Best Cheap Modeller 2026

[RisingKorbi]

Hello!
I'm m17 playing guitar in a rock cover band and for our next gig I was planning to use an amp modeller for all my sounds so I don't need to mic off any real amps anymore. I'm looking for an allrounder rig for 2026 without having to spend too much. I was thinking about a Boss gx1, Boss gx10, a Nanocortex or even a Headrush Flex Prime.
Any suggestions? Really thankful for anyone who can help me out!

 

[Foxmeister]

IMO, the days when cheap doesn't mean good are long gone, and some of the cheapest options out there can easily get tones that are more than acceptable for most people.

Of the options you listed, I have the NanoCortex, and whilst it is a great unit, I doubt it sounds 4x better than the Valeton GP-50.

I'm interested enough to order one myself to try out at £109.

https://share.google/oYnp7ofaj1rq0QgwK

 

[TheTrueZoltan!]

I haven't tried one myself, but in the "cheap" price range the newly released Blackstar ID:X Floor modelers look really promising. And I liked what I heard in several YouTube videos.

 

[ragingplatypi]

Hello!
I'm m17 playing guitar in a rock cover band and for our next gig I was planning to use an amp modeller for all my sounds so I don't need to mic off any real amps anymore. I'm looking for an allrounder rig for 2026 without having to spend too much. I was thinking about a Boss gx1, Boss gx10, a Nanocortex or even a Headrush Flex Prime.
Any suggestions? Really thankful for anyone who can help me out!

Welcome! What a great problem to have in 2026 as there are so many good choices.
You can get good sounds from all of the gear you’re talking about.
The other things you want to consider are about workflow - do you think you’ll use a bunch of different patches for the songs, or just a couple of patches with different effects you need to toggle on and off.

Do you think you’ll gig the pedal a lot where it will get a lot of wear and tear, or is it just for a few occasions?

Do you also want to use it as a practice tool, backup, or computer interface?

These considerations are where the strengths and weaknesses of particular pedals matter. If you don’t care about much of that, then just go with the one that inspires you.

 

[dronerstone]

A used HX Stomp

 

[DieSchmalle]

Tonex One if the only thing you want is to replace a two channel amp.

 

[ragingplatypi]

A used HX Stomp

A big benefit to getting an HX Stomp, besides the fact that it’s one of the greatest pedals ever made, is there is a decade’s worth of forum posts and YouTube videos addressing anything you want to accomplish with it.

 

[RisingKorbi]

Thank you guys! I really appreciate the great advice.

 

[Sascha Franck]

I would have a look at the Valeton GP-200.
Loads NAM captures, has a decent set of effects (and a bunch of internal amp models, too, I'd go for NAM captures, though), a pretty well laid out amount of 8 switches and an onboard EXP pedal. Should also be fairly easy to operate (lots of knobs for quick parameter access).
€283 over here, possibly can't go wrong with that.

 

[JCW308]

I would go with the full Tonex (not the Tonex One). It's still super inexpensive compared to many others.

 

[Sascha Franck]

I would go with the full Tonex (not the Tonex One). It's still super inexpensive compared to many others.

It's very underwhelming when it comes to FX choice. No dirt pedals, either. And very little onboard switches.

 

[Chocol8]

If you mainly want amp tones, Tonex gives the best amp tones for the money by a good margin. If you want an all around (but limited) rig, used HX Stomp or Nano Cortex. I would suggest you avoid the Sonicake and Valeton products because their NAM implementation is still pretty poor.

All of these options have limitations, but they can be expanded on with additional pedals.

 

[Sascha Franck]

I would suggest you avoid the Sonicake and Valeton products because their NAM implementation is still pretty poor.

Seriously, just regarding amp tones, these days I would prefer NAM files imported into the Valeton over the HX Stomp tones in most cases. And yes, I actually compared the two 1:1 (I own both a Stomp and a GP-50). Yes, there's some "authenticity loss" when importing NAM captures, but they still come out pretty great.

 

[Chocol8]

Seriously, just regarding amp tones, these days I would prefer NAM files imported into the Valeton over the HX Stomp tones in most cases. And yes, I actually compared the two 1:1 (I own both a Stomp and a GP-50). Yes, there's some "authenticity loss" when importing NAM captures, but they still come out pretty great.

How does that work with DI captures and IRs?

 

[Sascha Franck]

How does that work with DI captures and IRs?

With the GP-50 it doesn't (not necessarily a big issue for me), but the GP-200 allows you to load both a NAM capture and an IR.

 

[Boudoir Guitar]

Hello!
I'm m17 playing guitar in a rock cover band and for our next gig I was planning to use an amp modeller for all my sounds so I don't need to mic off any real amps anymore. I'm looking for an allrounder rig for 2026 without having to spend too much. I was thinking about a Boss gx1, Boss gx10, a Nanocortex or even a Headrush Flex Prime.
Any suggestions? Really thankful for anyone who can help me out!

Honestly, focus on the functionality -- the one that has enough switches, has switching modes you like, has the input/outputs you need, etc., is a bigger deal than slight differences in tone for a 17 year old performing in a cover band. Most things sound good-to-great these days; everything sounds "totally useable".

 

[Sascha Franck]

is a bigger deal than slight differences in tone for a 17 year old performing in a cover band.

Which is precisely why I recommended the Valeton. I think the GPs are some of the best devices regarding VFM these days.
I'm even considering a GP-200 myself for a regular show I'm playing atm (and likely even for some years to come). IMO they offer a nice balance between pretty decent sounds and userfriendly operation with some options - without having to dive deep into whatever menus.
Just as an example, their CTL switches can very easily be set to switch any number of blocks on/off simultaneously, allowing you to, say, turn a riffing sound into a lead tone instantly.

 

[Alex Kenivel]

What's your budget and how do you plan on hearing your modeler when playing?

 

[Boudoir Guitar]

Which is precisely why I recommended the Valeton.

And precisely why I avoided making any recommendations since switching is a pretty personal thing. See: hardly anybody here would want set up a rig the way Sascha likes to set up his rig.

 

[SymphonicDischord]

You mentioned this is a cover band, what groups/artists/styles are you covering? Is this your meat and potato blues standards or Mega church P&W. If you’re trying to go all in one, let’s make sure make sure your covered.