Your fav Amp Sims as of 2023?

[Naillerz78]

I have the atomic jr currently, but I plan on getting another one next year maybe. Not sure
which exactly, it will cost quite a bit more than the jr. Though I don't really need a louder
one heh, I have to use an attenuator with this one to turn it up past half without pissing off
the neighbors. Indeed some are Michaels takes on fender amps, not all though.

They are handmade/wired works of art, every one of them. The jr was about $1600
with shipping, less than a lot of other bigger name amps on the market.
I have their ribbon mic and attenuator too, another $800-ish for that stuff.

Anyway, I am a big fan of them, no Dr Z for me very likely, because of them.

considering a fender blues jnr is about $1000 (AUD anyway) that’s not so bad.
Would love to give one a spin.

I’m frothing for a Z - after watching Joe Walsh talk about his Z Master amp.. and the detail they put into it. Atill going for about $2-$3K used my side I think.. someday..
Nice guitar and pedals ! Love a Tele custom (Keef!). What pedals ya got ?

Just browsing small amps / portable solutions at my fave guitar shop today
of interest to me were
- Bantamp Zombie
- Mooer 5W AC head

And this was interesting also - Hotone power amp

https://www.deluxeguitars.com.au/collec ... e-loudster

[macmuse]

I was thinking of getting Tonex at the sale price (I use mostly VI's though) but when I tried Tonex CS, it immediately crashed my DAWs. I did a quick search and found a lot of posts regarding this, but yet it's being mentioned here, so does the full version work better or is it problematic too? Thanks.

[MidnightRunner]

I was thinking of getting Tonex at the sale price (I use mostly VI's though) but when I tried Tonex CS, it immediately crashed my DAWs. I did a quick search and found a lot of posts regarding this, but yet it's being mentioned here, so does the full version work better or is it problematic too? Thanks.

ToneX is cool but I dont think of it as a sim. Its a capture of an amp type product -- and alot of the captures are standard regular rock and roll or metal sounds that old rocker guys like to play in cover bands. I prefer sim you can manipulate and get werid sounds out of.

[pekbro]

considering a fender blues jnr is about $1000 (AUD anyway) that’s not so bad.
Would love to give one a spin.

I’m frothing for a Z - after watching Joe Walsh talk about his Z Master amp.. and the detail they put into it. Atill going for about $2-$3K used my side I think.. someday..
Nice guitar and pedals ! Love a Tele custom (Keef!). What pedals ya got ?

Just browsing small amps / portable solutions at my fave guitar shop today
of interest to me were
- Bantamp Zombie
- Mooer 5W AC head

And this was interesting also - Hotone power amp

https://www.deluxeguitars.com.au/collec ... e-loudster

I thought about Dr Z, but I heard both good and bad things about them. In the end
the good ones were too expensive for me. The blues jnr is supposed to be a good
choice, I've read that some like to swap out the speaker for a good one

I have a lot of pedals, more effects than distortions, tho I have a fair number of fuzz pedals.
I like effects, lotta times its stuff that many wouldn't really be interested in. Say a reverb
combined with a feedback loop, stuff like that. I like analog stuff primarily, but definitely
a lot of it is unconventional boutique stuff.

The guitar is a G&L Custom shop ASAT Blues Boy, satin grey with black frosted head stock.
The only one like that actually... I added a solid brass bridge/saddles an artisan luthier
guy in france made for me...

The amp is small as I got it for my room, tho it is still amazingly loud. The tube reverb
sounds killer. Anyway, great amp imo.

-Cheers

[macmuse]

I was thinking of getting Tonex at the sale price (I use mostly VI's though) but when I tried Tonex CS (Mac Sonoma), it immediately crashed my DAWs. I did a quick search and found a lot of posts regarding this, but yet it's being mentioned here, so does the full version work better or is it problematic too? Thanks.

ToneX is cool but I dont think of it as a sim. Its a capture of an amp type product -- and alot of the captures are standard regular rock and roll or metal sounds that old rocker guys like to play in cover bands. I prefer sim you can manipulate and get werid sounds out of.

On the line of Revalver, a bit? Can it at least give a better tone to fake guitars that need to sound more 'real'?

[MidnightRunner]

I was thinking of getting Tonex at the sale price (I use mostly VI's though) but when I tried Tonex CS, it immediately crashed my DAWs. I did a quick search and found a lot of posts regarding this, but yet it's being mentioned here, so does the full version work better or is it problematic too? Thanks.

ToneX is cool but I dont think of it as a sim. Its a capture of an amp type product -- and alot of the captures are standard regular rock and roll or metal sounds that old rocker guys like to play in cover bands. I prefer sim you can manipulate and get werid sounds out of.

On the line of Revalver, a bit?

i dont know. i never used revalver. i am not an export on amp emulation programming. just basing on my experiencing using it. loading up a capture in ToneX allow for some minor tweaking. But the tones are mostly not tones I use. their list gives a good indicator of the type of audience its for. its a lot of old rocker guys who haven't heard a new record since 90s.

https://www.tone.net/tonex/top10

edit: does it sound more real? more real than how? i guess out of the box loading up a capture should generate better results than massaging a tone using a regular sim product like S-gear or Amplitube. Thay had a few great episodes on a guitar YT channel I follow. One famous guy just uses a amp and sm57 in the studio for all the tones. The other guy used a sim. Both sounded great. I guess if you know what you are doing and have experience. I looked at the sim settings and tried them. worth a look. Thats why I like sims. You can really get into the nitty gritty of how the tone is made. With a capture you are relying on black box .. you have very little info on what was used other than what they list in the details of the capture.

https://www.scuffhamamps.com/forum/3-ne ... ar-presets

[Naillerz78]

…- and alot of the captures are standard regular rock and roll or metal sounds that old rocker guys like to play in cover bands. I prefer sim you can manipulate and get But the tones are mostly not tones I use. their list gives a good indicator of the type of audience its for. its a lot of old rocker guys who haven't heard a new record since 90s.

https://www.tone.net/tonex/top10

edit: does it sound more real? more real than how? i guess out of the box loading up a capture should generate better results than massaging a tone using a regular sim product like S-gear or Amplitube.

Old rocker guys?? I should probably get a Tonex immediately then! Whoop whoop

Re: realism
YES!

Seriously - these sims/ modellers will never get to “real” they should stop saying/claiming that.

It may be more ‘detailed’ and more ‘dynamic/ responsive’. But it’ll never be a Marshall stack on 10 roaring behind the player and giving them tinnitus. with ’ Real’ amps the sound disperses everywhere from the cab. Out the front out the back, maybe out the top, bouncing off the walls, harmonics flying all over the place in 3D space they compress various ways on guitar attack, they “sag” , feedback , they blow up(!) etc etc they do lots of unpredictable things. some can be captured, a lot can’t tbh.

Sims are still “contained” sounding to me.
They are still polite Vs “real” amps. But excel in recording 100%.

Boss released a set of amp modelling headphones a few years ago the Waza Air I think the name .
With these HPs the sound modelling was 3D if the wearer moved their head the sound moved relatively also to give impression amp was behind them etc etc
That’s closer to “real”.

It’s like the emperors new clothes this stuff.
2 years ago it was something ( ?)
2 years before it was something else ( dynamic IRs)
Etc etc going back 10-15 yrs now.
I just watched a demo of Andy from GSD with a Tonex pedal, it sounds similar to his other demos of Digitech pedals and others that came before.

Phew! Old man rant over (Soz to shit-post) just had to get it out of my system

MR -Ps If you want that kind of experimenting with a sim ..get Blue Cat Destructor - it’s a great sand pit for sound creation. The effects are fantastic.

[Naillerz78]

I thought about Dr Z, but I heard both good and bad things about them. In the end
the good ones were too expensive for me. The blues jnr is supposed to be a good
choice, I've read that some like to swap out the speaker for a good one

I have a lot of pedals, more effects than distortions, tho I have a fair number of fuzz pedals.
I like effects, lotta times its stuff that many wouldn't really be interested in. Say a reverb
combined with a feedback loop, stuff like that. I like analog stuff primarily, but definitely
a lot of it is unconventional boutique stuff.

The guitar is a G&L Custom shop ASAT Blues Boy, satin grey with black frosted head stock.
The only one like that actually... I added a solid brass bridge/saddles an artisan luthier
guy in france made for me...

The amp is small as I got it for my room, tho it is still amazingly loud. The tube reverb
sounds killer. Anyway, great amp imo.

-Cheers

Lovely Axe mate.Teles are the best (sssh don’t tell anyone )
I had a Mex Nashville tele 2007 model in sunburst -beaut guitar -worst decision ever selling it. Still keep an eye out for it online to buy it back !

Whaaaat u heard bad things about a Z amp?!
Don’t smash all mah dreams bro
Do tell tho what u heard. .. I don’t know much about electronics but could listen to him waffle about triodes, tubes, transformers and speakers for hours on his YT channel vids .Hes just a cool interesting dude the Dr. Plus cool stories re famous players.

F..k me dead just saw the price here $2700 AUD
https://www.deluxeguitars.com.au/produc ... atomic-jnr

5W class A IS very loud tho I believe it.
Had a HW 5w head +2x12 once -did a shootout with a friends 100W Vox SS valvetronix . My 5W ValveTone louder & cut more than his. both dimed to max

Blues Jnr’s are great afaik. I knew a touring player with a decent band that’s all he had for big gigs. With a diverse set list. He highly recommended and did chang the speaker out / modded also yep.

[Naillerz78]

I could get a used Z for $2k shipped .
That’s not that bad actually.
https://reverb.com/au/item/84043716-dr- ... arious?bk=

[MidnightRunner]

It may be more ‘detailed’ and more ‘dynamic/ responsive’. But it’ll never be a Marshall stack on 10 roaring behind the player and giving them tinnitus. with ’ Real’ amps the sound disperses everywhere from the cab. Out the front out the back, maybe out the top, bouncing off the walls, harmonics flying all over the place in 3D space they compress various ways on guitar attack, they “sag” , feedback , they blow up(!) etc etc they do lots of unpredictable things. some can be captured, a lot can’t tbh.

Sims are still “contained” sounding to me.
They are still polite Vs “real” amps. But excel in recording 100%.

If you are after standard traditional tones, then maybe ToneX is for you. The capture will probably sound better then you mic'ing an old average amps in a bedroom studio. I suggest try the demo.

[Naillerz78]

It may be more ‘detailed’ and more ‘dynamic/ responsive’. But it’ll never be a Marshall stack on 10 roaring behind the player and giving them tinnitus. with ’ Real’ amps the sound disperses everywhere from the cab. Out the front out the back, maybe out the top, bouncing off the walls, harmonics flying all over the place in 3D space they compress various ways on guitar attack, they “sag” , feedback , they blow up(!) etc etc they do lots of unpredictable things. some can be captured, a lot can’t tbh.

Sims are still “contained” sounding to me.
They are still polite Vs “real” amps. But excel in recording 100%.

If you are after standard traditional tones, then maybe ToneX is for you. The capture will probably sound better then you mic'ing an old average amps in a bedroom studio. I suggest try the demo.

Ok will do today thanks.
Can I ask how do u think it compares against this older generation unit. NUX300

I can get that used for $70-$120 prob vs $300-$400 for a new Tonex One where I live (AUS) so if it’s not much difference in reality I’ll save money for other gear.

[miloszz]

i dont know. i never used revalver. i am not an export on amp emulation programming. just basing on my experiencing using it. loading up a capture in ToneX allow for some minor tweaking. But the tones are mostly not tones I use. their list gives a good indicator of the type of audience its for. its a lot of old rocker guys who haven't heard a new record since 90s.

https://www.tone.net/tonex/top10

The amps being used on records in the '70s and '80s are pretty much the same amps being used on records today, not sure how captures keep you from doing anything in particular.

The IK library sucks and most of the amateur captures suck - third party commercial captures, as with Kemper, are the way to go. Yes, there's some added cost but for the price of one or two reverb plugins I've filled my ToneX library and pedal with captures from Amalgam Audio - Blackface Bassman, Orange OR120, Marshall Super Bass, tweeds, a Selmer Treble n Bass, JCM800, etc.. Some full rig captures, some DI to use with my IRs.

I sold my Axe FX III a couple of months ago - it's amazing at what it does but I don't need the effects and my real amp (a Marshall JMP clone) has had the same EQ forever, I just switch between high and low inputs and adjust the preamp and master as necessary.

[MidnightRunner]

Can I ask how do u think it compares against this older generation unit. NUX300

I can get that used for $70-$120 prob vs $300-$400 for a new Tonex One where I live (AUS) so if it’s not much difference in reality I’ll save money for other gear.

I never used it so I don't know. If I were to ever join a cover band and gig again (which I doubt I ever will), I would get a fractal i think.

[MidnightRunner]

The amps being used on records in the '70s and '80s are pretty much the same amps being used on records today, not sure how captures keep you from doing anything in particular.

For the type of stuff I am into making, those old 60s and 70s tones aren't my thing. And defiantly not the over processed 80s tones.

[BBFG#]

I think the 80s sound had more to do with the active pickups than the amps. At the very least as equally so.