Portable Modelers. Waddya got?

[Rollin Hand]

Let me get an opener for this can of worms...

I have been headphone jamming with a friend using my electronic drums and a TC Helicon Blender. I have been playing through my Eleven Rack, which works decently. That said, I bought it several years ago, and it wasn't new then.

So, thinking about moving up to a newer, more powerful and more portable modeler. Obvious choices would seem to be the Headrush MX5, Line6 PodGO or HX Stomp, or one of the NUX/Valeton/Hotone models.

In videos I have watched, I do like the MX5 (very natural sounding and organic, and sonically superior to the NUX MG30 in my view) but I also know they are using the HR Pedalboard tech, so it might not be the most "futureproof" option. It could also be a bias because I am familiar with the 11 Rack in my limited way.

So, what does everyone here use?

[PsychoCid]

@mickey knows something about MX5's


....

[bleys21]

I had a Helix Stomp, but never bonded with it. Ended up trading it away for other stuff, and bought a Kemper, which is seriously nice. If I wanted something portable, I'd be tempted to get the Kemper Stage, since its basically the same features as the toaster model, shoved into a pedalboard sized box...

[Rollin Hand]

As it stands, right now I am basically down to either the HR MX5 or the HX Stomp. They fit in the limits of my "willing to spend vs.features" mental matrix.

The MG30 is a thought too, but a Leo Gibson review played it and the MX5 back to back, and the MX5 sounded deeper, fuller, and just...more.

[Milkman]

I'm sure you know, but I'll repeat...

Headrush screwed me on my Gigboard. The USB board died within a year of purchase, and they fixed it... several months after I finally got them to take it in. The USB board died again within 4 months of replacement and they ghosted me. They literally just stopped responding to my messages and requests. I'll never buy another product of theirs again.

Having said that... we can set up a time for you to play around with my Gigboard if you like. I may even be able to borrow an HX Stomp from a bass player you and I may or may not have jammed with in the past so you can side by side the two units. I don't think the new Headrush offering is too far off the Gigboard setup, is it?

[Rollin Hand]

I'm sure you know, but I'll repeat...

Headrush screwed me on my Gigboard. The USB board died within a year of purchase, and they fixed it... several months after I finally got them to take it in. The USB board died again within 4 months of replacement and they ghosted me. They literally just stopped responding to my messages and requests. I'll never buy another product of theirs again.

Having said that... we can set up a time for you to play around with my Gigboard if you like. I may even be able to borrow an HX Stomp from a bass player you and I may or may not have jammed with in the past so you can side by side the two units. I don't think the new Headrush offering is too far off the Gigboard setup, is it?

Thanks for the kind offer. From what I have read, the MX5 has all of the power of the full Peadalboard, just in a compact form. The lack of a destop program is a mild worry, but I never hooked the 11Rack up to my computer anyway.

I know they screwed you over, and that is at the back of my mind with the Headrush. Portability is a big deal if/when I buy, so durability becomes a thing by default even if I am only shuffling things back and forth between houses.

[RockYoWorld]

I'm a fan of Fractal gear. I take my AX8 to the open jam I run sound at and sometimes to rehearsals when I'm too lazy to take my Axe FX III rig. I'm currently on the waitlist for the FM9, though the FM3 can be plenty power for a lot of people. I'm moreso turned off by the only 3 footswitches thing.

[BrianSkeezer]

I'm still liking my PodGO and would recommend it for a semi-simple modeler. I'm sure you already know this, but if you happen to play around on one, don't judge it by the presets. You really need to get into making patches on it to have it sound good. Also, upload some good IRs into it for direct to headphone use. I'm happy I did because I wasn't a fan of most of the cab sims. I have some patches on mine for direct to my amp, and a lot of patches for direct into headphones/recording. The only thing that would be better for me personally is if it had more footswitches (like the Helix) for live changing. I have my patches set up with snapshots so 1 button operation can turn on multiple effects, but only 4 buttons for that is limiting.

[Rollin Hand]

Yeah, PodGO looks like a decent option. I should check that out too.

[Milkman]

The huge upside of the Headrush is that you really don't need a desktop application.... the touchscreen make it ludicrously easy to manipulate.

[Rollin Hand]

The huge upside of the Headrush is that you really don't need a desktop application.... the touchscreen make it ludicrously easy to manipulate.

I kinda want the option of using the computer this time. I feel like I missed out on some possibilities with the 11Rack. Obviously the point is moo if the USB port doesn't work.

Another possibilty has entered the fray....



I need to listen to this with headphones, but it sounded damn good through my phone speakers. I worry about reliability, and the "buy nice or buy twice" factor.

[Rollin Hand]

Well, thanks to @Milkman, I have crossed the MX5 off my list. I futzed a little with his Headrush gigboard and....meh.

Either way, good to reconnect with a fellow AGFer and talk gear, among other things. Thanks Clint!

Also, Milkman's dog is a very,very good boy.

I looked into the Line6 community, and thry have a lot of people posting and sharing tones for anyone to use, which is really cool. As of now, leaning towards the HX Stomp or the XL version.

[littlebadboy]

I am sorry about your experience with your Gigboard, @Milkman. I have had mine for almost 3 years with no problems. I used to be using 4 generations of Boss' GT series with the last 2 having computer connectivity and software for remote tweaking. I used the desktop software exclusively for tone shaping because it was more convenient. It was a concern when I converted to Headrush. But the generous screen size was enough for me to forget about desktop softwares.

I don't see myself changing modelers soon as I have already found my tone in mine. But... that's just me and I am an insignificant.

[Milkman]

@littlebadboy , I LOVE the touchscreen interface of the HeadRush. @Rollin Hand and I discussed at length how the touch screen makes lack of computer interface a non-issue.

I still use the HeadRush almost daily and have ZERO complaints about sound quality or ease of use. Just miffed at the lack of support from the company. @Rollin Hand didn't like the sounds as much as some of the other units he’s looked at.

One other upside of the HeadRush is that it doesn’t absolutely paralyze you with options. I found the almost limitless options in the Fractal units almost overwhelming. I prefer the Helix stuff and would likely pick up an HX Stomp XL if I were buying today.

[Rollin Hand]

@Milkman is right, sometimes the options available make it so you're worrying about the percentage of sag in the rig you've built rather than playing. That's actually one nice thing with the Nux MG30 - they don't have as many amps as a lot of the others, but how many do you need? And I never got close to truly exploiting my 11 Rack.

But then I see used Helix LTs for what the Stomp XL would cost after tax...Of course that thing isn't very portable.

At any rate, I checked the gear fund this morning, and I have room to make a move.

With the capabilities of these things at reasonable prices, it really is an amazing time to play guitar.

[LancerTheGreat]

Haven't tried on my laptop yet, but the NeuralDSP plug-ins I've been using lately are absolutely the best digital tones I've played with, personally. Got the Fortin Cali Suite, and the Petrucci Archetype. Planning on picking up the Nolly and Plini sometime, wouldn't mind the Tim Henson either, but it's lower on the list for me lol. But anyway, on their website you can download a 14-day trial of any of their plug-ins, definitely worth checking out, and way easier on the wallet than buying a bunch of amps.

If I had a real reason besides just wanting one I'd probably pick up a Quad Cortex from Neural for an actual piece of hardware I could pack around with me. Megadeth started using them live too instead of the AxeFX setup they had before.

[SamIV]

I am considering one of the new Boss IR-200’s. Looks simple to use and video’s sound promising. I am going to use mainly for the headphone option. It has an ambiance setting to sound more natural.

[Rollin Hand]

Haven't tried on my laptop yet, but the NeuralDSP plug-ins I've been using lately are absolutely the best digital tones I've played with, personally. Got the Fortin Cali Suite, and the Petrucci Archetype. Planning on picking up the Nolly and Plini sometime, wouldn't mind the Tim Henson either, but it's lower on the list for me lol. But anyway, on their website you can download a 14-day trial of any of their plug-ins, definitely worth checking out, and way easier on the wallet than buying a bunch of amps.

If I had a real reason besides just wanting one I'd probably pick up a Quad Cortex from Neural for an actual piece of hardware I could pack around with me. Megadeth started using them live too instead of the AxeFX setup they had before.

I will start by saying that it is a bit out of my price range. So there's that.

I have also heard enough about it being released when not quite "baked" that it worries me, especially for what they are asking. I don't know whether they have fixed everything.

[Tonray's Ghost]

The huge upside of the Headrush is that you really don't need a desktop application.... the touchscreen make it ludicrously easy to manipulate.

I kinda want the option of using the computer this time. I feel like I missed out on some possibilities with the 11Rack. Obviously the point is moo if the USB port doesn't work.

Another possibilty has entered the fray....



I need to listen to this with headphones, but it sounded damn good through my phone speakers. I worry about reliability, and the "buy nice or buy twice" factor.

I've got the GP-100 and my guess is pretty much the same code with more processing power and more buttons and gizmos. I am happy with it...solid build...amp models are decent and effects generally Ok but not as good as my old Zoom (which was awful to navigate). The big plus is the Valeton is extremely easy and user friendly...it encourages playing and experimenting.

[littlebadboy]

There's the newly out Boss GX-100 out by the way. With the Bluetooth function, it is great for giggers to make adjustments according to the venue.

[LancerTheGreat]

I will start by saying that it is a bit out of my price range. So there's that.

I have also heard enough about it being released when not quite "baked" that it worries me, especially for what they are asking. I don't know whether they have fixed everything.

Yeah I'm pretty iffy on all of the Swiss Army knives out there, but I am pretty inclined to more curiosity towards the Quad sheerly because Megadeth kicked Fractal to the curb in favor of it, and Dave's notoriously a raging catch-u-next-tuesday about their sound and how reliable it can be recreated and maintained live.

But I'm having a good time with their plug-ins, 10/10 can actually recommend those, I think they just had a 40% off "loyalty" sale come to an end, there might be a Herman Li code for 30% off floating around, and apparently there's a sitewide 50% off sale coming up in April. Hoping to snag the Plini and Nolly for a bit more range in the Jazz/Funk/Blues realm to play with. But of course that relies on having a decent computer, and definitely a USB interface, and good headphones or monitors.

I have a buddy that has a headrush, or maybe one of those line 6 boards, the large black rectangle with switches and an expression pedal, it just sits in his floor because it just kinda stopped working one day and he got it replaced, and that one stopped working again and he never heard anything back about another replacement. Think he picked something else up recently, but I'm not sure what, I'll ask and see though, maybe it's one of the ones you're looking at already.

[Rollin Hand]

I will start by saying that it is a bit out of my price range. So there's that.

I have also heard enough about it being released when not quite "baked" that it worries me, especially for what they are asking. I don't know whether they have fixed everything.

Yeah I'm pretty iffy on all of the Swiss Army knives out there, but I am pretty inclined to more curiosity towards the Quad sheerly because Megadeth kicked Fractal to the curb in favor of it, and Dave's notoriously a raging catch-u-next-tuesday about their sound and how reliable it can be recreated and maintained live.

But I'm having a good time with their plug-ins, 10/10 can actually recommend those, I think they just had a 40% off "loyalty" sale come to an end, there might be a Herman Li code for 30% off floating around, and apparently there's a sitewide 50% off sale coming up in April. Hoping to snag the Plini and Nolly for a bit more range in the Jazz/Funk/Blues realm to play with. But of course that relies on having a decent computer, and definitely a USB interface, and good headphones or monitors.

I have a buddy that has a headrush, or maybe one of those line 6 boards, the large black rectangle with switches and an expression pedal, it just sits in his floor because it just kinda stopped working one day and he got it replaced, and that one stopped working again and he never heard anything back about another replacement. Think he picked something else up recently, but I'm not sure what, I'll ask and see though, maybe it's one of the ones you're looking at already.

Thanks for that. I am currently at the paralysis by analysis stage, so I am close to loopy.

This much I have sorted out -- the Helix LT is likely impractical for me. It has a bigger footprint than the 11 Rack and it weighs 12 pounds, meaning "portable" is somewhat relative. Easier to carry than a 2x12 combo? Yes! Easy to take to a buddy's place without a $100 bag? Not so much!

So I am likely down to a HX Stomp or Stomp XL. I am not sure that the XL is worth the extra money, just for some footswitches, but then, if you want them, it's cheaper than additional MIDI. And you get a nice discount on Helix Native, which could be fun or go cometely unused.

And NO ONE in town has them in stock,so trying before I buy would be a challenge.

Of course, every day at least once I think "Eff it, just buy the NUX MG30 and call it a day."

[Rollin Hand]

The huge upside of the Headrush is that you really don't need a desktop application.... the touchscreen make it ludicrously easy to manipulate.

I kinda want the option of using the computer this time. I feel like I missed out on some possibilities with the 11Rack. Obviously the point is moo if the USB port doesn't work.

Another possibilty has entered the fray....



I need to listen to this with headphones, but it sounded damn good through my phone speakers. I worry about reliability, and the "buy nice or buy twice" factor.

I've got the GP-100 and my guess is pretty much the same code with more processing power and more buttons and gizmos. I am happy with it...solid build...amp models are decent and effects generally Ok but not as good as my old Zoom (which was awful to navigate). The big plus is the Valeton is extremely easy and user friendly...it encourages playing and experimenting.

I have read some reviews of this that called it an absolute dog, so perhaps not the most promising after all.

Physically, I love the form factor.

Ultimately, I would love a Pod GO with the HX Stomp's full capabilities. That would be a great sweet spot.

[Flatline]

I have a Boss GT-1 plus a FS-7. I like it. It does everything I need after adding the FS-7 to add two more switches.

[Milkman]

For the use you are considering, the switches are likely not worth it. I suspect that in most cases, you will need a rhythm tone and a more gainy lead tone with some (more) delay and that’s about it. The HX Stomp’s 3 buttons should do.

We may be able to arrange a test run with J’s HX Stomp, but it may take a little scheduling.