If Ya Only Had ONE Modeler to Gig Direct With, Which One Should You Choode

Hi guitar friends!  Last week we discussed two great options for the ONE amp you can bring to a gig and need NOTHING else.  Check that blog out!  But these days we often are not even allowed an amp, we must play "direct" listening via in-ear monitors.  Now, a decade or so back this was like a death sentence, but these days it's really a cool option once you get used to it.  I'll discuss actually USING in-ears next week, but for now, let's talk about the one singular piece of gear you can place at your feet and get everything you need to sound great for the audience, other band members, and even you yourself!  Ready ... set ... let's go!

Okay, so  I can't NOT mention the Kemper profiler here!

Every pro knows they sound ridiculously good and you hear them on TONS of recordings.  But, they are notoriously finicky to use and difficult to learn, and they have a ridiculous price to match their ridiculous TONE!  And the real deal-breaker for most is the cost.  Entrance level is about two grand, without so much as a volume pedal even ... that costs a bunch more.

So, let's look at the OTHER option, the Fractal Audio FM9:

Again, you're getting dangerously close to two grand here, and if ya want a volume peddle, yep ... it's additional.  Just like the Kemper, these guys sound excellent and are a staple of Pros the world over.  And, most agree that they are a little bit more user friendly.

If your hip to this stuff, you KNOW what comes next, right? 

The Line6 Helix system. 

Personally, I think they sound 99.9% as good as the Kemper and Fractal units at half the price and they are oh so much easier to get up and running on.  Oh, and the cost is about half the others, too, so there's that :)

Seriously, these DO sound fanFreakingTastic!

But we ARE still talking about a thousand dollar (or more) rig here.  So ya want something that will STILL rock your world, provide 95% of the Helix at half the price?  Great tones, super user-friendly, and ALSO made by the INVENTORS of amp modeling, Line6:

The Line6 Pod Go 2022:

THIS, gang is the way to sound great direct with the rare combination of dead-simple operation AND tons of flexibility and options.  Check this little gal out and I bet you will agree, there's a lot of bang for the buck in this little do-it-all direct recording & live performance powerhouse.  Seriously, check it out ... like NOW!

And as for me, I'll be checking out for now.  Next week we'll discuss the ins and outs of in-ear monitoring (pun intended :).  It'll be great timing, since you'll have your new Pod Go by then, right :-)

See y'all then!