I

[The Aardvark]

I haven

[Puddlegum]

If you're looking at modelers, I've had great success with 2 different models.

 

The first is the Vox Valvetronix series. They are very solid amps. The models sound pretty good and fairly close to what they're supposed to be. I had the 30w model and I really enjoyed it until got my first Carvin tube amp.

 

The other is Line 6 Vetta. Pretty much the creme of the crop of modelers. It runs over a grand, but I've seen people play entire shows with that and a Variax it litereally did just about everything under the sun.

 

For the money, the Vox series is great. If you play out a lot and want to cover every sound under the sun...get the Vetta.

 

FWIW, I really dig the old Carvin X amp series. They have a great clean, IMO better then a Twin, DR, and a Bassman. As well as a killer crunch. The crunch channel can do a Marshall or a Mesa crunch in heartbeat. They usually run under 400 bucks and are well worth it.

[Scarlet_Worm]

cheaper and based on the vetta, the Flextone III XL amps can be had around $600 combined with the FBV shortboard, you have enough tones and effects to play ANY gig.

[Mudder1310]

Tech21 makes a great "modelling" amp, the trademark series. Very versatile and good sounding amp.

 

Depending on what you can spend...

 

AxeFx

Vox Tone Lab

Pritchard Sword of Sartori

 

The first two need power amps or direct to a board, the Pritchard is a killer modeller.

[The Birdman]

The Vox Valvetronix is good, the discontinued "blue series" AD60VT, AD60VTX, AD120VT and AD120VTX are the best if you can find a clean one used. I have a used AD60VT, and it is the best modeling amp I've ever tried.

 

The Roland Cubes are good, too, but if you find one of the above Vox amps, check that it is perfectly functional (they have some durability issues) and grab it.

 

Roger

[Sardocasm]

Axe Fx seems to be the jack of all trades and apparently even has the "feel" of the real amps. People seem to love them.

[The Aardvark]

Thanks for the suggestions. So far, from checking out their websites, here is what I

[Spizzledude]

Thanks for the suggestions. So far, from checking out their websites, here is what I

[jaytee123]

 

Tech21 makes a great "modelling" amp, the trademark series. Very versatile and good sounding amp. Depending on what you can spend... AxeFx Vox Tone Lab Pritchard Sword of Sartori The first two need power amps or direct to a board, the Pritchard is a killer modeller.

 

 

 

Youre the first one in here besides me that has even mentioned Pritchard. Have you played one? How are they? As most, Im skeptical about spending 2 grand for a 1x12 SS combo.

[MightyThor]

+1 on the valvetronix blue series. But for gods sake don't sell those fenders.

[Mudder1310]

 

Youre the first one in here besides me that has even mentioned Pritchard. Have you played one? How are they? As most, Im skeptical about spending 2 grand for a 1x12 SS combo.

 

 

A friend of mine has the Sword and it's pretty awesome. It's sort of like a tube amp in that it sounds best when turned up, gets the speakers working and some air moving. But at low volume it's still really good. Covers a lot of ground, crystal cleans, crunchy gains, takes pedals well.

 

Now, would I spend that sort of money for one? I couldn't justify it, but if I were a pro player in a cover band and wanted one amp to cover all the ground it would be right at the top of my list.

 

I'd love to find one used. Nearly impossible.

[joesl8]

NOOOOoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.......................

[BusterBuster]

I own two AD60VTX series VOX Valvetronix amps. I'm getting ready to sell all my tube amps. These amps are totally the {censored}s

[TomCTC]

If you're buying a modeler for your main amp, there's only one choice:

 

 

 

Hughes & Kettner Zentera! (on the right)

 

[aortizjr]

I can definitely understand downsizing a bit. That is a heck of a collection if you aren't playing much guitar.

 

Personally I would steer clear of the modelers. For me I find them great for maybe three things:

 

1. Quiet playing. Practicing, laying down guitar ideas, etc.

2. When you are doing a multi-cover band and really need 40+ drastically different tones.

3. When in a pinch as a back-up amp or whatever.

 

What I find is that yeah they can cover a lot of ground, but very few of them well. I find there is always something wrong or not right, or something I am trying to dial out or in. And they don't translate well to different volumes at all. Either the response isn't right, it is too muddy, harsh and bright, or muffled, weird midrange issues, not cutting, cutting too much, etc.

 

I have tried a lot of them. Vox (valvetronix and Tonelab's), Line 6 (Flextones, Spiders, Vettas, POD series), Behringer (V-amp, Vampire, Vamp Pro), Digitech (GNX3000, RP350, GSP1101), etc. Haven't tried the new Spider Valve's though or the new Peavey's. If money is an issue or you must go solid state for wight, reliability, etc. The only one I could recommend would be the Tech 21 Trademark/Sansamp stuff. But they aren't modeling, they are just kick ass sounding solid state. I have used those and they are pretty nice, and versatile too.

 

But I would look into maybe getting a tube amp that is designed to cover a lot of ground and is easy to dial in. The Egnater's I thought were designed that way. But maybe check out his new Tourmaster series. H&K's are really versatile too. ENGL Screamer perhaps. Hell even a Peavey ValveKing I found to be pretty versatile and felt better and was easier to dial than any modeler I have owned.

 

Also don't forget that with a few tweaks with your volume knob or your playing, maybe an OD, and an EQ pedal you can really change your tone and can make just about any amp cover a lot of ground. Tube amps can handle this and tend to be more dynamic and responsive. Hell I saw an Indie rock/bluesish band last night using a 6505+ and he had killer tone. Not even close to the rip-your-face off that you would expect. But nice and smooth, great clean too. Just had a tele, an OD, and kept his volume knob down.

 

But you will get better response, have less to worry about dialing, cover a lot of ground a whole lot better and more predictably than with a modeler. And at least to me tube amps are much more inspiring to play. The modelers seem to just get the job done.

[thinkpad20]

whatever you do, don't sell your tube amps until AFTER you buy the modeler and decide whether you like it enough or not. The gear you listed, I can almost guarantee, will be very difficult to replicate and you might very well regret that decision.

 

I'm considering buying the Axe-FX, but I can't recommend it yet as I don't own it. But it's quite unique as far as I know in terms of modelers because instead of trying to copy the waveform generated by a tube amp, it actually models the circuitry of the amp itself, which is what gives it the "feel" of a tube amp and the ability to respond to volume knob stuff/dynamics/et cetera. So depending on what style you play it might be worth the coin. In particular if you're interested in high quality effects; by most accounts its effects alone make it worth the price. Eventide/TC quality essentially. Also very flexible in terms of ability to determine the order of effects in the chain and whether they are before or after the amp, et cetera - something that (most, or maybe all?) Line 6 stuff can't do.

 

FWIW, I think the Flextones are complete garbage; the other guitarist in my band used to play through a 2x12 combo and it was horrible. Personally I think Line6 stuff can do some things pretty well, for example high gain stuff or really clean cleans. But its mid-gain tones suck terribly, its EQ is pretty awful, and it has a lot of trouble cutting through the mix in a live/practice situation.

[isvoid]

 

Pritchard Sword of Sartori

 

Wow, I didn't know he was still making / selling those.

[Sex Panther]

Axe FX.

[rushtallica]

I recommend getting a relatively inexpensive but decent tube combo with an fx loop to run a separate modeler through. It'll likely sound better than just a modeler with a SS power section (at least my V-Amp definitely sounds a lot better running into a tube section than using it's own SS amp).

 

And after you've played the modeler for a few weeks and are very familiar with how it sounds then go back to just the tube combo and you may find a new respect for the tube sound like many others such as myself have. If it still doesn't strike you as being different and better, then you've already got your modeling with tube power setup to keep working with.

 

If your experience is like mine you'll likely just use the modeler to connect to a computer for fun. But one advantage a separate modeler has over a combo is you can easily take it pretty much anywhere to hook up to other gear and PA's and avoid taking an amp at all.

 

One thing: if you do consider using a setup like I mentioned make sure to get a modeler that you can bypass the cab models on. It'll usually sound better on various modelers when running them into an amp.

[handysmurf]

 

A friend of mine has the Sword and it's pretty awesome. It's sort of like a tube amp in that it sounds best when turned up, gets the speakers working and some air moving. But at low volume it's still really good. Covers a lot of ground, crystal cleans, crunchy gains, takes pedals well.... I'd love to find one used. Nearly impossible.

 

 

I have the Gold Sabre (Estoc) model, and your description is pretty accurate. Before getting the Sabre, I had the Black Dagger model, which is basically the single-channel version of the Sword of Satori. They're great for getting consistent tone across a huge range of volumes. Like any amp, they need to move some air to sound their best, but I think they're a great alternative to Power Scaling and the like.

 

With the two-channel amps, Eric usually sets one up with a modern (tight) sound and the other with a vintage (high-sag) sound. Regardless, he can customize the amp to the user's preferences. I sent my Dagger's chassis in for mods a few times before we got it just right. My point is really that you're not stuck if it ends up being almost right. Pritchard amps are hand-built custom products.

 

To be clear, the Pritchards are analog emulators, NOT digital modelers. Other analog amps include all of the Tech21 models as well as the recent V-Stack amps marketed by First Act. I've owned a couple of different Tech21 trademarks, and the difference between those and the Pritchards is pretty staggering. The Pritchards don't sound like so much of a caricature of guitar tone but the real deal - raw, up-front, bouncy, and in your face. Plainly put, they have a more organic and tube-like feel.

 

No product is right for everyone, so weigh your options carefully. The Fractal Axe-FX is still under active development. It probably represents the future of guitar sound. Whether or not to jump in now or later is the only question....

 

I like my Pritchard. FWIW, I bought it used. I also bought the Dagger used, so they're not impossible to find... Not only that, but you can always call Eric and find out if he has any refurbs in stock. The worst that could happen is he says "no." He's a pretty good guy to work with.

 

-Ben

[iansmitchell]

Keep your bassman, buy a Line6 POD, and sell the rest.

Better, more believable and versatile, combo than any stock modeler out there.