Going back to a real amp and pedals after a long digitally induced hiatus

[jonathanthomas83]

Hi! Long time TGF stalker, first time poster here, thanks for having me. (Finally joined after the encouragement from @Orvillain, thank you, mate!)

I'm about to delve back into amps again after a turbulent, sometimes enjoyable, often tedious, journey with digital. Kemper, Fractal, plugins etc. The general thought process boils down to the fact that with all of those things, I was trying to tease tones out of them that often didn't match my experience of the real amp, for one reason or another, but more importantly, trying to get tones that I had in an earlier life at the drop of a hat, with real amps and pedals that I've owned.

I'm absolutely not knocking digital, I've been a massive advocate for it in recent years, I think it's brilliant and that it sounds great. But I have digital fatigue now because nothing I dial sounds the way I remember my amps and pedals sounding, and even if it does and I start to believe that it does, I end up second guessing myself and redialling the following day. If you've not experienced this, good on you, but digital fatigue is a real thing for me.

To that end, I'm excited to be purchasing a Laney Lionheart L20H which I'll be ramming through a Suhr Reactive Load box for everyone else to have a good night sleep and for me to enjoy mindless noodling into the early hours. I already have all of my favourite pedals and I know they sound good with the amp.

Long story short, I'm confident that I'm doing the right thing, I just wanted to hear your thoughts and put this out there :-)

 

[Piing]

 

[SKU]

Welcome, brother!

 

[Orvillain]

Welcome Jon!

You need to specify your pickle preference - dil or sweet.

The correct answer is sweet.

 

[FuzzyAce]

Welcome to the forum!

 

[6CA7-A]

 

[jonathanthomas83]

Sweet pickle all day long :-D

Thanks for the warm welcome, guys, much appreciated!

I realise I didn't bring too much to the table with that initial post, so here are the pedals that I need to make sense of soon. Cioks arrives tomorrow!...

 

[Alex Kenivel]

Welcome. Drool pedal collection.

Over the last two years I made the transition from digital to... Slightly less digital, myself. I went all in on modeling through FoH/PA cabs with a Helix in 2016, picked up a Katana to house a Creamback and act as a powered 1x12 cab during lockdown years, and just last year bought a 2x12 cab with Greenbacks and a PRS MT15...And a BAM200.

Still using my HX Stomp as a MFX, started building a pedalboard, built a pedal, bought a EVH Stealth. I'm still very much using modeling for most of my recording but for most of my "me time" playing I run through the Stealth with the Stomp sitting on top of it in 4CM, controlled by MIDI.

Im not firmly in one camp or the other, and enjoy both. There are quite a few here who share similar sentiments so views on the subject are less polarizing here than in other forums - another big reason why this place is so great, aside from the and emojis.

 

[la szum]

Welcome Jon!

You need to specify your pickle preference - dil or sweet.

The correct answer is sweet.

 

[la szum]

My cheaper than 2 cents rubbed together reply is too do your best to not swing like a pendulum
back and froth between all the options at our disposal, but to spread your arms and legs as wide
as you can embrace them. They all serve a purpose and have a useful place in our lives.

Polarity gives us a realm to exist within the poles of. We don't have to pick a side. False dichotomy
is false.

Relish in the bounty of plenty!!!

 

[DrewJD82]

While I’ll never pick one or the other, the last year I’ve been dipping my toes further and further in the amp/pedals world with January this year being the swan dive back into amps. While I can’t say, on a musical level, I’m more inspired to play through an amp, sometimes it IS nice to just turn on and play without knowing there’s endless options available.

I don’t even suffer from the “I can stop tweaking my presets” illness, but when I plug into my FM9 and start couch jamming, it doesn’t take too long before I think “Shit, that’s right, I wanted to try out that ____“ and I end checking out other stuff instead of just playing.

 

[JasonE]

I understand the digital fatigue. I have a Kemper and a Fractal but when I practice and play, I almost always plug into my pedalboard and amps. It is just what I prefer the sound and feel of.

 

[FuzzyAce]

Sweet pickle all day long :-D

 

[spawnofthesith]

Welcome! (back!)

 

[Baba]

Welcome, my brother.

I'm pretty much on the same train as Alex Kenivel (above).

I'm going to go lay down some tracks for a friend of mine soon. There's no way in fuck that I'm bringing an amp down into his basement studio, that's going to be Helix or Stomp all the way. Maybe my Grandmeister Deluxe 40, but, run silently, no cab.

I like PLAYING GUITAR, IMMEDIATELY. You want to mess with mic positions on a physical speaker and get "the tone", while I'm enjoying lunch, and then I can come back in and just play? Be my guest. Let me know when the red light goes on.

Conversely, when I play with my band, live, onstage, with raw drums and bass amp, or when I want to pick up my guitar, in the middle of the day, and shred a few riffs, and be in the same room as my amp (see what I did there, fellas? ), I'll just turn my amp on and go.

Both are equally valid, and good solutions. It all depends on what you're doing.

 

[hunga]

Anything else we need to know?

 

[James Freeman]

I love amps and modelers and pedals and guitars and microphones.

 

[Orvillain]

Anything else we need to know?

âï¸ F, you're a gimp

5 seconds · Clipped by Drew Vernon · Original video "Wayne's World (10/10) Movie CLIP - You Kiss Your Mother With That Mouth? (1992) HD" by Movieclips

youtube.com

 

[EOengineer]

Interesting how many of us here have been migrating back to traditional amps and pedals, even if not to replace modeling but to pursue a different playing experience. IMO that’s a very valid and mature reason to pursue the traditional rigs - inspiration.

While I’ll never pick one or the other, the last year I’ve been dipping my toes further and further in the amp/pedals world with January this year being the swan dive back into amps. While I can’t say, on a musical level, I’m more inspired to play through an amp, sometimes it IS nice to just turn on and play without knowing there’s endless options available.

I don’t even suffer from the “I can stop tweaking my presets” illness, but when I plug into my FM9 and start couch jamming, it doesn’t take too long before I think “Shit, that’s right, I wanted to try out that ____“ and I end checking out other stuff instead of just playing.

I have the same thing going on. In modeling land I’m noodling and twisting knobs, constant tone chasing. On the flip side, I haven’t moved the knobs on my Superlead in a year. At this point it might as well just have an on/off switch and the volume knob.

Different worlds, both very useful.

 

[Sascha Franck]

In modeling land I’m noodling and twisting knobs, constant tone chasing.

For whatever (not exactly unknown) reason(s), I almost completely stopped with that. Even so much that I'm gigging with what might not be the ideal sound, simply because I'm so familiar with the less than ideal version.
I still have some moments when I really like to do some tweaking, but basically it's rather to have, say, a new FX patch I might be using on one of the next gigs - certainly not your typical tone chasing.
Going back to a real amp (which I could do any time, there's still 2 tube amps and nice cabs in the basement) would actually be more of an effort for me. Too much to even bother.