I Bought the HX Stomp… 6 Times (Here’s Why I Keep Coming Back)
- Nate Savage
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
Sometimes you just need to be content with what you have.
If there’s one piece of gear that has tried to teach me that lesson, it’s the Line 6 HX Stomp.
This is the sixth one I’ve owned. Every time I sell it to try something else… I end up buying another one. So why do I keep coming back?
Let’s talk about the 7 reasons the HX Stomp continues to earn a spot on my pedalboard — and why it might work for you too.
How I Actually Use the HX Stomp
First, this is important: I don’t use the HX Stomp as my “do everything” tone machine.
For me, it’s primarily about workflow and auxiliary effects — the things that would otherwise make my pedalboard way too big.
Here’s what I use it for:
Wah
Chorus
Flanger
Phaser
Reverbs
Certain delays
Pitch shifting
Fuzz
Tuner
My Current Rig
Right now, what you’re hearing is: Volume pedal → drives → Tonex One → Keeley Halo → into the loop of the HX Stomp → straight out of the Stomp.
Sometimes I’ll run drives into the front of my REVV D20 MK2 and use Helix Native for time-based effects.
Am I in love with the HX Stomp amp models? Not really.
They’re totally usable — especially live or in a mix — but I always find myself tweaking. Using the Tonex in the loop or the REVV solves that problem for me. For me, the Stomp isn’t about the amp tones. It’s about functionality.
7 Reasons I Keep Coming Back to the HX Stomp
1. Great All-In-One for Fly Gigs
If I’m flying to a gig, I need something compact and reliable. The HX Stomp may not be my dream rig for everything, but it’s absolutely good enough to get the job done.
I’d probably bring:
An expression pedal
Maybe one drive pedal
And that’s it
That’s a powerful travel rig.
2. Small Footprint
This is huge. The HX Stomp handles all the auxiliary sounds so I don’t need:
A separate wah
Pitch pedal
Modulation pedals
Extra reverbs
It keeps my board streamlined and efficient. For players who don’t want a massive spaceship pedalboard, this matters.
3. User Interface
The screen makes editing simple. The HX Edit software also works great.
And here’s something I appreciate: If USB stops working someday or software support changes, you can still fully use the unit from the onboard screen. That’s not true for every modern multi-effects unit.
4. USB Interface for Practice
Plug it into your computer. Play along to songs. Record demos. Practice silently. For Guitar Fam members who want simple home setups — this is extremely practical.
5. The Ins and Outs (Huge for Me)
This is a big one.
Effects loop
Flexible routing
This is especially helpful when recording my wife’s songs that might go to another producer or mixer. Having that dry track available later is incredibly valuable. Not every compact unit handles routing this well.
6. Two Serial Delays
This is massive for me. I love the Keeley Halo, and a lot of compact units simply don’t allow two serial delays the way I want to run them. Several of the other units I tried fell short here. If you’re particular about delay stacking — this matters.
7. The Price
I picked mine up used for $600 CAD (around $400 USD). For everything this unit does — in this size — that’s pretty incredible. Yes, some pros use the HX Effects. But for me, the HX Stomp is more efficient:
Smaller
Has amp models if I need them
Built-in tuner
Tap tempo
It just covers more ground for the size and price.
Quick Comparisons
Here’s how it stacked up against other units I’ve tried:
Close — but the delay types didn’t quite get where I needed them to.
Best sounding overall. Does almost everything. But too big for fly gigs and pedalboards — and I still love drive pedals.
Sounds great, but limited on auxiliary effects like pitch shifting and wah. The user interface isn’t great.
Sounded awesome and the paid grades fixed a lot — but not everything.
Top-tier sound, but no screen. Hard to edit. Didn’t try it.
Very capable, but the HX user interface just feels more intuitive to me.
Can’t do two serial delays. Bigger footprint. Loop placement limitations.
Guitar Fam 5 Gold Stars Award ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
So, is the HX Stomp the best sounding multi-effects unit ever made? No.
Does it sound great? Yes.
But this isn’t about tone. It’s about functionality.
For my workflow — this is still the only unit that checks every box. And the crazy part? It came out 8 years ago. I can’t believe no one has fully surpassed it in features + size + usability.
Will someone step up this year and make me buy a seventh one? We’ll see.
What’s your favorite multi-effects unit right now — and why?
Let me know in the comments.
– Nate
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