Re: [Harp-L] Amp modelers

[Richard Hunter <turtlehill@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Jim McBride wrote:
<I've been reading the long thread that's been ongoing about various
<aspects of the Digitech
<RP400 amp modeler. I personally use a Line 6 Pod 2.0 amp modeler.
<Couple questions for the more
<experienced players on the list.

Answers following questions below. 

<(1) How do you feel about the use of an amp modeler as opposed to a
<real amp? 

I've had nothing but good experiences, on stage with a wide variety of
bands as well as in the studio, except for the time I forgot to zero out
the drum machine volume and accidentally triggered it onstage.  That
really sucked.  Otherwise, it's been great.  One very important thing is
that the musicians I've played with love the sound of it.  Bands that I
sit in with for the first time are INVARIABLY impressed by the sound.
When I sit in, it's nice to know that I have a box in my bag that sets
up in three minutes and sounds fabulous coming through a PA.  

<(2) What are your experiences with the various brands of amp modelers
<out there? I like my Line
<6 Pod, and a lot of guitar player talk about the Behringer modeler, and
<of course Richard
<Hunter has been using the Digitech RP400. 
 
I use the Digitech RP200, but no big deal.  A number of harp players on
this list use the POD, and their recordings sound fine to me, sometimes
really fine.  The Line 6 Pod is of course used by guitar players on
major label recordings every day.  I suspect that harp players are just
a lot more inherently conservative than guitar players.  The average
guitar player probably owns five effects pedals for every one that a
harp player owns.

<(3) Does anyone out there with lots of vintage amp experience have an
<opinion on the sound of
<these modelers compared to the real amps they model? Are they close? 
 
Close to which vintage amp in particular?  Vintage amps don't sound
exactly alike.  That's part of their charm.  But the amp modelers are
certainly capable of producing tones that sound like a very good tube
amp, if not the greatest-damn-tube-amp-you-ever-heard.   

But even beyond that -- the amp modelers sound great in their own
right.   They don't have to sound exactly like a vintage tube amp.  I
mean, go buy a vintage tube amp if that's the only sound you want. And
whatever you do, if you own a great vintage tube amp, don't sell it when
you get the amp modeler.

<(4) Are many professional players using modelers now? It seems on the
<surface like a great
<idea. They're small, reliable, inexpensive compared to amps, and don't
<need maintenance like a
<tube amp. 

Like I said, pro guitarists all over these things.  It's only a matter
of time before harp players are too.  In the meantime, Randy Singer and
Rob Paparozzi have Digitech Vocalist 300s, several of the players on
this list have Digitech RPs, and at least two pros on this list have
recorded commercial releases on PODs. 

The only downside to these devices is that a harp player has to put in
some hours to get a set of great sounds. In the near future, sound sets
might be for sale, or Digitech and or/Line 6 might get off their slow,
occasionally obtuse butts and create some space for harmonica players on
their websites.  We'll see.

regards, Richard Hunter
hunterharp.com
    
Regards, Richard Hunter
hunterharp.com