Digital Pre Amps

I was just wondering whether any of you have digital pre amps like the pod or the V-amp and use it in a guitar amp like a half stack.

There's a simple Crate 150Watt clean head that's cheap and light and i'm thinkin that combined with an amp simulator like a V-amp (yes i'm on a budget) and a simple cab might be orrite.

However i've read lots of discussion on pre amps and most ppl use them direct to power amps instead and not to guitar amps. Is it ok to use them with guitar amps (simple and clean)? do they sound any good? Or are they really only designed to plug directly in to Pa's or PC's?

If you're talking about the Crate Powerblock, I think it would go great with an amp modeler. I've even thought about getting one myself just to mess around with. I've got a POD 2.0 and a PODxt. Both work great in these types of applications. You just have to make sure that you turn off the cabinet and mic simulations, since you're actually playing through a real cabinet. In this type of situation, I prefer the POD 2.0 over the PODxt. The 2.0 has some extra warmth to it that sounds a bit more realistic playing through an amp and cab. The XT works great as well, but it sounds a little steril/digital through an amp and cab, in my opinion. But, when going straight to a computer or recording desk it sounds a bit better than the 2.0. Also, be sure that you run the POD's output, or whatever you get, into the effects return of the amp. This will bypass the amps preamp tone controls, so it will simply act like a power amp, and won't really color the tone of the modeler you use.

Use the search feature of the forum to do a search for these things. There are a lot of threads of various topics about amp modelers.

cheeers. It's actually good that you told me about the Pod thing. I was thinking of getting a Pod 2.0 because some ppl did prefer it but i thought it was snobbish "i don't want no new equipment" kind of preference. I don't need a crapload of effects, i just need a cheap nice sounding kit. so yer that's awesome dude, i'll get a pod 2.0 over a behringer anyday :)

When I use the POD 2.0 with an amp, I just use my regular pedals for effects. It does have some nice effects though. I typically have my main bank set up like this (4 patches in each bank). Patch 1 - high gain rythm... Patch 2 - high gain lead w/ compression, delay, and reverb... Patch 3 - overdriven light crunchy rythm... Patch 4 - clean. On my pedalboard I've got a volume pedal, wah, EQ, overdrive, chorus, flanger, and delay. They all sound great with the POD.

Man, all this talk has got me GAS'in for one of those powerblocks now lol :rolleyes:

lol yer i'm gonna have to sell my microcube cause my room here in london is minature and it is seriously taking up space, the powerblock however could even be stored in my hard case easily! that thing is a machine! that combined with a pod 2.0 will probably be my weapon of choice.

Hi There.........

I have a GTpro and here are few sounds that I made...... (basicly I don't go with the factory presets.......)

This is pure GTpro..... through USB into Adobe Audition

Accoustic

Chorus_lead

Crunch

Dynamic

Heavy drive

have fun!

Thought i might revive this topic instead of starting a new one

have a question ... Power amp and cab vs guitar amp and cab. i know in this situation you're really relying on the modeller and if the modeller dies you've got no tone, on the other hand you can get more watts for your buck and i hear a lot of poweramps are really quite reliable and are cheaper.

any thoughts on using a power amp with a cab instead of a guitar amp (like the powerblock) with a cab?

The best route would be a tube power amp (such as a Peavey Classic 50/50[discontinued] or a Mesa Boggie 20:20) and guitar cabinet. This will be a more expensive option though. The powerblock option would be a pretty good one, since you would have somewhat of a backup if the modeler died, and if the amp dies you can always run the modeler to the PA. It's a good idea to have two sets of patches for this. One to use with your amp and cab, and one to use going straight to the PA.

My first "big" modeler setup consisted of a Line 6 POD Pro into a Mackie M800 power amp into a Marshall 1960a cab. This worked and sounded great, but was way overkill. You will rarely ever need 4x12's. I can drown out my drummer with my 60 watt 5150 2x12 combo.

Another thing you need to look at is portability. Think about where you'll be using this rig, and how you will get it there.

I know it's not always possible, given peoples location, but try to try out as many different rigs as you can to see which options suit your needs best. Good luck! ;)

I just found the Power amp thing nifty that it was 19" rackmount and that i could start rackmounting things lol, but yer i guess i could workout a way to rackmount a powerblock too. I here what you're saying about the 4x12's and am leaving the whole cab decision for next year when i start doing some serious jammin (I'm not getting a cab and travelling with it back to aus, that'd cost heaps).

btw, gotta ask, in terms of rack mounting, how to people rackmount things that aren't built to be rackmounted? do you just use shelves or do you do some fancy thing with your drills and welding machines? or is rackmounting overkill to begin with (i was thinking of having a cheap behringer rackmoutn tuner, the powerblock, a cheap behringer rackmount eq, and a pod2.0 or a rackmount v-amp pro).

Not sure about mounting non-rackmount gear, but you could get a good used power amp for the price of a new powerblock. For EQ, if you can, I'd go with the Behringer DEQ2496. I have this one, and it is great! A tuner won't be that necessary since the POD already has one.

I'm sort of going against the tube trend though - i know every1 swears by tubes but i'm not into the maintenance aspect of them - i'm shamefully rough with my equipment - it's not because i'm careless but just because i use equipment in weird ways. A solid state PA i hear is pretty shrill, but on the other hand i could drive vocals through it too, and this is perhaps something i couldn't do with a powerblock.

tha is pretty much what im looking at doing maybe with a korg ax1500g tho instead of a pod because id like to have a floorboard, i was thinking probably a powerblock and a couple of 1x12s so i dont have to take lots of speakers everywhere
i saw a second hand old tranny marshall head other day would that color the sound much, i think all it had was eq and master volume

When using a guitar amp, you really need to plug your amp modeler into the effects return instead of the regular input jack. A guitar amp can basically be divided into two parts (without getting too technical)... The preamp and the power amp. In a tube amp, the greater portion of your tone will come from the preamp (where all the tone controlls and gain controlls are), but it will also be colored by the power amp section. This will be dependant on what type of tubes you use, and how hard you push the amp. A solid state's power amp section, on the other hand, won't color the sound much, if any, at all. When you plug into the effects return, you are bypassing the amps preamp. So, the only coloration you will have then will be from what little the power amp might cause and the speakers you play through.

The speakers you use will have a large effect on your overall tone as well. With a modeler, I would choose a speaker that wasn't too hyped in any particular part of the frequency range. Here's an example: Celestion Vintage 30's are hyped in the mid and hi-mid range. This causes their punchy and in-you-face tone. Celestion G12T-75's (stock in the newer Marshall 1960a cabs) have the mids scooped a bit, and the highs and lows hyped a bit. This makes them good for modern metal tones. I would probably use a speaker like the Eminence Wizard. This speaker has a fairly open tone to it, which covers the whole range of the guitar very well. A speaker like this will tend to work better with a wider variety of tones than a speaker like the Vintage 30.

I hope some of this helped out without getting too confusing :o

i'm thinking though if i do get the crate i'd have the modeller being coloured by the amp because apparently the crate powerblock is subtly tubelike in it's tone and this might just give the modeller that extra kick. probably experiment when i get it though.

good advice, but in terms of cheap cabs for metal/hard rock (but also a nice clean sound - i'm not all that hardcore in the end :)) basically you're saying marshall 1960 - which is about 2 times as much as i'm willing to spend (take into account that in aus where i'm gonna buy the cab prices are sky high due to import overheads).

The general consensus on the Behringer BG412S is that it's pretty sweet but you do get what you pay for so you might have some hassels with it ... so i'm thinkin of going this route. I can always replace the speakers later on i guess, but i'm not a big spender. i can afford a Marshall MG412A though but i've heard that the cheaper marshalls are just carrying the name but not the quality.

this is the link to the behringer cab by the way : http://www.musicianswarehouse.com.au/default.aspx?Pg=21&ProductCode=BG412S

remember i'm not a tone freak, i just want power and bang for buck, i'll sort out the tone with my own lil tweaks here and there.

opinions?

That "tube like" tone of the Crate all comes from the preamp, which, if you've paid attention to my posts, you will be bypassing.

i did pay attention to your posts, i'm just saying that i'd connect it through the main input jack instead of the secondary input or effects loop and see if that would sound good. i shall experiment and see what it sounds like.

Some like doing that, and some don't. It all depends on what sounds good to you. As long as you like how it sounds, it doesn't matter how you set it up. When it comes to tone, you're only limited by your imagination ;)

well i have to say heaps of thanks to all the people that posted on this topic, i shall be givin u all rep!

lol i just realised, by every1 who posted i pretty much mean PRS Playa :P we shoulda just had a pm :)