Why Guitar Players Are Throwing Away Their Amps 

We want full guitar center story. The people have spoken Mike, can’t ignore it.

I'm 68 and still playing a Fender Princeton Reverb with a Fender Telecaster and a bunch of pedals. I think I'll stick to that. It has served me well. Your videos are great though. Thanks for the knowledge.

I've been using a Boss ME-80 for about two months. It's very easy to dial in a usable tone and it's much easier to travel with for a 68 year old man. Thank you for your commitment to share information.

After 40 years of using Marshal and Fender amps I converted to helix about three years ago. It’s easy to use, no more back aches, and people say my tone sounds better than ever. My amps are now gathering dust in my in my garage but I just can’t make myself get rid of them.

I'm a HD500x user for nearly a decade now and it has served me well in countless gigs. For its price and sound quality, the ROI I got was beyond imagining. As you said, the audience will not care if you have accurately nailed Eric Johnson's tone from whatever expensive gear you have or not. As long as you get the job done and earn a decent income from your life as a musician, that is enough.

I recently ordered a pod go and im extremely excited, i never really had the financial capacity to invest into really good amps or pedals, so having it all in a small pedalboard that costs around 500 bucks is crazy, the facty that it can emulate things such as amps and even pedals like the klon centaur which are extremely expensive and rare is insane to me

I’ve had the Headrush core for a little over a week and I have to say that I love it! The versatility of using a cab and speaker emulation into my interface and achieving a tone that I love is fantastic. Then on a different channel I have no cab or speaker and I run straight into my Vox AC15 and use it as an effects pedal. Best of both worlds

I'm considering "Slowly" transitioning to amp modeling/digital. I have about 175 pedals, about 7 tube amps and I've always love them. I am now divorced and living in a single apartment and the amp/pedalboard thing is not working out for me and my neighbors. I bought a little Spark Mini that I play thru and now record with and it sounds awesome. Thinking of selling some amps and pedals and diving into the digital world.

I typically use a four-cable method with a bunch of pedals and a tube amp. It sounds great, but whenever I had an issue during a gig, it was virtually impossible to troubleshoot quickly. I almost always had to scrap the whole thing and play the rest of the gig with one cable going from my guitar into the front of a backup amp. Then I got a Helix. I now run the line-out from the Helix into the effects return on my tube amp, and it gives me incredible tone and versatility with a super simple setup that eliminates almost 30 fail points from my previous four-cable method with pedals. If my tube amp fails, I quickly replace it. If my backup amp fails, I can run the Helix straight to FOH (and through the stage monitors or IEM). If the Helix fails, I break out a couple of pedals. I love simple, but mostly I love great tone. My setup: Helix => 6V6 tube amp => 2x12 w/ Celestion Creamback speakers.

The pure versatility of modelers is unmatched. Plus most people are able to get more amp and effects options from a modeler than they could ever afford in real life. It's really amazing that people can record the sound of a cranked tube amp in their bedrooms with modeling units and a laptop.

No one is throwing away their amps. Love the channel but your titles have turned into clickbait. Let me know when you throw out out fender tube amps and supros. I'll take them off your hands to keep them out of the landfill.

Great video and content Mike.... three or four years ago there was a great debate on the merits of a Helix vs tube amps in our church band. One guy bought the Helix and loved it the other guys in the band were giving him crap for "selling out"... long story short... everyone owns a Helix now and absolutely love them. Plugging straight into the PA is another advantage.

I did it years ago as soon as I could get my hands on a Helix. Sold a tube amp and dozens of pedals. Now Helix only. Love it. For me, it's perfect. You didn't mention the firmware updates that give you new amps, pedals, and features with each update (about 2 a year). This is a PLATFORM for guitar tone driven by software. You're really discussing the difference between software solutions and hardware solutions. BTW, same with AxeFX and other modelers. Play what sounds good to you. For me, the convenience of changing dozens of settings with one stomp is unbeatable...ever!

Love your video! I'm 50/50 on tubes vs modelers/profiles. Just gigged with a guy who the Kemper Profiler Stage & EVERY patch sounded PHENOMINAL!!

Got a HeadRush Prime a few months ago and I honestly can't ever see myself using an external amp again. Ended up selling almost all of my pedals and gear that I knew I would no longer use or have a need for. Not only are the built-in tones, effects, and amp models amazing, but there's a TON of resources out there where you can download new ones (some even for free) and even artist packages that perfectly emulate the tone of different songs from different artists if you do covers, or just really like the tone of the guitar used on a certain song and want to incorporate it into your own creations. It cost a pretty penny but so far has been unbelievably worth every cent.

Been using a Helix (LT) for years now, and it is (still) absolutely amazing. It has just gotten better and better as they have done updates and added new models, and the versatility is amazing. Quite honeslty, I could never see myself going back to a regular amp/cab/pedalboard type set up. I am just hooked on the ability to switch from a fender clean to a marshal stack at the press of a footswitch. I actually picked up a powercab+ and a Variax guitar a year or two ago, and that combo (Variax into Helix into Powercab+ with the "link" cables) is the ultimate in versatility IMO.

I was (and really still am) a major amp snob. I have a few vintage amps that are all absolutely phenomenal. I turned my nose up in 2016 when a good friend went Helix. I had heard the Line 6 Pod and a Johnson Millennium back in the day. Both sounds were lackluster and sounded very poor IMO. Fast forward to 2020 and I decided to pull the trigger on a Helix Floor. My mind was blown. I cannot believe that this unit is still the standard this far along. It has changed they way I create sounds because of the ease in which I can get any tone. But unlike those earlier products the reason I finally realized it was time to go this route... I COULDN'T PASS THE HEADPHONE TEST! When I was unable to tell which was a Marshall or Fender in my headphones I knew it was time. Best decision I ever made.

I remember trying an ElevenRack in a guitar shop for a friend and thinking, “wow, this feels like a real amp”…and I got one. I loved it. But the screen eventually died after 11 years. I have a Quad Cortex these days and love it. I live in a small apartment with wafer thin walls. Even my Marshall tube amp on 0.1w is too loud a lot of the time, so the modeller works really well. Great video.

You're right about the learning curve. I'm a Baby Boomer and I've always had amps and effects with knobs and switches. I tried a couple of my Millennial and Gen Z buddys' digital units and the learning curve was just too steep for me. They had no issues with learning how to use them, and the units sounded great though.

I'm 68 years old and still using a 2x4 stud with fishing line (4 lb test up to 16 lb test mono - light gauge monofilament of course. tinkered with fluorocarbon but that's too new age for me). It's served me well. Thanks for the knowledge.

So can I have your Orange?

Hey Mike, I’m 58. I’ve been playing professionally for many years now. I use both …digital and Tube. They both have their place. In a live setting I’m a tube guy! That simple! At church with a “quiet stage” it’s my Helix. Works great, sounds great but not the same to me…but good, Real good!

Oh man, I'm doing the opposite! I sold my Kemper (Which was my only "amp" for about 6 years) to go back to tube amps (Currently a Vox AC-15). The Kemper is an amazing tool, but I don't get a sense of joy out of it like I do with real amps. When I go to a music store, I'm not excited to plug into a modeler, I'm excited to plug into an amp. Excitement aside, sometimes you just need a tool like NAM or Helix, etc. to get the job done.

I'm a beginner electric guitar player (played acoustic for 40 years. I just bought Bias FX 2 for my iPhone, and am amazed. I mostly got it for dirty blues sounds for my harmonicas, but the shear number of amp and pedal options for the guitar is staggering to me. Just found this channel and I'm diggin it

I made the transition because of volume. With a small tube amp, they were never loud enough to present clean tones. With a bigger tube amp, they were always too loud get get crunch tones from. With my HX Stomp and ToneX, I amplify with a class D power amp and a guitar cabinet. This arrangement lets me be as loud or as quiet as I need to be without sacrificing my tones.

Hello, Mike. I've got one. I bought my HELIX a couple of years ago and I'm still scratching the surface of what its capabilities. I do have a tube amp, a really good one but the reason I got the HELIX was because of its live performance practicality and this is even before I started using it in the studio. The secret to really making the HELIX sound the way you want is to sit down with it and see what makes it work. This is where a lot of guitar players who are not used to such units don't want to go near this kind of technology, opting for the traditional amp and pedal setup. That's fine, but I personally find the unit to not only sound amazing and having endless possibilites, but also a very inspiring unit to play. Once you make the HELIX sound right, it will elevate your playing and you'll move further into the guitar.

Started on a DOD FX7, then wen through the Boss VF-1, GT8, GT10, GT100, POD HD500, Helix LT, and settled on the Headrush Pedalboard. For me the Helix was great, but the UI for editing and live control on the HR won me over. Helix probably has some better sound, but the immediate workflow spoke more to me. Still have the HD500 as my gigging "spare" in case of a tragic failure.

I was sceptical of modeling and was a tube snob for all my life, until I've started doing professional sound engineering. The convenience of not being forced to ACTUALLY re-record (reamp) DIs of a band is a killer feature. So I was using different VST amps, decided to try a Fender Deluxe Reverb and just jam with it. The feel, the sound - everything was BETTER than my VOX MV50 tube amp. Then I've bought a UADFX Dream, and it was amazing. Then I've tried a Line6 DL4 mkII in the store and liked it more than my Strymon Timeline. Decided to try a HX Stomp, boom. The thing I love the most, is the ability to build a channel strip for your guitar - add compression, preamps, EQ - so my patch is sound good and I don't need to do a lot of post in DAW. I love to work with audio and record with effects on (like you would do on a console) and HX Stomp is a godsend unit. Compact, easy to use (if you have mixing experience and built a couple boards), full of awesome sounds. I'm using Stomp + Dream + BOSS BD-2/EQD Plumes instead of board with 8 different pedals. Much cleaner and simpler, much better results

At the moment, I have a POD GO for gigging and recording stuff with my band, it may not have replaced my amp fully as I still use my Catalyst 200 for practice or as a speaker...But I cannot deny how versatile and how much of a workhorse the pedal is.

Played in a church band using a Fender Mustang II placed on a stand to lean the amp back. Turned the amp toward me to use it as a monitor. Sennheiser e609 mic was hung over the speaker and plugged into the house. It worked fine. This was not a little church band. We had acoustic drums, percussion, three (and sometimes four) vocalist, acoustic piano, keyboard, alto sax, bass and occasional violin and/or harmonica. But I could hear myself fine through the on stage cacophony and didn't need a stage monitor. During rehearsal I would sometimes go into the seating area and be amazed at how well it sounded through the mix vs how it sounded on stage.

I've been using the Helix for six years now. I'm mainly a church player. Before that I used Boss and other Line 6 modelers since about 2006. During this time I also used amps and cabs in other settings playing with bands, it'll always be a favorite that way. But improvement updates to the Helix and preset creators have made it a serious tool. I'm sure I'd feel the same way if I had gone the route of Kempers, Ax-Fx or others. The Helix is consistent every week and has never let me down. To be honest I did buy a new Helix last year but the five year old unit was just fine, it sold quickly too. Good luck with your Helix and amps, find your voice and rock on!

Confused. You balked at +$300 for used tube amp and then went on to push a $1700 pedalboard that you'd never heard of while working @ guitar center? No hate, just confused.

Digital has arrived and it will only get better. I'm a GenXer who grew up with tube amps, but I've also had great experiences with solid state going back to the mid 80s. Besides the Marshalls, Boogies, Peaveys, Laneys and Fenders I've gigged with, I've also used Randalls and Gallien Kruegers and they worked great. I also used some Crates and they worked fine for the heavy rock/metal I was playing in the mid 80s to early 90s.

Been using the fender mustang with loop peddles. But I’ve got a brand new Telecaster coming (on Halloween!), and I practice in my apartment. This seems like an interesting investment. Thanks and keep on rocking everyone!

100% Team Modeler. The biggest selling point for me was the clarity of any tone. I hate electrical buzz and interference with high gain stuff and using noise gates, modelled amps and active pickups produced the best tones I've ever heard for a fraction of the effort / price. Convenience is amazing, but imho digital just sounds better and has for a while.

I bought a helix a few years back. I took my fender tube back and traded in for studio monitors. Helix is awesome. Edit: Plus line 6 has done several updates over the years.

I love my valeton gp-100, since im not using it in a "professional" use case it holds up pretty well but I would also love to have some of the functions a larger helix amp modeler / pedalboard has. I've watched some professional bands use a full helix setup with the line 6 mixers for lead, bass and rhythm guitars and it really surprises me how good the sound is without any need for amps or cabs. Really holds up to expectations even though its such a small device really worth the money I paid for it.

I love modelers for church stuff. I just don’t have the space for a ton of gear. Have an Orange TH30 at home to make some noise but love the control of the modeling amp. I have an old Fender Mustang Floor and a Zoom G3xn both were super cheap and do the job. I agree that you gotta work with them to get what you want but it’s worth it.

I DEMAND the full guitar center lore

As a hobbyist there's no reason you can't follow both paths. As a beginner I used a cheap zoom modeller through a portable (Microcube & DA-5) to learn I about and explore different amp style tones and effects. As an intermediate player I got a bigger practice amp, a tubey sounding solid state 15 watt Vox pathfinder that doesn't pretend to be anything other than itself. I also gathered a small collection of simple "classic" effect pedals: an overdrive (BD-2), a distortion (Rat), a fuzz (FZ-1w) Dynacomp compresser and such like. My decade old zoom still fills in the gaps. I've come to the conclusion that, at my amateur level collecting more pedals and amps beyond these basics would be an indulgence and just result in more clutter. A Helix/Kemper/Fractal type modeller would take everything to the next level but for me personally, I think I'm better off without the distraction of so many options. I'd probably get more fulfilment from spending the money on guitar workshops and music festivals. Just as I don't presently see myself needing a DAW any more sophisticated than GarageBand, I suspect I could probably fulfil my amp modelling curiosity with the free but well regarded open source NAM Neural Amp Modeller app/plugin.

At our church we originally ditched the tube amp, along with wedge monitors, to try to tame stage volume. (Mesh head drums are probably next) To our great surprise, the Helix pedal sounded better through the PA than our amp/mic rig and all that wonderful hum disappeared as well. As you mentioned, the versatility is another huge benefit.

Church player too. I'll never get rid of my victory sheriff tube amp. It inspires me which makes me play better. I prefer that to my leaders helix and my friends tonemaster

These amps and these models sound incredible but one thing that's hard to describe or for me to put into words is the feel of the amp how it reacts to my playing it's hard to quantify for me but it's a real thing at least in my world and that's where tube amps come in I like the way that they react the push pull I can't really describe it anymore then that

I bought a HX Effects and sold it. I've gone back to tube amps and practiced more instead of thinking buying more will make me a better player.

I’m 62 and transitioned from tube amp to Helix. One of the main things that people miss in going to a modeler from a mic’d amp is consistency of tone. Instead of a tube amp aimed at my legs that sounds great to me, but different to my band mates, different to the from row, and different to the FOH, I have one consistent tone dialed in. I use a Headrush floor monitor and what I hear sounds pretty much exactly like what is coming out of the mains. Stage volume is down and my bandmates can get as much of me in their monitors as they want. My volume is set to control only my monitor and my output to FOH is at mic level. Sound guys love me.

I own Fender Mustang LT25, it's a great amp for beginners and I don't see any reasons for buying anything but digital for anybody starting playing electric guitar. It sounds really good and you have almost every sound you can imagine within one amp without spending thousands on different pedals.

I bought a Helix in 2021 and have been loving it ever since. The convenience was the major selling point for me and I’ve been super pleased with it. At the same time, my analog pedalboard was collecting dust and I ended up selling off my analog pedals to make room for new gear and now I’m regretting selling my pedals. There is definitely room for, and a reason to have, both analog and digital solutions for most gigging players. Everyone should be able to sit at the table!

I remember watching a rig run down and the guitarist from nonpoint said the reason they use helix is bc it saves on weight which saves on gas which is more money in your pocket, and that they are reliable and easy to use at any volume

I threw away my amp cause I suck

I have a Helix now and it got rid of my pedalboard, but not my amp. I run it 4CM and love it.

11:00 Please tell us more about the analog modeling pedal!

I get this. I have a couple of cool hardware and software modelers myself. However I have a set of cool amps including a Fender Twin with JBL orange back speakers and a Fender Vibrolux Reverb with built in tremolo that is unmatched by any model I have ever heard. The reverb in these amps is more natural than any modeling reverb I have ever heard. My amps are not going anywhere.

Yes to the Guitar Center story.

Fractal FM9 and an ElectroVoice PXM-12mp is my current setup and it's friggin' awesome. I dont see myself going back to "real amps" any time soon... if ever again.

No one's giving up their amps!

Great points. It helps me record and write more. I’m having a great time playing live with the Universal Audio Woodrow. It sounds amazing in the monitors too. I got tired of guys not micing my very heavy Hiwatt amp properly and then scolding me for being too loud.

I agree about the learning curve on these digital models. Until I came across the HeadRush. That was VERY familiar to me because not only could I see the stomps, amps, etc visually. But, the knobs were very familiar to me and thus I knew how much I needed to adjust the default settings to my particular taste. Plus, many of the default settings in the Headrush were very realistic for me requiring very little tweaking to reach my desired tone. Whereas, the other products were not. They required me to endure the learning curve from the bottom of the mountain. Whereas the Headrush placed me at mid-level of the mountain learning curve. Just my experience. Cheers to all the players out there!

Great vid. But: after having tested a lot of modern sound equipment, I bought me an old tube amp, a slapback and a tremolo pedal. Never ever I would give up the real thing.

The thing with me is that I get really lost when I have too many options. I tend to like to reduce my options. I’m thinking of getting one of those Tone Master amps that do one tone and do it really well.

The answer to the question at 0:20 is: No. Because in times of high energy prices my tube amp is not just there for the guitar tone, but also my main heat source. It is maximum co² efficiency bro

The simpler my outboard gear setup, the more I can focus on my actual performance on my instrument. This is the real reason I've gone digital: it helps me be a better musician.

Im GenX and I can say this honestly, that what you use is up to you, what you like and depending on the situation, what works better. I will however say this, that the more thing we experiment with, whether digital, analogue or both combined, the more fun it is and the more we know. So I never like the debates where people say one is better than the other. Same for cameras and filmmaking. Use iPhone, VHS, Film, Red... whatever you like as each will give their own results and not just the output, but the process of getting the results through something is the fun part. I really never have answers to those who say, "Bro, we should go forward, digital is the way, not go back in the past" or "Analogue is the real shit, digital is fake". Just do what you enjoy and in the end, if the music and production are good, then it wont matter what you used, except, some people who would be interested how you got that sound. And believe me, if they use your whole setup, theyll still not be able to play like you, because they can only play it like themselves : D

LOL…..No One is throwing away their amps.

If you want to compare q tube amp you have to try a fractal. A lot of guitar use fractal to use in live performance because you have to program even the valve that you can use in the power amp. And because weight less than a tube amp and don't need a speaker too.

I’m a helix user myself, they really do keep up with everything else it’s crazy

I got a Helix LT about 6 months ago and my favorite thing about it is being able to download patches created by other people. I don't have a good ear for guitar tones, so I can spend a few dollars to download the exact sound I want without having to figure out how to create it myself. I also appreciate the portability - I can fit everything I need in a guitar bag and backpack. No need to lug around a 40 pound amp.

The interface of digital equipment has always turned me off from using it for guitar. I bought a Plethora X5 because of it's interface being similar to analog gear. I ended up borrowing a Vox silk drive, put it in preamp mode, put the plethora X5 on a cab sim, and all of a sudden it sounds like my Fender tube amp in the monitors! However, when I tried it at a jam, it was very washy in the room... I would NOT use that set up live. But it's great for the house and all my pedals are in that setup too, which is great for practicing.

Mike: "Line 6 HD 500 X" Screen: "Line 6 HD 500 Twitter" I'm dead lmao 🤣

I've spent the last month or so comparing my Helix with various amps using various FRFR's and though I will never sell my Helix, I will not sell my tube amps either. Helix certainly "can" be a reasonable facsimile of a tube amp but it ( nor Fractal or any other) will ever replace the visceral experience of even a moderately loud tube amp. So I had a conundrum. How I resolved that conundrum was to combine the two, and the magic that happened was instant and far more consistent than just using a tube amp. I simply run one side to PA and one to the return of my favorite tube amp and the experience is heavenly.

For anyone saying they can’t use a tube amp because of volume issues. The attenuation technology nowadays is top notch. I have 2 tone kings with built in attenuators and they’re phenomenal. I also have a helix and have gigged with it. Both digital and analog are great options. Like always you need to figure out what works for you, but I don’t think tune amps are going anywhere.

Both of our usual rehearsal studios do not allow guitars to be played through the PA systems in the rooms. Also after over 20 years of playing live i'm so used to having the amp behind me. Whenever i do plug the headrush directly into front of house, I finding it hard to get used to relying on the foldbacks for 100% for monitoring, especially smaller gigs that have shitty foldbacks...that's my experience anyway.

I still prefer a tube amp, but I have a Fender Mustang modeler as my home unit and demo recording amp. I only ever use 2 models and pretend that it's a 2-channel clean/dirty amp with built in effects...otherwise I suffer from option paralysis. Option paralysis is probably the biggest reason I've shied away from modelers. I always was able to get pretty much any sound I wanted from one amp with a minimal array of pedals and channel switching before I touched a modeler...and modelers give you access to almost anything, it's almost too much.

When I was in a serious band 10 years ago I would have laughed if you'd told me I'd give up my '69 baseman head for a digital unit. Fast forward 10 years and my main sound comes from an HX Stomp XL going into the power amp section of a Boss Katana. The only additional pedals used are an Ernie Ball Volume pedal, Mini Crybaby and a boutique handmade fuzz pedal. My entire rig fits in a shoulder bag and I couldn't be happier because now I have room for more guitars when gigging.

Love the Line 6 HX stomp XL, it has everything I need, variety of amps and effects to choose. Load some IR into it which make the tone and sound more close to a real amp. Now it’s easier for me, not to bring some many things to gigs, a guitar with Line 6 HX stomp XL. Perfect.

I think I just don’t fully jive the digital stuff because I hate buying expensive stuff knowing it will be eclipsed/become obsolete. An AC15 or Deluxe Reverb is timeless. I definitely do see the convenience of digital though.

I have eight tube amps, three SS amps, and a Headrush Prime. I love my HRP the more I play with it and the more I experiment as I dial in my tones. It can give me any sound I’m looking for. It’s a great studio tool allowing me to record great sounding amp tones without having to use a mic on my real amps. Hooked up to the Power Amp Ins on my two Katanas I get that real amp feel in stereo. All that being said, I’m still not ditching my real amps. There’s just something to plugging in to a real tube amp and cranking it up. I don’t get the opportunity very often, but when I get the chance to crank up my tube amps and let ‘er rip I don’t pass it up. There’s still nothing quite like it.

Just bought 2 Gibson's, a blues junior and a DSL5. Nothing beats valves and humbuckers.

My "amps" are Fishman, MXR & Mooer sim pedals. I have Fishman, AC30 & MXR bass tones all on the same clean pedal board. I go into an interface, street Cube or FoH. Screw amps. HF ya'llz. Great vid Mike, TY.

First of all, all the options mentioned re great. In my opinion if anyone still says that modelled/digital effects can't replicate the legendary sound of a good cranked amp, advancements in technology will soon catch up to it, if it hasn't already. Again all the options are great and have their own charm and way of making people (player or listener) happy, and that's what's important.

Man, I switched from my 6505 to a bias FX app on my Ipad and never coming back. The tones I get are incredible, just plug in a midi controller and all the sounds you get are amazing.

I'm 65, it took me 30 seconds to work out this tech. Don't be sacred, your back will thank you. As to the air movement issue, just get an FRFR cab and you're sorted. :-) PS, go stereo with two cabs, it's heaven. I've owned a lot of these units now including all the big names - I've settled on a Headrush Prime. For some reason these get overlooked by the "big boys" but having tried them all, these things tick all the boxes for me. I swapped from a Helix Floor, just so you know what I "gave up". I have also had an AxeFX, a Neural DSP, and a Kemper. They are all amazing! Seriously, it just comes down to what works for you.

I feel like the industry is really close with emulating tube characteristics but not that close with the sound of real cabinets pushing air. When I hear blind A/B tests it seems I can consistently sense the more 3 dimensional feel of real air through a real cabinet. It just seems to breathe more. That's the best way I can explain it.

Im one of rhose guys that sold my tube amp for a helix and ive never been happier with the ease of use, tones, portability and versatility

I'm 44 years old and I started out playing guitar at 21 years old. I bought a used Digitech RP7 effects unit that had a 12AX7 tube and it introduced me to effects and banks/patches and got my feet wet. Got tired of it really fast and then moved on to a Boss GT-3, then the GT-5, then the GT-8. I eventually realized that I love pretty much all digital effects as much as analog except for distortion. Every amp model on all of those units were basically bumble bees in a box. So that was when Bugera started making their clone tube amps and after watching many reviews and learning about tube amps and maintenance and all that good stuff I bought a Bugera 333 XL Infinium with a matching Bugera 4x12 cabinet. I fell in love with tubes big time. I'm just a bedroom player so I wanted to get pedals but not spend hundreds on single pedals so I started getting Behringer stomp boxes that were clones of some really good pedals and they sounded great and were affordable. But then I found out about noise and needing isolated power supplies and that nobody made one to power all 12 pedals on my Behringer PB 1000 pedalboard. Fast forward to this past Christmas and I got a Line 6 Pod HD Pro X rack model used on ebay in great condition and I liked the amp models so much that I actually spent the $100 for the fully loaded HD model pack. I can't believe how far modeling has finally come. I've been playing the Treadplate model which I think is a dual rectifier model for weeks now going through the power amp section of my 333 head using the four cable method. The models feel alive and have dynamics and analog sparkle and they have feel and modelers have finally arrived. But the reason I got this modeler is because it was before the super expensive Helix that I would love to have and could put one on my empty Guitar Center credit card but like I said, I am a bedroom player so I took a chance on this last gen modeler and its like nearly 10 years old but it sound AMAZING. So when the Helix winds up on the used market I will pick one up but until then I am just appreciating that modeling is finally amazing. I never thought we would get to this point. Pod HD Pro X is highly affordable on ebay and I highly recommend it to anyone that doesn't want to go into debt for the Helix or simply cant afford one. The HD fully loaded model pack is a must and is worth the $100 upgrade or you can probably buy one pre loaded I'm guessing. But yeah modeling is amazing in 2024. It will only continue to get better.

Excellent video I have a Fender valve amp and a Line6 POD- and I much prefer the line 6 digital modeling, the fender amp about 75 pounds, and it’s not the easiest thing in the world to find tubes. When I need to swap them, I’ve never had the first problem with the line6

I'm 65, but I am an IT pro (Data Engineer/Admin) so tech isn't hard for me to grasp at all. However....it's the sheer onslaught of choices that can literally overwhelm a lot of folks (like me at times). I have had (in no particular order) PodxT, HD500, Vox Tonelab, and a few digital amps over the years and I end up the same way after the honeymoon is over. Strat/Tele -> Cable -> Princeton Reverb or my '73 Silverface Vibrochamp. So all the outboard digital gear is gone at this point and I maybe use a few pedals here or there and my mind is happier this way -- mostly. I do however have a LOT of VST plugins that let me play with choices galore when the mood strikes, namely Overloud TH-U, Amplitube 5 Max and several Neural DSP sims (Archtype Petrucci, Mesa Mark IIc and the Toneking Imperial MK II) which are my go-tos. I cannot argue with you about the convenience however and I can see why you don't want to tote heavy amps and cabs around -- not to mention the costs of upkeep and repairs -- if you gig a lot.

How I feel about the Line 6 Helix: "Boy, wouldn't it be great to be able to afford a $1500 guitar effects pedal." I'm happy to be able to play the guitar still with the way the world's going...

The Digimon reference was everything. 😂

Dimebag from Pantera became a world class guitarist using solid state. He liked the Randall Amps because he found that their "chunk" had something he could work with. Find something that YOU like and work with it. Be you not someone else. I like the Quad Cortex. Not had a chance to play with the Axe FX 2 or 3. But you'd have to pry my Mesa Mk5 25 out of my cold dead hands before making me go digital full time. Just like the folks from Metallica I can see there being a use case for using the Axe FX for gigging if you're a touring musician but the real amp is just a different beast. For me it's the palm mute test. Give the strings a good whack with a palm muted chug and feel the resonance. I want that pick attack and resonance and I can control that at home but on stage when every room is different you might as well go digital. At the end of the day, play what inspires you. Whatever gets the tone that makes you want to play is the right "amp."

Im a fairly tech savvy millennial, personally i like the simplicity of tube amps, i tried tone x and in-between the license not wanting to give me all my patches i paid for the heavier distorted sounds i just did not care for. but that being said it is amazing how far all this digital stuff has come, when i started a DigiTech rp50 was my starter and modern gear is leaps and bounds better. But im still clutching onto my tube amp.

Great tone at 6:00 that was just awesome🤘 A great illustration of what you were saying. I so need to update my gear. :)

I've been using a Kemper since late 2019 due to back issues and I have no regrets as far as tone. I get that players miss the air movement from an actual cab but for me, I play with in-ears anyway so it doesn't matter.

I've picked up a used helix lt a few years ago. Had no longing for heads / cabs /mics / effects since. Best 800 Euros I've ever spent.

I think starting from 3.50 Helix firmware it sounds even better than before. I bought a HX stomp XL, it's like Helix floor but with less DSP power. The device is amazing.

Used to only use amp simulators. But, I had a change of heard. I just pulled out my half stack after years and bought back the pedals I sold yesterday. The reason is, my signs coming out of studio monitors IS NOT THE SAME AS CRANKING MY STACK.

I think nothing beats a real amp. Modelers are versatile and generally sound good. But many have interfaces that are not very inspiring to work with or they have some strange limitations.

I have a Helix in my studio and a Magnatone Panoramic. I get both sides of it. Even the Magnatone is too loud except for rare occasions but it is soooo tasty the Helix just can’t touch it on those days. I doubt if anyone but a guitar geek can tell how good it is.

I just started playing. I have a Scarlett solo. No amp needed. I can’t disturb the family or neighbors. Has a bunch of effects, amps, and cabinets built into the software. Good enough for me. (Plus my headphones are really good. So my system sounds fantastic) Still want a sweet tube amp though

I don't known if I could ever make the total transition to amp sims/modeling. Convenience is great, but I just adore pedals & amps to much; not just the sound, which is getting to the point where it's pretty indistinguishable- but the anesthetics

Nothing wrong with embracing the modern era. I get the appeal of wanting to stick to the old ways because "it's how the greats before us did it" but the convenience and accessibility of modern technology is too good to pass on.