Line 6 just added two new, compact powerhouses to their Pod/Helix family of products!
While the Helix is astounding in its design, capability, and tone often players are looking for something a little simpler or more compact. The introduction of the HX Stomp was brilliant in that it is a very small 3-stomp button multi-effects processor with all of the tones of the larger Helix models. This makes the HX Stomp wonderful for gigs, for use as a backup board, or even a desktop recording buddy.
While these products are great, Line 6 didn’t have a solution in between the larger Helix and Helix LTs and the tiny Stomp. The HX Effects is a great unit, chock full of all of the Helix effects. However, it doesn’t have any of the amp modelings as its primary intention is to provide great tones to those who prefer a traditional amp/pedalboard setup.
There’s no doubt that there is a market for compact powerful. Who doesn’t want something that sounds incredible and packs up easily at the end of a long night? As I get a bit older I appreciate that myself!
Take the Fly Rig series for example. These little boards that span all of 12 inches and very little depth and height are simplicity at their finest. They sound fantastic! Different units are catering to different needs (guitar, bass, acoustic, etc.) Each one is approximately $300. Conceivably, one could use more than one on stage and still take up a small amount of space for $600. However, even combining all of the Fly Rig models won’t amount to the number of tones and effects built into the Helix.
As I said, the appeal is there for something small. Line 6 unleashed an upgraded HX Stomp XL and the new Pod Go.
We saw the Pod Go released last year, it’s great! The board features a simple but efficient pedal layout, plenty of ports, and all of the great sound that Helix has given us. The Pod Go is the model we all wanted between the Stomp and the Helix LT. Something light, something that sounds great, and something not-so-large. The new Pod Go unveiled one little addition that makes all of us drool uncontrollably: Built-in wireless.
This is a fairly new concept in designs that has its pros and cons. The biggest up is that you don’t need a receiver unit. The Pod Go comes with the Relay wireless transmitter giving you a simple plug-and-play setup. Switching guitars couldn’t be easier, too! The only downside I can think of is that it’s a proprietary technology that limits you to only using the Relay. If you have another wireless system that you prefer, it’s back to your original setup. HOWEVER…
The POD Go Wireless’s included Relay G10TII transmitter nets you around seven hours of wireless playtime per charge. The transmitter charges directly from the POD’s 1/4″ instrument input and docks inside a molded storage well for safe travel. Just plug in the transmitter after soundcheck or top it off the night before, and you’ve got the juice you need to make it through the gig. Here’s what you can expect:
- 30 minutes of runtime on a 15-minute charge
- 60 minutes of runtime on a 30-minute charge
- A full 7 hours of runtime on a 3-hour charge
With all of that… let’s not be picky! This is a dream rig for so many players. Grab and go!
What did the HX Stomp ad? I can only begin by referring to the XL as the “Fly Rig on Steroids.” The HX Stomp XL on the one side looks entirely like the original HX Stomp. However, the XL has more stomp buttons giving you more control on stage. The tones are the same, which include the entire brain of the Line 6 Helix family of products. That’s an enormous amount of amps and effects: Hundreds!
Did they increase the ports since the board is larger? No. They simply laid it out the traditional way; all in-line on the backside of the unit like other boards. The original Stomp is so small that Line 6 put ports on 3 of the 4 sides giving uses about a dozen different ports to work with. The Stomp XL has the same ports, but all on one side.
Unlike the Pod Go, the new Stomp still does not feature an expression pedal. However, you may certainly plug one in externally.
These two new additions bring the powerful Line 6 tones that we’ve all come to know and love together with a size that’s quite coveted in the gigging world. The addition of buttons for the HX Stomp and built-in wireless for the Pod Go bring these two units up considerably in desirability and usefulness.
The new Pod Go costs a little under $600, which is still less than the original HX Stomp. The new HX Stomp has an increased price of about $150 more than the smaller model costing about $750.
In the end, you have to pick and choose which pedalboard system works best for your needs. I could choose the Stomp XL for myself because of its ease of use in the studio, and as a great backup for a live gig. I don’t personally use an expression pedal often, so if need be one could be added to the Stomp as mentioned. If I were primarily a gigging musician above all else, I would gravitate towards the Pod Go wireless unit.
Choose wisely, grab, and go!
Niko Lalangas
Musician/Guitarist/Teacher~Featured by Line 6