Poll: Are guitar and bass amps a thing of the past?

[DrKev]

Bassists and guitarists…

The most excellent Ryan Bruce just posted this video, stating that most bands he sees when he tours find his use of physical amps on stage to be strange. Do you think amplifiers are on the way out? Is it genre specific? What’s your preference at home and/or on stage?

 

[xjbebop]

Not only no, but heck no...

 

[racerx]

I like both! I personally love the simplicity of using a Princeton or Deluxe Reverb, or a small bass amp like the Darkglass stuff (or any of the great small form factors) for live gigs. However, it is hard to argue with using modeling equipment for rehearsals or tracking. My band rehearses almost completely digital now and we're able to keep the volume down and play all night (and have a pretty great fidelity recording when its all said and done).

If I had a full-time support staff and/or was a touring musician, I'm sure I might change my tune a bit, but I think there is a place for both. We aren't stuck in the 90s anymore and the digital stuff is beyond impressive!

 

[Epiplatys]

I don’t have an answer, but I know what it is for me: NO. In capital letters.

I grew up feeling the punch to the chest when hitting the strings, feeling the feedback between the speaker and the strings/pickups. Seeing how the body responding to the playing hearing and feeling the sound, the room or avenue ramble. If those things are missing, more than half of the fun is gone.

 

[wannarock8]

I like playing through guitar amps. I like the tones I get with a good mic in front of a good amp. What the future holds, I don’t know.
I‘ve kind of abandoned using a bass amp though. When I play bass, it’s always through a Tech 21 box direct to the sound system or recording interface these days. I’m getting the nicest bass tones I’ve ever gotten.

 

[beej]

I think he's right on a lot of that. It's hard to beat the convenience of playing at home/recording with modelers, and it's a certainly lot cheaper to tour with them- weight is money. Most of the touring backlines I've seen in recent years are modelers.

That said- the thing we all love about tube amps isn't going away. I don't think it's age specific; there are tons of young guys playing through tube amps. I'd bet there will aways be a certain crowd that loves tubes, as much as there's a crowd that wants digital.

Of course this same debate played out with instruments for years- and still what mostly sells is what was popular back in the 50s & 60s. Hard to imagine a world where guitar players are getting more open minded