Tone dilemma...is it just GAS? Sell all my gear and go digital?

MatthewShreddery

I was in a rehearsal today, taking my new Laney VH100r for a spin. Very nice amp I must say.

However, I'm still not liking my tone and can't honestly say I ever have LMAO.

The thing is, when I play through things like Guitar Rig, using headphones I can find a sound I like and be inspired, and play for hours on end quite happily.

This got me thinking about selling all my pedals and amps and going the digital route with a Kemper/Axe FX/Multiamp.

Maybe it's just curiosity, but if it's so easy to find tones I like on something as affordable as Guitar Rig 5, an expensive piece like those mentioned above must be the way forward for me.

Anyone care to comment?

monquixote

I quite fancy doing it myself at some point. I think I favour the simplicity of the Kemper ATM, but they are still that bit too expensive for me. 

Might be worth trying a Blackstar ID if you want to experiment with digital. They are reasonably priced, well made and sound good. 

ICBM

Do it. Most people have the opposite problem and can't get the digital stuff to sound like their favourite valve amp, but that doesn't mean that you have to use a valve amp if you prefer digital.

There are many advantages to digital. Sadly I can't get sounds I like out of any I've tried, yet.

frankus

I care to comment...

Do you do band rehearsals with headphones and an iRig? It might be the rehearsals isn't exciting.

Try a Jam some time instead of rehearsals.

I toy with the idea of selling everything and getting an axefx but then I remember I'm computer programmer in my day job so doing it in my spare time for free isn't something I'd want to do.. then I rub two sticks together to keep warm... and mutter about stupid technology...

and post on the internet, unlike when I'm at work.

John_A

There's a big difference between getting a found you are happy jamming with at home and one that you are happy with in a band setting. At home I use all sorts of gear, in a band I always end up using a proper amp as it just works. I wouldn't ditch all your gear just yet

digitalscream

frankus said:

Do you do band rehearsals with headphones and an iRig? It might be the rehearsals isn't exciting.

This is pretty much the truth. A good tone for a live mix is, for the most part, wildly different from a good tone sat at home playing the guitar in isolation. There are very few rigs which can do it well with a similar sound for both, and even then you'll have to tweak for both cases.

If you're not happy with your Laney's tone, I'd carry on looking there and stick with what works well for you at home.

robinbowes

Rehearsal tone, live tone, bedroom tone - all very different.

Why not experiment with what you already have? eg. try doing a rehearsal with Guitar Rig (through the PA). Did it work? If not, tweak it until it does, or until you're happy it's never going to work. The same could be said for your amp setup - try some radical changes in your rehearsal situation, eg. do the opposite of what you normally do (invert the EQ, try a cleaner/dirtier sound, etc.

I'm just starting gigging again so I'm currently having to spend time learning songs which I'm doing using Garageband and headphones (although I *am* using my pedal board). It's an whole different ball game when I get to a rehearsal and everything sounds completely different.

R.

monquixote

John_A said:

There's a big difference between getting a found you are happy jamming with at home and one that you are happy with in a band setting. At home I use all sorts of gear, in a band I always end up using a proper amp as it just works. I wouldn't ditch all your gear just yet

There is much truth here.

Some people probably think I'm daft for how much gear I buy and sell, but I long ago realised that you don't know anything about a piece of gear until you've used it at gig volume in a band context. I've had highly regarded and extremely expensive pedals that sounded great at home and like total arse in a band mix.

Jalapeno

Been round this loop many times before with Rack & Stereo rigs, Combos vs Stacks, MultiFX vs pedals, Boutique valve snobbery ... elusive "MyTone" Mojo and GAS, it's a curse

ToneControl

get an AxeFX or Kemper, then see if you are still bothered with a real amp
my guess is you will then sell the Laney and buy a pair of powered PA speakers or a Matrix+cab setup

ragingben

I went Kemper last week... still not convinced I'd sell my valve gear at this point because I know I'll want to play through it at times, although so far I'm sure I've never had a better sound out of anything, ever. Using a Jim Root Terror profile and it sounds epic at any volume, power amp through a 1x12, and also through the HiFi (haven't tried it through a PA yet). It may be a honeymoon period, but I love the Kemper so far and can't see myself looking back. For most people I think it's a hard transition moving away from valve gear, but there are a lot of benefits. For me, I think I'll miss the whole researching/buying/trading amp thing which keeps my interest when it's waning. Somehow downloading a profile isn't the same. For me though, the big benifit of digital is the convenience it affords you.

gearaddict

Did you get the power amp version? 

MatthewShreddery

Thanks for the replies. Not letting the laney go any time soon. That thing is a beast.

gearaddict

What happens if you plug a Kemper into a Blackstar ID? Is it a bit like putting a chameleon on a tartan rug?

Blueingreen

robinbowes said:

Rehearsal tone, live tone, bedroom tone - all very different.

Why not experiment with what you already have? eg. try doing a rehearsal with Guitar Rig (through the PA). Did it work? If not, tweak it until it does, or until you're happy it's never going to work. The same could be said for your amp setup - try some radical changes in your rehearsal situation, eg. do the opposite of what you normally do (invert the EQ, try a cleaner/dirtier sound, etc.

I'm just starting gigging again so I'm currently having to spend time learning songs which I'm doing using Garageband and headphones (although I *am* using my pedal board). It's an whole different ball game when I get to a rehearsal and everything sounds completely different.

R.

Couldn't agree more with this.  Coming back after a long lay off I was dismayed by how difficult I found it to sound good at rehearsals.  I'd done the work, knew the parts, and was very happy with the way things were sounding at house volume. It wasn't a gear issue  it was a getting familiar with playing at volume with other people again issue.  It's taken several rehearsal, but I feel I'm just about starting to get there.

daveyh

MatthewShreddery said:

Thanks for the replies. Not letting the laney go any time soon. That thing is a beast.

If you don't mind me asking, if you don't like your tone, how is the Laney a beast?

MatthewShreddery

Good question.
It's not the amp, but the combination of amp and pedals and variability between different guitars that makes finding a tone I'm happy with such a faff.
Clean tones have always been easy for me to get out of almost any rig, but when it comes to lead tones it becomes very difficult.

MatthewShreddery

Also, I do a lot of gigs where sound guys want minimal volume on stage, often requesting that no amplifiers be on stage.
I reckon a digital option might just be the thing for me...

paul_backskin

Take your laptop to a rehearsal and run a line out through the return fx loop of the Laney. That'll give you an idea.

I have run digital through an ISP stealth. Sounds amazing, but haven't got the right cab set up to match with the SS power amp so I might go back to just a valve amp.

Digital may seem simpler, but there are always other considerations you don't envisage. Try it first.