my modulation, delay, and reverb effects. It’s incredibly flexible thanks to the stomp and snapshot modes that enable quick switching of effects, and I’ve combined it with a multi-switcher to make seamless changes on the fly, so less tap-dancing for me.
5. Compact size
When I’m on the road for work, the HX Stomp becomes my travel rig paired with my studio headphones and a guitar cable. I can get incredibly quality tones that ensure I keep my chops in tip-top shape, or just while away the hours bored in a hotel room where I’d otherwise be watching TV or doing something else unfulfilling.
Its small size means it's easy enough to chuck into a backpack and take out and about with you, but you still get a huge amount of tonal options that will cover the vast majority of your playing needs. You could even pair it with a small expression pedal if you’re really into your wah or whammy pedals or you want to control other parameters like your delay mix/speed, reverb amounts, and chorus intensity.
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