Line 6 M5 StompBox Modeler

The Line 6 M5 StompBox Modeler is a multi-effects processor squeezed into a single stompbox: over 100 modeled effects covering delay, modulation, distortion, compressor/EQ, filter, and reverb, all in one 6.5-inch-square all-metal box¹². Made by Line 6, it arrived in the early 2010s and was sold over a 14-year lifetime to thousands of guitarists as a one-at-a-time problem-solver you could bolt onto an existing board³⁴.

The catch is in the name: only one of those hundred effects is available at a time². That is deliberate. As MusicRadar's Trevor Curwen put it, the M5 "only allows one effect to be active at a time and has a smaller footprint - the idea being that it can be easily added to a perhaps already crowded pedalboard to provide a multi-function role"⁵.

One effect at a time from five categories

The M5's effects are arranged in five categories: delay, modulation, distortion, filter, and reverb. The lineup includes 19 delays, 23 modulations, 17 distortions, 12 compressors and EQs, 26 filters, and 12 reverbs⁵. The models are drawn from Line 6's earlier delay and modulation modelers, going back to the DL-4, MM-4, DM-4, and FM-4 stompboxes that first put modeled effects underfoot⁵. Premier Guitar noted that "not all effects are exact doppelgängers of the original, but all are very close"¹.

The model list reaches into vintage territory. Vintage Guitar's review pointed to delay models based on the Echoplex and the Binson Echorec, plus a UniVibe, a Jet Flanger, a Leslie simulation, and various Mu-Tron, MXR, and Ibanez phasers⁷. Premier Guitar's reviewer singled out the Tube Echo "for the EP-1-style tone without the hassle" and the Jet Fuzz, a fuzz-phaser combination mimicking the old Roland Jet Phaser¹.

Because only one effect can be selected at a time, Line 6 made preset storage simple: you save an edited effect to one of 24 onboard presets and recall it on the fly¹⁵².

Controls

Editing works the way it does on a traditional pedal: a group of external knobs, one per parameter, rather than menu diving². All time-based effects, including delay and echo times and modulation LFO speeds, are tap-tempo capable, with rhythmic subdivisions available²⁸. Delicious Audio's review found "the way the M5 deals with tempo is really useful"².

An expression pedal plugged into the rear-panel input opens up real-time control of up to five parameters per effect, including wah (seven models), volume, pitch shifts, and heel/toe parameter setup⁵¹⁶.

Power and connections

The M5 runs from a supplied 9V DC 500mA adapter, which MusicRadar described as fairly small⁵. Premier Guitar confirmed the power supply is included with the DC input on the rear panel¹.

Connections on the rear panel are stereo 1/4-inch In and Out jacks, an expression pedal input, and the DC power input¹. MIDI in and out let you integrate the M5 with a keyboard or guitar rig, or just about any other stereo source, and the unit can sync to MIDI Clock²⁹. There is no USB MIDI interface for connecting to a computer⁵. Operation can be mono or stereo, and reviewers noted stereo shines in a twin-amp setup with the reverb and delay sections⁵⁶.

One setup tip from Disaster Area Designs, whose MIDI controllers support the M5: set AutoSave to OFF to avoid corrupting presets¹¹.

Part of the M13, M9 and M5 family

The M5 sits at the small end of a three-pedal Line 6 family that shares one model gallery¹². The M9 Stompbox Modeler can run three effects simultaneously and adds MIDI in and out plus two expression pedal inputs¹³. The M13 goes further still: MusicRadar described it as containing a chain of four stompbox modelers, each with three memories, alongside a dedicated 28-second looper, with 12 combinations of its 74 modeled effects recallable at any time¹⁴¹⁵.

As Delicious Audio put it, "the M5 isn't here to be your one stop multi effect (the larger M9 and M13 tackle that job)"². Both the M9 and M13 are no longer made, per Line 6's legacy product pages¹⁶¹². The M5 itself was still listed on Line 6's website as of February 2025⁴, and Line 6's current single-pedal answer in this space is the HX One⁴.

What reviewers said

Reviews across a decade and a half were consistently positive. MusicRadar's verdict: "All the effects you'll need in a single stompbox, provided you use them one at a time"⁵. The same review found the emulations of old classics "effectively capture the essential flavour of the originals while the more universal items, such as parametric EQ, offer an added utility"⁵. Curwen saw the M5 "more likely being used as a universal tool to provide a different single effect per song," with the M9 the better choice if you need to switch presets and bypass within the same song⁵.

Premier Guitar called it "a veritable Swiss Army knife that could easily be the answer to a gigging guitarist's prayers"¹, and found the built-in tuner "accurate and easy to access by holding down the Tap switch"¹. Guitar.com's Josh Gardner praised the build: "Its bent-steel chassis also felt extremely rugged, and could take many many hours of stomping, as plenty of gig-ridden M5s could attest"³. MusicRadar's reviews editor later called the M5 "somewhat underrated"¹⁷.

The pedal found its way onto real boards. In Guitar World's rig tour, Live's Chad Taylor used an M5 for basic modulations, routed only into his second guitar amp onstage¹⁸. A JHV3-modded version of the stock M5, from a company that specializes in modifying Line 6's M-Series pedals, was also reviewed by Pedal of the Day in 2016⁶.

Prices varied over the years: Vintage Guitar listed it at $279.99 retail in 2011⁷, Premier Guitar gave a $195 street price in 2021¹, and at its 2011 launch announcement Line 6 quoted €199¹⁹.

Videos

Click to load

Click to load

Click to load

Questions