Can I get these sort of sounds using the HX stomp? (Blake Mills)

[nusskipferl]

I would like to get these sort of sounds for my bedroom and lower volume sessions. It doesn't have to be exact, I would be satisfied with just getting into that realm, as long as it feels like a real amp.

Though I'm afraid I will spend way too much time tweaking settings, a modeler like the HX stomp seems like the most sensible option for my needs. According to various comparisons on youtube, it can sound incredibly close to the real deal if the same cab + speaker is used (example). The most important aspect to me is the way it sounds in the room.

 

Now the question is what sort of amplification I should go for. I've ruled out an FRFR speaker because I want it to feel as close to a real amp as possible (not a recorded one playing out of monitors). I also really dislike the aesthetics of the line6 powercabs and the like.

I'm drawn to the idea of plugging the HX stomp into the effects return of something like a Roland JC-40 (a great amp on its own) or a Peavey Bandit. Do you think this would get me anywhere in the right ballpark?

 

https://www.facebook.com/artistsden/videos/1167788613874790/

 

[datacommando]

On 2/13/2025 at 10:52 AM, nusskipferl said:

as long as it feels like a real amp.

 

I want it to feel as close to a real amp as possible (not a recorded one playing out of monitors).

 

Hi,

 

Oh, dear - here we go again - I think you really need to read this!

 

https://blog.line6.com/2023/09/15/eric-klein-at-least-half-of-your-modelers-sound-is-determined-by-your-playback-system/

 

Hope this helps/makes sense.

[nusskipferl]

Hi datacommando, sorry for being another one of those guys ;)
 

Thank you for sharing this article. It does give me a good overview of all the options.

 

Here are my thoughts:

I like having limited options, and thus would prefer having one decent cab that works for most of the amp models I'd use (mostly fender I guess). Therefore, the two options for me are "power amp + cab" or "standalone amp with effects return".

The option I'm currently favouring is a Roland JC-40 (HX into fx return). It is a great amp by itself, holds its value and stero would even enable me to e.g. run two different amp models at the same time. What I'm wondering is whether something like a Tweed deluxe model would work through it. I'm worried that the jc-40 frequency response is too different from your typical fender cab.

[datacommando]

On 2/14/2025 at 11:36 AM, nusskipferl said:

Thank you for sharing this article. It does give me a good overview of all the options.

Hmm… are you sure you read the article? I ask because it would appear that you didn’t quite grasp what was being expressed.

 

Your first post mentioned a couple of important things that were covered in the article.

1. I would like to get these sort of sounds for my bedroom and lower volume sessions.
2. I've ruled out an FRFR speaker because I want it to feel as close to a real amp as possible (not a recorded one playing out of monitors). 

I’m intrigued because are asking about amp/cab combinations for bedroom level duties? This sort of listening environment is generally better served with a pair of 5” studio monitors, or a decent pair of headphones. This would give you complete control over the playback, and listening to, what appears to be a Fender Super Reverb in the Blake Mills screen shot. Yes, that amp was included in the latest v.3.80 firmware.

 

Here’s a video from Steve Sterlacci for a little more insight about playback systems.

 

 

 

Hope this helps/makes sense.

[DunedinDragon]

To further clarify things, that tone on the video was produced in a recording studio and it's highly unlikely he played that through any kind of amp.  The tone you hear is representative of the type of microphone used to capture the guitar for the recording.  The tone of the guitar sounds great to me, but I'm listening to it through a pair of Yamaha HS7 studio monitors.  If you were to listen to that video through any of those amps you've mentioned it would probably sound good, but not nearly as clear and precise as I was hearing it because amp speakers aren't that sophisticated due to the fact they have a limited frequency response range.  And in all likelihood, with your guitar you would be hearing it through the piezo-electric pickups in your guitar, not captured on a high quality recording studio mic setup.

 

With that in mind the HXStomp would provide you with all the same capabilities used for studio recording including the selection of cabinet, mic and mic placement which will give you a greater degree of consistency with how his guitar was captured and playing it back through studio monitors would come very close.  When it comes to acoustic guitar I've never used an amp as it's just not the right tool for the job.  I always, even to this day, go direct to the mixing board and in a live setting pretty much ALL PA's use FRFR style speakers for the reasons cited above.