Roger Waters
John Taylor
Jared Followill
Peter Hook
Bill MacCormick
Martyn LeNoble
Tim Commerford
...but aside from them, absolutely nobody. (Maybe.)
Okay, NOW we got a list. But I would still prefer reverb.
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Okay, NOW we got a list. But I would still prefer reverb.
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I was pretty intrigued by this pedal when it first came out. It seemed like it could be a cool all in one solution bass rig. The headphone jack & batteries are a great bonus.
I’ve had it for a few days now and I’m happy with it. I’m also glad I didn’t buy it when it first came out. The on-board controls are very simplified as you can guess. You can get a mix of sounds but with the addition of the Pod Express Edit app you can really dial in what you want and access more parameters.
One important thing I’ll mention is the selection of cabs. I don’t like most of them. Each amp has a dedicated cab it automatically uses, but you can also mix and match. This is good news for me, because I really only like the Studio cab. The rest just sound…bad? Honky and thin for lack of a better explanation, but I found the Studio cab to be the only one that was full with a nice tone. It dramatically improved each amp I used with it.
My 3 favorite amps are the Round (Ampeg B-15NF Portaflex), Grit (Ampeg SVT), and Studio (Aguilar Tone Hammer). If you want that punchy P bass tone I found these 3 are the best sounding. The Grit is really nice, but this goes back to the app being important. As it comes standard, it’s very driven as the name implies. You can adjust the compressor and drive controls to bring it back to a more normal Ampeg tone.
Going to the effects, it’s largely hit or miss. If you’re familiar with Helix stuff you’ll see familiar names here.
My favorite comp is the LA compressor. It just has the control I like. Without the app they have the gain set a little too high in my opinion, so it’s worth adjusting.
The synth models are all largely useless to me except for the octave. The octave tracks nicely.
The distortion pedals aren’t bad. I keep going back to the app, but it really does help. The boost is fine but it will start to break up pretty early. The overdrive (based on a Klon) doesn’t have a great tone, but set very low I actually like it as a sort of EQ to add a little extra punch without going in to actual overdriven tones. The Distortion isn’t my favorite, but I do like the fuzz set with the sustain all the way down. It’s super fuzzy even at that low setting and pairs nicely with the octave.
The modulation is all fine. I don’t really need a flanger/phaser/delay on bass, but it’s there. I like the chorus a lot after messing with the settings. As it comes standard if you’re just using the knob on the pedal, it’s way too intense. I would’ve preferred a reverb on here over a couple of the other choices.
I haven’t used the looper or the tuner. I really haven’t tried mixing cabs and amps without the app either, but I know you can.
The pedal could have no knobs at all and it wouldn’t change my experience too much now that I have presets set up. Side note, you can save your presets similarly to how it works with the other Helix products. They’re different file types, but you can save them to your computer in the same way and I guess theoretically have a preset exchange as well. You can also just back up the whole thing with all the presets on it too.
I may eventually get a dual soft trigger to add, which would let me access 4 presets at any time, but for now it’s not a huge requirement.
Overall, I’m happy with it. You get Helix quality sounds in a small box for a pretty decent price. Especially when you consider I don’t need an additional compressor, octave, overdrive/fuzz, and chorus pedal to get everything I want. It’s not without its flaws and as I mentioned without the app I’d be far less enthusiastic, but with everything in mind I’d reccomend it for sure.
I’ve had it for a few days now and I’m happy with it. I’m also glad I didn’t buy it when it first came out. The on-board controls are very simplified as you can guess. You can get a mix of sounds but with the addition of the Pod Express Edit app you can really dial in what you want and access more parameters.
One important thing I’ll mention is the selection of cabs. I don’t like most of them. Each amp has a dedicated cab it automatically uses, but you can also mix and match. This is good news for me, because I really only like the Studio cab. The rest just sound…bad? Honky and thin for lack of a better explanation, but I found the Studio cab to be the only one that was full with a nice tone. It dramatically improved each amp I used with it.
My 3 favorite amps are the Round (Ampeg B-15NF Portaflex), Grit (Ampeg SVT), and Studio (Aguilar Tone Hammer). If you want that punchy P bass tone I found these 3 are the best sounding. The Grit is really nice, but this goes back to the app being important. As it comes standard, it’s very driven as the name implies. You can adjust the compressor and drive controls to bring it back to a more normal Ampeg tone.
Going to the effects, it’s largely hit or miss. If you’re familiar with Helix stuff you’ll see familiar names here.
My favorite comp is the LA compressor. It just has the control I like. Without the app they have the gain set a little too high in my opinion, so it’s worth adjusting.
The synth models are all largely useless to me except for the octave. The octave tracks nicely.
The distortion pedals aren’t bad. I keep going back to the app, but it really does help. The boost is fine but it will start to break up pretty early. The overdrive (based on a Klon) doesn’t have a great tone, but set very low I actually like it as a sort of EQ to add a little extra punch without going in to actual overdriven tones. The Distortion isn’t my favorite, but I do like the fuzz set with the sustain all the way down. It’s super fuzzy even at that low setting and pairs nicely with the octave.
The modulation is all fine. I don’t really need a flanger/phaser/delay on bass, but it’s there. I like the chorus a lot after messing with the settings. As it comes standard if you’re just using the knob on the pedal, it’s way too intense. I would’ve preferred a reverb on here over a couple of the other choices.
I haven’t used the looper or the tuner. I really haven’t tried mixing cabs and amps without the app either, but I know you can.
The pedal could have no knobs at all and it wouldn’t change my experience too much now that I have presets set up. Side note, you can save your presets similarly to how it works with the other Helix products. They’re different file types, but you can save them to your computer in the same way and I guess theoretically have a preset exchange as well. You can also just back up the whole thing with all the presets on it too.
I may eventually get a dual soft trigger to add, which would let me access 4 presets at any time, but for now it’s not a huge requirement.
Overall, I’m happy with it. You get Helix quality sounds in a small box for a pretty decent price. Especially when you consider I don’t need an additional compressor, octave, overdrive/fuzz, and chorus pedal to get everything I want. It’s not without its flaws and as I mentioned without the app I’d be far less enthusiastic, but with everything in mind I’d reccomend it for sure.
Thanks! This is one of the more thorough and user friendly reviews I have read. Thanks for sharing.
Follow up - I got the Pedalnetics AuxPlate
A pretty necessary add-on for a pedal that has several effects.
The good: I can now turn on fuzz, chorus, and octave effects on at any time. The plate attachment and all in one form factor make the pedal what it should be.
The could be better: This isn’t anything against Pedalnetics, especially since whatever external switches you’re gonna buy won’t have an LED, but I sure do wish each switch had an LED.
The bad: This is something I hope Line 6 addresses in a future patch update. For one, I think it would be nice if I could assign each switch to a dedicated preset. Example, if I want to switch from overdrive to fuzz, I just can’t. Whatever effect you choose, that’s the one you’re getting in this preset. If I could go from any preset to the next I could have different gain stages more easily.
The other thing I find annoying is when I have the first switch assigned to turn on the pedal or fully bypass it. If I turn it on and off, all the effects turn on as well. Once I hit the “ON” switch I’ve got fuzz, chorus, and octave on. Doesn’t matter if they were bypassed when I pressed the first switch.
That said, I really do like this pedal and I wrote a review on it about a week ago (seen above). Since then I actually changed my mind when it comes to the cabs. I had to do some more dial turning, but it turns out the Ampeg 4x10 sounds the best.
A pretty necessary add-on for a pedal that has several effects.
The good: I can now turn on fuzz, chorus, and octave effects on at any time. The plate attachment and all in one form factor make the pedal what it should be.
The could be better: This isn’t anything against Pedalnetics, especially since whatever external switches you’re gonna buy won’t have an LED, but I sure do wish each switch had an LED.
The bad: This is something I hope Line 6 addresses in a future patch update. For one, I think it would be nice if I could assign each switch to a dedicated preset. Example, if I want to switch from overdrive to fuzz, I just can’t. Whatever effect you choose, that’s the one you’re getting in this preset. If I could go from any preset to the next I could have different gain stages more easily.
The other thing I find annoying is when I have the first switch assigned to turn on the pedal or fully bypass it. If I turn it on and off, all the effects turn on as well. Once I hit the “ON” switch I’ve got fuzz, chorus, and octave on. Doesn’t matter if they were bypassed when I pressed the first switch.
That said, I really do like this pedal and I wrote a review on it about a week ago (seen above). Since then I actually changed my mind when it comes to the cabs. I had to do some more dial turning, but it turns out the Ampeg 4x10 sounds the best.
Attachments
Hey PodEx users! I was wondering if you guys can help organize my mind on whether the Pod Express would be worth replacing the HX Stomp for my situation and needs.
My reasons for selling are A) to make my pedalboard even lighter and B) I’m not sure how much longer till the HX Stomp will be updated to a newer version (it’s been 7 years since its release) and I’m thinking better sell it now than later. Here in Japan, resale value is pretty good. So I listed what I use my HX Stomp for in live shows and church, and here’s what I got (including notes in parentheses):
HX Stomp:
Octave up (use it fairly often, but technically don’t need it)
Tone/preamp (not necessary for me)
Delay/Reverb/Mod (rarely use, just nice to have)
Tuner
Headphone practice
Here’s my current pedalboard:
I also have the SA Spectrum and use it for:
Octave down
specific Synth sound
Fuzz (ya, it sounds much better than what I could get from the HX Stomp)
Envelope
Any thoughts? My other thought is getting a nice delay/reverb pedal but I thought why not just get multieffect for the same footprint and price? The Zoom MS60+ is another option but I just don’t know how the sound quality is compared to HX’s stuff. I had a Zoom MS100BT and didn’t like the hiss and slight digital artifact that you can kinda hear from it.
My reasons for selling are A) to make my pedalboard even lighter and B) I’m not sure how much longer till the HX Stomp will be updated to a newer version (it’s been 7 years since its release) and I’m thinking better sell it now than later. Here in Japan, resale value is pretty good. So I listed what I use my HX Stomp for in live shows and church, and here’s what I got (including notes in parentheses):
HX Stomp:
Octave up (use it fairly often, but technically don’t need it)
Tone/preamp (not necessary for me)
Delay/Reverb/Mod (rarely use, just nice to have)
Tuner
Headphone practice
Here’s my current pedalboard:
I also have the SA Spectrum and use it for:
Octave down
specific Synth sound
Fuzz (ya, it sounds much better than what I could get from the HX Stomp)
Envelope
Any thoughts? My other thought is getting a nice delay/reverb pedal but I thought why not just get multieffect for the same footprint and price? The Zoom MS60+ is another option but I just don’t know how the sound quality is compared to HX’s stuff. I had a Zoom MS100BT and didn’t like the hiss and slight digital artifact that you can kinda hear from it.
The sounds tend not to be as good as those in the more expensive HX line. And as the BassTheWorld review notes, "4 different compressors and limiters but no reverb or envelope filter."
The chief product designer for Line 6 posted on TB, saying "You'll notice none of our in situ photography shows POD Express on a stage or with other pedals—it's always shown on a desktop or outside at the beach or campground." That's pretty telling.
If you look at the design -- plastic enclosure, USB-C audio interface, sub-Helix sounds (which are limited and have an absurd color-coded preset system whose presets you have to memorize!! -- it's not designed or optimized for being on a stage pedalboard.
The chief product designer for Line 6 posted on TB, saying "You'll notice none of our in situ photography shows POD Express on a stage or with other pedals—it's always shown on a desktop or outside at the beach or campground." That's pretty telling.
If you look at the design -- plastic enclosure, USB-C audio interface, sub-Helix sounds (which are limited and have an absurd color-coded preset system whose presets you have to memorize!! -- it's not designed or optimized for being on a stage pedalboard.
I’m a big fan of the pod express for home use and recording/practice, but I don’t think it’s a great choice for live performance. If you are the type of player that wants to dial in a few sounds and switching on the fly isn’t required, it might be workable. There are probably better options for a replacement if you’re looking to sell the HX stomp.
Good to know! Thanks for the responses! I guess the Pod Express isn’t for me. Then would you say the Zoom MS60+ would be a better option? I know a pro bassist here in Tokyo (a dang good player) that uses it for his live shows.
What do you need from the Stomp replacement? (Btw, your Spectrum could do octave up, as well).
You listed a bunch of things you don’t need the Stomp for, but not what you’ll be “missing” when it’s gone.
Tuner/occasional mod & reverb/headphone amp?
Yes, absolutely. Not sure anything will quite replace a Stomp at this price-point, but the Zoom is better- and more purpose-built for pedalboard, with good sounds and lots of flexibility in customization.
This YouTuber has a tendency to meander quite a bit (this video, like many of his, is over an hour long) but he goes fairly in-depth on the Boss pedal in a few videos like this one.
Ya, I guess that’s the point. I don’t think I’ll be missing much and don’t need it as much as it can offer. Except maybe a certain amount of FOMO? Or fear of selling it when I shouldn’t have?
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Hahaha that’s funny you mentioned this YouTuber. I just discovered him and he does meander quite a bit but it’s still quite informative. Thanks for attaching the video! And it’s good to know the sounds are good.
The price of the MS60B+ is hard to beat, and for your use case (some occasional effects, tuner), it’s probably all you need.
Personally, I find the ergonomics to be hard to get over on the Zoom, although, honestly it’s probably an unfair criticism. If I used the MS60+ like I use my HX One, the awkwardness of the UI doesn’t matter much. But it’s capable of doing so much more than the HX One, it feels like I wouldn’t be taking advantage of what it has to offer.
All of the alternatives have a compromise: imo, the Plethora X1 seems mostly like what you want, but no tuner. Or drive. The HX One has a tuner, but is 2.5x times the price of an MS60B+.
Be aware that the Zoom’s effects won’t sound as good as your Stomp, but if you don’t really use many effects, that’s probably fine? You’ll probably be fine with the Zoom.
FYI missing from your list on the Zoom pedal is a headphone jack. The Pod Express Bass does have one (but neither have Aux in). If you want to practice silently that would be an issue.
The other issue is that the four direction button are small and very difficult to tap with your foot, making onstage switching problematic. Some people have been able to get inexpensive external MIDI footswitches to work with the pedal, though. (Read the full thread, as someone got the wrong model footswitch.)
There's also this ~$20 hack, but apparently it can be a littly fiddly in practice:
Wingman Plus
Footswitch mod kit for the Zoom Multistomp Plus Series. The Ninjafox Wingman Plus is a non-invasive, snap-on mod for Zoom's Multistomp Plus series (MS-50G+, MS-60B+, MS-70CDR+, MS-200D+ and MS-80IR+). It is designed to slide on and enable the use of the Multistomp’s left and right scroll and up...
ninjafoxengineering.com
The main TB thread about the pedal is probably this (25 pages so far):
Excited about this one little fella coming out - no exact release date but Zoom Corp have informally suggested it's going to land around June/July.
The MS-60B was actually the first bass pedal I ever bought shortly after they came out back in 2013, and I've since become a bit of a Zoom fanboi, most recently of the Zoom B1-4 - have one at the heart of my little gigging pedalboard and another as as standalone multifix to slip into my gig bag for when I want travel really light. They're amazingly well spec'd for the money!
Guitar World ran a review of the already launched...
The MS-60B was actually the first bass pedal I ever bought shortly after they came out back in 2013, and I've since become a bit of a Zoom fanboi, most recently of the Zoom B1-4 - have one at the heart of my little gigging pedalboard and another as as standalone multifix to slip into my gig bag for when I want travel really light. They're amazingly well spec'd for the money!
Guitar World ran a review of the already launched...
And here's a much shorter one from May 2025:
First Impressions: Too Much of a Good Thing?
As someone who believes that fewer pedals on the board mean more time making actual music, I was ready to hate this. I didn’t want a pedal that needed a manual the...
Hey fellow BassBros.
I'm sharing this Patch Cheat Sheet I created in case it's of assistance to those of you who use the Line 6 POD Express Bass .
It's sized to print on an A4 page.
Rock on!
I'm sharing this Patch Cheat Sheet I created in case it's of assistance to those of you who use the Line 6 POD Express Bass .
It's sized to print on an A4 page.
Rock on!
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Pod Express can play audio over the usb-c connection and is great for silent practice and playing to backing tracks. No experience with zoom products.
D
Just get an inexpensive mixer for practice. Solved my problem, and it does other things.
POD Express very well might receive additional updates, but they were designed to be pretty much feature complete at launch. Conversely, we definitely have plans to continue updating Helix and HX products.
