Pocket Rocket

The Helix family expands with its smallest member yet – a true stompbox that will easily fit on your pedalboard

- Trevor Curwen 

Line 6 HX STOMP £558

CONTACT Yamaha UK

PHONE [phone]

WEB www.line6.com

What You Need to Know

1 What’s this? Didn’t Line 6 recently introduce a HX Effects?

Yes, but it only had the Helix effects. This unit has those, plus all of Helix’s amp and cab sims and IR loading.

2 So, it’s more of an all-rounder then?

We reckon so. You could use it with an amp and other pedals, but it could also be your total rig.

3 Basically, it’s a Helix in a stompbox?

Well, yes and no. Line 6 says that it sounds identical to the full blown Helix, but, obviously, the switching facilities are a lot more limited with just three footswitches, plus each preset has a maximum of only six blocks, rather than eight.

Line 6’s Helix range continues to expand at quite an alarming rate. It’s not been very long since we saw the HX Effects, which put all of the Helix effects (although none of its amp simulations) into one large-format pedal for use with an amp, either as a self-contained compact pedalboard or a constituent part of a bigger ’board.