I'm James: I'm a Tube-a-holic.... recently, i've been heavily considering going digital. thoughts?

  • Thread starter Thread starter JimAnsell
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Modelers can sound good alone at home, practicing to backing tracks.
The ear can accommodate to almost anything, you can have loads of fun with them.
There are no problems live with modeller with a single guitarist, if 2 guitarists in the band and both of them, it's fine too, although, if one of the dudes will use a tube amp, it will crush the modeller, no matter which one is it, Axe, Kemper, Tonex, Hotone, headrush etc.
 
Going digital has been an interesting all be it frustrating adventure for me over the last 2'ish years. I'm digitally dumb, and only recently came to a decent understanding of the million ins & outs of my Kemper. Some days I love it, and some days I hate it.

I'm heading back to tubeland, though. I'd much rather have the immediacy & response that tube amps provide. I'm sick of knobs, buttons, parameters, input this, output that.

Recently got a EVH 5150 III 50S 6L6. I'm in the process of getting a board back together for that & I'll make the switch. Not sure if I'll dump the Kemper, but I'm strongly leaning towards it.

There have been times where I've had upwards of a dozen or more amps sitting in the mancave. I'm down to 4, soon to be 3 if my Mesa TC-50 ever sells.

I went through a divorce at the end of 2019 and had to reprioritize my life. Child support, while I don't begrudge it, sucks. Just grateful that I still have my home, the bills are paid, and I've got a band of bros I enjoy making music with. The gear comes and goes. Most important thing is finding your new normal & some happiness. Definitely has taken me a couple years to get there. Good luck with everything! 🤘
 
ok, i think i'm going to keep it and just continue to stick it out for a few more months. thanks for all the replies. my other option is putting a kemper on a sweetwater or gc charge card. both offer 6 months + financing. i can pay it off before i get hit with interest because everything will be finalized in 6 months.
 
dooredge said:
Going digital has been an interesting all be it frustrating adventure for me over the last 2'ish years. I'm digitally dumb, and only recently came to a decent understanding of the million ins & outs of my Kemper. Some days I love it, and some days I hate it.

I'm heading back to tubeland, though. I'd much rather have the immediacy & response that tube amps provide. I'm sick of knobs, buttons, parameters, input this, output that.
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That was me in reverse years ago. Back in the early 90's I had a rack of doom, with programmable pre-amps, effects processors, midi switchers etc... I sometimes spent more time programming than playing. Over the years things went in steps of deracking, now it's amps and a good pedalboard although that's still midi. I gave the Fractal a shot a few years back and ultimately I just couldn't deal with it.

You stated "immediacy & response" and that's exactly where I've been for years. Good point.

That said, no right and wrong here - whatever works for someone.
 
I recently replaced a big pedal board, biggest pedal train fully loaded, with an FX8. It started as an experiment but it quickly became apparent, at least to my ears, the the effects just were soooo much better. I’m running W/D/W, once in a while I’ll stick some chorus or phase in the loop other wise everything wet goes to a pair of powered PA speakers. I liken my experience to like a drug trial where they stop the trial because the proven effects were too good to deny it to anyone. I should add that I’m really comfortable programming Fractal, even on the little on board screen. So I thought about it and pulled the trigger on a new FM9. I figured if I’m going to spend all this time and energy programming a new rig I may as well upgrade now. I had gotten an invite for one so took it. The clarity and wealth of parameters combined with my tube amp center sounds better than anything I’ve ever used. I will eventually program some amps and cabs that I plan to use for smaller gigs actually, going straight to PA. Even as a back up amp, because stuff does happen with tube amps.
You know so many effects are digital already and unless you’re a die hard analog guy I think the effects on these units are among the very best out there. I didn’t think I’d even ever use any of the drives but having that option mixed into some signal chains has been useful. I’m looking forward to hearing some of the amp models through my cabs.
 
aftec said:
Modelers can sound good alone at home, practicing to backing tracks.
The ear can accommodate to almost anything, you can have loads of fun with them.
There are no problems live with modeller with a single guitarist, if 2 guitarists in the band and both of them, it's fine too, although, if one of the dudes will use a tube amp, it will crush the modeller, no matter which one is it, Axe, Kemper, Tonex, Hotone, headrush etc.
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Oh, only to practicing to backing tracks at home alone? LOL Jesus Christ…..you people are denseeeeee as hell.


What you are trying to say is if one guitarist uses a tube amp and the other is going direct WITH NO AMPLIFICATION ON STAGE BEHIND HIM…. Yes, for that guitar player, it could be rough…. Key word “could” be. It all depends on your monitoring system, how big the stage is, how loud everyone is etc and even then, there is no guarentee your other guitar player with a tube amp will “crush” the guy going direct with a modeler… furthermore, our front coming through the FOH, no one is going to have any clue in the least Guarenteed that one is using a modeler and the other is using a tube amp….


Continue on with the ridiculous commentary guys, it’s hillarious, but im here for it!
 
My son offered to run me through guitar rig pro 6. I will probably accept eventually cause he's my son so "not today" is the answer. I like my Twins to much to fool with any of that stuff. I got into this for Les Pauls, Strats, and Marshalls and the like not some pencil pocket pushing coke bottle glasses wearing pink hair dying online guitar warrior computer nerd simulations of a real electric guitar stuff I own already. Might as well have it play the guitar for me too. Hopefully I didn't hit him too hard.
 
JimAnsell said:
ok, i think i'm going to keep it and just continue to stick it out for a few more months. thanks for all the replies. my other option is putting a kemper on a sweetwater or gc charge card. both offer 6 months + financing. i can pay it off before i get hit with interest because everything will be finalized in 6 months.
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As much fun as the Fractals are for headphone jamming late at night while other people in the house, I would say that you should try to be practical and spend as little money as possible right now.
The Mark IVs have a lot of good tones in them. I would get a load box like the Captor or Suhr, and run the loaded down amp into your computer and patch in IRs and FX. Plug in headphones and you can play whenever you want. Behringer has some decent USB audio interfaces for around ~$100 if you need one.
When you get back on your feet and into your own place, then you can splurge. Make due with what you have at hand for now.
 
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have you considered software plugins? Neural Archetypes, Blue Cat Audio Axiom, and my current favorite PolyChrome DSP.

I used digital modelers for years, kept a few tube amps; most all of my modelers are gone, and I have tube amps again.

These days the cost, convenience and now the sound quality of software plugins make them more useful to me than digital hardware modelers; there's even the free Neural Amp Modeler software that lets you capture your amps.

If you have a tube amp you dig, I'd keep it until you're sure you won't miss it.
 
The allure of modellers will always be "a thing", but I've learned my lesson having purchased and shortly-thereafter sold the Axe-FX and Kemper in their various iterations. It was always the same thing - super stoked - then countless hours rabbit-holing and frothing for updates - and not actually "getting" anywhere.

I have all the amps I want any modeller to simulate - so, for me?? Totally unnecessary and a waste of time. If I *had* to for some odd reason liquidate my amps or wasn't able to possess them all?? Maybe a modeller to keep things happening. But what I love about my amps is they sound fucking awesome and I love them. I'm an FX minimalist which also helps (albeit my MIDI pedalboard is rather extensive, it's there because what I use sparingly is still high in variety) so the digital thing just hasn't been a necessity. And I remember after selling my last Axe-II, I was like "just forget it it dude, this is your 3rd rodeo with Fractal and 2nd rodeo with Kemper, just fuck it....and remember you were here next time you get intrigued".

This motto has saved me much time and energy. YMMV.
 
don't sell the Mark IV , I sold mine and I regret it every day.
get a Captor X , you can record with it and it's got an
attenuator as well. I use one when I gig, FOH through one of my own IR's sounds killer every night , my 2X12 s for me , the Captor X is for the audience.
 
I would try to find an easy homeplaying and recording solution and keep the amp for now, you can always sell down the line. Of course, this advice comes from someone, who attached to gear he likes.

Neural amp modeller is a free, profile-based software and people are putting out their profiles for free. Maybe this is a solution?
 
I have a Fractal and love it. It always sounded great through headphones and power amp/cab but was missing something through monitors. Now that I know how to dial it in, I can make 3" monitors sound as good and big as a 4x12 at lower to higher (home office) volumes.
 
Keep the amp :). I sold few amps, when I needed money for something else and now I miss them. And they are almost twice the price/unavailable now.

Regarding to the Fractal/Kemper thing. I sold the Axe FX3 and kept the Kemper. Kemper is absolutely great for quiet/headphone playing. I am just switching profiles based on the mood. Axe was boring after some time, I always tried to improve presets or create new ones and it was never-ending process.
 
VonBonfire said:
My son offered to run me through guitar rig pro 6. I will probably accept eventually cause he's my son so "not today" is the answer. I like my Twins to much to fool with any of that stuff. I got into this for Les Pauls, Strats, and Marshalls and the like not some pencil pocket pushing coke bottle glasses wearing pink hair dying online guitar warrior computer nerd simulations of a real electric guitar stuff I own already. Might as well have it play the guitar for me too. Hopefully I didn't hit him too hard.
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These particular comments always amuse me. I didn’t know shit about Strats, Les Pauls or Marshalls when I started playing, I started playing because I loved music and wanted to create it. That said, I can see how gear becomes a bit more of a hobby than the actual playing does, the wealth of arguments and lack of musical output on forums over the last 25 years is a fairly big indicator of that, IMO. While I’ve been a gear nerd almost as long as I’ve been playing, the music part never stopped being the most important for me, so whatever tool is going to let me create music the most efficiently is what I want.
 
VonBonfire said:
My son offered to run me through guitar rig pro 6. I will probably accept eventually cause he's my son so "not today" is the answer. I like my Twins to much to fool with any of that stuff. I got into this for Les Pauls, Strats, and Marshalls and the like not some pencil pocket pushing coke bottle glasses wearing pink hair dying online guitar warrior computer nerd simulations of a real electric guitar stuff I own already. Might as well have it play the guitar for me too. Hopefully I didn't hit him too hard.
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Your son earned that smack. I hope you ended that exchange with, "back in my day, when our amps got hot they sounded better. Now in your day, when your digital amp gets too hot, it stops working!"
 
RevDrucifer said:
These particular comments always amuse me. I didn’t know shit about Strats, Les Pauls or Marshalls when I started playing, I started playing because I loved music and wanted to create it. That said, I can see how gear becomes a bit more of a hobby than the actual playing does, the wealth of arguments and lack of musical output on forums over the last 25 years is a fairly big indicator of that, IMO. While I’ve been a gear nerd almost as long as I’ve been playing, the music part never stopped being the most important for me, so whatever tool is going to let me create music the most efficiently is what I want.
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You aren't wrong. I said it partly in jest but also partly because I'd rather play real instruments than computer stuff. At the end of the day putting a couple mics on a guitar cab isn't really all that complicated. As for me the only stuff I ever keep is gig related equipment because it's not a hobby. Everything is bought/sold on an as needed basis. I would like a box I could toss in a bag in case of amp failure but I don't even know where I'd start looking and right now it would just be cheaper to bring a 2nd amp since I have one.
 
thegame said:
Your son earned that smack. I hope you ended that exchange with, "back in my day, when our amps got hot they sounded better. Now in your day, when your digital amp gets too hot, it stops working!"
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Dang right he did, just glad it didn't crack a rib this time since money has been tight since I'm saving for a Les Paul.

But for real he's a good kid. Has 5.0 sound in his room, a Ramsa console, and enough digital instruments to score a movie soundtrack by himself. Better ear than I ever will have. He's not obstinate enough though so I think he'll probably become a monastic.
 
VESmedic said:
Oh, only to practicing to backing tracks at home alone? LOL Jesus Christ…..you people are denseeeeee as hell.


What you are trying to say is if one guitarist uses a tube amp and the other is going direct WITH NO AMPLIFICATION ON STAGE BEHIND HIM…. Yes, for that guitar player, it could be rough…. Key word “could” be. It all depends on your monitoring system, how big the stage is, how loud everyone is etc and even then, there is no guarentee your other guitar player with a tube amp will “crush” the guy going direct with a modeler… furthermore, our front coming through the FOH, no one is going to have any clue in the least Guarenteed that one is using a modeler and the other is using a tube amp….


Continue on with the ridiculous commentary guys, it’s hillarious, but im here for it!
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Here's my anecdotal experience using an FM3 with a powered Xitone FRFR 1x12 floor wedge and the 2 PAs in the rehearsal room: our old lead singer would play through a 1x12 Bugera combo and would constantly stomp on me during practice. He always cut through the mix clear as a bell. My FRFR wedge struggled most times even after dialing in the amp at volume, EQing, using less gain, turning up louder, etc.

The FM3/Axe 3 sounded better in a live mix running into a tube power amp and a cabinet, but at that point I realized I was over-complicating things and decided to go back to using a tube head and cab. I would recommend using a guitar cabinet for most people because it's the simplest solution and provides a mix-ready sound.
 
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