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Joined:
July 2002
Posts: 280
Location: Waterloo, IL | Not having any guitar stores out at sea, I have received a few catalogs from the mail orders places, just so that I could dream a little. Getting a new catalog to drool over was not the same as being able to go into the local guitar shop and fondle the merchandise, hoping to find that special guitar or new toy to play with. While looking through the catalogs, I saw several different amp modelers. Paul T. mentioned a little bit about amp modelers like the Line6 and another toy I had not heard of. What is the consensus of the group here on amp modelers and other electronic simulators like this?
Chuck
In the Atlantic, headed for home. :) |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 7251
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | I guess it really depends on what you need the "amps" for. I understand the Line 6 rack/stomp items are great for live performance and mimicing known sounds of a variety of amps. They also make a modeling amp (full size 2 x 12 combo) which I find the sounds to be less than stellar, but it does a fine job for live work and handles many settings.
I have heard the Behringer modelers and I find it's sounds, especially the acoustic or clean oriented ones more pleasing.
I use a Vox Valvetronix amp. I find this amp to be able to truly model amps the best. It takes some practice to nail the "recipe" as they call it, but it is a tube amp, that uses solid state circuits to actually emulate and re-wire the amp to match many vintage and modern tube amp configurations. I talked at length with a cover band guy about why he uses the Line6 amp and it came down to logistics. The Line 6 has more banks and patches and is geared toward the "sounds," like being able to dial-up Eric Johnson or Van Halen. The Vox's only drawback to me, is that is actually mimics the original amps, and it's up to you to create the "sound". By this I mean, you dial a Fender twin, and the controls on the top of the amp are act like a fender twin. If you want to "sound" like someone you have to know where to set the tones and volumes to achieve that. This makes the amp very flexible at dialing in a sound, and great onstage if you need to tweek something, but there are only 16 patches you can save. The advantage is that if wanted to create a sound from an amp without a mid control, you could create that amp, but then USE the mid control for unlimited varitions...
So..... whew.. If you want to record, get a Vox Valvetronix, if you want to perform lots of differnt sounds with easy access... Line6.. If you just need an all purpose, simple device that can give you a variety of sound and always make you sound great.... just get an ol' Rockman X-100.
I use a Rockman to write songs. Clean or Distorted, with only adjustments being with or without echo or chorus, and you can change the sounds with the guitars vol and tone controls. NO fuss, it always sounds good, and is very pleasant for just needing something to put me in the mood for writing and not twisting knobs. |
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Joined:
February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | If you buy an amplifier, such as a Fender, Marshall or Boogie for example, you have that amplifiers inherent character & you're stuck with it, so you'd better like it. I'm fine with that, I've always played Fender amps, they're pretty much a one trick pony but it's a good trick and I use a a couple of pedals for additional sounds. The great thing about modellers is that they provide lots of different amps & effects. A/B'd with the real thing they're not always convincing but so what?, they get pretty close to the character of amp they ae modelling. If you decide that your favourite models on a POD are say the '64 Blackface or the AC30 then you have a head start if you decide to buy a "real" amp. Personally I wouldn't use any amp modeller in a live situation, but I have a Line6 guitar port which I use for recording & teaching and I like it a lot. The Johnson J-Staton is pretty good & can be had very cheaply at the moment, as can the Behringer V-Amp which I haven't tried but I know a couple of people who prefer them to the POD. |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 10583
Location: NJ | funny I always thought that marshalls were a one trick pony and Fenders had more dynamic range. |
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Joined:
February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | Al, My point was that the all the classic Fenders are pretty much a one-sound amp, as are the classic Marshalls (and Vox for that matter) I think Marshall do distortion real well & Fender do the clean thing better than anyone, (though I love the way smaller Fenders break up when they're pushed.) As clean sounds by definition have a greater dynamic range than distorted sounds which have some natural compression, I'd aggree with you about the dynamic range thing. |
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Joined:
January 2003
Posts: 63
Location: Virginia | I use a Behringer V-Amp2 in the studio, but it does have a footswitch you can use for live situations, although it's use is limited to changing banks, which each bank has 5 different sounds that need to be changed by pushing a button on the unit itself. As far as sound quality goes, I'm very pleased. With the price being a lot more affordable than the Pod, it's worth checking into.
bd |
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Joined:
August 2002
Posts: 623
Location: Lake Hiawatha, New Jersey | Hey...
I don't play much electric anymore, but I have a Zoom GFX-8 multi-effects pedal board with expression pedal 2 years ago, and I think it's pretty good. It may be worth checking out.
I'm really ignorant about the pod and the others, but the gfx-8 has amp modeling in it, which sound decent to me, and you can make parameter adjustments in "real time" with dials like on a stompbox. It also has cabinet choices and mic placement options as parameter options as well. It's got major brand "amp" simulation as well as "personality" bank choices (ie. zep, beck, boston, eric johnson, bb king, van halen -old & new-etc.). It also has a bucketload of effects and 12 second looping.
I haven't A/B'd it to real amps, or used it much live so far, but right into my PA, for the little I play electric, it gets me by on my shoe-string budget. I bought it on ebay for $150 or so.
The other guys are way more experienced when it comes to gear and studio stuff...real pros, and the wealth of information of all of them combined is just incredible. I'd go with their advice...but for an all in one lil package, the GFX-8 is decent. |
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Joined:
February 2003
Posts: 299
Location: Netherlands | I play throuh a boss gt-3 (now replaced by the gt-6) which has several amp models in it, including an acoustic amp simulator and an anti-feedback function.
Sounds very good after tweaking, both direct to the mixing desk and into my tubeamp (Bedrock BC-50)
Good luck,
Martin |
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Amp Modelers
