Before i start - let me clarify that this post is not intended to start a war of modeller manufacturer hate or re-start the amp vs modeller debate. Nor am i affiliated with any products mentioned. I don't usually post - just want to help my fellow GAS sufferer.
It is just intended as my personal view of the only device (since owning virtually all of them over the years) that actually genuinely sounds and feels as close to cranked valve amps that I can't actually tell. This is only my opinion of course - which means shit all and you may well not agree with - but i thought i'd share my discovery as it may help others in a similar hunting boat.
I have owned and still own masses of valve amps. All types and manufacturers from all eras. Hell i have even PTP built a few. I love them and am fascinated by them and nothing can entirely replace them probably or ever will. But possibly like many of you, i have always dabbled with modellers. In fact, i think my first was a Zoom unit from the late 80s which may well have been the original forerunner.
Down the years i have owned most all of them. Most recently having a Line 6 Helix, Axe FX2 and Headrushes. They all have their USPs and sound decent, but none sounded or felt quite there despite all the hours of programming, IRs, firmware updates and tutorial videos. The Axe is the closest but still no cigar. Frankly i had all but given up and contemplated the only possible options left i.e. the very latest model Kemper or Axe FX3. I'm sure these units are fantastic, but i couldn't justify the cost Vs what if. And i was sick of programming and not playing.
So on a complete whim i purchased a Boss GT-1000. Yes a lowly Boss i hear in a market full of high end modellers that recreate the whole history of guitar amplification. I wasn't expecting much as the last COSM thing i had was rubbish. It was £500 quid (think they are 750 quid odd new) so i'd pass it on without much loss if needed.
I unboxed it. It's built like a tank and surprisingly small, light and tactile. Plus it has an expression / vol pedal and all the connections and switching i need. To be honest i was expecting this. Boss make solid, dependable gear.
I turned it on. The interface and screen was dated and the programming part actually needed the manual! And the presets were over-processed with levels all over the place. Back to square one. Turned it off again in disgust.
Thought id give it another go a few days later. This time using my own patch routing, the X model amp sims and just reverb. Holy christ it was an eye opener. I tested the failure points that lets modellers down every time - low to mid gain crunch, feel, expression and dynamics. It was all there just like my best amps. I have never had this before. And once i knew how to program it i could create further patches within a couple of minutes and just get on playing.
After more time i realised that the GT actually has several other standout features. But for me, its the only unit that i have found that sounds and feels genuinely like a valve driven circuit. Plus its cheaper than most and can actually seamlessly switch patches and spill-over without delay or loss and has massive DSP left for all your effects etc
Give it a try - i think you will be as surprised as i was.
Comments
I also think the 'feel' is one of the most overlooked aspects of the programming, which probably explains why the factory settings are always wildly different in level - to whoever set them, they probably aren't, but if a player with different dynamics uses them, they are.
As you'll know if you've been here for more than about five minutes I love the Boss ME-50 - for me it not only sounds but most importantly also responds like analogue pedals both in terms of dynamics and how you control it. It doesn't have amp modelling though, and I have been tempted to try either the ME-80, or possibly the GT-1... which doesn't have the all-knob interface of the ME that I really like, but seems to be extraordinarily powerful and flexible for such a small and inexpensive box. From what I understand the sounds in it are based on the GT-1000 ones - although that doesn't necessarily mean they sound identical.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
Still - every single modeller on earth needs the presets deleting. Always useless.
https://speakerimpedance.co.uk/?act=two_parallel&page=calculator
I had an ME-50 i think it was back in the day. Didn't do it for me then but may have been me. Haven't tried the GT-100 What i can say is that this is in an entirely different league.
There seems to be some wizardry going on with this AIRD modelling that outdoes anything i have used before. My faves are the included X series of amps that are apparently MDP modelled. Whatever. They have the dynamics and feel. And the cab sims work great for me with some tweaking and a dyn mic. Not even tried any IRs - not needed. Oh and the FX are killer too. I'm running straight into powered FRFR and i've never had it so good.
Always been put off by demos of the Boss as it doesn't sound amazing in any of them. Might have to give it a shot when I'm in the market for a modeller again. Can you set presets up in a similar way to a Helix on these with the Boss equivalent to snapshots or stomp modes? As well as used 4CM as an effects only pedalboard replacement with a real amp?
I’d quite like to try the GT-1000, and I’d love to see Boss release a new ME-series model with sounds selected from the GT-1000.
The single biggest improvement to the tones in my HX Stomp have been made by using 3rd party (Celestion) IRs. Such a great unit the Stomp, now it’s £399 it can’t be far from being the best value purchase in electric guitar.
I have an HX Stomp and keep meaning to get round to finding some IRs to see if they're better than the built in speaker sims (which I think are perfectly adequate). Did you get the IRs direct from Celestion? There's so many IRs out there that I can't be bothered to try to whittle them down to find the good ones!
I can certainly recommend the Celestion G12M greenback and Vintage 30 IRs along with the Celestion A-Type. With all of them I’ve opted for the Royer 121 mic (balanced), 48khz, 200ms.
For example, I’ve got Rhett Schulls HX stomp preset pack and the Deluxe Reverb patch has been greatly improved by deleting the Line 6 cab block and adding the A-Type IR.