Passing Judgement on Modelers!

Show up with a modeler at a local blues jam, and you get judgement thrown your way. I don't get it, but sometimes tradition is pretty hard to break through.
 
Mincer said:
Show up with a modeler at a local blues jam, and you get judgement thrown your way. I don't get it, but sometimes tradition is pretty hard to break through.
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For that last "blues" jam I went to, many guys had multi-units of many types they threw on the floor before playing. But, correct, if they did that at a traditional real-deal blues jam eyes would roll, or they would get stopped before they even made it to the stage.
 
Mincer said:
Show up with a modeler at a local blues jam, and you get judgement thrown your way. I don't get it, but sometimes tradition is pretty hard to break through.
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What amp did BB King use? Seems like it had all the characteristics of an early modeler, maybe…
 
I love my HX Stomp. After many years of thinking modelers were not there I finally gave up about a year ago. Little by little I’ve been replacing the different effects. The last ones were the delay and bluesbreaker. I still have my reverb, fuzzface and comp on the board but we’ll see.
 
Securb said:
I think the pushback by many on digital is ego. Not ego in regards to their playing but ego in regards to their gear. People spend thousands on amps, variacs, NOS Mullard tubes and every gadget under the sun to capture a sound. Then comes along a noob that posts they nailed the same tone on a POD and a solid-state practice amp by hitting a preset. The hatred and denial begins and the cork-sniffers start insulting the noob's gear and digital processing in general. Because there is no way a digital product can faithfully represent the sound of a high-end tube amp. It is as if the cork-sniffers are insulted someone compared any type of modeler to the $20,000 worth of gear sitting in their bedroom
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Same as showing up with a Squier.
 
NegativeEase said:
Well, in a sense none of this matters very soon as it relates to modelers modeling classic amps -as people are teaching AI to perfectly match anything to the original in an anechoic chamber by using robotic servo control of mics and access to all control parameters of the product -so you will know soon enough what a products full potential is.

I honestly think it's silly though -why waste the power of digital trying to copy old things instead of finally making some new sounds.
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Exactly. New! New! New!
 
I'm using modelers for the last 20 years. IMHO if you compare a fairly new modeler and a real amp recorded with a microphone, both thru studio monitors, you won't be able to distinguish one from the other (comparing apples to apples). Add other tracks to the mix and it will be impossible. Same modeler thru powered PA speakers and same real amp thru guitar cabs, in the same room, and good chance the real amp will sound better. Because it's not the same playback engine (comparing apples to oranges). That's the sound people are comparing and saying modelers are not as good.

So the comments I read/ear about real amps being better than modelers are mostly coming from people who never heard their amp thru a microphone, out of studio monitors (comparing apples to oranges). Or from people playing live and earring their amp onstage instead of what is coming from the FOH.

I'm used to earring my modeler thru FOH so when I go to live shows I can compare the miked amp against my modeler and most of the time my modeler sound as good. Only difference is when I'm closer to the stage as I'm also earring the real amp.

Comparing a $3k Mesa Boogie against a $300 Katana will also be like comparing apples to oranges...
 
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donaldr said:
Comparing a $3k Mesa Boogie against a $300 Katana will also be like comparing apples to oranges...
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Here is the thing. Putting aside the fact tone is objective let's all agree the MB sounds better than the Katana. This does not mean the Katana sounds bad or has any flaws. They are both fantastic amps. It would be difficult to all agree on what measures you could use to decide if an amp is good or bad. But let's say the MB gets a grade of 95% and the Katana is graded at 89% the difference in the amps is negligible. In most applications, there will be no to little difference in the performance of the amps. I think the issue most guitarists suffer from is if a piece of gear is great, all else must be substandard or flawed, this is not the case.
 
Securb said:
Here is the thing. Putting aside the fact tone is objective let's all agree the MB sounds better than the Katana. This does not mean the Katana sounds bad or has any flaws. They are both fantastic amps. It would be difficult to all agree on what measures you could use to decide if an amp is good or bad. But let's say the MB gets a grade of 95% and the Katana is graded at 89% the difference in the amps is negligible. In most applications, there will be no to little difference in the performance of the amps. I think the issue most guitarists suffer from is if a piece of gear is great, all else must be substandard or flawed, this is not the case.
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Youre in luck -I own a $3,000 Mesa MkV and a $300 Katana and I cant say that the Mesa sounds appreciably "better". -they both do certain things great and it depends on what you want or prefer.

I can tell you that a MkV is not $2700.00 better
 
I love playing modelers. I've been playing through Line 6 POD's and Helixes for like 75% of the time I've been playing. They are so convenient, and can be made to sound pretty solid once you spend some time tweaking.

I still miss playing through a good raging tube amp and a 4x12, though. Like, A LOT. If I didn't have space/noise issues where I live, I'd be playing one again without hesitation.

I am the kind of jackass that would turn up to a bar gig with a 4x12 if I still had one, TBH.
 
Rex_Rocker said:
I love playing modelers. I've been playing through Line 6 POD's and Helixes for like 75% of the time I've been playing. They are so convenient, and can be made to sound pretty solid once you spend some time tweaking.

I still miss playing through a good raging tube amp and a 4x12, though. Like, A LOT. If I didn't have space/noise issues where I live, I'd be playing one again without hesitation.
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100% agreeing with this. I'd only add health conditions also benefit from modern modelling technology: since I can't arry anything over 20 kilos, these good-sounding pieces of kit are indeed a godsend.
 
donaldr said:
I'm using modelers for the last 20 years.
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You know - I got my Roland Cube in maybe 2006...so nearly that long. Still use it often, and love the JC120, Twin, Vox, Stack, and 5150 models. Don't care how accurate. They are great sounds period.
 
Aceman said:
You know - I got my Roland Cube in maybe 2006...so nearly that long. Still use it often, and love the JC120, Twin, Vox, Stack, and 5150 models. Don't care how accurate. They are great sounds period.
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I use the hell out of my Roland Cube as well -I have a studio full of the history of world's greatest amps -and I still am rolling out the cube often -especially using acoustic guitar, dobro, clean stuff on Electric.

I use is as DI all the time too -using the Cube for a personally controllable stage monitor and DI as well.
 
I’m a fairly new player (about 11 years in) and like many, I was first exposed to modeling amps because of their affordability. I mean I had a $150 Squier and a tiny Ibanez amp so that bar was set very low. First modeler I got was a gift from a friend. It was a Behringer V-Amp, and I was absolutely blown away. Then I went through some solid state amps, a Boss GT-6, then I bought a MKII Katana 50. By then I was playing better, and was developing my ear where I could tell the nuances of different tones and amps. The Katana simply blew me away. That katana was my tone-searching tool. About 3 years ago I bought my first tube amp. A Peavey Classic 30. Sounded great but way too loud for home use, so I traded it for a MB Subway Rocket. That little 20 watt amp has the high gain tone I was searching for with the Katana. Then I bought a Marshall DSL20CR because everyone needs a Marshall tube amp. Oh and don’t get me started with pedals! With that Tube amp GAS, also came pedal GAS. I have a decent pedal board that covers most bases for now.

And after all that, I bought me a Spark40 and it has been my main amp for months now. There’s a dust layer on my pedals and tube amps because that little modeling amp is what keeps me picking up my guitar. Modeling amps are awesome. No reason to diss them other than justifying your expensive tube amp and pedal collection.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
My Spidervalve is probably the best amp that I own. Admittedly it's not a multi thousand dollar boutique head. But the software works. And it's then put through 2 12AX7's into 4 5881's.
The thing sounds massive clean or dirty. And it has enough effects to negate the need for an additional board besides the foot controler.

 
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My main amp for performing is a Tone Master Deluxe. It is 22 lbs, with an XLR direct out that sounds terrific.
 
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