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Looper's Delight
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I am a big fan of both tubes and modeling. That being said, the modeling amp I use, a Pod Pro, took many hours of dialing in to get close to the sound I want. Key word "close". It suffered the same thing that most off-the-shelf multi-effect/ modeling amps do, namely, that all the presets were designed to impress a much younger, more shred and grunge oriented demographic. I had to systematically go in and tame every parameter till I got something musical to my ears. I also use an old school rig for my non looping gigs, made up of a handful of excellent boutique pedals, feeding a stereo amp rig of an old vox ac10 and either an old fender deluxe reverb or Princeton reverb. I love the sound of this rig, noise and all. There is something more vibrant and visceral about it than the pod rig. Its partly a sound thing, but even more so a feel and dynamics difference. If I could successfully integrate this rig in to my looping rig I probably would. However, the thing that appealed to me about the pod was its ability to be versatile and sound convincing through a full range system, and the fact that it has some decent quality effects built in, eliminating the need for an additional stomp box pedal board. Because I use both electric and acoustic instruments, in my solo playing, the idea of bringing both the tube rig and the full range rig to a gig is somewhat daunting. I did that a few weeks ago on a gig backing my lovely common law love and local Santa Cruz singer-songwriter, Nancy Levan. About half the set required looping and the other half was with a rhythm section. The set up and tear down for me took more than twice as long as the 45 minute set. The tech guys at the venue were waiting around for me to finish loading out! I don't think I'll be trying that again. The fact is that modeling is getting better and better, which is kind of a drag because guys like me are starting to think their 3-4 year old gear is soon to be obsolete, replaced by models that both sound and feel better. Remember when amp companies came out with the same model, year in and year out (see fender)? Modern amp manufacturers seem to expect turnover equivalent to the fashion industry. Line 6's new flextone 3 amps do sound and feel better, but does that really mean my older pod is now worthless? I can understand the mistrust some people have toward these new technologies, particularly when what was the latest and greatest last year is swept away in favor of the new latest and greatest. I always try to keep in mind something I read by Steve Lukather about Jeff Beck. He says he saw Beck in a studio, sit down and play "Where Were You" though a little roland keyboard amp and sound amazing. The song I refer to is off the CD "Guitar Shop" and is a truly breathtaking homage to Bulgarian vocal music. I think what Steve was trying to say is that it didn't matter what Beck was playing through, it was about the content of what he was playing and the conviction he was playing with. The first time I saw my friend, Lyle Workman play, he was using a Peavey special 130 powering a Marshall cabinet, and burning the place down, with great ideas ,prodigious technique and great sound. He currently owns a bunch of great amps both modern and vintage, yet he tells me that many of the studio dates he does, wind up being done with amp farm or pod, simply because of ease and speed, and also because the nature of the LA studio scene has changed from big to little studios over the last 20 years.. I think there is enough room in the universe for tubes and modeling. Modeling offers an option for guys who want some versatility but don't have the money to go out and buy a bunch of tube amps. I can understand some tube snobbery, but I do think that people who dismiss amp modeling outright are missing the point. Modeling amps aren't here like some alien invasion, to conquer the planet and rid the world of tube amps. They represent an option of tonal flexibility to those who might not otherwise have one. Bill