batsbrew
just give me a real amp please, thank you.
 

hmmmm yeah but.
 
I live in an apartment right now, I can only play limited hours due to neighbors (it really sucks!).  Limited space, limitation on volume and price.
 
I am currently looking at 3 amps.  Orange, VOX AC30CC2, Fender Twin.  very different sounds also very expensive.  Bout $2,500.00 new and about $1800-$2000 used where I live.
 
S-Gear is my next purchase, there are so many good reviews.  I am not a fan of Amplitube at all.  BUt amplitube does have Fender and Orange packs - again much cheaper than real amps.
 
I'm not a pro, barly can play guitar and live in an apartment.  real amp?  yeah well give me all the money and a house and I'm there with ya buddy!
 
until then amp sims are for me for a while.  which means some of these hardware boxes, 11 rack (which I own), Line 6 500HD etc, Helix, Kempler, AXE-FX. 
 
these seem to be better solutions for my needs if I want a step up from VST plugins.
 
Back on topic this AX8 seems to only have 1 sim, or is it 1 sim at a time?  not sure I understand the limitation - I know a lot is not known yet - need more information.  seems like Line 6 Helix will be more options but of course AXE probably will sound better.
 

MachineClaw
 
Back on topic this AX8 seems to only have 1 sim, or is it 1 sim at a time?  not sure I understand the limitation - I know a lot is not known yet - need more information.  seems like Line 6 Helix will be more options but of course AXE probably will sound better.
 

AX8 only has one sim at a time, but you can use X/Y to toggle between two within a preset.  I'm pretty sure you'll have the same amps as the Axe-FX II to choose from.  At the price it's going for it is the bargain of the century for the hardware modeling world.
 
I recently sold my Axe-FX II and picked up an FX8 to use with my 5150 III... not a knock on the Axe-FX quality, as I feel it's great.  I just prefer one real amp that gets my main core sounds vs. having every sound known to man in a box and trying to decide which one to use on a given project.  Limitations can be good sometimes.  And I am getting just a hair better results using a mic on a cab.  A little more alive and present than going direct.

clintmartin
 
I don't miss them at all for recording. I'll probably buy the Fractal AX8, Kemper or Helix at some point just because I love gear, but for amps my little DT25 does just fine.

 
see, i'm just the opposite.
 
i would use a modeler for live work without batting an eye....
NOBODY
in the audience, will ever hear the difference.
 
but for recording work,
i only want the real thing.
 

MachineClaw
I'm not a pro, barly can play guitar and live in an apartment.  real amp? 

There are quite a number of good and inexpensive sub-1 watt amps about right now. I've a Blackheart head which claims to be one watt but is more like a quarter of that, uses just two 12AX7's with one configured as a push-pull power amp for real power-amp overdrive

Just has a volume control and a built-in Marshall-style eq fixed at a slight mid dip. I run it to a Celestion 10" Greenback. My SG or Teles push it well into crunch and beyond by the time the volume's at 10'o'clock, it sounds like a big amp but you can't hear it outside the room.

Best (home) practice amp I've found in 40-odd years playing. Much better than a more powerful amp running at such a low volume it's barely working (even 5 watts is way too loud for domestic use) and much better "feel" than any digital simulation I've come across.

Or get a bigger amp and something like a Palmer speaker sim/load box and hook that up to your interface. Or a Pignose.

Digital emulators don't really come close to an actual amp, even a tiny little amp.

I was taking out a 60-lb head and a 70-lb cab... and guitar is not my primary live instrument.
That was insane... so I moved to a (small) Engl Ironball head and two Orange 1x12 cabs.
That was actually a great sounding small (conventional) rig.
 
Talked to a couple local guys who were using a Kemper... and realized I could get 95% the same sound carrying a single 15-pound Kemper Profiling Amp.  
Add to that fewer open mics on stage, lower stage volume, less clutter on stage, and it was a win for the entire band.
 
Still love the sound of a nice tube amp...
So easy to dial in a nice sound

batsbrew

clintmartin
 
I don't miss them at all for recording. I'll probably buy the Fractal AX8, Kemper or Helix at some point just because I love gear, but for amps my little DT25 does just fine.

 
see, i'm just the opposite.
 
i would use a modeler for live work without batting an eye....
NOBODY
in the audience, will ever hear the difference.
 
but for recording work,
i only want the real thing.
 

I could never bond with the FRFR thing and I've tried several brands. On a stage, a real amp at my back just feels right. One thing is for sure...the tech is getting better and better.  

What's known so far about the AX8.
http://wiki.fractalaudio.com/axefx2/index.php?title=AX8:_amp_modeling_and_multi-fx_pedalboard