Guitar Tone Is Changing... Is It Time For Traditional Guitar Gear To Disappear?

[@thejovialpanda]

I think you really over-inflate the importance of modern guitar players like Polyphia to most young people. I've spent the past ten years working with teenagers and I can tell you without a doubt that none of them had even heard of Polyphia or Periphery or any of the others. But, they were all huge fans of the Arctic Monkey or Greta Van Fleet or older bands like Nirvana. They love Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin. Oasis is huge. The average teen is more into guitar music that we give them credit for, but they also like a lot of new stuff, dance, edm, hip-hop, pop music. But not new modern guitar stuff. Just look at numbers on Spotify. Polyphia has 1.4million subs, Arctic Monkeys has 54million, Greta Van Fleet has 4 million, Nirvana has 32 million, Oasis has 26 million. I think we underestimate how much the young people like the music we like. They're just not motivated to learn guitar. And the why of that is a whole nother question and discussion.

[@derrickj8424]

Yep I have some nephews who are in the 13 to 19 year old range who got into leaning guitar during the lockdown. None of them had even heard of Polyphia but they sure like AC/DC, Metallica and Godsmack.

[@GraniteSoundtrack]

Nail on the head. Plus, people don’t usually hear progressive quirky music for the first time and say, “I want to play guitar!” It usually starts on a more emotional and simple level. I heard Cherub Rock and thought, “I just want to sound that big!” It wasn’t until later I came to like Dream Theater and such (my generation’s Polyphia and blah blah). That said, I came back around to old blues these days and love it and chase those tones.

[@eoinc_Ire]

My eldest son started playing last year and is head long into Green Day… no complexity and he gets a huge kick from making noise! Isn’t that what it’s all about 😂

[@PiotrHryncyszyn]

These are so called "musician's musicians". Just like Steve Vai/Joe Satriani used to be. We will always go back to "simple" stuff, because it's more fun to play, there's better chance You can find people to jam with (hard to find 4 virtuosos in the same town) and non-musician people not only aren't interested in such overcomplicated music, they really can't tell that it's technically impressive. Play them Song 2 and they will go "wow" and they will think this is the coolest thing ever (which is kinda true IMO).

[@eoinc_Ire]

@@PiotrHryncyszynAgreed! But there have been some guitarists that are both amazing and appeal to the masses (Jimi, Eddie, Rory, Nuno, etc…) I’ve always felt that their ability is natural and not in anyway forced. Others not so.

[@paulyates101]

I teach guitar and yes most of the kids/ teenagers I teach aren’t that fussy about gear, but also they are not listening in the main to virtuoso guitarists. Mostly old school rock, and indie mixed with some modern bands. It’s the same as back in the day where in reality many more players were influenced by Jack White/ Kurt Cobains of the world than Steve Vai. Polyphia is for the Geeks. Nothing wrong with that, but it’s a minority thing

[@argento8447]

About that thing of young people becoming adults. I was born in the second half of the 90s, and I grew up obsessing over the metal scene of the early 2000s, all I wanted was to acheive that gnarly, percussive high gain sond that I heard in the records of the most prominend metalcore bands of that time such as As I Lay Dying, Trivium, Killswitch engage and so on, the only thing I cared for were modern superstrat like Ibanez ESP and Jackson guitars, preferably loaded with EMGs or other active pickups, plugged straight into a 5150 or dual rectifier. I spent my teenage years and early 20s practicing and playing mostly "modern" metal stuff, but slowly I started to experience what in the beginning was simple curiosity, that over time evolved in true interest towards "older" sounds, I started exploring and appreciating the music and the sounds of the 80s and 70s, I started studying them and now getting close to my 30s I still love and play metal, but I own a JTM, 2 Teles, a Strat, a P90 loaded Gibson Les Paul and even a Gretsch.

[@KrisBarocsi]

@@argento8447 haha, it got you too then. Same thing happened to me, just a few years earlier (born in the 80s and started discovering music in the 90s).

[@jackmurphy8696]

Oh wow we are going in different directions! I always loved killswitch and as I lay dying but I started out playing blues because I didn't understand how the killswitch songs worked, like why they chose certain chords and what not and I didn't get a framus cobra until my mid 20s and only got an emg guitar a few years ago so now I'm ready to properly learn those metal core tracks. It feels kind of somber because what seems like just yesterday is 20 years ago and I'm so late to the party.

[@UntilTheSilence]

Going to a shoe gaze show in NC Friday night where 2 out of 3 bands are in their early 20s and all bands are playing tube amps and using pedals. It's coming back!

[@SisGuitarGAS]

Probably not in a position to comment, bought a valve amp today 🙊

[@KrisBarocsi]

haha, congrats!!

[@Michael-bm8hi]

Young players tend to focus on technique (the faster, the more complex - the better) and like to play next to 6 strings with knobs and computer settings. As they mature they will start focusing more on tone and the traditional tube amp will come in. Music is in the end is an analog thing when it comes to our ears.

[@stefanfyhn4668]

In the end, there isn't such a thing as 'analog music'

[@whyceeguy]

As an old guy I will say that part of why the "classic rock" guys are so great is that there was a lot more effort that went into achieving a tone. None of those guys had a list of a bazillion patches to scroll thru, they had a couple guitars, a couple amps and a couple pedals and just made it work. They all managed to sound awesome and unique because they were PLAYING the guitar and not using the gear to create their music.

[@adrianguggisberg3656]

They still need to play the guitar. All the gear in the world doesn't play it for them. In fact, many of them have levels of technical skill I never even considered or cared to acquire. Also don't underestimate the skill and knowledge required to get presentable results out of all this computer gear, Even just getting it to work can be fairly challenging.

[@whyceeguy]

@@adrianguggisberg3656 I do not disagree with any of your comments. Just wanted to put out there how much more of a challenge it was to get a good tone when all you had was a guitar, an amp, and a pedal or two. Every part of your set up was a choice. There were no good cheap guitars (Squire, Epiphone, etc of which I own several now) you saved up for a year to buy a strat or LP (used). Then you bought a good amp under the same conditions and your choice of reverb was whatever was built into the amp. Every effect you wanted was a single pedal, phaser and flanger were two different purchases, affordable delay showed up around 1980. And all of the settings were live, there was no writing to memory you had to make it happen in real time. And many of the tones created under these conditions are still the ones programed into most of these boxes. There is no question that there are some great young players out there, but when I see somebody playing something they learned from a video over a backing track they downloaded thru a preset tone it makes me sad.

[@adrianguggisberg3656]

@@whyceeguy Yeah, I started with a cheap noname guitar that my parents bought me, and it was nothing like a strat or LP. And I had no amp at all for quite a while. My first real guitar was a thinline fender tele, for which I saved 3 years. And I could only afford it, because that was an incredibly unpopular guitar in the late 70's, that sat in the far corner of the shop like a block of lead, written down and with a cobweb in the f-hole. So no bragging rights attached to it, but I love its voicing and still play it a lot. You know, if they play a guitar into a plugin and to a downloaded backing track, that's one bloody brillant live choice for a youngster on how to spend their time and absolutely nothing to be sad about. My grands played clarinette, accordeon and violine, what do you think he and his mates thought about an electric guitar? Well, they insisted I played with them almost every day. For them it was an instrument, what could be wrong with that?

[@whyceeguy]

@@adrianguggisberg3656 This has been a good thoughtful exchange. I liked you story about the cobweb in the f hole :) My first couple guitars could not adjust the intonation and thus did not play in tune and that was probably my first revelation on the road to figuring out how to do things right, I needed a guitar that played in tune!! I started thinking about the difference between trying to learn a song back in the day when you had to learn in by ear off the record as compared to being able to go online and find a tab in a couple minutes. I admit that I love how fast you can get up and running on a song these days. However when I think back to having to figure out the chords and the licks by myself, then recording that live to a cassette to create my backing track to jam to there was so much I learned in that intermediate process which contributed to my musicianship. There is nothing to say that a kid today can't learn that, in fact they have resources which were not available back in the day at the touch of a button. Those same resources also allow them to cut corners if they want to.

[@jcugnoni]

Totally agree. There was the amp era, then the pedal into amp phase, the rack era (preamp with digital effects into power amp), then the first gen modeling era (pod into power amps during the nu metal boom) and now profiler/modellers/ai-models with in ears and click tracks. I started with transistor amps (ok for cleans but shitty dirt sound) then Zoom mfx and PodXt which helped me understand better how sounds are built , tried early days plugins in pc (was trash, but discovered how important IRs can be in the process) and then pedalboard into clean tube amp and finally went into tube preamps with switcher (DIY and Synergy) and built my own tube amps. This is all about experiencing tones to find our own sounds that resonate with what inspires us.. So nothing goes away, the tools add up and fuel new inspirations.

[@jimwoodard64]

As guitarists, we sit in a realm of knowing "the new guys" (and fighting about who's better on the Internet), but the majority of people I know wouldn't know Polyphia or Periphery. They would probably think I was talking about books on sociology or psychology. It's not as popular as the musico's want to believe, because they have conversations with like-minded people. Most of the "kids" I know are either into the new pop (Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Pitbull, etc...) or "classic" music (The Cars, Pink Floyd, Skynyrd, Bee Gees). Even Lady Gaga and Joaquin Phoenix covered "To Love Somebody" in "Joker: Folie à Deux" and I could hear young people singing along with "You don't know what it's like..." as the song played in the surprisingly packed theater. My sons (25) listen to a variety, but play some Animals as Leaders, and they go, "What the heck is that?" and not in a good way. To test his sound systems, one of my sons uses "Rock You Like a Hurricane" to make sure he gets booming bass and searing highs along with all of the frequencies in between. I'm not so sure one needs to invent a better mouse trap (as they say).

[@paulbradshawguitar]

great talking points Kris, i sort of look at this like Vinyl and more modern formats of consuming music, despite all the progress (Tape, CD, Minidisc, MP3 to streaming now) Vinyl is still around and there's even a resurgence and interest in vinyl in the last 10 years or so the ease of recording/DSP power has also been a big part of the shift, can't argue with the portability/ease of use, but there'll always be a usecase for amps/cabs and stage volume =)

[@ollieguitarman]

As long as the digital reproduction of the tube amps is designed to be as realistic a replica as possible, I have no concerns that the original will continue to be used. Ultimately, it's not necessarily the understanding of sound that changes, but rather the practical accessibility. If you can easily get a digital Plexisound these days, why should you put the box in your room...but the reference Plexi remains

[@mamad504]

what was that riff you played to compare? it was super cool i can't get it out of my head

[@doctorjoyboylove]

The reason why I don't see the "grandpa stuff" disappear (or why it hasn't already disappeared) is, that it's still the reference point for most modern amp sounds. How often have I heard people say "this sounds just like the real thing!" when talking about modellers or profilers, and they are correct most of the time, but that implies, that there is still a "real thing" that is being referenced and that makes the "real thing" something, that is not obsolete yet.

[@PiotrHryncyszyn]

Because we are insecure, which is human nature. Most of the time we are searching for a tone we are familiar with or we know that is considered "good", because we seek validation and connection with other people. The "good tone" that 50 years ago was considered "noise that kids liked".

[@doctorjoyboylove]

@@PiotrHryncyszyn Yes, I'd say that is part of it, but 50 years ago (which would be 1974) the electric guitar was still a relatively new instrument in popular music which sounds and limits hadn't been as defined as they are now. There aren't that much shocking revolutionary new things that you can do with an instrument that is now almost 100 years old. I think that is the main reason why the established "classic" sounds aren't likely to ever be obsolete.

[@nfsforever1989]

The youth ignores tube amplifiers and other traditional pedals, firstly they are expensive (plug-ins are much cheaper), secondly they are not so loud. A 100/50 watt amplifier is certainly nice, but I'm afraid the neighbors won't approve.

[@dragonheartstudio]

Yup, totally agree, being 41 I had tube amps for the first 20 years of playing, had been using Fractal FM3 for the past 2.5 years then had the itch to get back on a tube amp, picked up a mesa.. it just hits different, not so perfect, slightly spikier but oh my so much more inspiring! (still love my fractal of course :-))

[@TheMasonator777]

I have both… I like both. I find the amps more fun. Sometime the modeller is more practical. However, I never go direct into a PA. I’ll never go without a real amp, even if part of the amp has modelling. A guitar speaker cab is always better for me.

[@andrewbecker3700]

When you watch these documentaries on say, a band like Bad Company. It doesn't take very long to realize, that players like Koss. And the guitar tones that he used to great effect in Free. Will live on forever in the music and songs of many bands to come. Mick carried the torch in a way that made BC one of the greatest rock bands of all time. Didn't hurt to have Paul Rodgers singing either. But that style of playing is still hard to best. I'm not sure a sim of that, can carry the emotion in the songs the same way?

[@mylogify]

I think we might go back to amps only after Kemper's new business model, the paid upgrades. I feel like we will at the end all be playing Marshall's only 😂We are going back to Jimi Hendrix tones... 😂😂 Now watching the vid.

[@astrums99]

I mainly play Brit Blues from the 60s and 70s. Whats interesting is I mainly use Ableton and Tonex for my tone, while my dad-in-law who loves and plays the same music will ONLY use Fender and Marshall amps. I guess it comes down to what you’re used to and grew up with! Amps are amazing, but not really practical for late night practice when you have young children 🤫🤫🤫

[@kmjansen]

I have modelers but exclusively use tube amps, mic’d or into Ox Box so I’m team tube. But I believe once electronic drums improve enough, actual tube amps will really start to disappear. Tube amps are still everywhere despite the modeler revolution. That will change.

[@VanjaSpirin]

You are totaly right and to the point, and there is some other thing between kids. Some of them are even think that they are cooler if they listen or play the music like Pink Floyd, or Led Zeppelin. Some young cork sniffers really like old prog like Atomic Rooster, and feel very cool about it. On the other hand, using Tonex or Dimehead NAM player is logical and good choice. Tonex One costs 180$ ald with a new update have all the bells and whistels anybody needs. And not many musicians can afford Soldano, Dumble or Matchless. Or old, good JCM 800.

[@KomboAndy]

I really agree with that. I really love tube amps, Pedals and Hollowbodys. I like that i can modify the stuff, especially Pedals (I started building them by myself recently). But one of my dream guitars is the Tim Henson acoustic one.

[@tony_dms350]

The ultimate gift for the contemporary guitarist is that of choice! Do you feel that for the studio or in some lives you want the big natural warm sound of a tube amp? You’ve got it! Do you prefer to experiment with the more weird and unique tones that a profiler can provide you you’re also covered! It’s not the one over the other it’s the fact that whatever route you’ll choose you’ll end up with some beautiful tones!

[@felipegomabrockmann2740]

I bought a fractal Axe Fx last year. Great modeller. Than I tried out the Lion, the Ruby and the Dream 65 from UAFX. They feel like an amp and love the feeling of using them as part of my pedalboard on my desk. Now I use the Fractal as an audio interface for my pedalboard - Ridiculous.

[@ToneChaseBasement]

I really like your point with actually getting older you start appreciating all these things... and also, you learn to appreciate quality... and the real physical, touchable craftsmanship... but still, you have to carry this feeling of appreciation inside you somehow, while you are growing up... like remembering your dad putting on a vinyl and when he says, do you hear that warmth and those slight crackles? a teenager says, naaaahh sound is much better on CDs because its cleaner... then you grow up and start listening to vinyls yourself and saying, yes i understand my dad now... thats the same way with plugins and tube amps... very good video as alwayswith some really good points!

[@darrenw2939]

I'm over 60. I was a "tubes only" kind of guy. I wouldn't even use distortion pedals. All that had to come from the amp, and channel switching. As I got older, and switched from gigging to jamming and recording, I switched to modeling and Kemper. The volume control is really important, and with some exploration, you make a Kemper sound really good live, in a mix.

[@PaulMcCaffreyfmac]

I'm delighted to see that the current default Jimi picture is from a show I was at. ... Apart from that, the further we get from Robert Johnson, or Muddy Waters or Jimi, the colder everything feels. Technology is what you make of it but what really changed guitar for me was G.I.T. It's basically the choice between free-range and factory bred

[@PooNinja]

No matter what you use these days it should sound the way you want. Such a great age for artists.

[@stacey_1111rh]

Well said.

[@iankinzel]

What I'd like to see, is more integration of the old with the new. Imagine a physical, hardware pedal where you could upload the plugins of your choice; imagine a real tube amp capitalizing on digital modeling to offer tone stack & preamp options, before feeding into a set of real EL84's. Or even better yet, a tube amp that's also designed to operate as an audio interface to go into your computer. Etc etc.

[@angusorvid8840]

Good video. One thing that will never change is that players will always want to play the gear their heroes play. It was the same when I was obsessed with Van Halen in the 80s, and it's the same today where younger players have their own influences. While I don't think amps will completely disappear, they are becoming archaic in a day and age where touring with a modeling system and recording with plugins makes the most sense. Some big name from the old school like Mark Knopfler and John McLaughlin are using systems like Fractal and Helix. Def Leppard used Fractal for their last tour, not a traditional amp in sight.

[@AlexGiordaniMusic]

The new generation of guitarist has endless possibilities to reasearch for the most innovative tone, but the main problem is that in modern music, especially the top charts songs, the guitar is almost disappeared as an instrument or simply drowned in a synth, beats, fx, multivocals arrangement. I cannot remember a song with main guitar in the arrangenent that reachead the top of the mainsteeam charts. That Is the Evolution unfortunately

[@DazeD1983]

I tried to go ampless with modelers, frfr etc. Nope! Back to tubes! The feel, the air moving around, the rumbling cabinet. The smell of amplifiers cooking tubes… nothing will ever beat that! But I must admit, tone wise, modelers are impressive

[@iburley_]

I definitely don't think tube amps or analog gear are going anywhere, you're right about that, BUT I think the "new and different" sound is only one very small piece of the modeling game. I'd even be interested to see a follow-up of just how close you can get the two setups to sound. I'm the player in his 30s who loves Clapton and Hendrix and SRV, but I find that especially in the situation that you're in where you just can't have the volume all of the time and instead play through a load box, the difference is even smaller when you're hearing both through the same set of studio monitors.

[@cisemokram]

As someone who always used tube amps, i love it, but the convenience of brining a tonex to my recent gigs is undeniable.... put a good wedge in front of me and im not really missing out. That said, at home, love the tube stuff

[@bryanclarke1927]

Like record players and vinyl, amps and pedals will make a comeback. Modellers are convenient and have everything so make sense to young players.

[@reybot5125]

I’m not sure. I grew up in the 90s but I didn’t get inspired to start playing guitar until I got into Pink Floyd. I think inspiration in modern times works very differently than it did back then. There is SO much music out there being rediscovered all the time. We have decades worth of past artists that went under appreciated in their day. Plus, all the old music gets featured in media quite frequently and exposes more kids to the old stuff. Like “Panama” in Superbad, and of course “Master of Puppets” going viral because of a Stranger Things episode. The cult of nostalgia is powerful.

[@The666horg]

I love my modded Marshall JVM 410 and my Orange Rockerverb 100 MKIII but I only use them sometimes (!) at home. Especially the Orange sounds fantastic at low volume because of the built- in attenuator. Most of the time I just use a line6 podgo with the digital version of my orange and 4 Snapshots for clean, crunch, rhythm and lead. It is on my desk and works as audio interface. While songwriting I just switch on the PC and start recording immediatelly with good sound. In the rehearsing room and on stage I only use the podgo and nothing else. We play with an in-ear system so a tube amp is completelly unnecessary. The 5% difference of the sound between a tube amp and a modeller can't be heard through the In-ear.

[@052RC]

I have a question for you. Lets say you have a traditional setup like a tube amp head, cabinet and either plug the guitar directly into the head, or use overdrive/distortion pedals in front of it. If you take a digital multi effects unit like a Line 6 or something similar, and put it in the effects loop, will you loose, or compromise the sound of the head, cabinet and pedals, or will you retain all that, and the DSP in the effects loop enhance the sound? Will it be the best of both worlds, or just pick something all traditional, or all modern?

[@NoCats-on-Guitars]

My answer would be yes and no, it depends on your effect-chain. The effect-loop of an amp sits after the preamp and the gain you dial in will affect the following effects. That works well for delay or reverb for that is the place where they work properly and clean, for other effects, like overdrive, fuzz and dynamics, it may be better to have them in front of the preamp, but that's a matter of personal taste.

[@Chris-yq7xv]

Kris, nice work, both styles sound pretty good. However, like you I grew up with Jimmy Page, EC, Gilmour. I can’t tell you how many records I wore out and then cassette tapes. Rock on! I will never sell my tube amps! Chris

[@FarmerSlideJoeBob]

Intresting topic and really great talking points :D

[@thelolguy007]

It’s important that the current group of youngsters have their own thing going on. We all had our thing (and still do) so it’s important for the evolution of music, the scene and individual creativity that it moves on. It’s just not for me and that’s ok too. But I will give it a chance every now and then because you never know when it might be

[@andrus108]

Then I'm weird, because I want to stand out from the crowd that plays nowadays.... and that's why I go for analog stuff. Plus, recent video by Mic the Snare showed that modern has a rise in both complexity of rhythms and the density of notes in a song; meanwhile my personal choice is to rather have simple rhythm and fewer selected notes. If that's out of fashion or sounding like old folks, then so be it, but that's the music I like and want to create, AND considering everyone uses 200+ tracks and digital sims with 5 amps in parallel, I guess I go against modern trends rather than times before me.

[@7thString84]

Wow, Kris! You even nailed a topic, that I NEVER come up with when someone asks the community what to make a video about. But it's extremely up my alley! Yes, man! The heroes change! I just cannot stand all those guys anymore who still didn't get out of the past. There's been a giant evolution in style and skill! So yeah! Let's embrace the heroes of our and following generations! And speaking of video requests... I'd LOVE to see a video from you, where you explain "the way" of getting an awesome Strat tone! I'm a total purist (or lazy af?! xD) with one favorite drive tone, that is an awesome saturated, boosted Rectifier tone and an okay clean tone. My guitar is an Ibanez AZ 2402 Prestige with two humbuckers and a "not really split function". Now the challenge: what to do to get the most stratty sound? In my case, speaking of a modeller board (POD HD 500. Yes. You read it right. And this thing is awesome when dialed in correctly!). Which amp(sim), which compressor(sim), which boost(sim), which drive(sim), which cabinet(sim), which mic(sim) etc.? Any advice here? Video would be awesome, but I'd be happy too, if you'd respond here. Thank you and cheers, buddy! :)

[@wasichu66]

This dinosaur prefers the life of the trad rig's tone. What I find REALLY interesting, is how that modern style polyphian riff thing sounds through the trad rig, now THAT is original and surprising.

[@nicolasmaurin182]

Well done. 🎉

[@momogris6159]

Great video, very nice conversation and very good and tasty playing. Completely agree with you, although im very happy emulating that classic tones with my Fractal Fm9 Turbo. Still, chasing classic tones!!!!!! not that artificial and sterile sounds we heard through the computer.

[@Zwidawurzn]

Traditional gear and sound will never "disappear", many even start guitar to get just that. I use tube amps and pedals but modern 7-string baritone/multiscale guitars. i think it's time for traditional companies to realize there's people who want modern stuff... Like Gibson could at least try to bring out their classic shapes with modern features instead of suing everyone else doing it. I'd love a 1984 Explorer with classic shape but more strings, longer scale and a nice finish but they're not building that anytime soon.

[@cechichan]

I think its about a few factors 1what music someone wanna play 2what someone can afford, bcz a 100$ plugin will record MUCH better usually than a 100$ amp guitar is fun !!

[@jackmurphy8696]

Yea tube is always going to be good as long as they don't run out of tubes. It's just digital is really catching up and offering a lot more than the 90's.

[@adrianguggisberg3656]

I'm an old bloke and when I was a kid, The Who and Led Zeppelin were actual, current, cutting edge music and almost nobody had ever heard of Van Halen yet. Yeah, I can't be bothered with the complication and complexity of all that computer gear, I play a guitar straight into an amp, because I'm lazy. But that's a whole different story with todays kids. They grew up with this technology, and they use it. And they should! Imagine a kid playing their dad's music through their grands amp, that can't be normal or healthy. "N'oubliez jamais I heard my father say Every generation has its way A need to disobey N′oubliez jamais It′s in your destiny A need to disagree When rules get in the way N'oubliez jamais" (Joe Cocker)

[@zenzeromusic]

Nah, although I understand what you mean, nothing really changed that much in guitar sound. The reason we wanna get the real thing when we grow up is not because our tastes have changed but simply because we can now afford it.😅 When you're 15 buying your first guitar you'll get a multifx/modeller/plugin/practice amp whatever because it's cheaper and you don't think you "need" anything better, once you play in a band rehearsal or concert and get to taste the guitar sound groovin you'll want to replicate that inspiring feeling even at your home practice sessions. Even with all the so called evolution in technology, all the companies do is try to emulate those classic guitar sounds. Modellers/multifx were invented from the need of people to emulate so they won't have to carry their expensive gear everywhere. No matter the budget and dsp power they all pretty much try to do the same thing. They only sound a bit different because of higher compression to the signal ad conversation limitations lack of dynamics etc. Think about when you last went to a rehearsal or a concert and the guitar sounded like a synth or a drum? yeah never, same way when you go to see a man sitting in front of a piano you expect to hear piano sound not "bleep bleep" noizecore dubstep or chainsaws. Guitar sounds like guitar because that's what everyone wants to hear and why every guitarist wants to play it it's an amazing inspiring instrument for both the player and the listener. Also as others have mentioned most teenagers who like guitar music are into 70's 80's 90's bands and not the modern stuff. Sorry for the way too long comment😅

[@monsterram6617]

The "traditional" rig sounds better; more tone and less harsh than the plugin. But for most people, they'd never know the difference and I don't think it really made an impact on the overall "sound" of the piece. Practically speaking, plugins and modelers are just easier to use and less temperamental than tube amps.

[@SethWorsham]

Both have their advantages but the modelers cannot ever completely or 100% faithfully recreate the tone of an actual amplifier. I'm holding out as long as I have to, not at all interested in using one unless it comes down to it's a necessity at some point which it may, but if it ain't broke don't fix it.

[@Rudi__bf]

I think as Long as people listen to Hendrix and all of these other Guitarists, that Kind of gear and Tone will survive

[@gr637]

I just practise and play the music I like, on my own, in my room, and the rest really doesn’t matter.

[@r0yisdymbfr]

Ngl i just want to sound like Jimmy page , his tone is just so good, there's something hypnotic about it even

[@basilandrigsby]

People always go back. Thats how things truly progress. It’s all about how these ‘museum pieces’ are applied down the road. Plus, twisting actual knobs is so much more satisfying.

[@Perry_Zon]

I think your absolutely right Kris, and probably there comes a time when you get older and you want some lighter gear. So maybe you will end up with a good quality modeler and a Frfr cabinet. Maybe...

[@pauldncn1]

I tho k the real irony of all of these incredible tone shaping options is that we may look at a tone that’s like Jimmy ( whichever one you choose) But it’s actually a modern take on what Jimmy should sound like If you had the amp and guitar and said there that’s it .. You’d likely hate it because with modern gear there’s less need for the control or creation of a tone from scratch like they did Or controlling an amp But I have a kemper and a tonex so the real irony is I complain and then use the easier tech because it’s easier and gives me more options Maybe too many 🤣🤣🤣 Thanks Kris Interesting video 👍👍👍

[@stefanfyhn4668]

Good point. A hifi capture of old guitar heroes would highlight the flaws in their sound and playing. We would have to replicate everything in the chain for authentic results, including the fully analogue tape recording methods, old microphones, old speakers and just in general a very lofi method and sound. It's just the sound of the time, and that time has passed. We can emulate it but never achieve the 'magic' because that magic is nostalgia for old times, old sounds, old gear.

[@Livelaughlimpbizkit]

I'm 35, grew up playing tube amps in touring bands. Wouldn't touch anything else. Now I own no tube amps at all and use a ua dream 65 with a 1x12 frfr and honestly to me it does 99% of the sound my tube set up did

[@derekclacton]

Without change there is no progress but the more things change, the more people will also look back to simpler times (and some would say, more authentic tones). Each to their own - whatever inspires works 👍

[@CorNigrum]

Tubes might disappear, just like gasoline might be hard to get at some point. But rock gigs need volume, and a power amp, to shake you at your core. It just doesn't have that lightning and thunder effect to just play through a computer. I'm not sure the tube amps of the future will have "real" tubes in them, and if cars will drive on gasoline, but the allure of awe, sound, speed and danger is part of our collective soul so I see people cranking up amps a long time from now. Music is a feeling, not just a sound.

[@stefanfyhn4668]

That's a very guitar centric response. Sound is sound, and music doesn't come from a tube

[@stefanfyhn4668]

People do think we always go back, but we don't go back to before the tube amp was invented. It just Screams that it's because these amps were invented in these people's youths (nostalgia factor) and their favorite music was made with this sound (more nostalgia). These days they are only affordable and practical if you are some older dude with a big house where you don't have any neighbours. Most people have neighbours, so most people can't run a tube amp. And that is why we need to think differently. Tube amps are incredibly niche machines that only sound good in very specific situations. Sure, they might sound really good, but fact is only a tiny portion of the population has the physical space and the money for a pro rig the older dudes keep harping on about being the best. In its own niche, sure it might be the best, but if it's realistically in only 1% of the use cases, then a modern modeller will be a better fit, due to practicality. Young people don't have the money, the knowledge or the house to do 'the right thing', getting your feet wet with a product that is beyond good enough, both in sound quality, practicality and cheap, of course they are going for modellers. Besides this I would just love for a tube head to try a good solid state amp, but they won't because MY TUBES! Which is incredibly ironic as they keep saying tubes are best, yet refuse to even want to try something else. It's all forum talk and no real life experience. Solid state amps are good. Digital solutions are good, especially for recording. Tube amps sound good but incredibly impractical and a niche product. Don't blame people for wanting them less

[@uwedasler425]

Not sure this theory is sound (pun intended). Metallica uses Axe-Fx, Adrian Belew uses Axe-Fx, Pat Metheny uses a Kemper, Jakko Jakszyk uses a Helix, and they all make great music and sound great. Others make occasionally weird but great sounds and phenomenal music using pretty conventional gear, think Nels Cline or Reeves Gabrels. I honestly do not think it is the gear. My impression is that bands like Polyphia or Animals as Leaders are more showing off than actually composing music (my stupid man bun, my stupid hammer pants, my 300 mph licks, me, me, me). People obsessed with turning a fretboard into workout equipment and putting a gazillion arpeggios and modes into a piece without ever hitting anything that could be called music do not impress me. One of the most exciting music acts I ever saw was Johnny Guitar Watson's famous 10 minute 1 note solo - there was more music, feel, and excitement in that than anything these self-obsessed new groups have ever done. Just listen to good music instead - it does exist, problem solved.

[@stefanfyhn4668]

Animals as leaders is very jazz inspired, and prog/jazz fusion is sort of a tribute to old time hardbop and other genres who took music to the next level and dissected popular music to make more advanced and complex for it, primarily for musicians to enjoy. Like a discipline. There is nothing wrong with AAL or whoever else, it's not about showing off, but writing music from the heart, a which they definitely do. Tosin Abasis story is actually very interesting. It's just up to you if you like it. There's no reason to attack genres or artists you don't like, just because you don't like it

[@bobbymcgee8531]

The most of the guitarplayers I find impressive are using real amps. For example Warren Haynes, Joe Bonamassa, Hendrik Freischlader, Deep Purple and so on. But I'm old... I think it is also a cultural thing.

[@Makuz1988]

I liked big tube amps when I was 16 and I like them now, 20 years later. I don´t know man ...

[@menschlicheswesen84]

I had a similar thought lately... In metal for sure, the tuning get's lower and lower so that in near future we will see no bass guitar's anymore on stage...😮 Two guitar's 7, 8, or 9 strings and tuned so low that you would not hear a bass guitar anyway... I hope we don't loose the bassist... Who should we make fun of then...?😅

[@stefanfyhn4668]

That won't happen. The bass guitar is a different instrument and the guitar timbre is different to a bass guitar.

[@menschlicheswesen84]

@@stefanfyhn4668 I hope so...🤘🏻

[@whiteon5627]

Can’t disagree more…. I’m in my middle 20s and my favorite rig is the Marshall Plexi Amps, Fender Tweed Amps (both valve) and PAF pickups in my guitars… so much of my friends (18-30 years) are into the old school gear cause the feeling that no digital rig could ever replace…. Also, need to say that you can burn the stage with a 20 watt valve amp, because we currently have P.A… mixing the best of both worlds is the best way IMO

[@tylerk1013]

"Modern" guitars may have funny ergonomic body shapes, but really, they're just 25.5" scale guitars with humbuckers or single coils. Just got something looks weird, doesn't mean it sounds weird.

[@jozefkovac5507]

only to me it sounds like foldback distortion? (mids and highs)

[@davidmatthai8473]

You should just play both tube amps and modelers, I have 100 watt Marshalls and also have a modeler and both are fun. But live amps are becoming less and less, which is a shame.

[@DimKAt21]

I liked both sounds btw

[@stanislavmigra]

I mean, we are still riding horses 👍

[@Martinroque77]

Yeah, big tube amps are cool, but some of us just can’t be loud at home, so why buying a 100w amp when you’ll play through headphones in the end?

[@walterschock1270]

First guitar licks there - veeery good!

[@Steven_SK]

Things always change and that's good. I guess we can have retro gear like retro gaming...

[@nihiabstracto]

Damn ! Killer riff !

[@ClintsCrypt]

I think another major factor is that a lot of popular modern music doesn't have longevity. I still hear music from the 60s, 70s and 80s being played in public, yet popular music from just a few years ago (or even last year) is already forgotten. I think part of it is the way music is consumed now. It is recommended by the algorithms and then a few months later, it falls by the wayside and the algorithms are feeding you new music for increased sales, etc. Also, a lot of the music having been autotuned causes a lot of it to sound similar. So it is easy to move on to something else. The older music from the 60s, 70s and 80s had a lot more unique and distinguishing stuff in it. So it is more memorable.

[@frantisca]

There is no comparison to me: old school all the way ! It's like tasting a succulent old recipe slowly cooked, against a fast-food burger... But I'm a grandpa anyway :-)) My 2¢ Cheers Kris !

[@lloyd2899]

Modern guitar gear is good but old guitar gear is gold.❤

[@thomasdc2439]

a modeler is for many the main reason why they don't progress as a musician. A friend of mine spends 80% of his time tweaking his patches, looking for new on the internet, making software updates and asking himself if a new version of his device would make him sound better. That is a huge creativity killer. If you are young, you might be also more interested in technology and might have more time for these experiments. But these kids will also get older and will have a busy life outside of music. They will probably realize that they rather want a simple rig without all the choices. They want to focus on playing and not with the gear. I wouldn't be surprized if Polyphia would switch to a simple Amp in the future ;). And btw, who cares about Polyphia. Instrumental music will always be a niche. Besides of that, the modelers are getting close and can replace tube amps in some playing styles. But they still can't fully reproduce the behaviour of a tube amp and the synergy of a cab and a guitar on high volume in the same room. I was also trying modelers for a few years. One day I've asked myself the following question "why should I try to reproduce a Marshall with a modeler if I can just buy the Marshall and have the real thing with only an on/off/standby switch and a few knobs". I think real tube amps will stay for a long time. But they will get better on low volume, smaller, lighter and with some build-in technology for recording and silent playing.

[@FabrizioPeretti]

Comment section really got involved here!

[@TheMasonator777]

No. Next question.

[@Johnny-oy9fh]

The old school valve guitar amp is being superseded....at last!!

[@backandfour]

What today is modern, tomorrow will be old skool... I think that in a couple of years modellers will be obsolete, we will plug our guitars into AI devices and speak to them: "please give me the Hendrix tone as in the xyz song"... And there you go... "Can I have some more reverb".. perfect.

[@xxdr34m5xx_4]

Sure, and i think that's awesome. We have to use what the time gives us, such a great thing, this exciting evolution, and we indeed stand on the shoulders of giants :)

[@rottalmusik6563]

Ore you go with the AMP X from BluGuitar and get best of both worlds

[@vince1229]

It sounds like Mark Knopfler style would do OK with the new kids.

[@mattc1176]

There have been guitar synths etc that have opened up all sorts of sonic possibilities for the best part of 50 years. None of which has moved the dial in gear. I think you missed the point of your statement that all these modellers rely 99% on hardware gear. The whole crux of this is as with midi guitar etc in the 80s - yes, guitarists are changing how they deliver amp tones. They aren’t in any sort of numbers changing the tones themselves. As an example, I found the comment about frequency response opening up creative possibilities quite bizarre. Firstly there have always been ways of doing that if you want to - you find guitarists in the 60s playing 15 inch cabs for example. Secondly because I don’t see the link really between frequency and creativity. A guitar modeller that has a frequency focus around e.g. 65hz… there’s no way of making those frequencies sound good in a mix with other low freq instruments. And even if you had the mix nailed, 95% of end user speakers don’t reproduce those frequencies, so the audience won’t be able to appreciate it beyond niche setups. I personally think the opposite to you - it’s rather sad how little new technology is bringing to the table in terms of creativity and innovation. I use modellers & plugins myself btw - the utility of them is great. But without the old technology they’d be absolutely nothing.

[@honigdachs.]

I don't think that this whole split coil harpsichord overcompression icepick sound will become a point of reference for the next guitar generations. First off, it sounds way to terrible. 😀Secondly: as they say, it's just a phase ... when you're very young, you chase that exact sound that your hip favorite bands have. But if you stick to playing and as you mature, you eventually broaden your horizons. It's always been like that. And thirdly, I actually don't think that this Polyphia stuff is all that universally influental among the kids.

[@felipegomabrockmann2740]

very good song

[@Bubba-zu6yr]

Changing, lol? Insatiable tone-snobs will never change.

[@paniccleo]

All this hand-wringing over modernity in guitar gear is silly. Not every young person is into progressive noodly music - retro is a constant. Sure, some touring musicians are moving to modelers and FRFR speakers for ease of use, but I would guess that most local bands can't really afford that kind of rig.

[@davemish4163]

Guitarists should stop being so dogmatic about music. Musical equipment of all types are tools to help you achieve what you're hearing. It doesn't matter if it's analog, digital, tube, or solid state. They're just tools. Use a screwdriver when you need a screwdriver. Use a hammer when you need a hammer. There's room enough for everyone as long as the technology holds up.

[@stefanfyhn4668]

The only real answer 💯

[@bmoneybby]

And if something sounds like shit, we say it.

[@DiamondChickenPlayer]

No matter in any era, the false is never true

[@iloveitall]

Comparing the old and the new sound I'm reminded of how language has changed. It became polished, tamed maybe, nicer and somehow sweeter. Same with that sound. Old sound is raw, harsh maybe, very dynamic with lots of peaks and a fat bottom. New sound to me is lame, lacks balls and so on. Btw, I doubt Hensons, Ichis and all the youtube kids are influencial enough to change guitar tone as a whole. Nope.

[@GitShiddy]

Maybe it's just me but the examples here sound like the shift from the 70s to the 80s. The "modern" guitar sound doesn't sound all that revolutionary to me. The technique, genre & song structure does but the aural fingerprint...sounds like guitar with modern production. I'm more interested in what happens to guitar when the digital amplification market isn't all copy/paste existing amps & instead allows freeform signal processing unbound to anything that exists. What sounds will be produced then?

[@Aeon_Electronics]

I don't really care. The point is, in the end all modelers are digital waste in let's say two decades. Why? Because those microprocessors are obsolete and not built anymore. You can not repair it like an old marshall or soldano. You can not built a relationship with those digital amps, not because they sound different, the problem is the repairability as well as proprietary firmware.

[@onlyguitar6521]

I think you are over hyping the “modern” guitar sound. Stuff that comes out of plugins is still sounding like amps, Tim Hanson only has his own distinctive weird (ugly) tone. Just like Steve Avis has his own. And they aren’t that inspiring either.

[@Gruppe_11]

There have nearly 60's years past since Hendrixs, of course the youth of today has other guitarheros. By the way im 57 and hear only new Metal stuff!

[@samaitcheson7057]

I think you've touched on some issues that are more important than player preference over time - one of those issues is that modellers and plugins are simply more reliable than vintage/authentic amps. Some modellers can be upgraded (e.g. firmware updates, paid captures and feature updates etc) but don't require expenditure on maintenance like new tubes, re-biasing or servicing. For a non-professional guitarist like me, this is the most important reason why I have been using modellers since the Roland VG days and now use a QuadCortex. I have a few tube amps but can't recall the last time I played one - I can get every tone I want from my QC. I remember watching an old interview with Tony Banks of Genesis talking about why he had to ditch using a Mellotron - it pretty much had to be rebuilt after every show - so the reliability issue isn't relevant to just non-professionals. You also mention the idea that we guitarists will all eventually hanker after vintage gear as we mature and trace back the history of guitar tone. I'm not sure I agree with that. I have no desire to fill my house with Marshall 100W amp heads and 4x12 cabs even though those are what my guitar heroes played. It's just not practical to try to use these in my house without a load box and speaker emulation - I have a CaptorX that can get my tube amps into my DAW but the QC just sounds better. It's designed to interface with a DAW. A 100W Marshall Plexi was designed to fill a concert hall. The evolution of the instrument and how it is used is inexorable. Pretty much all of my favourite guitarists have striven to make the guitar sound different from their influences - Jimi Hendrix, Robert Fripp, Frank Zappa, Allan Holdsworth, Andy Summers, Adrian Belew, Guthrie Govan. I believe the desire to extend the tonal and musical range of the instrument is what makes these players great. The greatest players of the future will be the ones who continue to do that and new technology will be the vehicle they use.

[@shanewalton8888]

Keep your filthy hands off my guitar tone!!🤪😊

[@KrisBarocsi]

😂