Thanks to Danni's guidance, I've got an Axe FX II XL and it has shown me that modelling can do the job and do it very well.
 
I. LOVE. THIS. THING. :)

I just listened on my Hafler/Auratone rig.
 
I thought the clean sound on number 3 was the closet thing to the sound of an amp alive in a room. 1 and 2 could work in a mix but they aren't going to make a kid want to play guitar. ;-)
 
I listened again to the dirty examples; 1 and 2 sound choked and dead... each in a different way. 3 sounds choked but not dead... there's a spark of life in it.
 
I think the guy has some nice clean chops.
 
 

mike_mccue
I think the guy has some nice clean chops.
 
 

So that's your #1 take away?

smallstonefan
Thanks to Danni's guidance, I've got an Axe FX II XL and it has shown me that modelling can do the job and do it very well.
 
I. LOVE. THIS. THING. :)

I'm jealous. I would love to try a Axefx II, but it's hard for me to justify with my current cash flow. So far S-gear has got me very close to where I want to be, but I'm always looking for the next thing. Hopefully I'll be able to put Bias through it's paces this weekend and if I like it I'll buy it. I don't need a ton effects with a sim. I have a ton of effects in my vst folder. Again if I want a simple fender clean thing...Amplitube Fender can do that all day long.

bapu

mike_mccue
I think the guy has some nice clean chops.
 
 

So that's your #1 take away?

Naw, it's just one guys personal opinion. :-)

I wouldn't use a preset from the Axe-Fx Ultra for a test. Most of the presets were done to show extremes rather than 'go to' studio sounds. I've got the Axe-Fx and don't use any of the presets and I'm usually a preset kind of guy. Some are just plain bizarre to show the scope.

The Axe-Fx 2 has, as far as I know, some presets from users, which are more user friendly. The standard and ultra were never plug in and play.

I would say the same about most of the amp sim presets as well. Most are set up to extremes and the user presets can be much better.

Clint, let me know what you think of BIAS when you give it a work out. I don't gig out much any more these days either, if I do, I use the real deal. The Sims are really handy for songwriting, however.

I've finally re-installed S-Gear yesterday and played with it for a while. But as great as it sounds, I've come to develop an aversion for plug-in amp sims. Even if it sounds incredibly good, I don't think I'd be using BIAS much, so I'll save myself the hassle.
 
I think pretty much all amp sims have their strength and weaknesses. Last weekend, I recorded some guitar parts for a piece of music in the genre of Nine Inch Nail's Broken - huge sounding tracks, w/ plenty of gain. I had the tone nailed to perfection w/ the POD HD's Engl model. That was actually the most satisfying experience I've had w/ my POD HD so far.
 
On the other hand, I've been trying to tackle a certain type of smoother rock and roll sound for quite a bit, and it just won't work. Actually, I don't think anything short of a real tube amp at high volume in a big room would work 100% for this. It's not just a matter of tone/EQ/sound - that part can be taken care of relatively well -  it's a matter of energy, gain, sustain, density.
 
The AXE FX and Kemper are both way too expensive for my taste, but a friend of mine just bought a used Eleven rack, and he's got me comparing that and the POD HD, and I truly believe that the Eleven would be a much better solution for me than the POD. If I had any money to put on amp sims, that's where it'd go.

I didn't like the Elevenrack at all, but we are all after different things. I had a HD500 for 4 years and I think it's better than the 11 in every way. FWIW I had some really good tones with the POD as is, but even better using Redwirez IRs. I don't know if you've tried those or not, but I do suggest trying some out. They have a few for free to try.

clintmartin
I didn't like the Elevenrack at all, but we are all after different things. I had a HD500 for 4 years and I think it's better than the 11 in every way. FWIW I had some really good tones with the POD as is, but even better using Redwirez IRs. I don't know if you've tried those or not, but I do suggest trying some out. They have a few for free to try.

Yep - I have practically the whole collection. I'm a long time fan of their MixIR too.
 
That's the thing with amps and amp sims - I've seen people getting amazing results using almost each and every one of them, so I can't really put any one of them down, because someone is bound to have created something running with it and to prove me totally wrong. 
 
Overall, from my perspective, Eleven appears to be less mix-ready, which is exactly what I want. Anything that's too good sounding, polished and balanced usually doesn't work for me. Comparing the same amp types and setting, Eleven sounds more raw, with mids that are less tamed than the POD. To me, that's something that has a lot of appeal.