jomara1611 Posted October 11, 2018 Share Posted October 11, 2018 I am a beginner guitarist who currently has an ampli 150 with no footpedal. I was looking at the the firehawk fx since i almost always use headphones when playing. I have the amplifi in a closet and its a pain to take it out if i want to play for 30 minutes and if i keep the amplifi i would want the fbv floorboard. Is the firehawk fx a worthwhile upgrade? or should i splurge and get the helix stomp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kilrahi Posted October 11, 2018 Share Posted October 11, 2018 Well that's a challenging question and it comes down to a number of things that are hard for me to know. The biggest is "what is most important to you as a guitar player?" If it's pure sound as good as it can be - well then the HX Stomp kills the Firehawk. However, if what you're more in to is the ease of setting up tones, then I'd have to say the Firehawk takes the win. Below is kind of my perspective on both. My advice would be to determine which features are the MOST important to you. 1. Firehawk: This is the unit I first purchased (Kind of - I got the Firehawk 1500 which is basically a killer amp that had a baby with a Firehawk) and I still adore it and spend hours lost in its possibilities. It's greatest strength compared to the HX Stomp is affordability and simplicity of use. It has a HUGE array of useful amps, cabs, and effects just like HX Stomp, but it also has a Bluetooth app for use on Android or IOS that allows for extremely quick and easy chain setup. Further, you can quickly download signal chains from the cloud that other power users have created. The other day I wanted to create the perfect "Sweet Child of Mine" tone and within seconds I'd found some great choices from the cloud, tweaked the one I liked, and then I saved it so I could easily access it later. It has a built in wah/volume pedal, AND of you're ever even remotely tempted to get a Variax guitar (and they're awesome by the way) this has the connections for using one to its fullest - the HX Stomp does not. 2. HX Stomp - If you're a hardcore guitarist, the tragic blackhole is that no matter how much money you "save" buying some great all in one rig, somehow you always find yourself wanting the next big improvement. If you are this type of guitarist, there's a good chance that as soon as you get the Firehawk you'll already be dreaming of the next step up in sound. This is one of the HX Stomp's biggest draw points as quite frankly, it has the better sounds when compared to the Firehawk. What's more, the Firehawk appears to be a finished product whereas the Helix family is still Line 6's pride and joy, which means you're going to still get more and more free updated tones as time goes on. Whereas the Firehawk is portable, this thing completely trounces the Firehawk or anything else on portability (I mean - LOOK AT IT!). Finally, it will seamlessly melt into any future rig you may want to expand to, and that includes attaching to a Firehawk, a Helix Effects, LT, Headrush - the sky is the limit. The only drawbacks? It's $200 MORE expensive than the Firehawk, it does not have a built in expression pedal (another $100) and the fact is it is not even close to as easy to quickly setup a quality tone, or as easy to access it's features (three switches and no app as opposed to the 12 switches, foot switch, AND the app for the Firehawk - Plus no Variax input). Whew. Tough Decsion. So which profile do you feel best fits you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertgoddard Posted October 12, 2018 Share Posted October 12, 2018 HX Stomp is limited. At $600, you'll need an external expression pedal with a toe switch to extend the functionality. Also, add in a volume pedal. The Mission Engineering expression pedal is $130, VPjr volume pedals are $100? So you'll be invested roughly $830 for a "Baby Helix" when you can just buy a used Helix LT for $800 on Reverb. The LT will offer much more functionality and more effects blocks and routing options. I'm saving for a Helix.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jomara1611 Posted October 12, 2018 Author Share Posted October 12, 2018 one of the biggest features for me is ease of use. I was leaning toward the firehawk fx untill the helix stomp came out. but am going to stick with my original plan and get the firehawk fx. makes more sense being a casual player that doesnt have a lot of time to play. Hoping a new toy gets me playing more 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFrance Posted October 15, 2018 Share Posted October 15, 2018 I had a firehawk FX before a Helix LT. I really loved it (the first step that makes me stay with Line 6). I believe that for your needs, this is really the best solution. It's a simple device, you already know the ergonomy of the app and you've got a pedal. It's sounded a bit less good than the Helix and it's limited but the Stomp is too (much more on some specs) . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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