PicoBlog

A question that has come up more and more often over the past decade – both in conversations with fellow guitarists and during interviews with guitar-themed magazines, websites and podcasts –has been some variation of the following:  “Do you think any of these digital amp modelers sound as good as real amplifiers?”

“Not even close” was my answer in the mid-2000s, when these devices first started to gain traction. Who remembers the Line 6 POD aka the“red bean?” (raises hand).

That changed around a few years ago to something more along the lines of: “To be fair, they’re exceeding expectations.” Still, I couldn’t quite get as inspired as I could when playing through a “real” amp. It always felt like something was missing.

Since then, however, that sentiment has increasingly been accompanied by an acknowledgement that Line 6, Fractal, Kemper and Neural DSP –  arguably the “Big 4” of digital amp modelers – have R&D departments whose rates of improvement are astounding. It seemed that if those rates kept up, my answer could be entirely different in the future.

That future has arrived. Several factors have led to this conclusion.

Before going into detail, allow me to discuss a common factor among most of the devices to be mentioned here. They not only come stocked with more sounds than most players would need, the majority also have the ability to capture or “model” the sound of an existing amplifier. This process is usually done at with nothing more than an amp, the modeler device and a high quality microphone.

To be frank, it seems a bit surprising that we haven’t seen any litigation surrounding amp modeling along the lines of these we’ve seen in the world of guitar companies (for example: Gibson trademark infringement lawsuit). After all, we’re talking about one musical product – a modeler – effectively mimicking another product – an amplifier – built by a competing manufacturer.

On the other hand, the question of whether or not a guitar shape may be in violation of trademark law is entirely visual. Aural evidence is much more difficult to prove, as we’ve seen with many cases surrounding popular songs (Recent case in point: Ed Sheeran). Therefore it would seem all that much more of a challenge to convince a jury that an amp manufacturer has been wronged by a similar-sounding guitar tone. And to reiterate, it’s only recently that the technology has gotten so good that amp modelers are now truly competing with amps.  

At least one major amp brand seems to recognize where things are headed, as you’ll see much further down below. But first, let’s begin by exploring a product by a newer manufacturer: Neural DSP.

I The Quad Cortex

If I had to point to a single tipping point, straw that broke the camel’s back, gamechanger or (insert popular metaphor of your choice here) concerning my answer to the opening question, it is the Quad Quartex, built by a music software company based in Finland, Neural DSP.

 I first explored this device, affectionally nicknamed “Quad” or “QC” by enthusiasts, about a year ago while passing through Portland, Maine on tour. Prior to soundcheck, I paid a visit to a friend who lived near that day’s venue, photographer & guitarist, Tom Couture, who’d recently picked one up and couldn’t stop raving about it.

From the first note, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Had I been told that somewhere, concealed in another room in the house was a mic’d row of full-size hand-selected amps and effects linked together with a custom switching system – the type of rig generally reserved for arena headliners – it wouldn’t have been surprising. Instead, the sounds were coming from a metallic object on the floor that was not much bigger than a copy of Keith Richards’ autobiography.

Scrolling through the factory presets, I was reminded of several high profile guitarists who’d emerged in the ‘70s, but whose sound – fueled by the next decade’s rapid developments in technology – would become definitive of great pop and rock guitar tone in the 1980s. Pioneers of such polished yet powerful electric timbres include Alex Lifeson (Rush), Andy Summers (The Police) and preeminent studio guitarist Steve Lukather (Toto).  

It was only a couple months prior that I’d had an up-close encounter with the actual rig of Steve Lukather, or “Luke,” as he’s commonly known. While in a neighboring rehearsal room, Luke’s guitar tech, John Gosnell, a player himself who’s familiar with my own work, graciously gave me a “rig rundown” (to borrow the title of a popular online video series by Premier Guitar). It was a thrill to play Luke’s fantastic Ernie Ball/Musicman signature instruments through multiple amps, pedals – complete with complex switching system (Note to those wondering: Luke approved of my taking a joy ride on his rig).

Which brings us back to the QC and the purpose of the above tangent: It’s fair to say I remembered the feeling of playing through such a state of the art professional pop/rock rig as described earlier quite well.

Now, don’t get me wrong: I’m not saying that a $20k plus, multi-component rig with top shelf amps, cabinets, microphones and a custom switching system piloted by the likes of Luke, Lifeson, Summers etc could just be substituted for with no noticeable difference. What I am saying is that a good modeler brings the rest of us — we who play often (professionally or casually) but have tighter budgets, less room in our homes and more weight restrictions on our luggage — much closer to obtaining such sounds.

I finally got my hands on one to explore last month when Neural DSP sent over a “loaner,” which I promptly took to Estonia. As part of the faculty of Estonian Bass Oasis –a camp for bass students led by veteran virtuoso Stuart Hamm and new generation wünderkind Mohini Dey – with plenty of ensemble playing, a masterclass and a finale concert, I’d have plenty of opportunities to dive into it properly.

First I explored the touchscreen –  which functions much like a smartphone or tablet – and footswitches which double as knobs. This stroke of brilliance was all the more surprising since the company, initially known for their software plugins, hadn’t even ventured into hardware prior to the Quad Cortex.  The learning curve is manageable, partially thanks to online tutorials such as this one by Sweetwater’s Mitch Gallagher.

It became immediately clear that this unit would be perfect for electric jazz/rock/prog instrumental music, such as my regular gigs with Stu, Percy Jones and others. So without a doubt, this “loaner” had to somehow be converted into a “keeper” (Note: I’m now endorsed with two brand new units of my own, thank you Neural DSP). I just had one more question: What about my main Testament rig? Might the QC work just as well for metal?

As it turns out, I’d been so behind the curve on this point, it’s almost embarrassing.

I’ve just returned from an Asian leg of the Bay Strikes Back tour, with Exodus and Death Angel. Both guitarists in each band (Gary Holt/Lee Altus and Rob Cavestany/Ted Aguilar respectively) are now using the QC, along with equally portable power amps (bySeymour Duncan) to power their wall of Marshall Cabinets.

.Just before flying to Asia, we performed alongside Machine Head. MH frontman Rob Flynn played his first show on one; backstage over drinks, I’d never seen him so excited about gear - his usual gruff demeaner completely dropped as he raved about it. Fittingly, Rob’s former Machine Head bandmate, guitarist Phil Demmel, has been using one for well over a year, and it’s been particularly useful in his new role as frequent pinch-hitter/substitute guitarist (and bassist) for the likes of Lamb of God, Testament and others.

Also worth mentioning: Megadeth is now fully on board with the Quad. It began with Brazilian virtuoso Kiko Loureiro – who, like myself, is quite comfortable playing music that’s completely removed from metal. Kiko is now a featured Neural DSP artist whose presets are available on the app and website. Meanwhile, the band’s founder, someone about whom the words “easily impressed” have likely never been uttered, has gone all in. See: Dave Mustaine’s latest rig tour shows he’s made the full switch to Neural DSP’s Quad Cortex

So if you were simply to take just the bands I’ve mentioned so far:  Megadeth, Machine Head, Exodus, Death Angel, Testament, I think it’s probably safe to say the QC has a very solid foothold in metal.

And when you consider that Neural DSP users include popular new generation guitarists having a big impact on pop and funk music — such as Mateus Asato and Cory Wong — well, the writing is on the wall.

II The Kemper Profiler

Credit where credit is due: the Kemper Profiler is the first amp modeler/multi-effects unit that I felt had reached a level close to “real” amplifiers was worth owning and using live in concert. It is endorsed by a number of producers, including one we’ve worked with, Andy Sneap, who is also now guitarist/producer for Judas Priest and one of the device’s earliest champions. For the past five years or so, I’ve been using one on stage with Testament.

The Kemper can be an intimidating device at first, with its rows of lights, knobs, buttons, various digital displays, inputs, outputs and multiple modes. For the first year or so, it felt more a complex gadget better left to the realm of the professional guitar techs and producers. Yet, like navigating the New York Subway system, you just have to step on and start riding, or in this case writing (presets, that is).

In a twin-guitar rock or metal context — where one’s tone is blended into a wall of sound with another guitar at full blast on the other side of stage and a high-volume bass on my side (both of whom are also using Kemper) — it has worked exceptionally well for me. It has also come in quite handy for recording at home. However, I’ve resisted the Kemper as a component for my instrumental and improvisational projects in which I’m the only guitarist. It has felt close, but not quite there, in terms of texture in which the guitar is extremely exposed.

However, this opinion is admittedly subjective and may be changing.I accept that if I kept up with all the latest updates and spent a bit more time on the unit, the right sounds for the aforementioned single guitar projects probably exist, even those with more of a “jazz guitar” flavor.

This last point became abundantly clear during a concert by Pat Metheny, which I attended a few months back. Pat’s guitar tech position had just been taken over by a good friend, (@guitartour), who gave me a quick, pre-soundcheck glimpse at Pat’s current live rig. There, in the midst of it all, was a double spaced rack unit Kemper Profiler identical to the one I’d just been using on my metal tour.

Right at that moment, the maestro himself walked in, ready to get to work. After a quick hello I was eager to excuse myself and be out of his way, but he continued kindly conversing for a few minutes. Walking towards the Kemper, Pat began scrolling through his presets and asking if I was familiar with “this thing.” I remarked that not only was I familiar, I felt like I was looking at my own stage rig. He asked how I like it, adding that he’d first heard one used by the fine West African jazz guitarist Lionel Loueke and has since “really gotten into it.” I haven’t seen any Pat videos in which a Kemper is visible, but here’s a video of Loueke playing through the same non-rack version of the Profiler I’ve used at home, informally known as the “lunch box.”

As I bid adieu to let Pat get on with the soundcheck, I wondered if he too might’ve found the mechanics of the Kemper to be daunting at first? Then I remembered…this is a man who performs with robots. Pat has figured out a way to make the Kemper Profiler sound on par with any of his past rigs, which are true benchmarks as far as instrumental — and specifically hollowbody — guitar tone is concerned. Thus any doubts I may have had about it as a device for single-guitar projects were put to rest that night.

So while many of us, myself included, have been gravitating towards more portable*, less intimidating devices, clearly the Kemper Profiler is not to be counted out.

*Note: Kemper has recently released a far more portable standalone floorboard version.

III Fractal, Helix and more

I admit having no up-close experience with Fractal and their roster of modelers known as Axe-FX. However, it says quite a lot that their artist roster now includes the aforementioned Alex Lifeson of Rush, not to mention such longtime tone chasers of instrumental guitar as Joe Satriani and Steve Vai, U2’s The Edge and John Mayer. It also includes Metallica (full list of Fractal Artists).

If you’ll pardon the pun, this truly speaks volumes.

For one thing, the majority of artists in the above paragraph are part of music’s “1%.” I only bring that up because these are the types for whom the high-end, high-cost, multi-component switching systems discussed earlier were designed. Clearly they are musicians unhampered by the usual budgetary restrictions.

So what is causing these folks, of all people, to move toward amp modelers?

Foo Fighters guitarist Chris Schiflett, a recent guest on my podcast, tells me the following:

“I have been considering getting a Kemper or Fractal or one of those things because we do a lot of festivals you know and you never get a soundcheck and its always like a ‘throw and go’ situation…In my solo thing I have started using a Strymen Iridium instead of an actual amp…It’s just consistent – it’s the exact same thing every night…I really like having the pretend amp up there. It just makes your life easier, you know?” (Update: I’m told by Chris’s podcast producer — Jason Shadrick of Premier Guitar — that Chris has just acquired a Quad Cortex and digs it).

Metallica’s Kirk Hammett recently revealed why he and James Hetfield made the switch to Fractals. Here’s a condensed quote: “We’d go on tour with amp heads and it would sound different, every single show. And there’s a lot of factors involved with that: Mic placement on speakers, the travel of the amps, bouncing around, going through different temperatures, different types of humidity… The bias is super sensitive. Literally anything can change the bias!*”(*Note: “bias” refers to an amp’s power tubes being fed the right voltage according to the valves’ resistance in order to generate the best tone). He continues: “But then you know these digital modelers started showing up, Fractal, Kemper and all of these different things. James and I instantly realized that this is what we would were looking for this whole time.”

The full clip can be heard in Kirk’s interview with Rick Beato.

In a classic case of “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em” Fender has just introduced their version of an amp modeler/multi-effects unit/floorboard: the Tone Master Pro. Here it is being test-driven by someone else I consider to be a human “tone master” — who has also been part of a decades long hit machine — Journey’s Neal Schon. As reported by Guitar World: Fender goes toe-to-toe with Neural DSP, Line 6 and Boss with its first-ever amp modeling multi-effects, the Tone Master Pro.

Other popular units include the Helix by Line 6 — which, along with the Quad, Fractal and Kemper is considered a top contender with reviews to prove it —, the Head Rush, the excellent G11 by Zoom Creators(which I can be heard demoing on the site), the Boss IR200, and the Strymon Iridium (as mentioned by Chris Schiflett). While these last two may lack some of the capacities of the others, they are all the more remarkable because they are fully functional modelers and cabinet simulators contained within a footpedal.

A few closing thoughts:

One night last Spring, I arrived at New York’s prestigious nightclub The Iridium (no relation to the Strymon Iridium pedal) to sit in with two friends who are blues guitarists and vocalists, Mike Zito and Albert Castiglia. Both are National Blues Awards winners. You’d be hard pressed to find players with more current blues cred than these two guys, who’d look right at home plugged into an old beer and cigarette stained Fender Super, Vibrolux, Deluxe or Princeton.

There on the floor, stage right and stage left were two amp-modelers. Mike had a QC and Albert had a Fractal. There were no speaker cabinets, only individual “wedge” monitors. Mike and Albert told me these easily portable, all-encompassing, rigs had proven reliable, easier to transport and minus the typical headaches of “normal” amps. Mike has since recorded a disc produced by Joe Bonamassa, using Joe B’s Dumble - one of the few in existence (Dumbles are arguably the most rare and sought after amps on earth) and pre-CBS Fenders. However, he will be playing all those songs through the Quad on the road. He tells me he does not miss his amps while touring.

My favorite vintage amp I own is a vintage “blackface” ‘65 Fender Deluxe Reverb, purchased late last year. A few months back, I went into the studio with it for several long days of recording with my trio. It delivered, adding comments from the engineers that it was one of the best sounding combo amps they’ve heard. Unfortunately, when I plugged in at home a week or so later, the guitar couldn’t be heard, only a sizzle sound. It was as though someone had mic’d a bowl of Rice Krispies cereal: “Snap, Crackle, Pop.”

A local amp repair guy, Tom Gavin, explained what happened: “Vintage amps like this were designed back when we had 110v coming out of the wall. Today it’s 120v or higher, so the tubes and components are being driven harder.” Therefore, several full days of intensive use wore out the tubes, which needed replacing. Which tubes to buy involved a good bit consideration in terms of quality, reliability, longevity and budget. Without going into detail, let’s just say the vintage tube market is a real “rabbit hole.” Thanks to Tom, the amp is back, as good as before.

Still, owning an amp like this fun, headaches and all. However, it’s a bit like owning a classic car, hi-fi system, vinyl collection etc. Just because you might have a ‘63 Corvette Stingray in the garage (as one iconic guitarist, Jeff Beck, did), doesn’t mean you want to rely on it as your main mode of transportation. All of which is to say that for the guitarist who plays and gigs often, it’s almost silly not to own an amp modeler in this day and age, especially for touring.

So where does all this leave amps?

I think it’s safe to say amps will always have their place. However, that place will increasingly be at home and in the recording studio, rather than the stage.

The amp modeler has arrived and is here to stay.

ncG1vNJzZmiZnJrFtLfOpaWim5tjwLau0q2YnKNemLyue89oq6GdXZq7pXnOn2SapaCo