HX Stomp as backup to FM3

Ugly Bunny

Ugly Bunny

Power User
Well, after recently porting my Axe Fx III presets to my FM3 (so I can keep my Axe Fx III set up in the studio), I decided to whip up a few presets on my HX Stomp that lives in my gig duffel bag just in case the FM3 goes down. I made a basic clean, dirty, and acoustic preset, as well as downtuned versions of each using the Poly Pitch block.

This exercise made me really appreciate my FM3 tone & feel, and especially DSP; for the downtuned clean and dirty, I could have literally NO other blocks other than the poly pitch block and the combo amp+cab block. Luckily, my acoustic preset was more or less just a few EQs and a compressor, so I had a bit more flexibility, but man; trying to coax a tone that sounds anywhere near as good as my FM3 is a real challenge :sweat:

Anyway, what are y'all using as a backup to your FM3? Or is your FM3 a backup to something else, like your Axe Fx III?
 
I also use my HX Stomp as a "holy shit" backup solution in case the FM3 were to go down at a gig. :)
I've always been able to get awesome sounds out of both my old Helix floor and the Stomp.
Having said that...the little "digital artifacts" that are really pronounced when holding a sustained note during a lead always bothered me with Helix.

Audience probably doesn't hear it....but I do.

And yes, I prefer the FM3 to Helix. But it's not like they are super far apart in tone. The HX Stomp is a great backup unit and I wouldn't miss a beat if I had to switch over mid-gig.
 
I really really really wanted to use an HX Stomp as a backup but I just can't work with the LED buzzing. Oh, and it doesn't sound as good as I'd like either.... but the LED noise was so annoying it had to go.
 
MicroMort said:
I really really really wanted to use an HX Stomp as a backup but I just can't work with the LED buzzing. Oh, and it doesn't sound as good as I'd like either.... but the LED noise was so annoying it had to go.
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Huh. I never noticed that... can you describe how you get that problem (or how I can recreate it)?

Robbie Boyette said:
But it's not like they are super far apart in tone.
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I think that the Helix Floor can be dialed in to sound as good as a similar amp/preset in the FM3, but the Stomp just doesn't have enough blocks or parameters. I can never get exactly the tone I'm looking for it in, but I can get close enough to use in an emergency situation.
 
Ugly Bunny said:
I think that the Helix Floor can be dialed in to sound as good as a similar amp/preset in the FM3, but the Stomp just doesn't have enough blocks or parameters. I can never get exactly the tone I'm looking for it in, but I can get close enough to use in an emergency situation.
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Since my tone itself is really just the distortion pedal model, amp model, and IR I've never had any problem with that.
And I play classic rock and pop stuff. So I don't need much more than a clean, crunch, lead sound with delay, a wah, and occasional Flanger (for "Barracuda" lol).
So for me it's the perfect backup.

The FM3 modeling though just sounds a hair better to me. :)
 
I got one when they first came out as a backup to my trusty old AX8
I never bonded with it and sold it, much preferred the amp modelling in the Atomic units. Had an AA6 for a while and have a Amplifirebox as my "in case of emergency" backup.
Having seen all the hype about the recent 3.11 in Helix-land I saw a almost brand new stomp for sale dirt cheap and thought I'd have another go. Partly out of curiosity but also as I'd need something with better effects and the ability to do more advanced presets as the sounds I need in my new band are more involved

I've had the Stomp a few days and it is a lot better than I remember but not close to the III/FM3 for me. I'm gonna spend some time with it to see what it can do
 
I use a variax for my live gigs which I have a love/hate relationship with. More love than hate haha depends on the day. Since I don’t find the FM3 virtual capo very usable, I was thinking of selling my kemper Stage and getting a Boss GP-10. That way if my variax went down I could use the GP-10 for alternate tunings and guitar modeling. And if my FM3 went down, the GP-10 also has its own amps, cabs and effects. From what I’ve heard, the boss amps and effects aren’t too bad
 
Jipps0525 said:
I use a variax for my live gigs which I have a love/hate relationship with. More love than hate haha depends on the day. Since I don’t find the FM3 virtual capo very usable, I was thinking of selling my kemper Stage and getting a Boss GP-10. That way if my variax went down I could use the GP-10 for alternate tunings and guitar modeling. And if my FM3 went down, the GP-10 also has its own amps, cabs and effects. From what I’ve heard, the boss amps and effects aren’t too bad
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That's why I'm SOOOooo hoping the Axe III's Virtual Capo comes to the FM3. The FM3's is serviceable, as is the Stomp's, but neither is as good as the Axe's. I, too, have mixed feelings for my Variax. It's a good tool for the job (90's cover band), but it's not my favorite guitar.
 
Ugly Bunny said:
That's why I'm SOOOooo hoping the Axe III's Virtual Capo comes to the FM3. The FM3's is serviceable, as is the Stomp's, but neither is as good as the Axe's. I, too, have mixed feelings for my Variax. It's a good tool for the job (90's cover band), but it's not my favorite guitar.
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Have you checked out the GP-10? You can then play any guitar you want with the gk3 pickup and have all your tunings. I like my Variax a lot there’s just so much that can go wrong and if you’re out of warranty you’re kinda SOL.
Also, might I ask why the Stomp over the PodGO?
 
I’ve found that if you use the same IR and choose an amp block that exists on both, in many cases you can get it to sound pretty close. Close enough that literally no one in the crowd will know or care. But… there’s definitely a difference in feel. There are some nuances that the Stomp doesn’t seem to accomplish at least on the DC30 model I was trying. And it has far, far fewer advanced parameters to try and capture that missing feel component. As a backup rig though, it’s great. Or maybe for someone who doesn’t have access to an FM3 and wouldn’t know the difference. They both sound good either way.
 
I use my Tech 21 DP-3X or Bass Fly Rig...........I know, I'm that guy who only plays 4 strings.....
In fact I use either of these pedals for most everything except gigs & recording.
 
Robbie Boyette said:
I also use my HX Stomp as a "holy shit" backup solution in case the FM3 were to go down at a gig. :)
I've always been able to get awesome sounds out of both my old Helix floor and the Stomp.
Having said that...the little "digital artifacts" that are really pronounced when holding a sustained note during a lead always bothered me with Helix.

Audience probably doesn't hear it....but I do.

And yes, I prefer the FM3 to Helix. But it's not like they are super far apart in tone. The HX Stomp is a great backup unit and I wouldn't miss a beat if I had to switch over mid-gig.
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^^^ Hi Robbie. If you haven't already done so, load FW 3.11 on to your HX stomp - you'll be amazed at what you dont hear :)

All the best,
Ben
Happy Helix LT and Happy FM3 Owner and User
 
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Jipps0525 said:
Have you checked out the GP-10? You can then play any guitar you want with the gk3 pickup and have all your tunings. I like my Variax a lot there’s just so much that can go wrong and if you’re out of warranty you’re kinda SOL.
Also, might I ask why the Stomp over the PodGO?
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I got the Stomp long before the PodGo was released. I don't have any use (normally) for an expression pedal and the size is also perfect to throw the Stomp in the little side pocket in the duffel bag. I'll have to check out the GP-10; I'm not crazy about the look or modding a guitar for something like that, but to basically have a Variax out of any guitar I want is a pretty cool idea. I wonder if they have a model with 5-pin DIN MIDI...
 
Ugly Bunny said:
Anyway, what are y'all using as a backup to your FM3? Or is your FM3 a backup to something else, like your Axe Fx III?
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The HX Stomp makes a great backup to the FM3. At a show, with the same IRs, I don't think anyone would notice a deterioration in sound quality. Obviously it's a different story when it comes to recording.

Though I'm wondering if you actually really need a backup unit when you're using the FM3, or if the fear comes from the uncertain tube amp days, when you couldn't really gig with your mind at ease without a backup...and obviously everything would break on that one night you couldn't be bothered dragging that second head with you...

Unless you're gigging on a brand new beta, how likely is for an unabused FM3 or Axe FXIII to go down? I would think that most venues' PAs, lighting, stages and even ceilings are more likely to go down than your FAS unit :p
 
DanielePanza said:
Though I'm wondering if you actually really need a backup unit when you're using the FM3, or if the fear comes from the uncertain tube amp days, when you couldn't really gig with your mind at ease without a backup...and obviously everything would break on that one night you couldn't be bothered dragging that second head with you...

Unless you're gigging on a brand new beta, how likely is for an unabused FM3 or Axe FXIII to go down? I would think that most venues' PAs, lighting, stages and even ceilings are more likely to go down than your FAS unit
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This is probably all true. I have gigged with the Axe III for 3 years without a single issue. We even got rained on (downpour, not drizzle) and all my gear worked just fine afterward. Stuff these days is a lot more reliable and resilient than it used to be, but I still feel like it's prudent to have a backup. I haven't broken a string in years, yet I still bring a backup guitar lol
 
DanielePanza said:
The HX Stomp makes a great backup to the FM3. At a show, with the same IRs, I don't think anyone would notice a deterioration in sound quality. Obviously it's a different story when it comes to recording.

Though I'm wondering if you actually really need a backup unit when you're using the FM3, or if the fear comes from the uncertain tube amp days, when you couldn't really gig with your mind at ease without a backup...and obviously everything would break on that one night you couldn't be bothered dragging that second head with you...

Unless you're gigging on a brand new beta, how likely is for an unabused FM3 or Axe FXIII to go down? I would think that most venues' PAs, lighting, stages and even ceilings are more likely to go down than your FAS unit :p
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I agree, I've gigged and played with my Fractals (AX8 and now a III and an FM3) consistently for the past 4 or 5 years and -touch wood- they've been impeccably dependable

However s##t happens, and I'm a big believer in the 7x P's, so I think it's important to have a good backup. Just in case

I've been playing around with the Stomp and they've certainly improved it. But it just doesn't have that extra % the Fractals seem to have and I just don't enjoy the Stomp tones as much as the Fractals. I can get the Stomp to sound pretty good but it takes a lot more work than the Fractal
 
HX Stomp is a no-brainer as a backup device due to its small size. If you want you could even use it together with the FM3 to augment its capabilities!

The biggest failing of the whole Helix series is the cab block. Use a 3rd party IR instead and it's great.
 
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