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Post by Bill h on Nov 28, 2020 19:07:35 GMT
Anyone here own, or have ever owned a modeling amp? At present I have 2, an old line-6 flextone combo and a 200w fender mustang which I’m currently using with the folks I jam with right now. I used the line-6 for practicing around the house way back when and had a separate rig for gigs and band practice. As I said in another thread, I lost my guitar rig in a fire 7 years ago and up until recently had been noodling thru the line six. When I started jamming with others recently I upgraded to the fender mustang still thinking that it would never turn into a “play-out” band. Now things are getting serious (to my dismay actually) and playing out is being talked about. The mustang is, as far as modeling amps go.....not bad. The presets are really good and the amp is really easy to use. It’s a little more advanced then the line-6 in that the presets are easily modified, more adjustable parameters, and also comes in a floor device similar to the pod. Anyway, if this group advances to playing out my gut says to go to something more conventional as there are limitations to the modeling amp. I guess what I’m asking is, for those that might own one, have you ever gigged with it?
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Post by johnreardon on Nov 29, 2020 11:04:39 GMT
Not me. I really prefer valve amps as I never use pedals. I've played a few jams with chaps using a Line 6 and, to me, they always seem to get a piercing sound. Our other guitarist does have one of those Roland Blues amps, which he bought because it's lightweight. He does use pedals as well, so it's ok, but not for me.
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Post by Sinster on Nov 29, 2020 22:53:13 GMT
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Post by infant on Dec 1, 2020 0:01:59 GMT
I have a Katana 100 that I use for the odd gig that requires a lot of volume. Katanas aren’t really modelling amps. They have 5 settings which are supposed to emulate certain amps but are not really modelled after them. The settings are Acoustic: an acoustic amp, Clean: which is based on a Roland Jazz Chorus, Crunch: based on a Fender combo, Lead: based on a Marshall stack and Brown: based on a 5150 or maybe a Mesa Boogie. Personally, I only use the clean channel with the amp’s built in effects or the clean channel with my pedalboard. For the music that we play I find the other settings a bit too over the top. I have the footswitch that allows me to select between 8 settings (4 per bank) that i have set up with different effects and overdrives.
It’s a really decent and powerful amp BUT it’s nowhere near as good sounding as my Deluxe Reverb.
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Post by Bill h on Dec 1, 2020 3:31:42 GMT
My very first modeler was actually a behringer rack mount unit my wife bought many years ago. That’s how I got started dinking around with modeling amps. They all have the same features basically, modeling pretty much the same amps with the same effects available. The differences mostly, at least for me anyway were the preset selections and how user friendly they are as far as changing something that’s there or creating something new. Never gigged one but the mustang I have now sounds pretty dang good especially the clear tones which are mostly fender models. The overdriven tones are modeled after the usual suspects, not much difference compared to the others. I think fender still makes the mustang floor unit similar to the line-6 pod I guess but more advanced. There’s a lot i don’t like about modeling amps/unit, but for jamming situations, I think their great.
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Post by infant on Dec 1, 2020 13:17:29 GMT
A former coworker of mine sent me this link a few weeks ago. The company that he works for has helped designthis portable amp and I guess they are looking for backers. Maybe he was hoping that I’d chip in! Last year he offered to loan me the original Jamstack to try out but I never took him up on the offer. I saw the original one at my local music store but I never tried it out there either. I don’t know...I can’t see this thing sounding like a Marshall or Twin Reverb with such tiny speakers.
EDIT: for some reason the link won’t show up so just google Jamstack 2 and click on the indiegogo.com website
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Post by Bill h on Dec 1, 2020 17:27:17 GMT
I’ll take a look.
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Post by zontar on Dec 2, 2020 1:58:13 GMT
I have a Fender G-Dec Jr. the lower end of Fender's old modelling amps
I like it. It's great for a practice amp--lots of different sounds, and some backing tracks & other stuff I haven't even used. (Like the Midi stuff)
I don't gig, but I'd have no trouble using it for some stuff like that (if I was going through a PA, for example) And I have recorded stuff at home with it.
It's not the best amp, not the worst.
It does what I need it to do--an easily portable practice amp for playing guitar at home--with some fun options.
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Post by Die Bullen on Dec 7, 2020 23:57:27 GMT
I only tried a modeling amp once at a friend's house but I wasn't super impressed with it- but of course it is a matter of taste. I also never use pedals either so the onboard effects do very little for me
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Post by zontar on Dec 9, 2020 10:19:52 GMT
I've tried some that are confusing to use--and others that are simpler--so that could be something to consider if anyone is looking at them.
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Post by Bill h on Dec 11, 2020 17:59:31 GMT
The fender mustang gt series modelers are really user friendly. Right now I have the gt 200 and love it. It’s a great practice and jamming amp. The fender amp models are just incredible in my opinion. There are a lot of well done presets and I can generally get what I want out of it. I’m going to go to a more conventional setup for gigging so I’m starting to shop combo amps. I’ve never gigged a combo amp so this is new territory for me. The last combo amp I owned that wasn’t a modeler was a peavey classic vtx but that was many years ago.
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Post by Die Bullen on Dec 11, 2020 19:11:03 GMT
The fender mustang gt series modelers are really user friendly. Right now I have the gt 200 and love it. It’s a great practice and jamming amp. The fender amp models are just incredible in my opinion. There are a lot of well done presets and I can generally get what I want out of it. I’m going to go to a more conventional setup for gigging so I’m starting to shop combo amps. I’ve never gigged a combo amp so this is new territory for me. The last combo amp I owned that wasn’t a modeler was a peavey classic vtx but that was many years ago. Ah the vtx- now that is a classic Peavey. Probably great for gigs but I imagine they are heavy. I wouldn't want to lug a 212 around anymore
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Post by infant on Dec 12, 2020 1:39:41 GMT
The fender mustang gt series modelers are really user friendly. Right now I have the gt 200 and love it. It’s a great practice and jamming amp. The fender amp models are just incredible in my opinion. There are a lot of well done presets and I can generally get what I want out of it. I’m going to go to a more conventional setup for gigging so I’m starting to shop combo amps. I’ve never gigged a combo amp so this is new territory for me. The last combo amp I owned that wasn’t a modeler was a peavey classic vtx but that was many years ago. Ah the vtx- now that is a classic Peavey. Probably great for gigs but I imagine they are heavy. I wouldn't want to lug a 212 around anymore I had the predecessor of the VTX, the original Peavey Classic 2-12. It was a 50W hybrid amp, two 6L6 power tubes and SS preamp. At 50 lbs, it probably weighed the same as the VTX. I put wheels on mine. Like I said in other posts, it was damn reliable! Best of all, it also sounded great! I owned it for 20 years and I was playing 35-40 weekends a year with that amp. Still worked great when I sold it.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 12, 2020 19:24:31 GMT
I'm surprised to see the enthusiasm there is for the Fender Tonemaster Deluxe Reverb and Twin Reverb. For a long time, it seemed to be fashionable to hold modelling amps in disdain, but the attitudes seem to be moderating since people increasingly turn to smaller lighter gear.
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Post by infant on Dec 12, 2020 22:09:18 GMT
I'm surprised to see the enthusiasm there is for the Fender Tonemaster Deluxe Reverb and Twin Reverb. For a long time, it seemed to be fashionable to hold modelling amps in disdain, but the attitudes seem to be moderating since people increasingly turn to smaller lighter gear. I like them. I had an opportunity to try the DR version a while back. I really would have liked to crank it right up but I don’t like doing that in the stores. But at a nice mid level, I thought it did a nice job of emulating my SFDR. I like the fact that the DRTM only weighs about 30lbs too. However, I don’t know if I’d really call them modeling amps as they are only emulating their namesake amp and nothing else. I just don’t know why they are so expensive. They are almost the same price as their tube brothers yet my Katana 100 is about one third the price of the TM and it’s supposed to emulate 5 different amps. If they were selling the DRTM for $600-700 CAD, I’d be all over it.
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Post by zontar on Dec 13, 2020 10:35:27 GMT
I'm surprised to see the enthusiasm there is for the Fender Tonemaster Deluxe Reverb and Twin Reverb. For a long time, it seemed to be fashionable to hold modelling amps in disdain, but the attitudes seem to be moderating since people increasingly turn to smaller lighter gear. Lighter amps makes sense in many ways. the only way I'd get a heavy amp now is if I was able to re-organize my home & have a good place to set one up & leave it. And when I have some lighter ones that get the job done (& there are other light ones I'd like to have) it doesn't make sense to go heavy but some modelling amps can be have as well.
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Post by highdeaf on Jul 7, 2021 17:34:20 GMT
I was resistant for a long time. I watched modeler companies keep upgrading hardware and claiming 'this one sounds like tubes'. Just like the previous ones did.
But I stumbled on a good deal on a used Kemper Powerhead and floor controller (at a dealer, so with return privileges). Turns out the return privileges were irrelevant because you just won't know in 30 days if it's for you or not - these new tech boxes require a fair bit of retraining on our parts.
I was a little gunshy to gig with mine, many controls buried 1 or 2 layers down in menus. Great for recording and practicing, I thought. I was right about that but I now gig it all the time, too.
It is lighter to carry, quicker to hook up than a similar analog (pedal board - amp - cab) rig. The built-in amp (SS class-D) is rated at 600 watts (down hill with the wind behind it) but still more than enough power to stay clean on any stage I've been on so far. Like hi-fi or PA systems, the amp is made to cleanly reproduce the signal fed it, which is different than tube power sections which are intended to be part of the sound and not a transparent reproducer.
I play mine live through a standard guitar cab (usually a 112 Mesa widebody or Thiele). I much prefer that amp-in-a-room type sound over IRs/cab emulations through a full range (FRFR) reproduction system. But I can feed that cab emulated signal to front-of-house instead of mic'ing the cab, when we play bigger rooms.
And with tons of amp voicings and effects at my toetips, it is a great cover band tool. Learning curve is steep but I've got it pretty sorted now (3+ years in). If someone plays to a fixed set list (rare for the bands I play in) you can program it 'per song'. I program mine with a few clean and dirty banks (called Performances in KPA-land) with 5 various amps in each bank. Effects can change per amp or not. Very flexible.
And as I predicted, great for recording and practicing. I can go back 6 months later and punch in guitar part with exactly the same settings/sound (as long as I keep good notes). No more trying to get the cab mic'd the same again.
I like that Kemper's hardware hasn't changed since introduction close to 10 years ago, while they keep updating software for free. Some of the new time domain and gain-type effects have gotten spectacular. And all for free - hours of fun for all the kids at home. LOL
Since I've got the KPA sorted out, I'm kinda thinking about expanding into the AxeFX line. Unless Kemper comes out with V2 hardware in the near future, then I'll just stay with that. GAS is a beatch.
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Post by zontar on Jul 8, 2021 6:27:13 GMT
I was resistant for a long time. I watched modeler companies keep upgrading hardware and claiming 'this one sounds like tubes'. Just like the previous ones did. But I stumbled on a good deal on a used Kemper Powerhead and floor controller (at a dealer, so with return privileges). Turns out the return privileges were irrelevant because you just won't know in 30 days if it's for you or not - these new tech boxes require a fair bit of retraining on our parts. I was a little gunshy to gig with mine, many controls buried 1 or 2 layers down in menus. Great for recording and practicing, I thought. I was right about that but I now gig it all the time, too. It is lighter to carry, quicker to hook up than a similar analog (pedal board - amp - cab) rig. The built-in amp (SS class-D) is rated at 600 watts (down hill with the wind behind it) but still more than enough power to stay clean on any stage I've been on so far. Like hi-fi or PA systems, the amp is made to cleanly reproduce the signal fed it, which is different than tube power sections which are intended to be part of the sound and not a transparent reproducer. I play mine live through a standard guitar cab (usually a 112 Mesa widebody or Thiele). I much prefer that amp-in-a-room type sound over IRs/cab emulations through a full range (FRFR) reproduction system. But I can feed that cab emulated signal to front-of-house instead of mic'ing the cab, when we play bigger rooms. And with tons of amp voicings and effects at my toetips, it is a great cover band tool. Learning curve is steep but I've got it pretty sorted now (3+ years in). If someone plays to a fixed set list (rare for the bands I play in) you can program it 'per song'. I program mine with a few clean and dirty banks (called Performances in KPA-land) with 5 various amps in each bank. Effects can change per amp or not. Very flexible. And as I predicted, great for recording and practicing. I can go back 6 months later and punch in guitar part with exactly the same settings/sound (as long as I keep good notes). No more trying to get the cab mic'd the same again. I like that Kemper's hardware hasn't changed since introduction close to 10 years ago, while they keep updating software for free. Some of the new time domain and gain-type effects have gotten spectacular. And all for free - hours of fun for all the kids at home. LOL Since I've got the KPA sorted out, I'm kinda thinking about expanding into the AxeFX line. Unless Kemper comes out with V2 hardware in the near future, then I'll just stay with that. GAS is a beatch. I've heard some great things about Kempers. I would certainly love to try one.
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Post by allthumbs56 on Jul 8, 2021 14:14:06 GMT
Early-adapter here. Gigged with a POD when they first came out. I spent a ton of time programming dozens of amp, cab, and effect patches. After several years I found that my preferences all centered around the JCM800 and I was using a couple pedals in front of and behind the POD so I bought a Marshall instead.
The greatest thing I'll say about modelling is that it will let you explore a world of tones to find what you really like. Then you should go and buy THAT.
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Post by laristotle on Jul 9, 2021 11:26:00 GMT
Playing bass for ~ five years now, so have barely touched my guitars. When I did, it was straight into an amp and crank it. No pedals. Sorta got interested in effects, but I didn't want to fall down that rabbit hole. Bought a used DigiTech RP1000 and played with that for a bit, but I didn't like the sounds. Then the Boss Katana came out. I have one with the floor board and an expression pedal. Barely used that throughout the four years that I've owned it. Heck, speaker isn't broken in yet. I found myself tweaking the effects on my computer more than actually playing. Meh. I'm just not an effects guy, I guess.
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Post by infant on Jul 9, 2021 13:35:52 GMT
Playing bass for ~ five years now, so have barely touched my guitars. When I did, it was straight into an amp and crank it. No pedals. Sorta got interested in effects, but I didn't want to fall down that rabbit hole. Bought a used DigiTech RP1000 and played with that for a bit, but I didn't like the sounds. Then the Boss Katana came out. I have one with the floor board and an expression pedal. Barely used that throughout the four years that I've owned it. Heck, speaker isn't broken in yet. I found myself tweaking the effects on my computer more than actually playing. Meh. I'm just not an effects guy, I guess.
I bought one a few years ago after seeing all the love they were getting on TGP and trying one out. I’ve finally dialed in a pretty good sounding Deluxe Reverb tone and set up the channels with different effects that I use during gigs. I’m 65 yrs old with a bad back and ankle problems and carrying a 32 lb amp around is much easier for me than a 50+ lb Deluxe Reverb. Still keeping my DR as there are times where I may still use it and it’s my practice amp here in the house.
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Post by Colchar on Jul 9, 2021 15:25:07 GMT
I think modellers are interesting,andkeep thinking that I'd like to try them out. Then I read about IRs and similar shit and remember how much I like simplicity.
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Post by Die Bullen on Jul 10, 2021 0:06:08 GMT
I think modellers are interesting,andkeep thinking that I'd like to try them out. Then I read about IRs and similar shit and remember how much I like simplicity. I'm also a fan of simplicity myself. I know guys love to tinker with settings but that is just a distraction for me. I need to be up and running fast with as little messing as possible
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Post by Colchar on Jul 10, 2021 2:49:45 GMT
I think modellers are interesting,andkeep thinking that I'd like to try them out. Then I read about IRs and similar shit and remember how much I like simplicity. I'm also a fan of simplicity myself. I know guys love to tinker with settings but that is just a distraction for me. I need to be up and running fast with as little messing as possible I can be a bit of a technophobe. I avoided the Marshall JVM recently because of all the knobs. Then a friend who works at my local store explained that the controls were actually really simple, they had just duplicated them for the two channels (or four on the four channel version) because of people complaining about shared controls. Once I looked at it properly I realized that they were simple, and bought one. But there are definitely times when the Orange Tiny Terror looks perfect to me - three controls and no fucking around.
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Post by infant on Jul 10, 2021 3:15:31 GMT
I'm also a fan of simplicity myself. I know guys love to tinker with settings but that is just a distraction for me. I need to be up and running fast with as little messing as possible I can be a bit of a technophobe. I avoided the Marshall JVM recently because of all the knobs. Then a friend who works at my local store explained that the controls were actually really simple, they had just duplicated them for the two channels (or four on the four channel version) because of people complaining about shared controls. Once I looked at it properly I realized that they were simple, and bought one. But there are definitely times when the Orange Tiny Terror looks perfect to me - three controls and no fucking around. Hey, I've got a little Champ (actually, my son has it now) and all it has is a volume, treble and bass. The only thing simpler than that is a Pro Jr. The champ is an awesome sounding amp! As for DBs need to be running with as little messing as possible, all my pedal sounds are already set up in my Katana. All I need to do is turn it on, set the volume and maybe tweak the presence to adjust for the room. Once the channels are set up, it's just plug and play.
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Post by george on Jul 10, 2021 5:17:43 GMT
Any thoughts on the Yamaha THR20W. I was wondering about one of those as a couch amp.
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Post by Die Bullen on Jul 10, 2021 12:31:12 GMT
I can be a bit of a technophobe. I avoided the Marshall JVM recently because of all the knobs. Then a friend who works at my local store explained that the controls were actually really simple, they had just duplicated them for the two channels (or four on the four channel version) because of people complaining about shared controls. Once I looked at it properly I realized that they were simple, and bought one. But there are definitely times when the Orange Tiny Terror looks perfect to me - three controls and no fucking around. As for DBs need to be running with as little messing as possible, all my pedal sounds are already set up in my Katana. All I need to do is turn it on, set the volume and maybe tweak the presence to adjust for the room. Once the channels are set up, it's just plug and play. Point taken, but i our kinds of music really don't require effects. I'm not sure if the reverb on my amps even works because I really have little need for effects on gigs. Maybe I'm a technophobe too!
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Post by Colchar on Jul 10, 2021 18:24:45 GMT
I can be a bit of a technophobe. I avoided the Marshall JVM recently because of all the knobs. Then a friend who works at my local store explained that the controls were actually really simple, they had just duplicated them for the two channels (or four on the four channel version) because of people complaining about shared controls. Once I looked at it properly I realized that they were simple, and bought one. But there are definitely times when the Orange Tiny Terror looks perfect to me - three controls and no fucking around. Hey, I've got a little Champ (actually, my son has it now) and all it has is a volume, treble and bass. The only thing simpler than that is a Pro Jr. The champ is an awesome sounding amp! As for DBs need to be running with as little messing as possible, all my pedal sounds are already set up in my Katana. All I need to do is turn it on, set the volume and maybe tweak the presence to adjust for the room. Once the channels are set up, it's just plug and play. If the Pro Jr. came with a 12" speaker I would own one, or several.
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Post by zontar on Jul 10, 2021 20:42:29 GMT
Any thoughts on the Yamaha THR20W. I was wondering about one of those as a couch amp. I like them, they have some cool features to play around with. I don't own one--but I have considered it.
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Post by george on Jul 10, 2021 21:01:56 GMT
Any thoughts on the Yamaha THR20W. I was wondering about one of those as a couch amp. I like them, they have some cool features to play around with. I don't own one--but I have considered it. Yeah, I have a Super Champ X2 that I never liked and I want to unload it was thinking about taking it to L&M or Cosmo to trade for one of the Yamahas. Super Champ modelling channel is bad and the clean channel has too much ice pick but the amp is 15 watts with a 10 in it so could be used for jams but I have that covered with other amps that are nicer than the X2. On the other hand, I have a 57 Custom Deluxe sitting in front of the couch and it sounds good at low volume. Still need to move the X2 though so might try the trade deal when things open up in a week or two. Don't feel like dealing with tire kickers coming to the door so trade in is easier way to go.
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