Can somebody teach an old Boomer new tricks?

[Joe Harris]

Tube amps have always been a point of frustration for me. I'll spare the laundry list of problems encountered as I am sure most here are well aware. Even with the problems they present I have been skeptical about replacing my tube amps with modeling amps/processors until recently after hearing a Bill Nelson live show.

The tones he acheived rivaled/surpassed what most analog rigs produced.

I did a search on the equipment used by Nelson and it seems that the DIGITECH Value FX was the crucial element in acheiving his tone. Unfortunately, this unit is no longer produced.

Is there an available unit that provides similar results?

Also,when used live can I just use an extention cabinet or do I have to go into an amp head and cabinet ( told you I was a boomer).

Thanks!

 

[erratick]

There are used digitech valve fx around on Reverb if that is really what you are after.

But I don't think they're markedly different than what is available from digital amp modellers or digital effects.

And many that use modelers or all digital pipeline just go to the PA after their signal is ready.

 

[jaonline]

I have been using a Tonex One pedal for several years now. Love the tones I can get out of it and have even gotten the thumbs up from engineers in a studio situation.
The pedal is relatively cheap to get into but does essentially require you set it up with a computer.
if you can get past that hurdle then plug your guitar into one side and head phone in the other and rock on.

Live gig? Run it straight to PA or buy a FRFR amp and rock on.

 

[Blrfl]

Is there an available unit that provides similar results?

The date on the Valve FX manual says the product is 31 years old. You can certainly do better with what's available currently and what you get will be a lot easier to understand and operate. You haven't told us much about what you'd want to do with your new digital gear, so it's hard to make specific recommendations.

There are three things I, as a dyed-in-the-wool digital guy, think you should know:

There is a learning curve with this stuff. Don't walk into it expecting to take the thing out of the box and have a great-sounding facsimilie of your current rig in an hour. Also, don't try to soak in everything at once. That's a recipe for frustration and failure.

Digital behaves differently than analog. It's not better or worse, just different. I will tell you that it is pickier about some things where analog will let you get away with murder.

If you're comfortable using a computer and whatever you buy has a program for editing patches, use that at first to get the lay of the land. On something like the Helix that has a large display and lots of switchgear, it matters less, but learning your way around a mother modeler and contenting with a small display might be frustrating.

Also,when used live can I just use an extention cabinet or do I have to go into an amp head and cabinet ( told you I was a boomer).

This depends a lot on what you're needs are and what you want to do with the modeler. Some people use them as just before-the-amp effects like they would with a pedalboard, in which case you'd still need an amp and cabinet. Others run that plus amp, cabinet and post-amp effects like delay and reverb in the modeler. For that, you want something relatively flat. A good PA will do that job, as will some of the purpose-built FRFR units made by Fender, Headrush and others.

 

[DrBlast]

Tonex Pedal is the ticket. I run mine straight into a PA, haven't really touched my tube amps since I got it last year.

The preset tones are hit-and-miss, but some, like Joe Bonamassa's Dumble and the Dr. Z models are solid gold. If the Tonex *only* came with the Dumble and a Maz 18 models in a box I paid less than $400 for, that's the deal of the century. But it also does so much more.

My signal chain is Tuner, EQ, Wah, Soul Food OD, Tonex, Delay, DI. The EQ is only there to balance out the tones of different guitars. Soul Food probably isn't that necessary either, but I like the stacked OD tones with the gain low on both the pedal and Tonex.