mixmkr
I always wonder in these threads, why people think the amp sims need to emulate sounds that started 40+ years ago and to continue down that path.  With the technology, why aren't people interested in creating something new and unique with these products?  Why do they need the VanHalen sound...or the black faced sound...?  Albeit those are great sounds, people are getting stuck into staying with the ole tried and true.
Also, why do guitar players feel they need to have the amp *feel* to play properly?
As a guitar player of over 45 years, I'm totally into hearing what the current chop masters can do with an AxeFX, and use it like a new instrument.  Unfortunately, it's all this metal, drop tuned stuff or copy versions being played.  Pete Thorn is on the right track, but give an AxeFX to a *Jeff Beck* or a modern day Jimi.  People don't jump on Jordan Rudass or Lyle Mays for hopping on the Spectrasonics bandwagon.  They put some brain power into it.

It's a tough question.
 
Actually, for most of the time I've used amp sims - most of the last decade - I had no interest in re-creating sounds which were classics.
 
On the other hand, even though this was one the most creative times in my life, that was the decade where I had the least interest in my own instrument as I felt that I had nothing new to contribute. I was sick and tired of hearing myself playing. I could go on for months without ever touching the guitar - I'd play two or three times in a year. I guess that the sounds I made were mine. But no trend setters or breakthrough.
 
But I am no visionary, I can't bring the instrument to its next level.
 
And as far as I'm concerned, with all due respect, when I listen to everything that's been done since Hendrix, I hear facets of his music and sound which have been refined and tightened up, and maybe expanded a bit. But that's it.
 
Listening to Machine Gun live on Band of Gypsys, it's ALL in there. Steve Vai is mind-blowing, I've learned to appreciate shredders like Malmsteen and even tried and learned from them. But Hendrix, man...
 
As for I - I guess turning 40, I've embraced my own limitations and strengths, and learned to relax. I won't be changing the world, but I can play a decent guitar part, write and arrange music for my wife and create something that we'll both enjoy. If it's original, it'll have to happen accidentally. I'm leaving it to others to judge whether the way I hear things is interesting to them.
 
I don't think I'll ever try to duplicate someone else's tone exactly. I've always found that it was much more fun to approximate things than to copy them exactly. IMHO, some of the most interesting stuff bands like the Beatles have done was the result of their inabilities to really duplicate the sounds they were trying to emulate, and their limitations as musicians.
 

Nice Automglo, Mixmkr,

Actually either you missed part of my point, or I didn't verbalized it very well. I was trying to make the point that if you listened to his recording, and it was not labeled as a demo of what he is playing using Amplitube 3, you would assume that he is playing a real amp. I hear no obvious difference. Paul is not a spokesman for Amplitube, just a Blues musician that likes to record from various sources. A very good player blurs the lines between real and sim. I believe that it is more the ability of the great musician than of the equipment. I believe that Jeff has already said that, earlier.

Rain, I agree with your assessment of the Beatles completely.

I was able to finally " borrow " my younger brothers Princeton.
I've had a fender twin since the mid 70's and it's always been my clean ( neutral ) tone amp of choice. Well I kind of stupidly traded it off about a year ago for les paul studio and instantly regretted it. So, my younger brother got this Princeton about 20 yrs ago along with a 61 Les paul dbl cut away  - yea for $ 125.00  go figure... and I never really got to try it out. It's a 1964 - everything original. I plug it in the other day and I'm back to instant clean neutral tone bliss. Very nice - no dirt - plenty of volume all in a 10 pound package. Why do I feel so guilty knowing he'll never see that  sucker - ever again ?
 
By the way -  I use Scuffham exclusively for recording. Realistically it's all in the hands and the instruments. Everything else in my opinion is just convenience. Which can also make or break a recording / performance.

mixmkr
I always wonder in these threads, why people think the amp sims need to emulate sounds that started 40+ years ago and to continue down that path.  With the technology, why aren't people interested in creating something new and unique with these products?  Why do they need the VanHalen sound...or the black faced sound...?  Albeit those are great sounds, people are getting stuck into staying with the ole tried and true.
Also, why do guitar players feel they need to have the amp *feel* to play properly?
As a guitar player of over 45 years, I'm totally into hearing what the current chop masters can do with an AxeFX, and use it like a new instrument.  Unfortunately, it's all this metal, drop tuned stuff or copy versions being played.  Pete Thorn is on the right track, but give an AxeFX to a *Jeff Beck* or a modern day Jimi.  People don't jump on Jordan Rudass or Lyle Mays for hopping on the Spectrasonics bandwagon.  They put some brain power into it.

I think you pose some great questions and you have a great way of thinking. I'll try to answer a few of them based on real life experience as well as what I've heard from others. :)
 
Why a VH tone or any other classic emulation? Quite a few answers I can give you here.
 
1. For myself, my answer is I play in a VH tribute band on the side so it's pretty important for me to at least be "in the ballpark". My AxeFx tone that I use on my own stuff isn't ground-breaking or new (though it's new to me) but it sounds nothing like VH.
 
2. Others in search: Some guys aren't interested in creating or being innovative. One look deep inside an AxeFx unit and if you're not in your 20's, you'll see why you might not be creating anything new and ground-breaking. Anyone with a life that has a family or a demanding job won't find time enough in a day to unleash the possible power this thing has. Thankfully I'm in a situation where I can put in 2-3 hours every few days. I don't have a family and my job is my music and the studio. But even there...it's so loaded with possibilities, my head starts to hurt because of the choices and sometimes I can't make up my mind.
 
For people that may not be able to spend that amount of time tweaking and testing, it's nice to make noise. It's nice to fire up a preset that sounds and behaves like an amp. Not everyone wants to be creative or experiment to redefine the face of music or even tone really. I personally think it's great to run through presets and say "oh, this sounds like Brian May....this sounds like VH, this sounds like Vai, this sounds like Hendrix, this sounds like SRV".
 
From there, a user can take the cool elements of those tones and make them their own. And, of course the biggest thing to consider is....you only sound like someone if you put the time in to sound like someone. You don't just get a VH sound and sound like Ed. Everything about your execution needs to be taken into account. I've tried to sound like the dude and still sound like me. The "sound" has more to do with your finger-print tonation than the actual emulated sound.
 
So, if you look at it that way, none of the emulated "artist" sounds are true other than if the player has a clue as to how to execute something "in the flavor of" <insert name here>
 
Plug me into Jeff Beck's rig, I'll still sound like me unfortunately. Plug Ted Nugent into EVH's rig (which has been done) and Ted sounded like Ted. Eddie into Ted's rig, he still sounded like Eddie.
 
The point I'm trying to make...is what I said in the first line in #2 of this post. Some just want sounds they dig...sounds they wished they could have their entire lives when they were learning. I've created several sounds on my AxeFx that are original. Will I be able to use any of them? I don't know...but they sure are trippy. Some happen by accident (which always seem to be the best ones) other happen because you mess around for hours.
 
3. Metal, drop tuning: It's what's in today as far as "rock" is considered whether we like it or not. Take a look at what is selling these days and what the young concert goers are going to see. I'm 47...I dig classic rock, I dig 80's metal because of some of the killer guitarists....but I'm also embracing what the kids are into today. We had our time, ya know?
 
What I find more impressive are kids 20 years younger than me able to afford an AxeFx II and the pedalboard for $2900. Add in the Mission Control pedals and whatever else you throw in....and you're over 3k. Whew....that's not counting a power amp or cab. LOL!
 
As for the feel thing you questioned, this is difficult and you may get 25 different replies. I'll explain it from my personal experience. As I said before, the amp chooses the player. You "feel" something as well as hear something with the right amp. You may notice on the right amp that legato passages are much easier to play because the amp sustains just the right way. This is a "feel" thing and it's important. An amp sim may leave you missing this because there is a difference between "sustain" and "gain".
 
Natural sustain is super important even if you are not using a high gain sound. Without it, it's much harder to play. When something is much harder to play, the sound as well as your feel changes. Understand? The feel also comes by way of how the tone literally regenerates itself back through the wood of the guitar. You can literally (at least I can) feel tone coming through and back into the instrument. This is important because without it, I have to change how I play. When everything is just right, what you play flows and what you hear, sings to you. If you've not been able to experience any of the above "feel" scenarios, hopefully I've been able to assist you in where you may at least try to look for them. They may not be essential to some, but they are necessities to others.
 
-Danny

I tried to post a comment to this thread for two days. I am using my phone because I am at work. And everytime I got distracted and my comment got discarded because of timing out.

But Danny said it nicely.

I get the best "feel" from Head Case amp sim.

The other day I just threw my AT 4040 in front of my Egnator Rebel cab and did a recording. It sounded great. I wondered after why I hadn't done this before?

Then I remembered all the hours spent trying to find a sweet spot on a speaker with a 57.

I immediately got up and took several pictures of the 4040's placement!!

Grem
I tried to post a comment to this thread for two days. I am using my phone because I am at work. And everytime I got distracted and my comment got discarded because of timing out.

Oh man...ya gotta write phone posts in a note-taking app first and then copy and paste them into the forum...can't count the number of times I have written out long posts only to have them disappear because I've accidentally clicked "done" and then clicked on a random link by accident...posting anything on a phone is fraught with frustration and it's so easy to lose everything. Firing up the notepad app and writing it there solves everything, but there are still times I'm too lazy to do that and use the forum text box instead...

Danny.... your post is right on and I totally agree AND understand 200%.  I'm sure you understood what I was trying to covey as well.
 
However kids being able to afford something like the AxeFX doesn't really surprise me.  It's just priorities...  look at the price of a car they're driving.  ;-D

mixmkr
Danny.... your post is right on and I totally agree AND understand 200%.  I'm sure you understood what I was trying to covey as well.
 
However kids being able to afford something like the AxeFX doesn't really surprise me.  It's just priorities...  look at the price of a car they're driving.  ;-D

I most definitely understood where you were coming from and think your thoughts and comments are 1000% valid. I know when you are playing 45+ years, there's not much I can really tell you that you haven't already experienced. As a matter of fact, I'm sure I could learn a GREAT deal from you as well as your awesome experience(s).
 
That said, sometimes even though we have been playing for most of our lives, it's really easy to miss the obvious until someone points it out to us. I can't tell you how many times that has happened to me. Some of my students in the past who were just young bucks pointed out great things to me that I somehow missed and let me tell you, I'm one thorough little guy at most things. LOL!!
 
Yeah I guess it shouldn't surprise me that they can afford the AxeFx....then again, in this economy, I question anything and everything. It's all so expensive today I just shake my head.
 
-Danny

sharke

Firing up the notepad app and writing it there solves everything, but there are still times I'm too lazy to do that and use the forum text box instead...

Yep! That's what happened. Started to just reply, it turned into a long post, then something happens, I get sidetracked, and poof, gone!! When I know it's going to ne a long post. I'll try to use word (Win8 phone), but like you I get lazy!!

I know I'm an old man, BUT, if you have a really good Plexi sim; what else do you need?
I mean really!
 
T