There are some who have taken a different
approach that is also valid. They like the
idea of a modeling amp and effects but
still want to play it through a traditional
amp to warm up the sound. This can work
great, but it is probably a good idea to
mic that amp and send that signal to the
PA rather than taking the signal directly
from your modeling product.
The Proof is in the Playing
The online examples are designed to test
the basic tone and dynamic response of
modeling products versus traditional guitar
amps. We will use Guitar Rig 3, AmpliTube
2 and ReValver software for our demonstration. This will give you some useful input
that will help you decide if modeling is
the way to go for you. The same Strat was
used for every example, an aqua blue Strat
Plus from the early ‘90s, with Lace Sensor
pickups and nickel strings. It has a maple
neck, a Wilkinson nut, and I’ve used it for
thousands of hours of gigs and sessions.
All examples were recorded with Pro Tools,
with no EQ or effects of any kind.
1965 Fender Deluxe Reverb
This is a very popular amp for clean sounds
in particular, a classic amp from the ‘60s.
One would expect a warm and sparkly clean
sound from this amp, and it delivered. We
dialed in a Deluxe-type of sound on NI
Guitar Rig 3, and were able to get a fairly
close match. One goal was to see if it took
endless tweaking, or if we could get in the
ballpark right away. The Twang Reverb amp
model was fairly similar, and I just adjusted
EQ, reverb and volume to taste. (Fender
Amp courtesy of Tony Rufo.)
Marshall 100-Watt Half-Stack
We dialed in a huge rock tone on the
Marshall, and played a heavy riff in drop-D
tuning. We got a big, chunky sound. Both
Guitar Rig 3 and Ampli Tube 2 programs
feature Marshall Hi-Gain models. Once
again, it was easy to come close. Of interest, the basic Marshall emulation on the
AmpliTube 2 software had less gain, but
sometimes that helps make the sound less
muddy and more defined. You can always
add a distortion pedal model to get more
saturation and sustain. (Marshall TSL courtesy of Dan Ackerman.)
Fender Deluxe Dimed Next we cranked the Deluxe and tried to simulate that sound with Peavey ReValver software, and again got very close. It was possible with ReValver to get more gain than the actual amp, which might be very convenient in some situations.
Fender Deluxe with Classic Jazz Tone
Next up was a clean jazzy tone through
the Deluxe, and were able to get a very
similar sound out of Guitar Rig 3. It was
the same Fender type of model, but with
treble rolled way back and gain around 3.
The modeled sound was actually a bit fuller and less distorted. The Deluxe Reverb
amp itself was a little harder to keep clean
at a useable volume.
