Modeling Amps/ Speakers ??

James Quackenbush · Post by **James Quackenbush** » 12 Feb 2003 9:29 am

Since there are a few people using modeling amps or modeling preamps like the POD, or the Johnson J Station, or whatever brand is used, I wonder if anyone has made any experiments with different speakers ???...Most of these Modeling devices have built in cabinet simulatrors, and all kinds of effects, and I was wondering if anyone has noticed a difference in the speakers being used for these modelers ???.... Would you use a speaker that didn't break up and let the simulator do it's job, or would you use a speaker that broke up easily to give you the results you wanted ??.. My thoughts are to use a speaker(s) that work well with a clean tone, and let the modeling amp/preamp do it's magic.
What's your opinion ??.....

Gino Iorfida · Post by **Gino Iorfida** » 12 Feb 2003 10:53 am

I'd go one further than just 'one with a clean tone' since something like an old Jensen has a SWEEET clean tone, however, it's not without it's own coloration. I'd personally look for something with the flattest response (hint-- these things are optimised to be used DI to a pa, headphones, recording deck etc., which all have a very flat/even respsonse w/little coloration)... in fact these things even sound better thru a home stereo than a guitar amp... so my opinion is.. go with a pretty flat response all around, and let the modeller do the work of equing and the speaker cab things.

Paul Osbty · Post by **Paul Osbty** » 12 Feb 2003 12:53 pm

I'll 2nd that motion for full response speakers. I use a POD for electric, electro-acoustic, and my Deluxe 6. I run straight from the POD into my mixing console.

These things were originally made for home recording. Guitars are almost useless to players when run straight into a recorder. The idea was to have a box that gave you various amplifier colorations without the amplifier. So, yes, even a small home stereo works just fine.

James Quackenbush · Post by **James Quackenbush** » 13 Feb 2003 4:27 pm

What about using the POD for gigging ??...I wouldn't want to take my home stereo out to gig with....If you were gigging with a POD would you bring full range speakers with you with horns or tweeters, or what speakers would you use ???....It would be nice to get the same tone that you get in the headphones to come out of your speakers ..

Jon Light (deceased) · Post by **Jon Light (deceased)** » 13 Feb 2003 4:43 pm

I'm gigging w/Pod. It goes into a Mosvalve power amp into, right now, a Weber California 12" in an open back cab. I'm going to try the same rig into a 15" Weber Cali in a Marrs enclosure real soon. I also run the Pod into the back of an Evans FET500 w/Black Widow 15". My primary Pod patches bypass speaker emulation but some occasionally used dirty overdriven patches sound good w/ speaker emulation. I'm guided by my ears, not by any kind of logic. Hi-Fi is the last thing I'm looking for. Sounding like someone else is also pretty low down on my priority list.
FWIW---I don't care for the sound of the Pod into the board. Something wrong with me? Whatever.

Johan Jansen · Post by **Johan Jansen** » 14 Feb 2003 1:48 am

I always go direct,live and studio, or through my rack, with the simulators in my boogie and GP 100, or occasionally through my Pod. I like the sound that I get after all the tweeking I did at hoe and in the studio's in the past, and if I like it, the audience and engineers have to deal with that, period.

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Click on the pic!

Paul Osbty · Post by **Paul Osbty** » 14 Feb 2003 1:04 pm

If wasn't going direct I wouldn't use a POD.

John Russell · Post by **John Russell** » 18 Feb 2003 6:47 pm

Last time I recorded, the engineer didn't want to mess with miking up an amp and suggested I try his POD. I was surprised with the sound. I used the "blackface" amp model, reverb and delay. It was about like the sound I get onstage, more or less.

The ease of use is very appealing. I wonder how it would sound onstage thru a large system. It could allow one to leave the amp at home. That's VERY appealing.

The downside is, of course, limited parameters for the effects. It's always preferable to tweak your reverb, delay and EQ on a more flexible system, i.e. separate devices (stomp boxes are what I prefer).

I feel that one of these "miracle amps" that I keep hearing about will soon be avaliable with built-in FX and perhaps simplify the task of setting up and playing the steel guitar.

I do confess to a sort of guilty pleasure attached to tinkering with, testing and perfecting my sound using somewhat complex hardware, especially now that it's all here and all paid for. --JR

Paul Osbty · Post by **Paul Osbty** » 18 Feb 2003 10:11 pm

I use the POD live without an amp, just the PA. It, and other modelers, work fine for me.

I use the POD "small tweed" model for my Deluxe 6.

To get at tweaking is via a computer. I use a laptop via USB. This can be a downside as the fine tunings have to be done in advance or your computer needs to appear onstage. My laptop does weigh a lot less than a cabinet, though. And it browses this forum (onstage, too).

Hmmm, maybe a live webcast ...