What were your first amp modelers?

Piing

Axe-Master
I started with the Zoom 9002, back in 1989. Others followed, but I couldn’t get a tone that I could use live and get rid of guitar amplifiers and cabinets until I got the magnificent Roland VG-8 that offered not only COSM, but V-Guitar.

Then I incorporated the Boss GX700.

The GX700 had one CAB that I liked, and I only used that one for a very long time. But I was not happy with the COSM distortion, so I used a Marshall JMP-1 (after discarding the Marshall 9000 and several preamps and pedals) connected to the GX-7000 for CAB sim and FX .

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These were the times when I made most gigs in my life. Playing with a RG550LTD & Dimarzio Fred, VG-8 on the floor (used as Midi Controller and V-Guitar), GX-700 & JMP-1 on a bag rack at the floor, and JBL EON-15 monitors. (and eventually other guitar-midi/synths paraphernalia, but that is another story)

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From the GX-700 I moved to the Boss GT-Pro. I accompanied it with several rack pre-amps and effect units, like the Triaxis, Randall RM4 (that was a crazy rack with 4 tube pre-amps), Ada Micro-CAB, Eventide Eclipse, Muse Receptor VST loader, boutique pedals, the freaking Radley’s Harmonic Converger … I have forgotten the long list of all the gear I’ve bought and sold!

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Things took a turn in 2006 when I got the Axe-FX (the first unit in Spain, and one of the firsts in Europe. G66 was not yet born).

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Then the Axe-FX Ultra. And at that point I could sell all the redundant gear, from the Eventide to the Triaxis (except the Roland VG-99)

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.. and then the Axe-FX II, AX8, and the Axe-FX III. But my good friend is already gone, and there is no fun in taking pictures of lonely gear.


What is your history with modelers?
 
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Roland GP-100
Roland VG-88
Boss GX-700
Line 6 Vetta
Axe-Fx Standard
Axe-Fx Ultra
Zoom G3-X
Axe-Fx II (*)
Axe-Fx Standard (*)
AX-8
Kemper Profiler (*)
Axe-Fx III (*)
FM-3 waitinglist

(*) still in possession
 
Roland GP-100
Roland VG-88
Boss GX-700
Line 6 Vetta
Axe-Fx Standard
Axe-Fx Ultra
Zoom G3-X
Axe-Fx II (*)
Axe-Fx Standard (*)
AX-8
Kemper Profiler (*)
Axe-Fx III (*)
FM-3 waitinglist

(*) still in possession

If you miss the VG-88 and cannot find a VG-99 (it is out of production) The Boss GP-10 is great, and not too expensive
 
From the top of my head:

Alesis Quadraverb GT
Zoom G9.2tt
Waves GTR (software)
Line 6 Pod 2.0
Line 6 HD400
Line 6 Pocketpod
Line 6 Podfarm (software)
Eleven Rack
Boss ME 80
Boss GT-100
Boss GP-10
Fractal Audio Axe Fx II XL
Line 6 Helix Native (software) - Waves Supermodels (software)
Fractal Audio Axe Fx III

I may have missed some and/or the order of them. I have definitely tried out a lot of software through the years. And some hardware modelers like the HD 400 I have only owned for a short time.

Then I have had the fortunate opportunity to borrow and try out stuff with/from friends - like a Kemper, Atomic Amplifier, Ax8 and more ...
 
Starting in 1990:
Digitech GSP-21 Pro
Johnson Millennium JM-150
Axe-FX II Mark II
Helix Floor

I have also used others' Marshall JMP-1, Mesa Boogie Tri-Axis, Scholz Rockman, Digitech GSP-2101, Kemper KPA, Yamaha THR-10 series, Boss GT-1000, ART Nightbass, and various Zoom units where the model numbers were not memorable.
 
I don't recall the order...
But i have had some good, and some bad

Scholz Rockman
Zoom 1010
Behringer V-Amp
Digitech RP80
Axefx
digitech GNX3000
Line 6 HD500
V-Stack Classic<forget the maker (pre first act), but a great pedal
Zoom G3
Fender Mustang Floor
Behringer GDI 21
Tech 21 Tri AC
Tech 21 FLYRIG
Eleven Rack
Zoom G5N
Boss ME80
Quilter 101 Mini<Not sure if it classifies as a modeler... but it "models" a few amp types

Also had a couple of PC based programs
Amplitube
Peavey Revalver
 
I've owned several. Some of them at the same time. None of them ever really worked for me until I got my AX8.

ART SGE Mach 2
Digitech GSP-2101 Artist
Boss GT3
Boss GT6
PodXT
PodXT Live
Digitech GNX-3000
Boss GT8
Zoom G5
Zoom MS-100BT Multi-Stomp
Boss GT-001
Line 6 Pocket Pod
Fender Mustang II Amp
Fender Mustang III Amp
Fractal Audio AX8 - Sold to get my II XL+
Fractal Audio Axe-Fx II XL+ - Still have this and still love it.
Fractal Audio Axe-Fx III - Still have this.

Now that I've used an Axe-Fx I'm just not really seriously tempted to try anything else.
 
In order of appearance:

Scholtz Rockman
ADA MP-1/Alesis Quadraverb
Line 6 POD
Line 6 POD XT Live
M-Audio Black Box
Line 6 POD HD 500
Fractal Axe-Fx II Mk 2
Fractal Axe-Fx II XL+
Fractal Axe-Fx III
 
I started with the Rockman and was convinced that would be my forever recording device. After all, if Boston was using it, what could be better than that?

After a few years I got sick of everyone saying, “you must really love Boston!” after hearing a recording. The Rockman can’t NOT sound like that.

Through the 90s I was a starving college and grad student and wasn’t buying anything. By 1999 I had a real job and the POD came out. Just like the Rockman, I was sure this was my forever device. After all, it had lots of different amps so I wasn’t going to get trapped in the “sounds like Boston” trap. Oh, how I loved that POD!

...until the PODxt came out. And you could buy amp packs!

Then I had to get Gearbox. Gearbox Gold, of course. So many amps, I would never run out of sounds for recording.

At some point after this I heard about Axe Fx. It immediately felt like the Holy Grail, but like the grail, I thought it forever beyond my reach. I got a Pod HD, but even as I ran it into the fx loop of my JCM 2205, there was a little voice in me saying it wasn’t quite there. Even buying those amp packs didn’t do it.

I carried on with Gearbox for recording and Pod HD for live, but by then I was watching Mark Day and Cooper Carter do Axe FX II videos and knew that’s what I really wanted. Well, several straight years of tucking money away and my XL+ is by far and away the best modeler I’ve had since I got that Rockman over 30 years ago.
 
Still have my Zoom 9002. Does that count as a modeler or is that rather a fancy (and back in the 90s a ridiculous expensive) Rockman ?
 
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