[GouldyGuitar]

Hey all!

I've come to the point in my musical career where I'm doing a lot of side man work, which I love. I love working with different artists and bands, playing various genres of music. It gets me out of my comfort zone, and has improved my playing dramatically.

Because of this, I need to be able to have a variety of sounds in my arsenal, hence why I am looking at modelling.
I've always been a pretty modest guy when it comes to effects. I like to get a good sound out of the guitar and the amp first.

Every clip I hear from the stomp sounds really good, and having the flexibility of being able to go direct IF I have to is a big plus. My plan is to put together a small but powerful board that'll serve me well, mainly live but also a little bit in the studio to get a variety of sounds, as well as use presets so I'm not tap dancing while on stage.

Below is the plan I have, next to my current board. Using two of my favourite overdrive pedals, as well as some sort of auxiliary switch (maybe midi, but it scares me LOL) to scroll through presets. The problem I'm having, which might be psychosomatic, is how small it is. I know that it has more versatility than my current board, but because it's so much smaller than my current board, I have this voice in the back of my head saying that I'm missing something.

Do you guys ever feel like you're sacrificing going with the HX Stomp as an all round effects machine rather than using individual pedals? Am I missing something? Or is it in my head?

 

[markxander]

This probably isn't what you want to hear if you're worried about your board being too small, but the very best Helix effects are the variety of excellent overdrive options. There's a lot of them and they sound great.

 

[GouldyGuitar]

This probably isn't what you want to hear if you're worried about your board being too small, but the very best Helix effects are the variety of excellent overdrive options. There's a lot of them and they sound great.

No no this is great stuff! Having more options for overdrive besides the two pedals is awesome

 

[Budda]

It’s not just about the effect type, its what parameters are available to get some new/better/wilder sounds.

 

[b-nads]

I personally felt the delays and reverb in the Helix were better than anything I get out of my Flint and and Flashback…the FB being the closer of the two.

As for drives, what I really liked with the Helix was the availing to match it to amp IR’s, which is huge compared to one pedal pushing one amp. The other big benefit is the tube issue - my Phaez is a mid 20 watt amp and I have to run it at a high volume to get the proper tube drive - you can approximate it very closely with the Helix at very useable volumes - and it sounds much more realistic than the Iridium I have on my desk at the moment.

 

[Derek_T]

I don't have any effect pedal (nor amp for that matter ) I'm doing everything with the Helix and I don't feel I'm sacrificing anything, quite the opposite.
I think you have much more options to dial in your tone with the Helix, without sacrificing quality. Unless you are Rick Beato, most of us don't have a studio with 30 amps, 40 cabs, multiple mics...

 

[Chris Collins]

For me, I could not dial in a good spring reverb, It's one thing that I struggle with all digital rigs.

 

[Budda]

For me, I could not dial in a good spring reverb, It's one thing that I struggle with all digital rigs.

Tried an axefx 3? Cliff even added a “boing” parameter as people were struggling.

 

[Chris Collins]

Tried an axefx 3? Cliff even added a “boing” parameter as people were struggling.

It's the only one I have not tried. I've been using Kempers for years now and have just gotten used to the sound of the spring reverb. But it is the "boing" sound that I'm missing.

 

[Budda]

It's the only one I have not tried. I've been using Kempers for years now and have just gotten used to the sound of the spring reverb. But it is the "boing" sound that I'm missing.

I can check the fractal forum for a clip or try making one if you have an audio example.

 

[Chris Collins]

I can check the fractal forum for a clip or try making one if you have an audio example.

I'm currently watching videos on it now haha

 

[Budda]

I'm currently watching videos on it now haha

I feel like Leon Todd covered it, he’s good for that kind of thing.

 

[Mark Brown]

Tried an axefx 3? Cliff even added a “boing” parameter as people were struggling.

That has to be the greatest phrase that has ever been crafted in the English language.

I think our daily lives would benefit greatly from turning up the boing parameter.

 

[Budda]

That has to be the greatest phrase that has ever been crafted in the English language.

I think our daily lives would benefit greatly from turning up the boing parameter.

Agree completely.

 

[terminalvertigo]

I think our daily lives would benefit greatly from turning up the boing parameter.

think you just found your signature