Five things we love about the Line 6 Catalyst

Presented in association with Line 6

Amp modelling has transformed the way that we guitar players engage with our instruments over the last few decades. Whether it’s practice, gigging, recording… the freedom and variety that digital emulation has offered us in tailoring our sounds to suit our mood has transformed guitar playing in ways we never imagined.

Line 6 knows all about this of course – the brand pretty much popularised the very idea of a modelling amp with the original Spider, which did for modelling amps what the POD had done for recording. In fact, Line 6 have very nearly three decades of experience designing and producing modelling amps.

And it’s not like those last 30 years have been idly spent – Line 6 has been pushing the envelope of guitar modelling ever since, most notably with the HELIX amp and effects processor, which has become a fixture on stages big and small thanks to its incredible amp emulations and studio-quality effects.

All of which is to say, if you haven’t thought about a Line 6 amp since the Spider or the Flextone, you’ve missed a lot – namely the current Catalyst range of modelling combos. These sleek and affordable combos utilise some of the same technology as the HELIX, but in a package that you don’t need to plug into a PA system. If it’s been a while since you’ve checked out a Line 6 amp, here’s five reasons why the Catalyst should be on your radar.

Audition sounds in an instant

With six Original Amp Designs selectable by a simple rotary control, the Catalyst lets you quickly switch between sounds so you can find the perfect tone for your track or gig.

Inspiration can disappear in a heartbeat, and there’s nothing worse than losing a great idea because you were wasting time looking for the right sound to record it with – now you need never worry about it again.

HX effects

The Catalyst features six high-end reverb effects that you can select at the touch of a button, plus 18 additional effects. All of these are drawn from Line 6’s powerful Helix and HX Effect libraries, meaning that you’re getting some of the best effects sounds of any modeller, built right there into your combo.

Home and stage-friendly power

We all know that gigging, recording and even practice isn’t what it used to be – and there are precious few opportunities to crank a combo at a show, let alone a 100-watt stack. Thankfully, the Catalyst can help you sound great in any scenario, thanks to power scaling all the way down to 0.5 watts, plus an XLR direct out and a 4-channel USB recording interface.

It really is the perfect amp for practice and quiet recording at home, and for lighting up stages big and small.

Boost at the touch of a button

Everyone has that moment where you just want a little bit more out of your sound – the big solo, the massive riff, the crazy outro… Well, Line 6 understands that impulse, and that’s why each of the Catalyst’s six amp models not only has two channels, but also the ability to kick in a boost circuit that’s customised for each amp type – when it’s time to stand out, you know what to do.

All the versatility you need

How many of us have made a song at home with all the gear at our disposal and then realised that recreating it in a live environment is going to require a lot more gear than you can chuck into the back of your car?

Don’t worry, with Catalyst you have all the variety you need thanks to the six Original Amp Designs, all of which can be swapped between at will. So if you need to flip from chiming cleans to intense high-gain sounds, well you can do it in an instant – giving you a level of sonic versatility that you just won’t find with a valve amp.

Catalyst is the culmination of nearly three decades of modelling expertise from Line 6, if you think it’s the missing piece in your sonic arsenal, shop now at gtrgtr.uk/catalyst