I've been fiddling around and if I put my geetar thru the fx machine and then into the amp and use the clean channel it sounds much better than my old amp so the amp must help alot but the sound is still the fx machine. I suppose it's like playing cd's on different hi-fi's and now I have a better hi-fi.

I'd ditch the FX machine in favour of some pedals but I'm scared that they won't live up to my expectations and I'll wish I hadn't. My FX machine has so many things on it and I can get some good sounds so I think I'd be daft to get rid.