Does an amp make sense for what I'm describing?

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Boudoir Guitar said:
think at this point having an axe fix III, a quad cortex, the Boss IR thing, and the Friedman IR-whatever is a LOT of unnecessary overlap. And you don’t like the Orange. Not sure what else you have at this point. But you could definitely justify a purge.

And I am in agreement with Mongolio that the amps you’ve had have all been in the “yeah, of course that didn’t work out well for you” zone. And a 1x12 v-30 at low volume would probably make me want to give up electric guitar period.
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Could it be the OP doesn’t gel with miced sounds..and that orange amp just happens to be the wrong flavor?
In my mind it would be a worthwile experiment to run some preamps models/captures into the return of that amp. Those powersections are fine imo.
 
AFKAEjay(retired) said:
Could it be the OP doesn’t gel with miced sounds..and that orange amp just happens to be the wrong flavor?
In my mind it would be a worthwile experiment to run some preamps models/captures into the return of that amp. Those powersections are fine imo.
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Coooooould be. But that v30 loaded 1x12 is not the cab to do that experimenting with, IMO.
 
Jarick said:
On my room, it could be treated better for sure but I built a bunch of acoustic panels, added a couch, and added a big rug.
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Did that make things better or worse?
To me, stuff like that is great to get a neutral sounding room…good for mixing…but not great for a cool guitarplaying experience imo.
 
Boudoir Guitar said:
I think trying to do Fender clean, plexi crunch and modern gain from one amp/cab would be setting yourself up for failure…
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It's honestly not a problem as long as you are willing to compromise on some authenticity because the same cab will be the biggest limitation.

Boudoir Guitar said:
…I think even if you pulled that off, you’d still want Vox sounds…
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That's the one thing that doesn't really go well with something that is "Fender cleans, Marshall overdrive" like the BluGuitar, or something like the Mesa Mark V for Fender cleans and modern American drive tones. The Alnico Gold or Blues that make the Vox sounds shine are at odds with the other sounds.

Boudoir Guitar said:
…midi switching for an amp that is never going to be moved or used for live performance is simply a weird want feature…
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It's nice to have if your pedalboard is MIDI controlled too. But almost any amp can be made MIDI controllable with 3rd party gear, it'll just cost you, require custom cables most likely and so on. If I was a dictator, all amps and pedals would be controllable via MIDI. Yes, even for just channel switch and reverb on/off.

Boudoir Guitar said:
Yeah, V30. To my ear at low volume sounds honky/bright/thin in a bad way. Can doing good cranked, I think? But 1x12 quiet has never sounded good for me.
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It's not the 1x12 format.

I did not like how the Bogner Goldfinger 1x12 combo I had sounded with its stock V30 when I bought it home and was playing it at less loud levels than at the store. There's something about V30 upper mids that make them grating at low volumes played on your own, but cut through great in a band mix when loud.

Lots of other speakers that will behave nicer. V30 just happens to be super common and it has a nice 60W power handling so it gets slapped in a lot of cabs.
 
laxu said:
It's honestly not a problem as long as you are willing to compromise on some authenticity because the same cab will be the biggest limitation.


That's the one thing that doesn't really go well with something that is "Fender cleans, Marshall overdrive" like the BluGuitar, or something like the Mesa Mark V for Fender cleans and modern American drive tones. The Alnico Gold or Blues that make the Vox sounds shine are at odds with the other sounds.


It's nice to have if your pedalboard is MIDI controlled too. But almost any amp can be made MIDI controllable with 3rd party gear, it'll just cost you, require custom cables most likely and so on. If I was a dictator, all amps and pedals would be controllable via MIDI. Yes, even for just channel switch and reverb on/off.


It's not the 1x12 format.

I did not like how the Bogner Goldfinger 1x12 combo I had sounded with its stock V30 when I bought it home and was playing it at less loud levels than at the store. There's something about V30 upper mids that make them grating at low volumes played on your own, but cut through great in a band mix when loud.

Lots of other speakers that will behave nicer. V30 just happens to be super common and it has a nice 60W power handling so it gets slapped in a lot of cabs.
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(1) “it’s not a problem if you are willing to compromise” - uh, isn’t the whole point here to NOT COMPROMISE?

(2) for at home use, short of a looper, maybe tap tempo, expression, freeze/hold/self-oscillation stuff, nothing needs to be footswitchable, much less MIDI controllable.

(3). Yes, 1x12 are fine. I was referring specifically to v30 1x12 at quiet volume.
 
Boudoir Guitar said:
(1) “it’s not a problem if you are willing to compromise” - uh, isn’t the whole point here to NOT COMPROMISE?
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Any single amp and cab will always be a compromise. Some just do more, others do a specific thing and not much else.

"FRFR" setups are just a different compromise. While your IRs will be a "perfect" companion for each amp model, it won't sound like a real guitar cab in the room.
 
laxu said:
Any single amp and cab will always be a compromise. Some just do more, others do a specific thing and not much else.

""FRFR"" setups are just a different compromise. While your IRs will be a "perfect" companion for each amp model, it won't sound like a real guitar cab in the room.
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Having a single really good sounding amp isn’t really a compromise. Quite honestly, the flexibility expectations that modelers have dropped on the world is probably my biggest annoyance with them. There aren’t a lot of players that are flexible enough for 3-channels, to be honest.
 
Boudoir Guitar said:
I think the issue wasn’t about whether Fractal (or any of the other modelers he’s used - which is all of them) is superior to a tube amp, but that at conversation levels whatever differences exist aren’t enough to go from “ho hum” to “WOW!”. Especially if the goal was to find a single amp/cab combo to cover Fender clean, plexi crunch, and “modern hi gain”.
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Exactly. OP is asking if there is some mojo a tube amp can provide for 'home use, low level only', i.e. conversation level sounds. He is also talking about loaded down with IRs (direct/headphones) type use. Answer is 'no', IME.

Others may get some kind of mojo from a tube amp in that scenario but as soon as you start loading it down so you can the volume to conversation level and/or applying IRs, I personally cannot tell an amp from a really good modeler. And believe me, I've tried.

Low volume is inherently compromised. IMHO.
 
Jarick said:
I've tried every modeler under the sun and spend more time trying to fix flaws than enjoying them. I've tried the Friedman IR-X too, as well as a low watt tube amp (Orange Rocker 15) and tons of pedals. I've upgraded my monitors, interface, tried a power amp and cab, tried ""FRFR"", etc.

So let's say I sell off a bunch of gear to fund something different. I know at some point I need a different cab because that's going to shape the overall EQ. But is there an amp rig that would make sense for the following use case:
  • Low volume, home use only...I'm talking conversation levels here
  • 3 channels preferred (Fender cleans, Plexi crunch, modern gain)
  • Series effects loop
  • Ability to run a direct out with no cab (built in reactive load, or no load needed, or potentially adding an external box)
  • Ability to switch channels via MIDI (may require another box)
Some ideas I've kicked around:
  • Soldano Astro 20 - top of the budget but seems like it would do everything I want and would kick all kinds of ass
  • Friedman JJ Junior - only two channels, but this has been my dream amp for years, although would need to add external reactive load
  • Bluguitar Amp1 - never tried one but seems intriguing? Mixed reviews but sometimes they are good?
  • Friedman IR-D - maybe a different voicing compared to the IR-X would be better through existing cabs?
  • Blackstar Amped 3 - don't shoot me but I honestly kinda like the Amped 1 as an amp better than the Orange Rocker 15!
  • ...something else?
Alternately, am I just nuts and modeling truly is the way to go in this situation? For example should I swap out the Orange cab for something bigger and warmer sounding at low levels to fight the harsh high end? Or throw something in the signal chain?
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The Mesa Mark V 35 is almost there - but it has 2 channels, and you need a separate box to control it with midi. I run mine into a loadbox and play at conversation levels all the time.
 
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