While using compact rigs and downloading presets make our live playing and guitar tone chasing easier, are we also making our rigs less reliable, and is everything sounding the same?
Disclaimer: This post’s content is something you might call ‘infotainment’. While the arguments presented here are based on real life experience, they are slightly exaggerated for entertainment purposes. Share your opinion in the comments below but be kind to each other.
To see me argue the exact opposite, check out the post here: https://www.isthisgeargood.com/5-reasons-why-modelers-are-better-than-real-amps-and-pedals/
1. The Best Playing Experience
I still think playing through a great amplifier gives you the best playing experience. I don’t know if it’s because of the slight lag the modelers introduce or the PA/FRFR cabinet reproducing the sound differently, but I miss the immediate response and touch sensitivity.
Controlling the dynamics and your tone with just your fingers is something I don’t get with modern amp solutions. To me, an amp in the room gives the best playing experience.
2. Hear yourself
Having an actual amp at your band rehearsal or gig makes it more likely that you will hear yourself. I’ve done countless band rehearsals where I try to hear my guitar through the PA speakers at the rehearsal space. But when those speakers are also putting out 4 vocalists, a keyboard, and an acoustic guitar, good luck trying to hear yourself through all of it.
With a real amp, you can just show up with your combo/head + cab, angle the speaker at your ears, and you’re good to go.
3. You Get to Use Physical Controls; Limited Options Lead to Creativity and Inspiration
We humans are designed to interact with physical controls. Twisting knobs and hitting switches is what we’re good at. We guitar players are also tinkerers, and working on something like a pedalboard brings us a lot of joy. We also enjoy sharing and discussing our pedal choices, why and how we run things on our boards, and share stories of successes and failures we’ve had with our projects.
Building a pedalboard also forces us to choose what to place where, how the signal runs, and makes us commit to a certain setup for at least the duration of the show. Because we don’t have almost an infinite number of options available for us, we are creating more chances for ourselves to really learn how our gear works. Many times, this leads to us discovering new ways to use what we already have and helps to create our own unique tone.
With modelers, I find I never commit to anything because there’s always the next amp, pedal, or effect I haven’t tried yet. By the time I’ve browsed to the ‘transparent overdrive’ number 7, I have no idea what pedal number 1 sounded like.
4. Affordable Backup
If your amplifier goes down during the show, having a tiny IR pedal (or maybe a small amp sim pedal) on your pedalboard will save your butt. And if your pedalboard fails, you can still plug into your amplifier and get sound from there.
While modern modelers are usually well-built and durable, if yours goes down during the show, you’re in trouble. You either need to have a second identical modeler (as many bigger artists do) or have a budget version of that modeler at hand. This adds to the overall cost of your rig. If you tweak your tones a lot, keeping that backup unit up to date with all the changes you made to the main unit is a lot of extra work.
5. Learning To Record Your Own Amp Is Incredibly Rewarding
Learning how to mic the amplifier, adjust its settings, and get the best sound recorded is a challenging but incredibly rewarding journey. The way you record, the guitar, amp, and pedal choices you make all play a part in creating your own unique tone.
With modelers, it’s so easy to get lost with all the options and forget what’s important. I have a lot of personal experience getting stuck with my projects just because I kept coming back wanting to try one more amp or drive or pedal to see if it sounded even better. I sometimes have nightmares about the hours I wasted doing this.
Conclusion
So those were my takes on why real amps and pedals are better than modelers. But what do you think? Leave your comment down below and let’s discuss.
►►Gear I use in my studio (affiliate): https://www.thomann.de/fi/thlpg_to75kzs7bv.html
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