The other piece of the puzzle has been in the concept of impulse responses. It doesn’t hurt that these units weigh about the same as an average electric guitar, too! These units give us all of the sounds we need, modelled from real vintage amps and effects devices, and we can still enjoy all of the quick-switching functionality of multi-FX processors to get a best-of-both worlds situation for our sounds and set lists.
From the Line 6 Helix to the Headrush Pedalboard and the Kemper Profiler, us guitar players have finally found the end of the rainbow. Nowadays though, it’s a given that digital modelling units are delivering on all fronts. Or, if the tones were pretty nice, the overall feel for the player was flat, lifeless and ultimately uninspiring.
In the past, a floor FX unit gave you lots of flexibility, but sometimes stung you back for that by delivering less-than-awesome tones. Sounds sensible to us! Now, it’s no secret that digital floor systems are what many players are turning to, now that they legitimately sound as good, if not better, than more traditional rigs. Does it not make more sense to select gear that gives you the best, most satisfying experience for the majority of your playing time? It’s no good to put up with an okay ‘it’ll do’ home setup, whilst investing heavily on a huge road rig that spends most of its days gathering dust. So, it goes without saying that you need the best sounds, the most inspiring tones and the ‘realest’ feel you can get right there in your home playing space. Even busy gigging pros practice at home, record at home and prepare at home. If you are like most of us, you’ll do most of your playing at home. Line 6 Helix and Yamaha HS Speakers: Ultimate Tone at Home