They slather everything with effects because that's what those kinds of people do. Most of your AxeFx enthusiasts are wanker guitar solo shred types. Not all of them, but most of them that I've seen. In fact, I only know of one guy in here that has an AxeFx and he's not a chugga-chugga shred wanker. I think he's in the minority. You don't see many jazz, blues, rockabilly, or other non-metal/hard rock types gravitating to the AxeFx. It's almost always some shred wanker guy, and they can't function in life without a shit ton of gain, delay, and reverb dripping all over everything. Yeah, I went there. Shred guys are fucking tools.
I didn't want to call them wankers...
....but yeah, that's kinda what I'm seeing it as too. Lots of FX, so that the amp/cab tone truly does become irrelevant.
It's that whole Steve Vai-ish thing (not to pick on him, but he's a good example)....or like that guy Guthrie....etc...etc...
.....they are technical monster shredders, outstanding....BUT I HATE THEIR TONES!
OK....maybe "hate" is a bit strong, but I have never, ever tried or cared to try for THAT kind of tone.
What can I say....it just does nothing for me. It's too syrupy and synth sounding in most cases, and then adding in the digital sim/pod/mod stuff only takes it even further and homogenizes it so it always has that same syrupy/synth sound.
Now I'm sure those shredders just LOVE that shit....but to each his own.
I don't need to convince any of those guys to give up their sims/pods....all I'm saying is, don't anyone try and tell me that's "THE" tone to die for, and that real amps are not needed anymore.
And yes, the more R&R "roots" kind of players in all the various music styles you mentined.....will not give up their tube amps any time soon.
Uhhh... Use your balance knob or whatever you need to do to listen to just the left side.
You ruin the "difference" that way, because as you pan L/R you have to *transition* from one to the other....and that's enough to mask things.
Anyway...and don't take this like an insult, because you already said that the "test" was a throw-together thing....but if I was going to really A/B tones, they would have to be quality, dialed in tones to begin with.
That stuff you did was rather dark-n-murky sounding, so whatever differences there are, they won't/don't really come out. Trying to pick the amp or the sim while both are making a dark-murky tone....won't say anything.
I ask this again....why do you sims/pods/mods guys have this
intense need to get
the tube amp guys to accept your tones as "tube amp worthy" or whatever?
I wouldn't waste any time/effort trying to turn you...just play through whatever rig you prefer. I don't out-n-out hate the notion of sims/pods/mods...and yeah, that Fractal box is certainly taking things to a new level....but again, all I'm saying in this thread is that amps still have their own *mojo* (or whatever you want to call it), and sims/pods/mods are not going to completely replace it.
I'm am *positive* that no matter how good sims/pods/mods get in the next 10-20 years....tube amps will still be around, and lots of players will be saying the same thing....they prefer using tube amps for certain circumstances.
So why not leave it a that.....amps have their thing, and sims/pods/mods are certainly a usable "tool" and finally getting past that awful sound they use to have a few years back, but let's just accept them as *another tool*....and stop this pointless argument about how they are or can be the same as tube amps....they can't.
