GEAR REVIEW
LINE 6 HX STOMP XL | Doug Doppler
Of all the HX form factors that are out there , HX Stomp XL is my favorite . Here ’ s why …
My first live experience using Helix was playing rhythm and co-lead guitar for Phil Collen at an evening concert at one of Joe Satriani ’ s G4 Experience guitar camps . In addition to having Paul Gilbert and his outstanding band as the rhythm section , Satch was literally standing in the wings while we played ‘ Hysteria ’. When I got off stage Joe promptly said that the tones sounded , “ Just like the record .” Helix has been my go-to modeler ever since and I haven ’ t looked back .
On the worship front , along with my friends at Worship Tutorials , I was asked by Line 6 and Sweetwater to create some content for House of Worship guitar players who bought a Helix from Sweetwater . The WT guys offered up some of their amazing presets , and I crafted a training course called Helix University , Sweetwater Worship Edition . All that to say , I ’ ve spent a LOT of time inside Helix floor and when I say that HX Stomp XL is my favorite form factor , there is some backstory to that opinion , especially as it relates to worship .
As much as I ’ ve loved the massive i / o and footswitch functionality I have at my feet with Helix floor , if you ’ ve ever had to trek across the country through an array of airports with a Helix Backpack in tow ( which I love by the way ), you probably know that it can get heavy sooner than later . Conversely , while I love the ability to use HX Stomp on a pedalboard with something like an RJM PBC / 6X or Morning Star MC6 , as a stand-alone unit , I ’ ve always longed for more footswitches .
Ironically , I was on a Zoom call with Helix mastermind Eric Klein when I ‘ fessed up to spending some time with the Boss GT- 1000 Core and much I loved the workflow in combination with the aforementioned MC6 . Noting that this was several months ago , the mic drop moment came when Eric pulled the not yet announced ( or leaked ) HX Stomp XL into view . I was immediately smitten , and here ’ s why .
Does it have less processing power than Helix floor ? Yes . Do I care ? No . Does is give you all the amazing models and intelligent workflow you get with Helix ? Yes . Does ita have less footswitches and i / o ? Yes . Do I care ? No . Depending on how you answer those questions you ’ ll probably know whether HX Stomp XL is right for you .
With all that said , one of the first questions I ’ d be inclined to ask myself would be , “ If you had my choice , would you buy an HX Stomp XL or a Quad Cortex ?” Having spent a fair amount of time with the QC , I can tell you it is an amazing box with amazing potential . Lots to love , most noticeably the touch screen and the capture functionality . While the touch screen is a creature comfort , the capture is a big deal for me , so the answer is both ! My answer for most people would be to buy the HX Stomp XL and leverage all the amazing programming that has gone into Helix as well as the added functionality of the additional footswitches .
Also , the current version of the QC ’ s firmware has serious output routing limitations that are a giant drag for those of us who are used to being able to route any preset anywhere we want without having to edit and / or resave one or more presets .
One of the things I loved about Helix from the first day I used it was the intuitive workflow that always seemed to be one step ahead of me . Having spent a lot of time editing the MC6 to control the Boss GT-1000 Core , I knew what I expected HX Stomp XL to do sans editing and it delivered . Noting that the Helix family of products make it easy to customize functionality for the footswitches , out of the box , the MODE footswitch on my HX Stomp XL enabled me to toggle between Preset and Stomp Mode . By default , Preset Mode uses the two leftmost footswitches ( with the up and down arrows conspicuously painted above them ) to bank up and down , while the A , B , C , and D footswitches enable you to randomly select Presets . Selecting the Mode Footswitch toggles you over to Stomp Mode where you can turn individual blocks on or off . Long pressing the Mode footswitch in either mode enables you to jump into EDIT Mode for any of the block so you can fine tune your tones on the fly .
Seriously it ’ s the HX Stomp I ’ ve always dreamed of . Once again , thank you Line 6 !
$ 749.99 MAP Line6 . com