I heard a guy one time using analog OD pedals (fulltone) through a Tech 21 amp, and he was going direct out from the amp into the PA. The OD sounded pretty darn good, and the clean's weren't bad either. Definitely not instantly recognizable as a modeled sound. I guess my question is, has anybody had similar success? I'm interested in picking up an amp like this just to use in those situations where I know I'm going to have to go direct into a PA. I play a tele and I want to stay as close as possible to a warm, analog bassman sound, so I'm thinking I would try the new version of the Menatone Dirty Blonde pedal along with it. I would basically have 2 Dirty Blondes, with one set to just about clean and one set to medium overdrive. I would have one on at all times. Think this would work?
I'm seriously considering doing something similar... See, I've played through Line 6 gear for my entire 12-year history on electric guitar, but I recently played through a proper tube amp for the first time, and it changed my whole outlook on modeling. I'm currently using a Pod X3 Live, but I'm planning to sell that and get a good tube OD like the Damage Control Liquid Blues, and run that into my old Pod 2.0 (set on clean) until I can save up for a good tube amp. I know it's not ideal, but it's a first step, and it's gotta be better than the sterile sound the X3 is giving me. I'll let y'all know how it works out!
I run a Fulltone OCD through my Tech 21 Trademark 60 to the PA and it sounds really good IMO. I actually really like the tones I'm getting. People will disagree with me here most likely, but the main difference in the Tech 21 stuff vs. Tube amps is in the feel and response. If you're just listening to someone play through one blind, I'm not sure you'd be able to tell it was a solid state amp.
I heard a guy playing in Richmond VA with a Fulltone Fulldrive II going into a Line6 amp ... and had very good tone with it ....
I run my SuperPlextortion and Lunar Module in front of my POD XT Live. It sounds alot better in my opinion. I play thru a little VJ and it has alot more life then when I run it thru a PA and it sounds better then the 2 modeling amps i have.
@HCarlH: Seriously! I totally feel like I'm breaking up with Line 6... At first it was great, but we just grew apart. And now that I've heard the sound of a sweet tweed amp, there's no going back! I can't keep living this lie! LOL
I was a fan of modeling for the longest time...and still am to a degree. It allows me to have a few other amp tones that I would not buy otherwise. I have no use for a total Triple Rectifier tone for everything. Too Metal. For some songs our band does, it fits. I now only use modeling (in conjunction with tube amp sounds) amplified by tube power amp sections. I twice tried direct to board and using a powered monitor and it was the most sterile, blah tone I've ever heard. I used my Marshall JTM-45 amp last night with a Strat and a Vox Saturator. I could actually hear the tone of the guitar instead a lot of processed cheese whiz tone. I totally agree with guitar great Carl Verheyen. It's better to have two or three really amazing tones (pedals and tube amp) than a million OK tones. For me, modeling is great for home practice (since I don't wear out tubes to practice) and recording. I'm heading back to a pedal board in the future. I ran out of Kool Aid.
The liquid blues is a great choice and a steal for $100. Won't give you much gain though except for mid crunch, but you can run another dirt in front to blend and use the Pods cab sim. Very good stacking pedal.
The Tech 21 stuff isn't really modeling anything, at least not in the sense that a digital preamp (like the ones in the Flextone, for example) does. It's all analog to emulate the sound of some tube amps. That being said, I've used a T21 Trademark amp before and it was one of the best non-tube amps I've used.
The roland cube 60 has significantly better cleans than the tech 21 amps and takes pedals just fine. I use mine for rehearsal and backup.
