I run direct to the board and run in ears (currently w a bass pod xt pedalboard) i like to have variety in tone. I want variety and dependable D.I. w amp set in it which one would fit this better gig every weekend so need quality
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Line 6 stomp or headrush gigboard
- Thread starter Brian Licinski
- Start date
Line 6.
My guitarist ran a comparison between the Headrush and the Helix Floor and went with Line 6. After watching what he has been doing and how it integrates so well with amps and ampless as well as all the recording that we do, I will be acquiring an HXFX and that will just be a precursor to getting the HX Floor.
If the HX Stomp does what you are looking for then IMO it is the solid choice.
My guitarist ran a comparison between the Headrush and the Helix Floor and went with Line 6. After watching what he has been doing and how it integrates so well with amps and ampless as well as all the recording that we do, I will be acquiring an HXFX and that will just be a precursor to getting the HX Floor.
If the HX Stomp does what you are looking for then IMO it is the solid choice.
The headrush stuff is amazing for guitar
They don’t have the sheer number of models and effects that line 6 has- but it’s lineup is nothing to sniff at.
For bass though- not so much.
@Digital Igloo is a regular poster here and in other boards - bass players have A LOT to dig into with the helix products!
They don’t have the sheer number of models and effects that line 6 has- but it’s lineup is nothing to sniff at.
For bass though- not so much.
@Digital Igloo is a regular poster here and in other boards - bass players have A LOT to dig into with the helix products!
I've heard some bad things about reliability and breaking issues with the Headrush stuff and that it was really hard for some people to get help/warranty problems squared away. Now I really haven't heard much other than that. I never really looked into the Headrush stuff much but when I did I found some bad stories having to do with that stuff. So really take that with a grain of salt. Not trying to bash them but I read some things earlier this year about those units that kinda scared me away from them.
OTOH, I have a L6 HXFX myself. I love that unit. It's simply awesome. If you were going ampless I'd go with the Stomp or Floor units though so you get the amp and cab models too. And I know L6's cust ser is pretty good as well.
OTOH, I have a L6 HXFX myself. I love that unit. It's simply awesome. If you were going ampless I'd go with the Stomp or Floor units though so you get the amp and cab models too. And I know L6's cust ser is pretty good as well.
Thanks for the info i am going to go w the line 6 stomp. Less is more if done right of course im trying to find any reason to justify the full floor version.
You can use up the 6 banks super fast on the stomp just on your basic amp setup. Cab ir, eq, comp, gate, power amp, preamp and if you wanted dual amp setup forget about it youd already be out of banks . if you dont want to run many effects that can be fine but for me it'd be a non starter maybe if it had 8 banks so you could use a couple of effects with the amp stuff it'd be cool. Id run way more then just that like a high pass and low pass filter, fuzz, overdrive, modulation, delay, chorus, octave, pitch shift and other fun stuff so the floor or hx fx paired with other preamp and stuff would be my move.
Sorry, in advance, for the length...
I was torn between the Headrush Gigboard and the Line 6 HX Stomp. I got the Stomp at the end of November. Bottom line: I am very happy with my purchase. It sounds great and is incredibly versatile.
My brother (guitarist) has the full Headrush unit. So, I familiar with its sound and capabilities. The HR gear sounds really good, and the Gigboard allows the same amount of DSP as the floor unit, which is really enticing.
Were I a guitarist, I might have chosen the HR; but, the Helix currently has more bass amps (9 unique bass amps (11 modules). The HR only has 2 bass amps (the SVT and the Fender Bassman, which they actually intend for guitar use). The HR folks seem VERY focused on guitarists; which I think is understandable, but is also unlikely to change. Line 6 seems more balanced in their support of bass (though, they too (understandably) tilt toward guitarists).
An additional functional difference is the fact that the HX Stomp is a 8 x 6 audio interface, supporting stereo inputs to a DAW from both stereo DSP paths, the dry stereo inputs, and the amp effects returns; and supporting stereo playback from the DAW or your iOS devices via USB; and aux audio inputs via effects returns.
Regarding the 6 block limitation: It is indeed a drawback, but I don't find it as restrictive on bass as it may be for a guitarist. Bassist generally don't use as many effects, nor have as many tonal changes within a song. (I realize some do, though.) There are some things you can do to reduce block consumption. If you are using amp modeling, you can use combined Amp+Cab blocks which only take 1 block. You can use the amp EQ and the HPF/LPF on the cab to avoid adding separate blocks for that. To do dual-amping, you can run 2 amps in a single cab. And so forth. You just gotta be smart about it. And, if you're not using amp modeling (using your own amp/cab via the 4-cable method), I think 6 blocks is not very restricting at all.
Regarding the sound quality: I am familiar with real amps, digital modeling, and Sansamp-style analog devices. I've often heard folks say, "There's nothing like moving real air." I gotta say, to me, the amp and cab models in the Stomp sound the most like real air as I've ever heard.
Your opinions may vary. But I think, if your PA is up to it, the Helix (and particularly the Stomp) is a bass player's best friend in terms of a compact performance unit plugged directly into the board. It is also full-featured in its use as a recording and practice unit.
I am sorry to sound like a fanboy. I am really not. But I have to say I extremely happy with the performance of the unit; and, the more I hear about the ongoing evolution of both units, I am convinced I made the right choice.
I was torn between the Headrush Gigboard and the Line 6 HX Stomp. I got the Stomp at the end of November. Bottom line: I am very happy with my purchase. It sounds great and is incredibly versatile.
My brother (guitarist) has the full Headrush unit. So, I familiar with its sound and capabilities. The HR gear sounds really good, and the Gigboard allows the same amount of DSP as the floor unit, which is really enticing.
Were I a guitarist, I might have chosen the HR; but, the Helix currently has more bass amps (9 unique bass amps (11 modules). The HR only has 2 bass amps (the SVT and the Fender Bassman, which they actually intend for guitar use). The HR folks seem VERY focused on guitarists; which I think is understandable, but is also unlikely to change. Line 6 seems more balanced in their support of bass (though, they too (understandably) tilt toward guitarists).
An additional functional difference is the fact that the HX Stomp is a 8 x 6 audio interface, supporting stereo inputs to a DAW from both stereo DSP paths, the dry stereo inputs, and the amp effects returns; and supporting stereo playback from the DAW or your iOS devices via USB; and aux audio inputs via effects returns.
Regarding the 6 block limitation: It is indeed a drawback, but I don't find it as restrictive on bass as it may be for a guitarist. Bassist generally don't use as many effects, nor have as many tonal changes within a song. (I realize some do, though.) There are some things you can do to reduce block consumption. If you are using amp modeling, you can use combined Amp+Cab blocks which only take 1 block. You can use the amp EQ and the HPF/LPF on the cab to avoid adding separate blocks for that. To do dual-amping, you can run 2 amps in a single cab. And so forth. You just gotta be smart about it. And, if you're not using amp modeling (using your own amp/cab via the 4-cable method), I think 6 blocks is not very restricting at all.
Regarding the sound quality: I am familiar with real amps, digital modeling, and Sansamp-style analog devices. I've often heard folks say, "There's nothing like moving real air." I gotta say, to me, the amp and cab models in the Stomp sound the most like real air as I've ever heard.
Your opinions may vary. But I think, if your PA is up to it, the Helix (and particularly the Stomp) is a bass player's best friend in terms of a compact performance unit plugged directly into the board. It is also full-featured in its use as a recording and practice unit.
I am sorry to sound like a fanboy. I am really not. But I have to say I extremely happy with the performance of the unit; and, the more I hear about the ongoing evolution of both units, I am convinced I made the right choice.
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Ordered my stomp last night we have a very high end PA and now im even more excited to get it based on your review.
Droopy- I might pm you for tips once i get it started looking forward to this one
Droopy- I might pm you for tips once i get it started looking forward to this one
Really interested in your thoughts about the headrush svt model and the effects!
Not sure if this topic is still alive, but I’d like to contribute as a new member.
I’ve been using Headrush pedalboard(they’re really close with gigboard in terms of use/sound) with bass for approx 6 months. Overall, it gives you a lot of sound flexibility. Most of the effects have great to decent sound quality.
Small number of transparent(bass-dedicated) amps is easily compensated with EQ, compression and custom IRs
It’s also quite easy to tweak on a gig.
I could get any sound between funky slap, rock and double-bass jazzy using 2 basses: fretted and fretless
I’ve tried Line 6 HX stomp recently (I’m thinking to switch to a smaller form-factor). It sounds great, but it’s harder to use on the fly.
So there are 3 things to consider: size, INs/OUTs(if you need a stereo loop) and tweaking it on the fly.
As a summary:
I see that Line 6 is more oriented towards existing hardware integration (real amp, additional pedals, pedalboard) due to its IOs, size and effects limit. Headrush, however, is more all-in-one solution.
I’ve been using Headrush pedalboard(they’re really close with gigboard in terms of use/sound) with bass for approx 6 months. Overall, it gives you a lot of sound flexibility. Most of the effects have great to decent sound quality.
Small number of transparent(bass-dedicated) amps is easily compensated with EQ, compression and custom IRs
It’s also quite easy to tweak on a gig.
I could get any sound between funky slap, rock and double-bass jazzy using 2 basses: fretted and fretless
I’ve tried Line 6 HX stomp recently (I’m thinking to switch to a smaller form-factor). It sounds great, but it’s harder to use on the fly.
So there are 3 things to consider: size, INs/OUTs(if you need a stereo loop) and tweaking it on the fly.
As a summary:
I see that Line 6 is more oriented towards existing hardware integration (real amp, additional pedals, pedalboard) due to its IOs, size and effects limit. Headrush, however, is more all-in-one solution.
Sorry to bring up an old thread but I'm currently looking at the two of these on the used market. I pretty much just play at home now and am tired with continually swapping out pedals and reworking my pedalboard. Here's what I'm looking for:
Quality of sound through monitoring headphones but also through an amp for the occasion I play through one.
Ease of use
1 -2 good sounding bass amp models and cabs or preamps
Easy to update firmware
I'm leaning towards the Headrush Gigboard or the newer MX5. The Line 6 looks great if I want more options. I'm just curious for suggestions. Simplicity is key here.
Quality of sound through monitoring headphones but also through an amp for the occasion I play through one.
Ease of use
1 -2 good sounding bass amp models and cabs or preamps
Easy to update firmware
I'm leaning towards the Headrush Gigboard or the newer MX5. The Line 6 looks great if I want more options. I'm just curious for suggestions. Simplicity is key here.
I've had both and kept the Gigboard in the end. The sound quality is on par with each unit. From a numbers perspective, Line 6 offers more amps and pedals but I'm more than happy with what's in the HeadRush box. The lack of models in the HeadRush unit is by far compensated by its user interface. The Gigboard is a joy to use. I never opened the manual, can't say the same for the HX.
As far as updates go, I've had two HX Stomps and one Helix LT and got issues with firmware upgrade with each one of them! It worked in the end but I had to fiddle with them and curse them way too much for my liking.
HeadRush? Peace of mind.
As far as updates go, I've had two HX Stomps and one Helix LT and got issues with firmware upgrade with each one of them! It worked in the end but I had to fiddle with them and curse them way too much for my liking.
HeadRush? Peace of mind.
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I had the opposite experience the headrush had some bad bugs I couldnt get it to work right distortion sound clipping no matter what gain staging and metering said then i had compression and noise gates clamping too hard even at the lower settings. the helix hx fx and pod go have both been far easier to use for me especially when using the computer editors wich the gig board doesnt have
One feature that this necro-thread highlights: since 2019 my Stomp keeps getting more useful for bass gigs, with steady and meaningful firmware updates, including new FX and amps, better setlist capabilities, save/recall favorites, expanded MIDI, and even bumping the 6-block limit to 8 blocks.
