I dealt/am dealing with the exact same problem. I upgraded my pickups to Gibson Classic 57s, ditched the plug-ins, and got a Fender Blues Junior. I don't have the luxury of micing it up here so I have to go direct. I use a power load/attenuator so I don't blow the amp, take the speaker out on the amp through a DI into the computer (through a Delta-66). Someday I will be in a place I can mic up the cab and go crazy, but not here and now. Here's my latest project, called Out Of The Blue. Recorded and mixed in Pro Tools. For tonal versatility I have an overdrive, fuzz, and eq pedal, but mostly I'm trying to get the tone out of the amp and pickups. For me, it sure beats the heck out of a computer simulation.