Line 6 M5 Stompbox modeler, review, features and opinions
The Line 6 M5 Stompbox is a pedal that gives you access to 109 effects of Overdrive, Distortion, Delay, Modulation, Reverb models and others, in this review we show you the characteristics and our opinions of each of the functionalities of this great pedal , and we remove all doubts.
Line 6 M5 Stompbox, the Swiss penknife for guitarists
Line 6 has already earned, deservedly, the reputation of being a company that puts high-quality digital effects and technology within easy reach at super accessible prices. An example of this are the famous 20-year-old POD 2.0, and the HX Stomp and Helix. Check out our comparison between the POD 2.0 and the HX Stomp.
The Line 6 M5 pedal is the younger brother of the M Series. Its older brothers are the M13 and M9, which have much more powerful features, but also a much higher cost. But clearly, the M13 and M9 have two different objectives compared to the M5. Let’s see.
The M5 offers more than 100 effects in the categories of Delay, Modulation, Distortion – containing also Overdrive, Booster, Compressor, Equalizer – EQ-, Filter and Reverb models, all in a single pedal.
The effects can be used only one at a time, unlike its bigger brothers, which the M5 ends up being a wildcard pedal, and not an effects pedalboard like the other models of the M Line. Of course, this is a limitation , but it also allows you to have a small, practical, easy-to-use pedal at an extremely accessible price.
Build quality of the M5
Constructed in a robust all-metal chassis with a black finish, the M5 displays excellent build quality. Includes transformer for power supply.
Line 6 M5: Features and Specifications
The Line 6 M5 has stereo input and output jacks or jacks on the rear of the pedal. Also, it has an expression pedal input, which is purchased separately and is necessary for the use of some effects such as volume pedal, wah-wah and others. On the left side of the cabinet there are jacks for MIDI In and Out.
On the front -or top- of the pedal there are two switches, one for on / off and the other for Tap. Both also function as navigating the library of effects and banks recorded by the user. It also has 6 knobs, of which one works as a button, that allow you to edit and equalize the effects to your liking. Finally, it has a backlit LCD color screen that clearly shows the chosen effect, as well as the function of each rotary button for that effect: gain, level / level, volume, treble, mid, bass, mix, among others.
Finally, it offers excellent quality and precision tuner
Line 6 M5 Operation
By pressing the two switches at the same time, the selection mode is activated, by which you can navigate through the different effects available in your previously set memory banks. Each of the buttons is used to move up and down your list of effects.
When you re-dial both buttons at the same time, it returns to the traditional mode of on and off button one and tapping button two. Dialing in great sound couldn’t be simpler.
User Effects Storage
Because you can only select one effect at a time, Line 6 made it easy to store 24 effects as presets. You can access these user-defined settings.
Line 6 M5 Stompbox Measurements
The measurements of the Line 6 M5 are width, depth and height, 14.86 x 16.51 x 6.99 cm / 5.85 x 6.50 x 2.75 inches. A really practical and comfortable size.
Line 6 M5 Stompbox Price
The Line 6 M5 Stompbox is priced at large musical instrument stores and online sales sites for $ 149.
Line 6 M5 Stompbox Effects List
The effects are presented as based on flagship pedals, and not as exact reproductions. But it is logical, to say that they will not sound the same. In some cases, they bring greater setting options than the originals, making them more versatile.
30 Line 6 M5 gain effect models: Distortions / Overdrives / Boosters / Compressors / EQs
- Tube Drive / Chandler Tube Driver
- Screamer / Ibanez Tube Screamer TS 808
- Overdrive / DOD Overdrive / Preamp 250
- Classic Distortion / ProCo Rat
- Heavy Distortion / Boss Metal Zone
- Color Drive / Colorsound Overdrive
- Buzz Saw / Maestro Fuzz Tone
- Facial Fuzz / Arbiter Fuzz Face
- Jumbo Fuzz / Vox Tone Bender
- Fuzz Pi / Electro-Harmonix Big Muff Pi
- Jet Fuzz / Roland Jet Phaser
- Line 6 Drive / Colorsound Tone Bender – Fuzz
- Line 6 Distortion / Original Line 6 Distortion
- Sub Octave Fuzz / PAiA Roctave Divider
- Bass Octaver / EBS OctaBass
- Octaver Fuzz / Tycobrahe Octavia
- Boost Comp / MXR Micro Amp
- Volume Pedal Effect / Line 6 EX-1
- Red Comp / MXR Dyna Comp
- Blue Comp / Boss CS-1 treble switch off
- Blue Comp Treb / Boss CS-1 treble switch on
- Line 6 Vetta Comp / Line 6 Vetta II
- Line 6 Vetta Juice / Line 6 Vetta II
- Tube Comp / Teletronix LA-2A
- Noise Gate / Line 6 Original
- Graphic EQ / MXR Ten Band Graphic Equalizer
- Studio EQ / API 550B
- Original Line 6 Parametric EQ / Parametric Equalizer
- 4 Band Shift EQ / Original Line 6 Equalizer
- Mid Focus EQ / Line 6 Original Mid Focus EQ
19 models of Line 6 M5 Delays
- Tube Echo / Maestro EP-1
- Tube Echo DryThru / Maestro EP-1 original signal without coloring
- Tape Echo / Maestro EP-3
- Tape Echo DryThru / Maestro EP-3 original signal without coloring
- Multi Head / Roland RE-101 Space Echo
- Analog Echo / Boss DM2 Analog Delay
- Analog W / MOD / Electro-Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man
- Sweep Echo / Maestro EP-1 with Sweep effect
- Sweep Echo DryThru / Maestro EP-1 with Sweep effect with original signal without coloring
- Lo Res Delay / Line 6 Original
- Digital Delay / Line 6 Original
- Digital Delay W / MOD / Delay with Original Line 6 Chorus
- Stereo Delay / Line 6 Original
- Ping Pong / Line 6 Original
- Reverse / Reverse Delay original from Line 6
- Dynimic Delay / TC Electronic 2290 Dynamic Digital Delay
- Line 6 Auto-Volume Echo / Original
- Echo Platter / Binson EchoRec
- Echo Platter DryThru / Binson EchoRec with original signal uncoloured
22 models of M5 modulations
- Opto Tremolo / Amp Tremolo Fender Deluxe Reverb ’64
- Bias Tremolo / Tremolo for Vox AC15 1960 Amp
- Pattern Tremolo / Lightfoot Labs Goatkeeper
- Phase / MXR Phase 90
- Dual Phaser / Mu-Tron Bi-Phase
- Panned Phaser / Ibanez Flying Pan
- Barberpole Phaser / Line 6 Original
- Single Knob Phaser / MXR Phase 90 Script
- U-vibe / Uni-Vibe
- Analog Flanger / MXR Flanger
- Jet Flanger / A / DA Flanger
- AC Flanger / MXR Flanger
- 80A FLanger / A / DA Flanger with Sweep
- Analog Chorus / Boss CE-1 Chorus Ensemble
- Tri-chorus / Song Bird – DyTronics Try-Stereo Chorus
- Pitch Vibrato / Boss VB-2
- Panner / Line 6 Original
- Rotary Drum / Fender Vibratone
- Rotary Drum & Horn / Leslie 145
- Dimension / Roland Dimension D
- Ring Modulator / Original by Line 6
- Frequency Shifter / Line 6 Original
26 models of M5 Stompbox filters
- Tron Up / Mu-Tron III “Up”
- Tron Down / Mu-Tron III “Down”
- Seeker / Z-Vex Seek Wah
- Obi-Wah / Oberheim Voltage Controlled Sample and Hold filter
- Line 6 Voice Box / Original
- V-Tron / Voice Box + Mu-Tron III
- Throbber / Electrix Filter Factory
- Spin Cycle / Craig Anderton’s Wah / Anti-Wah
- Comet Trails / Line 6 Original
- Slow Filter / Line 6 Original
- Octisynth / Line 6 Original
- Synth-O-Matic / Line 6 Original
- Attack Synth / Korg X911 Guitar Synth
- Synth String / Roland GR700 Guitar Synth
- Line 6 Growler / Urinal
- Line 6 Original Q Filter / Wah
- Vetta / Line 6 Vetta II Wah Wah
- Fassel / Crybaby Super Wah Wah
- Weeper / Arbiter Crybaby Wah Wah
- Chrome / Vox V847 Wah Wah
- Chrome Custom / Vox V847 Modified Wah Wah
- Throaty / RMC Real McCoy 1 Wah Wah
- Boomerang Driver / Master “Wow-wow”
- Colorful / Colorsound Wah-fuzz
- Smart Harmony / Eventide H3000
- Pitch Glide / Digitech Whammy
12 Reverb Effect Models of the Line 6 M5 Stompbox
- ’63 Spring / Fender 1963 brown Spring reverb
- Spring / Studio original Line 6 reverb
- Plate / Studio Plate original Line 6 reverb
- Room / Room – Line 6 original reverb room
- Chamber / Chamber Reverb Original from Line 6
- Hall / Hall original reverb from Line 6
- Ducking / Hall Variation Original Line 6 Reverb
- Octo / Line 6 Original
- Echo / Line 6 Original
- Particle Verb / Original by Line 6
Review about Line 6 M5 Stompbox
In our opinion, the Line 6 M5 is ideal for those who want to try different effects without having to buy and sell pedals. For the same value or price of a single pedal it gives you more than 100 effects. It can also be used to use effects that you would not use regularly, so it would not make sense to buy a pedal just to play on one of your band’s songs.
The Line 6 M5 pedal is not intended to be a multi-effects pedalboard, but rather seeks to give you different effects in a single pedal, so that it becomes a wild card on your pedalboard.
Of course there are as many opinions as there are people, but it is indisputable that the quality of the effects of the Line 6 M5 is really good. It does not pretend to sound up to the originals, and logically it is below the quality of effects of the last generation line of Line 6, the new Helix, HX Stomp, but obviously, the prices of these products far exceed the M5 . Plus, it’s built like a tank and offers easy control and a great tuner.
Line 6 M5 review conclusion
As a conclusion to this review, we can say that the Line 6 M5 is ideal for the guitarist who covers the gaps in your pedalboard with a single pedal and a minimal investment. It will give you endless effects that would be otherwise impossible to obtain, and it will give you the ability to use effects that you would not normally use.
It is also an ideal pedal for those who have not yet explored the fantastic world of effects. It will allow you to test more than 100 effects with just one purchase. From the test, experience and personal opinions, thanks to the Line 6 M5, you will identify what effects you really like and need most often or always, and there, yes, you can go for the real one. It will save you time and money and expand your knowledge and experience in the world of effects pedals.
For more information, visit Line 6 web site.
Related Post: Line 6 HX Stomp vs POD 2.0, duel: review, features and opinions.
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