What is an acoustic guitar top?

Tonewood is an integral part of what gives an acoustic guitar its unique sound, defining the tonality, presence, overtones, vibrations through the body, and the overall volume of the instrument. The neck, fretboard and body of an acoustic guitar can be made of different woods, each one complementing the other.

One of the most important components of an acoustic guitar’s body is the top wood, also known as the soundboard. This is the piece of wood that makes up the face of the guitar. It’s one of your acoustic guitar’s first points of contact with the strings – the vibrations reach the rest of the body via the bridge and the top wood. It’s also the home of the bracing and the soundhole, both of which also shape the sound of your instrument.

Along with deciding on the shape of an acoustic, guitar builders pick from a variety of types of woods, with all sorts of traditional exotic options on the table providing different tones. In an ever-more competitive beginner-to-intermediate market, many manufacturers also turn to laminated woods over solid woods to make more budget friendly instruments. So, what’s the difference? Let’s take a closer look.

What is a solid top?

A solid top is essentially one piece of wood. This wood has been carefully selected, cut, carved and fitted, but always comes from a single source from the timber to the instrument.

You’ll know if an acoustic guitar has a solid top by looking carefully at the soundhole; because the guitar soundhole has been cut into the wood, you’ll be able to see a cross section of the grain when you look at the edge (see image below).

Occasionally, the solid piece of wood is divided into two and mirrored. You’ll notice a distinct divide in the middle of a guitar top when this is the case.

What is a laminated top?

A laminated top is made of more than one piece of wood. These much thinner layers are joined together using a combination of heat, pressure and adhesives, depending on the manufacturer. The process is common practice as it allows a manufacturer to increase their output while using less wood – a win/win in terms of both cost and build time.

For example, a builder takes a single piece of mahogany and divides it into four thin laminate layers. They’ve now got enough four acoustic guitars with rich mahogany tops, all of which came from a one piece of wood. What this also allows is the use of cheaper materials to make up the rest of the laminated wood. Because you can’t see what’s underneath the top layer, it could be anything from maple to plywood to plastic resin.

If you look at the soundhole below, you can just about make out the different layers of wood – the grain from the top doesn’t continue all the way through.

What is a veneer?

The term veneer is often used to describe the top (or visible) layer of laminated wood. While the layers underneath might consist of cheaper/composite materials, you still want it to look good. As mentioned above, manufacturers will take a nice-looking (and thin) layer of mahogany, maple, koa – whatever takes their fancy – and apply it to the top of the laminated wood. This ensures an organic appearance but uses less wood and a less complicated process.

Do solid and laminate tops look different?

The visual difference between laminated and solid tops is a divisive issue for acoustic guitarists. Many argue that the difference is marginal, as it’s essentially the same wood being used except veneers are thinner. Either way, the wood is picked because it looks great – you’ll rarely see a flawed top on an acoustic guitar as lot of builders like to make acoustics with a natural finish. Others argue that a piece of wood chosen for a veneer will be cheaper, and therefore not as pretty

What do you think? Below: a laminate top on the left and a solid top on the right – both are spruce.

Do laminate and solid tops sound different?

The sound is where the debate really heats up. Is there a difference in sound quality between solid and laminated tops? Given the fact that acoustic tops (soundboards) play such a vital role in the sound of your acoustic guitar, I would go so far as to say – objectively – yes.

A solid piece of wood has a consistent grain and density. Because of this, you tend to get good sustain and a richer resonance. Different types of woods offer different tonal flavours, but if it’s a solid piece, it’ll benefit from these factors, even if the overall sound is or isn’t to your liking.

An overlooked factor is that solid tops can age and will therefore increase in resonance as they get older. Veneers will not age in the same way because it’s a combination of different woodcuts and you simply don’t get the same effect.

The best acoustic guitars in the world are all made with solid tonewoods – it’s as simple as that. However, if you like the sound of a certain, it doesn’t matter what it’s made from, right? While solid tops offer a more resonant sound, you may simply prefer a laminate-topped acoustic guitar. That part is totally subjective!

What about durability?

It’s a well-known fact that guitar made of solid woods are susceptible to temperature changes, humidity and age. Because solid wood relies purely on its own sturdiness and thickness (and its bracing), it can fall prey to cracking, warping and other side effects.

If you’re a guitarist who’s always on the move, or for whatever reason you find yourself playing your acoustic guitar in extreme climates, you may want to consider the implications of travelling and gigging with a solid-topped guitar.

Laminates tend to survive better in their battle against the elements. Because they’re comprised of multiple layers and go through a combination of heat, pressure and adhesive processes, they’re more resilient. It’ll take quite a lot more than rapid changes in temperature and the odd long-haul flight to do damage to an acoustic guitar’s laminate tonewood.

Are solid tops more expensive?

For the most part, yes. If a certain piece of wood is selected for a solid top of an acoustic guitar, chances are it’s of the highest quality in every respect. It’ll look stunning for starters, meaning a lengthy selection process with eagle-eyed precision for flaws. It’ll also sound excellent, as we’ve discussed – solid tops are something of a tonal holy grail for acoustic luthiers. Finally, the wood used for solid tops tends to be ethically sourced from a sustainable supplier. This ensures that the wood is of excellent quality, that the trees are in good health and that the company does their bit to protect the environment.

We did say for the most part – many manufacturers manage to strike a balance between quality and affordability. Companies such as Yamaha, Fender, Alvarez, Faith Guitars and Sire understand the tonal importance of top woods, and the importance of making sure every player is catered for. Many of these guitars are well under £1000, each one with its own solid top. This means brilliant sound, stunning looks and a sensible price tag. A good deal if you ask me.

Want to know more about specific acoustic guitar tonewoods like maple, mahogany and spruce? Check out our full Acoustic Guitar Tonewood Guide!

Interested in finding out more about music gear to expand your knowledge? Browse all of our Learn articles.

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A loadbox is a device used to absorb the energy released by a valve guitar amplifier and dissipate it as heat. They safely direct the sound of the amp via XLR or line output to the likes of an audio interface to record, a mixer and PA system for live performance or even headphones for silent playing.

Valve amp heads require electrical resistance to function. That’s why, traditionally, you match the amp head to a speaker cabinet at 2, 4, 8 or 16 Ohms. If you leave an amp head running without connection to a cab, you’ll quickly find that the output stage of the amp burns out, leaving it partially damaged or broken entirely. To apply the technical term, the cabinet ‘loads’ the amplifier. The loadbox bears that responsibility and can either replace or work in conjunction with a speaker cabinet.

Recording a loud amp

Why would you want to use a loadbox? First off, valve amps are very loud. The loadbox allows you to plug directly into an audio interface without the sound of your playing blaring out of a speaker cabinet. If you’re at home or in a small studio, this can be deafeningly loud at close range. With the loadbox in place you’ll hear the amp either through your studio monitors or a pair of headphones, making for clear recording monitoring.

Attenuation

Valve amp heads (especially 50 watt, 100w and even higher) often have a high headroom, meaning you must turn them up loud to get the driven, compressed guitar tone many guitarists love. A loadbox usually incorporates an attenuator function, which reduces the wattage and consequently the headroom of the amp. You can tap into cranked tube tones at home, studio or more intimate gig spaces without the ear-splitting volume.

Cabinet impulse responses

So much of your guitar tone is influenced by the speaker cabinet. The way a speaker cab is built with closed or open back construction, or with angled or straight mounted speakers, plus the speakers themselves, affect the sound in different ways in impacting EQ and overtones. Two classic picks plenty of rock guitarists gravitate towards are Celestion Vintage 30s and Greenbacks, but there are many, many speakers out there that filter and compress the amp sound in various ways. The problem with them is how heavy and impractical they are to keep moving from gig to gig, or just to show up at band practice.

The popular method of accessing a range of speaker sounds without lugging around a heavy cab is through digital cabinet impulse responses (IRs). It’s really simple to download these IR captures from the likes of the Neural Amp Modeler (NAM) project on TONE3000 and load them into your modelling amp or DAW, but also into your loadbox if it’s capable, like the Two Notes Captor X. You’ll also find that lots of loadboxes also host cabinet simulations, which is software built into the loadbox digitally replicating the colouration of speakers and microphone setups.

These options make perfect sense when you’re running a raw amp signal through the loadbox to record, practice or play live. It gives you the freedom to pair your amp with a cab you like while also cutting down on physical gear.

Effects loop

You’ll find a lot of loadboxes incorporate an effects loop into their chassis. If you’ve got any effects pedals or multi-FX, you can slot these in after the power amp and before a virtual cabinet. Effects like modulation, delay and reverb generally benefit from the greater clarity and behave better when they’re fed with a ‘speaker-like’ signal, as they do in the effects loop within a guitar amp.

Setting up for live performances

A loadbox gives you the option to send a signal to both a speaker cabinet for the ‘in the room’ feel, while also sending another line to a mixer heading into a PA (you might have a PA system that includes a mixer). Of course, you could solely send it through the loadbox to the PA, but a lot of us guitarists like the presence and push of air you get from a speaker on stage – it’s more tactile and reactive to your playing than FRFR speakers. Some loadboxes like the Boss Waza Tube Amp Expander actually feature a control to replicate the air feel created by the speaker cab, so you’re not completely lacking that dynamism.

Resistive Vs. reactive loadboxes

Resistive loadboxes provide a fixed and constant resistance, but they fail to resemble the fluctuating impedance that a real speaker cabinet offers. The result? A dark, sterile and rather lifeless tone.

All the best loadboxes from the likes of Fryette, Two Notes and Boss are reactive: these more sophisticated models mimic the interaction between an amp’s output transformer and speaker coil, giving you a harmonic richness, overtones and dynamics you’d get from a classic amp head and cab combination. You get way more out of your performances – that ‘feel’ we’d all expect from a quality amp.

Summary

The loadbox is a vital piece of kit if you own an amp head and you want to record with it or set it up to use live by sending the signal into a PA system. If you’re not planning on using the amp with an external cabinet, then you need the loadbox to ‘load’ the amp and absorb its energy, otherwise it’ll break. The ‘reactive’ part of the loadbox ensures your amp sounds its best by reacting dynamically to your playing.

The are several benefits of a loadbox. Not all have these, but well-known models provide a mix of:

• Silent playing for headphones or monitor referencing – no loud speaker cab required
• Attenuation to tap into the saturated tones of your amp
• A variety of cabinet impulse responses and extra studio tools to customise your guitar tone
• An additional FX loop to add in guitar pedals and multi-FX units after the power amp
• The ability to send your amp out into a mixer/PA system without using a microphone in front of the speaker cabinet

If you enjoyed reading this article, then check out more of our other Learn blogs!

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Looping is a curious effect. A looper pedal doesn’t have the same impact on your guitar tone as, say, an overdrive or a delay. But as well as its most common use as a practice and improvisation tool, it has the power to expand your creativity and even change the way you’re perceived as a musician. These powerful stompboxes can improve your guitar playing abilities and define your sound in performance and recording settings. Depending on the type of pedal you get, you’ll be able to add multiple looped phrases, time signature changes, stereo sound, built-in effects and rhythm tracks to your creative arsenal.

Here are our 5 reasons you should own a looper:

1. Incredible Practice Tool

A looper pedal might be the best guitar teacher you’ve ever had. It’s especially handy when you don’t have someone with you to play a repeating rhythm. Try looping a simple riff and put your fretboard knowledge to the test with a lead melody over the top. Work on what sounds good and experiment with any variety of technique you like, without your musical partner getting bored of playing the same section again and again.

Recording that first loop is a form of practice in itself. Playing a part so spot on it’s worthy of multiple repeats is a tricky art to master. It’ll improve your timing and encourage you to play to perfection. Even loopers at the low end of the cost spectrum such as the Landlord FX Happy Hour will serve you well if practice is the focus.

2. Enhance Live Performance

From one of the biggest names in popular music in Ed Sheeran (see the Sheeran Looper + and Looper X pedals) to the musical genius of Jacob Collier, solo artists rely on guitar looper pedals to flesh out their live sound. This is done exactly how you’d expect in a gradual build-up of looped phrases to give the impression of a full backing band.

To get the most out of a live looper performance, you might want to invest in an advanced looper station such as the Boss RC-600. These are like multi-FX units, housing extras features such as effects with expression pedal control, and potentially infinite loop repeats. Another perk of a looper station are the multiple loop banks, which let you transition from a verse to a chorus in a structured way. The result is a more natural-sounding song formed of multiple phrases rather than just one punched-in loop.

3. Creative Songwriting

Looping is a great method to discover what song ideas work well together. There are a couple ways to go about it. The first is to loop your rhythm section and play a lead part over the top, giving you plenty of thinking time to perfect your piece. It’ll ensure you’re in the right key and tempo.

The second is to dive into the functions of more advanced pedals such as the Pigtronix Infinity 2 to line up two loops back-to-back. Alternatively, you could use a DAW to do this, but it’s a bit more tactile to use a pedal at your feet and far less fuss to delete and re-record.

There’s also a chance you forget your new material the next time you go to play it. Saving ideas to banks on a looper pedal is a simple and effective way to jot down and recall everything you’re working on, and you can do this without sitting at a PC.

4. Recording Potential

You’ve got the potential to dive deep into looper capabilities while recording. Similar to a live performance, creating loops to track in an audio workstation is like building up your music from its simplest form into more complex layers, and back down again if you choose. But in this situation it’s less of a crowd-pleasing activity and one to take your time with in introducing the right textures. You can always go back and edit what you’ve recorded.

Recording is also where other effects and your looper’s inbuilt tricks come into play. You don’t have to play endlessly to make an interesting song. Sometimes it’s worth keeping the loop repeating while you experiment with the tone of the loop. Placing the looper before other pedals in the guitar’s signal chain opens possibilities to even more tonal manipulation.

5. A Standalone Looper Effect

It might not be possible to use every looper as its own effect like a reverb or delay, but a few particular pedals contain unusual effects to spice up your guitar tone. The likes of Electro Harmonix, TC Electronic Ditto and Boss pedals possess the ability to alter the speed, decay and modulation your loops and even put them in reverse. Arm yourself with a looper to produce these intrepid spirals of noise as you please. It could just inspire your next great song.

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The post 5 Reasons Every Guitarist Should Own a Looper Pedal appeared first on Andertons Blog.

Digital guitar amps have come a long way in being able to add hundreds of consistently strong, realistic tones to your sonic arsenal. There are two common ways of emulating analogue valve amplifier tones: modelling and profiling. They ultimately achieve the same goal in creating satisfying electric guitar amp sounds, but they’re built on different technologies and serve slightly different purposes. I’ll explain what they are and how you might benefit from each method.

Amp modelling

Amp modelling is a software-based recreation of the behaviour of a real amplifier. Guitar amps are analysed to measure their EQ curves and how they react to different signals and then sound engineers build digital models to replicate those results. Modelling aims to get as close as possible to the sound and feel of popular amp tones. This is the route that most multi-effects units take. If done well, they can be convincing to the point where you wouldn’t be able to tell them apart from the original amp they’re emulating.

Amp profiling

Then there’s amp profiling. This involves capturing a real amp’s response more directly. Think of it like a snapshot of audio data, like a picture. Test signals are sent through an amp, which are then recorded in a way to capture the reactions to those signals. These recordings are an almost one-for-one capture of the exact setup, which could be any combination of amp, cabinet and microphone in a signal chain. Load the profile without touching any EQ controls or adding any extra effects and you’ll essentially get the exact same sound as the recorded amp.

Neural amp modelling (NAM), an open source version of amp profiling, is the latest movement in the guitar space. You can download captures of all sorts of amp snapshots to your compatible amp pedal completely free. Darkglass with the Anagram multi-fx pedal, Valeton and Mooer and Nux are some of the big brands to have got onboard with NAM so far.

Who makes amp modellers and profilers?

Pure modellers

Line 6 and their ever-present Helix range has dominated modelling technology over the past decade, along with Fractal Audio with the Axe-FX and Boss’ GX and GT units. They’ve made their way into countless professional and amateur setups alike and the latest Helix Stadium brings modelling tone one step further in recreating the very distinct type of sag and compression of a valve amp.

Coming in at the more affordable end of the spectrum is the Mooer GE and Hotone’s Ampero series. You really can’t go wrong with these options depending on your budget. The main differences between entry level modellers and the full fat pro units are the user interface, the connectivity to allow for larger setups, the breadth of tones and customisation, and a bit of sonic refinement.

Leaders in profiling

In the world of profiling, Kemper is the clear standout name with its Profiler series widely used by touring musicians and studio professionals alike. The Kemper Profiler not only lets you capture and load your own amp profiles, but you can access a huge library of community-shared tones and FX blocks. Always wanted to try using an expensive amp like a Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier? Select a profile from the library and take it for a spin! Kemper integrates the original amp’s gain and tone controls into the capture better than anyone else for natural-sounding customisation. Another huge benefit is the ability to reamp your guitar signal, which is a massively useful tool when recording as you can switch in and out unique guitar tones until you find the perfect fit. However, the question on everyone’s lips: is the Profiler better than a traditional amp?

If you’re shopping on a budget, then the IK Multimedia AmpliTube TONEX range of pure profile capture pedals is a brilliant option. It grants access to sounds from iconic Marshall, Engl, EVH and Mesa amps as well as classic pedals from Ibanez, MXR and ProCo. There’s loads of room to add your own across hundreds of save slots.

Hybrid modeller and profiler systems

The Neural DSP Quad Cortex has been massively successful the world over in combining the two modelling and profiling methods. The best-selling floor amp comes loaded with several legendary amp emulations, as well as offering the possibility to capture and profile your own amp tones. There’s an entire library amongst QC users where you can download specific captures of personal amps – some you’ll never be able to find anywhere else.

The same goes for the Headrush Prime with its ability to profile, so you can take perfect snippets of your tone wherever you go and get exactly the same realistic sound, but at a slightly lower price and arguably with not quite as sophisticated pre-loaded sounds as the dominant players in amp modelling. Still a fantastic compact amp solution and a great practice tool thanks to the Tidal streaming platform integration and built-in drum machine.

Where does modelling and profiling come up short?

Amp purists will argue that neither process sounds quite like the real thing and for different reasons: modelling technology is created wholly within a computer program, which relies on an engineer’s interpretation of how an amp truly sounds and reacts to guitar signals. Simply, a tone patch might not sound that alike to the original amp it’s based on. You’re unlikely to come across a sound that isn’t usable, but it’s not impossible you might left wanting more.

As for profiling, at the end of the day, it is just a singular snapshot. Like a printed photograph, you can’t zoom in to inspect every detail, walk around the subject or change its shape after it’s been taken. When you change the EQ of this captured tone, those controls are approximations built on top of the captured profile. It’s not a perfect like-for-like for tweaking the controls on the amp itself.

In my opinion: both amp profiling and modelling are so good now that it would be incredibly difficult for an untrained ear to tell either apart from a valve amp if you blind tested them, and that would certainly be the case in a mixed track. You might be able to feel a modeller/profiler lacking that little bit of compressed air and feedback. But in a full band setting, that would again become much less noticeable.

Profiler or modeller: Which one is for you?

Both modelling and profiling have their merits. Modelling offers quick, easy, and versatile access to a wide range of tones. Profiling excels at capturing the exact specs of any given amp for replication at any venue and studio. The former is great because you can dig a bit deeper into tonal customisation, and the latter is incredible for one specific sound you can take with you anywhere.

We’ve seen how some amps specialise in profiling, while others are built on great modelling tech, and some do a bit of both. There’s not much of a price gap between modelling and profiling so whatever amp gets you closest to the tones you love to hear and play through, go with your gut!

If you enjoyed reading this article, make sure to check out more of our Labs blogs!

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The Line 6 Helix changed the game for digital guitar amp modellers. A big reason why it had such an impact on the guitar world was down to the easy-to-use interface. Before the Helix, modellers took a science degree to operate – they were clunky and user unfriendly. On top of the now enjoyable process of dialling in your amp sounds, the Helix’s robust hardware and floor and rack mount designs also made it an excellent piece of gigging equipment in being so versatile and quick to set up. Most importantly, the quality of the amps, cabinets and effects has blessed it with unrivalled longevity in a scene where the shiny new thing is often the best option. 

There are currently five core versions: the original Helix Floor, the Helix Stadium, the Helix LT, the HX Stomp and the Helix Effects. Within this family tree are more models like the Stadium XL, HX Stomp XL and HX One that share the same core design principles but add a few bonus features. 

Let’s explore where each Helix excels and help find you the perfect one. 

Line 6 Helix modellers comparison chart

Line 6 Helix LT: big features, light package

The Helix LT is designed for players who wants a modelling amp on the smaller lightweight side, but one which still makes the most of all the core Line 6 guitar tones. It’s still packing the same number of guitar and bass amp models as the Helix Floor as well as all the effects, cabs and mic sounds. It’s also got stereo ins and outs that make it incredibly flexible for live use and stereo rigs, as well as the expression pedal and an expression out to add another if required. 

Where it does differ to the standard Helix is in fewer inputs and outputs to integrate with a large external pedalboard, although you can still do so with a small board and the effects loops. With that key difference and the few feature omissions listed above, the Helix LT clocks in at a significantly lower price than the original Helix Floor and will prove to be the sweet spot for most guitarists.

For the players who want:

• Industry standard amps tones and effects
• 95% of the Helix Floor features for considerably less money
• A lightweight, portable unit
• Good streamlined connectivity for gigging

Buy the Helix LT

Line 6 Helix Stadium: behemoth flagship model

The Helix Stadium is the best Line 6 can muster in a modern floor modelling amp. Its cutting-edge Agoura DSP improves picking dynamics, volume clean-up, gain textures and sag and compression, so your guitar tone even more closely resembles a real valve amp. That realism, even though the Stadium name is at odds with its best role, is actually great in a studio setting where all the smaller details matter in a final recording. On top of that, this modeller is future-proofed for years to come as amp and effects modelling keeps progressing over the next decade.

What does make the Stadium exceptional for gigging guitarists, however, is the substantial upgrade to processing power, allowing it to run more complex amp sims for multiple instruments. The large and vibrant touchscreen makes dialling in tones a breeze, and the automatic switching and extensive routing options are a real lifesaver for players who like everything planned out before a show. The Stadium is less reliable on having a laptop or PC handy thanks to the Wi-fi and Bluetooth connectivity, letting you manage and edit patches and download firmware updates.

The only omission from the Helix Stadium is a built-in expression pedal – you’ll have to get the Stadium XL for that.

For the players who want:

• The most realistic amp sounds available
• Effortless tone selections
• To run expansive live setups
• To not be reliant on PC connections for editing and updates
• Future-proofed amp modelling

Buy the Helix Stadium

Line 6 Helix Floor: the comprehensive original innovator

Thanks to continues support through firmware updates over the years, the Helix Floor remains as relevant as ever in the extremely competitive modelling amp market. Crunchy Mesa Triple Rec to glorious Fender Deluxe clean tones, Matchless 2×12 cab to Marshall 4×12 stack, and from Russian Big Muff to stereo Yamaha rotary speaker, the Helix contains the sounds you’ll want to make. It covers just about every in/out you could need like four FX loops, three expression pedal ins, a mic in and MIDI compatibility to integrate it into an existing setup or use solely to power your guitar sound. I could wax lyrical about how much this changed amp modelling like its POD predecessor, but you get the point. 

For the players who want:

• Tried and tested professional quality guitar tones
• Maximum features from the original Helix modeller generation
• Extensive effects loop and expression pedal connectivity to run multiple setups
• Super handy scribble strips to see where each preset is assigned

Buy the Helix Floor

Line 6 Helix HX Stomp: pedalboard friendly modeller

The Line 6 Helix HX Stomp is the smallest in the range is incredibly powerful for such a tiny pedal. Once again, it boasts the same 400+ effects, amp and cab models as the Helix and LT. The obvious trade-off in picking the much smaller footprint of the HX Stomp is that it leaves out a few connectivity features and it has less processing power than the Helix LT, and so is best used by just one guitarist.

The Stomp can manage up to an impressive eight amp, cab, and effect blocks, including a looper and IR loading simultaneously. The three switches have nice colour-coded LED rings for fast patch recall. Connectivity-wise, it has one set of stereo outs, a stereo FX loop and is fully MIDI compatible for seamless integration with the rest of your gear. The miniature size of it and incredible wealth of tonal options makes it a great choice to power a pedalboard amp or plug directly into a PA system to use as your entire portable guitar setup.

If you’re after a few more switching options and a more attractive LCD screen, then the larger HX Stomp XL version could be the worthwhile upgrade. 

For the players who want:

• To build an impressive pedalboard amp
• The Helix amp tones in the smallest package possible
• A modeller to integrate into an existing portable setup
• A reliable modeller to use as a standalone rig

Buy the HX Stomp

Line 6 HX Effects: the complete FX library

The HX Effects is a pure a multi-FX pedal unlike the Helix and HX Stomp, which are primarily amp and cabinet modellers. So with an HX Effects, you’ll be looking to add it to an existing amp and pedal setup to broaden your sounds with 274 effects and expand your switching capabilities. It also acts as a standalone cab simulator pedal. 

You get an expanded 9 simultaneous processing blocks to load up on sounds and accommodate for your creativity and potential to make huge soundscapes. The overdrives stack beautifully on the HX Effects and pair nicely with a driven amp. You even get legacy effects from the M series that are difficult to obtain these days.

It’s also got the ability to host 4 ‘Snapshots’, which are essentially different settings for your effects. A Snapshot allows you to hit a single button and change the settings on any or all of the possible 9 virtual pedals in one go. 

The HX Effects is incredibly adaptable to whatever setup you’ve got running. It’s got two FX loops, has stereo ins and outs and is MIDI compatible, which makes it possible to perform as a switcher when hooked up to other MIDI pedals. It’s even got an in-built tuner. You’ll want to edit all your settings on the HX Edit software for the best experience.

If the standard HX Effects is a beyond what you need from an effects processor, then the more affordable, even smaller HX One fills that gap for players with a touch more pedalboard space to spare.

For the players who want:

• Only the effects section from the Helix line-up
• To massively broaden their choice of guitar sounds
• An exceptionally detailed IR cabinet and microphone simulator
• Access to legacy sounds from the legendary Line 6 M series
• An incredible pedalboard addition to streamline your stompbox chaos

Buy the HX Effects

Quick summary

Hopefully you’ve got an idea of which Line 6 Helix, Stomp or HX would suit you best. To summarise: 

Line 6 Helix: The OG powerhouse. It has all of the features you’d need from a multi-FX, amp and cab sim unit and it’s incredibly easy to use, especially in comparison to its competitors. The Helix is as powerful in the studio as it is on stage and as a practice tool. It’s been designed to contain everything a guitarist might need in one box. 

Line 6 Helix LT: The ‘light’ version of the Helix that still contains all of the amp, effects and cab sims. It hasn’t got the uber-flexibility of the bigger Helix, but it’ll cater to the vast majority of guitar and band setups.

Line 6 Helix Stadium: The next generation of modellers for more life-like amp simulations, capturing the realism of dynamics, sag and compression, and the way different settings mix to create a unique tone. Insane processing power to run massive complex signal chains and a lovely interface to customise your tones.

Line 6 Helix HX Stomp: This sees the Helix squeezed into a pedal-style chassis. It’s got 400+ Helix amps, cabs and effects in a tiny format for your compact pedalboard amp rig. 

Line 6 Effects: Due to incredible demand from fans of the Helix, Line 6 decided to release an ‘effects only’ version of their Helix floor units. The HX captures all of their coveted effects in one unit and can serve as a pedalboard replacement pedal, or you could integrate it into an already existing setup and use it as a pure cabinet simulator.

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Want to find out how Line 6’s Helix range compares to other amp modellers? Read our blog comparing the Helix to the Fractal Axe FX, Kemper Profiler and Atomic AmpliFIRE modelling amps. Interested in comparing more guitar gear? Check out all our Labs articles!

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There are so many reasons why you might have given up playing the guitar, and to be honest, I don’t blame you! Life and work get in the way for most of us, even the gigging pros. Maybe you got bogged down in the technique or theory rather than playing the songs you like and want to make. It might be a practical reason, like living somewhere that doesn’t accommodate a large or loud guitar amp. Not to mention the expense of all the guitar gear we’re so obsessed with collecting. The list of reasons to stop goes on.

However, there are so many more reasons why you should pick up your guitar once again. The most salient point being that it’s simply great fun and really satisfying to play the guitar, even if it doesn’t lead to stardom. Playing any kind of instrument is a great stress reliever and provides some much needed escapism. It’s also valuable life skill and a confidence booster, improving coordination, memory, hand dexterity and your musical ear. It offers you a way to do what all of us here love, which is to make music.

Feel fresh – set up your guitar

A fresh set of guitar strings and a deep clean is a great way to kickstart your playing. There’s nothing worse than stiff, dirty old strings and grubby bits of dirt seated in the hardware. It looks unappealing and it makes the guitar downright difficult to handle. If you’ve left your guitar to collect dust for a long time, then a more comprehensive setup could be in order to readjust the action and intonation. You’ll feel way more pride in your playing if your guitar feels fast, comfortable and sounds on point.

So, get these guitar accessories and have them at the ready when you play: a tuner, picks, cleaning products, a strap, and a backup set of strings. Stock up on extras and you’ll never be frustrated that you don’t have everything you need.

Guitar accessories

Pickups are an integral part contributing to the sound of an electric guitar, as they detect string vibrations and generate electrical signals that can then be sent into an amplifier. Not only do the ‘pick up’ the sound, but they also have a huge bearing on the tonal properties that defines the sound of every type of guitar. There are two broad categories that most pickup designs can be grouped into: the single-coil and the humbucker. I’ll get to P90s later, but for now, it’s enough to know that they are a variation of a single-coil pickup with their own unique sound.

Die-hard Stratocaster or Telecaster players will wax lyrical about the dynamism of the single-coils, while Les Paul aficionados will praise the thick, articulate notes of the humbucker. Yet there is so much space in between both legendary tones, defined over decades of pickup tweaking and innovation. Each of the main pickup designs, P90s included, tend to lend their tones to certain musical genres, but there’s nothing to stop you from getting creative with what you have available and applying their unique sounds in new and exciting ways.

Single-Coil Pickups

The Single-coil guitar pickup is the reason why we are all here today as electric guitarists. It was tested and tinkered with throughout the 1910s and 20s with the aim to allow guitars to compete for volume in a big band setting. The first commercially available single-coil pickup was designed by Adolph Rickenbacker and George Beauchamp in 1931 and featured on the lap steel ‘Frying Pan’ guitar.

How single-coil pickups are made

Today, the design formula remains largely the same based on core principles, consisting of copper coil wound horizontally around vertically placed magnetic pole pieces. A base and frame (collectively known as a bobbin) stop the coil from shifting. The magnet projects a magnetic field and interacts with the coil to create a current that is connected to volume and tone pots, and then on to the output jack.

What do single-coil pickups sound like?

Single-coil pickups on the whole sound bright, articulate and a bit twangy. The classic Telecaster’s single-coils create a clankier, glassier crisper tone, with less of an emphasis on midrange frequencies. A Stratocaster’s single-coils are often a bit hotter in output and push more through the midrange.

Single-coils can cover pretty much every musical genre but are most closely related to the formative genres in which they emerged, those being rock, jazz, blues, pop, RnB, folk, and, later, indie music. You can still get excellent hard rock and metal tones with a bit of tweaking and especially with the Stratocaster single-coil, which often possesses more output and thump than their Tele counterparts. Achieving high-gain tones are often best achieved in post-production when recording where it’s possible to remove the spikier dynamics of the EQ.

If you’re turning up the gain or fuzz through your amp for live performances, consider using compression pedals to keep volume and attack consistent or a noise gate to kill unwanted sound in between notes. Some single-coils can struggle with substantial amounts of distortion dialled in on your amp. Modern “hum-cancelling” designs go some way to eliminate the unwanted feedback.

Who makes single-coil pickups?

The illustrious Leo Fender was the most successful guitar builder to market the modern instrument using single-coil pickups. In 1948, the Fender Esquire was released with one single-coil in the bridge position. A year later, the Telecaster added a second to the neck position. With these creations, he would ignite the future of guitar playing. Fender continues to equip most of their guitars with updated “noiseless” single-coils.

Other guitar companies and pickup brands have created their own single-coils, such as Gretsch with the crisp and twangy HiLo’Tron, Danelectro with the super thin sounding lipstick pickup or Seymour Duncan, Lollar and TV Jones with their own unique iterations of the famed design. Almost every major pickup brand has its own version of a single-coil, be it vintage in character, hot-rodded or even an active pickup version.

Who uses single-coil pickups?

Jimi Hendrix, Mark Knopfler, Stevie Ray Vaughan, David Gilmour and John Mayer – there is an exhaustive list of incredible world-renowned guitarists who have developed their distinct sounds with the use of single-coil pickups.

Innovative pedal brand Walrus Audio are known for making some of the most inspiring, experimental and unique sounding stompboxes in the current effects pedal scene.

While some larger companies make versatile pedals to cater to a wider market, the Oklahoma pedal builders tend to focus on niche tones that their engineers and artists want to create for themselves. From punchy overdrives to distortion, ambient reverb to tremolo and swirling phaser to chorus, there’s a wealth of effects to explore.

There’s also often more than meets the eye with Walrus Audio pedals, as they like to give us guitarists a bunch of little treats to keep us occupied with their effects and to help us find different ways to use their pedals.

I’ve picked out five of the coolest features you might have missed in the manual and even the Easter eggs they’ve hidden only for the real experimenters to discover.

Featured Walrus Audio Pedals