Why you should go digital in 2025...

[@seanzinger]

Honey, I shrunk the strat.

[@philliplaclede6269]

You've been knocking it out of the park with all the uploads

[@nickrouse8426]

My wife heard your solo at the start and said, "Why are you on hold?!" 😂❤

[@ToneJunkieTV]

@@nickrouse8426 😂 Mission Accomplished

[@nickrouse8426]

​@ToneJunkieTV Right? I heard her and started dying laughing because I knew you would find it hilarious. Who needs self-deprecating jokes when my wife is around?

[@ckelly5141]

🎶🎸😝

[@Mightydisciple777]

@@nickrouse8426 hahahahahaha

[@iamstan_rimp]

🤣

[@worshipartistry]

🙌 loving the videos

[@ToneJunkieTV]

Thanks dude! See ya next week!

[@MountainLionessMusic]

Your recent videos feel so nice. Just hanging out, talking guitar stuff, enjoying the instrument and community.

[@ToneJunkieTV]

Hey thanks so much!! I’ve really been enjoying making them and my New Year’s resolution was a new video everyday in 2025. Thank you for the kind words, it’s super encouraging to read this! Cheers 🍻 HW

[@MountainLionessMusic]

@@ToneJunkieTV You're welcome! I've been a subscriber for a while and enjoy your past content as well. Your channel has always been informative-still is! Lol, these videos are more intimate, like getting to know a friend. Both are fantastic! You are a hard worker. Be encouraged! I'm glad to offer it, but I am simply acknowledging what is there, lol. Have a great one!

[@joeleade7622]

What you said at 11:06 is the absolute truth! I have 15 really nice tube amps and will keep them but I am gigging with an FM9 and Fender FR12 ..... sounds great and total control with multiple sounds quickly at my feet. Perfect for a cover band playing small venues

[@andrewfink8361]

Couldn’t agree more! One point to also make, going with an all in one digital unit, completely eliminates all of the extra patch cables that are connecting all of your pedals. I cannot tell you how many times I have shown up to a gig or service and something isn’t working right. It creates an extremely stressful situation, as you are tearing your board apart, trying to find where the culprit is. And, in terms of quality of sound to the listening audience, absolutely! Just listening back to our services this past weekend, one of our guitar players was using a Fractal unit and I was using the Quad Cortex - the sound quality, fidelity, stereo imaging and overall delivery of sound and tone was absolutely stunning!

[@ToneJunkieTV]

Totally! Less cables = less stress, every time.

[@RyanWright]

6:25 Agreed. With digital solutions (whichever one you are going with) you have total consistency, without having to worry about what backline is provided, what mic and mic placement the sound guy uses, or if your amp is gonna sound as good at whatever volume you have to play at. You can know for sure that you are getting the sound you want. Not to mention, you can go from a nice clean Fender sound to a gnarly Marshall crunch to a roaring Mesa metal tone with the push of a foot switch. You COULD do that with real amps, technically, but it wouldn't be convenient at all.

[@ToneJunkieTV]

100% consistency is something I would never give up now that I have it.

[@karaokeitaliano]

It's a complex matter, I'm a guitarist and sound engineer. For a bar gig, where you have acoustic drums and a bass amp, you can't beat any mid sized combo, In bigger venues, where the direct sound is not important I totally agree.

[@BlazonStone]

However for small gigs where singer might have in-ears, the guitar bleed can be too much for the singher. So having lined guitars and inears is reducing all issues And to anybody saying "but you cannot hear the guitar up front" well, if you cannot hear the guitar up front, you cannot hear the vocals or keyboards either so....

[@ToneJunkieTV]

Yeah that’s true if one instrument is loud from the stage they kind of all have to be.

[@Winstonrodney6989]

“The gear is for the player, the music is for the audience”, is exactly what I wanted to comment before you said it in the vid. I enjoyed my gear collecting days but showing up to a bar gig with 8 grand worth of gear to make 150 bucks gets old fast. I am more about the music than gear these days.

[@ToneJunkieTV]

It’s funny how our priorities change as we get older and a little more experience.

[@amaturemusicians]

Amen

[@matthewhaddad9828]

wow this was a great video, i now finally get the advantages of digital, i've been playing analog for decades and just thought digital was too complicated to learn, and just didn't understand how it could compete with the old school ways, now i do, such great points, such a great video

[@myhapylife]

I went "digital" 16 years ago, and now I am thinking to go back to the amp. 🤔

[@nomad100hd]

Seems to be the trend lately.

[@RudyJunior7]

Digital is definitely the way to go. It takes all the hassle and worry of set up. I can show up plug-in. Check my tuning and be ready to go in 10 minutes where before it would be 45 minutes to an hour and depending on where you’re sitting in the audience, you’re hearing a different thing.

[@BlueSun4886]

I use Ernie Ball COBALT 8-38s on all of my electrics unless they are going to be downtuned. Then, I go with 10s even up to 12s. Alas, I'm now turning 77. I was a classical clarinet player from 6 to 12 when I switched to guitar, so I already had a grounding in theory -though could only read sheet music without chords ;). I was 12 years old in 1960 when I got my first Harmony Sovereign guitar (I traded the clarinet, not knowing we rented it from my school and have been paying for instruments ever since!). By 1964 I was playing professionally & had joined Local 77 of the AFM (Philadelphia, my home city) on a student card. I took proceeds of the first few months & bought a 1964 Fender Sunburst Strat & Twin Reverb (still have both - right down to the receipt: $303 for the guitar & $50 for the case). I've spent my life buying & selling acoustic & electric guitars, amps, pedals & other equipment, always looking to expand my ability to get exactly the right tones (and playability) for every type of music I play (just about everything except classical). In the early 70s, my studio mates & I would put together a de-facto band every year & gig all over the bars, clubs & ski resorts. Once we were part of the tour band for Smokey Robinson on part of his breakup tour with the Miracles (72?). Our studio was an offshoot of an L.A. studio so we did everything from cheezy jingles to Hollywood movie scores. One weekend in 72 we were playing a 2-night gig at a rural club south of Boulder along the Front Range. We had me on Strat, my friend Steve on a 59 Les Paul (PAF second gen), keyboardist on Hammond B3 and Roland, a Fretless Precision Bassist, a Sax player who could play anything from soprano to baritone, a jazz drummer reminiscent of Vinnie Coliatura (who I first saw play with Jeff Beck & Tal Wilkenfeld live at Ronnie Scott's in London in the 2000s - check it out on KZbin), and a singer with a four octave range & perfect pitch. All pros at the top of their game (even the vocalist, who was just out of High School). The first night of the gig, something magical happened. We improvised almost everything & everybody was on the same page, as if psychic. We were WAY into the Zone & kept looking at each other like, "where is this ethereal music coming from?" Steve & I traded guitar riffs like Allman and Betts on "In Memory of Elizabeth Reed," taking turns on conversational solos back & forth, playing in unison, playing in harmony. It was like nothing I'd ever experienced. At the end of each set, the crowd went WILD! On Saturday, we spent 8 hours in the studio in Denver recording & re-recording versions of cheezy jingles for local Colorado businesses until we were ready to burn our instruments & stomp on all the little bits left over & become used car salesmen. We got to the club all burned out and just went through the motions, playing standard licks & even the singer was a bit hoarse. Most of the audience was the same people who had been there the previous night (it was the only bar in the area). And the crowd went WILD! It was my moment of satori that all of my chasing after the perfect sounds that my ear demanded meant NOTHING to them. What was MUSIC!!! to all of us on the stage was just music to them. They couldn't tell the difference between a 59 Les Paul and a $200 Firefly (not to knock the Firefly. I have one - heavily modded with Seymour Duncan pickups, rewired, better pots, shielding & a full fret job - good thing I've been playing long enough I didn't have to pay a luthier!!!). Most of my non-musician friends can't tell the difference between a stock Chibson LP and my R9 with the Jimmy Page wiring & push-pull pots mod (most I doubt can tell the difference between a Gibson & a Fender with their eyes closed). They can tell the difference between clean and crunch and maybe catch the reverb & delay, but that's about all. If I speak about too-scooped mids or adding a treble bleed to the bridge pot because the guitar is sounding a bit muddy when I roll back the tone - it's meaningless. All the subtle distinctions I've learned in 64 years of playing, with some time behind the control board as well, are meaningless to them. They are the type who put on the loudness contour on their stereo even when playing at loud settings because they like the extreme treble & bass boost. That weekend we also lost our lead singer, as Maurice White was in the audience on Friday and HE knew what he heard. He hired our vocalist, Philip Bailey, from us 2 weeks later to form his new band, Earth, Wind & Fire, and Phil talked our keyboardist, Larry Dunn, into joining him a month after that. It was the Best of Times. It was the Worst of Times. Today, I would love a Kemper, but have no real use for it since I don't do big gigs and I can usually get what I want in the studio with top miking on the amp & a good engineer. Most of my playing is just for my own need to release the music in my head & most of that is done in my home or jamming with friends. If I have to lug a Princeton & a pedal board with me in the trunk, it's no big deal. Given that I'm expecting a new Gibson Les Paul Custom I paid MUCH TOO MUCH for (I just bought my newest SC-335 a couple of months ago), the expense of going digital is not justified or needed. If somebody doesn't like his Kemper & wants to get rid of it at a bargain-basement price (or trade for the Firefly), I'll talk. But, enjoy your digital. I still do a lot of media programming & love to play with digital sound on my computers.

[@ToneJunkieTV]

Wow, that's quite a story! Thanks for sharing it. I love your perspective! Fun fact: I also played clarinet as a kid.

[@LIGHTintheHALLS]

I agree. I like having control of my sound from guitar to XLR. My digital setup gives me consistent album-ready tone.

[@shadrackperez7325]

Super bro

[@ToneJunkieTV]

❤

[@guitarman5560]

I got tired of showing up to gigs with my 6K amp and getting forced by the sound man to have it on 1. Went digital and no looking back My Fractal FM9 sounds way better than my tube amp on 1. I still kept my tube amp. Theres a gig or 2 a year where I can crank up that amp and thats where it out shines the modeler.

[@ToneJunkieTV]

I feel the same way! I use my digital rig 90% of the time and my tube amp only in sometimes at home. They are still super fun.

[@RiperSnifle]

Why do people always say this about sound engineers, being forced? (Genuine question) What are they gonna do, kick you out if you turn it up? You need a decent amount of volume to have sort of dynamics, which a lot of digital stuff doesn't have.

[@westernelectricsoundsystem7532]

Having toured all over the place years ago with AC30s... and now just basking in the sunlit uplands of a QC - with my own captures - I wholeheartedly agree. The only places you can get an AC30 really chiming is on a big big stage. Great video - just subscribed.

[@ToneJunkieTV]

Thanks so much dude!

[@BlazonStone]

Digital greatness!!!! I like the recallability of always being able to get a specific sound back 100% like you want it. If I have a regular amp with cab and microphone, and fall over it you will have a huge issue getting everything back. Or just from place to place moving them, excluding all clumsiness.

[@pondhoppertv]

I've recently started my journey into digital... so far I'm really digging it. I have a lot to learn but it sure sounds good. But, I don't see myself ever going to it exclusively because there's no way I'd part with my Boss Katana Air EX... friggin' love that amp. At some point, the right Marshall will find it's way into my world as well.

[@davidharder7512]

Great video! You are absolutely spot on! I love standing in front of a 50 watt Marshall and feeling it push the air, but in pretty much all scenarios besides the rock gigs, the modelers are waaay better! Thanks for saying it! #BAM

[@ToneJunkieTV]

I hear ya, I still love my tube amps though!

[@davidharder7512]

@@ToneJunkieTVI’ve got an all original fawn tolex 1977 Marshall 2204 JMP with the original matching 4 X 12 cab that just just ROCKS!! It is incredible. It takes it about 45 minutes for the tubes to get warm enough and then it kicks into a different zone. I’ll never sell that amp. But if I want to just flip a switch and play, it’s hard to beat my Kemper. In my opinion. But that’s just me…..

[@LucasHaneman]

It’s a tricky situation. I love going digital when I play solo gigs and feel like playing electric instead of acoustic. I love how wide and room filling the sound is when it’s in stereo through the PA like that. On the other hand when I have seen live bands in smaller venues with acoustic drums, but the guitar player going digital I always feel like there sound completely lacks character, and often either sticks out in the mix for just sounding strange/thin, or gets eaten up by the drums more than it would if they were playing through a combo amp. I went digital a while ago on an outdoor winter festival gig with my full band and it was a mixed experience. I liked the consistency of the sound yes, but it was that same thing where at many points on stage, I felt like my sound was getting eaten up by the drums. My bass player said the same thing, and if he didn’t think it, he certainly would not have said it on the other hand, though because this was an outdoor festival gig with professional sound personnel, the sound out front was absolutely fantastic.. I will say for sure that when I record these days, I often prefer going digital to get a pre-mixed Sound that needs a lot less tweaking in post. The top end is nice and present right away, and often the low end flub that we can get involuntarily with amps is pre-dialed out as well. To me it just depends on how I feel. In my Homes studio I always have an amp miced up and ready to go, so I can go either way on the flip of a dime. Certainly for recording the solos where I want to explore the relationship between the guitar and amplifier then it’s a no-brainer, but for Recording rhythm parts the digital solution often sounds better. I should mention that in my projects I am the one and only guitar player for the most part, versus playing in a bigger ensemble where the guitar is a piece of the larger organism. I’ve done gigs like that many times in my life, where I am one of say three guitar players on stage, and in this situation, I can completely see the merits of going digital. In a power trio, though where you are the only guitar player, and if the name on the marquee is yours, then in my humble opinion, you’d best be playing through an amp. So many different circumstances for different players and different gigs.

[@ckelly5141]

16:41 And in ALL facets of life….critical thinking is 👑!

[@ToneJunkieTV]

Amen!

[@grhmail1034]

Anybody notice a delay by the time the direct signal gets back to your monitors? I've had that happen before. If you're playing fast music it can be extremely disruptive.

[@ToneJunkieTV]

That’s the latency of your daw most likely, you should be able to fix that by changing some settings. All the digital units today have latency of just a few milliseconds and the newer ones are under 2 milliseconds… it should be undetectable unless you add multiple digital units one after the other.

[@grhmail1034]

Thanks for the reply! The scenario is live show with acoustic drummer. It's like the direct guitar signal took time to travel through the snake and pa system back to my monitoring device making it impossible to lock in with the drummer when playing really fast syncapated numbers. I love the idea of playing fully direct for all the reasons you laid out. But that was a "never again" moment for me and I didn't know if it was an anomaly or just something you have to deal with when going direct through a large PA system.

[@grhmail1034]

Of course in ears, and a glassed off drum kit or e kit would likely help this situation as it would make the monitors the baseline reference for everything. But trying to gel with a live stage drummer with a lagging monitor signal as your only guitar reference is a very helpless feeling.

[@timwoodruff]

That mini guitar feels like a great studio tool. More mini strats in 2025. (I'm all Digital as well. I have a Blackstar ID Core 100 amp that I love and a Zoom G1xFour on a pedalboard. Both sound great and are much more consistent than micing an amp).

[@Buddy.Butler]

My basement band has transitioned to using headphones for rehearsals so I transitioned to Tonex. I had been using a quilter superblock but I wasn’t thrilled with the direct tone. The Tonex is pretty amazing.

[@Timbiscuit12]

Man, I really appreciate you respecting and acknowledging the difference in experience between us rock guys and most of the rest of the pack. My main concern is that, well I’m happy that those things sound so great. But they’re just not..REAL. Y,know? Your story about the other guy’s tone and your separation between the rock guys and everyone else has changed my perspective on this some. I’ve played live some, not too much and know it’s rare when you’re playing any old hole-in-the-wall bar or frat party to get really excellent sound quality. It’s a really difficult thing to manage. Add big amp sounds on stage to the equation, bleeding into vocal mics, etc. it can be really, really challenging and frustrating. I would say 1) Smaller amps really help with some of that, and 2) moving to digital gives lazy sound guys an more of an excuse to be lazy and not care and that’s probably bad for the industry as a whole. Part of being a musician, an engineer, and a sound guy used to be, and still is…just figuring it out! Doing the work and doing the best you can. Sure, some people aren’t gonna put in effort anyways, throw the 57 on there (although it is worth pointing out that one can buy and bring their own mic too), and not really care how it sounds, but spoiling sound guys to the point where someone bringing in an amp of any kind is reason for eye-rolling, is again, I think a very bad omen for where music could be headed. At worst I would hope that there’s plenty of a mix of both in the coming years, but ideally, I’m in the real amp camp for most, if not all people. Anyway, thanks a lot for the video, really well-said, and you still widened my perspective some.

[@ToneJunkieTV]

Sometimes there no replacing the fun of just cranking an amp!

[@wagonet]

ill never play a gig professionally, but i love these stories, it's interesting. It's a whole different world from my world (i sit in front of a computer all day doin a desk job). love the channel, i like watching you everyday. i use a cheap modeller called teh Mooer GE150, works fine for sittin in my office jammin away.

[@Guitar_jd-w8x]

Great perspective, ty

[@TurtlesStudios]

Loving all the content recently!

[@garycrant4511]

Our band stopped gigging before the Lockdowns. So after a 5 or 6 year break, there's discussion about maybe starting up again later this year.. If we get booked at our favourite venue with the good reliable sound tech and House PA, I'm thinking of just turning up with a very easy to transport battery powered Positive Grid Spark Mini, and a Spark Go for back up. The tech can mic up, or take a feed to the mixer.. Or maybe my Tonex & Tonex One, a pocket size Class D power amp, and an 8" cab ? Or other affordable modelers small I've acquired. Point is I now have the options of carrying as little as possible on trains and buses to gigs. Gone are the days when I was young and gym strong enough to carry a guitar, combo amp, and pedal board in a backpack, to local gigs on Public transport. Got to be pragmatic at my advancing age.

[@1-eye-willy]

i went digital a few years ago, i have my 58 bassman that i used for the better half of a decade, and i got tired of burning out tubes every time i plugged into a shotty power source, and after that happened a few times, i used someones line six pod through a pa at a gig where my old decrepid bassman shit the bed, and it was so great that i used nural dsp on my laptop through a pa until i could afford a cheap modeler, and its worked for me ever since

[@Yeti-Redi]

I went digital over 20 years ago for many of the same reasons you have already mentioned. Most of the gigs that I play at are in churches, weddings, small venues, business parties, etc. I certainly don't need, nor can I use, big amplifiers for those dates. Matter of fact, I'm done with hauling this heavy gear around unless I absolutely have to. I run straight form my effects/modeling gear direct to the sound board. From there the sound guy mixes me thru our PA system along with the rest of the band (we have a sound system capable of handling all those frequencies). We hear the final mixed sound with our in-ear monitors. I have total control of everything in my signal chain except volume; that, I have to share with my sound guy. Volume-wise, I have the final say-so while playing on stage, his job is to keep me out of trouble if I get too loud or too soft in the mix. It is a partnership. Yes, I do give up some qualities with no amp behind me moving air. For me, I find what little loss that occurs is acceptable for the benefits I gain in presenting the music. For the people I play for, they don't seem to care or notice how I'm doing it. If I'm playing outdoors for many people, I might consider using an amp and micing it as well. For now, I like that I have gone digital, no regrets.

[@kevinmackfurniture]

I have a Squier Mini... It's a lot of fun. I modded it. Humbucker in the bridge, killswitch, treble bleed and a handmade tortoise pickguard. Didn't even know they made a Fender version... They are actually really good travel guitars.

[@iamstan_rimp]

Did I hear the Key and Peele “black ice” 🤣🤣🤣 hilarious

[@ToneJunkieTV]

🤣 I heard it too… it wasn’t intentional but it’s still funny.

[@christianparr3351]

As someone who made the switch to Tonex in 2024 from using tube amps in church. I have found the transition very frustrating, but worth the effort. I'm not very computer savvy so this made my transition difficult. However a few months and many downloads later I have found tones in very happy with. The journey has definitely opened up my creative mind and has made me a better player. That alone was worth the switch in my opinion. Plus I still have my twin when I want to play a great loud amp

[@steveliberty]

I am a basement player that plays at a bar occasionally. I am all digital so that I can control the volume without killing my tone. I will either use a guitar cabinet driven by a pwoer amp, or I will use a Catalyst 100 as a poor man's Power Cab. I used to own a half dozen tube amps, but today, I only own one - a 65 Bassman copy that I built myself. And it is generally too loud to use anywhere. So, with this approach, by far, the most expensive parts of my rig are my guitars, with my pedalboard (HX Stomp, HX One, Pirate MIDI Bridge 4) coming in a close second. But the amplification is relatively inexpensive. Works best for me, I get compliments on my tone, and I don't much care about the rest.

[@johnstroyek]

Hey Bro, I had commented to you earlier about problems with my new Kemper, well with help from Kemper tech's all problems are sorted out and I am just starting to enjoy my toaster... be following you and ROCK ON BRO..........!!!!!!!!

[@ToneJunkieTV]

Awesome to hear your enjoying the new rig!

[@BobbyCulpepper.srv3fender]

As always, its not about the sound. Its about the feel. I could be wrong but i cant find any videos on youtube teaching guitar players how to get a comfortable feeling sound when using in ears. Hi and Low cuts ain't gonna cut it.

[@FastRedPonyCar]

I’ve flipped and flopped from digital to analog over the years and feel like I’m at a point where I’ve got the best of both worlds. Mark VII head running DI into an OX Stomp then to my quad cortex for guitar and vocal mic effects and the one out out to front of house and another out to an FRFR behind me. Golden boy pedal in front of the amp for different flavors of boost. Please don’t do the math on that. It sounds incredible on stage and in my ears, has a massive amount of control over the sound, cabs, virtual mics, etc and if the amp acts up, I can instantly flip over to a preset with my amp captures, swap 2 cables and I’m back in the game. I’ve actually tested the amp failure swap at home and it’s about 7~10 seconds tops.

[@ckelly5141]

Not a musician here, but I love playing at home with my only amp…..a Roland 3W micro-cube. I have thought a lot about it, but at the end of the day, I would not want analog stuff. Digital is just sooo good!

[@JediMasterRick2]

I’ve been an amp guy but now my rig is a Boss tuner into a JHS sweat tea into a UA Dream 65. That’s it. I’m thinking about getting a delay pedal for slapback but right now it works great going straight into a PA.

[@Guitarman007]

For performance digital (in the form of profiling only for me) works great through a good on stage amp/monitor. For home writing and recording, real amps all the way.

[@charlespeeler2274]

I was running my modeler straight into the clean channel of my marshal half stack. When I got a smartphone and started watching KZbin they said I was doing it wrong. When I played at a big Bicker Church l ran the modeler in the PA and Rocked them out they loved it. I have three tube amps in my room and a PA .keep on Rocking

[@LuisJimenez-pb3ge]

I run my GX100 through a Fender FR12 and run the line out to FOH. Love digital.

[@keiranbradley3238]

I had to do a double take there!. I thought HR had somehow turned into a literal giant!. Haha

[@ToneJunkieTV]

“I play a little guitar”

[@keiranbradley3238]

@ToneJunkieTV Hahahaha, Dad jokes are the best!. You make it sound great Brother, Peace.

[@danielstryhanyn7278]

I love my Boss Gt1000 and my frfr speaker. At church i use in-ears and use my Gt1000. It sounds fantastic.

[@castdaemon4153]

had a kemper it was alright a lot of issues with the consistency the power side would go in and out . My sugfestion is combine your favorite pedals run it to a preamp pedal that suits your genre and THEN PUT IT THROUGH A POWERSTAGE AMP trust me is the best sound and you can send the di out to front of house from the powerstage .

[@Chimes_Kinkade]

A quality modeler with quality IRs is way better. If only because amps are beamy . If you stand out front in one spot it sounds great, take two steps over and sounds like hell. Thats why I run through PA even in smaller clubs. Digital works great for this

[@ToneJunkieTV]

True, “amp throw” as it’s sometimes called is a huge challenge is small and medium bars and clubs.

[@mike_benn]

I want to love digital for all of these reasons. We're close... For recording - a tweed deluxe tube amp with a loadbox & IR has been the most satisfying & instant "record quality" tone i've used. Your helix DUMBLX has also been one of the best digital sounds i've played. I don't think enough can be said about the speaker/mic/IR being one of the biggest factors in overall tone.

[@nickhem12]

Def time to go back to digital and time to pull out my vox tonelab.

[@justinsheppard84]

Two different scenarios 1. At home playing/rehearsing 2. Gigging For gigging I agree with all your points. If you look at Stadium concerts most bands these days are also using modellers. Metallica a combination of Axe FX III and Kemper for instance. All for the same reasons you mentioned. Consistent tone venue to venue. Not having to maintain all the amps on the road. They captured all their best gear and set up their rigs to mirror their best gear. This means some of the amps they never toured with have been captured and now can be used live without taking the amps. The crowd still loves the show, many probably dont even know its all digital. For home, Amps are just great fun to play through as a player, the feel and dynamic response. While I do agree digital now is very close, there still is something magic with playing through a valve amp. Which there are a generation of guitar players who some would never have played through and amp. These days digital is such a convenient platform to learn with, so many effects and amps to experiment and learn with. Something that 20 years ago amps were the industry standard. While I still have a soft spot for the real amp , seems digital world will continue to grow and be a better solution for many.

[@markinthemix6055]

The video that everyone needs to hear. Ya could have given pros for the digital world for a couple hours. Hey, want stage volume get a powerstage and a cab. Digital is it.

[@6Strng]

i haven't used amps in years, Kemper for me it does everything i need it to do and more

[@inksword6029]

I'm a newbie but i just bought a digital practice amp, i think I'll like it, it looks very convenient and there's lots of ways to change how it sounds

[@shadrackperez7325]

HW you are so right about the musical part of the Kemper. I have a Quad Cortex and Helix and I use your captures but in your videos I like more the kemper profiles sound. I would switch to kemper but I don’t know if is easy to tweak. Quad is really easy. Cheers man! New topic almost everyday. Must take like five showers a day. 🤣

[@ZblockWoW]

This is why I switched to Kemper and Quad Cortex and play through my stereo system. I want to sound like the records that I love. 🎸🤘🏻

[@ToneJunkieTV]

Dude great point!!

[@teviswest]

Funny thing is, I've been playing digital units since the mid 90's, when pedals started taking over the racks. Now, after all of these years, I am just now building my first pedalboard and everyone's going digital.😆😆

[@jonalexander8935]

EX tube snob here.. Purchased a Kemper Stage in 2020 and purchased some killer profiles from Tone Junkie. This was the best purchase I ever made in my 30 plus years of playing. HW doesn't probably realize how much he has done for the guitar community... How many players out there still rockin that Arshall profile? A beast man!!

[@ToneJunkieTV]

Wow dude thanks so much! Glad you are still digging the Arshall! It’s an oldie but a goodie.

[@nicholasaragon4126]

Once I got into trying to create professional, polished, productions it didn't take long to realize that miccing an amp just wasn't providing the quality that I could be proud of. I finally get on board with some modelers and after a bit of learning it's nailed. Not just one tone, effect, sound, song, genre...ALL the tones, genres, sounds, and effects my heart could ever desire. Polished to perfection and EQd to sit perfectly in the mix all day, every day, any gig, any session, any situation. Doesn't matter if I'm in a coffee house playing to backing tracks, or playing with other musicians at any conceivable venue. As a bonus I no longer need separate acoustic, baritone, and bass amps, it's a button press away on the same unit. When I want to go into a real stack, I do it, when I want to go FRFR I do it, when I need to go in-ears, I do it. I LOVE my tube amps for personal enjoyment, and I'll continue to buy them, but when it comes to producing a product for others I very much like the streamlined workflow and time saved by using the digital tools we're fortunate of having today

[@J_Walker]

Oh, “black ice.” Yeah, that makes more sense.

[@ToneJunkieTV]

😂

[@user-abcxyz-xr2eg]

Have you heard about the Amp 1 of Thomas Blug or his soon being available Amp X? It's an all analog small and convenient amp. Btw, I never had the pleasure to play a valve amp, I just know SS-amps and lately I am using a Boss GT 100 in my bedroom.

[@ToneJunkieTV]

I’ve heard of it… is it finished yet?

[@Neuroanalisis]

Is that a mini strat with a fender neck? Or what is it?

[@Warrnan52]

Man, tell us all about this tiny guitar. It’s lovely.

[@ToneJunkieTV]

I know right?! It’s a great guitar. It's a Japanese made Fender that is 18.5 inch scale!

[@Warrnan52]

@ so cool. Do you tune it to A standard?

[@Reese_Kyle]

If I had a 7K fancy amp+pedalboard rig, I would definitely bring also a good mike for the sound guy at the bar ✌

[@guithawk-ij8is]

Looks identical to my Squier mini! I actually keep 11s on mine.

[@alexdenton6586]

I’m waiting for the next catalyst

[@richardmg9903]

2:32 pardon ?

[@ToneJunkieTV]

😂 I heard what it sounds like, but I said black ice… like when the snow is melting all day and the roads get wet and then the temp at night goes below freezing and all the water created a smooth invisible sheet of use on the road. It’s a danger when traveling in the early morning after it’s been wet the day before and the temp goes below freezing.

[@brooklynsoundgarage]

It’s like when in the 90s all you needed was boss pedals and a JC-120

[@LuchoFerro]

That applies to big stages, and even then I would prefer a 15 or 30 watt tube amp for stage sound that the audience will also hear. Bar and club gigs are glorious with a small combo amp cranked. I went to 2 Plini concerts and I'm not going again. A rock concert like you said needs some proper stage volume. Feels like you are hearing some pantomime of the album, and the drummer is alone in the stage making noise.

[@androtekman6131]

OK so then what equipment is best to use with a multi effects unit?

[@robertalsbury]

Man I have tried the modeling route multiple times and I always come back to amps. They just aren’t there yet in my opinion. I haven’t found one that gives that “feel” and “breath” to me. I’d like it to be there for sure, but in my opinion it just isn’t there. Neural DSP plug ins got the closest, but I still went back to amps. Perhaps time will tell. For now I’m running a headfirst Alta 100 and it’s the cats behind.

[@ThePlanarchist]

Rats! I already went digital....did I go to early?

[@ckelly5141]

Nope! You….my friend were and are, ahead of the curve. 🎶🎸👍

[@darrenlivy]

Me too, I went digital over 10 years ago with the HD500X

[@ToneJunkieTV]

Haha you’re a trend setter!!

[@ThePlanarchist]

@@ToneJunkieTV 😎...heh heh, finally! 😂

[@TP-js1sj]

Yeah im going back to 2024 Next year guitars will be shooting lasers

[@ToneJunkieTV]

😂

[@davidjoel111]

I just played a fly gig with my hx stomp, I split the signal and sent a signal with IR to FOH and a signal without IR to an fx loop return of a mesa express 50, it sounded really boomy and dark, I made sure the signal going to the amp was not being processed by the IR, my simulated amp settings had 0 bass, presence and treble at 10. I tried this a few days before the gig with another amp and sounded perfect! I am thinking of getting a Seymour Duncan Power Stage, any experience with those power amps? Btw Shtrymon?

[@lubunemai]

Buy it!

[@brianmiller3287]

@davidjoe. I may be missing something about your set up, but I use a Tonemaster PRO through a FR-12, and it sounds GLORIOUS!!!

[@juanvaldez5422]

I went with the Orange Pedal Baby .. it seems to be much better made

[@davidjoel111]

@ going to research this one.

[@BryanTheBand]

Went the Pod Go route to do IEM rehearsals at the end of 2024. Currently selling off my pedalboard and that collection. Wont sell my Quilters (amps), they fit nicely into the format, especially wince theyre so light and loud. But yep, not looking back in 2025

[@montyellingsworth4982]

I can count the number of times I have used my DR.Z . Nice amp but it's not usually the right tool for the job and I am considering letting it go. If and when I play at church I never bring an amp. I'm not playing these bars right now except the jam and they have 2 fender hot rod deluxe amps and helix.

[@xBlitzerx]

I love my Orange TH30, but it's sketchy and I'm switching to the Tonex for gigs. I'm going to capture it. Have the Tonex on my board then out to a DI box to FOH with a parallel out to a FRFR powered speaker for backup stage volume if my IEM setup fails.

[@unobtrusively]

I currently have a nylon string, but I want to get an electric guitar soon. Can anyone please advise if the Boss GT-1000 Core is a good digital option. I need a solution with headphones because I live in a van and can't make too much noise. Thank you.

[@Uuur10]

As much as I love the sound of an electric guitar in many styles - I've always found traditional amps too loud. Many moons ago when I lived in NYC I liked to go to clubs to hear music and I remember a show on Bleecker Street, a blues guy, fantastic player, with very serious, SRV-grade chops, playing a strat through a cranked Deluxe Reverb. The music was great, but it was deafening. The club was always half empty or sometimes worse. IMO it was just too loud. After a while the public got tired of loud amps. My beef with tube amps has always been, I wish I could get that great sound at a lower volume, or any volume I like for that matter - as is the case playing music on a stereo system. Digital solved those issues, at last.

[@JuanMotta]

Love digital!!! I use a cheap zoom g1on with a zoom 505 2, sounds perfect live and is very old

[@norb4707]

I use tube amp with captor x, sounds super good, but I use digital as well

[@joeys24]

How about High gain? I have the Kemper stage and a bunch TJ rigs and it sounds great through my headphones but it does not come close at home through a couple of Helix speakers and the Fender 2x12 FRFR amp/cab. I’ve never played a gig with the Kemper and I’ve never played through a large PA. With that said, when playing ambient low gain/no gain, it sounds way better. Would appreciate any thoughts on how to get high gain to sound great through speakers at home, Thanks.

[@deanvalor7760]

Digital is accurate but cold; tubes are warm but with variables in tone. For smaller shows I grab the digital crap and play. For larger better paying gigs the tube amps, cabs come out to play with a direct out to the board from the head…

[@oscarm4154]

Why did the giant bring a tiny red guitar to the barn raising? Because he wanted to keep it *low-key*!

[@me-yg6yk]

I have that exact style of guitar , its just a regular size :D

[@shadrackperez7325]

when the Sire reviews will show up???? 😁

[@ToneJunkieTV]

They tried to deliver yesterday and I wasn't home so hopefully today.

[@samgendler]

But is that last 2% of tone and responsiveness for the audience or for the player? I'd argue it is for the player - and the player likely can hear the amp directly, so the mic placement isn't relevant.

[@breadnaut]

Im ready to make the switch if not simply for ease of use. Im tired of amps. They are not cost effective.

[@bobbym.1367]

Sounds beautiful

[@DEAGS5989]

What is that guitar?

[@ToneJunkieTV]

It's a little Japanese made Fender mini strat

[@misterknightowlandco]

No one REALLY wants to hear live music anymore. They just want to see people pantomime to a produced track. They want the hifi tracks they hear on the radio. You could play the cd and milli vanilli it and the audience doesn’t care. If you don’t believe me, watch how quickly a regular bar empties out when the see a guitar amp get rolled on stage, before they even hear you. People go to one or two certain clubs in a big town to see live music and the other 100 will empty out. People want a digital jukebox set at the perfect volume and playing the actual artists radio recording. The days of lemmy and Marshall stacks pushing air and driving everyone crazy rock n roll style is over. Most of the old timer big acts don’t care either anymore and went digital. I’m old so I like analog. I’ve bought the 44 watt, 15 watt and 2.5 EHX Power Amp pedals. I put my over drive pedals before it, time based after it, and plug either straight into FoA with a DI or when I’m at home straight into a 2x12. No menu diving, my exact pedals I want, something analog to fiddle around with cuz I’m 41 and grew up on pedals and amps, plus all the convenience of the modern world.

[@nieko3038]

What scalelenght is that? Made me go look in the attic. Used to be on a forum. Everyone build small guitars. Just measured it, 12.7” neckthrough. Made of magic wood (korina body. Korina/mahogany neck) Made of scrapwood. Just updated the firmware on my multi fx so I’m ready.

[@ToneJunkieTV]

18.5 inch scale length… it’s 7 inches shorter than a full scale Strat.

[@stevencharlton7693]

OK!!! It's a small Fender!!! For a moment I thought you had over indulged over the Christmas period and expanded some what!!! 😛

[@ValiRossi]

I'm solid state.

[@tuberocker69]

The day I trade my Marshalls for a digital/modeler - on stage, in the studio, or even the bedroom - will be a cold day in hell!

[@Timbiscuit12]

Agreed. You gotta have the volume.

[@DigitalChemistryBand]

Volume... hahahah... plug a modeler in 400 watts... 1 2x12... more swat than you need... ever. Your loud ass tube amp is old think.

[@Timbiscuit12]

@@DigitalChemistryBand I have rarely, if ever been to a show using digital amps where the guitar didn’t sound flat, thin, quiet, and lacking clarity with any overdrive/distortion. In a variety of venue sizes.

[@johnerodz7]

Hi Buddy do you have any packs for the Kemper with a Blackstar Amp like the HT Club 40 Please let me know God bless you

[@ToneJunkieTV]

I have not done that one yet but I’m working on a few more and I’ll keep an eye out for some black star stuff.

[@johnerodz7]

@ about the Peavey classic 30

[@nomad100hd]

I'd still prefer to use my Mesa Mark V live. I always bring my own amp mic to gigs or use my Captor X. You lose more than 2% when going digital. I love my ToneX and have created decent captures of my amp but it's not the same. The interaction between me, my guitar, and amp cannot be replicated digitally. In my experience, guitarists who go digital live tend to disappear in the mix. Those who use amplifiers can still be heard. Especially with heavier styles.

[@Twominutedevotions]

Interesting discussion. Guitar nerds care about the gear. Musicians and casual musicians care about the music. All most people really care about is connecting with other humans. Their connection with the music maker connects them to the music and the sound. The only reason purists exist today is to impress other purists. I’m going all plugins and MainStage in 2025 running instances of Amplitube and TONEX with a midi pedalboard build. I am going to have a hardware TONEX as a backup in case the computer has issues

[@mheberling5939]

Bro is like 9 feet tall.