Tube or modeling amp for regular gigging?

WhiteShadow

WhiteShadow

Active member
For a pro working band playing regularly, do you prefer a modeling/profiling amp like Fractal/Helix, or a traditional tube amp and pedalboard? Trying to decide on what my rig will be. Haven’t decided what will be my best route to go.
 
It really depends on what you prefer. Each choice comes with advantages and disadvantages. This is what I could think of:

Modellers:

Advantages
  • More convenient (a lot of amps, FX in one small package)
  • More control over your final sound (can go straight to FOH or PA)
  • Not a big loss if it gets stolen (assuming you have a software/preset backup)
  • Typically low failure rate; stable
  • Low weight, easy to haul around
Disadvantages
  • Quality of amp/pedal models do not 100% replicate the sound/feel of the real amp/pedals yet (difference may be insignificant at gig level volumes)
  • Editing or tweaking can be time consuming (can spend more time programming presets than practicing songs)
  • Firmware updates will change the sound of your saved presets, favorite amps/pedals for better or worse; unit will eventually be outdated
  • Not easily fixed if the unit were to get damaged (would likely need a backup unit or two to replace it)
Tube Amp/Pedalboard:

Advantages
  • Best sound quality/feel; will always sound good if kept in good condition (in my opinion)
  • More options for amps/pedals (you can use amps or pedals that have not been modeled yet)
  • Easier to tweak mid-performance or on-the-fly, easier to use in general
  • Can usually be modified, repaired, replaced fairly easily if something were to go wrong, depending (amps, some pedals)
Disadvantages
  • Usually heavier, more stuff to carry (amp/combo, pedalboard, cab)
  • More possible failure points in the signal chain (amps, individual pedals, patch cables, power supplies)
  • More valuable (if it gets stolen you're out a chunk of change; could also lose rare or precious gear)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
WhiteShadow said:
For a pro working band playing regularly, do you prefer a modeling/profiling amp like Fractal/Helix, or a traditional tube amp and pedalboard? Trying to decide on what my rig will be. Haven’t decided what will be my best route to go.
Click to expand...

For a pro who needs consistent, reliable tone in each venue without fuss, grab an AxeFX or Helix. Everything in a 2U box, low power and low noise.
 
To me the difference from real amps and modellers lies in the feel with the instrument: most guitarists talk a lot about dynamics but modellers flatten my playing a lot, so much so that I have a hard time switching from modeller to real amplifier that becomes more difficult for me. Therefore I would prefer to always play with a real amplifier, perhaps at high volume to be able to get used to managing dynamics and feedback.

My idea is this: if the weight of a real amp + cabinet is not a problem and you have the possibility to play gigs by turning up the volume enjoy the dynamics and punch of a real amp, if instead you do acoustic or volume controlled gigs, get a emulator
 
Last edited:
^^^^ this 100% I tried to gig with an Axe Fx II and I just felt completely disconnected from my guitar.
plus the other guitarists Bogner Shiva buried me, so now I use my splawn with a A captor X and he uses a suhr PT-15 IR and we get
consistent tone to FOH and the heads we have are smaller and lighter so carrying them around is no big deal.
 
My .311 cents is this:

WhiteShadow - what do you consider 'pro gigging'? What kind of music matters too. And budget. And roadies. And transportation.
pipboy - has some great pros/cons there

For the record. I don't gig and never have. Never played and Axe or Kemper either.

Question: can you get good squealies and feedback with an Axe/Kemp?
 
How pro are we talking?

True professionals don’t give a rats ass about their tone live and will play whatever they need to get paid the big money and draw a crowd. They have roadies and hired help that setup their patches and everything they need per song. They care more about the cost of shipping the gear all over the world than the tone and liability of rare items.

Less professional is within one nation or region. You may have multiple copies of one amp for redundancy. Again hired roadies to set it all up. Unlimited volume capability with no concern for noise complaints - cities have the permits pulled for festivals.

Bar gigging - this is where I was at. You can get away with one tube amp, but not multiple. You have to have various cabinet sizes to account for different stage sizes. Volume a concern some nights but not others. No roadies but band members are glad to help. You’ll be hauling your own gear to and from location so you’ll need transportation to do it.

I find the bigger the band and more professional, the less they care about tone and the more they start worrying about reliability risk and costs of moving things around. The smaller the band, the more options you have, to a limit based on the type of gigs.

I know I love 2203 circuits and modded 1959 circuits. I can handle dirty cleans rolling my volume back and don’t need a lot of options. I hate how flat modelers make you sound and they really are dependent on badass PA systems. Tube amps are a PITA but so worth it to me.
 
Last edited:
I can run with either, to be honest with you and I'm great with either solution.
For most gigs, I have an SKB 6U short roto rack and in that I have my Axe III, furman 215A, Orange Pedalbaby 100 and a connector patch bay. It sounds amazing through my 212 cab and FOH.
 
Recently made the switch and not going back. Boss GX100 into a Quilter 45, into a pair of a Bogner Cubes. Nice to not have to worry about crappy power, easier load in/out, and feels/sounds like a amp to me.
 
My playing daze are long behind me - and LONG pre-date the advent of modelers. I spent a few years in a band that was booked 3-4 nights a week. Most clubs were Thurs-Sat and a few of the bigger clubs were Wed-Sat. We took off the weekend after New Years and the weekend after 4th of July. Back then, I had a pair of Mesa Mark IIIs and a Mesa Slant 4x12. I only used one amp, but had the second set up behind the cab so I could swap them out in 60 seconds if my main box of glass went down - which never happened. I had no pedals on the floor - just the Mesa footswitch. All of the effects were at the board - our sound man put chorus on my cleans and delay on my leads. Back in the day, it worked and it worked great.

If I had the chance to play 3-4 nights a week again today, I would be hard pressed not to opt for a modeler just for the rock solid predictability of giving front of house the exact same feed every night for every show. I have two close friends who do play out regularly, and they use Fractals for that very reason. Both guys have very different styles and sounds, but both guys sound absolutely killer at every show. I can’t speak to the feel or dynamics of the Fractal as compared to the real deal - but I would probably force myself to get used to it just because the Modeler is SO easy to load in and out, set up and tear down, and again - the consistency back at the board night after night.
 
If and when my band does gigs, I'll have my 5150-III with 1x12 but I think im going to get a BOSS Katana as a backup eventually. I really dig those amps.
 
Tube amp for me without question...

VHT d60 with a 4x12 cab for heavier gigs, playing original music.
Peavey delta blues 1x15 combos for bar gigs & cover tunes.

Either one I run a plain overdriven sound with just enough gain to get the job done, then roll the volume back when I need it cleaner, or stomp on a boost when I need more dirt. Whether I'm making money or not, the main reason I play out is for fun. I'm not anti-modeler, but the main reason I play out is for the fun of doing so, whether I'm making decent money or not. The sound & feel of a tube amp lets me enjoy my time onstage more.
 
Tube amps for me no question. I've played the arena stages as well as the local watering holes.And to this day I still use 1 if not 2 4x12 cabs,3 if I'm doing w/d/w.They mic em and it's good to go.
Even on a worship team ill crank a deluxe or Princeton rev in a room.
.....if....I ever had to scale down,I'd much prefer to go with a nice lunch box tube head and 2x12 cabs than anything else.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top