New amp/modeling/profiling rig!

[Strandberg Junkie]

Thanks Donnie!
Right now I'm having great luck with my Shiva 20th.
I wish my Shiva had an XTC or Uberschall channel.

TBH I wouldn't even bother with mics and speakers.
I just used my favorite IR with the DIs and it was pretty mind blowing.

And just cause we're in a Bogner mood, this was mine before we down-sized.

 

[pipboy90]

The Axe Fx is a bad idea. It will only increase your GAS after you start playing models for a bunch of amps you've never owned and then wonder "I wonder what the real amp is like." Spoiler: it's much better than the model.

Don't get me wrong, the Axe Fx is the best modeler out there right now. It's just nothing touches a real amp yet.

 

[Torgo2003]

Tough question man and unfortunately you're the only one who can answer it. Some guys have gone digital and have never looked back.

I HATE modelers - not because they sound bad or even feel bad but because I'm not the type of person that can go down the rabbit hole and come back out easily. Unlimited tweakability isn't a feature I find value in. I just want to play guitar. I agree with the guy that recommended getting your hands on one to try out. Hell, you could always grab a Quad Cortex or Helix Floor from Sweetwater, live in it for two weeks and send it back. Then go buy the Fractal if you like the digital experience. The interfaces are very different, of course, but they're all basically doing the same thing.

 

[Skolphy]

I sold a ton of gear after I got the FM9...the versatility and portability of it just trumps the minor differences of a real amp feel and tone. It is so close it is not enough to make me feel like a tube head is the only way any more.
I still have my Fireball 100 and do love it..but the FM9 is an incredible piece of gear. There is a JCM 800 patch I use that just totally provides the sound and feel of so many records I've heard over the years that I am not looking back. I've used both in our band practices and not had any issue using either. I use a TC Plethora 5 4CM with the Fball 100 and get everything I need, but using the AX8 or FM9 with a power amp and 4x12 is just as good or better.

 

[PSGuitar]

One point you guys make is the tweaking. I hate tweaking and saving patches. It drove me nuts when I did use modeling years back.

Lots of places we play do not use a PA for the guitars, so it's cab for stage volume to fill the room. I'm old school I am realizing. Love the big rigs. I like that a lot of places in my area are going retro with big amps and cabs. Fun stuff. I can totally gone with that.

 

[ClintN667]

Yeah I'm someone who gets stuck on buying profiles and tweaking. I had a Kemper first. Then HX stomp which surprisingly I didn't tweak as much. Then got the QC and felt pretty good about it especially with a KSR PA50 but then I felt guilty about having 4 or 5 amps and only using the QC as an interface/recording setup. I ended up getting the helix native when it was on sale so I use that or Neural amp modeler or occasionally neural dsp plug ins.

It maybe my age but a new amp is just more fun imho. I see an amp and you get to try new stuff with it and make it your own sound vs just clicking a few buttons. I have made this analogy a lot and I stick by it. Modelers are like live recordings of your favorite band it's cool and technically sounds pretty much the same but it's not the same experience as being there live.

 

[PSGuitar]

I don't get to play with others a lot and rarely gig, so when I do...I like to use the real deal and enjoy the vibe!

 

[Dan Gleesak]

My ultimate high gain el34 amp was a mesa stiletto. Super underrated in my opinion.
I kept all my tube amps but made the switch to a kemper a couple months back and don’t regret it in the least

 

[PSGuitar]

Never played the Stiletto.

I got to borrow a friend's Kemper. I enjoyed it but in thr end missed my Bogner and Mesa.

The Kemper as they say, has this midrange frequency that you can't dial out. That bothered me a bit but overall I wasn't thrilled with the high gain profiles I used but the EVH profile I played was nice.

Maybe one day, if profiling and or modeling gets there, I'll make a switch. But to be honest I do hate tweaking and saving patches. I do love real time knobs, etc.

So much of this is all personal preference.

 

[gtr31]

I don't record and for live we don't run amps thru the PA. My guitars tones are all about in the room tone and feel. Live, we use the cabs on stage to fill the room.

I don’t think a modeller is the right fit for what your doing unless you go power amp cab
Your statement about your guitar tones being all about the amp in the room leads me to believe unless you use a real cab and power amp you will be disappointed
I would probably look at grabbing an FM3 to use as fx and as a bonus you can check out the amp models
I use an FM9 but it’s definitely different then my amp in the room experience