When people say guitarists are luddites that oppose change, I say we're not opposed to change, we're opposed to buying something that doesn't sound as good as what we already have.
Tube amps, transistor dirt/fuzz, digital delays/reverbs. This stuff is popular for a reason.
Exactly!!! I'm not at all opposed to technology. I actually bought and tried out most of these devices, I just had the Tonex recently.
I think speaker simulation is really close now with the IRs. But as far as amp/distortion emulation, they're getting better but still not as good as analog.
Technology has to make sense. For example, having a cell phone is infinitely better than walking around with quarters looking for a pay phone. Text/email certainly beats buying stamps mailing out letters. These are real advancements on just about every aspect.
But dealing with menus and a bunch of tweaking to get worse results than what I get within 5 seconds of dialing an amp, that's not an advancement.
So far, size is the ONLY advantage I see with modeling, everything else is still inferior.
Size = convenience imo. I prefer watching bands and playing with stacks for that bad ass meathead appeal. But at my age, carrying around a 4x12 isn't fun, not to mention two of them.
Other than size, the advantage I saw was the limitless tone options. Yes, the menus suck and there's so much to it that I can't learn and probably why I suck at using modelers.... but there's endless amounts of different amps inside. Whereas most tube amps give you one or two core tones.
The only problem is the real amp always feels better and the modelers are still missing something.
Especially when it comes to certain amps like VHT/Fryette. I've never heard a modeler that actually sounds like the amp let alone the feel.
Couldnt imagine an Uberschall or a Herbert being accurate either.
I don't like digital. It was all the rage when I was getting into recording...around when the POD stuff was happening. But it was never as good as a regular ass 5150 half stack lol.
412s usually have wheels and I find them easier to move around vs carrying a big carrying case with about 30 lbs of digital bullshit in it. I've gone down the small amp convenience rabbit hole a few times, and while I for sure like having something like that around for specific situations (spending a week in a cabin where luggage space in the car is limited, for example), I would still rather move that 412 around. Anyone complaining about lifting a 412 into a car can shut their fuckin face lol. I have 4 herniated discs and still do it every show lolol. It's not that bad. And it's always worth it.
Size = convenience imo. I prefer watching bands and playing with stacks for that bad ass meathead appeal. But at my age, carrying around a 4x12 isn't fun, not to mention two of them.
I get that, and I am looking forward to the day I can be happy with the modeling stuff and have a tiny rig. So much that I've tried all the major ones, as recently as last month when I had the Tonex. I want this tech to work out, but I just don't think it's quite there yet.
The convenience is great but IMHO, it doesn't make it for not being as happy with the tone at the gig. I don't see a point of having a really easy load-in, then go on stage and not like the guitar sound. So I just carry the cab.
Also a 4x12 is not the only option. Last Friday I had this late night gig in PA and from there we were going straight to Ocean City for the weekend. I didn't want to spend the whole weekend with a 4x12 in the car, I wanted something small that I could take into the hotel room. So I used this rig on my gig:
Very easy to carry and to me it sounds miles away from any modeling I've used. especially when you factor in the club monitors which may or not be decent, the soundguy etc... this is just turn it up and go.
Size = convenience imo. I prefer watching bands and playing with stacks for that bad ass meathead appeal. But at my age, carrying around a 4x12 isn't fun, not to mention two of them.
I get that, and I am looking forward to the day I can be happy with the modeling stuff and have a tiny rig. So much that I've tried all the major ones, as recently as last month when I had the Tonex. I want this tech to work out, but I just don't think it's quite there yet.
The convenience is great but IMHO, it doesn't make it for not being as happy with the tone at the gig. I don't see a point of having a really easy load-in, then go on stage and not like the guitar sound. So I just carry the cab.
Also a 4x12 is not the only option. Last Friday I had this late night gig in PA and from there we were going straight to Ocean City for the weekend. I didn't want to spend the whole weekend with a 4x12 in the car, I wanted something small that I could take into the hotel room. So I used this rig on my gig:
Very easy to carry and to me it sounds miles away from any modeling I've used. especially when you factor in the club monitors which may or not be decent, the soundguy etc... this is just turn it up and go.
ninjaraf wrote: ↑Mon May 19, 2025 1:20 pm
I don't like digital. Anyone complaining about lifting a 412 into a car can shut their fuckin face lol.
Face has been shut.
You use Randall cabs? Seen a bunch of your vids but can't remember.
It will be a while but I'm looking into getting a v30 cab and Randall or Bogner are on the radar.
No, I've kinda wanted a Randall 212/115 for a long time, but never found one locally. I am mainly using a Mesa OS cab, but I also move around a Fender MH cab somewhat regularly. That cab is the heaviest cab I have ever encountered.
Maddnotez wrote: ↑Mon May 19, 2025 3:20 pm
Nice, is that Jet City?
yeah it's just a stock JCA 1x12. I didn't even change the speaker in it. Great little cab for this type of situation.
Yeah I have the 2x12 with original speakers. They are basically Eminence Legends and are fine. I have a couple of Celestions that I bought to replace them but that was over a year ago.
Guitarbilly wrote: ↑Mon May 19, 2025 3:01 pm
I get that, and I am looking forward to the day I can be happy with the modeling stuff and have a tiny rig. So much that I've tried all the major ones, as recently as last month when I had the Tonex. I want this tech to work out, but I just don't think it's quite there yet.
The convenience is great but IMHO, it doesn't make it for not being as happy with the tone at the gig. I don't see a point of having a really easy load-in, then go on stage and not like the guitar sound. So I just carry the cab.
Also a 4x12 is not the only option. Last Friday I had this late night gig in PA and from there we were going straight to Ocean City for the weekend. I didn't want to spend the whole weekend with a 4x12 in the car, I wanted something small that I could take into the hotel room. So I used this rig on my gig:
Very easy to carry and to me it sounds miles away from any modeling I've used. especially when you factor in the club monitors which may or not be decent, the soundguy etc... this is just turn it up and go.
Now that I'm on IEM most of the time, I've become indifferent with regards to amp size.
In person, I still think 100w and 4x12 sound better; but, listing to the mic through my IEM I've become agnostic about amp/cab size. I've heard some huge sounding amps that were a 15w 1x12 combo, and the 100w 4x12 on the other side of the stage didn't sound any bigger when close mic'd with an SM57.
In that regard, I think tube manufactures are adapting to compete with modelling. They're making smaller/lighter amps that sound better at lower volumes, they're putting full feature sets on less powerful amps instead of reserving them for the 100w version, and in some cases, they're integrating IRs and DIs into the amp itself.
Face has been shut.
