My guitar rig right now consists of an HX Stomp. One little box. OK, I do put it into either my recording setup or into my PA system, but still… I’m a massive fan of the Helix family. Is it the best? Nope, but it’s great and it’s at a great price point. That said, I don’t use any stock patches because they mostly kinda stink (on the HX Stomp). The downside of Helix is that their fancy pants super configurable cabinet simulations aren’t all that great. At their best, they’re pretty good. At their worst, they’re not good at all. You can add your own IR files, and guys like Pete Thorn do exactly that. So do I – my own homemade IR file for a Celestion Vintage 30 is far better than anything in the HX Stomp. How is that even possible??? Why doesn’t the HX Stomp ship with some great IR files?
That long rant is a setup for my review of this amp.
The Good
I like the look of the Catalyst. I like the size, I like the weight, I like how loud it is. I like most of the clean sounds in it. It’s very, very simple to use. I really like the fact that this budget amp is two channels, so it’s great for a gig situation. The built-in effects are very good, as you’d expect. There’s a lot to like here. And it also includes an effects loop. It also includes a USB output to direct record into a computer. For $299 you’re getting a hell of an amp. As long as you don’t use the gain sounds.
The Bad
I’m not a fan of the gain sounds on this amp. At all. Modern high gain? Reminds me of the Spider series… fine for bedrooms. The power attenuation feature is pretty silly – it’s trying to simulate tubes being pushed hard but at a lower level. Um… wouldn’t that be the point of the amp to begin with?
The Ugly
Now we get to the point of the big long intro… I like the clean sounds in this amp, but to me it falls apart when you use the gain sounds. Granted, this is HIGHLY subjective. But I think Line 6 could have done a better job with the gain sounds, much like they could have done a better job with the stock HX Stomp patches. It’s like they build a great platform that can sound like anything, and then instead of making something great, they shoot for the middle of the road with their sounds. Right down boring old main street.
Summary
Despite all of this, would I recommend this amp over a Katana? If you want to use the clean sounds, yes. If you want gain sounds, no. Of course, you can always use a pedal for gain sounds, but I believe that if you can’t get gain out of your amp, you’ve got the wrong amp. The YouTube guitar community is falling over itself to praise Line 6 for this amp, but I think that the luster on this amp is going to wear off within a year and people will be saying “Eh, it’s OK I guess.” Again, I’d recommend it for the clean stuff. It’s a lot of value for the money. I’m just bummed that the modern gain sound is not very good. To me, it’s a blown opportunity.
