Anyone else find modelers/sims uninspiring?

  • Thread starter Thread starter 7704A
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VonBonfire said:
I hear that. That's one of the big benefits of having the grill top on an old Marshall. I used to carry a small jar of polaner all fruit in my gig rig for after the show.
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Gonna open a new all-you-can-eat BBQ joint called "Tone to the Bone" where each booth is equipped with a proper full stack for grilling on. Volume = Crisp. Menu will be titled "Everything Crispier than Everything Else".
 
VonBonfire said:
I hear that. That's one of the big benefits of having the grill top on an old Marshall. I used to carry a small jar of polaner all fruit in my gig rig for after the show.
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But as I demonstrated when completely owning Lisa in the riffwar, I go from surf to death metal to punk, so having a modeler just makes sense for me despite the lack of connection that can be felt with a ramped up tube amp
 
Dan Gleesak said:
But as I demonstrated when completely owning Lisa in the riffwar, I go from surf to death metal to punk, so having a modeler just makes sense for me despite the lack of connection that can be felt with a ramped up tube amp
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Someday when you make it to Texas you can plug into one of my sweet boots pedals and crank my Twin. 135dB of pure Berkshire fury my man
 
VonBonfire said:
I hear that. That's one of the big benefits of having the grill top on an old Marshall. I used to carry a small jar of polaner all fruit in my gig rig for after the show.
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Like I said, I have both. The 1984 Mesa Mark IIC+ is a Holy Grail amp to a lot of people. I have it loaded with NOS Preamp and power amp tubes. I've had this amp since 1999, and the Kemper since 2012. Since owning the Kemper, zero amp GAS. And the Mesa still gets used, but rarely. The Kemper really is that good.
 
Thanks for all the input. Sounds like a Kemper and Axe-Fx would be worth trying just to get a better idea of where things are at. However for the gig I think I've settled on not using a modeler beyond just an IR loader, for the reasons mentioned in the original post. I've since obtained an Echo Royal, a 'Verb Deluxe kit, and have an IR loader in the mail. Now I just gotta get my hands on a Power Station.
 
I think I'd use a modeller again but I need simpler. I wish they had a dumbed down version of every Fractal, Kemper, etc. I use one tone for an entire show. I don't need 100s or amps and tweaks and cabs, etc. I loved my Axe-Fx III when I had it and know I'd love fiddling around with Kemper, Quad Cortex, etc.

I just don't want to be at a gig and accidentally hit a button and find out I accidentally swapped a Marshall tone with a JC120 tone. The Tonex is a great idea but then I'd need a Doctorate for the software.

I have a Seymour Duncan Powerstage 200 now. I think i might get a Quad Cortex or something for it next year but I just need something simple.
 
romanianreaper said:
I think I'd use a modeller again but I need simpler. I wish they had a dumbed down version of every Fractal, Kemper, etc. I use one tone for an entire show. I don't need 100s or amps and tweaks and cabs, etc. I loved my Axe-Fx III when I had it and know I'd love fiddling around with Kemper, Quad Cortex, etc.

I just don't want to be at a gig and accidentally hit a button and find out I accidentally swapped a Marshall tone with a JC120 tone. The Tonex is a great idea but then I'd need a Doctorate for the software.

I have a Seymour Duncan Powerstage 200 now. I think i might get a Quad Cortex or something for it next year but I just need something simple.
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One thing I like about the ToneX is that it does simplify things once you get everything set up.

Take your favorite amps you own, and capture them. Boom, you have a digital version of your sound in a tiny pedal. No more tweaking.
 
romanianreaper said:
I think I'd use a modeller again but I need simpler. I wish they had a dumbed down version of every Fractal, Kemper, etc. I use one tone for an entire show. I don't need 100s or amps and tweaks and cabs, etc. I loved my Axe-Fx III when I had it and know I'd love fiddling around with Kemper, Quad Cortex, etc.

I just don't want to be at a gig and accidentally hit a button and find out I accidentally swapped a Marshall tone with a JC120 tone. The Tonex is a great idea but then I'd need a Doctorate for the software.

I have a Seymour Duncan Powerstage 200 now. I think i might get a Quad Cortex or something for it next year but I just need something simple.
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I think you're the demographic the UA amp-in-a-box pedals are targeting. One sound, dialed in perfectly, no other fuss.

Unfortunately, my experience with UA's pedals was a fucking nightmare so I can't recommend them. Specifically, many features can only be accessed from the app and/or firmware updates, and getting everything connected for that was a glitchy mess.

The pedals would be way better off as rackmount units. More room for the additional controls from the app, plus better power supplies (my MAX Compressor was browning out a high current output on my CS12, and since these pedals are computers when they restart they have to boot up like one).
 
romanianreaper said:
I think I'd use a modeller again but I need simpler. I wish they had a dumbed down version of every Fractal, Kemper, etc. I use one tone for an entire show. I don't need 100s or amps and tweaks and cabs, etc.

I just don't want to be at a gig and accidentally hit a button and find out I accidentally swapped a Marshall tone with a JC120 tone. The Tonex is a great idea but then I'd need a Doctorate for the software.
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There is a fully-dumbed-down version of the Kemper - the "pedal" that came out last year.

Also, even if you were using a full-sized unit, you could easily select a different preset and then go back to the one you're using in order to reset back to the saved values.

7704A said:
Thanks for all the input. Sounds like a Kemper and Axe-Fx would be worth trying just to get a better idea of where things are at. However for the gig I think I've settled on not using a modeler beyond just an IR loader, for the reasons mentioned in the original post. I've since obtained an Echo Royal, a 'Verb Deluxe kit, and have an IR loader in the mail. Now I just gotta get my hands on a Power Station.
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A Kemper with one of their cabs would be an obvious solution.

Less-versatile but also an option would be a decently-powered FRFR cab.
 
I have a number of Tube amps and Love them (Soldano, Bogner, Suhr, Friedman, Marshall, Mesa etc.) but since getting an AXE-FX III Turbo from
my son as a b-day gift, I've really played with the settings, FRFR spkrs (my main studio monitors 12" 3-ways sound killer) I really like it for Recordings!!!

There is the convenance of going to a studio, hook up and play (many producers and engineers prefer) though many pro studio also have Tube amps.
For me it depends on the amp, some sound dry (my VHT Pittbull 100w) compared to 2203 w/o reverb. Some Clean tube amps sound sterile almost SS?
 
Airwave said:
I have a number of Tube amps and Love them (Soldano, Bogner, Suhr, Friedman, Marshall, Mesa etc.) but since getting an AXE-FX III Turbo from
my son as a b-day gift, I've really played with the settings, FRFR spkrs (my main studio monitors 12" 3-ways sound killer) I really like it for Recordings!!!

There is the convenance of going to a studio, hook up and play (many producers and engineers prefer) though many pro studio also have Tube amps.
For me it depends on the amp, some sound dry (my VHT Pittbull 100w) compared to 2203 w/o reverb. Some Clean tube amps sound sterile almost SS?
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If you record at all the Fractal is a no brainer
 
Not a bash modeler reply but I simply just don't have any use for em.Whether I'm on small stages,arena stages,or worship team stages,it's always with an amp and cab or 2..even if I have to mic an amp off the stage,its always a real amp.
Never been an issue,and I gig a lot.
 
Monkey Man said:
A Kemper with one of their cabs would be an obvious solution.

Less-versatile but also an option would be a decently-powered FRFR cab.
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If the goal was just "flexible silent-stage rig," then yes a Kemper would be near the top of options if it feels as good as I hear it does. However a couple other reasons pushed me away from it and modelers in general for the gig. Without waxing eloquent (unless you ask for wax), it boils down to:
- right-to-repair and ownership concerns,
- a desire to be able to maintain my own equipment,
- longevity concerns,
- choosing to spend money on something that will be generally useful for my interest as a technical person in valve/analog amplifier technology instead of something that is pigeonholed (for my interests and purposes) into "that one gig I need a silent rig for".

Maybe one or two other things that I'm forgetting, but that should be most of it.
 
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