Well, first, I've gone through a pedal board like the Boss you have, as well as through an amp, and the amp is WAY better IMHO. There's something about the punch of an amp on a mic that just brings the guitar sound to life. So I would definitely recommend an amp. Now here's the good news: to a large extent you can make almost any amp sound "good" - but that depends on what sound your angling for. If you want a Mashall Stack sound - well, your Fender amp might not get you there. Now having said that, here's another point: I have
a Flextone II... the big one... I can't remember the model right now... XL or something. Anyway, with all due respect to Flextone fans - I'm not thrilled. I feel like I am always searching for more something no matter which model I use - more highs, more drive, more lows, more whatever. And it's just not there - especially the highs. The only way I can consistently get enough highs on many models is by tuning in the 1 x 8" cabinet model. So, if you have sounds you already love on your Boss, I would suggest considering a small 30 Watt or under practice amp from a decent maker and plug in your pedal to that and just see for yourself. Maybe a friend could lend you an amp - or you could even rent one for a day and go home and record and see if it makes a difference to you. Better to do that than spend $800 on an amp and find out it only made a $50 difference. I once used a Gorilla
GG60 for the distortion sound on a song and it sounded awesome on tape. I don't know exaclty why... my set up was an SM57 off center and angled in from the right. But I placed the amp in a corner, facing out, where one wall was exposed brick and the other drywall wall. For whatever reason, it just went to tape really, really well. So, experiment and know that "good" is when you get the sound you heard in your head
UnclePonto
