Anyone ever use modeling effects?

[BarryR]

I use a Fractal Ax FX2...Love it..ditched my Orange (kept the cab) and ditched my Egnator...

[Drubbing]

Originally Posted by catdaddy

Here's a video demonstrating a blind listening test comparing a Fender Eric Clapton Tremolux tube amp to a Fender Mustang III SS modeling amp.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUxBL7mub0A

Think you know which is which? Here's the answer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mr9g7vIKR7s

Still naysayers who argue that YT is a digital medium, so the analogue amp has been 'digitised' through the upload and playback process, so they will sound the same. How irrational does the argument get? They both sounded very good.

The only thing with Mustangs and such, is the array of choices. There can be just too much to tweak, and you really need to be handy a dialling in amps to get what you want. I spend too much time fiddling with mine. So there's still something to be said for a simple amp and a pedal or two.

[catdaddy]

Originally Posted by Drubbing

Still naysayers who argue that YT is a digital medium, so the analogue amp has been 'digitised' through the upload and playback process, so they will sound the same. How irrational does the argument get? They both sounded very good.

The only thing with Mustangs and such, is the array of choices. There can be just too much to tweak, and you really need to be handy a dialling in amps to get what you want. I spend too much time fiddling with mine. So there's still something to be said for a simple amp and a pedal or two.

Initially I spent a good bit of time getting the amp sounds I wanted with my Mustang. Undeniably there is a learning curve, and for those folks who are simply unable to stop tinkering the Mustang offers a tyranny of choice that can be a problem. For me, I knew what I wanted and once I found a couple of useful amp sounds I was good to go. Now I've got my own Deluxe or Twin available at the touch of a single knob with no tweaking needed and I didn't have to go into debt to do it.

[Drubbing]

Originally Posted by catdaddy

Initially I spent a good bit of time getting the amp sounds I wanted with my Mustang. Undeniably there is a learning curve, and for those folks who are simply unable to stop tinkering the Mustang offers a tyranny of choice that can be a problem. For me, I knew what I wanted and once I found a couple of useful amp sounds I was good to go. Now I've got my own Deluxe or Twin available at the touch of a single knob with no tweaking needed and I didn't have to go into debt to do it.

That's what I mean. I really think you need some prior experience to get the best out of these. I was turned off Modellers at the beginning, mostly because many of them sound terrible with the factory presets. Way overloaded with the more hokey Fx.

I did eventually get a Mustang because it's a pretty cheap way to play round with different stuff and find out what you like. Once I turned off most of the Fx and gain, I found out it was a pretty decent sounding amp.

[Clydeslide]

Originally Posted by catdaddy

Here's a video demonstrating a blind listening test comparing a Fender Eric Clapton Tremolux tube amp to a Fender Mustang III SS modeling amp.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUxBL7mub0A


Think you know which is which? Here's the answer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mr9g7vIKR7s

I got it right, but there was very little difference between the two. There's some validity in the complaints about the quality on YouTube (and I listened to them on my phone) but the reduction in quality applies to both amps so it only goes so far. A had slightly harsher clipping to my ears. I won't say B was better though as both were good.

Have to say modeling stuff has come a long way since I bought my Pandora. Still happy with my 5E3 though.

[StevenL]

I have a Line 6 M5. Was surprised at the quality of the modeled effects especially the Wah that I bought it for. Very rarely use it though, since I lost the power adapter.

[guitararmy]

At church we use a Line 6 POD XT Live floorboard for electric guitar and the bass version for the electric bass.

It really cleaned up the stage, as we went to Aviom in-ear monitors at the same time.

I'm not very good at programming the floorboard but get by with the presets.

[rampix]

I've got a Mustang 2 in my music room and I like it. I spend most of my time on the Twin Reverb with a few tweaks to get my desired tone and that's now a preset. I do spend some time experimenting with different sounds when I'm in the mood. On the other hand I have a little Bugera Vintage 5 in the kitchen corner and it sure is nice to just plug in and play without the computer and all. I guess I just like both

[barefooter]

Hey Dru, I've used and still own a cheaper Rocktron modeling amp. A few years ago, a friend came over to play some bass in our gospel group (this friend was all Fender guitars bass/strats and amplifiers). We were goofing off before actually practicing. I had my T5 plugged in the Rocktron and it dialed in to Fender. Without telling him or anyone else how I had set it, when we finished he said he could not believe how the T5 and amp sounded just like a Strat. Of course it was not identical, but it was close. I now have the Princeton Reverb tube and I love playing it and have not used the Rocktron for a long time. It might be time to break it out again and run the two amps with my ABY box just to see what I can do.

Catdaddy *** In regards to your post with the links, I really enjoyed them. I really did not know which amp was which, but I thought A was a little more aggressive/responsive in the sound and maybe a slight increase in gain (to my ears). In any environment playing either of these amps would make a good sound as far as I am concerned.

[Tony Done]

I'll just add another comment. What I'm really attracted to these days, but haven't pulled the pin, are those tube amps with all the little switches to get different voicings. Examples are the Egnater Renegade and Tweaker, Mesa Transatlantic and recent Vox Night Train. These seem to be the up and coming thing at the expensive end of the sprectrum.

[mc1]

i like the yamaha stuff. i used to have a dg-stomp, and i still have a magicstomp and recently bought a thr10 (mini practice amp). it's great.

[moon]

Originally Posted by catdaddy

Here's a video demonstrating a blind listening test comparing a Fender Eric Clapton Tremolux tube amp to a Fender Mustang III SS modeling amp.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUxBL7mub0A

Think you know which is which?

Not hard to spot the real amp. Huge difference...!

He also cheated by making the Mustang clips louder. Everybody would have picked B if that had been the other way round. It's very important that audio clips are equal volume for comparison.

I think it's really sad that budding musicians without a lot of money to spend are manoeuvred into buying cheap modelling amps which make all kinds of outrageous promises in the marketing blurb and then fail to deliver.

One of the worst things is that you don't learn anything about how to craft a tone. A real amp, and the way it responds to control tweaks and pedals, is a much richer sonic experience than pressing a button for an inferior-sounding preset. A lot of music has been directly inspired by fiddling with gain, tonestack, etc and finding a cool new sound, or by letting rip and pushing the tubes & speakers until they sing.

[Dru Edwards]

Originally Posted by barefooter

Hey Dru, I've used and still own a cheaper Rocktron modeling amp. A few years ago, a friend came over to play some bass in our gospel group (this friend was all Fender guitars bass/strats and amplifiers). We were goofing off before actually practicing. I had my T5 plugged in the Rocktron and it dialed in to Fender. Without telling him or anyone else how I had set it, when we finished he said he could not believe how the T5 and amp sounded just like a Strat. Of course it was not identical, but it was close. I now have the Princeton Reverb tube and I love playing it and have not used the Rocktron for a long time. It might be time to break it out again and run the two amps with my ABY box just to see what I can do.

Catdaddy *** In regards to your post with the links, I really enjoyed them. I really did not know which amp was which, but I thought A was a little more aggressive/responsive in the sound and maybe a slight increase in gain (to my ears). In any environment playing either of these amps would make a good sound as far as I am concerned.

Tom, I'm sure that Princeton Reverb tube sounds sweet with the T5. You should A/B the two amps one Friday night when you're stuck at home due to winter weather.

[Bob Womack]

Originally Posted by catdaddy

Think you know which is which? Here's the answer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mr9g7vIKR7s

I guessed correctly and volume wasn't an issue, probably because I listen for a living. My guesstimate was based upon the fact that gain is easier to come by on a modeler than a classic amp, even a repro amp. Amp A was slightly gainier than Amp B, and with the gain also came a little more of what appeared to be non-harmonic distortion - "hair."

Bob

[catdaddy]

Originally Posted by moon

Not hard to spot the real amp. Huge difference...!

He also cheated by making the Mustang clips louder. Everybody would have picked B if that had been the other way round. It's very important that audio clips are equal volume for comparison.

I think it's really sad that budding musicians without a lot of money to spend are manoeuvred into buying cheap modelling amps which make all kinds of outrageous promises in the marketing blurb and then fail to deliver.

One of the worst things is that you don't learn anything about how to craft a tone. A real amp, and the way it responds to control tweaks and pedals, is a much richer sonic experience than pressing a button for an inferior-sounding preset. A lot of music has been directly inspired by fiddling with gain, tonestack, etc and finding a cool new sound, or by letting rip and pushing the tubes & speakers until they sing.

Horsefeathers!

Your comment prompted me to test the volume of the the A-B test in the video using a line out audio feed direct to two channel inputs on my Roland VS-880EX recorder. By utilizing the peak hold function of the VU meters and monitoring the entire test for mean volume level I was able to verify that the average and peak sound pressures for both A and B sections were virtually identical.

You're certainly entitled to your opinion regarding the tube vs modeling amp discussion but calling the claims made for modeling amps to be "outrageous" appears to be more an indication of your own bias than of an impartial assessment of the facts. To be clear, I own a tube amplifier and enjoy using it. That doesn't preclude my enjoying my Fender Mustang modeling amp or thinking that it produces an equally good sound.