A Guitar And Gear Support Forum

Let me see (or tell me about) your AMPLESS set ups. This can be all analog, all digital, blend of the 2.

I run a pedal board into a Fender style tube preamp and then into a Hotone Binary Cab IR pedal. That goes direct to my interface or direct to a PA live.

Rockman Sustainor through a Peavy EQ and to a Rockman Stereo Chorus which sends stereo line level straight to the board. It’s a one-trick pony but oh man what a tone. It sounds great quiet, and the louder you crank it the better it gets.
And before somebody mentions it, yes the electricity in my apartment needs investigating.

I've been running digital for several years now.

I was using a Zoom G9.2tt for church gigs, then I got a Helix floor unit. It's all run through that box now. I use it as an audio interface as well.

Kemper Profiler here. Best sound I've ever gotten from any piece of equipment. It can make even me sound good, and I totally suck. You'll have to pry it out of my cold, dead hands

Yep. Recently traded a Gretsch 6122-1959 for a Martin 000-28 & have not touched an amp since.
Hint, it is an acoustic guitar.

I was 100% ampless until a few days ago when the Spark arrived,

I use an iMac 5K 27" running Reaper and Studio One Prime, Neural DSP Archetype Nolly, and Archetype Abasi modellers. Direct Guitar to USB in, until the Spark arrived, which has the audio interface, so will be trying that out.

For recording purposes, I was going direct into my Zoom R24 and using the amp sims in that. I now have a Line 6 PodGo, and have made some patches that I like (at the moment) for going direct.

Topless? You don't wat to see me topless!

Oh - amp-less. Just did a little of that recently, using Ampire in Studio One DAW. Typically I drive an amp into a Grove Tubes Speaker Emulator and some outboard gear that makes it sound like I am playing a 4x12 with Celestion G30Hs. When I am repairing or noodling, I use my cadre of amps that are always ready to go.

[mention]eicca[/mention] : I used the Rockman Sustainer into a poweramp or a Roland JC-120 in the 80's as my rig for about 3 or 4 months. It took a Marshall Silver Jubilee 2553 full stack to displace the Rockman rig, if that tells you how good the Rockman rig was.

[mention]mickey[/mention] I guess you went totally ampless!

My Fractal Audio Axe FX II XL+ with MFC-101 MK III is in a travel rack case and is my main rig. I also have a Fractal Audio AX8 as a backup rig or when I don't want to deal with the rack case for things like rehearsal or an open jam. The AX8 still sounds good, but doesn't have as much power as the Axe FX II XL+, which my main patch maxes out.

andrewsrea wrote: ↑Thu Aug 06, 2020 5:31 pm

@mickey I guess you went totally ampless!

Well, I've not sold any amps just been enjoying the new guitar.

For about a year I've been playing mostly with headphones plugged into my Zoom pedal. I only use amps when gigging.

I've always had several 'ampless' or alternative setups I can use.

Currently am using an amp with the band again, BUT I also have...

- A recording setup built around Amplitube 4 and StealthPedal Interface, which mixes normal pedals with plugins
- A recording cab powered by a Mooer BabyBomb pedal amp (which I can use with whatever input)
- A Boss GT-8 which I use as a controller pretty much, but can also run that thru a speaker emulator
- Just going direct to DAW and plugins only

Back around the year 2000 I ditched amps almost entirely...I had a Marshall JMP-1 preamp for instance which I ran thru a Boss SE-50 and two speaker emulators and into a 2-channel mixer > PA, worked fine...

Also had a 100W PA amp and speaker for those
And a slant powered cab too for monitoring

Then I had a similar setup with a Peavey Rockmaster preamp...

and somwhere there I had lots of SansAmp stuff from Tech-21, for a while played a PSA1 direct to board, as well as a TriAC, both with mix and match amp sims.

Really there's been so many different ways I've played 'ampless' in the last two decades I can't remember most of them. The most recent one was built around a Mooer preamp series pedal.

BUT I've been getting back to amps more and more. There is just no way to get the same sound live...for recording, its whatever pretty much...they all work fine. But I figure, since I care about my sound and it's a major aspect of my playing to develop and achieve the sound and feel I want...amps still rule. And it's easy to lug around a 20W tube combo, no hassle as with rack gear and all that. Enough sound for any stage, quiet enough for any stage, and for my use and sound, just can't quite get there with anything in the modeling world.

I've used those systems so much though, probably far more recording done with ampless systems than amped ones as well, that I can certainly get by with them happily as well.

The one thing I haven't tested is a Kemper, which seems like it'd be a really nice system.

I may try it again next rehersal.

been using an HX Stomp with a little mini expression pedal for a while now. Fits right into my gig bag and the tones are great. I don't really use a whole ton of things in my chain so the effect limitation hasn't been an issue for me but I hear they are added some more blocks in the next major firmware update

Don Tonberry wrote: ↑Tue Aug 11, 2020 6:24 pm been using an HX Stomp with a little mini expression pedal for a while now. Fits right into my gig bag and the tones are great. I don't really use a whole ton of things in my chain so the effect limitation hasn't been an issue for me but I hear they are added some more blocks in the next major firmware update

I'm waiting for it very patiently, fingers crossed for a few things.

Nah, I like completely drowning out my band mates modeler and 150w PA through 4x12s setup with my little 15w orange, evh112 cab and an offbrand mini-tubescreamer

All jabs aside though, I'd love an axefx 3, or the floor model just for personal practice and recording stuff for future reference. I like playing with them, and they seem super convenient for just kinda jamming by yourself or doing a "zoom call" band practice or streamed show since you wouldn't have to worry about mic-ing anything.
But as far as for a band setting, I'm just completely not into it, solely from personal experience, it just doesn't work for me.

sound guy in our band wanted us to run everything into his super duper p.a. it worked, but not as good as my mesa boogie.

I still have real amps, but I don't ever use them, thinking about selling them. Right now I use my Helix LT almost exclusively, though occasionally i'll plug into my Blackstar Fly 3 when I'm downstairs.