Modelers Losing Their Luster

[Baba]

I seem to have the most fun when I'm playing through a real amp to be honest. At least that is the phase I'm in right now.

I have the most fun when I'm playing through a real amp, BY MYSELF, with no other instruments.

I have the most fun live, when using IEMs in stereo and hearing my guitar tone clearly, and the entire mix at a lower volume.

 

[kartikg3]

I seem to have the most fun when I'm playing through a real amp to be honest. At least that is the phase I'm in right now.

I have the most fun when I'm playing through a real amp, BY MYSELF, with no other instruments.

When playing in isolation, I enjoy the most.playing my HX Stomp through a real cab powered by a transparent solid state power amp. It feels exactly like the tube amps I have owned. Same feel, same experience, minus the heat (which I miss, esp. here in my Canadian basement). And the best part is, I can "switch" to a different tube amp depending on my mood, in a jiffy. "Ah some nice Mark Knopfler cleans.. switch, I am there. Some thick James Hetfield chugs, switch, I am there. Real cab, moving air, feedback and the whole gamut". That convenience never gets old, and reminds me constantly why I moved digital in the first place. It's been 15 year journey to embrace this.

When playing with people, I most enjoy playing through flat freq resp monitors, knowing that the tone I hear in the mix will be what the audience will hear.

 

[kartikg3]

P.S
There's a whole generation who never played through a real tube amp and/or guitar cab, nor do they have any desire to, for them losing luster for modelers means losing luster for electric guitar entirely.

This is SUCH and IMPORTANT point. And applies to so many things apart from music and amps. So important to look at how the future generations perceive things and what they deem as important, mainly so we respect them as well and minimize the risk of fading out of relevance. I think these perspectives are important to embrace, while not giving up on what we deem close to heart and nostalgic as well.

 

[Stratzrus]

To me the real guitar cabs are like 90% of the experience these days. If I plug a tube amp into a reactive loadbox and use cab sims, I could just use the modeler and skip the real amp inconveniences.

That's why I'm getting a 55 watt Rivera Suprema Jazz Recording Combo. All of the goodness of a tube amp with Rivera's multiple voicing options but it also has the Mini-RockRec speaker emulator with reactive load functionality built in so I can do silent recording direct to a DAW or straight to FOH without it having to be mic'd.



FM9 in the loop or 4CM and I have everything I want available in a compact but very capable rig.

 

[Orvillain]

Man, those FM9's just look really dope. If you just wanted a top of the range effects-only board, it is really damn appealing.

 

[Stratzrus]

Man, those FM9's just look really dope. If you just wanted a top of the range effects-only board, it is really damn appealing.

Yep, for gigs that's how I plan to use it.

The Philly Jazz crowd is pretty conservative so I use effects sparingly. One night in the middle of a piece, a bit of rotary made sense to me so I switched it on and the audience loved it...big applause. Who knew?

So after that I decided to have a range of effects, not just Chorus that had been made acceptable by John Scofield. I realized that other effects could be deployed when I felt they fit what was was being played.

The FM9 fills that bill very nicely, and the modeling could be used in other situations like jamming with friends or quick grab-and go situations where the FM9 and a FR-12 made more sense than hauling around my heavier and more expensive tube combo.

 

[northern_fox]

Modelers losing luster? Take them to the car wash!

 

[AFKAEjay]

That's why I'm getting a 55 watt Rivera Suprema Jazz Recording Combo. All of the goodness of a tube amp with Rivera's multiple voicing options but it also has the Mini-RockRec speaker emulator with reactive load functionality built in so I can do silent recording direct to a DAW or straight to FOH without it having to be mic'd.



FM9 in the loop or 4CM and I have everything I want available in a compact but very capable rig.

The st James didn’t turn out to be a keeper?

 

[Stratzrus]

The st James didn’t turn out to be a keeper?

I still have it. I had to move so it went into storage and hasn't come out yet.

When my Rivera combo arrives I'm considering having a 1x12 combo shootout with the St, James, Fender FR-12/FM9, Fender George Benson Hot Rod Deluxe, and the Rivera. I'm hoping that the results will help me to decide if any of them should go.

I already know that the Benson HRD is a better choice than the St. James for my Jazz gigs. The thing it has to offer over the Benson is the gain channel, it's Cab Rig and USB features, and it's light weight. The Rivera replicates the Cab Rig function and I really don't know how much I'd use the USB option. Nice to have but the times I'd actually use it are few and far between, and the Fender FR-12 duplicates the light weight of the St, James.

So the St. James is definitely on the chopping block but I haven't decided to sell it. I'm sure that after I play them all together the answer will be much more clear.

 

[Baba]

@Stratzrus I need to come see you play. I live in Marlton.

P.S. - if that FR-12 ever goes on the chopping block, I know exactly who would buy it

 

[Stratzrus]

@Stratzrus I need to come see you play. I live in Marlton.

P.S. - if that FR-12 ever goes on the chopping block, I know exactly who would buy it

Thanks! I'll let you know when I start gigging again, hopefully in March.

 

[jellodog]

Modellers are only gaining in lustre for me. On my 3rd one from FAS.

Gotta Catch ’Em All!​

-20 Psychic attack resistance from other modeller owners. YES!