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Our pick of the month’s most delectable, wallet-bothering new gear
What is it?
A dinky version of Line 6’s Helix modelling multi-effects unit. It’s small enough to fit on your pedalboard but offers 300 built-in effects, plus the same amp and cabinet models as the flagship Helix. That means you can plug the HX Stomp straight into a PA or Full Range Flat Response (FRFR) powered speaker and use it as a complete ‘rig-in-a-box’. In a nutshell, it’s a third of the price of the full-spec Helix but packs in many of the best bits.
I’m confused. Didn’t Line 6 do one of these already?
You’re probably thinking of the HX Effects (£558), launched at Winter NAMM last January, which features the Helix’s potent suite of effects but no amp or cab models – and thus would suit a player who only intends to use it with a normal guitar amp. As such, it’s a highly capable, pro-grade multi-effects unit that can also control amp switching and MIDI devices, boasts a larger display than the HX Stomp and has a larger, eight-footswitch interface.
How capable is the HX Stomp?
The unit can run up to six simultaneous amp, cab and effect blocks, giving you an awful lot of virtual rig-building options to play with. Line 6 says that additional features include: “a choice of true bypass and DSP bypass with trails, a stereo effects loop for patching other pedals into the signal chain and four-cable method setups, a jack for connecting two external footswitches or expression pedals, extensive MIDI control, IR (Impulse Response) loading capabilities, and a multichannel 24-bit/96kHz USB audio interface.” There are only three multifunction footswitches to play with here, but the HX Stomp does have a small colour display for ease of editing.
What else should I look at?
The nearest obvious rival to the HX Stomp at this price is HeadRush’s Gigboard (£599). This is a downsized version of the HeadRush Pedalboard (£899), which is, in its turn, HeadRush’s answer to Line 6’s top-spec Helix. The Gigboard is a tad more expensive than the HX Stomp but has a larger, touchscreen editing display and four footswitches. Some feel the HeadRush family of products has a slight edge on amp
models, while Helix has the superior effects. Both are very serious contenders, though.
What can I get for a bit more cash?
Line 6 also offers the Helix LT (£779), a slightly down-spec’d version of the flagship Helix, which features a large colour display, 12 footswitches and a built-in expression pedal, plus the same processing engine, effects, amp and cab models of the rangetopping Helix. It comes in cheaper by sacrificing some I/O and the backlit ‘scribble strips’ that made the footswitches so easy to navigate on the original Helix.
What can I get for a bit less cash?
Check out the Atomic Ampli-Firebox (£279), for good-quality amp and cab modelling, plus effects, in a stompbox-sized unit.