I agree with everyone here , and the guys too !!! ....I was on the fence for the MX5 and found one for $375 used , basically brand new though.....I gutted and deleted all the presets without even wasting any time listening to any of them ....I then printed a 40 page manual from their website so i can find things faster if needed - but honestly this processor really is simple to navigate and remember too ....I then went into global settings and dumped the global nose gate, and made other personal adjustments to my liking - i rather add a noise gate to each 'rig' that I build, maked more sense........I took some notes on what I wanted from an acoustic rig up thru a full-on moshing metal rig!....so I wanted to build 10 'rigs' basically ....and I did all if it within an hour+ ....I flipped back and forth from a humbucker , single coil , and P90 guitars too - so I knew what 'feel' I was ending up with ...I even doubled a few patches and just edited the gain levels to make up for the pickups being used .....when i was done - I have a perfectly modded processor that I hooked another expression pedal to and even a wacky delay-modulation pedal into the effect loop so I now have an *All in 1* complete RIG processor!!!....I then ran her thru a valve combo and a Roland BluesCube(solid state) with different tone-cube-tubes to see which was best (the Eric Johnson was the best one!) ...so it (the MX5 ) passed all the tests and obstacles i threw at her!!!! ...NOW - I am slowly designing tone specific 'rigs' to match iconic guitar tones the closest as possible and - in all honesty - I can really dial in some authentic sounds !!! ( the Satch and the Mayer ones being literally spot on!!!...still working on a SRV, but its a lot of fun to keep trying!) ... SO - in my final opinion - The *MX5* is capable of being a *one processor* final unit for under $400 that can still build future tones , but the ones that you do spend some time tweaking - become so beautiful that you wonder how in the hell this can cost this little and offer so much in sonic capabilites!!! ...and you really learn to navigate the menus in an instant which is helpful!! ...unlike the other ones I have tried on the market at the same or greater price, which were difficult to use!!!....SO - get yourself one!!! - try it out !! ...KILL ALL the presets and build the noises in your head and your gonna love this box of madness!!!....Cheers! from Chicago!!!....be safe + healthy every1 !!!
Totally agree about ALL the different companies and the out of box presets. It’s the digital age and everyone knows these things are going to be capable of extreme sounds. 5 good presets as starting points would be better than 200 that suck.
I always hoped to have the installed presets would just just each amp with a matching cab with maybe delay/reverb and overdrive. Give a good overview of each amp without all the crazy effect extremes. Use your website or user group to DL the other craziness you might want.
I tried. I tried so hard. I made them 30 ish awesome presets that actually sound useable. They went with presets from a "local pro".. some old blues guy who plays mediocre guitar and has no idea how to dial in an amp modeller. InMusic is clueless when it comes to almost everything. If it weren't for my bitching this things more expensive bigger brother wouldnt have had IR capabilities at launch.. idiots.
I purchased one of these two weeks ago and love it. The noise gate annoyed the heck out me until I found out you double tap the IN signal box and you can adjust or delete the noise gate in that menu. Once sorted I love it. Great for making your own presets and so intuitive to use which is what put me off the competition
I just got one of these yesterday, and here you guys are posting about it. I'm pretty happy with it. It's a practice tool for me, and for that purpose it works as advertised. But if I want any kind of volume, I'm using my tube amp and analog pedalboard. Also wanted to say that I completely disagree with Pete's comment about the expression pedal. It's better with it. It's exactly what I wanted - a simple all-in-one solution that I can just throw in my backpack.
Yes I’ve seen videos of the expression pedal being used really well. It’s always good to watch andertons to get know new gear but not to trust their opinions on them :)
I've had one of these for a few weeks now. After unboxing it and going through the presets I almost returned it. It didn't sound right and even worse it didn't feel right. Well, it's been a few weeks now and after learning more about it and rolling my own presets I'm quite amazed at the great tones and feel I'm getting. It's a small box with a lot of power. The MX5 allows for building rigs with dual amps and cabs, something the Pod Go will never be capable of. It also comes with loads of IR's already loaded into the unit and ready to use. The looper is handy too, you can actually save loops within the unit. I'm using it to store riffs and song ideas.
This video doesn’t do the unit justice. There is an Al Joseph video on TH-cam and a Jason Roller video as well with this unit and you get a much better grasp of its real capabilities.
The MX5 is great! BUT Make sure you adjust the gate on the INPUT. factory presets tend to have it chopping the notes a bit too early. You can load backing tracks as loops!! A great feature!
Definitely agree with the presets. Coming from a Hot Rod Deluxe III and full pedalboard, the presets made me think the sounds out of the MX5 sucked, but after scrapping all the presets and making my own, I was able to get some awesome sounds and nearly replicate my old setup. It's awesome for people who want something on the go that can get a ton of organic sounds and for small spaces. I think the amp models are where the MX5 and Headrush in general shines. Most of them are pretty spot on, and Headrush is always quick to respond and take input from its users.
"Delete all the presets" - as an owner of this unit, that's more or less what I've done as well. You might think that means it's not a good unit, but look at how fast they were able to make an outstanding sounding patch with just a few pedals in the signal chain. The thing has all of the high quality building blocks, but the patches aren't great. Mostly I would attribute it to the compression.
I got mine from Andertons this week , it was on offer £299 , brought for a back up , but now using as main board , it sounds amazing when you make your own presets.. and so easy to use and fits in my side pocket of guitar bag ,you could take aboard in hand luggage.. my line 6 is my back now ….i play in a rock blues duo ,really happy with my purchase thx Andertons
I have had one of these for a couple of months. Been comparing it to my PODGo and decided the POD will go. My experience is, I can dial in tones that I am happier with quicker and easier than with the PG. I was constantly fiddling with the PG, never really happy with it and not getting much else done. The key to the MX-5 is IRs although I don't think the stock cabs are bad, especially the latest ones with the newer firmware, and then dialing in the low cut around 80htz and the hi cut down to around 9khtz. Did the same with the PG but still not happy. That's what works for me. Also the MX-5 feels better to me. My opinion.
I've had the POD GO for two weeks now and I'm still not sold on it. I have spent hours creating a handful of presets to dial up -- I'll get it to a point that sounds good and save it, but then the next day, hear something else to tweak in or out of the tone, and thus have been in that ongoing cycle. I've been teetering on returning it in exchange for the MX5 on a daily basis. The thing that bugs me the most is I guess what they call "fizz", particularly in the bassy notes. That may be a common issue in all digital modelers, but is especially highlighted in the forums when it comes to Line 6.
You set the noise gate on the input (where the pad lock is) so you can disable it completely or lower the floor. It is a simple floor gate so if you want a full Noise gate still need to add one but Its useful to remove background hum without cutting leads and again you can totally disable with two taps of the finger. I like the MX5, Its a great all in one. If I want a hybrid board I use the HX stomp for digital effects / Amp / Cab / IR but whether I'm going into a amp or direct to PA / monitor, I've ended up using the MX5 more and more. Drop it in the front of gig bag and your ready for the pub jam, Plug in balanced cables and your all set for playing at the desk, or Hook it up to an amp and you have a great set of effects. Presets suck as always. I was put off modelers for years as every time I tried one it was jammed full of over saturated rubbish. It was only after seeing the stomp on so many boards I gave one a closer look. Would much prefer a few basic presets with demo it's range than 999 that I would never use. I get these are there to appeal to pedal beginners but shit sound is shit sound. If you haven't given these DSP units the time of day they are well worth looking at. Stomp and MX5 are my most constant used bits of kit and, although my heart still likes some analogue OD at the start of the chain, I'm not sure I can hear the difference anymore.
I got one. What sold me against the Pod Go is that it definitely has the same power as the big ones. You can run two amps in parallel and you're way less limited in term of how many effects you can put at the same time. I kinda prefer the high gain tones on the Pod Go, and I wish it had more buttons to program more than 3 scenes, but it can do some really cool things that the Pod go can't, and it's even more portable. I got one preset where I run an amp and an acoustic simulator at the same time, it's pretty cool. There's even a default preset in here where you can blend two amps together using the expression pedal. A couple of people are doing IRs for the Headrush too, with demo rigs that sounds way better than the presets. Also not sure if the Pod Go does this, but you can create setlists to organise your presets, which is really useful. I haven't deleted the stock presets, but I can just cycle through my custom presets without even having to look at the stock ones. By the way the global noise gate is on the In block on the complete start of your chain.
@@accentontheoff I've gotten some real good tones out of it, but 3 months ago it just refused to boot up, Rainbow of Death. It has been on repair ever since. I miss it a lot, but now I'm kinda scare it'll crap out on me while out of warranty.
If you ever feel useless, remember that there is at least one guy creating all these presets for multifx units. That should lift your spirits right up.
okkkkkk.....I don't know if i actually learned much, but those out takes?..... you guys made me smile. Thats why i keep coming back to one of the best guitar channels on TH-cam
Totally agree with your views on factory presets and their role in getting a first impression for units like these. I think most multieffects can and should limit themselves to as few as possible, and just dial them in really well - as opposed to what's usually on there, which is like 50 minimum-effort sounds and a few really weird unusable ones. In the case of the HeadRush MX5, all it would really need is these: 1. Clean Fender amp with a bunch of effects, all of which are turned off initially but are enabled with scenes. 2. Crunchy Marshall, set up similarly to start dry and then add effects with scenes. 3. 5150-ish metal amp, again set up the same way. 4. Stereo rig where the expression pedal pans the signal, as a showcase of it having alternative signal-paths. 5. Bass rig set up like the first 3. Take the time to dial those 5 presets in just right, and that's all you need to showcase the unit.
I have the full Headrush Pedalboard from a few years ago and while I don't use any of the presets, the rig building potential has been solid especially if you're using the 4 cable method with an amp of your choice.
@@ScrambleBandOfficial the Headrush is no amp modeler, so while the presets are fine, sometimes an amp you're already used to is better to record. It's really just personal preference though. I wouldn't say it's an extreme advantage using 4CM
It's been a while since we've had a proper Pete breakdown, ha ha. I really enjoy watching those two loose it. Makes making product demos look like fun.
After having the Headrush MX5 for a month I must say I am impressed with this tiny powerhouse. I understand that Andertons makes comparisons to Marshall, Mesa Boogie and Peavey 5150 as the amps are on this modeler. However what I am must impressed that is not covered in this video, is the 97-RB-01 (Bogner three channel), 93 MS30 (Matchless) and 89 SL-100 (Soldano) are performing in the MX5. The overdrive pedals are really good in the MX5, but you have to turn some knob (I mean slide the finger on the touch screen) to get a perfect match of amps and overdrive amps. The touch screen is a live saver and it's really easy to use when find the perfect setup in no time.
When I started in the early 80's I would have been in heaven with a device like that for 400 bucks. That alone justifies a purchase. Owning a rig including a Soldano, cabinet, effects, microphones and maybe a second rig for stereo, say with a cleaner fender amp, etc. how much is that 10000? The cables alone would cost more.
I’m gonna get one. You need to put time into it. It’s basically like having a bunch of amps, cabs, and pedals. The combinations are almost endless. What I like about it is it’s all you need with your guitar.
@@vladlabyrinth6335 no, the pod go isn’t good. There is barely any software updates and it also is $100 more expensive. The expression pedal is also pretty bad compared to the mx5. The mx5 has tons of tones that you can also download on the website on your pc, while the Pod Go has barely any tones on the site. There is a software that you can get for the pod go, and it does help setting up tones, but it is pretty slow. I don’t recommend the pod go. Its just not good…
As an owner of the Headrush pedalboard I can tell you I use exactly zero factory presets. The Headrush is capable of so much more than the factory presets show as none of them use IR's. Use the Jason Roller Bogner IR on any factory preset and it is instantly 10 times better. Just take the time to make your own setlist of your own presets.
Exactly what you said. I've tried countless IRs and I keep coming back to the Jason Roller Bogner IR, it is incredible. I have the big board and the gig board, but I think I will sell the latter and get the MX5 because I use the expression pedal a ton.
I have an mx5 it sounds really good through the orange super crush head and cab. For the price of a nice couple of pedals....this thing absolutely rocks. Plus I can take it on the road with me with no amp to lug and I can headphone straight in.
Couldn't agree more about the initial reaction. I have the actual Headrush Pedalboard, but it just blew yesterday (after owning it a little more than a year). I have no clue how much it will be to fix it, and god knows how many weeks it will be away, so I bought a POD GO as a stop gap processor. I bought the Line 6 mainly in protest to having repair the Headrush after owning it for less that 2 years, but the POD GO started malfunctioning in less than 48 hours, so it's going back. Now I'm thinking of the MX5 as a stop gap until the big board comes back from repairs (I can use one of them for my bass, so having 2 units works for me. I also assume I can transfer all the patches and IRs I have in the big unit onto the smaller unit). Anyhow, those first 10 presets you demo'd made me think this unit was based on a different sound engine. Thankfully, The Cap'n saved the day. It's the same sound as the big board.
Great patent idea on the detachable expression pedal, jump on it. Have it magnetized to the side with some connection points and either have it have a rechargeable wireless battery or 9V. I want in on the design.🤘😉🤘
Beginner here. I love the presets. I had the BOSS ME-50 before, but feel the MX5 blows that away. I don’t have an ear, so for me, this effects box is awesome right out of the box! I love punk (DK), and death/black metal and some of the presets are awesome. 🤘🤘
I am glad that you guys made your own presets. A lot of those presets sounded inaccurate, but your presets sounded way better. It definitely can bias customers, especially when Headrush makes some of the most affordable multi-effects units.
In fairness, I've owned several of these units and the "canned" patches almost universally suck. I now own an HX Stomp and, after going through the canned patches once, I never touch them now.
I got the full pedal board version because it's so easy to edit. I've had other multi FX and gadgets that are brilliant - but too complex for me to actually understand and use, so end up as a total waste of cash. But this, I'm actually using it! Sometimes I wonder about just getting a load of pedals, but all the hassle of power and cables... I just need something that works without the worry of loose cables, batteries, etc. And the Headrush has a tonne of FX and tones.
For us new guys the presets are handy as we struggle to make sound similar to bands & songs we like. Granted they could be better but it’s a good starting point until we learn about signal chains & the like.
Wish I had someone to tweak my pedal controls while I sit back and play - perfect 😎 An interesting and informative video as ever chaps 👌🏻 (and the added bonus of a blooper reel).
After watching a few other reviews I came across yours. Your method of poking around and seeing what happened showed how easy it was to use. I kept thinking, press the three little dots at the upper right. You sold me on this unit, Thanks!
Some UTUBER's bad mouth the Marshall Code 25. I personally think it's one of the best sounding modeling amps. The key just like the model units, you have to dial in for each guitar and turn the noise gate OFF.
Katana MKII....good bye (Sold it and bought DSL20...) Was getting by with my GT1..... Now getting one of these to go with my Origin 20 head, wife can even use this! (Touch screen) Thanks Boys!!
I totally agree with the problem with the presets and have said it for more than 20 years now. Bad presets are the very thing that give multi effects pedals a bad rap. I can remember being in my local music store back in the 90's when they got in a demo of one of the DigiTech pedals of the time. They took it out of the box, hooked it up, played a few of the first presets and were done with it. I took it to the amp room and played with it for about 15 minutes to figure it out. Then it got their attention.
Heart Pnwer (Owner of a Lonely Heart [Yes]) Scared Robot (Paranoid Android [Radiohead]) ...and the video that makes people buy these, is probably the one by Pete Thorn.
@@Floortile83 Black metal, prog metal, math metal, whatever-it's-called-now metal. It's always a young kid sitting in front of a half stack or combo with the volume up too high. Chuga-chuga & speed scales.
I have a headrush and it is awesome! Once you add your own IRs I think the aunt models in there sound great put it through a line 6 speaker cab and you are in heaven!
How’s sound through cab vs pa type speakers? I want the larger version but want to run it direct through this big 4x4 Ibanez cab to utilize the stereo effects. (I’m a sucker for stereo chorus)
@@jeffrey.a.hanson it needs to be a powered speaker or flat response speaker. I ran it through a head and 5150 speaker sounded like crap. I use the line6 speaker, it’s $799 but sounds great
It's not that these companies intentionally put no effort into the presets. It's that so much of how good a tone will sound depends on your guitar, pickups, room and, most importantly, personal preference that's it's impossible to have great sounding presets out-of-the-box. You're always going to get much better tones with a bit of tweaking then presets can ever achieve. The thing that they are good for is to use as templates for the sound you want to achieve.
Had mine for a few weeks, and it's a lot better than the vid suggests. The presets are crap, but once you find some core amp tones you like and download a few third party IR's it's a totally different ballgame.
Gentlemen, I have enjoyed your videos for years now, and am a regular watcher and subscriber, so may I make a constructive comment? This video post is following a disappointing trend on TH-cam in that your thumbnail is very "clickbaity" - to the point where if all I did was originally look at the video thumbnail and saw Lee's sour face, I may have decided to skip watching it, and not even consider the product. Luckily, in my case, I had already purchased (and liked) the MX5 prior to watching this video, but I can see where potentially many casual users would disregard both the product, and even watching the video if they happen to skim their home page. You guys have always been solid, and don't have the need to resort to these tactics, IMO. In any event, thanks for the years of demos, great playing, and great entertainment (the last 2-3 minutes were priceless!) Cheers!
Idea: Pedal manufacturers should design presets around models of guitar and pickup configurations (Fender strat, Gibson Les Paul, etc). That might help. Maybe. Probably not.
No, you’re exactly right. Just like with the real amps and pedals, guitars (mainly pickup type and how hot they are) can drive the amps very differently and produce totally different sounds. I have been using the Headrush Pedal board for a long time now, and the rigs I have created are all specific to certain guitars, and in a lot of cases certain pickup options. A rig that I build for my strat on the neck pickup will sound buttery and smooth with the volume rolled down and a bit of bark when it’s all the way up. but as soon as I switch to the PAF in the bridge setup in series configuration, it drives the amp way way too hard and sounds a lot different. I think that’s one of the downfalls of this kind of modeller that is so close to the real thing. People just expect to be able to plug in and sound like whatever the patch says it is, but it just will never work like that.
I bought mine cause I needed an all in one small unit that I can carry in a bag. The cabs aren't that good. I downloaded the free Celestion cab IRs that are included in the box and problem solved!!!! These 2 IRs sound amazing with every amp model. I power it with the HR frfr 8" and that's it. I haven't used an amp since. The rig delivers at open venues. Plug it to the PA and a bit of monitoring
I just wish one of these companies would combine these multi-fx units with a full pedalboard switcher like the boss es-8, gigrig, etc... Meaning, I wish they'd add 6 or 8 or 12 fx loops rather than the one or two fx loops they usually have, so one could combine the built in effects with a full outboard pedalboard and arrange the pedals/fx in any order desired. It would make them so much more useful, in my opinion.
You can do exactly that with any of these, especially the headrush pedalboard. Moved the pedals in any order you want (even a different order on the foot switches that differs from the pedal chain order for switching ease) and set up “scenes” so it functions like a boss es-8. One button tunes on 4 effects (say delay, reverb, boost with one switch for a solo)
My experience with headrush is very positive. I find it easier to make a rig that does what I want and sound good. It’s easier for me to work with Headrush over Helix personally. The problem is those presets are meh. If you spend a few minutes, you can mold it into a great sound.
only two usable foot switches is a deal breaker. I had the original headrush for awhile ended up selling it for a katana 2x12, and I am much more satisfied with the gafc, and a couple of pedals.
When you're listening, mixing, recording, playing etc. the first thing to go is your high end hearing. I think that first Plexi patch was evidence of that! Geeze so shrill.
What sucks about the Headrushes are the standard cabs. You're really forced to use 3rd party IRs to get a more punchy sound. I tried to dial in emulating my plexi, got pretty close to in the end, but it took a quite complex rig* in the headrush to get there. *white boost and EQ in front of the amp, replace the stock 1960 cab with an hotter IR from Celestion, cutting high ( 8 kHz ) and low ( 120 Hz ) on the IR and an add another EQ after all the stuff.
Lee always complains about presets yet when they have a dedicated pedal the first thing they do is tweak the knobs 🤣. These units are multiple pedals in one..and you have to tweak the knobs. It’s not about the presets. It’s about the quality of effects and the user interface. The effects are pretty much on par with most others. Where headrush leads the pack is with their UI and ease of use.
Jeebus. I'm thinking about replacing my 11 Rack, but this thing kind of sounded terrible. I think I'm going to have to suck up the cost and go kemper. *after listening to the rest of this, maybe it's OK when you do your own patches?
Sounds really harsh. These presets sounded mediocre, to say it nice. Since I know the older model, I am sure you can get better sounds out of it. And you proved it already when you started to build your own sound.
I'm sure using good IR's will really improve sound. Makes a big differences, and dont think the cabs in here are the best quality. Decent but would require a lot of tweak and IR's are very good. I always use the 5-6 favorite IR's and very happy with those.
I agree with everyone here , and the guys too !!! ....I was on the fence for the MX5 and found one for $375 used , basically brand new though.....I gutted and deleted all the presets without even wasting any time listening to any of them ....I then printed a 40 page manual from their website so i can find things faster if needed - but honestly this processor really is simple to navigate and remember too ....I then went into global settings and dumped the global nose gate, and made other personal adjustments to my liking - i rather add a noise gate to each 'rig' that I build, maked more sense........I took some notes on what I wanted from an acoustic rig up thru a full-on moshing metal rig!....so I wanted to build 10 'rigs' basically ....and I did all if it within an hour+ ....I flipped back and forth from a humbucker , single coil , and P90 guitars too - so I knew what 'feel' I was ending up with ...I even doubled a few patches and just edited the gain levels to make up for the pickups being used .....when i was done - I have a perfectly modded processor that I hooked another expression pedal to and even a wacky delay-modulation pedal into the effect loop so I now have an *All in 1* complete RIG processor!!!....I then ran her thru a valve combo and a Roland BluesCube(solid state) with different tone-cube-tubes to see which was best (the Eric Johnson was the best one!) ...so it (the MX5 ) passed all the tests and obstacles i threw at her!!!! ...NOW - I am slowly designing tone specific 'rigs' to match iconic guitar tones the closest as possible and - in all honesty - I can really dial in some authentic sounds !!! ( the Satch and the Mayer ones being literally spot on!!!...still working on a SRV, but its a lot of fun to keep trying!) ... SO - in my final opinion - The *MX5* is capable of being a *one processor* final unit for under $400 that can still build future tones , but the ones that you do spend some time tweaking - become so beautiful that you wonder how in the hell this can cost this little and offer so much in sonic capabilites!!! ...and you really learn to navigate the menus in an instant which is helpful!! ...unlike the other ones I have tried on the market at the same or greater price, which were difficult to use!!!....SO - get yourself one!!! - try it out !! ...KILL ALL the presets and build the noises in your head and your gonna love this box of madness!!!....Cheers! from Chicago!!!....be safe + healthy every1 !!!
I just got the mx5 and I cant make it sound good. Any tips? Also do you know if it possible to send eachother rigs?
@@gratengelsker7614did you ever figure it out? I’m thinking of getting one
Yeah, it sounds good now. Good, but not great @@thuns6824
Totally agree about ALL the different companies and the out of box presets. It’s the digital age and everyone knows these things are going to be capable of extreme sounds. 5 good presets as starting points would be better than 200 that suck.
^Totally agree. I also think the lack of effort is 10x more noticeable when an FX is trying to mimic a well known song.
Who even bothers with presets?
I always hoped to have the installed presets would just just each amp with a matching cab with maybe delay/reverb and overdrive. Give a good overview of each amp without all the crazy effect extremes. Use your website or user group to DL the other craziness you might want.
I tried. I tried so hard. I made them 30 ish awesome presets that actually sound useable. They went with presets from a "local pro".. some old blues guy who plays mediocre guitar and has no idea how to dial in an amp modeller. InMusic is clueless when it comes to almost everything. If it weren't for my bitching this things more expensive bigger brother wouldnt have had IR capabilities at launch.. idiots.
@@sacredgeometry I know right / I never do just make my own
I purchased one of these two weeks ago and love it. The noise gate annoyed the heck out me until I found out you double tap the IN signal box and you can adjust or delete the noise gate in that menu. Once sorted I love it. Great for making your own presets and so intuitive to use which is what put me off the competition
Ha! I ran into the exact same thing! It definitely has some great sounds.
Thanks I had no idea.
Yeah, the noise gate annoys me too. I'll have to use your trick. Maybe I should RTFM? lol.
@@adamscottv nah, nobody does that lol
There's also a noise filter that works pretty well and is a little more transparent sounding. But takes up a slot.
I just got one of these yesterday, and here you guys are posting about it. I'm pretty happy with it. It's a practice tool for me, and for that purpose it works as advertised. But if I want any kind of volume, I'm using my tube amp and analog pedalboard.
Also wanted to say that I completely disagree with Pete's comment about the expression pedal. It's better with it. It's exactly what I wanted - a simple all-in-one solution that I can just throw in my backpack.
Can the exp pedal just work as a volume pedal only?
@@casey17w Of course my man. It's all programmable.
Yes I’ve seen videos of the expression pedal being used really well. It’s always good to watch andertons to get know new gear but not to trust their opinions on them :)
Spot on!
I've had one of these for a few weeks now. After unboxing it and going through the presets I almost returned it. It didn't sound right and even worse it didn't feel right. Well, it's been a few weeks now and after learning more about it and rolling my own presets I'm quite amazed at the great tones and feel I'm getting. It's a small box with a lot of power. The MX5 allows for building rigs with dual amps and cabs, something the Pod Go will never be capable of. It also comes with loads of IR's already loaded into the unit and ready to use. The looper is handy too, you can actually save loops within the unit. I'm using it to store riffs and song ideas.
lol.
I heard the factory presets suck. Like you said, build your own. My buddy has one. An amp sounds better to me.
Save loops holy moly ...👀
@@Jesterfizz Same thing happen to me when I bought the line 6. Factory presets boring. But the mooer ge200 not bad. Easy to make new patches.
This video doesn’t do the unit justice. There is an Al Joseph video on TH-cam and a Jason Roller video as well with this unit and you get a much better grasp of its real capabilities.
Very true.
The MX5 is great!
BUT
Make sure you adjust the gate on the INPUT.
factory presets tend to have it chopping the notes a bit too early.
You can load backing tracks as loops!!
A great feature!
Found same issue in store when I played it
I have the full headrush and totally switch the gate off.
Definitely agree with the presets. Coming from a Hot Rod Deluxe III and full pedalboard, the presets made me think the sounds out of the MX5 sucked, but after scrapping all the presets and making my own, I was able to get some awesome sounds and nearly replicate my old setup.
It's awesome for people who want something on the go that can get a ton of organic sounds and for small spaces. I think the amp models are where the MX5 and Headrush in general shines. Most of them are pretty spot on, and Headrush is always quick to respond and take input from its users.
"Delete all the presets" - as an owner of this unit, that's more or less what I've done as well. You might think that means it's not a good unit, but look at how fast they were able to make an outstanding sounding patch with just a few pedals in the signal chain. The thing has all of the high quality building blocks, but the patches aren't great. Mostly I would attribute it to the compression.
Fully agree with this statement! As a user of the Gigboard, I highly recommend delete all the presets and Load in your own IR's!
The MX5 as all the same juice as the pedalboard except with fewer switches. It does have a stereo FX loop as well. Pretty amazing.
why do you need an FX loop in a multiefects unit?
@@esticaandres3169 In case you want to add an external pedal or hook up the 4 Cable Method.
@@esticaandres3169 if you have other pedals you want to use with it, obviously.
I got mine from Andertons this week , it was on offer £299 , brought for a back up , but now using as main board , it sounds amazing when you make your own presets.. and so easy to use and fits in my side pocket of guitar bag ,you could take aboard in hand luggage.. my line 6 is my back now ….i play in a rock blues duo ,really happy with my purchase thx Andertons
I have had one of these for a couple of months. Been comparing it to my PODGo and decided the POD will go. My experience is, I can dial in tones that I am happier with quicker and easier than with the PG. I was constantly fiddling with the PG, never really happy with it and not getting much else done. The key to the MX-5 is IRs although I don't think the stock cabs are bad, especially the latest ones with the newer firmware, and then dialing in the low cut around 80htz and the hi cut down to around 9khtz. Did the same with the PG but still not happy. That's what works for me. Also the MX-5 feels better to me. My opinion.
I've had the POD GO for two weeks now and I'm still not sold on it. I have spent hours creating a handful of presets to dial up -- I'll get it to a point that sounds good and save it, but then the next day, hear something else to tweak in or out of the tone, and thus have been in that ongoing cycle. I've been teetering on returning it in exchange for the MX5 on a daily basis. The thing that bugs me the most is I guess what they call "fizz", particularly in the bassy notes. That may be a common issue in all digital modelers, but is especially highlighted in the forums when it comes to Line 6.
You set the noise gate on the input (where the pad lock is) so you can disable it completely or lower the floor. It is a simple floor gate so if you want a full Noise gate still need to add one but Its useful to remove background hum without cutting leads and again you can totally disable with two taps of the finger. I like the MX5, Its a great all in one. If I want a hybrid board I use the HX stomp for digital effects / Amp / Cab / IR but whether I'm going into a amp or direct to PA / monitor, I've ended up using the MX5 more and more. Drop it in the front of gig bag and your ready for the pub jam, Plug in balanced cables and your all set for playing at the desk, or Hook it up to an amp and you have a great set of effects.
Presets suck as always. I was put off modelers for years as every time I tried one it was jammed full of over saturated rubbish. It was only after seeing the stomp on so many boards I gave one a closer look. Would much prefer a few basic presets with demo it's range than 999 that I would never use. I get these are there to appeal to pedal beginners but shit sound is shit sound.
If you haven't given these DSP units the time of day they are well worth looking at. Stomp and MX5 are my most constant used bits of kit and, although my heart still likes some analogue OD at the start of the chain, I'm not sure I can hear the difference anymore.
I got one. What sold me against the Pod Go is that it definitely has the same power as the big ones. You can run two amps in parallel and you're way less limited in term of how many effects you can put at the same time. I kinda prefer the high gain tones on the Pod Go, and I wish it had more buttons to program more than 3 scenes, but it can do some really cool things that the Pod go can't, and it's even more portable. I got one preset where I run an amp and an acoustic simulator at the same time, it's pretty cool. There's even a default preset in here where you can blend two amps together using the expression pedal. A couple of people are doing IRs for the Headrush too, with demo rigs that sounds way better than the presets. Also not sure if the Pod Go does this, but you can create setlists to organise your presets, which is really useful. I haven't deleted the stock presets, but I can just cycle through my custom presets without even having to look at the stock ones.
By the way the global noise gate is on the In block on the complete start of your chain.
How do you feel about it 6 months later.
@@accentontheoff I've gotten some real good tones out of it, but 3 months ago it just refused to boot up, Rainbow of Death. It has been on repair ever since. I miss it a lot, but now I'm kinda scare it'll crap out on me while out of warranty.
@@Jydmd Shucks. Won't they replace it.
@@accentontheoff It is very much out of stock here in Canada.
@@Jydmd Ah. I think they must have a stock issue as it's not available here in India either. Thanks for the reply. Good luck.
If you ever feel useless, remember that there is at least one guy creating all these presets for multifx units. That should lift your spirits right up.
He's a tuba player
@@AllofJudea 🤣🤣
i think like this since the old boss gt 3, gt5 era … shuffling thru presets was bad memories
I have the Gigboard and love it - the interface and simplicity of use is first and foremost brilliant.
Danish Pete - “That’s a bad road. They need to re-pave that…”. 😂😂😂😂😂😂 funniest comment I’ve heard all day.
I haven't stopped laughing, and one day later, I'm afraid my jeans won't absorb any more piss.
okkkkkk.....I don't know if i actually learned much, but those out takes?..... you guys made me smile. Thats why i keep coming back to one of the best guitar channels on TH-cam
Totally agree with your views on factory presets and their role in getting a first impression for units like these. I think most multieffects can and should limit themselves to as few as possible, and just dial them in really well - as opposed to what's usually on there, which is like 50 minimum-effort sounds and a few really weird unusable ones.
In the case of the HeadRush MX5, all it would really need is these:
1. Clean Fender amp with a bunch of effects, all of which are turned off initially but are enabled with scenes.
2. Crunchy Marshall, set up similarly to start dry and then add effects with scenes.
3. 5150-ish metal amp, again set up the same way.
4. Stereo rig where the expression pedal pans the signal, as a showcase of it having alternative signal-paths.
5. Bass rig set up like the first 3.
Take the time to dial those 5 presets in just right, and that's all you need to showcase the unit.
I bought one and immediately wiped all the presets and made my own. SO MUCH BETTER. I find the Tweeds are really authentic
I have the full Headrush Pedalboard from a few years ago and while I don't use any of the presets, the rig building potential has been solid especially if you're using the 4 cable method with an amp of your choice.
What advantage does the 4 cable method have with a real amp over this going directly into a desk? Putting things in the fx loop?
@@ScrambleBandOfficial the Headrush is no amp modeler, so while the presets are fine, sometimes an amp you're already used to is better to record. It's really just personal preference though. I wouldn't say it's an extreme advantage using 4CM
It's been a while since we've had a proper Pete breakdown, ha ha. I really enjoy watching those two loose it. Makes making product demos look like fun.
After having the Headrush MX5 for a month I must say I am impressed with this tiny powerhouse. I understand that Andertons makes comparisons to Marshall, Mesa Boogie and Peavey 5150 as the amps are on this modeler. However what I am must impressed that is not covered in this video, is the 97-RB-01 (Bogner three channel), 93 MS30 (Matchless) and 89 SL-100 (Soldano) are performing in the MX5. The overdrive pedals are really good in the MX5, but you have to turn some knob (I mean slide the finger on the touch screen) to get a perfect match of amps and overdrive amps. The touch screen is a live saver and it's really easy to use when find the perfect setup in no time.
When I started in the early 80's I would have been in heaven with a device like that for 400 bucks. That alone justifies a purchase. Owning a rig including a Soldano, cabinet, effects, microphones and maybe a second rig for stereo, say with a cleaner fender amp, etc. how much is that 10000?
The cables alone would cost more.
exactly
I’m gonna get one. You need to put time into it. It’s basically like having a bunch of amps, cabs, and pedals. The combinations are almost endless. What I like about it is it’s all you need with your guitar.
better take line6 pog go
@@vladlabyrinth6335 no, the pod go isn’t good. There is barely any software updates and it also is $100 more expensive. The expression pedal is also pretty bad compared to the mx5. The mx5 has tons of tones that you can also download on the website on your pc, while the Pod Go has barely any tones on the site. There is a software that you can get for the pod go, and it does help setting up tones, but it is pretty slow. I don’t recommend the pod go. Its just not good…
@@notstask don't know why I told to go for pod ahaha. I am using pedals, amp and iridium. maybe I was bored or high that day
As an owner of the Headrush pedalboard I can tell you I use exactly zero factory presets. The Headrush is capable of so much more than the factory presets show as none of them use IR's. Use the Jason Roller Bogner IR on any factory preset and it is instantly 10 times better. Just take the time to make your own setlist of your own presets.
Exactly what you said. I've tried countless IRs and I keep coming back to the Jason Roller Bogner IR, it is incredible. I have the big board and the gig board, but I think I will sell the latter and get the MX5 because I use the expression pedal a ton.
Привет! А у вас есть этот импульс?
@@tumbaslavsky9742 Yes you can download it for free from the heqadrush website. Look for the Jason Roller pack.
I have an mx5 it sounds really good through the orange super crush head and cab. For the price of a nice couple of pedals....this thing absolutely rocks. Plus I can take it on the road with me with no amp to lug and I can headphone straight in.
So, you can turn the cab sim off and use it through an amp and regular cab- right? Or do you just leave the cab sim on?
@@stoneysdead689 you can use it just like a pedal with no cab sim.
Couldn't agree more about the initial reaction. I have the actual Headrush Pedalboard, but it just blew yesterday (after owning it a little more than a year). I have no clue how much it will be to fix it, and god knows how many weeks it will be away, so I bought a POD GO as a stop gap processor. I bought the Line 6 mainly in protest to having repair the Headrush after owning it for less that 2 years, but the POD GO started malfunctioning in less than 48 hours, so it's going back. Now I'm thinking of the MX5 as a stop gap until the big board comes back from repairs (I can use one of them for my bass, so having 2 units works for me. I also assume I can transfer all the patches and IRs I have in the big unit onto the smaller unit). Anyhow, those first 10 presets you demo'd made me think this unit was based on a different sound engine. Thankfully, The Cap'n saved the day. It's the same sound as the big board.
Great patent idea on the detachable expression pedal, jump on it. Have it magnetized to the side with some connection points and either have it have a rechargeable wireless battery or 9V. I want in on the design.🤘😉🤘
Heart Pwner? = Owner of a Lonely Heart - opening guitar riff sound
Pedals get assigned automatically. Tap the 3 dots on the top right and go into Hardware Assign to change the blocks on the switches. :)
Beginner here. I love the presets. I had the BOSS ME-50 before, but feel the MX5 blows that away. I don’t have an ear, so for me, this effects box is awesome right out of the box! I love punk (DK), and death/black metal and some of the presets are awesome. 🤘🤘
I am glad that you guys made your own presets. A lot of those presets sounded inaccurate, but your presets sounded way better. It definitely can bias customers, especially when Headrush makes some of the most affordable multi-effects units.
Last 5 minutes, the best of the video. Two crazy men, beer, a guitar and an amp. What can go wrong?
In fairness, I've owned several of these units and the "canned" patches almost universally suck. I now own an HX Stomp and, after going through the canned patches once, I never touch them now.
mazda always knows how to make good products
Laughed till I cried. Thanks, guys! Good for the soul. The product review was great too!
I got the full pedal board version because it's so easy to edit. I've had other multi FX and gadgets that are brilliant - but too complex for me to actually understand and use, so end up as a total waste of cash. But this, I'm actually using it! Sometimes I wonder about just getting a load of pedals, but all the hassle of power and cables... I just need something that works without the worry of loose cables, batteries, etc. And the Headrush has a tonne of FX and tones.
For us new guys the presets are handy as we struggle to make sound similar to bands & songs we like. Granted they could be better but it’s a good starting point until we learn about signal chains & the like.
7:18 Owner of a Lonely Heart - YES
Wish I had someone to tweak my pedal controls while I sit back and play - perfect 😎 An interesting and informative video as ever chaps 👌🏻 (and the added bonus of a blooper reel).
If you are knob turn guy for pedal board Headrush is so much more intuitive for signal chain. Not as versatile as Helix but perfect for what I need
Hmm, seems a bit rushed from the beginning of the video. I guess opinions were formed just out of the box prior to recording this.
Doesn’t sound half bad but the screen looks like a card game. Haha! I stayed to the end. Glad I did lol.
After watching a few other reviews I came across yours. Your method of poking around and seeing what happened showed how easy it was to use. I kept thinking, press the three little dots at the upper right. You sold me on this unit, Thanks!
Some UTUBER's bad mouth the Marshall Code 25.
I personally think it's one of the best sounding modeling amps.
The key just like the model units, you have to dial in for each guitar and turn the noise gate OFF.
Katana MKII....good bye (Sold it and bought DSL20...)
Was getting by with my GT1.....
Now getting one of these to go with my Origin 20 head, wife can even use this! (Touch screen)
Thanks Boys!!
More bloopers😜 please!
Great to see you laughing and joking! Great video as always. 🎸🧐
@@hafstrat Sick as a small hospital but laughing his head off
Mine is arriving tomorrow. I'm pretty stoked!
You guys have the best job in the world! Wish I could laugh like this every day!
I bought one when it came out - Love it. Had to make my own presets as yeah, presets that came with it were crap.
I briefly played on the sandman preset, run into a headrush cab. It sounded great some tweaks could be done but , made me want to buy one.
I totally agree with the problem with the presets and have said it for more than 20 years now. Bad presets are the very thing that give multi effects pedals a bad rap. I can remember being in my local music store back in the 90's when they got in a demo of one of the DigiTech pedals of the time. They took it out of the box, hooked it up, played a few of the first presets and were done with it. I took it to the amp room and played with it for about 15 minutes to figure it out. Then it got their attention.
Man! Those outtakes were funny!
We have a guitarist in SA that reminds very much of Peter. Great playing!
That long ass blooper at the end.... WOW I was laughing so hard with Pete xD
Heart Pnwer (Owner of a Lonely Heart [Yes])
Scared Robot (Paranoid Android [Radiohead])
...and the video that makes people buy these, is probably the one by Pete Thorn.
The sweetwater one was the one that convinced me! Pete's video was very good too.
The presets are there to convince the in-store teenager playing death metal & speed scales that he needs to buy the latest multi f/x unit.
Is death metal even a thing anymore? I don't think there are many teenagers alive today that grew up in the 90s.
@@Floortile83 Black metal, prog metal, math metal, whatever-it's-called-now metal. It's always a young kid sitting in front of a half stack or combo with the volume up too high. Chuga-chuga & speed scales.
That's me ! I'm 45 years old but i still love throwing my anger on guitar 😁🌈
And yes, Black Presets Matters 😉
i see youve got the same as my yamaha integrated hifi eightees amplifier behind you , good choice!!!! pure quality!!!
I have a headrush and it is awesome! Once you add your own IRs I think the aunt models in there sound great put it through a line 6 speaker cab and you are in heaven!
How’s sound through cab vs pa type speakers? I want the larger version but want to run it direct through this big 4x4 Ibanez cab to utilize the stereo effects. (I’m a sucker for stereo chorus)
@@jeffrey.a.hanson it needs to be a powered speaker or flat response speaker. I ran it through a head and 5150 speaker sounded like crap. I use the line6 speaker, it’s $799 but sounds great
So funny at the end the laughter is so infectious
I got the full blown helix and its amazing but this little guy looks great and seems easy to use for the most part.
It's not that these companies intentionally put no effort into the presets. It's that so much of how good a tone will sound depends on your guitar, pickups, room and, most importantly, personal preference that's it's impossible to have great sounding presets out-of-the-box. You're always going to get much better tones with a bit of tweaking then presets can ever achieve. The thing that they are good for is to use as templates for the sound you want to achieve.
I get the feeling that Pete was instrumental in the acquisition of those couches. 👌
Had mine for a few weeks, and it's a lot better than the vid suggests. The presets are crap, but once you find some core amp tones you like and download a few third party IR's it's a totally different ballgame.
The way Pete just mess around, and looking at Cap. lol
I still love you guys. Best youtube channel of all time.
Love you guys , I just come by to have a few laughs with you , I don’t even know what you’re reviewing , I’m sure it’s lovely
Gentlemen, I have enjoyed your videos for years now, and am a regular watcher and subscriber, so may I make a constructive comment? This video post is following a disappointing trend on TH-cam in that your thumbnail is very "clickbaity" - to the point where if all I did was originally look at the video thumbnail and saw Lee's sour face, I may have decided to skip watching it, and not even consider the product. Luckily, in my case, I had already purchased (and liked) the MX5 prior to watching this video, but I can see where potentially many casual users would disregard both the product, and even watching the video if they happen to skim their home page.
You guys have always been solid, and don't have the need to resort to these tactics, IMO.
In any event, thanks for the years of demos, great playing, and great entertainment (the last 2-3 minutes were priceless!) Cheers!
Idea: Pedal manufacturers should design presets around models of guitar and pickup configurations (Fender strat, Gibson Les Paul, etc). That might help. Maybe. Probably not.
No, you’re exactly right. Just like with the real amps and pedals, guitars (mainly pickup type and how hot they are) can drive the amps very differently and produce totally different sounds. I have been using the Headrush Pedal board for a long time now, and the rigs I have created are all specific to certain guitars, and in a lot of cases certain pickup options. A rig that I build for my strat on the neck pickup will sound buttery and smooth with the volume rolled down and a bit of bark when it’s all the way up. but as soon as I switch to the PAF in the bridge setup in series configuration, it drives the amp way way too hard and sounds a lot different. I think that’s one of the downfalls of this kind of modeller that is so close to the real thing. People just expect to be able to plug in and sound like whatever the patch says it is, but it just will never work like that.
I’m just starting to play guitar, but I like it.
This is the best real review I’ve seen, and had me laughing at the end also!!
This just makes me glad I have a helix
Sir please consider making a multi preset battle to see who has a better sounding preset amongst the cast team!
I'm wondering if this would be a good combo for my katana to gig with? I use my katana as a power cab sometimes
Shoot out VS. the Line 6 POD GO would be nice.
I bought mine cause I needed an all in one small unit that I can carry in a bag. The cabs aren't that good. I downloaded the free Celestion cab IRs that are included in the box and problem solved!!!! These 2 IRs sound amazing with every amp model. I power it with the HR frfr 8" and that's it. I haven't used an amp since. The rig delivers at open venues. Plug it to the PA and a bit of monitoring
Hey that lick at 1.39 was that an original composition?
I don't know why I'm surprised that Lee has never seen the word 'pwn' before.
Yes, I'm sure it wasn't "Pawnbroker of a Lonely Fart".
I just wish one of these companies would combine these multi-fx units with a full pedalboard switcher like the boss es-8, gigrig, etc... Meaning, I wish they'd add 6 or 8 or 12 fx loops rather than the one or two fx loops they usually have, so one could combine the built in effects with a full outboard pedalboard and arrange the pedals/fx in any order desired. It would make them so much more useful, in my opinion.
You can do exactly that with any of these, especially the headrush pedalboard. Moved the pedals in any order you want (even a different order on the foot switches that differs from the pedal chain order for switching ease) and set up “scenes” so it functions like a boss es-8. One button tunes on 4 effects (say delay, reverb, boost with one switch for a solo)
When your 1st comment to a product's distortion sound is "Its not too bad...." it means it sounded shit.
Those bloopers at the end 😂😂 priceless 👌
My experience with headrush is very positive. I find it easier to make a rig that does what I want and sound good. It’s easier for me to work with Headrush over Helix personally. The problem is those presets are meh. If you spend a few minutes, you can mold it into a great sound.
Just watched the ending and I couldn’t stop laughing. Pete was cracking me up. 🤣🤣
only two usable foot switches is a deal breaker. I had the original headrush for awhile ended up selling it for a katana 2x12, and I am much more satisfied with the gafc, and a couple of pedals.
Can you save any loops on the MX5?
Although you disparaged it I have bought it, because its an excellent good entry level processor at an affordable price.
When you're listening, mixing, recording, playing etc. the first thing to go is your high end hearing. I think that first Plexi patch was evidence of that! Geeze so shrill.
I just love you gents. You always make me smile.
Heart Pwner is Owner of a Lonely Heart. I don't know but assume Scared Robot is Paranoid Android. I don't know the song to say though.
The last 5 minutes was worth the price of admission...
one of your most funiest videos out there... love the end part... cheers from Canada. LOL
How does it feel? To be on your own? With no direction home?
Pete is a likable sort & nice picking!
The big one sounded great in the store, but was using the employee presets which were really interesting.
What sucks about the Headrushes are the standard cabs. You're really forced to use 3rd party IRs to get a more punchy sound. I tried to dial in emulating my plexi, got pretty close to in the end, but it took a quite complex rig* in the headrush to get there.
*white boost and EQ in front of the amp, replace the stock 1960 cab with an hotter IR from Celestion, cutting high ( 8 kHz ) and low ( 120 Hz ) on the IR and an add another EQ after all the stuff.
Lee always complains about presets yet when they have a dedicated pedal the first thing they do is tweak the knobs 🤣.
These units are multiple pedals in one..and you have to tweak the knobs.
It’s not about the presets. It’s about the quality of effects and the user interface.
The effects are pretty much on par with most others. Where headrush leads the pack is with their UI and ease of use.
Lee also always complain about pedals that dont sound good "at everything noon" ;)
Jeebus. I'm thinking about replacing my 11 Rack, but this thing kind of sounded terrible. I think I'm going to have to suck up the cost and go kemper.
*after listening to the rest of this, maybe it's OK when you do your own patches?
Oh, and it sounds really good through a Katana 50 on "Acoustic" mode with the bass turned a bit down. Very close to a frfr thing going on.
Sounds really harsh. These presets sounded mediocre, to say it nice. Since I know the older model, I am sure you can get better sounds out of it. And you proved it already when you started to build your own sound.
Yes i agree
I'm sure using good IR's will really improve sound. Makes a big differences, and dont think the cabs in here are the best quality. Decent but would require a lot of tweak and IR's are very good. I always use the 5-6 favorite IR's and very happy with those.
Just out of the box and what they are showing in the video, this is trash compared to stomp
I've watched practically every video on this unit and love everything about it except how it sounds. Go figure.
Pete doing the hollyoaks theme riff at 18:33 sent me😂😂